Paul held him close. “Aww, buddy, I don’t want that either. But everyone dies someday, and it’s going to be better for Mrs. Marion to have more care than we can provide here, even with your mom doing her very, very best.”

“Are you sad that your mom is leaving?”

“I’m so sad, and I’m sad that you and your mom are leaving, too.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“I don’t want you to go, but the good news is you can come back to visit any time you want.”

“Won’t be the same as living here.”

“No, it won’t, but I’ll call you, and we’ll see each other. I promise.” Paul held Ethan while he cried out his frustrations. “Will you do something for me?”

Ethan nodded.

“Will you please mind your mom and do what she asks? This is hard for her, too, and arguing with you doesn’t make it better for her. You don’t want to make her sadder, do you?”

“No. She’s so sad. Like she was when my dad got in trouble.”

Paul felt like he’d been gut-punched. Good God, had it really come to that? “Everything is going to be okay. Now how about you take that shower your mom wants you to have?”

“Okay,” Ethan said glumly.

Paul released him and waited until the bathroom door clicked shut behind Ethan before he got up to leave the room.

Hope was standing in the hallway, wiping away tears.

Drawn to her as powerfully as he’d ever been, he put his arms around her.

She rested her hands on his hips and her head on his shoulder.

He wanted to beg and plead with her. He wanted to remind her of how incredible they’d been together. But he didn’t do any of those things. Rather, he only held her until the shower turned off. Though it was the hardest thing he’d ever done, he let her go.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Sure.” He left her with a small smile and got the hell out of there while he still could. Every part of him ached at the thought of losing them. For the first time, he began to give serious thought to leaving the business, his home, his brother, his life on Gansett to go wherever they were. “Motherfucker,” he muttered to the dark house.

“What’s that about?” Alex asked, flipping on a light.

The sudden light as well as the sound of his brother’s voice startled Paul. “Nothing.”

“Gotta be something to have you swearing like that.”

“Nothing to be concerned about.”

“Paul. Come on…”

“She’s leaving. They’re leaving, and I don’t want them to.”

“Assume you’ve said as much?”

“Yeah. For all the good it did.”

“What exactly did you say?”