I nodded, swallowing hard. The last time I’d seen my dad, he’d still had trouble with his speech and needed help walking to make sure he didn’t lose his balance and fall. There was something about seeing a parent, a person you’d always seen as invincible, struggle so much. It killed a little something inside you. I walked through the small foyer, heading for the living room, but stopped dead in my tracks. A familiar photo hung on the wall. Me, Violet, and Isabelle, arms wrapped around each other, smiling so widely you could see that Isabelle was missing a front tooth.

The pain that shot through my chest was what I imagined it felt like to be hit by lightning. The blast was instantaneous, gone in a matter of seconds, but the aftereffects could stay with you for weeks. I squeezed my eyes closed, stepping away from the pull the photo had on me and into the living room.

“Ford.” My eyes flew open at the sound of my father’s voice. He stood from his recliner, and I started forward, not wanting him to fall. He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to take a tumble. I’m doing much better.”

“Dad.” My voice was hoarse as he wrapped me in a warm embrace, one arm thumping me on the back. When he released me, I studied him carefully. “You do seem a lot better.” There was a clarity in his gaze that I hadn’t seen since before the stroke.

Dad eased back into his chair, gesturing for me to take a seat on the couch. That was new, but the recliner was the same one he’d had since my childhood. “I’m doing great. Just some weakness in my right arm. And I get tired a bit quicker than normal.”

My mom scoffed from the doorway as she carried in a tray with cookies and three glasses of milk. “Don’t let him convince you he’s ready to run a marathon, he still needs plenty of rest.”

He snorted in response. “The woman would have me napping every hour on the hour if she could.”

“Heaven forbid I try to keep you healthy. You know if you die on me, I’m going to get one of those hard-bodied young fellas who like older women.”

My dad straightened in his chair. “You will do no such thing, Kara.”

She grinned, bending down to give him a quick kiss. “Take care of yourself, and I won’t have to.”

I rubbed at my eyes but couldn’t help the laughter that escaped me. “I think I’m going to need to bleach my ears and my eyes.”

“Oh hush, you.” Mom swatted my shoulder as she set the cookies on the coffee table. She eased down next to me on the couch. “So, where are you staying? We’ve got plenty of room here, you know.”