"Everything can change in an instant. Everything. And then there is only before and after." --Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

"That's when I caught Ryan sneaking Ehlena into his room," Jackson's mom said with an amused smile.

Everyone laughed as Ryan buried his face in his hands with embarrassment to Everly's story. It's been five days since we first arrived in London. We spent the days visiting Everly and sometimes taking shifts.

The more time I spent with her, the more I started to see what Ryan meant when he explain the type of person she was. It was very hard not to love her. She was what a mother should be. She was considerate with not only Jackson, but Ryan to. She was loving and kind. She wasn't selfish in the least. Well, maybe in regards to the coffee that Jackson kept denying her.

When I watched the two of them go back and forth with their little banter, I couldn't help but smile. I was also getting more worried. I could see how much she meant to Jackson and if she passed, this was going to destroy him.

I thought back to the conversation I had with Jackson's mom when she told me all of that personal information. After we left that day Jackson had waited until Ryan left to go pick up some dinner before he pulled me aside.

"Princess, can I ask you a question?"

I was sitting on the couch folding some laundry when he came and stood in front of me. "Of course," I answered.

"When you were alone with my mother today, what did you talk about?"

I knew this question was going to come up. I knew the second he had walked back into the room and looked at both of us with suspicion. And I'm sure he knew his mother well enough to know that she told me something. I tried to think of what I would say to him when he asked me. Unfortunately, that didn't help me at all. The idea of lying to Jackson just didn't sit well with me.

"Jackson, that was between she and I."

His mouth dropped open at my answer. I could tell was not expecting that. "You would really keep that from me?"

I chose to be as honest as I could with him. "No, Jackson. That's not what I'm doing. I wouldn't try to keep something from you. She told me some things in confidence and made me promise not to tell anyone."

He scoffed as he started pacing. "Her and her bloody promises. She knows nothing good comes of them." He stopped pacing and came back to where I was sitting on the couch. He knelt before me when he spoke again. "I have to know if she said anything about her condition. Please, Princess. If you know something about her health...tell me."

The terrified look in his eyes nearly broke my heart. I reached out and grabbed his hand. I brought it to my chest and placed it over my heart. "If she tells me anything about that, I promise I will tell you, Jackson."

"What if-- What if she..."

I placed a finger to his lips. "Shh...try not to think like that. I know it seems impossible, but enjoy this time with her, Jackson." I moved my hand to the side of his face when I added, "If and when that happens, you won't be alone. Ryan will be here. I will be here."

The sound of Ryan's voice brought my thoughts back to the present. "The only reason I got caught, is because Jay insisted that Mom was working late that day."

"I thought she was!" Jackson quipped.

"Yeah, well," Ryan breathed sarcastically, "We know how that turned out."

Everly looked to me with a smirk. "These two boys were always trying to place blame on each other. Never could own up to their own mistakes."

I couldn't help but join in the laughter that filled the room. This is how it should feel when you are around family. To be honest, I couldn't remember the last time I felt anything similar to this. I've only known Jackson a few weeks, and his mother even less, but being here with the three of them felt like...home.

My heart ached at the feeling. Craving space, I got to my feet. "I'm going to get some ice cream, would you guys like some?" I asked the room.

"That would be lovely," Everly answered.

"My regular, please," Ryan requested.

I looked to Jackson when he didn't respond. He got to his feet and walked over towards the door. "I'll come with you. You'll need help carrying it back here."

"Thanks, Jay," Ryan said with a smile.

"We'll be back." I turned and walked out of the room. Jackson was waiting for me outside the door patiently. We started heading towards the cafeteria and with everything I was feeling, I resisted the urge to reach out and grab his hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

I knew what he meant. I'm sure he saw me get uncomfortable in there. But, I wasn't ready to talk about that yet. "Not really."

We stepped onto the elevator and he reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Okay. But, you know you can talk to me right?"

God, the sound of his voice was enough to make me feel better. How did he do that? His concern warmed me and I couldn't hold back my smile. "I know."

His eyes fell to my lips. "I haven't had a chance to kiss you lately."

No, he hasn't. I didn't even realize how much I missed the feel of his touch until now. My eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to mine. It was slow and soft. I felt his hand cup the side of my face as he deepened the kiss. Just as the kiss started to get heated, the elevator bell sounded; letting us know we arrived on our requested floor.

"To be continued," Jackson said as he pulled away with a smile.

We walked towards the ice cream counter when my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and frowned at the screen. It was my mother. I haven't spoken to her since Hawaii. Jackson turned towards me when I stopped walking.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's-- I gotta take this."

I walked to the other side of the cafeteria and took a deep breath before accepting the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Harper," she answered in an annoyed tone. "How are things going in London?"

Her tone was so nonchalant, she sounds like she's talking about the weather. "Well, Everly still has cancer, if that's what you mean."

"Harper, you don't have to be rude about it. I'm just calling to check on you."

"No, Mom. You're calling to ask if she died yet so I can return to New York."

She sucked her teeth on the other end of the line; as if my accusation was ridiculous. "I wouldn't do that. Ryan's mom and I were simply wondering when a good date was for your bridal shower. We need to send out invitations, you know."

Yeah, I knew. I was definitely not looking forward to the bridal shower. It was going to be a bunch of my mom's friends and Ryan's mom's friends pretending to like me and shower me with lame gifts. "As soon as I know, you'll know, Mom."

She was quiet for a moment before she said, "Have you thought any more about working for Ryan's dad?"

Was she really bringing this up again? Now? What was wrong with her? The conversation in Jackson's kitchen came back to me and I let out a deep breath. "Mom, I'm not working for his dad. I'm going to continue teaching. It's what I want to do. It's what I went to school for." I sighed as I peered out of the window, looking at all the cars driving down the busy London streets. "I'm going to marry Ryan like you asked. I'm going to put on the dress and live happily ever after with him. But, I'm not quitting my job."

When my mom was quiet for awhile I said, "Mom? You still there?"

"I'm here," she answered with an odd note in her voice. "Clearly you are distracted in London and can't think clearly. All will be taken care of when you return home. I expect you back very soon, Harper."

"Wait- what?" The line went dead and I glared at the phone. What the hell did she mean? If she thought she was going to convince me to change my mind, she was mistaken. If I was going to go along with this ridiculous wedding, then I was at least going to keep the one thing that I could love. My job.

"Everything okay, Princess?" Jackson walked up to me and I slid my phone back into my pocket before grabbing two of the ice cream cups from him.

"Yeah, that was my mom. She was just being herself." He arched a brow at me and I gave him a fake smile. "Come on, let's get this ice cream upstairs before it melts."

We were quiet as we made our way back upstairs to Everly's room. I really wanted to find out what my mom was talking about. Knowing her, whatever she was thinking, I wasn't going to like it. We stepped off of the elevator and made our started down the long hallway. Since I've been here, I've seen many patients come and go. It was something that was unfortunately common in the cancer ward.

When we were almost to Everly's room, Jackson stopped and turned towards me. "Wait, Princess. There's something I want to tell you." He shifted on his feet as he nervously met my gaze. "I--"

Alarm sounds rang out through the space, causing us both to look in the direction of his mom's room. "No," he said on a whisper.

We were both frozen in place and saw Ryan come rushing out of the room. "Jackson! Come quick! It's happening!"

Jackson dropped the ice cream he was holding and ran to his mom's room. I continued to stand in place. I looked down and tried to command my feet to move. But, they couldn't. Fear paralyzed me in that moment.

The sound of Jackson's anguished voice coming from that room finally broke me out of my trance. Like Jackson, I dropped the ice cream I was carrying and ran into the room...