Page 88 of Crew

She poured herself a cup of coffee and then took a sip and glanced toward the living room. “You ready for the chaos of Christmas morning?”

“Absolutely.” I was. More than I’d ever been.

And right on cue, small feet pounded on hardwood. Then a little voice shouted, “Santa came!” Grady dropped to his knees in front of the tree.

“He sure did.” Mallory sank onto the couch, a smile hidden behind her mug.

Opening the presents went exactly how one would expect in the best way: wrapping paper everywhere, boxes tipped on their sides, tape stuck to the bottom of Grady’s socks. He needed help with the corners sometimes, handing things over and asking, “Can you start it?” Most of the gifts were his, of course. He got books about dinosaurs, a puzzle with way too many pieces, and a toy that lit up and made noise every time he touched it. I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to do, but it was loud and definitely didn’t come with an off switch. He got a new bike with training wheels and a helmet with a bright green mohawk down the middle. The second he saw it, he gasped.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, he spotted a smaller box tucked behind the tree. He crawled over, picked it up with both hands and carried it to me.

“This one’s for you.”

My eyebrows lifted. “Yeah?”

“Mommy said so,” he stated. “You have to open it now.”

I sat cross-legged on the floor while he climbed into my lap, eyes wide. I peeled back the paper and opened the box. Insidewas a silver keychain printed with a photo of Grady on Halloween when I visited them in Harvest Ridge. He was in his custom Stratton Seawolves jersey with eye black smudged under his eyes. I was crouched beside him, arm looped around his back. We were both grinning.

“You can bring it with you when you go to your games,” he told me.

I touched the photo.

“So you don’t forget me,” he added.

I pulled him close, hand resting on the back of his head.

“I won’t forget you, bud. Not ever.”

He squeezed for a second, then wriggled free and dove back into a pile of gifts.

I reached behind the couch for a bag and handed it to Mallory.

She eyed it. “What’s this?”

“Just open it.”

She pulled out the envelope inside, skimmed it, and froze. “You’re giving me a weekend away?”

“Spa package,” Knox stated. “Hotel, massage, room service. The works.”

“And we’re staying here with Grady,” I said. “The whole weekend.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Just promise me he eats something other than Cheetos.”

“We’ve already got a grocery list,” Knox replied. “With at least one vegetable.”

She shook her head, amused. “You two sure about this?”

“We are.” I nodded. “You deserve it.”

Mallory didn’t say anything right away, just smiled and tucked the envelope back into the bag. “Thank you. For real.”

After a deep breath, Mallory handed me and Knox each a box. “And these are from me.” Once I unwrapped mine, I pulled out a coffee mug. It was matte black with simple white text:

DAD

My fingers curled around the handle as I stared at it. The word looked so simple, but it felt like everything. Like being known. Like finally being exactly who I was supposed to be.