Page 90 of Crew

This was my life now.

And this was the best Christmas ever.

33

CREW

The second Mallory’scar pulled away for her spa weekend, Grady turned to me.

“Can we have cereal for lunch?”

I looked down at him. “You just had pancakes.”

“That was breakfast.”

“It was twenty minutes ago.”

“But this is lunch.”

I sighed and reached for the cereal box.

Knox grinned from the living room. “Wow. Five minutes in and you’re already caving.”

“Technically twenty.”

“Still a record.”

Afterward, I wrangled Grady into clothes that mostly matched, cleaned up the kitchen, packed snacks in a Ziploc, filled his water bottle, and grabbed his helmet with the green mohawk. Knox tossed me a look like I wasprepping for a cross-country hike.

“You sure he needs snacks, a backup snack, and a hydration plan?”

“It’s called parenting.”

He took the mohawk helmet from me and twirled it on his finger. “You’re crushing it,Daddy.”

I shot him a look at the way he saidDaddy, but he just chuckled and said, “Come on, G. We’re going to the park.”

We headed down the street toward the park. Grady rode his bike along the path while I walked behind him, staying close. Knox jogged next to him, pretending it was a race.

Grady laughed but kept glancing over his shoulder as if he was making sure I was still there.

It hurt to think that in just a little more than a month, pitchers and catchers were reporting. Once spring training started, everything would change again. So I was soaking up the weekends and a few nights a week after school while I had them.

When we got home, Grady ran to the couch and turned on the TV. “Snack?” he asked.

“Snack.” I nodded, pulling the Goldfish crackers back out of the bag. “But that’s it until dinner.”

He nodded and I sank onto one end of the couch while Knox stretched out on the other. Grady put onPawPatroland then curled against my side.

A few minutes later, I was starting to think about dinner when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see Mallory’s mom’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Mrs. Wade wha?—”

“Crew!”

I froze at the frantic tone of her voice.

“I just got a call from a hospital there. Mallory was in a car accident. A head-on collision.”

My breath caught as I sat up straighter, causing Grady to sit up as well. “What?”

“She’s in surgery and I’m packing to be on the next flight out, but you need to get to the hospital!” she cried.

I stood and Knox turned his head toward me. “What is it?”

My hand shook as I said to her mom, “I’m on my way.”