by Lynn Rush
He sobbed even harder. “It’s my fault.”
“No. Dad.” I gulped. “It was an accident. The ice—”
“We fought. We were arguing about—” He sobbed even louder. “It’s all my fault.”
My chest ached as if someone had stabbed me with a rusty steel blade. Tears streamed down my face, burning a fiery trail through my skin. The drunk driver crossing into Mom’s lane was not Dad’s fault.
“Brodie?” Caleb asked from behind me. He must have snuck back in.
“Caleb, just stay there,” I said, not looking at him. “Dad. Come on. It’s going to be okay.”
“No. It’s not. It’s not okay,” he yelled.
I bolted back and to my feet. He reached for the countertop and pulled himself up, then staggered to the side.
“Dad—it’s not your fault.”
He charged me, but he stopped with about an inch between his nose and mine. “You don’t know shit.”
Caleb started crying. “Why are you yelling at him, Daddy? Brodie didn’t do anything wrong!”
I backed away, reaching for my little brother. “It’s all right, buddy. Everything is going to be just fine.” It was a lie. I knew it. My dad knew it. But Caleb couldn’t find out.
Dad looked beside me as I grabbed for my brother’s hand. He held his breath. Just stared at Caleb, almost like he couldn’t see him.
Dad’s face darkened, and a vein bulged along his neck.
Fear crept down my spine, leaving a cold chill behind.
“Please calm down, Dad.” I stepped back, staying between Caleb and my dad. I didn’t know what was going to happen next, but the look on his face—
“No,” he yelled so loud, his voice echoed around us. And then he turned and bolted out of the kitchen.
In the next breath, I heard the door to the garage swing open, then slam shut. It slammed so hard, the walls vibrated and a picture across the kitchen crashed to the floor.
“Brodie. What’s wrong with Daddy?”
I heard a crash outside. “Holy shit!”
“You just said a naughty word,” Caleb said.
“Sorry, buddy,” I said as I hoisted Caleb into my arms and hustled to the kitchen window. Dad’s car had rammed into the water fountain in the front yard.
Headlights coming up our driveway drew my attention. It was so dark out I couldn’t tell what car it was, but I hadn’t been expecting anyone.
What if it’s the police?
Would he get arrested again? Get sent to jail?
“Hold tight, buddy.” I cuddled Caleb close to me and booked it to the front door, then pulled it wide open.
The frigid air slapped my exposed arms and instantly stung my lungs. Dad’s car lurched forward, directly toward the oncoming SUV.
“Watch out,” I yelled.
The approaching car swerved, narrowly missing Dad’s. A horn blared from a black Lexus.
That was Preach’s dad’s car.
The driver’s side door swung open, then Mr. Armstrong jumped out, shouting after Dad’s car.
But it kept going, no taillights.
Preach hopped out of the passenger side and hustled toward me. “Brodie.”
I hugged Caleb closer as a shiver raked down my spine. It was pitch black and freezing, and here I stood, in a T-shirt, holding my baby brother to me after Dad had driven away, intoxicated, and narrowly missing ramming into the Armstrongs.
Mr. Armstrong hurried up the walk and ushered us all inside, out of the freezing temps. “You okay, kid?”
Tears stung my eyes, and fear nearly choked me. I couldn’t even answer.
“Sean Wright saw your father weaving all over the road while they were driving home from dinner and called me. We came to check on you guys.”
Small-town living for the win. I was genuinely thankful he and Preach were here right now.
Caleb bawled and reached for Mr. Armstrong. I let him go along with the tears that’d been building. Tears that I’d been holding in for months. For years, actually.
“Come here, son.” Mr. Armstrong hugged me to him while holding Caleb. Preach put a hand on my shoulder and stood next to us in silence.
I didn’t know how long I cried into my best friend’s dad’s shoulder, but I didn’t care. What else could I do but just let it out? My dad was a drunk, wasn’t he? He needed help. But he obviously wasn’t ready or, worse, didn’t want it.
And it wasn’t good.
I could handle it, but what about Caleb? He was just a kid.
Hell, I was technically still a kid. Seventeen. I couldn’t legally do anything. But if Dad was AWOL…what’d that mean for me?
Eventually, I leaned back and wiped my eyes, then grabbed Caleb’s hand. He kept his face buried in Mr. Armstrong’s neck, though.
Mr. Armstrong looked at me, his square jaw tight and his eyes narrowed. He had the same look Preach did when he meant business. “Pack your bags,” he said. “You’re staying with us.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE
Willow
“Mom! You’re home.” My throat grew thick with emotion as I tossed my practice bag on the floor just inside the front door and ran to her.
“Hey, honey.” She embraced me in a big bear hug, and we stood there in the middle of the living room for I didn’t know how long. It was so good to have her here for Christmas Day. I’d missed so many holidays with them while I was living in Colorado.
The scents of turkey cooking and the glow of the lights surrounding me made me smile. It felt like a real Christmas. An actual family Christmas. Did I really want to go back to a skating team, if anyone offered, and be away from family again? Miss this?
“Oh, honey, I missed you, too!” Mom kissed the top of my head.
“I thought you weren’t coming home until the weekend,” I said, releasing my hold on her.
“Come on into the kitchen and have a seat.”
I looped my arm through hers, and we made our way into the kitchen. She tapped on one of the chairs around the already-set-for-Christmas dinner table, then stepped away, clasping her hands in front of her.
My stomach flip-flopped as I sat down. “Everything okay?”
“Hal, Willow is home. Can you come join us?”
What’s happening? My heart started racing and my mouth went dry.
Dad strode into the kitchen and stood beside Mom.
“Honey,” my mom said, “your dad and I have some good news.”
Good news? I’d kind of been expecting them to tell me they were splitting up or something. Mom had been gone a ton, and when I’d heard Dad talking to her over the phone, it wasn’t super awesome.
“After my next contract is over, I’ll be moving back home. Permanently.”
“Are you serious?” I leaped out of my chair and threw my arms around Mom. Tears instantly stung my eyes. Mom was going to be home. Here. With me and Dad and Gramps.
Together.
I released one of my arms and pulled Dad in on this hug. We were going to be a family again. Tears of happiness freely flowed as I hugged my parents. This was the best Christmas present ever.
The feeling immediately vanished once I realized that she would probably be moving home right around the time I would be leaving…if I’d be leaving.
Warring emotions tore through my chest. The joy of my family reuniting slammed directly into the pain of having to miss it, again.
Dad eased out of the hug and looked at me, a big smile filling his face. “We’re going to start looking for a house or an apartment in a few months.”
“That’s amazing.” I wiped the tears from my face and sat back down in the chair. My legs kind of felt like jelly after hearing this good news. Living with Gramps was incredible, but I knew my parents would be happy to have their own place, and they’d still see him
all the time. Woodhaven was a small town; chances were we’d only be a ten-minute car ride away.
“What about a job, though? The hospital here is still closed.”
My mom smiled. “A new community clinic is being built in Woodhaven, and I’ve already talked to the doctor who’s opening it. I think he’s actually got a son on your team, Nathaniel? Anyways, it looks like I’m going to get a job working for him.”
“Oh my gosh. That’s amazing!” A worry cramped my stomach. “Wait a second. Um…it’s just, you two normally fight a lot. Are you sure it’s a good idea for us to all move into a new place together? What if you decide you hate each other?”
Dad shook his head. “Willow, we’ve been going to virtual counseling, and through a lot of hard work, we figured out a lot of our issues.”
“Counseling? Why didn’t you tell me?” How had I not noticed that? Then again, I had been pretty focused on school, skating, hockey, and Brodie. I felt bad for being so stuck in my own world that I hadn’t noticed what was happening around me.
“Yes, online with a licensed therapist.” My mom put her arm around my dad’s waist. I couldn’t remember the last time they’d shown any type of PDA. “It’s been really great.”
“But why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“We wanted to see how things were going to progress before we mentioned it to you. Plus, you didn’t need anything else on your plate. You’ve had a lot going on.”
I shifted in my seat. “Oh, I guess that makes sense.”
“We still have a lot to work through, but we feel really happy about the future.” My dad kissed my mom on the cheek, and she nodded.
It felt like my heart swelled three sizes bigger and a fuzzy blanket of warmth wrapped around me.
“The gas station had some!” Gramps shouted as he came in from the garage, holding up a tub of vanilla ice cream. “Can’t have apple pie a la mode without the mode.”
“Let’s eat,” Mom said.
Within a few minutes, we were all seated at the table for our first Christmas dinner as a family in two years. My eyes burned with tears of joy. My cheek with the scar ached, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I reveled in the lack of tension that was normally present when we were all together. Instead, a feeling of contentment settled over the kitchen, and I sighed.
“Oh, wait!” I pulled out my phone from my back pocket and put it on selfie mode. “Say, ‘Merry Christmas, Ericka!’”
I snapped the photo and sent it to Ericka, then clicked my phone off.
“How’s her recovery?” Gramps asked as he plopped a pile of mashed potatoes on my plate.
“She’s nailing her physical therapy.” I scooped up some green beans, so ready to dig in. “And taking things one day at a time.”
“Like you have, honey.” Mom smiled at me, then nodded to Dad.
“Oh yes. Well. You know, we haven’t had a chance to tell Willow all the news yet.” Dad looked at Gramps. “Do you want to do the honors, Dad?”
All the news?
“Your coach from Colorado called, Snowflake,” Gramps said.
The breath whooshed out of my chest so violently, I dropped my fork. It clanked against my plate, then flopped onto the tabletop, splattering the gravy I’d just poured onto my potatoes. “Oh my gosh. What did she say?”
My heart hammered in my ears, and my hands started shaking.
“She said your physical therapy reports are good, and she was very pleased with your videos.”
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest, and I clutched the edge of the table.
“She wants to set up a virtual meeting to talk about your options.”
“My options? Seriously?” I pushed back out of my chair and jumped up and down. “For real?”
“For real.” Gramps laughed as I embraced him.
“I don’t even know what to think right now.” As my heart rate started to drop back to normal, I felt a bit of ice join the warm sensation this news had given me. “I mean, they dropped me. And…I didn’t even send them a video. Mostly because I was mad at them. So how’d they see it?” My voice started shaking like my hand. Thoughts flew through my mind on fast forward.
They’d dropped me, and now they wanted to talk to me? Did they want me back? Did I want to go back to them?
“It’s just a virtual meeting, honey,” Mom said.
“I know.” I fanned my steaming hot face and nodded as I paced the floor behind Gramps’s chair.
I couldn’t wait to tell Brodie, Jessa, and Ericka. Though…maybe now wasn’t the right time to tell Brodie? I jammed my hands into my hair as my hammering heartbeat stole my breath. I wanted to, but what if nothing ever came of it? And he was a little upset by the fact that I could be leaving soon to return to skating. He’d even brought up possibly trying to play hockey instead of figure skating. My phone buzzed in my back pocket.
“I’ll be right back.” I snuck around the corner to see who it was from. Oh, good. It was Brodie. I hadn’t heard from him yet today, other than our regular good morning text and a few heart emojis.
BRODIE: Merry Christmas! Sorry I’m just getting to text you now.
BRODIE: Crazy eighteen hours.
ME: Merry Christmas to you, too! I was worried about you. How are you?
BRODIE: Well…I’ve got some news.
I gulped.
Me, too…
ME: What’s up?
BRODIE: Caleb and I are staying with Preach now.
ME: Wow!
ME: Is that a good thing?
ME: Are you okay?
BRODIE: Yes and yes.
BRODIE: We got here late last night.
BRODIE: This was the first I could get away to text you. I’m sorry.
BRODIE: Can I call you later when I can get away from Caleb and Preach?
ME: Perfect!
ME: ((red heart emoji))
BRODIE: ((kiss emoji))
I held the phone to my chest, my heart suddenly racing. Something big must have happened for the Armstrongs to take Brodie and Caleb in so suddenly.
I rested my head back against the wall and let out a slow breath, my mind racing through what could have happened. Maybe Caleb had an episode or something. Or maybe Brodie’s dad. I squeezed my eyes shut and brought my phone to my chest. Hopefully, Brodie’s father was all right.
Here I was having an amazing Christmas Day, and Brodie must be dealing with something devastating. One thing I knew for sure, though. My good news would have to wait.
CHAPTER
FORTY
Brodie
“Brodie, help me! He’s gonna get me!” Caleb came into the kitchen screaming, his hands in the air.
But a smile filled his face. We’d been living at Preach’s now for about five days or so, and Caleb hadn’t been sick once, was laughing more, and seemed so much happier.
I darted around the kitchen table and scooped him into my arms, then blasted down the hallway in time to see Mr. Armstrong chasing us.
“Rawrrr!” he roared, his voice rattling and deep like he was trying to imitate a monster. “I’m going to get you, Caleb!”
Caleb squealed and tightened his hold on me. I dove onto the leather couch.
“Incoming!” Preach yelled as he landed on top of us. He started tickling Caleb, and I rolled off, going for Caleb’s feet.
“Tickle fest!” Mr. Armstrong said and poked at Caleb as well.
Laughter echoed off the high ceiling, and I couldn’t help smiling. I was so thankful for Preach’s family taking us in. It was nothing permanent, but Mr. Armstrong said that Caleb and I were welcome to stay as long as we needed while Dad worked through his issues. Talk about a fifty-ton weight off my shoulders.
“Yo!” Nathaniel yelled and joined in on the pile.
Caleb squealed some more, and I eased back.
The rest of the team filed in for our annual Holiday Classic Championship pregame dinner. Including Willow.
I hadn’t seen her much these past few days because I was getting settled in here with Caleb, and man, she was a sight for sore eyes in her fitted, long-sleeve Wolverines shirt and jeans. Her long black hair was back in her trademarked braids, but she was wearing some eye makeup today, showcasing those gems.
If only I could get up and give her a hug and kiss. But I couldn’t. And that totally sucked. So I gave her a quick wink instead. Maybe later we could steal away for a kiss or two…
“What’s up, Little Man?” Nathaniel yanked Caleb off the couch. “Need a rescue?”
“Airplane!” Nathaniel and a few of the guys took Caleb out with the sounds of airplanes following after them.
Damn, I had awesome friends. They pretty much all knew I was living here with Preach now, but not once did I feel like they were pitying me.
“Dinner’s almost ready!” Mrs. Armstrong shouted from the kitchen.
“I better help her,” Mr. Armstrong said and hustled out of the room.
“I brought garlic bread,” Teddy said, lumbering after Mr. Armstrong.
Pax plopped onto the leather chair next to the couch. Preach and Willow launched themselves onto the couch next to me.
“You getting all settled?” Willow asked.
I nodded.
“Hey, Sequins,” Pax said as he focused on his phone. “You ready for Roger the Right Hand of God tonight?”
I hated that Pax called her that, but over the past few weeks, it’d actually become less derogatory since he’d eased up on her a little. It was obvious he kept her at arm’s length, but he didn’t rag on her as much. He was probably starting to accept that she was a vital part of this team. Finally.
Willow faced me more and grinned. “So, you and Caleb hanging in there?”
“I haven’t seen Caleb this happy in a while. It’s going really well.”
And it was true. He was like he was when Mom was around, and he, Mom, Dad, and I were a real family. We needed that more than anything right now, as the anniversary of Mom’s death was just a few weeks away.
“That little dude is stoked. He’s wearing me out!”