“Cody’s right, sweetie.You’re so lucky to have a daddy like yours.”She offered Braden a smile.It was a shaky smile, but it was a smile all the same.
Braden just stood there, his face a stony mask.
“Daddy.”Delilah sat up and reached for Braden.
“I’ve got you, sweetie.”He held her tight against his chest.“You’re going to be all right.”
As much as she wanted to help, the best thing for Delilah was home and bed.And, considering the late hour, it was probably best for her and Cody, too.“You two going to be okay?”
“We’ll be fine.”Braden barely spared her a glance as he stooped to put Delilah in the car seat.
“Okay.”She hugged herself.Without her coat and thick sweater, the cold night air was bracing.“Then we’ll head out, too.”She hesitated, but Braden stayed silent so she and Cody headed for their car.“Before we leave, I need to get a shopping bag from the car and go get my things I left in the stand.”
“You sure, Ma?”Cody wrinkled up his nose.“It’ll be nasty.”
Maggie smiled at her son.“It’ll be fine after a run through the washing machine.”She opened the hatch of the SUV and grabbed a shopping bag.“Okay, maybe two runs through the washing machine.”
“Or three.”Cody laughed.
The row of bleachers where they’d been sitting was completely empty now—so was the row in front and behind it.“Nothing clears a path as fast as throw up.”
“Cuz it’s gross, Ma.”He pinched his nose when they reached her discarded clothing.
She wrapped her hand in a plastic bag, grabbed her coat, then sweater and deposited the plastic bag inside the shopping tote.She zipped it up and laughed at the face Cody was making.“It’s safe to breathe now.”
They’d almost cleared the bleachers when Mike walked up.He had the hood of his coat pulled up and a scarf wrapped around his throat.
“You look nice and warm,” Maggie said.
“Danny.”He sighed.“Doesn’t want me to catch cold.”
“Hey, Uncle Mike.”Cody grinned.“Did you see that?Ma got thrown up on.”
“I did.”Mike chuckled, too.
“Thanks a lot, you two.”She swung the shopping tote at them.“Keep it up and I’ll ask Mom to put you on laundry detail.”
“That him?”Mike asked.“Braden?”
She sighed.“No, that was someone else.”She ruffled Cody’s curls.“Come on, kiddo, let’s go.”
“Ma, the hair.”He reached up and smashed his curls flat.
“Sorry.”She glanced at her brother, who was walking with them.“Where’s Danny?”
“He can’t do the throw up thing.”Mike shook his head.“I’d say there were at least four people that ran from the stands after that little girl spewed.It was all veryExorcist.”
“What’s that?”Cody yawned.
“Nothing.”Maggie glared at her brother.The last thingshe needed was her nine-year-old interested in super creepy horror movies.
Mike just chuckled and shrugged.“She okay?”
She opened the hatch of the SUV, put the shopping tote inside and closed it again.“She will be.Will Danny be okay?”
“Oh, yeah.Eventually.”Mike leaned against the side of the truck while Cody climbed up and buckled himself in.“Night, Cody.”
“Night, Uncle Mike.”
