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—Holly—
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I caught up to Scout in the cafeteria and avoided his raised brow look. I roughly twisted the cap off a water bottle and ignored him until he arrived in my peripheral vision.
“Ugh! Can you not?” I took a hasty mouthful.
“I warned you, Hols.”
My voice shook with nervous tension I couldn’t get under control. “Can we talk about this later? I want to get back to Elio.”
Scout’s expression softened. “Yeah, of course. I’m just looking out for you.”
“I know.” He went to sling his arm around me, but I dodged. “Still no touching.”
To my surprise, he laughed. “Try hugging your mom straight after almost getting caught with a girl in your room when she comes home early. Still gives me the shudders.”
The water bottle paused mid-ascent to my mouth. “You didn’t!”
Scout nodded, and his brown eyes danced with humor. “I did. It was a close call. I had to distract Mom while Ruby crept downstairs and out the back door.”
“Did she get caught?”
He shook his head and laughed. “Not physically. But Mom knew. I endured a subtle lecture from Dad that night, but it all blew over within a week. All storms do.”
My eyes narrowed. “Why do I feel like that is unsolicited advice?
He shrugged. “Just somethin’ to remember. No matter the storm, they all eventually pass.”
“Uh, okay... Thanks?”
We shared a smile. One that was a little awkward but there, nonetheless.
Scout’s mouth then widened into a grin. “Ready to get back to it? I don’t know where that kid finds his energy, but Elio is high on life right now.”
My heart burst with bittersweet affection. Even with the relaxed schedule today, he’ll be exhausted for the rest of the week.
“He’ll crash hard later.”
Scout motioned toward the door. “We’d better make the most of it, then. After you, Bunny.”
We made our way to the gym to find a swarm of Bears teammates around Elio.
Unexpected emotion flooded my chest. “He really is the star of the day, isn’t he?” I whispered, biting back tears.
Scout nodded. “He totally is. Look at his confidence now compared to when he first arrived.”
We hung back and watched Elio sitting on a plyometric box and posing for photos with the guys. Most of them still towered over him despite the added elevation, yet Elio spotted me and Scout lingering on the fringes.
“Holly! Scout! Come take a photo!” Elio called, waving madly.
The team parted like the Red Sea as we made our way over. “How could we not? Are you having fun?”
Elio slung his arms around my shoulders and squeezed. “This is the best day ever!”
I steadied his balance when it wavered, then looked directly into his light-blue eyes. “Hey, you’re taller than me now.”
A beaming smile lit his entire face. “So this is what it feels like to be big. One day I’ll be as big as Scout!”
A pang of sadness shot through my chest. The odds of Elio growing big and strong, let alone reaching teenagehood, were slim. I blinked away the threatening emotion before it had time to show and hugged Elio as hard as I dared.
“You are going to be so big and so strong. And I bet even bigger and stronger than Scout.”
Scout flexed his arms. “Bigger, but definitely not stronger,” he teased.
Elio held out his little arms and strained as he flexed. “I’m nearly stronger!”
Having a little fun, I declared, “I’ll be the judge of that. Let me compare these biceps, boys.”
I squeezed Scout’s first—hard—and smirked when I received a warning glare.
“Meh,” I announced, then moved onto Elio.
While gently pinching my finger and thumb around his bicep, I drew out the anticipation. “Hmm, it’s so close I can’t even decide a winner,” I stated gravely. “There’s only one way to solve this.”
“How?” Elio yelled with all the enthusiasm.
I conjured my best solemn expression. “An arm wrestle, I’m afraid.”
“Yas!” Elio screeched, bobbing up and down.
My hands instinctively rose to ensure he didn’t topple off the box, then I stepped aside to allow Scout to take the lead. “What do you say, Elio? Arm wrestle for the bragging rights?”
“I say I’m gonna win!” our honorary star declared.
Laughing, Scout helped him from the box, and they both lay on the floor, head-to-head and elbows bent. Multiple people took photos of the great Elio vs. Scout face off, and Scout played it up perfectly.
He had Elio winning, then himself, then he growled when Elio made a comeback before fighting to take the lead again.
My heart filled, burst, then refilled each time Elio laughed. The moment struck me deep. Losing the fight for composure, I removed myself from the fray and found Elio’s mom doing the same. The instant I saw the tears in her eyes, mine filled.
“Thank you, Holly. I haven’t heard Elio laugh like this in so long.” She inhaled a shuddering breath as her lower lip trembled.
Her emotions broke mine, and I let my tears freely gather as I hugged her. Locked in each other’s embrace, we hugged and squeezed as heartache and gratitude hit hard.
“He’s such a special kid, Martha. I love him to bits, and I’m honored to be able to do this for him,” I whispered hoarsely, scared I was going to lose my poise entirely.
“I can’t tell you enough how much it means to us. To Elio...”
I rubbed my hands up and down her back. “You don’t need to tell me—I can see it. Everyone here is rooting for him, so if you ever need anything, anything at all, we’ll make it happen.”
She pulled back and nodded with tears streaming down her face. “Okay.”
“Would you like to take a minute with me? Grab some coffee or a water?”
Martha’s watery eyes shifted from me to her husband, then to the crowd gathered around Scout and Elio when a deafening roar erupted. Elio was officially crowned as the winner.
Martha laughed through her tears and palmed them from her cheeks. “No, thank you. I’m soaking in as much of his happiness as I can... while I can.”
A thick sheen of moisture re-swamped my eyes. I side-hugged her and leaned my head against hers. “Me too.”
The weight on our hearts alleviated the moment JT and Damo boosted Elio onto their shoulders and carried him around the gym for a victory lap. The team clapped and cheered and high fived Elio as he passed.
Our main man grinned like he’d never grinned before. It was the perfect way to end his behind the scenes encounter with the Portland Bears.
Once his feet met the floor again, he ran to his mom and dad and hugged them with each arm.
“I won!” he cried happily. “I beat Scout, and one day I’ll be bigger and stronger than him too.”
Scout strolled over, taking the defeat in stride. He set a large hand on Elio’s shoulder. “We’ll need to have a rematch at some stage, Elio. When my arm has healed from you beating me, that is.”
Elio offered his hand. “Great match, Scout.”
My uncle laughed while accepting his handshake. “It was an honor, little dude.”
The gym door opened, and Bobby walked in, signaling the end of the family’s exclusive experience.
After a final round of farewells and high fives from the team, I walked with Bobby, Scout, Elio, and his parents to the main entrance.
Emotions ran high, and I fought to hold them in while I hugged the special family, then waved like a proud auntie as they pulled away from the Bears’ ballpark with happy but exhausted smiles.
Before I could burst into tears, I wordlessly excused myself and headed for the players’ lounge. I needed a moment in private. As soon as I entered the quiet, deserted space, I let my guard slip. My heart hurt so badly for what Elio was fighting and equally so for his parents. Today, the reality and weight of Elio’s situation really hit home.
I quietly sobbed behind my hands for a minute before pulling myself together. As I carefully dabbed a tissue under my eyes, a dark arm slid around my waist and familiar cologne filled the air.
His kiss landed on the top of my head, and low, honeyed words were murmured into my hair. “You did good, Mama. Real damn good.”
