One By One (editing)

Chapter Ten

 "Good you're home," Mom ambushed me as soon as I set foot in the door. "I need you to vacuum the living room, put away the dishes, and clean your room."

"Hello to you too." I mock waved at her.

Teddy came bounding from around the corner, clinging to my leg. He looked sideways at Mom and whispered, "Mama's going crazy."

"What's the matter Mom? Is it...?" I didn't finish, knowing we were both thinking Granma Jo.

"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't," She sighed, tiredly brushing a strand of black hair away from her forehead. Stress lines creased the corners of her blue eyes as she picked up a few toys from the bottom of the stairs.

"Actually no, first go buy some groceries. Here, I made a list." Mom ran off to the kitchen and appeared a minute later with a mile long list consisting mostly of fruits and vegetables.

I stared at it. "You know you don't have to impress her, right?"

"Last time I checked, Carter, you weren't the mom. Please just do as I asked. You can take Teddy with you." She was so irritable about Granma Jo coming that I was excited to leave again within the five minutes I had spent talking to her. After Mom helped Teddy shove on his sneakers, we were off.

"What did you do today, Ted?"

He burst out laughing. "My name isn't Ted, silly. Ted is for old people."

I shrugged, looking in the rear view mirror as I backed out of the driveway. "Like how old?"

He wrapped his hand around his chin as he pondered this. "Like Granma."

"She'd be glad to hear that," I laughed.

"I'll tell her."

"No, Teddy. It's sarcasm. Don't actually do that."

"What's a sarcasin?" He kicked his legs against his booster seat.

"I give up," I exasperated and turned up the music.

"What?!" Teddy yelled.

"Dude, no shouting and nevermind, I didn't say anything," I lied, turning into the grocery store parking lot.

"Hey," he giggled. "My name isn't dude." His face dropped. "Why don't you know my name?"

"I do. It's Teddy." I parked and shoved the list into my back pocket.

His face lit up. "You do know my name. Silly goose."

I shut the driver door and opened up Teddy's door, leaning over to help him out of his car seat. Tickling him, I grinned as he squirmed, "No, you're the silly goose." His body convulsed and his hand flew out to stop me, punching me in the face in the process.

"You wanna fight?" I playfully threatened.

"Are you threatening a little kid?" The deep voice behind me caught me so off guard that when I instinctively stood up to see who it was, I banged my head into the top of the inside of the car.

Teddy cracked up and I turned around to find...Gabe.

I blushed as his lips quirked up into a smirk. But I played it off by asking, "What are you doing here? I thought you guys had football practice."

He shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's not mandatory today and tonight my dad will be home for the first time since..." He trailed off, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. I swallowed, knowing fully well that he meant Sam and Jack.

"Anyway," he continued as I gripped Teddy's hand and started walking towards the store. "I'm here to pick up food for family dinner."

"Aw that's so cute," I gushed.

Teddy skipped in front of me over to Gabe, still holding my hand, to poke him in the stomach and repeat, "Cute."

As much as it is embarrassing to have your three year old brother poke a really hot guy, Gabe laughed anyways, saying, "Gee. Thanks for that, Teddy."

When we crossed the crosswalk and walked through the automatic doors, Teddy immediately let go of my hand and rushed to grab a shopping cart. But before he did, Teddy gave me a pointed look and scolded me very seriously. "Even that guy knows my name."

Gabe playfully hit my on the arm. "You don't even know your own little brother's name. Wow."

I rolled my eyes and gripped the handle of the shopping cart, twisting my hands around it nervously. I waited for Teddy to scramble onto the back of the cart, ready for a ride around the store, and used those moments to think of what to say to Gabe. He made me so nervous it made my heart swell and my throat go dry.

"Well uh," I stuttered over myself. "We um, we better go." I forced a smile. "Have to be home in time for Granma."

"Yeah, I guess I should go too. See you later," he waved and walked into the store.

"Ready, Teddy?" I checked over the list and jerked the cart forward as Teddy bounced on the other side of the cart saying over and over again, "yes!"

We started off with the fruits in the front of the grocery store, making our way around the perimeter and down the aisles through the center of the store. Stopping various times throughout our trip to tell Teddy that no we were not buying this bag of candy or that box of cookies, we eventually finished our trip with plastic bags full of Granma Jo approved food. Sadly (or not, I'm not too sure yet), we managed to do it all without seeing Gabe again. Teddy skipped alongside me, ecstatic that he didn't have to hold my hand as I lugged along the heavy bags.

After dropping the bags in the trunk and buckling up Teddy in his carseat, I slid into the driver's seat. I checked my phone to find a text from my mom: Granma's here. Come back as soon as you can.

"Ready to go home and see Granma?" I buckled my seatbelt.

"Yeah," he paused. "Are Jack and Sam gonna come see her too?"

"What?" I choked out.

"Mommy said they left." My stomach dropped and it took me a couple seconds to remember to breathe again.

"Did she..." I cleared my throat. "Did she say where they went?"

He shrugged, looking out the window. "No. They just left but they'll be back soon."

I nodded, my hands frozen on the wheel. All I could manage to say was, "Oh."

"Are you gonna drive?" Teddy kicked the back of my seat.

"Oh. Yeah." I flexed my hands on the wheel and pressed a foot on the gas.

"So are they coming?" Teddy asked again. I could hear the sadness in his voice as he thought out loud, "I miss them."

"I miss them too," I whispered. Then a little louder, "At some point they will."

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