Page 51 of Halo

Suddenly, I hear my son's voice. “Look.”

I stop cold, my heart catching behind my ribs.

My son just read a word.

My son is reading.

My eyes burn with unshed emotion. Before I reach the open door, a bulletin board with a giant, friendly-looking scarecrow steals my attention. Dozens of hand-colored paper pumpkins surround it beneath the cheerful caption, Welcome to Our Learning Patch.

I can't help but smile as I read them one by one.

I want to learn about stars.

I want to learn about basketball.

Every pumpkin is different, but the careful, bubbly handwriting beneath each drawing is unmistakably the same. Leah. She must've sat beside every one of her students, patiently sounding out their words before writing down exactly what they wanted to say.

Close to the bottom of the board, a slightly wrinkled pumpkin catches my eye.

Grady.

I crouch down, my fingertips brushing over the crayon-scribbled paper. His coloring spills outside the lines, but it's the sentence underneath that catches me completely off guard.

I want to learn about cows.

I close my eyes as tears threaten to appear. I take back every sarcastic remark I've ever made to Julian for crying over his daughters' craft projects. Hell, my own dad never cared much for colored pictures or birdhouses made from popsicle sticks.

Then again, he didn't show up for state championship games or my medical school graduation, either.

“Triceritops!” Grady shouts from the room.

Leah giggles. “That's right! This is a Triceratops. Did you see one today?”

I peek into the classroom, resting a shoulder against the doorframe. Amid the cheerful chaos of alphabet charts, counting posters, and tiny desks, Leah sits cross-legged in a pair of overalls on a rainbow-colored rug. She has her hair pinned up in that braided crown again, wisps of hair falling free from the long day.

“It was—it was big!” Grady beams.

“It was big, huh?” Leah agrees, tapping her head. “Put your thinking cap on. What was special about the Triceratops head?”

Grady taps his head like her, his eyebrows drawn together. “Horns?”

“That's right! They have horns.”

Grady beams, his chocolate eyes shining with excitement. I've never seen him so confident. “Triceratops also have frills,” he says confidently. “And some scientists think they changed colors.”

“Oh … uh …” Leah stammers before finally chuckling. “Well, Mr. Grady, I just learned something new today.”

I knock on the door, announcing my presence. “That goes for me, too.”

“Nick!” Grady jumps up and races to me.

I take a knee, allowing him to collide with my chest, my arms embracing him tightly. “Hey, partner. Did you have fun?”

“Uh-huh!” he says enthusiastically. “It was the best day ever! We saw a Deino—uh … a Deinocheirus and-and a Saurolophus!”

“My favorites …” I tease, giving him an extra squeeze.

Leah stands up, adjusting her clothes before she slowly ambles over, not wanting to interrupt. Our gazes meet, and I swiftly lift Grady into my arms, saddling him on my waist. “Hey.”