“Okay, Uncle Crash. You can pitch in anytime,” Cole replied.
Crash got to his feet and walked over toward the play set.
Shannon walked back out on the deck with a bottle of beer and took her seat, watching Crash with the kids. With a sudden impulse, she set his beer down next to his chair and pulled out the pocket camera she still had with her.
Crash scooped up Melissa and tossed her in the air. She squealed, and he did it again. “How’s my best girl?” he asked, cuddling her in his arms.
Melissa looked up at him with big serious eyes. “TJ and Billy won’t let me play with them in their stupid fort,” she said loud enough for the boys to hear.
“Our fort’s not stupid. You are!” TJ yelled.
“You are!” Melissa yelled back.
Crash pulled Melissa close in his arms and whispered in her ear, “Darlin’, let me let you in on a little secret.”
She looked at him wide-eyed. “What’s the secret, Uncle Crash?”
“In about ten years, things are going to change. And then, Billy over there is going to be dying to spend time with you.”
“Really, Uncle Crash?”
“Absolutely, sweet pea.”
“Promise?”
“I swear.”
“Pinky swear?” she asked, holding her little finger up.
Crash grinned and hooked her pinkie with his. “Pinky swear.”
“But that’s forever from now,” she whined.
“It’ll be here before you know it, honey. Besides, you have your castle side of the play set. And everybody knows that castles are way better than any old fort.”
Melissa kissed him on the cheek with a big smacking sound and hugged him around his neck. “I love you, Uncle Crash.”
“Love you, too, sweet pea.” He hugged her tight, and then set her down. She ran off to play, giggling. Crash turned around smiling, and his eyes connected with Shannon’s as she barely had time to snatch the camera down and out of sight. She smiled back at him, knowing that shot was going to be precious.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Tuesday night, just as Angel had promised, she and Crystal came over for girls night. Shannon was sitting at the island. Crash was on the kitchen side, leaning forward, resting his folded arms on the granite when the intercom went off. Angel’s voice came over the speaker. “Hey, Crash. Let us in.”
Crash grinned at Shannon. “Your girls are here.”
“So, it would seem. Are you going to let them in?” she asked with a smirk when he continued to just lean there, staring at her.
“You gonna be okay if I leave?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I checked the rooftop. Not sure how they got it down, but they’d gotten the fire escape ladder down. That’s how your visitors got up to the roof the other night. I took care of that. They won’t be able to get it down again.” He grinned at her. “Only Spiderman’s getting up here now.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ll call me when you want me to come back?”
The intercom went off again. “Crash! Open up!”