Page 55 of The Prodigal Prince

And it would scare Gray.

Mac had been keenly aware of how Fiona acted while Gray was awake. He needed to do the same - remain calm and collected.

“Is Mama coming back?” The crack in his son’s voice brought Mac back to the small room.

“I don’t know.” He suspected she wouldn’t be, but Mac wasn’t going to tell his son that. “Why don’t we play some of the games your mum showed us before?” Anything to keep Gray busy and his mind occupied.

Gray shrugged, but stood up. “Which one first?”

“Which one is your favorite?” As Gray’s father, he should know these things.

Gray thought for a minute. “I dunno. Not with two. You can’t do Mama Says with two.”

Mac nodded. “That’s a good point. What’s something we can do with just two blokes?”

His son’s face screwed into a thoughtful expression. “A hopping contest?” He gave a serious nod. “Yes. A hopping contest.”

“You’ll have to tell me the rules. Do we hop on one foot? Which one? Can we switch feet in the middle? How do we know when someone wins?” Mac felt like he should know these answers, but Gray could play by different rules, probably ones that would benefit himself. Wasn’t that how most six-year-olds thought?

“Gotta stay on the same foot until someone says switch. If your other foot touches the ground, you’re out.”

“Okay.” He stood ready. “Why don’t you start us?”

Gray nodded, taking his duties quite seriously. “On your mark. Get set. Go.”

Mac hadn’t hopped on one foot in quite some time, and it seemed fairly obvious Gray could go on to be a professional hopper. Mac would be surprised if he made it a whole minute, much less through the first…

“Switch!” Gray grinned as he changed feet.

Mac managed to do so seamlessly. This time.

And immediately realized it was possible for a person to hop significantly better on one foot than the other.

He wouldn’t make it to the next change.

Unless…

“Switch!”

He called for the change himself.

Gray changed feet more easily than Mac did, but Mac managed not to touch the ground with both feet at the same time.

For three more hops.

Then he stumbled into the wall.

“I won!” Gray turned his hops into jumps with both feet.

“Aw, man!” Mac slumped dramatically against the wall. “You beat me.”

And he hadn’t even lost on purpose.

“I beat you!” In his exuberance, Gray grabbed Mac around the waist. “I beat you, Daddy!”

Mac’s breath caught in his throat as the word registered in his mind. “You did beat me, buddy.”

A sound at the door made Mac turn around and shove Gray behind him. Gray didn’t protest but huddled against him.

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