Page 66 of Fought and Freed

“You’re amazing, Maddy.” He kissed the side of her throat. “I love you.”

They cuddled outside for a while, and when Maddy started falling asleep on Skylar, he carried her back into her room and tucked her into bed.

* * *

The next morning, they got up early to head to the parade, everyone dragging their feet.

They all wore their Huskie T-shirts, and Cody, the thinker of the group, got some cheap camping chairs, so they had something to sit on.

Somehow, they found a spot on Colorado Boulevard, and they settled down to wait for the parade.

“Some people camp out all night for a good spot on the parade route,” Jace said. “Normally, all street front spots are taken by now.”

Thinking how crazy that was, Maddy shook her head.

She checked her phone for any messages from Grant, but there weren’t any, and she let out a sigh. What are you up to, Grant?

“He’ll be fine, Maddy. We’ll check on him the minute we get home,” Jace promised.

She lowered her phone. “Am I that obvious?”

He reached out and took her hand. “Only to those who love you.”

When the parade made its way to them, she couldn’t believe that the floats were made of everything natural. It was unbelievable.

The first one was a fairy village. The photo she took of it was so beautiful.

Float after float and band after band moved past them, and Maddy lost track of how many pictures she snapped.

“How long does it take to make one of those floats?” she asked.

Torr answered. “I looked it up. It said that sixty people work ten hours a day for only ten days.”

“For real? Wow.” Maddy stood and folded up her chair. “I wonder what happens to the floats after this?”

“I know that, too,” Torr said. “They strip them down and keep any material they can to reuse next year.”

“It kind of seems like a waste,” Skylar said.

“Maybe, but I enjoyed it, and I already plan to watch next year’s parade in front of the TV,” Maddy said.

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Skylar suggested. “We have a little time before the game starts.”

“Lucca said not to,” she reminded them.

They returned to the van and drove slowly back toward the stadium because the streets were packed with people and cars.

“Hey, Maddy, I saw you brought the driver’s permit booklet. This is a perfect time to quiz you,” Cody mentioned.

“Okay.” She laughed. “Go for it.”

She’d reviewed the book several times, but it was mostly common sense.

Everyone took turns asking her questions until they reached the parking lot, which was already packed with people cooking out and drinking.

“Why didn’t we tailgate?” Skylar asked.

Cody shook his head. “I didn’t even think about it.”

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