Drew wanted to send his dad to his room without his dinner. Neil had been sullen and irritable since he arrived in Seattle.

“Dad, this is not a competition. You love her. She loves you. Go home and work it out,” Drew pleaded for the hundredth time since he found his dad napping on his family room couch. His older brother and both of his sisters had tried to convince their father to return to Wisconsin via long distance phone calls and Skyping. “What’s going on with you? You’re acting like a child, Dad. What would you say to me?”

“No, I am not acting like a child, and I am not calling your mother. She can apologize to me. I’m not the one who’s ignoring my household duties, and I’m not crawling back to her, either,” Neil said. “You . . . you wouldn’t be happy if your wife wasn’t cooking dinner for you and making sure things were nice at home, either.”

Neil put his hands on his hips and tried to look angry, but Drew could see the sadness in his dad’s expression. Instead of talking with Drew’s mom and telling her he felt worried he was losing her, he blew his stack and stomped around. Drew’s mom didn’t take that from her kids, and she sure wasn’t taking it from her husband, either.

“Crawling back to her, Dad? Really? That’s not the point. You’re being stubborn. Mom’s not doing this to hurt you. It’s a part-time job. She’s happy. Why can’t you accept the fact she wanted something else to occupy her time besides all of us, something she enjoys doing?” Drew heaved a huge sigh and grabbed the suit and tie he’d need tomorrow out of his closet. He’d already grabbed a freshly laundered dress shirt, appropriate underwear, dress socks, and shoes. “You remember how to set the security system when you leave for my game tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

Drew reached into the closet again. “You’ll need something to wear,” he told his dad and handed him one of his game-worn jerseys. “I think I might have a brand-new Sharks hat in here. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be overcast and chilly. Do you need a turtleneck or something to wear under that?”

“I brought my heavy jacket. I’ll be fine.” Neil told him. “Thanks for the jersey. Your mom wears hers every Sunday when we’re watching your game at home.”

Thank God for pay-per-view. He’d fly his parents in each week, but they preferred being at home surrounded by Drew’s siblings and the grandkids. He made a point of finding a TV camera during the third quarter each game, giving his mom a little wave, and mouthing, “Hi Mom. I love you.” Needless to say, the Sharks fans (and the team’s PR department) ate it up, but he wasn’t doing it for them. He knew his mom got a kick out of waiting and watching for it.

“Okay, then. Let me get the hat, and I’m almost ready to go.” Drew grabbed his shaving kit out of the bathroom and made sure he had a couple more of the black covered elastic bands he pulled his hair back with. His fingers closed over the brim of a brand-new Sharks logo hat, which he handed to his dad. “Dad, Owen will be here in about an hour. He’s making you some steak and potatoes for dinner, and he’s bringing you a few snacks and maybe a Bud or two. If you want to stand on the sidelines for the game, you’ll need to be there a couple of hours early. The guy at Will Call gets a team employee to make sure you get where you’re going.”

“Thanks, Son.” His dad held out both arms. “Good luck tomorrow. We are so proud of you.” Drew was folded into the huge bear hug his dad had been giving him since he was a little boy. They slapped each other on the back.

“I’m proud of you too, Dad, and I’ll be prouder still when you go home and make up with Mom.” He backed away a little and grabbed his dad by the biceps. “I’ll be driving you to the airport Monday morning, so if you want to get Mom some of that candy you talked about, you might want to stop by there tomorrow before the game.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” his dad said, but he smiled. “Kicking your old man out?”

“Sending my old man home where he belongs. Bring Mom next time.”

“I might.”

The doorbell rang downstairs. Drew wasn’t expecting anyone; it wasn’t Girl Scout cookie time, so he was tempted to not answer. Owen knew how to let himself in, so it couldn’t be him. A minute or so later, the doorbell rang again.

“I’d better see who that is,” Drew said to his dad and headed downstairs. He didn’t see anyone when he looked through the peephole in the door, but he opened it anyway. He saw her sweet smile when she poked her head around the doorframe.

“Surprise,” his mother said.

“Mom! What are you doing here?”

Drew’s mom, Bonnie, threw her arms around him. “It’s so good to see you, honey. I have missed you so much.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were on your way? I would have picked you up at the airport.” He gave her a huge squeeze. “I’ve missed you too.”

“The plane landed an hour or so ago. I took a shuttle here.” Drew glanced up to see the driver wave as he got back into the van. “It’s so easy, and the flight was nice. I brought one bag.” She kissed his cheek. “I won’t be here long. I’m picking up your father, and we’re going home.”

He heard his dad’s heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor of the entryway.

“I’ll go home when I want to,” his father said. Drew almost let out a groan. In other words, he was back to acting like a child.

Drew’s mom reached back to grab the handle of a small rolling suitcase, stepped around him, and faced her husband.

“No, you’re coming home with me. Our son has enough on his plate without acting as a referee between us,” his mother scolded. “I’ll stay in the other guest room, and we’ll be going home tomorrow.”

“Don’t you want to see my game, Mom? I can get you a suite ticket. You’ll have fun, and I’d love it if you were there.”

“Oh, yes, honey, but not if I’m intruding.” She glanced up at Drew. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the team hotel tonight?”

“You could never intrude, Mom. Let me get this set up.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, scrolled to find the Sharks’ PR director’s number, and hit “dial.”

Drew’s parents were still glaring at each other. He had to be at the hotel in less than an hour, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to leave at the moment. His dad would never put hands on his mom, but they were sure as hell still angry with each other. He hated to think of them spending the evening fighting and unhappy, but there was little he could do about the situation right now. His little mom looked like a housecat that was defending her turf, and his dad was the neighborhood German shepherd. This wasn’t going to end well.

He heard a “hello,” and he put the phone up to his ear. “Hi Colleen, it’s Drew McCoy. I’m wondering if I could ask you for a favor.”

“Of course, Drew. How can I help?”

“My mom, Bonnie, just arrived in town. Both of my parents will be at the game tomorrow, if they can get into the team suite.”

“Absolutely. I’ll take care of it. Would they like sideline passes?”

“I think so.”

“I’ll make that happen,” Colleen said. “Leave it up to me.”

Easiest phone call he’d made all week. He thanked her, said goodbye, and ended the call. Maybe he was imagining it, but his dad had sidled over to his mother a little. He had to get his ass in gear and go to the hotel. He couldn’t leave them like this, though.

“Mom, my chef will be here in a little while to make dinner for you lovebirds,” he said. He had no idea if Owen would have enough ingredients, but he always seemed to cope admirably with whatever food situation he found himself in. “I need to go, but I’m not leaving until you at least kiss each other and say hello.”

“I can make myself a sandwich,” his mother said.

“No, Mom, let Owen cook for you.” He put his hands on his hips. “Do I need to send you to your rooms? Nice greeting. I need to see it.”

His dad folded his lips and raised an eyebrow. His mother put her bag back down on the hallway floor.