“Crawl,” I say, and he gets on the floor without a second thought. A wince flashes across his mouth, but before I can stop him and tell him to ignore what I just said because it might be painful, he’s moving toward me on his hands and knees, a determined gleam in his eye I’ve never seen from him before. When he’s right in front of me, he stays there, looking up and waiting for my next ask. I smile, smug and bold, and lift his chin with the curve of my finger. “That’s a very good boy, Riley.”
