Second Chance Love

My favorite memories of the last couple of days stirred in my mind.

“Dad! I got you! I got you!” Ethan hollered, holding the biggest water gun known to man.

Ariel and I were walking toward the ocean when Caleb suddenly grabbed me from behind, using me as a shield in front of his body.

I gasped. “Ethan, don’t—”

A spray of rapid-fire cold water released all over my body. Ethan soaked me from head to toe while Caleb’s laughter vibrated against my bones.

“Oh my God! You’re using me as protection?”

He shamelessly replied, “Oh, this you need protection from?”

I elbowed him in the ribs, snatching the water gun out of his grasp. “How’s this for protection?”

He went to tackle me, but it was my turn to give him a taste of his own medicine. My trigger-happy finger exploded, drenching every inch of his skin until he tackled me to the sand. Ethan and Ariel came to my defense, dousing him again.

“Get him!” I encouraged, making everyone fall into a fit of laughter.

I smiled, thinking of the fort he’d helped them build last night.

“Daddy, I’m the princess of forts, and Ethan is the prince.”

“Okay, Princess Ariel. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Dad, you’re the king, and Evie is the queen. You don’t answer to us.”

“How did I get dragged into this?” I asked Ethan from the couch. “I’m over here reading my book.”

“That’s what queens do, Evie.” Ariel hopped up onto the couch next to me. “The king and queen are married, so we need a baby.”

Caleb and I locked eyes for a second.

“That can be arranged,” he simply stated, grinning like a fool.

I was the first to break our connection, wrapping my arm around Ariel’s waist, as I sat her in my lap.

“You’re the baby,” I clarified, ignoring Caleb’s remark as I tickled Ariel. I tried to break the unexpected tension I was feeling.

“I’m not a baby!” She giggled, whipping her legs around.

But my favorite memory by far was the breakfast they served me in bed this morning.

“They made you breakfast,” Caleb announced, stepping into my stateroom with the kids.

My eyes shifted to him. “Did you make them do that?”

He shook his head.

I beamed. “You guys did this for me?”

“We wanted to do something nice for you,” Ethan explained.

“You guys…” I coaxed, trying not to cry.

I pulled them both into a loving hug.

Ariel declared, “We love you so much, Evie!”

I sniffled. “I love you guys too.” Closing my eyes, I held them as tight as possible against my body.

This was the first time they said they loved me. There was no holding back the tears.

“Thank you. This is the best surprise ever.”

“We just wanted to see you smile,” Ethan added, only causing more tears to form in my eyes.

To say I was a little stunned about the kids saying they loved me would be an understatement.

How was I going to stop being their nanny and being present in their lives everyday?

The question beat into my head for the rest of the day, just adding more plaguing questions I’d have to face soon. There was one month left in my contract. My time with them would be coming to an end soon.

How would they handle that?

The kids were my biggest concern, especially since they didn’t have their mother in their lives. The saddest thing about that was they’d barely mentioned her since I started caring for them. I didn’t want to break their hearts.

I couldn’t.

It would kill me.

“What are you thinking about over there, darlin’?”

We were sitting at the table, eating the fish Ethan and Caleb had caught earlier.

“Daddy.” Ariel scratched her little head. “Why do you call Evie darlin’? That’s not her name.”

He smiled. “It’s a term of endearment.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s like a nickname.”

“Oh…”

We ate in silence for a couple minutes until Ariel questioned out of nowhere, “Daddy, is Evie still the love of your life?”

I choked on my drink, coughing up a storm. “Ariel,” I hacked out. “A little warning next time.”

Caleb mouthed, “You alright?”

I nodded. “I think this is where I’m going to excuse myself for the rest of night.”

“Evie—”

“I’m okay. I promise. I was going to give you guys some privacy after I was done eating anyway. I’m sure the kids would love to have you all to themselves.”

“Are you sure?” Caleb asked, concerned.

“Of course. I’m exhausted. I’d love to take a bath and finish my book. I’ll see you guys in the morning.” I kissed Ariel on her head and then Ethan. “Good night, guys.”

Caleb teased with a grin. “Don’t I get a kiss good night too?”

The kids giggled while Caleb looked at me with a mischievous expression. He knew I wouldn’t be able to call him out on his flirting with the kids around. Instead of making a big deal about it, I kissed my hand and set it on his head.