Tyler didn’t need a second invitation. He took another hearty bite, relishing the sweetness. Why did the sandwich taste better just because Cadence had made it?
“Do you remember,” he asked when he’d washed down a bite of the sticky sandwich with his Gatorade, “that phase Izzy went through where she only wantedourfood? Never mind that she had the exact same stuff on her plate.”
“Do I ever,” she said with a laugh. “She used to call it ‘Mommy style’ and ‘Daddy style.’ ‘Can I have a Mommy style sandwich, please?’” She gently mimicked a toddler voice.
“Only she pronounced it ‘peas,’” Tyler recalled.
“Yes!”
They were both laughing now, and even though the memory of Isabelle was between them, Tyler could not help but be acutely aware that this was the first one-on-one conversation that he and Cadence had had in… ages.
He watched her watching Isabelle, a softly nostalgic look on her face. Something about that look made him feel brave, like he would regret it if he didn’t speak.
“Cadence,” he said. “I just… I want you to know that I know what I let slip away, okay? Just in case you don’t think I hate every minute of this. I miss spending time as a family. I miss spending time with just you. And… I don’t know, I guess little moments like this just brings that all back into perspective, you know?”
The words poured out of him, heartfelt and true down to his soul. For a moment, Cadence looked back at him and he saw that they were on the exact same page. And, in some ways, wasn’t that the feeling he’d missed more than anything else? That moment of connection with Cadence, where they felt like a team.
For the span of a single breath, it was back, like it had never left.
Then her eyes darted away.
He didn’t blame her for her hesitation, not with the gulf of pain between them. He didn’t blame her, but he really, really hated it.
“I know,” she said quietly. “But it’s not that simple.”
“No, I suppose not,” he said… though he wasn’t entirely sure that was true. What if it just became that simple? After all, what mattered more than the two of them, together?
He accepted that this wasn’t the place or time to have this conversation, however, not in the least because Miss Elsa was summoning the students to give them their directives for afternoon activities. The parents were similarly summoned, and Cadence and Tyler found themselves directed to different parts of the cove. It was only in the last hour, when most of the kids were too tired to do anything but play in the sand, that the three Meadows found themselves back in the same area.
“Hey, Daddy, can we go to that far spot?” Izzy asked, swinging her hand where it was clasped in Cadence’s.
Sometimes, when Isabelle said something that was clearly incomprehensible but he comprehended it anyway, it madeTyler feel like he was truly kicking butt at all this fatherhood stuff. Right now, he couldreallyuse that win.
“The spot where we saw the family of crabs that time?” he asked.
“Yeah!”
He laughed. They’d seen those crabs years ago, but Isabelle had never given up on the idea that they might see them again. So far, they had been foiled in this quest, but they had seen a great number of interesting things during their searches.
“Let’s do it, Busy Izzy,” he said.
She beamed, then looked up at Cadence. “Can you come too, Mom?”
It was another one of those moments of perfect connection. He and Cadence looked at one another.Mom, he mouthed, pulling a face. She’d said “Mom,” not “Mommy.” Like Izzy was some kind of teenager!
I know, Cadence mouthed back.
“Mommy!” Isabelle said, tugging on Cadence’s hand. “Don’t do the quiet talking thing with Daddy! Come to the far spot with us instead!”
Cadence gave a playful tug back.
“Yeah, okay,” she said, and Tyler tried to ignore how much his heart swelled with happiness at her acceptance.
He jogged quickly over to one of the other parents, to let them know where he, Cadence, and Isabelle were headed, just so nobody realized they were missing and got worried. Then, feeling light as a feather, he threw his daughter over his shoulder and jogged over to the “far spot” while Isabelle shrieked with laughter and Cadence followed with a contented smile.
They did not, alas, see the crab family, but they did see a number of little fish swimming in the shallow water, and Isabelle found some shells that excited her. The whole family grew so entranced in this activity that they missed the telltale darkclouds that streaked across the sky until fat raindrops started teeming down on them.
“Oh my gosh!” Cadence exclaimed, throwing up her hands in surprise.
