“They’re adorable,” Lance told him, as they headed over to see the hippos.
“Hard to disagree,” Tanner said, as he watched the girls skip along the pathway. They were being incredibly cooperative. They hadn’t even tried to run away once, which had to count as some kind of miracle. “I try to spend time with them when I can,” he said, not sure where that confession came from nor why he felt the need to share. “But I’m like a stranger to them. Lucy wasn’t even born when I left—” he stopped, and took a deep breath, regretting the loss of those years.
“I don’t think that’s true at all,” Lance refuted, brow furrowed.
“What?” Tanner couldn’t figure out how Lance had reached that conclusion.
“They don’t see you as a stranger,” he clarified, shaking his head.
“Maybe not a stranger but—”
“Uncle Nanner? Can we go to the pool now? It’s really hot out here,” Clara said, spinning around and stopping so suddenly he almost ran into her. She looked up with her big blue eyes, batting her eyelashes like a pro.
“Of course, pumpkin. How about we check out the hippos, get some inspiration watching them splash around, and then head on over to the waterpark?”
Clara and Lucy jumped up and down in excitement and raced off to see the hippo pool.
“The girls adore you, and—in case you haven’t caught onto this yet—they have you wrapped around their teensy-weensy pinkies,” Lance said, laughing and wiggling a pinky finger at Tanner. “Think the estranged feeling is in your head,there, Private.” Lance bumped his shoulder against Tanner’s teasingly before striding off to catch up with the two little hellions.
“Hey! It’s Chief Warrant Officer, thank you very much!” he called after him.
“Changing rooms are over there.” Lance pointed to them as he dropped into the lounge chair next to Tanner. Lucy and Clara were playing in an area designed for children, with shallow pools, fountains, mini-slides, and water cannons that splashed them at random intervals. The water level was about four inches throughout the Kids Fun Zone, so Tanner and Lance could finally take a break. Clara was running around one of the fountains with a boy about her age while Lucy was busy dodging the random cannon shots.
“I didn’t bring my swim shorts today,” Tanner replied, kicking back in a poolside lounger, enjoying the sun’s rays on his pale skin. He’d covered Lucy and Clara with sunscreen before slathering it all over his chest and back. Once upon a time, he’d been tanned, but after three years spent underground—
A wad of fabric landed squarely on his face, making him sit up in surprise as he yanked it off.
“Call me a genius, but I brought an extra pair,” Lance said with a smug grin. Tanner frowned and tossed the suit back.
“Nope. I’m not wearing those.”
Lance rolled his eyes and threw the red trunks at him again.
“You can’t wear jeans all day; you’ll die from heat stroke. Besides, water therapy is good for muscle recovery and—stuff,” Lance informed him authoritatively.
“Yeah? You know a lot about muscle recovery and leg injuries?” Tanner taunted him.
“I didn’t before today, but after applying my advanced Google search skills early this morning, I do now,” he stated.
Tanner somehow looked both surprised and skeptical, but Lance just smiled modestly.
“I’m a classic accountant. I’m logical and boring that way. I need to understand things, or they keep bugging me.”
Tanner frowned, extremely uncomfortable with this topic of conversation. “What did you Google exactly? How to take care of busted legs?” He threw the swim shorts back at him. Lance caught them before they could hit him in the face.
“Mock me all you want, but moving through water has proven to be good exercise. You spent all day using the scooter, so now you can do an easy work out,” he reasoned.
Tanner huffed in annoyance, even while silently acknowledging that Lance was right.
“What are you? My mother?”
“How about—personal trainer. That has such a nice ring to it. I like it,” Lance replied with a smirk, throwing the trunks at Tanner’s face again.
“More like professional pain in my ass,” he said with a defeated sigh. His teeth worried his bottom lip as he considered Lance’s valid argument for going into the water.
“I’ll watch the girls so you can go change,” Lance said, and though it wasn’t a direct order, it was damned close.
He found a free stall in the changing room and pulled the curtain closed. After taking off his jeans and pulling on the swim trunks, he avoided looking at the scars on his left leg. He wasn’t going to worry about them. He just needed to focus on getting back out there and enjoying the water park.
