“Dad,” Kellan said, the tremble in his voice clear.
I love my kids. I love my kids. I love my kids.
“Brady,” Gavin said. His other son hadn’t been actively involved in the incident’s filming, but he hadn’t done the right thing and gotten an adult, either. And they’d all three absconded from the reception when they’d been told the rules.
I love my kids.
“Dad,” Brady said with a gulp.
“Why?” Gavin asked, keeping his tone calm but unable to totally remove the ice from the word.
“We saw it on YouTube.” Kellan lifted a shoulder. “Thought it looked fun.”
“What were you watching on YouTube?” Gavin asked. They had very specific channels they were allowed to view, and none of those channels would have included rollerblading off the dock.
“I wanted to try the stunt, Mr. Gavin,” Oliver piped up, his voice wobbly. “I asked Kellan to film it so we could show our friends.”
Molly’s expression darkened.
“Don’t be mad at them. It’s my fault,” Oliver continued. “You and I are going to talk about this, and a punishment, and how you’re going to make it right with Gavin for…”
Molly glanced at the now-still water. “That could’ve been bad. Really, really bad.”
Given the weight of those rollerblades, she wasn’t wrong. “Kellan. Brady. Straight back to the reception,” Gavin said, his tone even. “Your mom deserves her special day. We are going to give it to her without any more distractions. Understood?”
They both nodded.
Today was not the day for this. Not when Rachel deserved a break from all the madness of kid wrangling so she could focus on her wedding.
He’d promised himself he’d do his part to ensure the day was everything Rachel needed it to be.
Though he’d never loved her the way she deserved, he respected everything she’d done for their little family. Respected her enough to want to do his part to make her special day special.
“I told them it was a bad idea,” Brady said, the words coming fast. “I told them something bad would happen.”
Gavin wanted to ban them from any fun for forever and ever. He wouldn’t, of course, but that’s what he wanted to do. Instead, he sorted through his brain to think of something Rachel would do here. She’d know what to say. Parenting came so naturally to her.
He was more of a work in progress on the whole dad front.
“What did you learn?” he asked, settling on something he’d heard her ask the boys a thousand times before.
“Wear a life jacket next time,” Kellan replied, the words solid. He gave a curt nod with the declaration.
Gavin shook his head. No. That was not what he’d been thinking.
His wet shoes squeaked with each step he took forward toward his son. He knelt down like he’d seen Rachel do so many times. Eyes at Kellan’s level. “How about there is no next time, bud?”
“Oliver wants to be a stuntman.” Kellan squared his shoulders and clocked Gavin square in the eye with his gaze. “You’re always telling us we should follow our dreams,”
Brady jumped into the fray. “He’s following his.”
There were moments as a parent when the things you said jumped up and bit you in the ass. This was one of those times.
Gavin lifted his eyebrows, shook his head, and rubbed his temples. He should clarify this piece of fatherly advice. “Follow your dreams unless they’re dangerous. Then wait until you are an appropriate age or you have parental permission.”
“Brady gets to go up in airplanes, that’s dangerous,” Kellan said.
Sometimes he really wished his kids weren’t so smart. Or they’d listen to more of what he said and not pick and choose.
