“I know, sweetie.” I set Lucas down and grab my bag, which has a first-aid kit in it. Luckily, the fall looked worse than it was, and aside from a bleeding lip, the rest of him is okay. “It’s going to sting, but we need to clean it up to see how bad it is, okay?” I say to Lucas. He’s trying so hard to remain strong, but his trembling lip and tear-filled lids give away how badly he’s hurt.
He nods once, and I wipe his mouth gently, making sure he doesn’t get scraped by any rocks or debris.
“It hurts,” he mumbles.
“It’s okay,” Abby says, taking his hand in hers. “Mommy will make it better. That’s what mommies do. Right, Mommy?”
I nod, and at the same time, Lucas stiffens under me.
“I don’t have a mom,” Presley says as I clean the area of the cut. Thankfully, it’s not deep, so it won’t need stitches.
“Yes, you do,” Lucas argues. “She’s just in heaven.”
“Where’s that?” Abby asks in confusion.
“Where people go when they die,” Lucas answers. “In the clouds.”
Abby’s mouth falls open as her head tilts to the sky. “I don’t have a daddy. Is he in the clouds too?”
Oh, Lord, help me. “No, he’s not in the sky,” I tell her, praying she’ll let it go. Now is not the time to have that conversation. She’s never asked about her lack of a father, but I told myself I would be ready with the perfect response once she does.
“There,” I say to Lucas, once the butterfly stitches have closed the cut and the bleeding has stopped. “All better.”
His glassy eyes meet mine, and he sniffles away his tears. “Thank you.”
“What happened?” Hudson asks, dropping the bags of food to the blanket and enveloping his son into his arms with concern.
“I was running and fell,” Lucas tells him. “Sawyer fixed it.”
“It’s just a small cut. I cleaned and bandaged it.”
Hudson sighs in relief and hugs his son as though he’s his lifeline. When he releases him, he pulls me into a side hug and kisses my temple. “Thank you for taking care of my boy.”
“Can we eat now?” Presley asks, grabbing one of the brown bags. “I’m hungry.”
After we eat, we walk through the shops, have ice cream for dessert, and then get back on the boat. The kids are lounging in the front while I’m hanging in the back with Hudson, chatting, when Abby stands on her seat.
I rush forward, fearing she’s going to fall over, as she points at the pod of dolphins just up ahead. “Mommy! I want to swim with them,” she begs, jumping up and down.
“You can’t stand while the boat is going,” I chide, pulling her off the seat and onto the floor where she’s safe. Hudson had turned off the boat the second she stood, and it’s idling in place.
“I’m sorry, but I want to swim with them! Please.”
The dolphins continue to glide in and out of the water as if they’re putting on a show.
“Please. Please.” Her bottom lip juts out, and I laugh at how adorable she is.
“Can we swim with them, please?” Presley joins in.
“You could if you went tubing,” Lucas points out to the girls, who both shake their heads.
“Did someone say they want to swim with the dolphins?” Hudson says, walking over and pulling his shirt off and exposing his body. My lady parts tingle, and I’m forced to look away before I’m caught drooling.
“We do!” The girls both raise their hands.
“All right, but we can’t get too close because dolphins get scared.”
“Yay!” the girls cheer.
Hudson drops the tube into the water, and the girls look at him wearily. “Your chariot has arrived,” he says, dramatically bowing. “And I’m your chauffeur.” He places the girls into the center of the tube and then turns to Lucas. “You coming?”
“My lip still kind of hurts,” he says. “Can I stay here?”
“Of course,” I tell him. “I’ll stay with you.”
Hudson jumps into the water and takes off swimming, pulling the girls on the tube behind him. The dolphins have disappeared, and Abby yells, “Come back, dolphins. Come swimming with us,” while she reaches into the water, paddling like she’s actually swimming.
I pull my phone out to snap pictures as Hudson pulls them around the boat in a circle. The girls giggle, and even though it’s doubtful they’re going to actually get to swim with the dolphins, they’re having a blast.
“Hey, look!” Lucas shouts, pointing straight ahead.
“Dolphins!” the girls screech in excitement. I take several more pictures as Hudson swims near the dolphins, who shockingly don’t take off right away, giving the girls enough time to feel like they’re actually swimming with them.
When Hudson swims back, he pulls the tube close and ties it up before helping each girl back into the boat. We look at the pictures I took, and they name each of the dolphins while swearing they were smiling and swimming with them.