AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Marley reached out for me with one hand, holding her glasses on her face with the other. “Daddy, we go swinnin’?”
“Yeah, baby.” I took her from Jenna and held her in the crook of my elbow, kissing her cheek. She smelled like sunscreen and citrus. “Are you ready?”
Marley hugged my neck. “Swinnin’ in the pool?”
“Yep.” I smiled at Jenna. “Thanks for the glasses.”
“Sure. If you need the other ones to drive, Olivia will understand.”
“I think I’ll be all right. Mine are mainly for seeing.”
Laughter tore out of her throat. She was wearing a sleeveless navy-blue top and jean shorts with flag patchwork on the pockets. Her bathing suit was on underneath. The white strings tied under her hair.
Jenna had curves in everything she wore, but they were even more noticeable today. Her top hugged her waist and the shape of her breasts and dipped low enough to show a hint of cleavage.
Obviously, she was planning on swimming at this party. Even if she hadn’t been wearing her bathing suit already, I would’ve assumed the same. Maybe I should’ve considered this earlier instead of waiting until right fucking now. Jesus. I needed more than a couple of hours to prepare myself for the image of Jenna without her top on.
She wasn’t small in the chest by any standards. Jenna would spill out of my hands. Easily. That top was modest. There was way more cleavage to come.
“Let me grab the bags,” Jenna said.
“I got it.” I moved past her and crossed the yard to the porch.
There were two bags by the door, Marley’s diaper bag and a large tote stuffed with beach towels and pool toys. Two pairs of goggles sat on top.
I carried the bags to the truck, stepping up to the side Oliver was in. There was plenty of room for the bags beneath the kids’ feet, which was a good thing. I didn’t have a cap on the bed, and I didn’t feel right making Jenna keep everything up front with her. My gym bag was already up there.
“Check it out, Nate!” Oliver had his duffle on his lap. He unzipped it and pulled out a football. “I’m bringing this in case we wanna play.”
God, he was going to freak out. I couldn’t wait.
“Sounds good, bud.” I leaned over him and got Marley buckled in her seat. Olivia was on the other side, and she helped me slip Marley’s arm through the strap closest to her. Then she smiled at me and pointed at her glasses.
“They’re cool, right?” she asked.
“The coolest. We should get a picture of all of us,” I suggested, knowing Olivia would get a kick out of that.
With a gasp, she tore through the duffle she had balancing on her legs and whipped out a bright pink Fujifilm camera. “With this!” she shouted. “Mama, can you take it?”
I closed the back door and got in the driver’s seat.
Jenna fiddled with the camera, pressing a button on the front and making sure it was turned on. “I’m not sure my arms are long enough to get everyone,” she said.
“Here. I got it.” I took the camera from her and held it over the dash, aiming over my right shoulder. My thumb slid to the exposure button. “Ready?”
“Wait! Marley, smile like this…these two fingers. Okay, we’re ready!” Olivia giggled.
I took the shot. The film pushed out. It was half the size of regular Polaroid film, and rainbow colored along the edges.
“This is cool,” I said, admiring the camera after passing Jenna the photo. I hadn’t messed around with one of these before. I was familiar with the older-style Polaroids.
“I got it for my birthday,” Olivia shared. “I got regular film too. But I like the rainbow film the most. You can take another picture if you want.”
“I’ll take some at the party, okay?”
“Of us in the pool!”
“Aw, it turned out so good. Look.” Jenna held the picture over the center console. “You got everyone in the shot.”
I looked down at the photo and smiled. The kids were squished together in the back seat, grinning big and holding up peace signs. Even Marley. Both of her hands were raised and positioned in front of her. Jenna was angled toward me. We were both smiling. Everyone matched in glasses and patriotic attire. Even the solid red T-shirt I wore complemented the group. Jenna was right. It had turned out good. Nobody was cut out of the picture. I’d been half expecting that. What the fuck did I know about taking selfies?
“Too bad there’s only the one. I probably won’t get another shot like that.” I handed Olivia her camera. Then I pulled the seat belt across my chest, adding, “I would’ve liked a copy.”
“Mm.” Jenna tugged her phone out of her back pocket. She pulled up the camera mode and took a picture of the print. “Problem solved,” she said, flashing me a grin. “I’ll text it to you.”
