“Abigone.”
“Obviously. Nothing less.”
“Ellie-Bear, can I talk to Uncle Zach too?” Tiff asks, and there's a small scuffle before Ella disappears out of frame, already halfway into whatever adventure she’s imagined for herself.
Tiff settles in front of the camera, glancing over her shoulder as Ella runs around in the background.
“She's been like this since we told her about the trip on Tuesday,” she says happily. “She packed a bag yesterday, planned her swimming itinerary, and created a checklist over all the fish she wants to see. We leave in a week.”
“Tell her the fish aren't going anywhere.”
“I did. She doesn’t believe me.” Tiff huffs out a quiet laugh. “It’s her first beach trip, and she’s never been to Hawaii. She’s more excited about this than she was for the wedding.”
“That sounds about right.” I chuckle when I see her dancing on the sofa behind her. “She could meet a mermaid on this trip.”
“Are there mermaids?” Ella asks with a gasp.
Tiff’s eyes widen. “I, uh, don’t know, Sweetheart. We’ll have to look out for them.”
“There are,” I whisper, giving Tiff a wink. “At the hotel.”
When I booked it, I made sure they had ‘mermaids’ because I wanted it to be magical for Ella.
Tiff mouths ‘Thank you,’ to me. Her smile lingers for a second, then it softens.
“Zach....” she starts. “This trip—”
I already know where this is going. “You don’t need to—”
“No.” She shakes her head, cutting me off this time. “Let me finish, because you never let anyone thank you or take credit for anything.”
I lean back a little because I hate this part.
“Thank you, Zach. Truly.” Her eyes are a little watery, and I look away, knowing I'll find it hard to hold back if I look at her. “You've done so much more than you've ever had to. This honeymoon trip, everything with the house. I know you only do it because you want to, but Jamie and I talk about it a lot, and we just—we want to say thank you.”
“Tiff,” I say quietly. “You don't have to thank me for any of it.”
I rub the back of my neck, wishing she hadn't gone there. I don’t give them things because I want the thank-yous. I give them to her because she deserves everything after the way her father treated her. Jamie just so happens to be a lucky benefactor of the situation.
Her mouth opens like she's about to argue, so I cut her off before she can.
“You're family. I take care of my own. That's it. End of story.”
In the background, Ella runs past the camera wearing what looks like a beach towel tied around her shoulders like a cape.
“And if you really want to repay me,” I add, nodding toward the chaos behind her, “just make sure she brings me back one of those giant hats.”
Tiff laughs softly. “A souvenir?”
“No,” I say. “Insurance. If she grows up and decides she likes someone else more than me, I’m going to need proof that I was her favorite uncle once.”
Tiff shakes her head softly.
“You really don’t get it, do you? You’ve been her person since she was born. You’ll always be her favorite.”
“Well, gotta start it young, right? Hopefully, I’ll be able to teach your son a few things about football before Jamie can.”
Tiff smiles, looking down. “Yeah,” she says quietly. “I think he’s going to be pretty lucky to have you around.”
