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eady to make memories and put work behind me for a while.
We pulled up to the vacation house I’d recently purchased, and the kids gawked. I’d known they would love it from the moment I found it online. It sat right on the edge of the beach and had steps that came off the porch and went right into the water. There was a slide on the side of the house that jutted out a good fifteen feet past the shoreline. The porch was made of a thick glass so you could sit and watch the sunset while fish swam underneath your feet, and each bedroom lined the back of the house, so everyone would get an ocean view in the morning.
“Oh look! A waterslide!” Daniel said.
“Can we go down it, Daddy? Please!” Sydney said.
“Of course, you can. Let’s get inside and get changed, then the two of you can have at it,” I said.
“Do we have to wear floaties this time?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t like those,” Sydney said.
“Well, you’re going to be wearing them. But do it without whining and I’ll have a surprise for you guys tonight,” I said.
“A surprise? What is it?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah, what is it?” Sydney asked.
“Well it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you what it was,” I said.
“Come on Dad!” they whined in unison.
“Nope, you’re gonna have to wait. Now, let’s get inside and get changed. I wanna try out the waterslide, too.”
“Can you go down with me?” Sydney asked.
“As many times as you want,” I said with a smile.
I grabbed everything from the trunk and sent the driver off. When I got to the bedrooms to dump the kids’ bags, I found them jumping on a bed. Their curtains were thrown open so they could look out at the ocean.
“Having fun?” I asked.
“Daddy! Watch me butt-slam!” Daniel said.
“Not on your—!”
“Daddy! Daniel hurt me!” Sydney cried.
“Sister,” I finished, breathlessly.
I scooped Sydney up in my arms and she wrapped herself around me. I buried my face into the crook of her neck, shushing her to get her to stop crying. I shot Daniel a look and he got off the bed, his head bowed as he sat on the chair in the corner. My little princess was sniffling, her tears wetting my shoulder as she cried.
“You okay, sweetheart?” I asked.
“Daniel hurt me,” Sydney said again.
“I know he did. And he’s going to apologize. Right?” I asked.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said.
“Can I go swimming now?” Sydney asked, suddenly recovered.
“Of course, you can.”
Miraculously, her tears dried up, so I put her down and she went to go pull out her swimsuit. I helped them into their gear and fought them every step of the way to get their floaties on. I hauled my stuff into my room at the end of the hall and changed, then met them at the top of the house by the waterslide.
“You guys ready?” I asked.
