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I gently pulled her paci from her mouth. She pouted but then looked up at me. “Pancakes, Daddy.”
I pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her lips and then placed her paci back in her mouth. Leaving her to play, I went to go make breakfast. After cutting up her pancakes and then filling her sippy cup with apple juice, I called her to the table. She rushed in, placed a sweet kiss on my cheek, and then sat at the table like a good girl, her eyes already glued to the cartoon on TV.
Once she was done eating, I packed her beach bag so she could come spend the day with me while I worked. “Daddy needs to braid your hair, baby girl,” I gently told her as I settled back behind her on the couch.
She nodded and turned so her entire back was facing me. I began to French braid her hair, and after it was secured, I gently tapped her thigh. “You need to put on your swimsuit. Do you want Daddy to put it on you?”
She looked at me and eagerly nodded her head, still sucking on her paci. I pressed a kiss to her forehead and then stood up, holding my hand out to her. It took every bit of my restraint to undress her without lingering. She wasn’t in the headspace for any of that, and I needed to get to work soon anyway.
Once she was in her cute mermaid swimsuit and I had sandals on her feet, I grabbed her hand in mine, snatched up her bag, and led her out of the house, locking the door behind me. “Daddy?” she asked, looking up at me.
I gently squeezed her hand in mine. “Yes, baby girl?”
“When can you spend the day with me on the beach?”
I looked down at her and then tugged her closer to me, wrapping my arm around her waist. “The next time Daddy has a day off, he’ll spend it on the beach with you. That okay?”
She nodded. “Okay, Daddy.”
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
* * *
When we gotto the beach, Tawney and Alex were there. I’d gotten to know them pretty well after she and Slater got married. They already had sort of hung out with Raleigh, but I hadn’t ever interacted much with them.
Since it was a weekday, Slater was in Savannah working at the accounting firm he was at, so he wouldn’t be working with me. I knew he was looking to start his own business, but he had to be discreet about it because of his current job.
“Hey!” Tawney exclaimed, waving at us as we made our way down the sand toward the lifeguard station.
I grinned at her. “Hey.” I high-fived Alex. “Hey, kiddo. You mind playing with Raleigh for a little while?”
He eagerly nodded his head and grabbed her hand. I pressed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her so she could run down to the water with him. Tawney smiled at me. “Looks like something shifted between you two since I saw you guys last.”
I nodded. “It has. Pretty sure she’s officially my little girl.”
Tawney gasped. “Oh, Colwyn, I’m so happy for you two!” she exclaimed. “Slater is going to be just as happy. You’ll probably hear from him tonight.”
I snorted. No doubt about it.
I got my shit set up and nodded at the guy I was working with today. He and I were associates. He didn’t talk much, and neither did I. The only reason Slater and I really got along was because he sort of forced his friendship upon me, but I didn’t mind. Slater was a really cool guy, and he was someone nice to talk to when I needed to vent about my feelings toward Raleigh.
The day was going mostly normal. The waves were pretty strong but nothing people couldn’t handle. Parents were doing their jobs of watching their kids, which made our lives as lifeguards a hell of a lot easier. Raleigh had eaten lunch when I told her to and then took a nap, and surprisingly, Alex curled up on her beach blanket, taking one, too. Tawney watched over them both for me while reading a book.
She really was a huge help sometimes when it came to Raleigh, especially when I was working.
But now, they were all back in the water. I glanced away when I heard someone scream, but turned back to look in that direction when I realized someone was just being ridiculously loud because a friend had thrown sand at her. I rolled my eyes and glanced back toward where Raleigh and Alex had been playing.
“Colwyn!” Tawney shouted, panic in her voice.
But I was already up and running down the beach when I saw Raleigh’s head sink beneath a big wave. People parted as I rushed through. Fear almost crippled me, but I channeled it. Raleighneededme.
I dove beneath the water and grabbed her flailing arm, snatching her to me. Then I kicked to the surface, and with her clinging to me, I swam back to shore. She was sobbing in my arms, coughing up water, her hands clawing at my back, terrified I would let her go.
“I’m here, baby girl. Daddy’s got you,” I soothed, my heart hammering in my chest. My breathing was ragged, but I wouldn’t let her go.
Goddammit, she could havedrowned.
“I’ve got the fire chief on the phone,” my partner said. “You need the rest of the day off? She needs a hospital.”
