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1
AVERY
“I swear to all that is holy, if you don’t get your ass back up here, I’m gonna lose my shit.” The words come out before I can stop them, and the frozen look of terror on my nephew’s face says it all.
“Aunt Avery!” Rett screeches the way only a five-year-old could and still get away with it. “You’re not ’posed to say bad words to me. Daddy doesn’t like it.”
“Deacon can kiss my ass,” I mutter under my breath.
My brother doesn’t know shit when it comes to raising his son, which is why more often than not, he drops him off with me for quality ‘auntie time.’ I’m the one who taught Rett how to ride his bike, swim, and now I’m teaching him how to paddle board. Deacon isn’t a bad dad, by any means. He is just busy, running a business and keeping a handle on his club. Besides, it takes a village to raise a healthy and safe child. Especially after Deac’s wife died in childbirth.
I grab the back of Rett’s life jacket before he can float away and pull him back onto the board with me. In the process, I almost slip off the board myself. Somehow, I manage to keep hold of the paddle that we definitely need to get back to shore.
“Wow,” he gasps. “I thought for sure you’d fall over too.”
“This,” I huff. “Is why you don’t get a paddle of your own, Everett James. At least, not until you figure out how to stay on the board with me.”
“My name is Rett,” he insists with a grimace. “And Dad says paddle boards are for pussies,” he announces proudly, and really loud, right in my face.
“I got nothing to say to that.” I start maneuvering us back to shore. “But I’d like to see your father climb up on here and not fall off with you jumping around like a hyper monkey full of sugar.”
Paddle boards take a lot of effort. My stomach and feet are already starting to throb, and we haven’t even made it back to shore yet.
“Oh,” I add belatedly. “You’re not supposed to curse, either. Sittin’ here and yelling at me for it. Then you turn around and say something worse.”
Rett looks up at me from where he is sitting between my feet, rubbing his wet head all over my legs like a dog would, and smiles a nearly toothless grin.
“You love me.” He leans back against my legs and I wince against the cold. With a deep sigh that could have come straight from his dad, Rett closes his eyes. “Take me home, Aunt Avery. I’m hungry and my party won’t wait forever.”
“Yeah, yeah… Hold on, Rett. I’m gonna try to get there faster.”
Except, as soon as we leave the cove we’ve been sitting in for most of the morning while we practice, a gust of wind blows across the pond and straight into my face.
“Scoot up,” I snap after five minutes of paddling just to keep from going backwards. “I’m gonna kayak us home.”
Rett giggles but scoots up enough that I can sit behind him and wield my paddle like the weapon it is going to become.
Switching sides every few strokes isn’t easy. “I wish this thing had a paddle on both sides.” Despite that, I make it work. Otherwise, we’ll be sitting out here until someone decides to try and rescue us. Knowing my family, it won’t happen, either.
When we finally make it out of the cove, I’m covered in sweat and ready to give Everett back to his dad. Once I do that, there is definitely a beer somewhere with my name on it. Or a shot. Or both. Yeah, as I paddle us back to the dock, both sound like an amazing idea.
“Told you the party didn’t wait.” Rett pouts as we see people milling about and hear music blaring from the shore. There is nothing I can do about it, though.
“Seriously, man.” I grunt as I use the little bit of energy I have left to get us back and tied off to the dock. “You can’t even say thank you for getting us back without tipping over?”
“No.” Rett stares at me with the same hard eyes that his father has. “I can’t. I’m cold.” He holds up a finger, counting my offenses. “I’m hungry. And I’m late to my party.”
“I guess I’ll give your birthday present away, then.” I shrug as I help him back on the dock and then climb up myself. “If you’re mad at me for being an awesome aunt who takes you on paddle board rides on your birthday, you must not want the present I got you.”
I turn away, but not so far that I can’t see him out of the corner of my eye. We might be on a dock with less than three feet of water, and the kid might have a lifejacket on, but he is still my responsibility.
“Hurry up,” Rett whines from behind me. “We gotta go. I smell cake.”
Rolling my eyes seems like the only possible option. Especially when I can’t shove him over the edge of the dock, like my fingers are suddenly itching to do.
“I doubt you can smell cake from all the way over here.” But the kid has a point. The faster we get up the dock and to the crowd of people that no doubt includes my parents and brother, the faster he isn’t my responsibility anymore. “Let’s go.”
I pick him up, soaking wet and dripping lifejacket and all, and book it up the hill.
