“You should probably tell Dean in person,” Cassie suggested. “Want me to invite them over for dinner? Coby loves swimming in the pool.”
“Actually, that sounds great. Can we invite Gran and Gramps too?”
“Of course. I’ll call everyone. You go swim with your boy.”
Giving her a quick kiss, I bolted upstairs to change.
Cassie handled everything while I swam in our saltwater pool with Chance. He splashed and kicked, but mostly he wanted me to throw him around. Playing in the pool with this kid was almost a better workout than the gym. My shoulders ached by the time Dean and Melissa arrived and my little nephew jumped in the water, begging for me to throw him too.
“Frow me, Unckie Jack. Frow me!” Coby screamed out in excitement, his cheeks turning bright red.
I grabbed him and tossed him into the air as he squealed. His little face popped right back out of the water as soon as he entered it. “That vest thing you’re wearing is pretty cool,” I said to Coby, impressed with the floatation devices kids these days had to wear.
“That’s for little kids. I’m wearing big kid floats,” Chance informed me as he touched one of the inflatable bands he wore around his arms.
My brother, Dean, appeared out of nowhere and dove straight in, splashing everyone in the pool. He swam over to where the three of us were and gave me a nod.
“Are kids always this competitive?” I asked him after I tossed our kids into the water again.
“I don’t know about all kids, but ours sure are.”
“We weren’t like that,” I insisted as I tried to remember being that way with Dean growing up.
He laughed. “No, what you mean to say is I wasn’t like that. You were definitely like that.”
“Was not.”
“Was too.”
“We’ll ask Gran then.”
“Ask me what?” Gran’s voice caught our attention and I hopped out of the pool before drenching her in a wet hug. “Jack! Stop it.”
“Gran’s all wet!” Chance shouted. “Daddy, you got Gran all wet. I wanna get Gran all wet.” He clambered out of the pool and ran into Gran’s legs, soaking her pants.
“Chance, no running!” Cassie called out from the open window.
“Sorry, Mommy!” Chance yelled as he ran/walked back to the pool and jumped in.
Gran eyed me like she was going to kill me and I played innocent. “I can’t help it that all the boys love you. You should really blame yourself.”
“Nice try.” She waved a finger at me. “Now, what were you boys talking about?”
“Gran, Jack seems to think that we weren’t competitive growing up,” Dean said in a mockingly shocked tone as Gran giggled.
“Obviously Jack has a selective memory. Honey, you were extremely competitive with Dean. But he wasn’t competitive back. He just wanted to be like you.”
“Told you.” Dean splashed me before diving under the water.
“Uncle Dean, throw me!”
“Frow me too, Daddy!”
“Me first, Uncle Dean!”
I watched as Dean tossed our kids into the air one at a time before they splashed into the water below. Their excited squeals filled the air and I wondered if there were any greater sound than the sound of your family laughing together.
“You’ve built a beautiful life for yourself, Jack,” Gran said softly. “I couldn’t be more proud.” My grandmother leaned against me and slipped her arm around my waist.
“Thanks, Gran. I wouldn’t be half the man I am today without you and Gramps. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. And for Cassie. I don’t know where’d we be right now if it wasn’t for you two.”
She wiped at her eye. “Oh, stop. You’d be exactly where you are right now. It just might have taken you both a little bit longer to get there.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. You two were made for each other. You would have found your way there eventually. You’re like magnets, each one pulling at the other until you connect, unable to pull apart.”
“What about that knucklehead and his wife?” I pointed at Dean and she whistled.
“I’m not sure those two would have ever got their stuff together if Cassie didn’t drag the tiny one over to our house that night. We’d probably still be waiting for them to work it out.”
I had to agree. “So you’re to blame,” I teased and gave her a slight nudge.
Cassie and Melissa walked into the backyard side by side, whispering and laughing about who knows what. Gramps followed close behind, his eyes searching for Gran. He walked over and staked his claim.