EZEKIEL“Vera, hold still,” Vivienne said gently, smoothing the lotion over Vera’s arms. Vera, who was in the middle of bouncing up and down, giggled. She was wearing this cute little swimsuit covered in bright flowers, her hair tied back into a ponytail that swayed with every movement.“I’m holding still, Mom!” Vera insisted, though she clearly wasn’t.Vivienne just smiled and finished applying the sunblock, then turned to Vince. He was more patient, standing still while she worked. Vince was wearing simple board shorts and these aviator sunglasses I’d bought him a while back. “Don’t forget to put it on your face too,” Vivienne reminded him.“I know, Mom,” Vince said, but there was no frustration in his voice. Just calmness. He always kept it cool like that, even as a kid.I watched from a few feet away as Vivienne knelt beside the kids. She was focused, making sure Vera and Vince were well-protected before letting them run off to the shore again. I stood a little further back, wat
VIVIENNEAs soon as Ezekiel finished rubbing the sunblock onto my back, I finally let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. His touch had lingered a bit longer than necessary, and there was something about the way his hands felt against my skin that made me feel warmer than the sun itself. I wasn’t sure why, but every time he got close, I felt this... heat. Okay. Get a grip, Vivienne! I shook the feeling off, reminding myself that this was just Ezekiel. We had done this a thousand times before. But still, something about today felt different.Before I could think too much about it, Vince caught my attention. He was walking toward me, holding something in his hand. His face lit up with pride as he stretched his arm out to show me a shell he had picked up from the sand.“Mom, look what I found,” he said.I took a closer look and smiled. The shell was beautiful, a rare spiraled one with light pink and white stripes. “Wow, Vince! That’s a beautiful shell. It’s really rare to fi
VIVIENNE“Vince…” I said as I tried to reach out to him. Unfortunately, he stepped backHe was clearly upset! His words hit harder than I anticipated. He never said something like that to me even before. So, hearing him talk about his real feelings was making my heart ache. I felt a lump forming in my throat. Vince wasn’t the type to express himself openly, so the fact that he had spoken up now meant that his feelings were strong. It hurt knowing that we had let him down like this, and I hated that he felt overlooked, like he was less important than Vera. The last thing I ever wanted was for one of my kids to feel unloved or left out, yet here we were, with Vince telling me exactly that.How did we not see it? How did I not notice sooner?I stood there, unsure of how to respond right away. Ezekiel seemed just as taken aback as well, his mouth opening slightly as if to say something, but nothing came out.“No. You’re always telling me to let it go. Always telling me to be patient beca
EZEKIELThe accusation of favoritism—it stung.Vivienne and I were standing side by side and I could tell from her expression that she was just as shaken as I was by what our son had said. After a moment, we finally decided to approach Vince. We started walking slowly toward him, who had wandered down the shore. He was sitting on a huge rock, throwing small pebbles into the sea one by one. He didn’t look back as we approached, but I could tell he knew we were coming. I glanced at Vivienne. We both knew this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but we had to make things right.When we got closer, I noticed the slump in Vince’s shoulders, the way he was staring out at the water. He looked frustrated, maybe even a little sad. That hurt. It hurt a lot to see my son like that, especially knowing that we were the cause of it.Vivienne was the first to speak. Her voice was soft but steady as she said, “Vince, can we talk for a minute?”He didn’t look at us, but he stopped throwing the
VIVIENNE“I found the best shell today,” Vince said, holding up a small, shiny shell he had placed on the nightstand. “It’s so smooth, and look at the colors. You won’t find anything like this back home.”As we tucked the kids into bed, Vince and Vera were still overflowing with excitement about the shells they had found. Vera, not wanting to be outdone, crossed her arms and pouted. “Yeah, but mine is way cooler. Look how big it is! And it has all these little ridges on the side. You didn’t find anything like this.”Vince rolled his eyes. “That’s because yours is broken on one side. It’s not even rare.”Vera frowned but then grinned cheekily. “Doesn’t matter. It’s still prettier than yours.”“Is not,” Vince shot back, but he smiled too, clearly not that bothered.I smiled, watching them bicker lightheartedly. "Alright, you two, time for sleep. You can argue over whose shell is the best tomorrow."Vince and Vera giggled, still whispering about their shells as they started to drift o
EZEKIEL“Dad!” Vera’s voice was the first thing I heard. I woke up to the sound of tiny footsteps and hushed voices. My head was resting on my desk, and the soft light filtering through the window told me it was already morning. I blinked a few times, realizing I must have fallen asleep while working.“Daddy!” Vera called me again and when I glanced at her, she pouted, her arms crossed in front of her. “We looked for you in your room, but you weren’t there!”Vince stood beside her, looking a little more relaxed. “Yeah, Mom said you were probably still in your office, so we came here.”I rubbed my eyes and stretched, feeling the stiffness in my neck from sleeping in the chair. “Good morning, you two,” I said, giving them a sleepy smile. “I’m sorry, I had to stay up all night to finish some work.”Vera’s pout softened, and she smiled at me. “It’s okay, but we missed you! We’re supposed to have breakfast together.”I chuckled and ruffled her hair. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. So
VIVIENNE“Dad, throw me higher next time!” Vince shouted, wiping water from his face.Vince and Vera clung to Ezekiel as the waves gently lapped around them. Vince was laughing hard. Ezekiel grinned, lifting him up. “You sure? I might throw you all the way to the moon,” he teased, pretending to struggle with Vince’s weight.Vera giggled from his other side. “Me next! Me next! Higher than Vince!” she squealed, holding onto Ezekiel’s arm tightly.Ezekiel tossed Vince gently into the water, catching him before he could go too far. “Alright, princess, your turn,” he said, lifting her up high. Vera screamed in excitement, kicking her feet in the air before Ezekiel brought her safely back into his arms.“Again! Again!” Vince demanded, already swimming back to Ezekiel.“Guys, be careful, okay?!” I shouted since I was kinda worried about what they were doing. Gosh, what if Ezekiel makes a wrong move?“Chill. Trust me,” Ezekiel said as he smirked. With his wet hair, he looked so hot righ
VIVIENNEThe sun was warm, and the breeze was soft as we all gathered on the beach. It was time for our sandcastle competition, and I was feeling pretty confident. I glanced at Ezekiel, who was smiling at me."Alright, rock, paper, scissors to see who picks first," I said, holding my hand out."Deal," Ezekiel replied. Playfulness was evident in his green eyes. We counted down, "One, two, three!"I threw out paper, and he went with rock. I couldn’t help but grin as I looked at him. "Looks like I win," I said.Vera giggled beside me, while Vince stayed quiet, giving Ezekiel a small look. Ezekiel shrugged, not too bothered by it. "Okay, who are you picking?" Ezekiel asked, looking at me.I glanced between Vera and Vince. Vera was practically jumping up and down, hoping I would pick her. Then I looked at Vince. He was calm, as always, but I could tell Ezekiel was still trying to bond with him. They needed this. So, I made my choice."I’ll pick Vera," I said, smiling at her."Yay! Mom