It Goes On - Book l

Baler's Mistake

Simon's Point of View:

"I know she resents me, Teeter," I overheard Kiera explain to her, the pair sitting alongside each other underneath an umbrella, relaxing in the beach chairs and relaxing as they deserved. "She screamed bloody murder after he left and scratched my face when I picked her up! I wasn't hateful with her at all!" She ranted.

They had no idea that I was eavesdropping, but I loved hearing Kiera rant.

"Jacob reminds me of a little puppy. He follows me everywhere, and I love that. But Evie... God, it feels like she only likes me for my tits!"

"Well..." I added in, knowing that I was going to rile her up.

"Don't you even say it, Simon!" She raised her finger at me, arching her brow. "I cAn'T bLaMe HeR!" She mocked me, knowing that it was exactly what I was going to say.

I laughed at her exaggeration, "Wow, you're good at reading my mind, love. What color am I thinking of?"

She scoffed, "Go on somewhere. Don't you have some boarding to do?"

I chuckled when I leant down to kiss the top of her head, smelling her sunscreen in her hair. Jacob was sitting between her feet, playing in the sand with the bag of sandcastle molds Kiera had bought for them. Jacob was exactly what Kiera had described him as: a little puppy. He never left her sight, and I knew that she loved how clingy he was.

As for Evie, I had to stay within her line of sight before she threw a fit. Sure, I probably spoiled her too much since she was born, but I can't help it. I spoiled Jacob just as much, but I guess I "preferred" her because she never seemed to resent me like Jacob did. I was always so happy and excited to be a father – to give my children a better life than I did when I was their age, and knowing that Evie always wanted my attention made my heart swell every time because I was always brought back to the realization that I wasn't as bad of a father like I thought I could've been.

I was better than my own father, and that was an accomplishment in itself.

"I was just making sure that you had the fort held down before I went," I shrugged, my hand sprawled against my stomach – a subconscious reaction to my own anxiety that I hated being anywhere that involved my shirt being off. I hated my body, but I felt better knowing that Kiera was attracted to me. I wasn't as ripped and toned like I used to be, but I was still in shape due to my job, but that still didn't mean that I resented myself for how I thought I looked. "I didn't want to leave you with your hands full."

"I'll be fine, babe. They're both building a sandcastle. I've got my eye on them."

"Okay. I won't be gone long. I'll make sure Baler comes over here with you two as well."

I couldn't help but kiss the top of her head again before I made my way towards the water, Johnny waiting for me with two water boards tucked under his arm.

Baler wasn't too far away, clearly flirting with a pair of girls that were his age, and I couldn't wait to ruin that for him. "Hey, Baler! Come here!"

"Is that your dad?" One of the girls asked him.

"Yeah, unfortunately..."

"Are you forgetting that you have a girlfriend waiting for you back home?" I retorted, watching the girls' faces fall in astonishment at what I had just said. "You know that entertaining someone other than your partner is cheating, right?"

"I was just talking to them." He scoffed at me.

"I might have been born, but I wasn't born yesterday. I'm not stupid, Baler. Go sit with your mum."