One Night ✔

32. Summer Daze

June

"Happy last day of summer school" I smile, sliding my daughter's breakfast across the counter. Giddily, she reaches for her fork and digs into her pancakes as Lucas walks down the hallway wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants.

In the weeks following our failed dinner party things had seemingly settled down but I had yet to talk to my dad again...or have the talk with Avery.

It only took her about three days to finally tell me and Lucas that her and Hayden had finally made things official and we had been happy for them but since summer vacation was starting this afternoon it was finally time to set some ground rules.

"What are you most excited about this summer?" Lucas asks, stopping beside me and wrapping his arm around my waist. I lean into him, knowing I'm going to need his strength to get through this incredibly awkward conversation.

"Spending time with Hayden, duh" she replies as if this should be obvious while she stuffs her face with another bite of her pancakes.

Lucas looks over at me while she's distracted and it's clear that this is the moment I had been dreading for weeks. We had to finally have "the talk" with Avery.

Lucas tears his gaze away from me and moves to sit beside our daughter. "Princess we need to have a talk" he says sternly and I can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips hearing him talk in such an authoritative tone. I was finally beginning to understand why women were attracted to men with children.

She lifts her gaze from her pancakes and looks between us nervously. I know what she fears this talk is about and I'm unsure if she'll be any happier when she learns what it's really about. "A talk?" she asks uneasily.

"It's nothing bad" I reassure her, stepping behind Lucas and placing my hand on his shoulder. "It's just" I pause, searching for the right word.

"Necessary" Lucas suggests and I nod in agreement. It seemed like a good word for the conversation we were going to have.

"And we're only having this talk because you are growing up and Hayden isn't just your best friend anymore, he's your boyfriend. So, things have to change a little; rules have to be laid out."

"Such as your new nine o'clock curfew. Sleepovers will still be permitted but we must have confirmation that a parent will be home if you're staying at Hayden's."

"And while we're on the subject of Hayden" I begin, taking a deep breath.

This one was going to be hard for me as I've known Hayden since he was a baby and had never, ever restricted him from spending time in Avery's room in any way but, things were different now. "We need you to understand that we trust you completely but you're still fourteen and so, from now on your door has to stay open when Hayden is over."

Her eyes widen. "What? That's not fair! How can we even-."

"We aren't going to come into your room with a ruler and make you stand a foot apart" I interrupt reassuringly. "We understand he's your first boyfriend and we understand that as such there will be kissing and hand holding but what you need to understand is that anything further than that is off limits. You're much too young to be having sex of any kind, understand?"

"I get it" she nods. "But you don't have to worry. We aren't going to take that step for a long time" she assures us but I was a teenager once, I know better and so does Lucas.

"Honestly, that's the best thing a parent can hear from their kid but," Lucas says, staring directly into Avery's eyes as he reaches out for her hand. "If you do make that choice and you have sex with Hayden we need you to promise us that you'll be careful. You having sex is not something we want but if it were to happen we just need you to be smart about it. Understand?"