Page 8 of All Your Firsts Without Me

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m changing. Kaden made me pee my pants,” she said testily.

“I heard.”

Her door swung open, and she stood there, staring at Kaden and I with her hand over her mouth.

“You did it,” Kaden praised, stepping into her room, and wrapping his arms around her.

She gaped at me over his shoulder, and I smiled. When he released her, she rushed towards me and settled herself on my lap. “I did it,” she whispered into my ear. It was then I knew she would be okay.

She thanked Kaden profusely the rest of the evening, going as far as to cook his favorite meal that night. I’d never seen him blush so much.

It’s still their thing. He scares her every chance he gets. He’s sneaking up on her right now while she makes breakfast.

I hope they stay close after I’m gone. They will need each other.

“Boo!”

“Goddammit, Kaden!” She laughs but her hand reaches up to grab the dish towel she has draped on her shoulder. It only takes one flick of the wrist to put him in his place.

Her accuracy is scary as she hits her target right on the bullseye. “Ouch, that stings,” he complains, rubbing his butt.

“Don’t scare me then.” She goes back to cutting vegetables for our omelets.

He plops down at the breakfast bar with me, still nursing his ass with one hand.

“How’s school going?” I ask.

“Good, good. Finals, then one more semester. Everything is on track for me to break out of there in May.”

“Why do you make it sound like you’re serving a prison sentence?” I ask him, rubbing my hands together as my wife pushes a beautiful omelet in front of me.

“Hey, no vegetables on mine,” he tells, her. She rolls her eyes. When she gets back to the stove, she tosses the veggies in despite his request.

“It is like a prison sentence.”

“It can’t be that bad,” April says. “And you’re getting vegetables.”

He sticks his tongue out at her, reverting to his five-year-old self. “You both know what I want to do. I want to be a police officer like dad. I’m only doing this college gig to make you guys happy.”

April turns away, so that we can’t see her concern. She doesn’t want him to follow in my footsteps. Honestly, I would have rather had him choose something else, but I get it. He wants to save the world, same as me. I have to remind myself he knows the risks involved. If it’s his passion, then he needs to go where that takes him. I’m glad he is getting a degree though. It will be something he can fall back on if he needs to. Something I didn’t have.

“I’m sure you’ll make a fantastic police officer someday,” I say.

He spins to me. “Do you really think so?”

“I know so.”

The smile on his face reminds me of when he was a boy desperately seeking my approval. He rises to give me a hug. April frowns our way. Kaden becoming a cop is the last thing she wants to see happen.

“I want to be just like you, dad. I’ve always wanted to follow in your footsteps.” Kade leans back and laughs. “Sorry, maybe that wasn’t the best choice of words.”

“It’s okay son. I know what you mean.”

April shifts the conversation to a lighter subject. “I invited Teresa and Jeff over. They said they would stop by for lunch.”

“Cool. I haven’t seen Aunt Teresa in a fat minute,” Kade says before shoveling a massive amount of omelet into his mouth.

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