Page 28 of A Little Campfire Blues

“Fishy!” I squealed when it was finally time to reel. “Ohhh, big fishy, he’s heavy.”

“You hang on to him now, sparkle butt, and don’t let him get away.”

Sparkle butt?

Oh my gosh!

I wiggled as I reeled in my meanie of a fish, who fought me the whole way to shore.

“Hang on to him. Keep reeling,” Mackenzie encouraged.

Never once did he reach for my pole or offer to reel him in for me, though I got the impression that I could have asked for help at any time and he’d have done so without taking over. I knew I could get my fishie in myself; I just knew it.

Tongue poking from between my lips, I cranked the reel, which was getting harder to turn.

“Hold him right there; let him fight for a moment,” Mackenzie said. “He’ll get tired soon.”

“Hope he gets tired before I do!” I huffed, keeping firm pressure on the handle of the reel, without turning it, while my fish zigged one way, zagged another, and flop, flop, flopped, making little waves all around him every time his tail smacked the surface of the water.

“Your fishy must have drunk a whole pot of coffee this morning to have this much energy,” Mackenzie joked.

“Silly daddy, fishies don’t drink coffee!” I blurted when a gasp off to my right alerted me to what I’d accidentally called him.

Mackenzie just flashed me a reassuring smile. “It’s okay; I am a daddy, and I won’t infer anything from you calling me that besides you enjoying yourself and the time we’re spending together. It’s all good. Now, see if you can reel him just a little bit closer.”

I did, pleased that mistakenly calling him that hadn’t derailed the whole afternoon. My fishy wasn’t fighting so hard now, and I could see the bright green of my bobber beneath the surface, getting closer and closer.

“Hehehehe, come here, fishy, you’re gonna get in my belly tonight.

Mackenzie’s big, booming laugh made me happy and shivery as he slid off the edge of the rock and back into ankle-deep water to pick him up for me.

“Whoa, he’s huge!” Mackenzie declared as he lifted him up to reveal another largemouth bass, the biggest of the afternoon. “Good job, sparkle butt.”

Fishy flicked his tail, trying to flop free of the hold Mackenzie had on him as he stepped back up onto our rock, but I could tell he was just about done protesting his fate. He was gonna be dinner once Roman cleaned him and cut off his head so he couldn’t stare at me when he was on my plate.

“Picture, picture,” I declared as I pulled out my phone.

Like before, he kneeled beside me, only this time I got brave and reached out, wanting to put my arm around him.

“Is it okay if I hug you?” I asked before I touched, ‘cause touching wasn’t okay unless you asked permission.

“Absolutely,” he said, holding my fishy in front of us as I scooted closer and wrapped my arm around him so I could lean against him while I took our picture.

He crossed his eyes and made a funny face, so I used my fingers to give him bunny ears and took several pictures of us clowning around before he added my fishy to the cooler. By then, Axis had gotten another one and was smiling brightly around his binky as he watched us while Roman added another worm to his hook. Each time I looked over at him, he had his Bluey binky in his mouth and was sucking away on it, even while he was waiting for something to nibble on his hook. When he saw me watching, he waved, then Roman stepped away from his hook, and Axis happily cast it back out into the water. I did the same after Mackenzie baited my hook with another squirmy worm,while the sun shimmered like sparkles on the surface of the lake, making everything look dreamy and magical.

Day two of Pride Camp, and I was already having the best time of my adult life.

“Are you getting warm? Do you have something to drink?” Mackenzie asked.

I shook my head because my little water bottle was empty. “I drank it all.”

“No worries,” Mackenzie said, taking off the backpack he’d lain on the rock behind us.

My curiosity almost got the best of me and made us knock heads as I tried to peer in and get a look at what he carried in there. I bet it was fun things.

“Do you like water, lemonade, or sweet tea?” he asked, removing a small cloth cooler that was full of…water?

“It’s all water,” I declared.

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