Chapter 3
Chapter Three
LEX
They all complained so hard when I told them the kids were coming on this trip, but our first two full days in Australia have been amazing.
We spent one day full of animal encounters at Taronga Zoo which was like nothing we have ever experienced.
It’s hard to believe the zoo is in one of the most sought-after locations in Sydney and that the animals have uninterrupted views over the harbor toward the Opera House.
The kids fed giraffes, got up close with the kangaroos, took photos with koalas, and learned the native animals don’t just roam the streets of the city.
And when those little black Tasmanian devils started chasing each other around their enclosure, they reminded me of the kids on a bad day.
They can get aggressive for such a small creature.
Although we hired our own private water taxi for the week, the younger kids still wanted to take rides on the iconic harbor ferries, so we gave in and battled the holiday crowds, which was easier here because no one knows who we are.
Of course, we have a couple of plain-clothed security guys just watching us from afar, that Ashton organized for us.
The kids don’t need to know they are being watched, but we just feel safer with the security close by if we need them.
We wandered around The Rocks, which is where all the historic buildings are still standing and have been restored from when the English first settled in the country.
And of course, that day the kids kept our bank balances working overtime because it is also the prime tourist shopping area.
Us four guys wrangled the kids for an hour while Mia, Paige, Tilly, and Bella were given time to wander on their own.
So far, we have four pieces of art to take home, enough stuffed koalas that we could say we own a whole colony, but the thing that Mia loves the most is the beautiful white-gold opal ring she is now wearing.
No matter what I say—and she doesn’t even need my money, she has plenty of her own now that she is independently wealthy and doesn’t need to feel like she relies on my trust fund—but she still won’t usually spend it on herself.
This ring is the first large purchase she has made on her own, not because she needed it, but instead for the simple reason that she fell in love with it.
They say healing takes time, and this is part of her journey toward feeling worthy and loving herself enough to step out of her comfort zone and splurge.
The kids, well, that’s a different story. She is always happy to spoil them.
We’ve been at Manly Beach now for over and hour, and I think I have built over a hundred sand castles that one of the little ones then runs and jumps on top of while they loudly squeal and giggle. But it’s time for them all to sit and have a morning snack with the moms.
“Dad, those guys I was just talking to want to know if me and you guys want to play beach cricket with them?” Jack looks at me with pleading eyes. I’ve watched cricket before but have never played it and have no idea on the rules, but I love that he still wants us involved.
Tate jumps up from the sand to stand next to Jack. “I’m in. Let’s show these Aussie boys that we can beat them at their own game. Who else is in?” He looks at Gray, Mason, and me, and I know we have no choice but to join them.
“I have no idea what we are doing, but I’m guessing it will be similar to baseball. You’ve got a bat and a ball that you just need to hit as far as you can,” Gray mumbles quietly to me as we walk toward the game that is getting ready to start.
We introduce ourselves to the group, shaking hands with the guys who are a mixture of ages, from kids like Jack to a couple of men I would say are older than us. I love how friendly and relaxed people are here.
One of the guys, Macca, which I’m guessing is a nickname, runs through the rules, and of course it’s a bit more complicated than just hitting a ball.
You need to run between two coolers that they are calling wickets.
There are a ring of shoes around the game and if you hit it past that area, it’s counted as a six and out, so everyone gets a turn at batting.
As the batter, you get out in the game by someone catching the ball before it hits the sand, or if you do an air swing and the ball then hits the coolers.
But what Macca forgot to mention was different to baseball, there is a bowler who runs at you full speed to bowl a tennis ball overarm at you, with not a lot of accuracy, and that’s what you are trying to hit.
Of course, Tate was cocky enough to go in to bat first up, with Mason as his batting partner.
“Howzat!” They all scream at once when the first bowl finds the wicket, and Tate is declared out for a “duck” and sent out to field. There is one thing Aussies are great at and that is making up words. Apparently, howzat means you’re out, and a duck is that you got out with no runs to your name.
“That’s bullshit,” Tate mumbled as he walked past Gray and me. Jack takes the bat from him and walks in to bat next.
And we were all left to eat our words about showing up the Australians at one of their own national games.
Jack actually did the best out of all of us, getting a score of twenty-five runs before Macca caught him out.
But it won’t be a game we will be bragging about for years to come, that’s for sure.
What happens in Australia, stays in Australia.
The heat of standing on the sand in the full sun has us all heading down for a swim, but I was just happy to wash off the sweat and then head back up to lie with Mia on the towel.
One by one, the other guys head back from the water, walking back up the beach to us. Tate was out there for over an hour before he finally called it quits.
“I have to admit I had no idea how strong the surf is in Australia. Such a contrast to last year in the Cayman Islands where we were floating peacefully on stand-up paddle boards.” Tate leans over the top of Bella, who is lying under one of the sunshades we have set up on the beach.
Her eyes are closed, and I know before he does it what is about to happen.
Shaking his head like a wet dog, the water drops all over her back.
“Have I told you today what an ass you are?” she mumbles aggressively at him.
“Only three times, and I think that’s lower than average, so I’m doing well.
” Tate, picking up his towel, looks like he has been through the wringer.
“That swell out there gives you a full workout. You did good, buddy, sending the kids home with the nannies for an afternoon in the pool and some naps.”
“Yeah, I knew they wouldn’t last too long but wanted them to experience this cool beach. But I’m glad we got the guy to come and spend an hour with Jack, teaching him to surf. He’s finally getting the hang of it.” My eyes haven’t left him while he’s out in the waves.
“I know there are lifeguards on the beach and he has his instructor, but I still feel anxious with him in that much danger,” Mia pipes up from beside me.
“You have to let him start taking risks at some stage, Mia,” Mason says. “And just remember, every time he gets dumped by a wave, it’s character building. Isn’t that right, Gray?” Mason throws his empty water bottle at Gray.
“Fuck off,” Gray replies as we all start laughing. “I’m just not a very buoyant person in water where it’s like being thrown around in a washing machine. If we had a few more days, I’d master it.” He’s looking slightly deflated, and Tilly jumps in to defend him.
“I’m sure it’s also got to do with how exhausted you were before we left.
You didn’t even make it through Christmas Day without having to rush into the hospital to safely deliver a baby.
” Sitting next to him on the towel, she stretches her arm around his shoulders.
“I’m sure that’s a far more important skill than riding a wave. ”
Tate scoffs. “Oh, don’t make up excuses for him.
I was on call too over the holidays because it was the only way I could get the time off for this trip.
Mr. Semi-Retired Author and head of a charity over there thinks it’s easy to get away, but when you save lives for a living, people need you.
” Tate is now lying down next to Bella who just groans.
“You are not the only neurosurgeon in the world, dear husband,” she quips at him.
“No, but I’m the best, and we all know that.” Tate’s words have us all fake gagging and coughing. His cockiness and confidence have never changed since the day I met him.
“God, I can’t wait until Jessie is a teenager, so full of himself just like you are. It’s going to be so entertaining to watch.” Being the one who has the oldest child in our big framily, I’m the one discovering all the fun or not-so-fun things that each stage brings.
“Ughhh, Tilly, I’m moving in with you and Gray when Jessie reaches that age,” Bella says, sitting up.
“It’s bad enough now with the two of them trying to outdo each other, but at the moment, his father has it over him.
Although I know the time is coming where he won’t, and neither of them will back down or give in. It’s going to be unbearable, isn’t it.”
Gray digs into the cooler, passing around more cold bottles of water. This Australian sun and heat are brutal to us Americans who have come from the middle of winter, and we know if we want to get through our time here, we need to keep hydrating. Especially when we spend the nights drinking.
“Better still, we’ll send Jessie to you, Lex. You will have it all figured out by then,” Tate replies, thinking he’s funny.
“Not happening. I’m struggling with Jack, and now Kayla is just about to hit puberty. Surely, I’m in enough hell already. And that’s without a mini-Tate in my house too!” I run my hand through my hair, thinking about what the next ten years in our house is going to be like.