Chapter 3 #3
“No problems at all. We have everything ready to go as planned. Sit back and enjoy the night with your wife and friends,” he replies as he and his crewmate go about their jobs of unhooking us from the dock again.
I make my way up the stairs onto the upper deck where everyone is now finding seats on the couch that runs around the back edge of that level.
There’s a table in the center, with a large charcuterie board set out, and a female steward is standing to the side handing out glasses of champagne.
Sliding onto the end of the seat next to Mia, I pull her into the side of my body and relax against the cushions.
We all listen carefully as Foster runs through some of the safety information needed before finishing off with telling them that I will fill them in on what is happening tonight.
I can’t remember a time when I have had everyone’s attention like I have right now.
“You all doubted me. Well, welcome to your child-free New Year’s Eve celebration.” Lifting my glass to the center of the table, we all clink the beginning of another year together.
“We are going to cruise the harbor for a few hours, and then the captain will anchor us in position. He has another boat holding the spot for us, because as you can imagine, it gets busy on the water tonight. Dinner will be served, and I’m told it will be full of the amazing local produce and fresh seafood we’ve been hearing so much about.
Somewhere in between the courses of food, we will be in the perfect position to see the fireworks that are some of the most spectacular in the world, not once but twice.
The family ones are at nine pm which the kids will be able to see from the house, from safely behind the glass.
The nannies know the kids are allowed to stay up to see them, and I spoke to Jack this afternoon about helping out, and he knows what to expect. ”
I remember the proud look on Jack’s face when I pulled him aside and told him the secret and asked for his help.
He takes the role as the keeper and protector of his siblings and cousins very seriously.
And today, I gave him the first taste of stepping over the line and being on the adult side of this extended framily.
“Then we get to ring in the new year again at midnight with another round of fireworks. We will stay the night on the yacht and spend a slow peaceful morning doing some more cruising around, then dock back at the house just before lunch.” There has not been one word from any of them, and it’s a strange feeling.
“So, am I forgiven now for expanding our tradition of New Year’s Eve together just this once, to a ten-day holiday with the kids?” I ask hesitantly.
Paige speaks first. “This was never a competition, and I hate losing, but I’ll happily say you win, Lex. This is amazing.”
“Who are you kidding, it’s always a competition. But I must agree, this will be hard to top next year, Paige. Now, when can we get in the hot tub?” Tate declares Everyone cheers loudly, and the party is off and running.
“Did you pack your swimsuit?” I yell at him above all the voices.
“No, but naked hot tubs are the best kind.” He grins, and I wouldn’t put it past him.
“Well, isn’t it lucky I had Jack take all the swimsuits that were hanging on the line to dry and pack them in my bag. Purely for that reason, because nobody needs to see that.” I laugh at his groan.
“You ruin all my fun.” Tate takes another sip of his champagne.
“And mine too, apparently.” Bella giggles as she pops a cracker and cheese into her mouth.
“Mmmmm, this is to die for,” she mumbles with the food still in her mouth.
That has us all reaching forward to sample the different foods on offer and conversing with the steward on the amazing Tasmanian cheese.
As a whole, we are all food and wine lovers, so being in a new country gets the taste buds excited, and we already know that Aussie wine is some of the best in the world.
The biggest problem we will have is pacing ourselves and the pending headache in the morning.
Which is why I gave us time to have a slow morning before we have to go back to the chaos that is our children.
Glancing around the table and listening to the several conversations that are happening at once, which is normal when we are all together, relief washes through me.
Everyone is settling in for a relaxing night together, which is all we ever want.
All the luxury, location, and experiences mean nothing if you don’t have friends like these to share them with.
We’d all give up our wealth in a heartbeat, if it meant choosing between this framily or the lifestyle.
My phone buzzes in my pocket with a photo in the app the nannies have been using to keep us all in touch easily.
It’s of Jack sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch surrounded by all the little ones.
A few of the older kids are sitting on the couch behind him, all leaning on each other or cuddling in some way while they are watching the kids’ movie Sing.
It’s one of Jack’s favorites that he loves to watch with the little ones.
And they love to hear him sing along with the characters, but especially Johnny the Gorilla.
I’m hoping he’ll give us a bit of a performance. There’s a stunning black grand piano in the formal living room that we immediately banned the kids from going anywhere near as soon as we arrived.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw it.
Guitar is his main instrument, but over the last couple of years, he has been teaching himself to play on the electric piano he has at home and uses it to write the melodies for some of his original songs.
We offered to get him lessons, but he wasn’t interested, and to be honest, he doesn’t need them.
“We did good.” Mia leans into me as she looks down at the photo.
“Yeah, we did. He’s just like his mother, a gentle soul.
We just have to pray like hell he never loses that part of himself as he navigates the teenage years and beyond.
” I know I became hardened as I grew up and built armor around myself, which is something I never want any of our kids to feel the need to do.
“Even if his soft spirit dulls over the next few years, it will never disappear. He’s been like that since the day he was born, so it will always come back.
Plus, he has a great role model, a father who tries to show his toughness on the exterior, but we all know deep down is just a big softie.
” Kissing my cheek, she then turns as Paige calls to her from the other side of the table.
Answering her, Mia leaves me in my moment of reflection looking at the photo, knowing how far we have come as a family.
The first fireworks display of the night just cemented what we had always heard.
New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour is like nothing else in the world.
Sure, the ball dropping in Times Square in New York is special, but nothing beats the spray of color in the sky above such iconic landmarks and reflecting across the water around us, choreographed to a musical soundtrack.
Magical.
FaceTiming the kids once it was finished, before it was their bedtime, there was so much excitement, and yelling, as they tried to describe what they had seen to us. I don’t envy the nannies trying to get them to sleep.
We might need to revisit this trip in fifteen years’ time, when the children are all old enough that we can all spend the night on the water, so they get to experience this too.
“I don’t think I could eat another thing if I tried,” Gray comments as he leans back from the table after finishing his dessert.
“I’m glad I wore a flowy dress so there’s room for my dessert stomach.” Bella laughs as she rubs over her belly.
“Do I sound old if I say I’m not sure I’m going to make it to midnight?
” Paige says with a groan. “Between my food coma, the wine, the gentle bobbing of the boat, and the calm sound of the lapping water against the hull, I could quite easily close my eyes and drift off to sleep.” Paige lies down along one of the seats with her head in Mason’s lap, his hand stroking her hair.
“Ummm, it might have something to do with the fact you’re turning fifty next year,” Tate remarks, before he quickly walks to the other side of the boat away from the seat Paige is lying on.
“Fuck you, asshole. You’ll all be following closely behind me over the next few years. Then we will see how cocky you are.” Which brings a united groan from us all at the prospect of getting older.
“I’m just going to stay quiet over here.” Bella is already giggling at her own comment.
Paige slaps her forehead. “Ughhh, yeah, yeah, we get it, you are the baby of the group. How can I be about to turn fifty and you are only thirty-five.”
“It’s just a number. If we asked strangers about our ages, they would assume we are all the same age,” Tilly joins in.
“Bella is mature and responsible, Paige is so beautiful she doesn’t age, and Tate’s immaturity brings the average age of the group down,” Mia adds, and everyone chuckles at her observations.
“Oh yeah, you’re hilarious, Mia. But just remember, it will be me you can thank later when I have saved you from becoming a grandmother way before you’re ready.
” Tate’s words all of a sudden start sinking in around the table, and Bella gets up from her seat, walking until she’s standing in front of him.
“Tate McIntyre, what did you do?” Her hands are on her hips, and all the attention is now on him.
“What? Well, I just wanted to make sure Jack knew he could always come to me if he didn’t want to be judged by his parents. You know, safe sex and all that.” His normal cockiness is boosted with the extra alcohol in his system.
“So much for keeping it to ourselves. What did you say to him?” Bella’s shaking her head at Tate and steps to the side of him, now leaning against the railing like he is.
“I just told him I heard he had a girlfriend and I wanted him to make sure he protected both of them. Asked if he needed me to buy him some condoms and showed him the YouTube video of how to put it on a banana. Saved him the embarrassment of trying to do it for the first time in sex-ed class.”
“Tate, you didn’t.” Bella gasps, her hand clapped over her mouth.
Paige looks horrified. “Seriously, the banana demonstration went out of fashion twenty years ago, surely.”
“What did Jack say?” Mia looks worried.
“Oh, he was cool with it all. Told me he was fine and didn’t need anything,” Tate replies so off-handedly. “His cheeks were a little flushed though, so maybe I’ll just slip a new box in his room quietly, next time I’m at your place.”
“No need, he already has some,” I let slip at the same time Mia replies, “Absolutely not.”
She turns to look at me. “Why does he already have them? He is not going to be needing them for many more years to come.”
Mason clears his throat. “Umm, you might want to rethink that, Mia. When I spoke to him today, it’s pretty obvious he has it bad for this Charlotte girl.
When I asked him how far he sees this going, I think that box might come in handy.
” He smiles calmly at Mia, trying to placate her, but it’s not helping.
“You too?” Annoyance from her eyes is now directed at Mason who is like a brother to her.
I can’t help it, and I start laughing hard.
“Who else decided they need to give Jack some friendly advice today?” She looks around as everyone raises their hand except Bella.
“At least Bella did as she was asked.” Mia gives her a smile of thanks.
“Oh, it’s only because Millie was whiney this afternoon and I just didn’t get a chance.” Bella shrugs, and that just brings me to a point I have tears rolling down my face as I’m cackling.
“So much for boundaries in this framily. You do realize we have probably scarred this kid for life,” Mia grumbles.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about Jack,” Gray says.
“I think he has the whole sex-ed thing under control. There’s this thing called the internet, Mommy, and your boy has already seen porn, so we had the chat about that.
He is all over the consensual sex concept and respecting women.
I also explained how most of that is staged, so not to panic when he totally loses his load before he even gets out of the starting gate the first time, and he reassured me that didn’t happen.
” Gray reveals way more than Jack’s mother needs to hear.
“No!” she shrieks. “Don’t tell me any more. Wait, what do you mean it didn’t happen. Has Jack already had sex? Oh God, I can’t breathe.” Mia looks at me with sheer panic on her face.
Pulling myself together, I shuffle sideways on the seat, getting closer to her and dragging her into my lap.
“Oh, sorry, I meant he tried to reassure me it wouldn’t happen when the time comes.” Gray thinks he’s funny.
“I hate you.” Mia throws one of the cushions at him.
“Okay, okay, all jokes aside. It sounds like Jack has had his fair share of advice today. And all I can say is thank you, and just remember, karma’s a bitch.
Wait until your kids are this age. Mia and I will be first in line and so eager to help all your children too.
” I try to move the conversation past poor Jack, who it sounds like has had the afternoon from hell with way too much family in his face.
“Yeah, just you wait.” Mia waves her finger in the air at all of them. “Now I need another drink, a strong one.”
And no sooner have the words left Mia’s lips, the steward who is looking after the upper deck bar is beside us and taking our orders.
“Do you think Jack is okay?” Mia whispers in my ear.
“He’ll be perfectly fine. A little embarrassed probably, but just fine.”
“He’s too young to be having sex.” She relaxes into my cuddle, resting her head on my shoulder.
“I agree, but he’s a smart boy. When the time’s right, he’ll know, and we have to trust him to make good choices.” I rub my hand up and down her back, which always calms her.
“I hope so,” she murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear.