Page 32 of Honeymoon for Seven

“Don’t rock the boat!” Nick shouted, holding his arms out to stabilize the float, before attempting the same maneuver. Next thing he knew, his knee collided with hers and they both went over one side into the pool—again.

Wiping the water out of his eyes, Nick looked up to see that Jake had reached the end of the pool and was climbing out, while he and Ginnie hadn’t even managed to start. From deck side, the gathering of cheering adults had grown, some shouting suggestions that seemed anatomically impossible.

One more time, they tried a new strategy. Nick climbed on, slowly, and managed to lean forward, bringing his legs up onto the float and leaving him flat on his stomach.

Throwing her arms up in the air, Ginnie shouted triumphantly as if she’d been the one to climb aboard, “Okay, here goes nothing!”

Where had he heardthatbefore. The plan, that he wasn’t thrilled with but seemed to be the only one to hold a chance of success, was for her to climb up onto his back, move to lie forward, then slide to the side. The second she threw one leg over him and hefted herself onto his back, he asked himself, not for the first time, why was this the way they’d chosen to get up close and personal.

“All right!” Her arms shot up again and the float wobbled left then right. “Oops.”

“Oops?” He lifted his head slightly to glance at her immediately regretting the move when the float dipped right.

Stretching her arms out to her sides, her bottom wriggled along his back as she tried to catch their balance.

Nick bit back a groan and let his head flop down, burying his face in the float. Thank heaven he wasn’t on his back.

The float steady again, Ginnie leaned forward, barely brushing against him as she raised her legs and slid to the right.

All set to drop his left arm in the water and start paddling, he remembered he was supposed to place his other arm around her. Raising his arm and carefully curling it around her waist, he leaned slightly left and in one large wave, the two rolled over and dumped into the pool at the same moment the last of the kids climbed out, the four laughing and cheering and jumping up and down in triumph.

Standing upright and spitting out water and wiping their faces, in an unexpected moment of unity, both of them burst out laughing. At least the kids were having fun, and if he were honest with himself, so was he.

Chapter Thirteen

“Of course the kids won.”

Ginnie came out of Phoebe’s room as Nick explained to his mother how their morning had gone.

“It was awesome.” Jake grinned at his new grandmother.

“Yeah,” Rachel agreed. “Can we do it again?”

Both Nick and Ginnie groaned, then burst into laughter at the unplanned synchrony.

“I’m sure if there’s another race you can.” His mom grinned up at them. If she’d had any idea how embarrassing the whole attempt was, she might not have been so eager to volunteer them. “Who knows, maybe by then I’ll be able to get around a bit and see for myself.”

Just what she didn’t need, to put on a display of anatomical awkwardness in front of Nick’s mother.

“How is your foot feeling?”

“Better,” Mrs. Maroney said. “I can set it down for a few minutes before it throbs. I’m sure in a couple of days I’ll be able to comfortably go with you guys on at least one adventure.”

Adventure. That about described the morning. Maybe.

“What’s on the agenda for this afternoon?” she continued.

“There’s a scavenger hunt.” Nick squatted down by the coffee table where the kids had set up for lunch and handed each of the kids the sandwiches room service had delivered.

“Yeah.” Jeff grinned up. “We have to go all around the ship looking for stuff. Uncle Nick says it will be fun.”

Ginnie had her doubts about keeping up with not only Nick’s family but everyone else’s kids running about, but if she’d learned anything coming from a large family, it was to go with the flow and say your Hail Marys while you’re at it.

“Why don’t you two go have a nice quiet lunch until it’s time for Phoebe to wake up?”

“We’ve already ordered lunch.” Nick lifted the cover from the burgers he’d ordered.

“You’re eating hamburgers?” His mother shook her head at him. “Every food imaginable and you order a hamburger.”

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