Page 52 of Two Daddies for Little Jenna

I dressed her up in a green two-piece bikini and tied her hair up in a ponytail. She preferred Nick's dressing sense, but she let me dress her up sometimes just so I wouldn't think she was being partial.

I led her into the backyard with an inflatable yellow duck around her waist. Nick helped her into the swimming pool and soon we repeated all the swimming lessons we had taught her over the past few days.

"Why didn't you learn swimming when you were young?" Nick asked Jenna when I was done with the instructions.

"We'll get to that later on in the session," I interrupted, knowing Jenna would change the topic.

"It's alright," she told me. "I trust Daddy Nick. A big part of falling for someone is getting to know the person. I'm ready to tell him small things. I can't talk about it all at once. I'll only end up having a nervous breakdown."

She turned to Nick before she continued. "My parents didn't let us leave the house. We hadn't stepped outside all our lives and it took a toll on us. You don't have to say anything. Sometimes it's good to have someone who listens."

Nick didn't say anything. Instead, his expressions just softened and he hugged her before kissing the top of her head.

It was the first time she would try swimming without any floatation device and the nervousness on her face was apparent.

"Before I try swimming without Mr. Duckie around my waist, I would like to thank you both in case I drown and die. You both have been so patient with me the past few days. It takes days to teach someone swimming and my parents didn't even bother. Just so we're clear, you're going to save me when I drown, aren't you? It isn't going to be like that time you both taught me to ride a bike by tricking me that you were holding on from behind? You let me fall because, and I quote, ‘that's the best way to learn’."

It was true that she fell, but we were right behind ready to catch her fall. We didn't let a scratch come on her body because we both loved her to death. However, the threat of drowning to one's death was indeed the best way to learn swimming. But was I going to tell her that?

"Of course we'll save you, sweetheart," I lied. "The moment you fail to stay above water, your Daddies will come to the rescue."

She giggled. "You do look like lifeguards, so I'll trust you this time. This water is quite deep, though. Good thing Nico has an instinct to swim when he jumps in the water. I wish people had that too. Would make the whole swimming thing easier."

"People do have that instinct, darling," Nick added. "Fear of drowning kicks that in."

We swam to the middle of the large pool. She held onto me as Nick helped her out of the floatation duck. The moment he threw it far away, it was our cue and we swam away from her.

"Remember what I taught you, sweetheart," I said as she began flapping her arms about. "There comes a time in every girl’s life when their Daddies can't help them. This is one of them. Trust in yourself and you'll be glad you did. Only you can save yourself now."

The color drained out of her cheeks as she realized what was happening. She was struggling to keep her head above water. She probably thought we were abandoning her, but we weren't. We planned to step in the moment we thought she was in any real danger, but she was far from it.

Her head went underwater for a couple of seconds before she managed to come back up for air yelling at the top of her voice, "Daddy Clark! Daddy Nick! Help me."

Nick looked uneasy but I had instructed him beforehand to follow my lead and not step in. I had taught all my nephews to swim and I knew what I was doing.

"Save your babygirl before it's too late," she said this time when she came up for air, her arms flailing about wildly. "My last wish is for you to take good care of Nico. Tell me I love him-" going back under but returning before gasping for air- "I know you'll mourn my death and never be able to move on, but you have to try for my sake. I want you to find a girl and fall in love again. Not someone prettier than me, though."

I was glad I wasn't the only one finding our girl hilarious. Nick had a hand over his mouth trying to stifle a laugh.

I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Stop being so dramatic, sweetheart. The water isn't that deep. Just remember what your Daddies taught you."

Nick and I took turns reminding her of the lessons we'd taught her. She applied them one after the other, and with each of them, she had begun to gain control. Soon she was swimming around in small circles, still splashing around too much but she was getting there.

When she finally had some confidence in our lessons, the frown on her face faded and she smiled.

"I'm doing it, Daddies." She giggled. "I'm swimming like a fish! It feels so strange. I'm a human and I don't belong in water."

"Well, we did evolve from fish," Nick said as he swam up to me.

“Would you love me if I was a fish, Daddy?”

“If you’re a fish, then I’m a fish, sweetheart. Of course I would.”

She swam up to us and her smile faded as she stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "You said you'd save me. But you just watched as I almost drowned."

"If you think about it, there's a valuable lesson to be learned in there somewhere. Any idea what it might be?"

She stared hard at the water to come up with an answer, finally shrugging. "That at the end of the day, you're all alone in this cruel world, and not even your Daddies can save you from everything?"