CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

«So, what are we going to do now?» Jaden asked.

«If you're not afraid of the waves anymore, we can go swim,» Nate replied.

Scarlet was hanging on his wrist, stretching her leg out to test the water. She would then step back and frown, only to return testing the water soon after. Every time she strolled on the sand, her skirted one-piece suit would flutter around her legs.

«We don't know how to swim. Are you trying to get rid of us, by any chance?» Jaden continued.

«Oh, no. I need you, so I wouldn't risk losing you at the sea just because you don't like me.»

«How is that?» he spat out, narrowing his eyes and trying to read Nate's thoughts.

«I need you two because you're Lara's and my pups. If you weren't here, I couldn't find any reason to keep your mother next to me.»

«So, you are targeting her,» Jaden growled.

Scarlet stopped playing and looked up at Nate, pursing her lips.

«I thought you two knew it already,» the man sighed.

«From the moment you crossed the door of our home,» Scarlet replied. «It was clear you wanted our mommy.»

«Then what is it with your expressions?»

«I don't want to think about it. It makes me want to bite you.»

«Ah, don't think about it then. We're in a public place.»

«I know!» Scarlet exclaimed, stepping her feet on the sand. She frowned, all focused on not losing control.

When her teeth became sharp and her eyes glowed, Nate picked the little girl and hugged her, checking no one was paying attention. She closed her eyes and hid her face in his neck. Since she was already so close, she did bite his shoulder in secret.

But Nate didn't react because he was focused on making her calm down.

«Hey, it's fine,» he whispered, caressing her back and hair. «I won't steal your mother away. And she won't abandon you two for me. We can be a family together and do all the things happy families do, right?»

Scarlet nodded, hugging his neck and looking at where Lara was relaxing under the umbrella, reading a book or napping under the sun.

«I want to go to my mommy,» Scarlet said, letting go of Nate and waiting patiently to be on the ground. She then strolled to Lara, never turning back to check what the boys were at.

She lay next to her mommy and closed her eyes, resting a little in her arms.

Nate followed her steps with his eyes, inspecting her surroundings in search of danger. He turned back to Jaden only once he was sure Scarlet was safe, and he found the little boy glaring. For a change.

«Let's go swim,» Nate said, stepping in the sea and feeling the water hitting his calves. It was relaxing, and he wanted to go for a longer swim and stretch his muscles. But he had to take care of the kids. He couldn't just wave goodbye and have his fun all alone.

«I'll teach you,» he added.

Those words had the effect he hoped as Jaden walked to him, stretching out his little hand in fear to become prey to the sea. However, the boy's curiosity won over his worries as he stepped into the water. Nate held his hand firmly, reassuringly smiling when Jaden would look up at him.

«It's cold,» he complained, pursing his lips.

«Just at the beginning. Soon, it will be just right.»

«Oh,» the little one sighed.

They didn't know that most eyes on the beach were on them. Not just Lara, who was playing with the sleeping Scarlet's hair, but also most of the women under the sun couldn't move their eyes away from the blonde couple of father and son.

They looked so alike that it was impossible not to grasp their relationship, and they were testing the waters with such focused faces that it was fun to watch.

A few of those eyes narrowed in a smile when they noticed Jaden's shy proceeding further, but most couldn't move from the back of the blond, tall man with sunglasses. They couldn't decide whether it was better to admire that back or squeal at the cute show of the kid trying to swim for the first time.

Not knowing they were the centre of everyone's attention, Nate and Jaden could proceed at their own pace and reach a place where the water was deep enough for Jaden to familiarise himself. It covered his stomach, and the waves were gently swinging around him.

«This is fun,» Jaden giggled, amused at how the sea would push him towards the beach and then back to the wild. He still was worried those waves would change ideas and bring him away without returning, but as long as they continued behaving, he liked them.

«There's even move fun once you know how to swim,» Nate said. He crouched down and checked the water wings were plumped enough. «But you have to trust me for a little while if you want to learn fast. Or you can stay here forever and have fun with the small kids... I don't mind. For me, it's the same.»

Nate waited a couple of seconds, guessing the little boy would choose the adventure. They had taken baby steps to reach that depth, and he knew he needed patience with a pup. But he was dying to teach him something, even if that wouldn't have changed Jaden's opinion about him.

In the end, the pups needed to learn how to swim. And Nate couldn't use that morning to court Lara because she just wanted to rest.

When Jaden raised his arms, Nate beamed. He picked him up and walked further.

That coast was particularly suited for families. The seabed was almost flat, so one needed to walk a lot before reaching some depth. There also were breakwater barriers made of rocks a furlong from the coast, protecting the beach from erosion and letting the bathers have a calmer sea.

«Here, the water reaches my stomach,» Nate said.. «I'm standing, so it's safe. Do you want to swim here?»