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And then he flings himself into the water.

His grandmother lets out a full banshee scream as I catch him, and he’s laughing through a face full of water as I heave him up under his armpits and stare him in the face.

“Dude. You’re going to die if you keep this up,” I warn him.

“Elio!” his grandmother shouts again. She rushes to the side of the pool and comes to a halt before she dives in. “You can’t throw yourself into a stranger’s arms!”

“This isn’t a stranger,” he says, rolling his eyes and trying to twist in my grasp. “This is Easton.”

His grandmother freezes, then gives me a very slow, very cautious look. It’s a look I’ve seen on Rune’s face too, and it makes my stomach go squidgy.

“Uh. Hello.”

“You saved my grandson,” she says flatly.

I glance over at Ozzie, who’s watching the whole thing with his mouth so wide, his chin is practically touching his chest. “Uh. It was a group effort?”

I shift Elio in my grasp so he’s not flailing. His legs don’t move much except with the water, but he sets an iron grip around the back of my neck and then just…gets comfortable.

“Everyone’s scared I’m going to drown for good, so Dad’s making Nana teach me how to swim. Sort of. I don’t know if I’ll be any good at it.”

“You’ll be fine,” Ozzie says. “I used to teach swim lessons, and I taught a couple of kids with spine injuries.”

“I was born this way,” he says, flinging water a few inches away from us. “But I guess it counts.”

Eventually, his grandmother clears her throat and walks to the stairs near the ramp so she can get in. She looks very uncertain as she holds a pool noodle in her hands and approaches.

“My name is Jodi. I hear you’re a giant pain in my son’s ass.”

I nearly choke to death on the scent of chlorine with the heavy breath I suck in. “Uhh…”

“Oh my god,” West says from the side of the pool. “I think I’m in love with you.”

Jodi turns her head and smiles. “You are lovely, but I am married.”

“Me too!” West wiggles her fingers to show off the ring. “But my point stands.”

Jodi laughs softly, then turns to me, and her face isn’t as intense as before. “I can take him off your hands.”

“Nana,” Elio whines, but he does grab the pool noodle, and it’s only then that I see that in spite of his bravery that came with flinging himself off his chair and into my arms, he’s nervous. He’s holding the noodle with white knuckles, and I can see him attempting to make his lower half move.

“Breathe,” Ozzie tells him. He swims a little closer. “If you, ah…if you want, I can help out.”

Jodi looks at him with a raised brow. “I suppose you were there too? At the scene?”

Ozzie nods. “He was very brave.”

“And foolish,” Jodi says. She huffs a breath, then says, “Do you want this strange man to teach you how to swim?”

Elio looks back at me, then over at Ozzie before he nods. “Yes.”

Jodi’s gaze turns to me. “Rune won’t mind?”

“Rune loves Ozzie,” I tell her seriously.

And, well…for the moment, that’s that.

I’m absolutely unsurprised that Ozzie’s amazing with kids. Jodi and I eventually float over near the ramp, and I sit where it’s deep enough to cover me up to the chest, and she holds the railing near the stairs with one eye on Elio and the other on me.