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Sergio was nervous.
He had promised Paula he would teach her how to fish, and they were headed out on the boat today.
The problem was Raquel had decided to stay behind at the last minute.
She was too heavily pregnant, and she preferred to be with her ailing mother anyway. With her mother’s mind slipping away and the baby coming soon, she wanted to enjoy every moment she had left with her.
This also happened to be the first real time he and Paula were spending time together on their own.
And that would have been great, really. It would be the fantastic opportunity to spend some quality time with stepdaughter.
Except… he didn’t know the first thing about kids.
What the hell was he supposed to say to her without Raquel there to help him out?
Not to mention the unshakable sense of dread and responsibility that assaulted him.
They sat together in silence on the boat’s deck, each holding their fishing rods and waiting for a fish to bite.
Suddenly, Paula broke the silence.
“You’re kind of like my dad now too, right?” she prompted. “I mean, you married my mom. And the two of you are going to have a baby…”
Sergio was lost for words.
What was he supposed to say here?
“Yes, I guess I am kind of like your father,” he said nervously. “Stepfather, I mean. No one will ever replace your dad.”
“Maybe they should,” the little girl whispered.
He frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s true, isn’t it?” she asked, a crack in her voice. “That my dad used to hurt mom... and that that’s why they split up.”
Sergio supposed this was to be expected.
Paula was older now.
Raquel’s little girl was growing up and, sooner or later, she would understand the truth about her father.
He nodded.
She closed her eyes, a single tear running down her face.
“Mom told me once. But I didn’t believe her.”
He lightly passed the back of his index finger on the girl’s cheek and wiped off the tear.
“It’s okay.”
She looked up at him, expectantly.
“He’s your father, you loved him,” Sergio explained. “And he never hurt you like that. So, it was natural that you didn’t believe it.”
Still, that didn’t seem to sooth Paula.
She shook her head.
“I should have believed her, I should have protected her.”
Sergio’s heart broke.
What could a little girl – no older than six years-old at the time – have done to prevent her father’s abusive behavior towards her mother?
But before he could say anything, Paula went on.
“You make Mom happy. I can tell,” she told him, a bright smile lighting up her face. “I really like you, Sergio.”
“I really like you, too, Paula.”
It was as close as they would come to ‘I love you’s’ for now.
He grinned and dropped a kiss on her small head.
“How about I make you a promise?” Sergio suggested.
Paula eyed him suspiciously but nodded.
“I promise that I will never, ever hurt your Mom, or you or your sister or your grandmother, in any way. I’ll protect you all,” he vowed. “You’re my family now, Paula. And we look after our family.” He held up his pinky finger, knowing how much his stepdaughter appreciated the gesture. “Right?”
Paula realized then that even though she’d had a mother and a father, she’d never really had a family… not until right now.
She nodded emphatically and interlaced her pinky with his, forging a promise and a bond.
“We look after family,” she agreed.
Then, something caught in Paula’s fishing rod.
“I’ve got something! I’ve got something!” she yelled excitedly.
“You got something!”
Moving quickly, Sergio secured the rod and helped her reel in the fish.
Paula clapped her hands together when he retrieved the animal from the water, still wriggling on the end of the string.
“Well done!” he complimented her happily, like the proud dad he was. “You just caught your dinner, Paulita.”
They laughed together and celebrated the catch.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in companionable silence.
They read and drank from juice boxes as they waited for more fish to take the bait.
Having successfully caught five fish, they decided it was time to go back and grill them for their dinner.
As soon as they got home, Paula ran over to Raquel and told her all about her first catch. She also couldn’t stop saying, over and over, what a great time she’d had with Sergio.
Raquel glanced over at him and gave him a look that spoke louder than words.
See, silly? You could handle it.
She loves you, already.
Can’t you see it?
Sergio brought out the grill and cooked their greatly expected dinner, while Raquel and Paula prepared the potatoes and the cold salad that would accompany the fish. María – already a part of their little family – helped them in the kitchen, while poor sweet Mariví mostly got in the way, but they were patient and loving with her.
At the end of the evening, they sat at their dining room table and ate together as a family.
The looks of adoration and complicity between Sergio and Paula melted Raquel’s heart.
Sometimes, she couldn’t believe how lucky she and her broken family had gotten by finding a man like Sergio.
And she would be endlessly grateful for him.