She winced, and he didn’t even bother to apologize for the profanity. To Logan, the real profanity was losing his son.

“The custody arrangement will still work the same,” she hurriedly stated. “He’s with you holidays and summers. It’s just...the travel time will be longer.”

“That’s great, Daze. Just freaking great.”

“There are daily nonstops from Tokyo to the States. I checked. We’ll make it work, Logan. I swear we will.”

He shot a glare in Julian’s direction. As an officer in the air force, he had an exciting career. Good for him. But not so good for Logan and Charlie. “When?” he demanded.

“Right after Christmas break. Charlie will go to school on base. He’ll learn a new culture, a new language. I’ve already found him a tutor to give him Japanese lessons. He’ll see a whole new world over there. It’s an amazing opportunity for him.” She spoke hurriedly, enumerating the advantages as if she’d memorized them, one by one.

“More amazing than spending time with his dad?”

“You’ll still have him for the same number of days.”

“Have you told him yet?”

“No. We will today.”

Logan raked a hand through his hair. “Jesus.”

“We need to make this a positive thing for Charlie.”

“Right.” Composing himself with an effort, he went to say goodbye to his son. He walked over to Charlie and sank down on one knee. “I sure had a great time with you,” he said. “What an awesome summer.”

“Yep. Um, can you keep my paddle? There’s no room to take it with me.”

The kid had no idea that he was destined to move half a world away. He’d probably have to leave a lot more behind. “Sure. I’ll keep it safe for you, buddy.”

Charlie stared down at the ground. His chin trembled. “Thanks, Dad.”

Goodbyes were always the hardest. Logan’s job was to assure his son that everything was perfectly fine—even if it wasn’t. “You’re going to have the time of your life in fifth grade, buddy. And you’ve got a new little sister to play with.”

“I guess.”

“We’ll talk every day,” he said. “Just like always.”

“And I’ll see you at Thanksgiving.” Charlie’s effort at being positive was heartbreaking.

“Indubitably.”

“And then we’ll be together at Christmas.”

“That’s right. Maybe we’ll have Christmas in Avalon instead of Florida this year. I could get us season passes at Saddle Mountain. Maybe I’ll just get us the whole resort.”

“Okay.” A tremulous smile curved Charlie’s mouth.