His genes

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

Jaden nodded, but not before checking Nate's feet were steady on the seabed.

The man didn't let go of him while immersing the boy in the water. His hands were firm on his sides, securing and comforting at the same time.

«Is it still cold?» he inquired.

«No,» Jaden replied. His hands had grabbed Nate's, his fingers anchoring with the nails. It was a new experience, and he was still too nervous to relax.

«Now, how can we proceed?» the man murmured, seeing the little boy was still afraid of the water.

He couldn't loosen his grip, for Jaden would have panicked. But keeping him still would ruin all the fun he could have in the water.

«Move your hands,» Nate said.

Jaden clapped his open palms on the water, splashing around and causing a snort when a salty drop hit his father's eye.