He didn't talk about it much, but his dad was, of course, always on his mind. But he was also 13, and old enough to realize that sometimes, even if you wanted something to work out between two people, it wasn't a guarantee. If his dad was still alive, he wasn't sure they'd even be together now. Because she liked Hook a lot, and he knew Hook liked her, too.

But his feelings about his dad were very much a personal thing. Missing him and grieving him were things he did on his own terms, and he could separate that from what was happening in their lives now. His mom deserved to be happy, and he knew it took a lot for her to let someone get close, so he didn't want her to lose that with Hook. The only thing he really worried about was her getting hurt. He liked Hook, and the uncertainty about things that might happen in the future shouldn't stop his mom from taking this chance, but he could still just...be watchful.

"I can promise to wear a life jacket, but no promises on the piracy thing."