He never wanted to take his eyes off her.

She was standing in the bright blue light, a look of pure wonder on her face. As she took a step towards the enormous tank, she let out a delighted gasp that reverberated around the aquarium.

Finn was standing right beside her, his eyes wide with excitement.

They were completely surrounded by huge wall-to-wall tanks that were filled with coral, underwater plants, fish, and other marine life. Right now, Finn was staring as scores of jellyfish floated by. Their tour guide was chatting excitedly, giving them a rundown of the exhibit.

The lights that illuminated the aquarium had turned the entire space into a blue haze, giving the strange feeling that they were underwater themselves. They were the only people in the aquarium since it was now after closing hours.

Simon had to admit that being wealthy had some perks he didn’t mind, because the management at the aquarium had been eager to grant him his request for an impromptu after-hours tour of their facilities.

In the center of it all was Heather, who was now reaching for Finn’s tiny hand. Standing in the light, she looked ethereal. Like an impossible vision he had conjured up. Her beautiful auburn hair was cascading in waves around her bare shoulders, making her look like some kind of siren. Looking at her now, he knew he would never forget how she looked in this moment. Radiant was the word that came to mind.

His heart squeezed painfully at the sight of their excitement. Heather and Finn had likely never gotten a chance to spend this kind of quality time together. She had spent so much of the last several months either dealing with a divorce or settling into a stressful new job.

They had spent all day hanging out by the pool and now they were taking a private tour of the aquarium.

“Look, Simon! Look!” Finn exclaimed as he pointed at the stingray that had started to hover in front of them. “Do you see the stingray?”

Simon grinned. “I see it. Pretty cool, huh?”

Finn pressed his face up against the glass, barely able to contain himself. “I wonder if the stingrays and the jellyfish ever talk to each other.”

Their tour guide chuckled and started explaining undersea communication patterns. A lot of the science was going right over Simon’s head, but he made a mental note to stay in touch with the aquarium after this trip. Maybe something here would help with the work at Blue Naught, the underwater tech company he had recently acquired out in California.

“Would you like to see the shark exhibit now?” the tour guide asked.

Finn turned to stare at the tour guide, his eyes as huge as dinner saucers. “Yes, please.”

They followed the tour guide into an adjacent room, where the shark exhibit was located.

The tour guide seemed almost as excited as Finn, her ponytail bouncing behind her as she practically skipped into the room. “Most of these sharks couldn’t survive in the open sea, which is why we’ve acquired them for this exhibit—”

Finn’s squeak cut off the tour guide’s spiel. He stared, utterly transfixed as a huge great white shark with a huge scar on its side slipped by. “I can’t believe it!”

He reached for the tour guide’s hand, tugged it, and started dragging her to the far side of the exhibit to get a good look at the other half-dozen sharks in the tank.

“My feet are killing me,” Heather said. “I don’t know where he gets the energy.”

“The excitement probably has something to do with it.” Simon wrapped his arm around her shoulders and steered her towards a seating area in the center of the room.

She sank down with a sigh. “I don’t think he’s ever going to want to leave this place.”

“I’m just amazed at how fearless he is,” he said. “Honestly, at his age I think seeing these sharks would have scared the hell out of me.”

“I would have protected you,” she teased.

He smiled and sat down beside her. It was hard to believe, but they really had known each other since they were barely older than Finn was now. Even in the years they had been apart, he had spent the time working on the company she had inspired. Now, they were getting the second chance that he hadn’t seen coming. Their relationship was new, but because of their history it felt so right. Like they were meant to be together.

Simon had never believed in things like fate, but if he did he might believe that he was destined to be with Heather. He had never loved a woman before. Never thought it was possible. Yet here he was, ready to do anything to make her happy. Even try to bond with a kid despite knowing very little about raising children.

If someone had told him a year ago that he’d be in love and spending time trying to bond with a six-year-old, he wouldn’t have believed it. For years he had resisted letting people in, and now not only had Heather gotten past his defenses but so had Finn. Simon hadn’t known Finn for long, but he liked the kid already.

She tilted her head, like she was trying to get a better look at him. “What are you thinking?”

He jerked his head back in surprise as her voice dragged him back to reality. “Nothing really. Just thinking about how lucky I am.”

Her entire face lit up as she smiled, and she leaned closer to him to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for planning this. I haven’t seen Finn this happy in such a long time.”

His gaze drifted over to the far side of the aquarium, and together they watched as Finn and the tour guide chatted eagerly as they watched the sharks swim by.

Nearly an hour went by and Finn still hadn’t tired of looking at the sharks.

Heather yawned. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to get Finn out of here.”

Simon glanced at his watch. It was after nine. “What time does he usually go to bed?”

“Around eight,” she said. “But you’re probably right about the excitement. Seeing sharks up close has probably given him a bunch of energy. I don’t want to make him leave, but it is getting a bit late.”

“I think I have an idea.” He got up and walked over to Finn. “Hey, Finn. How would you like to check out the aquarium gift shop before we head back to the resort? I’m pretty sure they’ve got some shark stuff there, so we can get any toy you like.”

“Really?” Finn grinned and reached for Simon’s hand. “Okay, let’s go.”

Heather got to her feet when they walked up to her. “Ready to go?”

“We’re going to the gift shop. I’m getting a toy.” Finn bounded ahead of them, racing towards the gift shop.

“Ordinarily I’d be concerned about you bribing him with toys, but since we’re on vacation I won’t complain.”

Simon took her small hand in his. “Great. Because I’m buying you a gift as well, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

~~*~~

SOUVENIR SHOPPING WAS the last thing he ever saw himself doing. Before his relationship with Heather, he would have thought it was too clichéd. Too pedestrian. But the more time he spent with Finn and Heather, the more the mundane things he had missed out on began to take on an air of excitement.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as she looked over some scarves in the aquarium gift shop. Finn was busy looking over toys, trying to figure out which one he wanted.

“Have you checked the jewelry section?” he whispered into her ear.

Something akin to panic flickered in her hazel eyes. “I couldn’t possibly—”

“That’s it, we’re going to the jewelry section,” he said, steering her towards the glass displays nearby. As he led her away, he made sure to keep an eye on Finn.

When she leaned over the glass to look down at some necklaces, she sighed softly. “They are nice,” she admitted. “And I haven’t bought any jewelry in ages.”

“You can have whichever one you like,” he said.

“Simon, look at the price tag,” she protested. “How can they possibly sell three-thousand-dollar necklaces in a gift shop?”

One of the gift shop assistants appeared and beamed at them. “These items are for our high-end visitors. We’ve also partnered with some world-class designers for our extra-special perfume line. All proceeds from our luxury goods go right back into ocean conservation. Right now we’re having a drive to help regions that have been devastated by oil spills.”

“See? It’s for a good cause,” Simon said to her.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look at that one.” She pointed at a gold necklace with a bejeweled pendant shaped like a starfish.

The assistant took the necklace out and Simon helped her put it on.

He pressed his lips to her bare shoulder to kiss her tenderly. “Tell me you want it, and it’s yours.”

“But what about a gift for you?” she asked.

“Heather, there’s literally nothing on earth I want other than for you and Finn to be happy,” he said. “Your happiness is my gift.”

Her full, sensuous lips curved up into a faint smile. “In that case, I suppose you can get this gift for me.”

“That’s more like it.” He planted another kiss on her shoulder.

“Are you guys going to start kissing?” Finn appeared beside them.

Heather’s face turned crimson and she cleared her throat awkwardly.

Simon suppressed a chuckle and patted Finn’s head gently. “Is that the gift you’ve decided to get?”

“Yup.” Finn was cradling a plastic shark in his arms.

“Would you like a book as well?” Simon asked. “I saw some books about sharks over on those shelves.”

“Simon...” Heather’s body stiffened as her voice trailed off.

Finn stared up at her, a pleading look in his eyes. “Can I get a book, Mom? Can I? Please?”

Simon placed a hand on the small of her back, gently encouraging her to let go of her reservation about buying gifts.

“Mommy, it’s a teaching book. Like school. I’ll be the best shark knower at school!”

With a sigh she nodded. “Okay. One book to go with your toy and that’s it.”

“Yay!” Finn rushed over to the bookshelves.

“You’re going to spoil him rotten.” Her lips thinned, but her eyes were all lit up.

“You should be glad he wants to read,” he said.

“I think I’m starting to see why you two get along,” she said.

“Why do you think we get along?” he asked.

“You’re both a couple of nerds, that’s why,” she said good-naturedly.

He laughed at that and headed over to the cashier to pay.

By the time Simon drove their rental car back to the resort, Finn was fast asleep in the backseat.

As Heather gathered their gift bags Simon got out of the car to open the passenger door, unbuckled Finn’s seatbelt, and lifted him into his arms.

Finn stirred, but his eyes remained closed as he snored softly. Simon followed Heather into Finn’s room and gently placed him down on the bed.

Heather reached for the stuffed dinosaur on the nightstand and placed it beside Finn.

“I didn’t know he brought Archie with him,” Simon said softly.

She nodded. “Yes. Usually he brings his stuffed bear when he sleeps away from our house, but he insisted on bringing the dinosaur.”

The strangest feeling made his heart twinge. He had been afraid that Finn wouldn’t warm up to him. Simon had spent most of his adult life shutting people out, which had made him assume that Finn would do the same. But the exact opposite had happened. Finn had been eager to bond with him. Eager to include him in his interests.

Seeing Finn sleep beside the dinosaur he had bought for him moved him more than anything ever had in his life. The most important person in Heather’s life had accepted him without hesitating. Simon hadn’t even known that kind of open-heartedness was possible, but with Finn it felt like every day brought something new for him to learn.

Heather motioned for him to follow her out of the room, and they headed out to the verandah to sit together under the twinkling stars.

“It really is beautiful out here.” She leaned on his shoulder and sighed happily.

“You make it more beautiful,” he told her gently.

She snuggled against him, the rhythm of her breathing becoming so even that he knew she had fallen asleep as well. Not wanting to wake her he held on to her tightly, enjoying the sensation of her warm body against his.

His thoughts drifted to the events of the day. Remembering how close he had felt to Heather and Finn. For a moment, he had felt like he was part of their little family. At his age he had thought he’d figured everything out, and yet, with a child becoming a part of his life, Simon realized that maybe a little humility was in order. He didn’t know everything. For the first time in years, he couldn’t predict what the future would bring. But he did know one thing. He knew that, no matter what happened now, he was as committed to being there for Finn as he was to being there for Heather.