“The enthusiasm, the intelligence. Yeah, I can see it.” She nodded. “Truth is, I think he’s more like you than he is like Gary.” Her mouth fell open when she realized what she had said. Heather had never ever wanted to replace Finn’s father. As angry and hurt as she was by Gary’s actions, his role as Finn’s dad meant so much to her. If only it meant as much to Gary as it did to her and Finn. Her ex-husband hadn’t been a stable presence in Finn’s life. Frankly, there were moments when she actually wondered if Gary cared about Finn at all. It was a horrible thing to wonder, and she would never reveal her fears to her son, but that nagging fear had always been there. Just below the surface.
So while she didn’t want to replace Gary, Simon was making far more of an effort to be there for a child he barely knew. That touched her so much that a lump formed in her throat. “I didn’t mean—”
“I understand what you meant,” he said. “But without Gary’s presence, Finn won’t get the chance to be influenced by him. That isn’t your fault. I think it’s a damn shame that Gary is missing out on getting to know Finn. It just makes his attempt at full custody look hypocritical.”
“I wonder if I should just cut him out of our lives entirely,” she said. “When the custody battle is over, I’m terrified that things will go right back to the way they were. With Gary never bothering to spend time with Finn.”
“Do you think getting full custody is the solution?” Simon asked. “You’ve been adamant about sharing custody with Gary despite him trying to take Finn away from you. But if Gary’s unstable behavior continues, it’s going to affect Finn. Maybe you getting full custody is the right solution for everyone involved.”
“Maybe.” She sighed. “I guess I’ll have a better sense of things after I talk to the lawyer you’re putting me in touch with. Right now, I think it’s best we enjoy the rest of our vacation.”
He nodded. “You’re right. Let’s not dwell on that stuff for now. Whatever happens, though, I’m here to support you.”
Her hand went up to touch the starfish pendant she was wearing. Holding the delicate pendant reminded her of how much he loved her. When they had been in the aquarium gift shop, he had told her that her happiness was a gift to him. Nobody had ever said anything that kind to her before. In that moment, she had fallen in love with him even more.
Knowing that he had her back gave her a strength she didn’t know she had. For months she had been dealing with Gary on her own. Raising Finn on her own. She didn’t expect Simon to step in and take on being a father, but the effort he had put into getting to know her son touched her deeply.
Before coming on this trip, she had worried that Simon would regret dating a single mother. Or worse, wouldn’t get along with Finn at all. But now she knew that she didn’t have to worry. They had managed to bond, which meant that the trip had been more than worth it. The two most important people in her life were getting along, and that was more than she had ever dreamed of.
Simon got up and unbuttoned his shirt. Days spent by the pool had tanned his skin. Getting an eyeful of the muscles of his chest was making her mouth water. They hadn’t been intimate on the trip since the first night, and each day it got harder and harder to resist him. “How about we go help Finn with this sand castle?” he said, seemingly oblivious to the affect he was having on her.
“Okay.” She grabbed a sarong from the beach bag, tied it around her waist, and followed Simon across the sand.
Finn was packing wet sand, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he sculpted a lopsided sandcastle.
Simon crouched down beside him. “Need help, buddy?”
“Yes please,” Finn replied. “Can you guys help me make a moat for the castle?”
She sat down on the sand and reached for one of his plastic shovels. “Sure. How about we decorate it with seashells afterwards?”
Finn grinned. “Yeah, great idea, Mommy.”
They spent the rest of the day helping Finn build sandcastles on the beach. When the sun began to set, they gathered their things and headed back to the bungalow for dinner.