Page 91 of Visions of You

“Calm down, angel,” I said with a laugh. “We will. You can do better than dog paddling, you know.”

She cocked her head, then relaxed, moving her arms in sweeping strokes as she tipped upright and treaded water.

April laughed beside me. “Much better.”

“What are they called again?” Hailey asked her.

“They’re baby French angelfish. It’s unusual to see half a dozen like this together. Let’s dive down again.”

After placing our snorkels in our mouths, Hailey grabbed onto my arm, and we followed April down four feet. We were at one of the regular resort snorkeling sites, andIndigo Dreamssat moored a short distance away. An isolated bommie lay several feet below, the bottom of it at fifteen feet. Ripples of pure white sand surrounded the multicolored coral explosion.

The round fish were striking, and I located them right away. About three inches long, they were coal black with vivid electric-yellow bars. And very different from the adult version, whose yellow accents were limited to its pectoral fins and the margins of its scales. April hovered, hardly moving at all in her weight belt.

Beside me, Hailey gripped my arm as she gave an excited squeak. The school of fish milled about, nipping at the coral outcropping. After we surfaced for air, I glanced at the sun high overhead. We’d been in the water for nearly an hour, and I was waterlogged.

“Let’s head to the beach and have lunch,” I said. “You two go on ahead and I’ll get the backpack with the supplies.”

I swam back to the boat as they headed to a gorgeous stretch of deserted sand a short distance away. We were snorkeling just off a deserted key whose small beach was a dream for picnics. Climbing back aboard, I shrugged into a watertight backpack and hopped back in. I felt the extra weight immediately and put my feet down to walk as soon as I was able to.

April and Hailey found a nice shady spot and I pulled a blanket from the backpack before spreading it out. After handing out sandwiches and sodas, we settled in to eat. I was struck by how happy I was. Just the three of us out on a family outing.

Family.

I was an incredibly lucky man. Because, even though I’d hurt April by taking off to Miami without notice, she loved me back. Hailey and I had moved back into the Barn apartment a week ago, bringing Hailey’s seahorse bedding ensemble we’d purchased just after moving back to Calypso Key.

I was pleased to have my daughter’s room on the opposite side of the second-story landing, which gave April and me plenty of privacy. Spending every night with April was heaven-sent, and waking up next to her every morning was every bit as fulfilling as I’d hoped.

I was now the majority owner of Calypso Key, both the island and the resort. Two days ago, I’d gone to the bank in Key West and paid off Dad’s loan.

In full.

I had plenty of cash available to start the renovations I had in mind, beginning with the beach cottages. The day I’d made the full balloon payment had been full of ups and downs for me. I’d felt tremendous relief knowing the island, resort, and Markham legacy were all intact. Hopefully forever.

But signing the new paperwork at our lawyer’s office that afternoon with Dad had been terribly uncomfortable. I’d felt like I was stealing his birthright.

He’d just stared at me. “It’s your birthright too, Gabe. And Hailey’s.”

And that was what finally made me sign my name. I was securing my daughter’s future. And whatever future April and I would have together. And in a flash of a pen, I became the fifty-one percent majority shareholder.

I was further comforted by the obvious change in Dad. In just one week, he looked years younger. He was out onReel Dealnearly every day, either guiding or fishing for himself.

Hailey carefully wrapped up her empty sandwich paper and put it in the backpack. “Can we go by Maia’s when we get home?”

April grinned at me, and I held back a sigh. Hailey had already asked—and been denied—three times today.

“Skye was just born yesterday,” I said as patiently as possible. “Give them a chance to settle in, okay? We’ll go see them tomorrow. I promise.”

“Meeting your cousin yesterday at the hospital wasn’t enough, huh?” April asked her with a grin.

Hailey shrugged, then smiled. “I didn’t realize she’d be so small!”

I grunted. “Not sure Maia feels that way.” Skye Taylor had been born early yesterday. She had been average size and the birth had gone well for both mother and child. All of us had given thanks for that.

Hailey pursed her lips together and alternated her gaze between us. “I just want to repeat that if you two want to give me a brother or sister, I’m okay with that.”

I stared at her. She just stared back, finally giving me a sweet, innocent smile that didn’t fool me for a second. “If we do, you’ll be the first to know,” I said dryly as April laughed. “Let’s take things one step at a time, all right?”

“I had to try, didn’t I?” She batted her lashes, then grabbed her mask and snorkel. “I’m going back in!” She stood up and ran toward the shoreline.

---