Harry's childhood holidays had been spent with his younger brother Ben and their grandfather on his boat off the Yorkshire Coast, so there was very little that Harry didn't know about the whys and wherefores when it came to life on the water. Having expertly steered them away from their mooring, he steered them into a small bay just south of the estuary and while Ruth prepared their lunch and plied him with cups of coffee, the man in question ploughed his way through the handbook that told him how to set up the gadgetry. At work he'd always claimed to know nothing when it came to mechanics and yet here he was talking about pumps and the ship to shore radio as though it was second nature. Ruth was seriously impressed.

She wasn't alone in that and Harry had lost his place in the handbook several times. There was a first time for everything and gazing at Ruth who was lying on a sunbed in a pale blue bikini gave him a lot to admire, and he was doing plenty of that. He made a mental note to add sunbeds to the list of things that they needed at home, and promptly lost his place again. A swim after lunch despite the fact that the water was cold did nothing to reduce his rising intent as with each wave that buffeted them, Ruth was thrown against him. A soaking wet Ruth who was smiling at him with such joy on her face was heartrendingly beautiful, and not only that was playing havoc in his trunks. It was only the second time that they had showered together, the first had been on their holiday with Nico and had been filled with hesitancy and in Ruth's case some nervousness, but not so this time. Lovebirds Malcolm had called them but they were so much more than that. Hot cascading water combined with shower gel and a still ardent Harry, made for a climactic afternoon and the need to lie down. Their dinner which they cooked together was a much simpler and drink free event after the excess of the previous evening, after which Ruth washed up and considered whether or not she had overtopped her tan, whilst Harry was back in his organising mode and had found himself a pad and a pen.

Days turned into nights and nights to days and before they knew it, it was Friday. They were back at the estuary with the prospect of driving home the following morning and collecting Nico at the end of his trip. It was his ninth birthday on Sunday, hence the list and the calls that Harry had made, he'd been very busy. They wanted to make the most of their last day, so straight after breakfast having made a flask of coffee they set off for a walk up onto the headland. It was a warm and sunny morning and the view from the top was spectacular, you could see Ireland on a clear day Harry told her as she leant back against him and they watched the dozens of seabirds that were bobbing on the bay.

'Time to head back and pack I guess,' he said regretfully, but not before he kissed her.

Walking back down again was more of a struggle especially for Harry, but he kept it to himself. There was a note pinned to their door. 'Parcel to be signed for,' it said, 'will deliver tomorrow at eleven.'

'No idea.' Harry lied.

Like every last day of a holiday there was an element of regret that it was coming to an end, but Ruth was also looking forward to seeing Nico again and getting back to the normality of their lives. If they had to wait until eleven then there was every chance that they'd be late.

'He'll be fine and Mike and Sue will pick him up, I'll ring them later if you're worried,' Harry told a now fretting Ruth.

Nico was more than fine he was having a wonderful time. It was the last day before they were going home and it was well after nine. The camp fire was still blazing and they were playing charades and eating the last of the burnt sausages that his 'patrol' who had been on cooking duty that day had cooked. He'd got badges for all sorts of achievements as had they all and he'd got more friends than he'd ever had in his life. Mr Willis who had been one of the people that Harry had called, had told everyone that it was his birthday at the weekend and they'd sung happy birthday to him even though it was early. He was one happy little boy.

His soon to be parents had long finished their dinner and were already in bed, Ruth because she'd worked herself up to a state of nervous exhaustion and Harry because he knew the cure. A gentle but insistent Harry telling her to lie back and enjoy it when his hands were working their way up her inner thighs had finally taken her mind off Nico and back to the fact that they were on their honeymoon. Unfortunately for Harry who was at the point of no return in terms of where his hands had reached, his phone rang.

'That was Mike,' he said, stating the obvious to a now frustrated Ruth who had been listening to the one-sided conversation, gone off the boil and in the time honoured way was putting the kettle on.

By five to eleven the next morning they had stowed the things that they intended leaving behind, cleaned throughout and were ready to leave. Ruth was itching to go but Harry had no intension of going anywhere, this was his final gift at the end of what had been a wonderful honeymoon. The parcel that was being delivered was doing as he was told as was his friend James.

'Don't run,' Mike had told them as he watched Nico and his son walk steadily towards Harry and Ruth.

Harry held his breath and Ruth rubbed her eyes totally overwhelmed by what she was seeing. Harry and Mike had orchestrated it down to the last detail including telling the boys that a marina was a dangerous place and that they shouldn't run. They got within a few metres before Nico's resolve ran out and he barrelled himself into Ruth while Harry talked to James.

Harry who had left the boys with Ruth, had passed Sue who was heading in the opposite direction and arrived to help Mike who was unloading the car.

'Good Honeymoon?' from Mike elicited a broad smile from Harry but nothing more, not that he'd been expecting one. They had only known Harry and Ruth for a few weeks and yet here they were, having been invited to spend the weekend on what looked to be a very expensive boat. He knew nothing about them and maybe he never would but despite the obvious funds that they had compared to their own, there was absolutely no pretention. Harry appeared to be just an ordinary guy and the fact that Sue had taken to Ruth when she had struggled to find a friend amongst the other mothers at the school, meant everything.

'By the way, we still intending feeding you tonight,' echoed Mike, when Harry queried the large cool box that he had just lifted out of the boot.

Back on board, Ruth was attempting to give Sue a quiet private tour which included what would be their bedroom, but with Nico and James who had found their voices again and were exploring at breakneck speed it was virtually impossible.

'Stop,' shouted an exasperated Ruth, which resulted in Nico and James stopping dead in their tracks and an amused and awestruck Sue to smile. 'Go and help Harry and Mike with the bags and Sue and I will make us some drinks.'

'Wow,' said Sue, marvelling how someone so small and usually quiet had regained order.

'I was a prefect at school, you never lose your touch,' Ruth told her by way of explanation and left it at that.

By the time they'd finished lunch, the boys had marginally calmed down and had begun telling the assembled adults who were trying not to laugh, about their exploits of the past few days. As far as the food was concerned, Sausages and beans had been the highlight of the week which was why they had been voted the best patrol when it came to cooking. Harry enjoyed a fry up as did most people, but preferably one that had been cooked by someone who had washed their hands and where the sausages hadn't been burnt. It was the start of a fun weekend.