The sparkling blue water crashed against the flawless white Florida beach. Johanna giggled as she held a small piece of bread up in the air for the flying seagulls to take out of her hand. She held her floppy beach hat to her head with her free hand due to the gently blowing breeze that blew her dark red hair off her shoulders. Her green bikini flattered her body perfectly, showing off her feminine curves.

Elliot watched the girl from a distance as he sat on the oversized beach towel in blue knee-length swim shorts. He took a mental picture of the scene, as he had done many times on their trip so far, wanting to remember the moment forever – her laugh, her body, her hair blowing in the wind, and the immaculate environment she was surrounded by.

He'll never forget the first time he stepped onto the pearly beach three days prior. It was as pristine as Johanna said it would be. The sand was so fine and white, and the water was so clear and so blue. The sky was clear, the sun was warm, and the birds were flying high. He was stunned at the beauty. It was like a painting or something straight out of a movie.

Through her planning, Johanna managed to rent them a condo directly on the beach, with a perfect view of shore from their balcony and bedroom window. Only a couple flights of stairs separated them from the sand each morning. And he was elated.

Despite the fact that they were never able to nail David Bardwell to the rape and murder of his daughter before he left (though Olivia promised to keep trying while he was on vacation), Elliot was having the time of his life. He was so relaxed and at ease, he couldn't even make himself worry about anything.

And having the gorgeous redhead by his side made the trip impeccable.

Elliot watched as Johanna stood a few yards away from him on the edge of the shore, the waves crashing over her feet. A small boy, no older than a year and stumbling as if he just learned to walk, staggered toward the waves beside Johanna, seemingly alone. Elliot's fatherly instincts kicked in when he felt concern in his stomach, knowing what would happen next.

The waves crashed strongly against the shore, knocking the small toddler in its path on his rear end. Johanna noticed the child beside her just as the water rushed over him. Swiftly, she bent down and scooped the boy up in her arms, examining him to make sure he was okay. The boy just laughed, not realizing the danger he was almost in.

"That was a close one, huh?" Johanna cooed in a high-pitched voice as she turned around, looking for the child's mother, who was rushing toward her panicking, with the little boy's sister following closely behind her.

"Oh my god, thank you for grabbing him!" His mom screeched as she approached Johanna, taking the baby from her arms. "He just learned to walk and I'm still not used to him being able to get away from me so quickly!"

"It's okay," Johanna laughed. "They're quick when they're this little, huh?"

"You have no idea," the mom replied. "Thank you again."

"No problem. He was a trooper," Johanna reassured as the mom smiled then headed back toward where their umbrella was set up.

The sister, who was probably around five, looked up at the redhead. "I'm Katie."

"Hi, Katie. I'm Johanna," she replied as she bent down and shook the little girl's hand.

Elliot watched as Johanna talked to the little girl and laughed when the waves splashed up on their legs. He thought about what Olivia had said to him a few weeks earlier about Johanna sticking around despite the pregnancy scare. He already knew she was great with children, but he felt warm inside seeing her interact so well with kids after considering the thought of having a baby with her. He adored seeing her motherly instincts in action.

Her green eyes lit up dramatically as she responded to the silly story the little girl was telling her as they braced the oncoming waves. She smiled wide, making Elliot's heart race. He wondered if one day he'd be watching as she talked to their own child, or even one of his, on the beach like that. He took another mental picture, wanting to remember how Johanna effortless was with the child at that moment. She was stunning.

When the little girl's mother called her back over to their umbrella, she waved and said goodbye to Johanna then darted off in the appropriate direction.

Johanna could barely sit still on the beach, unlike Elliot. He wanted to sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds, not having to move or think. But she was constantly on the go. To her, memories were made when things were actively being done. Mental pictures weren't enough. She wanted to see, smell, hear, feel, and experience. And though he wanted to enjoy his vacation, he wanted her to enjoy hers more. He wanted to make their trip as much fun for her as she had made it for him.

"Let's go swim in the gulf," Johanna suggested, smiling wildly, as she waltzed back over to Elliot. Their trip seemed to put a permanent smile on her face; she was enjoying their trip as much as he was.

"I'll race ya," he smirked as he jumped up and darted off toward the water, adding to the movement that made memories for her.

"Hey!" She called as she took off after him with a laugh. "Not fair!" Her hat blew off in the wind, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything when she was on the beach with him.

She managed to catch up to him enough to jump onto his back as his feet hit the water, splashing it around. He laughed as he ran deeper into the water then ducked, sending both of them under the surface.

Johanna jumped up with a gasp and brushed her wet hair out of her eyes. Elliot emerged from the water smiling.

"Jerk!" She teased as she splashed droplets of water at his face.

He smiled and reached forward, pulling the girl to him and kissing her lips.

"I just wanted to get you wet," he teased and smirked slyly when he pulled out of the kiss.

She winked at him cutely. "You think that little innuendo was clever, huh?"

He nodded, still smirking, and guided her to his back, where she wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself up as he treaded deeper into the water, above Johanna's height level.

With her on his back, Elliot stood out in the blue water that looked as if it never ended. It was breathtaking to see where the gulf met the sky with the waves moving around them.

"I just want to stay here forever," she sighed as she kissed his ear.

"Me too," he replied, agreeing fully with her statement. He didn't know life could be that good. He hadn't been on a proper vacation in years, nor did he ever feel so relaxed. He owed it all to Johanna, his little miracle worker.

She changed his life in the best way possible; he could finally admit it. Despite his initial hesitation, being wary of the first girl he dated since his divorce, he hadn't been so happy in years. All because of Johanna.

"Thank you," Elliot said simply.

"For what?" She wondered.

"For this trip," he answered. "For everything. You've done more for me than you know."

"Right back at ya, cutie," she told him with a smile that he could barely see out of his peripheral vision. "I don't think you realize how much you've done for me, too."

"Everything about this is perfect," he sighed.

Later that night, Elliot sat shirtless in an oversized chair on the balcony, only grey sweatpants hugging his hips, as he listened to the waves crash against the shore. Johanna had fallen asleep hours earlier; she was exhausted after they had made love for the third time that day. It was as if they couldn't keep their hands off of each other on their trip – morning sex, afternoon sex, evening sex.

Though it was dark outside, Elliot could make out the white foam of the calm waves under the moonlight. It was comforting and relaxing; he felt as if he could sit there all night.

He thought about their trip, reminiscing on all the fun things they had done so far. He never imagined he'd go parasailing through the Florida sky 500 feet above the surface of the gulf, able to see gorgeous sights for miles around him. He couldn't ever remember having as much fun as he did when they rented jet skis and rode the waves, seeing dolphins flip through the air only a few yards from them. He thought those kinds of things only happened in movies.

Then he thought about his kids – he would've loved to have his kids with him. Dickie and Lizzie would be having a blast, wanting him to build sand castles with them and playing in the waves. Maureen would probably be tanning and keeping an eye out for cute boys her age. Kathleen would want to be doing whatever her older sister was doing, even if she wasn't exactly interested in tanning or boys just yet.

He knew his kids would love Johanna, and he clearly knew she was great with kids, too. Lately, he had urges to bring his kids around her, wanting her to meet them, wanting them to get to know her.

Because Elliot wanted Johanna around for the rest of his life.

He swallowed hard as he acknowledged the nagging question that had been lurking in the back of his mind for weeks: Was he falling in love with her?

She was the first woman he had even attempted to get to know after his divorce, so he prayed to be able to tell the difference between a lustful rebound and a real companion that he truly loved. But after more than eight months of knowing the girl, he was still consistently amazed and enthralled by her. And this trip only intensified those feelings.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. Ever.

"What are you doing out here?"

Elliot glanced over his shoulder to see a sleepy Johanna walk out onto the balcony in only cheeky pink panties and his white t-shirt that swallowed her small body. It was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

"Just listening to the waves, thinking," he told her.

She walked over to him and sat in his lap, looking out across the beach, barely able to make out where the waves were crashing due to the darkness and her tired eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked sleepily.

"My kids," he answered. "They would be having so much fun here." He reached up her shirt and began to scratch her back lightly, something he knew she loved, especially when she was sleepy.

"We should've brought them," she said with a yawn, loving Elliot's hands on her.

"Really?" He wondered as he dragged his nails up and down her back. Wanting to meet his kids was a pretty huge step that he wasn't expecting her to want to take for a while. "Are you still asleep or something?"

"No," she chuckled slightly. "I wouldn't have minded if we brought them with us. It would've been nice to meet them and spend time with them. Plus I know how much you miss them all the time."

Elliot was starting to wonder what was wrong with Johanna – because surely there had to be something wrong with her, right? Well, if there was, he couldn't find it. He couldn't see anything wrong with her. She was literally flawless in his eyes, and she only seemed to keep getting better and better.

She was opening up to him too, finally. They were getting closer and their relationship was getting stronger and more serious by the day.

Johanna laid back against his chest tiredly, leaning her head to the side, resting it against his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her waist under her soft t-shirt and his thumb mindlessly caressed the soft, warm skin of her stomach.

"You're my favorite thing about life," she mumbled tiredly.

Elliot's heart ached at the sweet girl in his arms. He leaned slightly and kissed her on the side of her forehead lovingly. He kissed her a couple more times sweetly as an overwhelming feeling took over his body.

Elliot took another mental picture, wanting to remember that exact moment for the rest of his life. Because that was when he realized he was, in fact, in love with Johanna Rowan.