She smiled as she watched the two of them run back and forth in the waves. The light was starting to fade, so she knew they didn't have much longer and Noah was exhausted - there had been no nap today because of all the excitement, starting in the parking garage at the airport.

"That's YOUR car?!" Noah screamed in excitement.
Barba just laughed. "Well, it's the one I get to borrow while I'm here."
"A Jeep?" she asked, leaning against the car as he loaded up their bags next to what to be a brand new booster seat for Noah.
"Well, when in the Keys..." he said, looking back at her. "You gonna load him up or you gonna make me guess?"
She shook her head and got Noah situated in the seat. He was so excited by the car and the open air she wasn't sure she would ever get him strapped in right. She laughed as she pulled a lone tag off the inside of the seat. She climbed into the passenger seat as he climbed into the driver. He turned toward her and she held up the tag.
"New car set?" she said, waving the tag at him.
He smiled slightly and leaned over, weaving his arm between her arm and her waist. She held her breath as she felt a slight pull on her sweater. "New outfit?" he asked, pulling back just enough for her to see one of those blasted size stickers that she always missed on new clothes.
"Well, I may have been lacking in the beachwear department before yesterday." He waggled his eyes at her and slipped his glasses back onto his face as he started the car.

She just watched him move back and forth with ease through the surf. He was obviously acclimating well to the Florida environment, with his skin being much tanner than the last time she saw him. He also had this ease to him, an ease she wasn't sure she had ever seen before. All she did was watch him as they drove away from the airport and toward the house. He was smiling and calm and a version of Raphael Barba that she didn't even know existed.

She glanced back toward the house. While it may not be the huge mansions that dotted the island on their drive in, it was homey and quaint and the perfect spot for them to figure out what was happening. Plus, what he had done to make it feel like home for Noah...

A young woman was exiting the house as they pulled up. She stopped and waved. He leaned into her. "That's Ella. She helps the Williams' keep this place up. She's been really helpful and... well, you will see." Olivia turned to extract Noah from the car seat as he emptied their bags.
"Evening Mr. Barba."
"Ella for the hundredth time, I'm begging you to call me Raphael." She just waved him off and smiled.
"Ella, this is Olivia and Noah." Olivia shook her hand and watched her lean down to her son.
"Noah, I hope you don't mind but I got you some stuff I'm hoping you might like. Wanna see?"
Noah barely gave his mom a second glance as he grabbed the young woman's hand and went into the house.
"She's great. She helped me navigate around and find all the stuff I wanted and needed."
Olivia turned to him and placed her arm on his shoulder and leaned in slightly as he wrapped his arm around her waist with the lightest of touches.
"Williams really hooked you up with this place" she replied, slipping her glasses up her face and then doing the same with his. With the sound of the ocean and the birds in the background, she felt him tighten his arm around her waist in a way that she stepped into him further. He smiled at her and was about to open his mouth when...
"MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM YOU GOTTA COME NOW!" She looked over to see her son jumping up and down on the porch with Ella laughing behind him. She felt him start to laugh as he dropped his arm from around her.
"Ella really did a great job when I asked her to get some stuff for him. I guess he's a fan. Go look. I'll get the bags and meet you two inside."

"So Paw Patrol is a thing?" he asked as he slid behind her on the lounger she was sitting on the end of.

"With a certain section of preschool boys, Paw Patrol is the greatest thing in life. You and Ella really won him over this afternoon. That and the homemade tamales..."

"That was all me" he said with a certain amount of pride in his voice.

"Really?"

"Liv, you don't grow up with Lucia Barba and not learn a thing or two about tamales". It was like she was meeting him all over again.

She looked back to see Noah throwing some broken shells in the water. "I told him he only had a few more minutes before we had to go inside" he said quietly. She let go of the breath she was hold and leaned back into him, resting the back of her head on his shoulder. She felt their breath immediately come into sync. They sat there watching Noah scream at the shells as he threw them into the water.

She rolled her head over and looked up at him. The windblown hair and the sun kissed face and the smell of salt rolling off of him. "Rafael..."

"Not yet" he replied, looking down at her. "I know that we need to... but not yet. Let's just sit here and watch him play for a little bit longer before we have to call it a night. Let's get settled. Acclimated. Comfortable. Not yet Liv." She just nodded her head and turned back to Noah.

"But just know that I am so glad you two are here this week" he whispered in her ear. That act sent a slight shiver down her spine that she knew she couldn't hide from him. Who cares? She didn't want to. Not anymore. He dropped a light kiss on her cheek and wrapped an arm around her lightly. They sat that way till it became too dark to see Noah. Her heart warmed as she watched him scoop up her son like it was second nature and grab her with his free arm, walking them all into the house as one unit.