And then she’d fallen asleep while he applied the first coat of sunblock. In her dreamlike state, her reactions had been honest and sincere. She’d greatly enjoyed his touch, arching into it like a purring kitten. But then sadness had dripped from her voice when she’d quietly told him that no one ever stayed and that no one ever loved her back.

He’d never wanted anything more in that moment than to cradle her in his arms and hold her tightly and vow to never let her go. But he knew it wouldn’t be as easy as simply promising her something she had no faith in. It would take time for her to establish trust and be able to fully place it in him. And he intended to give her all the time in the world she needed until the time came that she was with him, in his arms where he intended to prove to her every single day that he wasn’t going anywhere but wherever she did.

“What secrets are you hiding, baby?” he whispered as he watched her sigh and tuck her fist beneath her chin. “Will you trust me enough to share them and let me take away their power to hurt you?”

He let out a sigh and then reluctantly stood from where he’d been sprawled on the platform of the boat. He crawled over to where Zoe lay, smiling as he stared down at her closed eyes, the lashes that rested on her skin making her appear so innocent in sleep. She reminded him of an angel or one of those little pixies in fairy tales.

“Zoe. Zoe, honey. I need you to wake up. It’s time to go home.”

She wrinkled her nose and her lips turned downward. “G’away,” she muttered.

He laughed as he lowered his head to kiss the wrinkles from her nose. Her eyelashes immediately fluttered as she came awake.

“Hi,” he said, smiling at her befuddlement.

Then she smiled, and it sent warmth through regions of his heart he hadn’t even realized had been so shut off before.

“Hi,” she said shyly. “Is it time to go?”

She sounded so disappointed that he hated to tell her it was. Instead he nodded.

“Sun’s setting. I thought you might enjoy watching the sun go down while we head back to the marina. Ma will have supper on the table soon and she’ll wonder where we are.”

She yawned, covering her mouth. “I had the most wonderful dream,” she said wistfully.

His pulse sped up as he simply watched her, his gaze traveling over every inch of her face, her eyes, even her hair. “Oh? Did you dream about me then?” he teased.

She flushed a deep red and dropped her gaze, though a smile still hovered on her lips.

“Not going to share what this wonderful dream was about?”

She shook her head. “No. Because if I do then it might not come true.”

She had his attention there. Was she referring to what she thought she’d dreamed? Or had she dreamed something else in the two hours he’d let her sleep after she’d drifted off?

“And do you want your dream to come true?” he asked casually.

Yearning was evident in her eyes as they became focused on something far away, in another time perhaps.

“If any dream could come true, then yes, more than anything I’d want this one to.”

Not that he hadn’t already decided his fate and course, but if he hadn’t, those words would have sealed it for him. She had no idea that he knew exactly what she was referring to and that he’d been party to what she thought she’d dreamed about. And, well, in a way it was fitting since he planned to make every last part of it come true exactly as she wanted.

“Dreams come true all the time,” he said.

Her smile slowly faded. “For some, I guess.”

“But not for you?”

She looked away. “I’m not much of a dreamer,” she said with forced nonchalance. “I’m more of a realist. When reality continually bites you on the ass, you tend to pay attention.”

Joe extended his hand, sliding his thumb under her chin before gently turning her back to face him. “I don’t agree.”

She looked confused. “What don’t you agree with?”

“That you aren’t a dreamer.”

Her eyes went wide and she blinked several times as if trying to figure out how she wanted to respond.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a dreamer, Zoe. The bigger you dream, the bigger the outcome and the happier the ending, wouldn’t you say?”

Her eyes filled with tears and she would have turned away again, but he cupped her cheeks with both palms, cradling her face in his hands. He used his thumbs to tenderly wipe away the slip of moisture that trailed down one side.

“One could also say the bigger you dream, the harder you fall when reality bites you on the ass,” she choked out.

He laughed softly. “You have an obsession with reality and people’s asses.”

“This isn’t a joke,” she said in a pleading voice, as if begging him not to make light of her statements. “This is my reality. It may not be yours, Joe. But it is mine and I’m well acquainted with what dreaming gets you. In my world, it’s a big fat nothing no matter how hard I wish it otherwise.”

“Baby, listen to me,” he said, caressing the silky skin over her cheekbones. “When I said that I believe you are a dreamer, it was the best of compliments. Just because not all your dreams have come true so far doesn’t mean they’re destined to never come true for you at all. We all have a dreamer inside us. You may not think you do, but I see her. I see you. And it just makes me all the more determined to make those dreams of yours come true so you can finally let that beautiful dreamer out for the entire world to see.”