Smiling, I shook my head at him. "You are so like your dad. He loved his candy, too."
Robbie froze and then swallowed hard. "I am nothing like my father."
The vehemence in his voice surprised me. I remembered Daniel Saunders as a driven man, always trying to excel at business and give his children a better life. The idea that Robbie was so against being like him surprised me.
"I remember your dad fondly. He was always nice to me. Remember how he used to take us sailing in the morning?" I smiled down at the candy in my hand. "He would bring Snickers bars for us."
"So? We stopped sailing, and he stopped caring." Robbie turned away from me, and the temperature on the boat seemed to drop a few degrees.
"That's not true, Robbie, and you know it. He loved you," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. He stiffened and stared out at the open ocean.
"You say that, but you weren't there." His voice was low and soft. There was so much pain in it that I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and take all the hurt away.
"He gave you his candy bar. That's how I know he loved you," I said. Robbie turned, his brows pinched and confused.
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember how your dad used to take us out sailing, and before we left, he would give us each a candy bar? It was always a Snickers," I said, gesturing to the candy in my hand. Robbie nodded.
"I remember. Mom said they weren't good for us, so she never let us have them. They were a special treat, and we'd always sit on the deck and eat them."
"Do you remember the time yours went overboard?" I asked.
"You mean the time someone knocked it out of my hand, and it went spiraling into the water and crushed my soul?" Robbie asked, raising his eyebrows and giving me a pointed look.
"That's not the important part of the story. The important part was that you were whining about it-" I started.
"I was not whining!" Robbie interjected.
"The important part is that you were crushed," I said before he could interrupt again. "It was a special thing, and you didn’t have yours anymore. I remember your dad looked out at the bar floating away, reached into his jacket pocket and just handed you his." I looked up at Robbie and shrugged. "The whole reason we even got them was because your dad loved his Snickers, and your mom wouldn't let him have any. But he didn't even pause for a second; he just gave it to you because he wanted you to be happy."
Robbie sat there quietly. He frowned, remembering the event. I didn't think he had ever looked at it that way before.
"I know a Snickers bar isn't much, but it was just the way that he did it. When he handed it to you, there was no remorse on his face. It was joy that he was going to make you smile. I remember the expression because it was such an expression of fatherly love that it's etched into my memory." I paused and took his hand. "I know you didn't see it then, but he loved you. A lot."
Robbie was silent, his green eyes searching the waves as if they could reveal some sort of answer. The words came out slowly as he said, "I had forgotten that."
He looked up at me and then shook his head. "But that was before. As I got older, it was always about the company with him. How I should be involved and do stuff with it. Always."
"Robbie, that company was his life. He and your mom poured their blood, sweat, and tears into that company. It was like their child. And I know you hated it, but can you imagine how much it hurt them when you wanted nothing to do with it? It would be like your son not wanting to sail." I stepped up close to him, tipping my face up under his so he had to look at me. "I'm not saying they were right, but it wasn't just that they were harping on you."
Robbie sighed, turning his head away from me. I knew he didn't like being told he was wrong, but to see his heartache over his father's perceived dislike of him was something I couldn't bear. I had to do something to stop it.
"The company was his life. I tried, but I just never understood what was so interesting about oil and accounting. No wonder he loved Jack more," Robbie said sullenly.
I put my fingers on his cheek, turning his head back to look at me. "Jack casts a big shadow, and it's hard to get out from under it. You got the unlucky casting of the second son." I smiled gently at him. "But Robbie, just because your brother and your father bonded over the company, and you didn't, doesn't mean he didn't love you any less. He gave you his candy bar."
Robbie pulled away from my gaze, blinking away tears. I could practically hear the thoughts buzzing through his head as he reevaluated his memories and tried to look at his father as just a man. It was difficult not to see his father as the god that all children see their parents as, but he was trying.
"You aren't your father Robbie. But you are his son. I see the best parts of him in you. The same unstoppable drive and desire to succeed." I put my hand on his shoulder again, and he sat very still under my fingers, staring out at the water. "You never give up and neither did he, you just have different passions. His was his business; yours is sailing. Your passion drives you, and sometimes it blinds you to the things around you. His did. He still loved you, he just got wrapped up in the company and forgot to look around."
He turned slowly, his green eyes full of emotion. There was a depth to him that I loved. His hand found my cheek, his fingers soft and gentle. "I'm looking around now. And I see you."
I smiled under his hand, leaning forward to kiss him. Our lips touched for only a moment, but it was full of tender emotion.
"I love you, Sam. I think I always have. You bring out the best in me, and you help me to see clearly. I don't know what I would do without you." His fingers caressed my cheek and then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Our eyes were locked, and I was lost in his green depths, swimming away on his love.
"I love you too, Robbie," I whispered. His fingers dropped to my chin, guiding my mouth to his. I could taste the candy on his tongue. My heart sang in my chest because Robbie loved me. And I loved him. There was nothing that could ruin this moment.
"So this is what champions do to practice?" A voice called out across the water.
Robbie stiffened and we both fell back, glancing about to discover the owner of the voice. On our port side a beautiful and very expensive racing yacht labeled The Gauntlet was pulling up next to us. Thomas Grant was at the wheel, a smirk twisting his lips under oversized sunglasses.
I scrambled to my feet, wiping away the kiss with the back of my hand. I wished the blush would fade, but I knew I was beet red. Robbie gave a wooden smile, raising his hand in a welcoming gesture.