Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Where are we going?” Kai asked from the third row of the SUV.
“We’ll be there soon.” I glanced over at Halle. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen her look more relaxed or at ease.
She was wearing these tantalizing denim shorts, and I itched to place my hand on her thigh. I was excited about spending the day with her and Kai, even if it meant I couldn’t touch her. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
The reality was that if I didn’t touch Halle soon, I really might explode.
Those damn denim shorts were like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
Long bare legs.
Smooth skin.
It was torture.
But it was all worth it to see her smile. To hear Kai’s delighted squeals as the helicopter took off. She rested her hand on the seat between us, and I placed my hand beside hers. Tension filled the air, but I waited for her to make the next move. For now, it was enough that we were together.
I turned my attention to the passing scenery. I was so keyed up that when she linked her pinkie finger with mine, it sent a bolt of lightning straight down my spine.
If such a simple touch could set me off, I was scared to think what having her touch other parts of me would do. I’d gotten a preview of it, the other day in my office. But we’d been short on time, and it had ended all too quickly.
I wanted to have sex with her. God, did I.
But I also wanted our first time together, now that this was more than just a fling, to be special.
I wanted Halle to know that our relationship was about so much more than the physical aspects.
I wanted to prove to her that I was in this for the right reasons.
When the driver pulled up to the entrance to Legoland, Kai freaked out. “Are we—” He was kicking his feet. “We’re going to Legoland?”
“We are.” I grinned, delighting in his reactions. He was so much fun. “Happy birthday, kiddo.”
Halle unlinked our fingers, sliding her hand back into her lap. As soon as the car had stopped, Kai unbuckled his seat belt. “This is amazing. Thank you!” He threw his arms around my shoulders. “Thank you.”
“Your mom and I wanted to do something special to celebrate you,” I said, and Halle’s watery smile made me even more excited for everything I had planned. This was just the beginning.
When we stepped out of the car, a Legoland employee, Kayla, was waiting for us. “Welcome to Legoland. I’ll be your tour guide for the day.”
Halle peered at me over the top of her sunglasses.
Okay, so maybe I’d gone a little too far.
But I’d wanted to spoil them. So I’d reached out to the park and paid a generous fee to get the VIP treatment.
No waiting in lines. We could ride as many times as we wanted.
We had free run of the park and a personal tour guide.
“You ready?” I asked, tightening the strap of my backpack.
“Yeah!” Kai fist-pumped the air.
As Kayla ushered us into the park, Kai slid his hand into mine. My heart warmed at the contact and the fact that he’d initiated it. I smiled at Halle over his head.
When we bypassed the ticket booth, Halle leaned in and said, “I was planning to pay for the tickets.”
“Thank you, but it’s already taken care of.”
“Mm. I’m going to owe you a big thank-you for this.”
I placed my hand on her lower back. “While I’m not opposed to what I think you’re suggesting, you don’t owe me anything.”
She grinned. “We’ll see.”
The rest of the day was spent going from one attraction to another. Kai loved the rides, and I loved seeing Halle let go. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun.
Every time Kai experienced something new—a ride or a show—he was full of delight. He was so animated, so funny. I’d always liked kids, and Kai was no exception.
“What a fun day,” Halle said as we exited the theater. I placed my hand on her lower back, using every excuse to touch her. The park was closing soon, and we still had an hour flight back to LA. “Thank you.”
I smiled, thinking back on how nice the day had been.
Relaxing, easy, joyful. It had been everything I could’ve hoped for.
We might have had this adventure to celebrate Kai’s birthday, but today had felt like a gift to me.
To get to spend time with the two of them.
To get to spoil them. Well, it made me happy.
“It was fun.”
Kai slumped forward, dragging his feet as we headed to where the SUV would pick us up.
Kai’s energy had started to wane after dinner, but he was trying to act like it wasn’t.
It was honestly pretty amusing to watch.
That said, I had a feeling he was going to crash.
It had been a jam-packed day of rides, shows, and so much more.
“I don’t want to go.” Kai pouted.
“The park is closing,” Halle said. “We have to go. But didn’t we have a nice day?”
He nodded, his lower lip still sticking out. So adorable. If it were up to me, I’d pay the park to stay open late just for us. But I knew Halle would kill me if I did something like that. And I also knew that Kai needed his sleep.
I’d considered asking Halle if she wanted to make it an overnight trip, but I figured that might be a bit much for our first outing as the three of us.
“I can’t walk anymore,” Kai whined.
“How about a piggyback ride?” I asked.
He perked up a little at that. “Really?”
“You don’t have to do that, Jasper,” Halle said.
“I want to.” I moved my backpack to my chest then crouched down beside a nearby bench. “Come on, Kai. Hop on.”
He stood on the bench then launched himself at me. Luckily, I’d been paying attention, so I caught him. I took off, and he cheered. “Woo-hoo! Look at me, Mum.”
“I see you.” Halle’s smile was warm, relaxed.
As we rode back to the heliport in the SUV, Kai said, “I hope Daddy can come with us next time, now that he’s moving here.”
Craig? Moving here?
Halle’s guilty expression all but confirmed it. The fuck?
“I’m sure Dad would love to come with you sometime.”
Kai made it through takeoff, but he fell asleep soon after. I kept thinking about what Kai had said about Craig moving to LA, but it didn’t feel like the right time to bring it up. Besides, I wasn’t going to let Halle’s ex ruin what had been an otherwise perfect day.
“Thank you for today,” Halle said as the LA skyline came into view. “Truly.”
“My pleasure,” I said, and I meant it.
We chatted about the day, and I tried to forget about Kai’s bombshell. Craig didn’t matter. Halle was with me, even if no one knew about our relationship.
Once we landed, I glanced back at Kai, who was somehow still asleep. I was surprised he hadn’t woken up when the helicopter had switched off.
“He had a great time today. We both did,” Halle said, giving my hand a squeeze. “Thank you.”
“Thank you. For letting me spend the day with both of you. I had fun.” I smiled. “Let me perform my postflight safety check, and then I’ll carry him down to bed.”
I rounded the outside of the aircraft, checking everything over before grabbing my backpack. I tossed it over my shoulder then went to the back door and opened it before carefully removing Kai’s ear protection and gently unlatching his seat belt. He roused briefly.
“Shh,” I whispered, picking him up. “I’ve got you.”
Halle grabbed her bag, and we headed for the elevator. We were quiet on the trip back to her suite, mindful not to wake Kai. After she’d removed Kai’s shoes and tucked him into bed, we returned to the living room.
Halle stood in front of the windows, her attention on the skyline. I went over to her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just thinking about how nice today was.”
“It was,” I said, though she seemed sad somehow too. I pushed away my questions about Craig and his move. Today, tonight, was about us. No one else.
“I wish every day could be like this,” she sighed, leaning back into me.
“You want me to propose that we move our board meetings to Legoland?” I teased, though I knew that wasn’t what she meant.
“No.” She laughed, and I wrapped my arms around her. “Though, can you imagine Leith’s face if you tried?”
I chuckled, enjoying the feel of her in my arms. I wasn’t ready to say good night yet, even though I knew it was inevitable.
“Today was such a gift. Not because of the helicopter flight or the trip to Legoland, as fun as those were.” She turned so she was facing me, looping her arms around my neck.
“It was a gift to spend time with you and Kai. It was a gift that he felt good all day. That we got to just be together and have fun.”
“One day,” I said, cupping her cheek, “every day will be like today.”
She held my gaze briefly before looking away. She still didn’t believe it, but I believed enough for both of us. So I kissed her, trying to infuse my kiss with all the love and hope I felt.
“I have something for you.” I’d been waiting all day for the right moment to give this to her. I removed a small velvet box from my pocket. “I know it’s Kai’s birthday, but you deserve to be celebrated too.”
“Jasper.” She tilted her head. “You didn’t have to get me anything. You’ve already done enough. More than enough.”
“You’re always taking care of everyone else. I wanted to do something special for you.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but this wasn’t up for debate. “Open the damn box, Halle.”
She took it from me with a huff, but I could tell she was curious. When she pried open the lid, she gasped.
“I had it specially made for you.” I watched her reaction for clues. I had no idea what she was thinking.
“It’s stunning,” she said, running her fingers along the edge of the box. Nestled on the velvet was a delicate gold necklace with a dragonfly pendant dotted with natural purple diamonds. “It reminds me of your grandmother’s brooch.”