One Weekend with the Billionaire novel Chapter 30

My stomach lurches up into my throat as the plane heads toward the ground, making its descent into the airport. I hold tight to Braxton’s hand, but I am excited. It is sort of like a roller coaster. I haven’t been on one of those in a long time, not since I was a little girl, since we have no money for trips to amusement parks, but I can remember that thrilling sense of my stomach lurching into my throat, and the airplane heading toward the runway reminds me of that, in a gentler way.

"Are you all right?" Braxton asks me, a smile on his face.

"Yes, I’m great," I tell him, smiling. It’s true. I’ve never been happier. Well, not since we left the bedroom, anyway. I still have no idea where we are, and I don’t care. I am loving every minute of being with him and this little excursion we are taking together.

The plane touches down with a gentle shake, and I want to clap for the pilot. I have no idea how they manage to do that, make the plane go exactly where they want it to, up into the air and then back down on the ground again, but I am impressed. The plane rolls along for a bit and then we turn off of the runway onto a smaller paved strip. Eventually, the plane stops, and Priscilla is back to help us off of the plane. I wonder what she will do while we are gone and imagine, if it were me, I might just curl up in the plush leather chairs and take a nap, but I bet she is too professional for that.

"Thank you," I tell her as we exit the plane.

"My pleasure. Have a nice time!" she calls. I smile at her and wave, and then Braxton leads me to a limousine that is waiting for us not far away. I wonder if he has cars in every city in the world or if this is a hired driver, but I don’t ask.

The driver is wearing a cap and a black suit. He greets us and opens the door for us. We slide in, and he closes it behind us. "Any clue where we are?" Braxton asks me with a grin.

"No," I tell him. "I haven’t been trying to sort it out. I’ve been too busy enjoying the journey." His face brightens even more, as if I have given the perfect answer. It is the truth. As the car pulls away from the airport, he kisses me, but it isn’t a passionate kiss. It’s more of a fond kiss a couple that has been married for many years might share. It still makes me a puddle in his arms. I love all of his attention, and the fact that he seems so familiar to me already lets me know he is an even more special man than I have realized.

We aren’t in the car for long. The windows are tinted, so I can’t really see out. I have no idea where we are going, but even if they’d been clear, I wouldn’t have been able to pull my eyes away from Braxton long enough to look. "I hope you’ll enjoy this," he says.

"I am sure I will," I tell him, certain of it. Anything he has planned is sure to be fun.

The car pulls to a stop, and we wait for the driver to let us out. As soon as I step out into a parking lot with several other cars parked in spots nearby, I hear the rush of water. A light breeze stirs my hair. I turn and realize for the first time where we are.

"The falls!" I declare, my hands flying to cover my mouth. "I can’t believe it!"

I snuggle against Braxton, eating strawberries and sipping my chilled water, excited to finally see the falls. Even though I’ve lived in the same state as the falls for two years now, we’ve never made the trip up here to see them because it’s several hours by car, and Jeff just doesn’t like to travel. I’ve heard about how beautiful it is, though, and I am certain I will never forget this trip for as long as I live.

As we glide across the lake, only a few other boats off in the distance, the peace and harmony of nature descends upon me, and I am overwhelmed by the beauty around me. The water sparkles in shades of blue and white, a darker shade of the same color of the sky above us, where white puffy clouds sail by. Around us, on both shores, vibrant green trees offer the perfect contrast to the bright blue, and dozens of birds chirp and flutter into the air, landing again on outstretched, welcoming branches before taking off again.

"You are so beautiful," Braxton says before kissing my temple. I realize then, as I have been watching the nature around us, he has been watching me. I smile back at him and lean my head on his shoulder.

The rushing sound of water I heard earlier grows louder and louder as we near the falls. I know that people used to ride barrels or small boats down the dangerous drop off in order to earn fame and fortune and wonder briefly what it would be like if our boat is accidentally steered too close to the drop off, but I trust the nice captain we met earlier and know Braxton would never put me in danger, even though I believe this is a rented yacht. I am certain he has his own, but it is probably housed somewhere closer to his own home in the city where there are several rivers that lead to the ocean.

In the distance, I see the falls, and I can’t believe what I am looking at. I can’t help but stand and run over to the railing. Braxton follows, draping the blanket around my shoulders before he wraps his arms around me. The water falls from several streams, cascading off of the rocks above us and creating rainbows of color and light all around. The foam at the bottom resembles the clouds. The closer we get, the more magical it all seems. I can hardly take my eyes off of the wondrous sight.

The captain steers us so close, droplets of water splash us. I laugh, turning to look at Braxton, who is also chuckling. I can’t help but stretch up on my tiptoes and find his lips, pressing mine to his warm mouth as our hair and clothing is dampened by the beautiful natural wonder before us. I have never been happier in my entire life.