Every path is the right path for me as long as I walk it with you.
She could still hear his words echoing in her soul—words that kindled hopefulness in her heart.
“Plum?”
“Yes?”
“We have to get off the jet for it to start.”
She nodded, then left the warmth of his embrace and sat up. “You’ve been very vague about the it, beefcake. And when I say vague, I mean, you haven’t told me anything about what’s going on. We’ll be back for Sebastian’s birthday, won’t we? We can’t miss it.”
He shifted his large frame, coming to sit beside her, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Of course, we’ll be back.”
“What about the arrangements?” she pressed.
“Mitch and Oscar are making the cake and cooking up cheese toasties. My sisters are flying in, and they live to throw parties. They’re bloody annoying about it, so we’d only be in the way of Callista and Calliope forking over a ridiculous amount of cash on balloons and whatever else piques their fancy. It’s all taken care of, plum, and it gives us three days to ourselves.”
“Three days to ourselves in…?” she asked, praying he’d simply spill the beans.
“In paradise—or at least I hope it’s paradise,” he answered with a slight wince.
Why would he wince?
Her lips parted once, then twice, working to formulate a question. “You’ve never been wherever we are?” she finally got out.
“No.”
“Why did you decide to bring me here?”
“You decided, plum,” he answered without answering—the infuriating man.
She pegged him with her gaze. “Raz, that makes no sense.”
“It’s about to. I promise.” He paused, clearly chewing on a thought. “Well, as long as Briggs was able to put my instructions into action,” he added, then swiped his cell phone from a compartment on the wall. The screen illuminated his face, and the man grinned like the cat who ate the canary.
“I take it you’re pleased?”
“I am.” He stood, scooped up her sandals, then slipped them onto her feet. “Your carriage awaits, Cinderella. Well…”
“Well, what?” she shot back.
“Forget the carriage part,” he answered, scrolling through text messages. “I believe we’re looking for a Jeep.”
“A Jeep?” She glanced out the window. “Can you tell me what time it is?”
“It’s five a.m.,” he answered crisply, pocketing his phone.
“Is this non-carriage mode of transportation taking us to a ball that starts at dawn?”
“Something like that,” he answered, slipping on his shoes.
She had no idea where they were or what they’d be doing. Still, there was something deliciously intoxicating about Raz orchestrating a surprise for her.
Here’s what she knew. They’d been in the air for hours. They could have spanned the Pacific or the Atlantic in that amount of time. Honestly, they could be anywhere.
“Give me a second to freshen up,” she said and headed into the jet’s bathroom.
Thankfully, before they’d left the Victorian by helicopter, the pilot had assured them that they had a little time to get in a shower.
Truly a godsend.
After running nine miles on dirt trails alongside a donkey, one picked up a certain earthy aroma. Okay, earthy might be overly generous. She’d smelled terrible—not even Raz’s gift of wildflowers could have masked the scent. When she’d inquired about what to wear to the mystery location, Raz had told her to put on something comfortable, then asked her to hand over her cell phone. A strange request, for sure, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer, citing the need to make this a foolproof surprise.
And speaking of surprises, after pocketing her cell, the man insisted on packing for them both.
He’d thrown a few things into a bag for himself before entering her room. She’d stood in the hallway, peeking in, her hand pressed to her lips to keep from giggling as he methodically rolled her panties into the shape of little sausages, then placed them in his bag like he was making the undergarment version of pigs in a blanket. Still, it was endearing to observe and a little daunting to allow him to do what she’d told herself she didn’t want or need from any man—genuine care and concern. But a bigger issue loomed. Could she trust her heart with him?
She adjusted the straps on her sundress. While they’d gotten up to quite a bit of naughtiness, she’d insisted they dress before falling asleep. She wasn’t sure how this private jet business worked, and the last thing she wanted was the pilot and co-pilot walking in on her naked and drooling in Raz’s arms. Luckily, they hadn’t been disturbed. She smoothed the front of her garment, brushed her teeth, then checked her reflection in the jet’s bathroom mirror. A bubbly excitement took over.
Could she trust Erasmus with her heart?
“Plum?”
“I’m almost ready,” she called, rinsing her mouth, then twisting her hair into a bun. She did one last mirror check, hardly able to believe that she was the smiling, deliriously happy woman looking back at her. She pictured Penny and Charlotte. Is this what it was like for them? Is this how it felt to be cherished? Was this possible for her? The image of her father, standing in front of the Victorian, flashed before her eyes. Gaunt, pathetic, and ready to cash in on his daughter’s job to get an inside look at Raz; the man had let her down every step of the way since she’d lost her mother. But that wasn’t Erasmus, was it. Perhaps, like every other man, she’d put him in the same category as her father, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t be, right?
Breathe, just breathe.
She opened the door and spied Raz at the front of the jet, chatting with the pilot. The co-pilot nodded to her, then opened the cabin door. She stopped halfway up the aisle as a fragrant, invigoratingly dazzling aroma tempted her senses. Slightly fruity with hints of coconut and something akin to gardenias, she breathed in the warm air as it wafted inside the plane. This wasn’t the crisp, dry-your-cuticles-out Denver air. No, what she’d inhaled spoke of a tropical world—a world that must be miles away from Colorado’s Mile High City.
Slowly, absorbing it all, she walked the rest of the way up the aisle and joined Raz. She and her boxer thanked the pilots before exiting the jet and heading down the stairs. One step at a time, she surveyed their destination.
A string of lights lining the runway highlighted the dense foliage surrounding the sleepy airfield. Thick, towering palm trees engulfed an unassuming one-story building that sat beside a modest runway, slashing a short distance across the lush land.
She’d never experienced an airport like this.
“Is this someone’s home?” she asked.
Raz chuckled. “No, but it’s pretty remote, huh?” he answered, looking as surprised as she felt.
“You honestly haven’t been here before?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you, plum. This is my first time,” he replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
She scanned the empty tarmac. The co-pilot had set their bag on the runway, not far from the jet. Raz picked it up and slung it over his shoulder as she continued to study the landscape.