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? Movinghere?
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.
