Page 159 of Glitched Play

I glance toward Maci. "Not yet. Wake us when we begin our descent."

She nods.

I return to the window. Below us, cities shrink into threads of light stitched across Texas, each city seems to connect to the next. But not where we’re going.

She wakes as the plane banks, yawning as she says my name.

"We're here."

She rubs her eyes before leaning over me to look out the oval window. Her mouth falls open. "No..."

For a minute, I think maybe she’s scared of heights. The subject has never come up. We’ve been spending nights testing new games our tech team has in beta and eating unhealthy snacks that end up in between the couch cushions.

Orange cliffs stretch endlessly beneath us and the Colorado River snakes through stone carved over millions of years.

"The Grand Canyon?"

I nod. "You've never been."

"How did you..."

"You mentioned it in your interview. I asked, 'If you could work from anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?' You said, 'The Grand Canyon for two reasons. First, I'd be endlessly inspired. It's nature's architecture. Second, because no one would interrupt me.'"

She stares at me. "You remember that? I mean I remember it now, but…”

I remember almost everything she tells me. Apparently that's unusual.

A driver takes us to the canyon where I’ve arranged to camp. Well, Dara did. Camping in certain areas requires a special permit.

By sunset, we’ve hiked far enough from the crowds that the world finally goes quiet—the kind of quiet you can’t find in the city, no matter how late it gets. She’s been a trooper, especially for someone who doesn’t hike, though I wouldn’t exactly call myself an outdoorsman either. Growing up on a farm and spending time at Granny’s ranch just meant I learned my way around trails, fishing holes, and swimming spots whether I planned to or not.

I take off the oversized backpack, setting it on the ground and remove the tent.

Maci’s eyes widen. “We’re camping? I thought billionaires stayed in fancy resorts.” She looks around like she’s looking for man eating animals. And they’re here, but I shake the thought.

"We could."

She grins. "But?"

"I wanted to show you something."

I finish pitching the tent while Maci watches the sky deepen from gold to violet.

“The sunsets are gorgeous in Texas, if you’re in the right place like at home.”

I think she’s talking about her home, her childhood home but then she says, “The sunset falling over the city is gorgeous, but it has nothing on this.”

Home.

She thinks of the penthouse as home. Two months ago, that would have terrified me. But now, it makes me happy that she considers it her home.

“There’s nothing like it. Dad brought us once. We stayed in the lodge but we hiked and explored most days.” I kind of get lost in the memories. Mom and Dad brought J.D and Greyson a couple of times, but Parker, Noelle and I never got to experience it with our mom.

“Thank you for sharing this with me. This beats Margarita night.”

I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her lips. “The Canyon isn’t what I wanted to show you. But let’s finish setting up before it gets too dark to see.”

She organizes the pillows and blankets and the electric candles. I make sure the food and water are safely tucked into the metal food canister that the park ranger gave us. It’s odor proof so animals can’t detect the food. We don’t have much since we’ll leave early in the morning anyway.