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Chapter Nineteen
Alexa
We spent Christmas day alternately lounging on our sun deck under an umbrella or walking the beach. When our families were having Christmas dinner back in the States, we were enjoying brunch brought to our beach house on the patio. The resort put on a Christmas Dinner buffet in the restaurant, that we would enjoy later. There were five hours difference between New York and Tahiti, so our schedules were out of sync.
I enjoyed talking to everyone back home, and we ooohh'd and ahhh'd at the gifts everyone gave and received. It felt strange to be away from everyone, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything. I loved being secluded with Luke in Bora Bora.
We went to the restaurant in the resort complex for dinner, dressing up and enjoying the view of the lagoon from our table by a window. Luke looked handsome in his suit and tie, his beard neatly trimmed, and his hair combed. It was a change from his usual beachy casual, and it reminded me that he was rich. Very rich. I had to pinch myself that it meant I was as well, although due to our prenup, I only had so much access to his wealth. That didn't matter to me. I couldn't really get my mind around how much money his family had, and how much he was worth. I didn't ever want to get used to it or take it for granted. We would never have to worry about money, but I didn't want to become one of those ultra-rich people I despised, who paraded their wealth like a badge of honor.
It wasn't my wealth. I didn't earn it. That's the way I wanted to keep it.
"Penny for your thoughts, or should I say, a dollar, given inflation..."
We held hands across the table after we'd finished our meals, and were waiting for our decaf coffee.
"I was just thinking how lucky we are and that we had better appreciate it."
"Amen," Luke said and kissed my knuckles. "Now that your family is my family, I want to ensure that your parents are taken care of and never need or want anything. I love your mom and dad and I'm so glad they're mine now. If they have any debts, I want to pay them off. If your dad's business needs anything, any capital investment, I want to help."
"That's so generous," I said and smiled, my heart warming for him even more than usual.
"They're good people," Luke said. "I don't want them to ever think about debt again. That's the least I can do, considering my windfall."
"How come you're so good?" I asked, shaking my head at how thoughtful he was.
"I understand how lucky I am," he said. "Sure, I had a great idea with Chatter, and I worked hard to get it off the ground, but it was a lot of luck and great timing. I feel like the money I got from the sale was a windfall. I mean, a billion dollars is whacked. I could see
a couple of million, but a billion?"
"That's the market, right? Social media is the new public space and companies who own a chunk of it are worth a lot of money."
"I know, but I still feel like I got away with something," Luke said softly. "I want to make sure I put that money to good use doing something that will benefit humanity as a whole. That's why I want to invest in space. It's the future and maybe some of the advances in technology that result from developing space travel will benefit humanity as a whole. I could die happily if I contributed to that in some way. It's more than just making money to me. It's the future. It's my legacy."
"I understand," I said and squeezed his hand, filled with such affection for him I felt like my heart could burst. Those words coming out of some rich son of the upper class would sound hollow to me if I heard it from anyone else's lips, but I knew Luke's heart.
He really meant it.
We went back to the beach house and spent the rest of the evening lying on the deck, staring up at the stars in the clear night sky.
"Can we see any of the asteroids in the asteroid belt?" I asked, curious about where he planned to send ships.
"You can see Ceres with a pair of binoculars or small telescope," he said. "If you know where to look."
"What is Ceres?"
"It's a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt. It's probably the most likely first target for space travel and a possible base, but there are about a dozen good asteroids in the belt that could be mined for metals, like platinum, cobalt, and even gold."
"And that's what you want to do?"
He nodded. "We don't have the tech yet to do it efficiently, or cost effectively, but if we don't start doing the research and development now, we never will. Might as well start now. I want to be at the forefront of that effort. I want to be a pioneer."
I smiled, and squeezed his hand. "It's good that you don't just want to make more and more money."
He shook his head. "I have enough set aside for us to live off for the rest of our lives. The rest of my windfall will be put to good use so I can die a happy and fulfilled man, leaving behind a legacy. Even if I don't get to Ceres or the asteroid belt, maybe some of the tech we fund and develop will help others get there in the future."
When we finally went to bed after midnight, I lay in Luke's arms and smiled as his hands stroked over my belly. There wasn't much to feel there yet, but I knew that a man who could imagine going to an asteroid one day could just as easily imagine the baby growing inside of me. He was excited about both.
That made me incredibly happy.
