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I have to fight not to wince.
She clears her throat. “Bibs,” she mumbles, and disappears off to the west wing.
Frowning, I leave her to it, and go to my room to pack.
By 2:15 p.m. we’re ready. I carry the bags out to the Range Rover.
“We’re only going for one night,” I say as I squeeze the last one in.
“Babies need a lot of stuff,” she protests. “Can you drive?”
“Are you sure? It’s your car.”
“I’m too nervous,” she says mysteriously, and goes inside to get Leia.
Musing on that, I leave her to buckle Leia in, lock the front door, and get in the driver’s side. Once she’s in, I start the engine and set off for the airport.
It takes us fifteen minutes to get there. Aroha is quiet, and she fidgets with her hands as she stares out of the window.
Something occurs to me, and I glance over at her. “Are you having second thoughts?”
She looks at me then. Her big hazel eyes are wary. “No. Not really.”
“Are you sure? You’re not going to jilt me at the altar?”
That makes her laugh. “No.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “But it is sobering to think about the commitment.”
“Two years is a long time,” I conceded.
“Hmm.” She doesn’t elaborate.
I take the turnoff for the airport. “By the way, I’ve given instructions to the bank to open a new joint account—we just need to send them the marriage certificate and it’ll be done. The million dollars will be in there before the end of the day.”
“That quickly?”
“Yeah. Soon you’ll discover all the benefits to being a billionaire’s wife.”
I say it as a joke, but at that moment the realization that we’re going to be married slams into me as if she’s hit me with a frying pan. She’s going to be my wife. Holy fuck.
She glances at me, and our eyes meet.
“You’ll be my husband,” she says. “Oh God.”
“Don’t bring him into it,” I mumble, “We’re in enough trouble as it is.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Aroha
When we get to the airport, James piles our luggage onto a trolley, and we make our way through to the gate where Alex and Missie are waiting with the helicopter.
Alex reveals that Zelda is staying with Missie’s son Finn and his friend, so it’s just us and Leia for the night. I’m nervous for many reasons, and climb into the back seat next to where James has buckled her into the middle, feeling his hand warm on mine as he helps me in.
I’m worried the noise of the helicopter might frighten Leia. Alex gives me a special pair of headphones for her, but I’m sure she’s going to wail her head off when I put them on. She’s as good as ever though, and merely looks astonished as I fit them over her head. Missie, who’s sitting the other side of her, exchanges a smile with me, and we don our own headphones as the guys get in the front, and Alex begins to run through his safety procedures.
I’ve never flown in a helicopter before. I feel as if I’m dreaming as he starts the blades, and the helicopter rises slowly into the air.
James looks over his shoulder at Leia, who’s promptly fallen asleep, and then at me. He’s wearing sunglasses, but I can see his smile. “You two okay?” he asks into his microphone.
