101

101
HAYLEY’S P.O.V

I was bursting with excitement the next morning.

I had no idea where we were going, but I was excited.

I woke up to Jake whispering sweet nothings as he placed a soft kiss on my shoulder. When I didn’t stir, he carried me into the bathroom where he ran a soft bath for us. It took far longer than it should have for us to get out of the bathroom but I wasn’t complaining.

Once that was done, he all but pulled me into the car. He was yet to tell me where we were going and with each passing second, my curiosity seemed to grow.

We stopped at a café and my brows rose. “Is this where we’re going?”

He snorted. “Not a chance, but we have to get you coffee first.”

He didn’t say anything after that, choosing instead to help me out of the car.

The inside of the cafe was beautiful, and I was shocked that I had never noticed it before. The interior was a beautiful cream color, with artwork and plants hanging on every wall. It looked expensive- felt expensive even.

He placed our order and led us to a booth at the far end of the restaurant. He seemed perfectly at ease- giddy even- as we waited for our food to be.

“Can’t you give me a hint?” I asked after a moment of silence. “I don’t know where we’re going.”

“Your outfit is a hint.”

I glanced down at what I was wearing- sweatpants and a crop top. “This doesn’t help.”

“My outfit then.”

He was more casual than usual in sweatpants and a simple shirt, but that also didn’t help.

“Jake,” I groaned. “I need a tangible hint.”

The waiter arrived with our drinks and a blueberry muffin for me. I stared down at my cup. “This isn’t coffee.”

“You aren’t allowed to have coffee,” Jake said with a shrug. “It’s hot chocolate. I think it’s a good alternative.”

I rolled my eyes but lifted the mug to my lips. “Are you going to make me guess?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “You won’t figure it out though.”

“Jake-”

“Just enjoy the suspense, baby girl, you’ll figure it out soon enough.”

For the rest of the time we were at the café, I tried my hardest to guess where we were going but came up empty each time. By the time we got back to the car, I gave up and instead decided to just let things play out.

By the time we took a turn onto a familiar road, my spine straightened. “Are we going to the airport?”

He said nothing, but the corner of his lips tugged slightly.

“What’s happening at the airport?”

“What do you think is happening at the airport?”

“Are we picking someone up?”

He stared at me like I had grown two heads. “You’re not stupid, Hayley, don’t act like it today.”

“We can’t be flying. I don’t have my passport.”

“I do.”

“I don’t have bags.”

“They’re in the trunk of the car.”

He stopped the car and handed the keys to the man waiting. I watched as bags were pulled out from the trunk- bags I didn’t even know were there. I opened my mouth to speak but the words wouldn’t come out. I just stood there and stared.

Jake kept a firm hand around my shoulders as he led me where we needed to go. I was too shocked to even offer an argument.

It wasn’t until I saw the jet in the distance that the reality of the situation dawned on me.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll figure it out when we land.” He draped his jacket over my shoulders. “You’ll be cold on the flight.”

“Jake.”

“Yes, baby?”

“You can’t just whisk me away like this.”

“I can’t?” his brows rose. “Why not?”

I didn’t have an excuse for that. I wasn’t even sure why I was protesting. I was excited to see where we were going, I was just stunned. No one had ever done anything like this for me, but then again, I had never been with anyone like Jake before.

“Just relax and enjoy the flight, okay?”

“Easy for you to say,” I mumbled. “Does my dad know? I have work.”

“Yes, he does, and he tells me you have PTO that you haven’t used yet. Does that put your heart at rest a little?”

It did. “How long is the flight going to be?”

“Almost eight hours.”

Fuck.

For an eight hour flight, it wasn’t that bad.

As soon as we got on the jet, a woman brought us drinks. I was sure Jake had already told them not to serve anything alcoholic to the both of us because she brought fruit juice instead. Once the plane was in the air, she brought out the most amazing set of pancakes I had ever seen or tasted.

Jake caught up on some work while I curled up by his side reading a book. I tried to ask where we were going for the nth time but he ignored me and I gave up.

“Can I get you anything, sir?”

We looked up at the same time to find a different woman standing in front of us. She wasn’t the one who brought the food earlier, and it was a good thing too because she would have spat in it.

Her hair was curled to perfection and left to hang loosely around her shoulders and although she was dressed like the others, there was something provocative about the way she dressed. Her skirt was much shorter, it didn’t even come close to her knees and the first two buttons of her shirt were undone.

She was also batting her eyes suggestively at Jake who either didn’t notice or didn’t care because he turned to me.

“Do you want anything?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you.”

Not from her anyway.

Jake turned to her. “You heard her. If she needs anything, she’ll call.”

I saw the pure shock on her face at the dismissal and I couldn’t help but press my lips together to try and hide my smile.

I expected her to take the hint and leave, but she didn’t. Instead, she cleared her throat and smiled wide.

“I understand that she doesn’t need anything, I was wondering if you wanted something. I could get you some wine or anything else.”

It was clear what she was suggesting and I was torn between insulted or amused. I was sitting right here and it was clear from the way my head was resting on Jake’s shoulder that we were together and yet, she was blatantly flirting with him.

Jake didn’t even look up at her. “There is no alcohol on this flight.”

“I know that, but-”

“If I need something, my girlfriend will let you know,” he cut her off. “You can leave now. She’s trying to read and you are bothering her.”

Her mouth fell open in shock and she shot me a scathing glare before storming off. I waited until she was a bit of a distance away before turning to Jake.

“She seems fun.”

He sighed and turned to me. “I swear she wasn’t this irritating before.”

“Or maybe you just didn’t notice. You didn’t realize that Cheyenne was in love with you until I pointed it out.”

He rolled his eyes. “Cheyenne isn’t in love with me.”

“And that hostess doesn’t want to fuck you,” I drawled, my voice thick with sarcasm. “You’re a rich, attractive man. It’s not a surprise.”

“I’m a taken man.”

“That doesn’t bother a lot of people.”

“Does it bother you?” he asked, his voice gentle. “Cheyenne and the hostess, I mean. Do they bother you?”

I thought about it for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t like it, that’s for sure, but I knew what I was getting into with you. There will always be a woman who wants you.”

“It is true that I cannot control the general public, but I can control the people around me. I’ll fire them-”

“Don’t,” I stopped him. “You keep your staff because they’re good to you. I don’t care about their tricks.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I already have you. Nothing else matters.”

He placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

I closed the book and placed it back in my bag before laying my head on his lap. “I think I’m going to sleep for a while.”

“That may be for the best. When you wake up, we’ll be in France.”