Jax was already cutting the engines and unbuckling himself, turning to help her do the same. He set his headphones down on the column of the tiny looking steering wheel and she stared at him in disbelief.
Was this a normal, everyday occurrence to him?
She was just amazed at how surreal everything felt right now. Not only were they in a different city, different part of the state, but Jax had just flown the plane they were in, parking it on a grass landing strip within walking distance of a seawall with the ocean in the distance.
… Like it was nothing.
“Are you okay?” he said softly, watching her.
“You realize that this is not normal, right?” she replied, her voice sounding strange even to her. “Normal people don’t fly away on vacations to incredible destinations wherever or whenever they want. We save up, plan a trip, go to the airport with our luggage, and freak out about the cost of souvenirs…”
“But this is what it’s like when you date me,” he countered tenderly, his eyes warm with a glimmer of something in those depths that spoke to her. “You ever want to go somewhere just say the word, and I’ll make it happen. If you want to escape to paradise, then I’m the man who’s going to take you.”
Her breath hitched in her throat at the hope that threatened to strangle her in this moment. Hot tears stung her eyes as she glimpsed of a future that she could never have imagined in a million years.
“Anything you could ever want will be yours,” he promised, his hand touching her cheek softly. “Just talk to me, trust me, and let me be here with you.”
Nodding, she sniffed and leaned forward to kiss him tenderly, needing to feel that comfort and security he gave her. It wasn’t a kiss of passion, but rather a need to touch, reaffirm, and bond with him.
After a moment, he backed away, his own eyes as emotional as she knew hers had to be, as he cleared his throat.
“Do you want to play in the water for a bit? Or just walk along the surf?”
“Both… but I don’t have a swimsuit…”
“Relax, remember?” he smiled. “This might have been last-minute planning, but I had lots of help conspiring to whisk you away for the evening.”
“The… evening?” she uttered nervously.
“Or I can take you back,” he shrugged easily. “It’s up to you. I won’t touch you if that is what you are worried about. I just thought it might be nice to look at the stars, listen to the ocean, and have breakfast at sunrise together on the beach.”
“Really?” she whispered, completely enchanted with the picture he painted before her, combined with the faint roar of the surf in the distance. There was nothing around them. No buildings, one dirt road, and then the beach.
“I brought camping gear. It’s not much, but if you are up for an adventure, then…”
“Yes,” she interrupted, feeling suddenly alive, unburdened, and free.
His smile was brilliant as he suddenly leaned forward to kiss her as if he couldn’t hold back. He was grinning, chuckling, and his excited hands were trembling as he yanked the key from the ignition before pulling his dog tags from his shirt. He unclasped the chain, slid the key on there, and dropped it back inside.
“Safe keeping, so we can get home,” he volunteered. “Why don’t you let me get the tent set up – and then if you want to swim? You’ll have a place to change.”
She nodded and climbed out of the plane carefully, feeling so awkward, and saw him opening the small compartment at the side of the airplane. She moved to help him and saw him immediately cover the compartment.
“I’m good,” he smiled. “If you want to look around or check for rocks? I thought I’d set the tent near the plane.”
“Are you up to something?”
“Maybe – but I just wanted to surprise you.”
“Alright,” she agreed easily, and saw the surprise in his face as she walked away looking for a soft spot to put the tent, checking for rocks as he had instructed.
Moments later, he walked over with a small bag. Without a word, he yanked out a tent, spikes, and a small plastic hammer. Shaking out the tent, the small enclosure took form and she saw it was a little dome tent.
… Very little.
It wasn’t large at all but then again, the last time she had been camping was when she was a little girl. She saw Jax’s expression and realized he was thinking the same thing. There was a good chance his feet would stick out or he would need to sleep curled up.
She fought back a smile and decided she would take a page from his book, making the best of this somehow, despite any challenges.