One Weekend with the Billionaire Chapter 31

*Braxton*

Watching Julia gaze at the falls lifts my spirits in a way I cannot put my finger on. How many times have I visited this spot over the years? More than I can count. My parents loved this place and used to bring our family here at least once a year. I have always thought it was pretty, but I am seeing it through new eyes now, seeing her excitement and joy at visiting the natural wonder for the very first time.

After I give her plenty of time to take it in, I pull her close and ask, “Would you like to grab a bite for lunch at a restaurant where we can still see the falls?”

“Yes,” she says quickly, her smile wide as she beams up at me. “That would be wonderful.”

I have already gone to the liberty to let the restaurant on the shore near the falls know we are coming. I signal to the nearby crewman to let the boat captain know we are ready to head to the restaurant now. He nods at me and immediately responds, as if he is my own staff member and not merely a worker on the rental boat. I am used to having my needs immediately met and am glad the yacht I’ve rented comes with workers of a similar mindset of my own.

As the boat turns so that we can go to the restaurant, Julia twists in my arms, not able to take her eyes off of the waterfalls. I can’t help but chuckle at her. She looks at me, her eyes wide, as if she is about to swat me for teasing her, but she doesn’t, and I try to get myself together. When she leans up and kisses me, I can’t even remember what I thought was so funny. Her mouth is sweet like the strawberries we’ve been eating, and I can’t get enough of her.

When the boat docks, I am reminded that we are not quite alone and manage to pull myself away from her. “Right this way!” the same gentleman who went to signal the captain lets us know, and hand in hand, we disembark from the yacht onto a floating dock near the restaurant which sits out over the water quite a ways. I have requested their best table, the one with the most beautiful view of the falls. I fully expect to get exactly what I want, which is nearly always the case.

“Mr. Merriweather!” the maitre ‘D says as we enter the restaurant. “Ms. Thompson,” he says, smiling at Julia. He is an older gentleman with graying hair who has clearly been in this business for quite some time. “Your table is ready.”

He leads us across a mostly full restaurant where lots of families, couples, and groups in tourist T-shirts and other clothes that mark them as visitors, are enjoying their lunch of sandwiches and other light American food. It isn’t my normal fare, but it will do, and I’m certain that Julia will be comfortable eating here.

We are seated at a semi-private table in front of a large window that looks out over the falls. The scene is breathtaking, and I hear Julia gasp as she looks out the window at the natural sight that she could hardly pull her eyes off of to get here.

I order champagne as we look over the menu. I see that there is a salmon dish, which pairs well with what I am drinking. Julia orders chicken, and while we wait for our food, she asks about my previous trips to the falls.

“I can remember coming here with my parents. One time, my grandparents came as well,” I recall. “That was the best trip. There used to be a different restaurant that sat nearby, and Grandma enjoyed the chocolate cake they served there. That’s where we normally ate. It was a good time, but if I’m honest, it wasn’t much different than any other trip that we took as a family. I certainly didn’t see the place the same way that you do.”

Her eyes brighten. “Do I see it differently than most people?” she asks, the apples of her cheeks pinking as she speaks.

“I believe you do,” I say fondly. “You see the magic in everything. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

Her entire face is red now, but she is smiling. “You’re too sweet, Braxton,” she says to me, her hand squeezing mine. “It’s easy to see magic when I’m with someone who is so good at making magical things happen.”

I want to kiss her for that. I want to pull her into my arms and ignore the fact that we are in public and take her breath away far more than the falls have. I can’t do it, though. Not without embarrassing her and potentially getting both of us photographed and all over social media and the rag sites where they’ll jump to all sorts of conclusions about me and Julia, and I want to spare her that.

Instead, I take the opportunity to remind her that this doesn’t have to be the only place where we can visit together. “You know, I would love to show you many other wondrous places, both natural and manmade. I think you would love to see the Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, the Opera House in Sydney Harbor. So many places you would love to visit come to mind. Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon? What about the world’s longest river?” At all of my questions, she shakes her head. She hasn’t seen any of these places. “I want to show them to you.”

She stares into my eyes for a few moments and then drops her gaze. “I would love to see them, Braxton. And I’d love to see them with you.” I smile at her, but then her tone changes and she reminds me, “But I’m married, remember?” My breath leaves my lungs as she shrugs, tears coming to her eyes. “I’ll have to sort all of that out, you know?”

I nod. I know that. “I just want you to remember that you have options, sweetheart. That’s all I’m telling you.”

Her head rocks back and forth. “I know,” she says. “I do.” But there is doubt in her voice, like she thinks perhaps I am not sincere, that maybe I will change my mind and not want to be with her anymore. But the more time I spend with Julia, the more I realize a weekend is simply not enough. I want Julia in my life forever.