“Really?” Emma asked, pausing as she walked to the car.
“Yes. It’s true. The real Mexican food is in Mexico,” Jackson replied with a laugh. The car unlocked as they approached, the headlights making the parking lot bright.
“No, I mean, going to Mexico,” Emma said softly. She shrugged. “I’ve never been. I’ve wanted to, but...”
Jackson squeezed her shoulders. “We’ll go. Mexico, mountains, islands, wherever you want.”
Hope danced across Emma’s heart as she imagined a future with Jackson. A real future, not just one where they followed a contract. One where they chose to go to these fabulous places simply to be together.
“Mountains first,” she told him. “I think that’s what I want to see most. Maybe even some skiing.”
Jackson grinned and opened the car door for her. From the corner of her eye, she could see his security team making sure they were safe in the dark parking lot. They were incredibly good at their jobs. She usually forgot they were even there. Now that they were officially engaged, she had her own security team. She was just glad she had gotten the chance to get her pregnancy test without them. They’d been hired the next day.
“Do you have any preference on which mountains?”
Jackson asked once she was settled in her seat. He took the driver’s seat, which was fine with her. Despite knowing that he could afford hundreds of cars without batting an eyelash, she was still afraid to drive one of these sports cars. If she so much as nicked it, she would feel terrible.
So, she let him drive. Besides, he loved to drive.
“Um...” Emma paused to think. “Big ones. Ones with the tree line thing.”
“Tree line thing?” Jackson asked her.
“The mountains that are so tall that trees can’t grow any more because of the elevation. Those kinds of mountains,” she told him.
“Okay, we can do that,” Jackson replied. He looked thoughtful. “Do you care if it’s American, European, or Asian?”
“Nope.” She grinned. “Though, I would like to see Mount Everest some day. I don’t have any desire to climb it, but I’d like to see it.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“You’ve been there?” she asked, her voice soft with wonder. She’d never met anyone who had actually been to the world’s tallest mountain.
“Yes. I think you’d love it. And the food is amazing.”
“I’m glad I’m going to marry you,” she blurted out.
He raised an eyebrow and looked over at her. “Is that so?”
“I never would have been able to do any kind of traveling.”
“You would have eventually,” he replied. “It’s not that expensive.”
She blushed a little bit. “Plus, I’ve never had anyone to travel with. That’s the other important part. I don’t want to go to Everest by myself. I want someone who will enjoy it with me.”
His green eyes sparkled in the dark and his mouth curved into the small smile that he only used when he thought she wasn’t looking. It was the smile that told her he liked her. Her heart melted.
“I’m excited to show you the world,” he murmured, his voice rich in the dark. “There’s so much that I want you to see. You’re going to light up when I take you to Paris, and you’ll love this castle I rent near London.”
“We have a future,” she said softly. Her hand went to her belly. She hadn’t had the appointment yet, but she knew the baby was in there. She wanted to wait until it was a little more official before telling him. She was still so early.
If she told him, he would need to announce it to the world. That was the point of being with him. He would need to use her pregnancy for the benefit of his company. If she miscarried, or was wrong, she didn’t want to hurt him. She could only imagine what it would do to his company if he announced a baby only to have it not happen.
So, for now, she was waiting. It made her feel guilty, but she wasn’t ready yet. She wasn’t sure he was either. For right now, she wanted to focus on making sure that they were good as a couple. This would be the only time they’d have before the baby took over their relationship.
It felt selfish, but the other reason for waiting was so that she could have Jackson all to herself for just a little bit longer. She wanted their relationship to work, and not just because she was with child. She wanted him to enjoy being with her because she was Emma, not just the mother of his child.
“We do have a future,” he agreed, flashing her a grin. “A great future.”