|35| Alaska

Your eyes make me shy.

~Unknown

___________

A week later were in a jet ready to fly to our first destination, it had been a stressful time at work getting last-minute things situated, but I could already feel just how worth it it would all be,

"I'm not at all surprised you have a jet" I shake my head as I let myself snoop around the very nice interior,

His answer was a shrug along with a mumbled "it looked cool"

I let myself laugh as I look at my boyfriend "yeah well a lot of things are cool but you don't just buy them for no reason"

"My parents use it to travel as well so it's not going to waste" he shrugs once again pulling me to a seat directly across from him, and in between us is a table,

I smile and peck his lips,

Yesterday we had dinner with henry and he caught us up on a project he's working on at work,

I'm so proud of him, he's working endlessly and he seems so happy now, He told us to have fun after he left Aarons's place and to send him pictures, so I'm making it my mission to take as many pictures as I can,

But not letting myself get so caught in it that it takes away from the fun of a vacation,

"So where are we going first?" I ask him after we get settled in,

"We're starting off with Alaska," he says getting situated in his seat,

I immediately grin and think about one of the books I packed that would be perfect to read right now because of our first location,

"It's not a super long flight but you can sleep in the bedroom in here after we take off if you're tired," he says grabbing his laptop

"There's a bed?" I grin mischievously

He hums as he starts typing on his computer, putting himself in a trans of work, and it slightly annoys me but I don't let it get to me so much since he is a boss of a company,

So it's a given that he's going to be squeezing in moments for work,

"and are you going to join me or are you going to be on the computer the whole time?"

He smirks "are you insinuating you want to have sex in a plane?"

I shrug " I read in a book it's called 'joining the miles high club'"

He looks up at me from his computer with a smirk still playing on his lips "and you're into clubs all of a sudden?"

I smile "this one sounded interesting...don't you think?" I ask tilting my head

"Well then I guess we're joining a club after the jet takes off," he says

I smile before picking up my newest read called 'the simple wild by K.A tucker'

"Did you know this book takes place in Alaska...the girl falls for the man flying her in his small jet or something" I smile opening it to the first page

He looks up at me briefly "well good thing our pilot is married and 20 years older than you"

"why would I need anyone else when I have you?" I grin

His lips lift a little at the corners before he goes back to his computer,

I sigh "Aaron?"

"Yes, sunshine?" He asks watching me after he takes his gaze off the computer,

"Are you working?" I ask with a frown

"No..." he says before immediately looking at his computer and pressing a button,

"Aaron" I whine

"You said this trip was to get away from work for 9 days...not bring it with us" I frown trying to not her so upset,

"It's just a few emails and I will be done" he shrugs

"And they can't wait 9 days?" I frown

"And usually I look at your work emails Aaron...you can go without work for 9 days," I say with a sigh

"And what shall I do instead?" He raises a brow

I shrug "anything else...you can read one of the books I brought, watch a movie on your fancy jet tv...listen to music, sleep"

He sighs "how about I answer these last emails and when the jet is in the air I officially stop doing work on the trip?"

I shake my head rolling my eyes "you're such a workaholic, Mr. Huxley..."

He smirks but ignores my comment and goes back to his computer

______________

Over 6 hours later we land in Alaska and I'm practically jumping out of my seat in excitement,

"This is amazing" I whisper to myself looking out the window

"Yeah how about we go out of the jet so you can get a better look," Aaron grabs my hand chuckling,

I grin walking with him out of the jet, I look at the beautiful mountains, it's as if I'm in a daze, and I'm sure if Aaron wasn't holding my hand and leading me where we were going I would've ended up walking into a ditch,

We walk and get into a car, while we drive I admire the beautiful scenery, the land covered in a beautiful blanket of snow, the mountains painting a picture in the distance,

We get to a beautiful cabin, the snow was cleared off the walkway, and there are fairy lights along the roof, we walk into the cabin, and are greeted with a cozy, spacious area, the scent of pine and wood feel like Aaron in a sense,

"Wow," I breathe out, looking at the nice pillows and blankets, the decorations that just add to the cozy, rustic, Mountain type cabin vibe this has,

"Guess what I found outside" Aaron smirks walking back inside

"What?" I ask walking over to him,

He leads me to the backyard and my jaw drops at how beautiful it looks, the trees in the distance are covered in a beautiful layer of snow, the mountains in the back of the trees look almost painted and the sky is all different shades of pinks, blues, and purples,

He turns me slightly and I'm met face to face with a big jacuzzi,

"That is amazing..." I stare down at the heated jacuzzi,

He hums and kisses my neck "we're using that tonight"

"Don't have to tell me twice" I grin

"Where's our stuff?" I ask as we head back inside after he lets me stand and take in the beautiful scenery,

"I had the driver bring our stuff into our room, and I had him leave the rest of the luggage for the other destinations back in the jet," he says from behind me

I nod and sit on the bed and look out of the sliding door at the backyard, still in shock at the fact that this is our view for the next two days,

I feel the bed dip and Aaron lifting me on his lap, I lean my back on his chest taking in the warmth of his chest that immediately has my muscles relaxing,

"The driver brought my frog right?" I ask looking around suddenly noticing it nowhere on the bed,

I feel the vibrations of Aarons's laugh overtaking my body "yes don't worry your frog is right there" he points to the corner of the room where my carry-on is and the frog is on top,

"Okay" I nod leaning back on Aaron

He leaves a few kisses on my neck, I close my eyes and smile at Aarons's touch

"What are we going to do today?" I ask quietly as I focus on the hot lips that trace my skin as if he's tattooing his touch onto my body, and sometimes it feels that way with the lingering tingles id still feel hours after his lips leave my body,

"We're going to go out to eat, we can walk around and then go dog sledding...or whatever you want to do," he says gripping my hips and pulling me closer,

"We can go dog sledding?" I grin turning my head to catch sight of his face,

He nods and moves some hair away from my face

"Yeah I want to do your plan" I nod smiling

"Alright, then we should get ready to go eat" I jump from the bed the minute the words leave his lips,

"Dress warm I don't want you catching a cold," he says sternly gripping my jaw

"Alright," I say leaving a sweet kiss on his lips

_______________

After I dress warm in black thick leggings, a black hoodie, a thick sage green jacket, and a hat, along with cute boots that match my jacket, we head on over to eat.

"I don't understand why out of all the different things you could have tried on this menu you chose a sandwich" Aaron shakes his head smiling

"Because Mr. Huxley sandwiches are the best food out there" I smile taking a bite of the sandwich

He smiles and shakes his head taking a bite of his steak, We eat and discuss all the things we can do tomorrow,

"Okay so it says here they have a hot spring which sounds cool," I say looking online

"We can do that" he nods

"There's also different hikes, museums, and even some glaciers you can go to," I say reading off of the website stating the top best things to do in Alaska,

He nods "okay how about we enjoy today and go on a walk around the town and then we can figure out what to do at the end of the day?"

We finish up eating and then go to walk around a bit

"It looks like we're in a Hallmark movie..." I grin looking at the cute town covered in lights and beautiful decorations that feels warm and cozy,

I look over at Aaron in his sexy outfit that I can't help but stare at a little too long, his all-black attire including a long black sexy wool coat looks just as business as he is, the only color his outfit has is the white wool turtle neck I forced him to wear so he didn't look like he was attending a funeral,

"Did you bring a flannel?" I ask after we a couple of shops

He looks at me weirdly "no why?"

"Dang it I wanted to see you in a flannel...especially in this town that looks like a cheesy movie set, you could've been the hot man who works at chopping trees in your flannel and I could be the lost girl from the city in a new town needing directions" I grin

"We can go to one of these shops...I'm sure they have a flannel" he smirks teasingly

"Oh that's a great idea...when we get to the cabin I want you in a flannel chopping wood while I am drinking hot coca admiring how hot you look chopping wood" I sigh with a smile leading him into a shop,

I stop abruptly "actually scratch that idea I want you in no shirt while you're chopping wood...that's even hotter" I nod to myself

He chuckles "okay sunshine...whatever you want but I have to warn you the wood at the cabin is already pre-chopped"

"Dang it" I pout

"How about instead you can watch me make you your hot cocoa while I don't have a shirt on?"

I nod "I can work with that"

He grins shaking his head,

He kisses my forehead and grabs my hand as we continue to walk "you want to get some coffee before we go to the dog sledding?" He asks

I nod "yes I want something sweet with too much-whipped cream on top"

"Whatever you want sunshine" he half smiles

After we get our coffees we continue to walk around browsing and taking in the sweet town we're in,

"We should get Henry something from these gift shops" I smile at my bright idea,

"Oh! And something for your parents" I says pulling him into a gift shop

I grabbed a tea set that has 'Chaga' tea 'wild rose' tea and special Alaska blends that I think Aarons's mom will love, we also bought an Ulu knife that the worker said is amazing for a bunch of things so I got one for Aarons dad and one for Henry,

Aaron grabbed some jade jewelry pieces for his mom and me which was sweet,

At the register, I grab my wallet and see my credit card is missing

"Where is..." I stop mid-sentence and look up at Aaron to see his big smirk plastered on his face as he hands the cashier his card,

"What did you do with my card?" I ask getting irritated

"I might have left if in New York" he shrugged nonchalantly,

"You freaking Asshole! I'm mad at you I'm going to wait outside" I frown

I sit on a bench outside of the shop Aarons in, I can't believe the man took my card out of my wallet,

Who does he think he is?

"Is this seat taken?" A rugged man in a plaid jacket and a huge beard asks,

"Nope" I smile

"You visiting?" He asks

"Yes, what about you?" I ask looking at him

"I live here, have been my whole life" he smiles with a sigh as he settles on the bench,

"Are you by yourself?" I ask

He shakes his head "my wife and kids are shopping and they let me sit outside to not torture me with their shopping spree" he laughs

His face is beaming as he talks about his wife and kids, he looks so overjoyed and happy and I just wish I could have that someday,

"What about you? What are you doing out here all alone?" He asks smiling,

I would be creeped out by that statement since new york had so many weirdos and I'm used to it, but for some reason, his presence doesn't seem to bring me to fear,

"My boyfriend pissed me off by leaving my credit card back at home so he could pay for everything...but he knows how much I hate it when only he pays for things so I'm sitting out here" I sigh

He starts laughing while shaking his head "seems the man likes spoiling you"

"You have no idea" I mumble under my breath

"Well anyway I'm just sitting here while he buys some souvenirs for people back home" I softly smile

"You guys enjoying Alaska so far?" He asks

I nod "yes it's so beautiful here, actually since you have lived here long What are some things you recommend we check out before we leave? We have one full day left tomorrow" I say

He beams "well you guys should try seeing some northern lights, there stunning here, the best place to go is to drive up to an empty field to see them, and you guys should check out some glaciers as well and since you're with your boyfriend I would recommend you guys check out Chen's hot springs if you haven't already" he smiles

"Thank you, we will certainly have to go to some of those" I give him a soft smile

A small child that looks about four or five runs our way

"Daddy, daddy look what mommy got me" the little girl grins from ear to ear as she holds up a unicorn stuffed animal,

"That's amazing my sunflower, now where's mommy and your brother at?" He says lifting her and smiling at her

His whole face transforms into happiness as he looks at his daughter,

"Mommy wanted to get some diapers for baby peanut" she giggles

He shakes his head "that baby isn't even here yet and your mommy is going crazy for it huh?" The dad laughs

The little girl giggles and scrunches her nose,

She looks over at me and she immediately turns shy and leans onto her dad,

"Hi" she softly says

"Hi, you look like a princess," I said softly looking at her black long hair and beautiful freckles coating her pale complexion,

She blushes and says a quiet 'thank you and hides her face in her father's Chest,

"She's a bit shy with new people" the father softly laughs

I smile looking at the little girl "how many kids do you have?" I ask the dad

"Well we have this little princess named daisy, and our 9-year-old boy named Cody and we also have another on the way but we don't find out who it is for a few more weeks" he beams

"Congratulations" I smile

I feel a presence behind me and the scent of wood, spice, and vanilla,

Aaron.

"You still mad sunshine?" he says in my ear

I pout slightly as I turn my head to look up at him,

He has a small smile playing on his lips "maybe..." I mumble

He gives me his hand "come on we have to go dog sledding you can be mad later"

I grab his hand and before we walk away I turn to the man and his daughter "it was nice to meet you, have a good day" I grin

"Thank you, you have a great time here" he smiles

_____________

"That was the coolest thing I have ever done" I squeal after we get off the dog sled

I pet a couple of the huskies before we leave,

"Still mad?" He whispers in my ear

"I honestly don't remember what I was mad at after that, did you see how pretty it was" I smile reminiscing of the beautiful, mountains we saw and the trees decorating fields, the snow coating everything like a warm protective blanket over all around,

The dogs moved so elegantly along the pathway, it was as if we got transported into a different world as we rode along the trail,

He chuckles and kisses me, I wrap my arms around his neck, he grabs my hips and I jump and wrap my legs around him,

"Let's go back to that cabin I want to try that jacuzzi out" he mumbles against my lips

"I'm not opposed to that idea, oh can I hop on your back and you carry me?" I grin

He playfully rolls his eyes and sets me down so I can go on his back

He grips my thighs holding me steadily and walks to our rental car

____________

I close my eyes and exhale as I take in the cold shivers that appear on my body outside, but the contrast of the hot water and the even hotter man by my side makes the perfect mixture of everything,

There's nothing in sight out here and we were told we would be able to see northern lights from the backyard so we have been in the jacuzzi for about an hour and a half with nothing to see,

Until finally the magic in the sky happens

I gasped looking at what was happening right before my eyes,

The green and a slight bit of purple colors dance in the sky, illuminating everything around us

It's an experience that I have dreamed of being able to see

"Wow" I breathe out

I feel hands sliding around my waist pulling my back to a chest, I feel Aaron resting his chin on the top of my head

"It's beautiful" I beam looking at the alluring sky in front of us

"Yeah it's almost as beautiful as you...but not quite" he mumbles into my ear nibbling it slightly,

I snicker and turn my head to look at him a moment later to see him already staring down at me,

"You are aware this is like a once-in-a-lifetime experience right? So shut up and look at the sky instead of me" I grin from ear to ear,

His smile is warm and sweet as he looks at me, creating a blanket over my skin as snow does to trees

"I love seeing you this happy," he admits quietly,

"I'm almost always happy" I shrug

He shakes his head and I frown

"Yes you might always smile and you are positive but deep down you're doing it for a different reason, you're doing it to make sure your smile makes others happy, that you bring joy and love into others' lives," he says quietly

"But you aren't ever truly happy...there's always something going on in that pretty little head of yours overworking it, and I think your brain tries so hard to make others happy that it forgets to make sure you are too" he caresses my chin

"But right now your smile..." he says gently as his face forms such a beautiful smile that my insides feel like a kettle boiling water,

"Your smile right now is so genuine...with nothing but pure happiness behind it, not for the purpose of other's happiness, its just there from your pure joy," he says sweetly

"God that smile...your smile warms my heart in a way the sun never could" he shakes his head looking so deeply at me that I think I might melt,

"That's the kind of smile I want to keep seeing on your face, the ones that are there just for you and because you're happy," he says embracing me from behind

"So you go back to looking at the sky and being purely happy and I'll go back to looking at my source of pure joy which would be you," he says laying a gentle kiss on the top of my head

I lay my head on his chest and look at the sky, tears are streaming down my face but I don't make any effort to wipe them and neither does Aaron since they don't stop,

"You're my source of pure happiness to Aaron," I say quietly sniffling slightly

I don't give him time to respond as I keep talking

"You make me so happy that I sometimes forget how to breathe, or how to think straight, it's unbelievable to me how a single person can give you this much happiness" I shake my head as silent tears continue to stream

I keep my gaze on the sky and Aarons's embrace on me tightens as I talk

"When I ended up losing both parents I never thought I would truly be happy again, I thought I would die alone and unhappy, but then you came into my life, a grumpy man that everyone hates to talk to at work..." I slightly laugh

"And you became my source of happiness, the reason the smile on my face is genuine, you became the person that helped me live life and not just float in place for eternity," I confess quietly

"You're the opposite of what everyone thinks of you, and I'm so damn thankful and honored I get to be the one to see the sunshine that lives inside of you, I'm thankful I get to see your beautiful smile that can melt a person's heart, I'm thankful I get to witness just how kind and sweet your heart is, and I'm most grateful I get to love you, and that you love me" I smile as I keep my gaze up at the sky

"If I didn't tell you I loved you already I probably would've screamed it right now" I laugh

I watch as the lights in the sky slowly fade into a dim beautiful light, I watch as the colors appear less bright and the dance that was once there slowly begins to end,

"You're the sunshine that lives in me...my smile is there because one simple thought of you makes me a goner, a simple touch sets my skin on fire, the simple sound of your laughter calms me, my heart beats for your sunshine and I don't see it ever being anyone else's, you're engraved in my body, soul, and mind always," he says with so much emotion that it fuels my heart with so much love that it almost feels like it's his heart inside me beating,

"Your smile is dangerous my sunshine," he says with so much love in his voice that it makes me turn fully around in his hold to look up at him,

"And why is that?" I question quietly

His fingers gently brush off my tears, his lips rest on my forehead and against it, he says softly

"Because it steals hearts"

I smile a little "I don't think my smile is that powerful"

He moves his lips away from my face and tips my chin up "I'm living proof of it Vanessa" he quietly murmurs

I swallow looking up at him

"The first time I saw you and you smiled I knew you were going to be trouble because I already felt my frozen heart crack a little at your sun," he says staring at me with so much love that I think I'm going to burst,

That u might just die right here in a jacuzzi,

"And then before I knew it, my frozen heart melted and was stolen by a beautiful angel that radiates the sun" he chuckles shaking his head

I start to cry more and when I speak it's half a laugh and half cry "I'm so glad I decided to take a chance at the interview for the assistant position... I was about to not do it, I thought it was impossible to get it with how successful you are" I shake my head

He smiles and grips my hips which makes me wrap them around him, and wrap my arms around his neck

"I love you" I breathe out with a smile to the point my cheeks hurt

He grins "and I love you, now let's get to bed before you freeze your ass"

I smile and embrace him with a hug, his arms tighten as he pulls me closer

He makes me so happy to the point I don't remember how I lived without him,

How did I smile without him being the reason for the smiles being there?

How did I go through life alone and think that was the way to live?

_______________

The next day is jam-packed with us doing things,

We ended up getting some food and coffee then we went to the glaciers

We took so many pictures in two days and I'm sure Henry is beginning to be annoyed with how much I send him,

We tried a bunch of different food, Then we went on some hikes and took in the beautiful scenery here, We then ended the day off by going to the hot springs

Now we're on a plane again and a long flight is ahead of us as we venture off to our next destination

----notes---

Hey guys! I hope the chapter was alright, I just started senior year and have been so stressed with the school that I barely have time to write! I almost forgot I had to write a chapter today, so it was very stressful to write, so sorry it took so long!

Please ignore that bad grammar and shit in this! I'm so mentally drained I can't think straight

Hope you guys enjoyed this long chapter nonetheless,

I thought it would be fun to include some traveling chapters to be ready because the next couple of chapters are going to be filled with adventure,

Fun fact the simple wild by K.A tucker is one of my fave book series 😭 I'm obsessed with calla and Jonah's two books + novella

Vote and comment!

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