Overtime

Chapter 29

After dinner, Jackson takes my hand and leads me back towards the canyon. We walk in silence until we reach a small building. It's a small souvenir shop with advertisements for the skywalk. Jackson walks over to the counter where a worker stands and releases my hand to grab his wallet. "How are you folks doing today?" the old man whose name tag says Johnny asks.

"I'm doing great," I say with a big smile. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful. What can I do for you two today?" he asks.

Jackson shows the man two tickets. "We're going out to the skywalk."

The man nods. "Enjoy yourselves. I'll buzz you through."

"Thank you."

When we hear the buzzer, we push through the door to be greeted with a beautiful view. The sun has begun to lower, giving the sky orangish-pink highlights. We walk towards the skywalk but I come to an abrupt stop when I get a good look at it. It is s U-shaped bridge that sticks out of the side of the Grand Canyon. But really stuns me is the fact that floor is glass. "Why'd you stop? Come on," Jackson says.

"You want me to stand on glass thousands of feet above the ground?" I ask in disbelief.
He chuckles. "It's only four thousand feet above the ground."

I narrow my eyes at him. "You aren't helping."

He sighs. "Babe, people walk across this every day. We'll be okay," he holds out his hand for me to take. "Trust me."

And I do... with my life. So I place my hand in his and take a deep breath before following him onto the skywalk. I focus on the sky to avoid thinking about the fact that we're up so high with glass holding us up but when I glance down, I gasp. Although it was frightening at first, I find the experience exhilarating. The view is breathtaking. But when I look at Jackson, he isn't in enjoying the same view as I am. He's watching me. "How could you possibly be looking at me when you could be looking at this beautiful view?" I ask.

"You are God's most beautiful creation. Nothing is more important that you," he says softly, cupping my cheek. His thumb brushes my soft skin and I find myself leaning into his touch. "I'm falling for you way too fast and it scares the hell out of me. I could jump off this bridge right now and it wouldn't scare me nearly as much as the thought of losing you does. You mean so much to me."

I close my eyes to avoid letting the tears escape. Those words mean so much to me. He tilts my head back slightly before his lips meet mine. My hands slip up his chest to his neck where my fingertips slip into his hair. His kiss is slow and passionate, only making me want him more. I pull away and lean my forehead against his, keeping my eyes closed. "I'm falling for you too," I admit softly.

We hold each other for a long moment before he loosens his arms, allowing my to turn. The front of his body is pressed against the back of mine and his arms are wrapped securely around my waist. We watch the sunset in silence as people quietly murmur around us. Once the sun has completely disappeared, leaving us in the dark, we go back to the store where I notice Tom talking to Johnny. When he notices us, he smiles. "Mr. Lancaster, your helicopter is waiting. Here are your photos."

"Thank you," Jackson says, taking the envelope.

"How was your day Mrs. Lancaster? The sun seems to agree with you," he says politely.

I feel my cheeks warm. "I had a wonderful time here, thank you."

He nods. "You're very welcome. You two have a good night."

"Thanks. You too," Jackson replies.

We leave the store, heading back to the spot where the helicopter dropped us off. I can't help but smile over the fact that everyone keeps calling me Mrs. Lancaster. It's cute.

The helicopter is exactly where we expected it to be. Jackson lifts me up, setting me on the seat and buckling me in. Once he is in, the pilot begins flipping switches and the rotors begin to spin. I put my headset on and glance at Jackson who is buckling with his headset already on. "Ready, Mr. Lancaster?" I ask with a small smile.

He nods. "Ready, Mrs. Lancaster," he says with a wink.

Grinning stupidly, I turn away. He helicopter rises from the ground and we fly in the darkness. There's something calming about being up in the air at night. As I look down at the lights beneath us, I feel as if I am floating. I feel free. I love the feeling.

When the helicopter arrives in a large city, I realize we aren't going back to the same hotel. Furrowing my eyebrows, I search for clues that'll give away our location. Las Vegas. I turn to Jackson. "What about our things?" I ask.

"They're already in our room. I had them delivered this morning."

"So we're spending tomorrow in Las Vegas?" I ask with an excited grin.

"Yes, but our fun starts tonight. I have a surprise for you."

The helicopter safely lands on the roof of a tall building and we get off. The pilot hands Jackson a key card before we go through the door leading into the building. We take the stairs down to first door labeled Penthouse Suite. He swipes the key to open the door. We step into the foyer where I see a couple doors and an elevator. Jackson walks straight ahead to the middle door and swipes the card. Opening the door, he allows me to walk in first. I gasp.

The floor to ceiling windows gives us the perfect view of the city. As I walk through the room, I notice the two flat screens, private bedroom, the bar, a large living area, and a dining area. When I step into the bathroom, I almost moan at the sight of the oversized bathtub and separate shower. I could use a long, relaxing bath right about now.

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