Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 64

*Shelby*

I was woken up by the sound of a car driving down the snow-covered drive. I turned over in the four-poster log bed, but the space next to me was empty. I slipped out of bed, my bare feet hitting the cold floor, and pulled the curtain back to see one of Michael’s black cars pulling up to the front of the house. Curious as to who was leaving this early, I made my way down the spiral staircase.

“Please have the jet fueled up and ready by the time my cousin arrives. She will be going back to New York today. She is not feeling well, so there can be no delays,” Michael spoke into the phone.

He was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, still in his pajamas.

“What is going on?” I asked, walking up to him.

He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me in close as he set his phone down on the kitchen counter.

“I had to set up the jet to pick up Lucille. Her headache has turned into the flu. She doesn’t want to stay.”

“Oh no, that is horrible. Is she going to be okay?”

“I think so. I tried to convince her to stay so we could look after her, but she is insisting on going back to New York.”

We both helped Lucille out to the car, and she did look like she wasn’t feeling well.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” I asked Lucille as I bent down to help her into the car.

“No, I don’t want to ruin Christmas. I would just like to be home in my own bed,” Lucille admitted.

“Call if you need anything. I will send my assistant over with whatever you need,” Michael said; once she nodded, he closed the car door.

We stood there waving as her car disappeared down the long drive.

“Well, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?” I turned to look at Michael, who ushered me inside.

We cuddled up on the couch in the living room, where the fire was already blazing. I was thankful for the heat, the slippers I wore outside had done little to keep the cold at bay.

“I was thinking we could spend the day skiing. I realized this morning that I hadn’t asked you if you have ever been.”

“I have been skiing before, but it has been a very long time. I would love to go, but we might have to take some time getting me used to it all over again,” I said.

“I will be right there to help you,” Michael said with a smile. “There is a great little restaurant at the top of one of the lifts. We could go there for lunch and then spend the rest of the evening here, just you and me,” Michael leaned down and kissed me.

“That sounds like an amazing way to spend Christmas Eve,” I said, my lips brushing against Michael’s as I spoke.

“Well then, we better go get ready, but honestly, I am replaceing it hard to get my feet to move,” Michael said, kissing my lips again.

I laughed and pulled him in for a deep long k**s before standing up and leading him up the stairs to bundle up against the cold.

The ski resort was so much bigger than I anticipated and more intimidating than the ones I had visited with my parents when I was younger. Michael gripped my hand tightly as I tried my best to keep my balance in my ski boots.

“I feel like if I can accomplish just getting to the ski lift, we should count this day as a win,” I said with a laugh.

“Well, I will let you decide. Once we get to the bottom of the ski run, we can either go up again or spend the rest of the day in the resort’s sauna,” Michael said with a lopsided grin.

“Ooooh, don’t tempt me with that, or we might not get to the top once.”

The chair came around, and I surprised myself with being able to get on. I wasn’t exactly graceful, but I got on in the end. The view only got better the higher we went up the side of the mountain. The wind whipped at my cheeks, making my face cold.

“Alright, we are just about to dismount, which is the scariest part. Once you have that out of the way, the rest will be a cakewalk.”

I gripped the ski poles tightly as I dismounted off of the lift chair, my heart beat racing. After that, it was all survival. I did my best to remember how to slow down as we descended the hill. Michael made sure to stay near in case I needed him.

I was just starting to gain confidence when I realized I had gone a bit too far to the side and had to avoid a pine tree. I leaned as far as I dared without tipping myself over into the snow and managed to get myself back to the middle of the ski run.

The ground leveled out, and I was able to slow myself to a stop.

“You did absolutely amazing. I only got a little worried there for a second when it seemed like you were heading for that pine tree,” Michael said, a proud smile on his face.

“That’s because I WAS headed for that pine tree. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to miss it,” I said, giggling as I pulled off my goggles.

“What do you say we go again one more time before lunch?” Michael asked.

I could see in his eyes that he was desperate to go again. I was so happy to see him enjoying himself that I summoned all of my courage and agreed. This time I managed the lift with a bit more grace, and on the way down the hill, I let myself gain a bit more speed. My heart started racing with adrenaline, and I started to understand why so many people enjoyed the activity.

“Did you see me?” I asked with excitement flooding through my voice.

“You did amazing!” Michael said, scooping me into a hug as he stopped next to me. Our skis got tangled in each other, and we nearly fell into the snow.

Michael laughed loudly as we steadied ourselves.

“I didn’t even hit any pine trees,” I said, laughing.

“That was the most impressive part,” Michael said with a grin that seemed as though it was permanent.

We made our way back to the resort, where we dropped off our equipment before taking a short trip up another lift. This one we got off on our own two feet and walked down a short pathway to a restaurant on the side of the hill. The building had walls of windows, so the dining room had panoramic views of the snow-covered mountains.

“I love the idea that we are just casually having lunch on the literal side of the mountain,” I said after the waiter seated us next to one of the large windows.

“It is a pretty unique place. That is why I wanted to bring you here; how often do you get the chance to eat with views like this as your backdrop,” Michael answered.

We had slipped off our snow coats and left them with the hostess, but we were still wearing our snow pants and boots. I was surprised at just how warm I was under all of the layers.

“So, what is the plan for tomorrow,” I asked, taking a long sip of water.

“We can do whatever you’d like. I hope it is okay that it is going to be a pretty quiet Christmas this year,” Michael said.

“That is honestly what I am used to,” I said. “I think I have told you that my grandfather doesn’t really leave the house much. So we used to make our own fun, especially on Christmas. We would watch old black and white movies, play board games, and then cook Christmas dinner together.”

“I like the sound of that. We could make our Christmas similar if you would like,” Michael offered.

“I would like that,” I said with a smile.

Our conversations lulled as our food was brought to the table, and we both immediately dug in. We were both starving from a day full of skiing.

“I wanted to ask you something,” I said as we were both starting to fill up.

“Ask me anything, Shelby,” Michael said, staring into my eyes.

“I would like you to meet my grandfather. He isn’t really up for going out to a restaurant or anything, but it would really mean a lot to me if you would come for dinner. Would you come?” I asked him.

“Does your grandfather know about us?” Michael said, sounding concerned.

“Yes, I told him I am dating someone, and it is starting to get serious,” I answered. I had mentioned our relationship when I went to visit my grandfather earlier that week.

“I guess what I am really asking here is, does he know that I am older than you?” Michael asked.

“Not exactly, but I don’t think that will matter to him. I know he is going to like you, Michael. All he cares about is whether or not I am happy.”

“I will come. It would be an honor to meet him, Shelby.”

Once we were done eating, we took the lift back down to the resort. The winter sun was already dropping lower in the sky. Bruce picked us up from the ski lodge and drove us back to the cabin as Christmas songs played softly on the radio.

“Go ahead and pick the movie,” Michael called from the kitchen.

He was making popcorn and hot chocolate for our movie night. I started searching for a movie to watch, landing on one of the black-and-white films that I had watched every year with my grandfather. Michael returned carrying a tray of popcorn, hot chocolate, and other snacks. He set it on the table in front of us before grabbing a large blanket for us to burrow under.

I felt the vibration of Michael’s phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled away from me as he looked at the screen. The call was from an unknown number.

“I have to take this,” he said.

Michael retreated to the kitchen, leaving me alone, and wondering.

What was he hiding from me?