Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 219

*Shelby*

After lunch and gossiping for an hour, we all loaded up into the van Michael had rented. We were driving up a winding road surrounded by lush foliage and exotic flowers galore. Staring out into the Hawaiian nature took my breath away because it felt like we had been transported to a mythical land that was untouched by man. The air smelled fresh and unpolluted, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.

“You packed the hiking strollers, right?” Michael asked me for the third time today.

“YES, Michael, and she packed the baby carriers as well. She told you that already. Stop micromanaging and stressing. This is a vacation,” Aubrey laughed as she ribbed him. She knew how his brain worked, and that he would NOT stop stressing over everything going perfectly, so she gave him s**t at every possible moment.

“Not everyone is comfortable flying by the seat of their pants, Aub, sorry,” Michael rebutted, then gave a look to Gianna and Jerrick. They all laughed and began talking about what Michael had planned for us today.

“I don’t want to take the babies all the way to the top of the summit, but we’re going to go to the back of the volcano and hike around. It’s less traveled and is home to many plants and animals on the endangered list. We’ll see things we won’t ever see anywhere else.” Michael had an itinerary pulled up on his phone and was reading from it.

Lin nodded in agreement and reached over to adjust Aubrey’s hair that had fallen in front of her eyes, “Sounds like an adventure.”

The sun was high in the sky by the time we arrived at Haleakala National Park. We quickly unpacked and headed over to meet with our tour guide for the day.

“Hello, my name is Koa, and I’ll be your guide today.” He welcomed us warmly and then began informing us of some interesting facts about the park and its animals.

Koa had deep brown eyes and a beautiful Hawaiian accent. His voice was smooth like silk, and I understood why Michael had said he was the most popular tour guide in the park. He was tall and muscular, with long hair that cascaded down his back in gentle waves, and he seemed to know everything there was to know about the volcano and surrounding ecosystem.

He was talking about a rare species of bird that only lived on the volcano and how we might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it if we were quiet enough.

Michael and I quickly got the babies ready to start the hike, and we listened to Aubrey and Lin argue about who knew more about hiking as they loaded up their backpacks with all the necessities.

We followed Koa on the trail, Michael and I leading with the special all-terrain strollers and our friends trailing behind us. We blazed a path up the volcano as he showed us landmarks and introduced us to plants along the way. The twins calmly cooed in their strollers, looking around and waving their chubby hands in glee.

We heard exotic birdsongs filling the air as we passed colorful flowers in bloom. Butterflies fluttered by our faces like miniature fairies, while dragonflies buzzed past at incredible speeds. The smell of wild orchids was inescapable, and it made us all feel like we had been transported into an enchanted fairy kingdom.

As we moved further along, our surroundings changed from lush rainforest to small patches of grass leading up to jagged rocks reaching towards the sky far above us. We stopped for lunch at one of these spots and looked out over an incredible view of Maui stretching out before us like an oceanic landscape painting.

“This area is full of plants that my people have used in traditional medicinal ways for centuries,” Koa explained, pointing to the plants around us, grabbing a few, then continuing. “Maybe you’ve heard of aloe vera for cuts and burns, maile for pain relief, kukui nut oil for skin health, and ‘Ohi’a lehua blossom honey soothes sore throats?”

“Oh, wow. That’s amazing,” Gianna observed the ‘Ohi’a lehua, a prickly red flower that almost resembled a sea anemone.

“I packed sandwiches and fruit for snacks,” Jerrick announced as he gathered the food from a basket he had brought with us.

I had put my pumps on fifteen minutes earlier, so I was pouring the freshly expressed breast milk into bottles for Lin and Aubrey to feed the babies.

“Come here, sweet Amelia,” Lin cooed affectionately as she picked our sweet girl up from the stroller.

“I can’t believe how much they’ve grown,” Aubrey said as she held Thomas and fed him a bottle.

I sat and munched on some pineapple, staring at my friends and family. With the sound of the ocean and wildlife in my ears, the sun beating down on my shoulders, and the smell of wildflowers all around me, this was the most peaceful I had ever felt. With tears in my eyes, I said, “I really can’t believe you’re all here with us. Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me.”

Gianna smiled. “Of course. We wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

As I wiped away my tears, Jerrick chimed in, “Besides, who the hell would pass up a trip to paradise?”

We finished our lunch, and Koa led the way toward a hidden waterfall. We followed a narrow path down to a small pool of water that was crystal clear.

Koa stripped down to his swim trunks, then jumped into the water with a loud splash. “Who’s coming in?” he called out.

Gianni was quick to follow, jumping in with a big smile on his face. Lin and Aubrey giggled as they waded in, holding the babies up high. Michael and I sat on the rocks, watching our friends swim and play in the water. It was a beautiful moment that felt like it was straight out of a movie.

Everyone swam for half an hour or so when Koa popped out and began to dry off, “We should get ready to head back down. I don’t want to go any higher than we are now since we have small ones along for the trek.”

We all agreed and began to get ourselves ready, packing up the food and supplies. Lin put Amelia in the stroller, and Koa helped Gianni strap his hiking pack on his back.

We put our shoes back on and stepped onto the outlook taking one last look at the breathtaking view of Maui. From here, we were able to see for miles in each direction–rolling green hills, sparkling blue ocean, and a bright blue sky, with barely a cloud marring it. It was an incredibly calming sight that I know I would never forget.

We carefully made our way down the volcano, taking turns carrying babies when they got tired or cranky.

About two hours later, we finally arrived at the bottom of the volcano feeling exhausted yet content. Michael herded everyone to the van as he thanked Koa for his guidance and expertise, slipping him a hefty tip for his time and attention.

When he turned to face us, he said, “We need to head back and get dressed in our Sunday best. I rented out a local restaurant this evening, so bring your appetites.”

Three hours passed quickly, and we arrived at the restaurant hungry and excited. The two cars pulled in front of Spago, a well-known Hawaiian restaurant located on a beachfront. The inside of the building was decorated with warm colors and traditional Hawaiian artifacts, and the outside was beautifully landscaped, surrounded by a garden with vibrant foliage and colorful flowers.

The hostess led us to the main dining area, which had a breathtaking view of the white sand beach and gentle waves crashing against it. We all smiled in admiration before taking our seats at the long mahogany table draped with bright yellow linen.

“Daaaaamn, Michael,” Lin commented. “You really outdid yourself. This is badass.”

Michael grinned in response, sitting at the table, “I wanted to treat some of our favorite people to an extraordinary evening.”

“Well, you hit the nail on the head,” Jerrick mused as he picked up a menu to look at the drinks. “I think I’m going to have about twelve Mai Tais at dinner.”

We took turns passing around the food menus, oohing and ahhing at the traditional Hawaiian foods like kalua pork, laulau, lomi salmon clam chowder, poi, and haupia for dessert.

We all decided on our choice and soon plates of hot, aromatic food started pouring in.

Everyone ate, filling up on the delicious dishes and getting pleasantly tipsy from the drinks. Gianni had us laughing with his ridiculous jokes and Jerrick was playing an acoustic guitar he found on a stage in the corner, making us laugh because the only song he knew was “Wonderwall” by Oasis.

As the night went on, good spirits and laughter filled the air, and conversations became more random and silly.

“Lin,” Aubrey suddenly said, turning to our friend with a tipsy grin on her face, “did you know when someone from the island gets drunk their eyes turn blue?”

Lin laughed. “That can’t be true.”

She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her drink before nodding toward our server, a woman in her early thirties who was giggling to herself as she collected our empty Mai Tai glasses. “Ask her, she’ll tell you. Koa mentioned it earlier on our hike.”

“Ma’am,” Lin slurred. “Please tell my ridiculous friend that Hawaiian people’s eyes don’t turn blue when they drink. Our tour guide earlier tricked her.”

The server laughed heartily and replied, “I know Koa. He’s always telling tales to the tourists. You can’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. Well, except for the info he knows about the outdoors. He really is an expert when it comes to plants and volcanos.”

“You’re too gullible,” I mocked Aubrey then bear-hugged her as tight as I could. She squeezed me back, and before we knew it, Lin jumped on top of us. We all fell out of our chairs and collapsed on the floor of the restaurant in a fit of laughter.

Michael, Gianni, and Jerrick watched on with fake horror, mouths exaggeratedly hanging open. Michael had stayed sober to care for the babies, and I was thankful for that as I laid on top of my friends, laughing and tipsy.

Gianni and Jerrick had argued about who had been a better athlete in high school, which ended in a faux wrestling match that neither of them won. We talked into the night until our laughter wound down and exhaustion crawled in.

Michael, the twins, and I headed back to our house, while our friends went to stay in the hotel rooms Michael had reserved for them. We all said our goodbyes with claps on each other’s backs and with excitement for the plans to come on the rest of the trip.

When we got back to our home away from home, I swayed as I walked up the steps to the porch. Michael noticed and asked if I was alright. I nodded my head and flashed him a bright, albeit wobbly, smile. He chuckled and kissed me gently before leading me inside. We put the babies down in their cribs and changed into our pajamas.

Michael helped me grab my breast pump and secure all of the parts. I couldn’t use the milk because I had had way too many Mai Tais, but if I didn’t pump before bed, I’d wake up engorged and miserable. I sat on our bed, topless wearing old ratty pajama bottoms, expressing milk from my breasts.

“You’re so beautiful,” Michael whispered.

I snorted out loud, then covered my face with my hands. “And you’re full of s**t,” I laughed in response.

“I’m serious. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.” Michael had his “work” face on, the one he wore in meetings that said, ‘Don’t f**k with me.’

Because I’d never been scared of him, I scoffed, then leaned over to k**s him. “I still think you’re full of s**t, but thank you.”

Michael took the bottles of milk and dumped them in the sink for me. When he re-entered the bedroom, he had two Tylenols and a bottle of water in his hands.

“You better take these and chug this water. We don’t want you waking up hungover tomorrow.” He guided the medicine to my mouth and helped me sit up to swallow them. Then, he held the water and made me drink half of the bottle.

“My knight in shining armor,” I slurred, already fighting the heaviness in my eyes as I lay against the soft silk pillowcase.

“My drunken, gorgeous, sexy wife,” Michael whispered, kissing my eyelids and sending me off into a dreamless deep sleep.