Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 755 : Hawaiian Paradise

*Cat*

Elio showed me around the house we would be staying in, and my amazement only grew with each passing room. It was a gorgeous home, full of a mixture of antique and more modern touches. There were massive windows in every room so that light filled the entire space. It sat almost directly on the beach, so close that sand had blown onto the front porch.

“How is it so secluded?” I asked Elio, shocked that the beach wasn’t crawling with tourists.

“Not many people come out this far. A buddy of mine from college is from Hawaii, and this home has been in his family for generations. You can’t even find this beach on any maps. They keep it a secret so that tourists don’t end up ruining it. Normally his family doesn’t allow any outsiders to stay here at the house, but he assured them that we knew how to keep our mouths shut.”

“Wow,” I murmured as I looked across the pristine sand. The sound of crashing waves could be heard everywhere in the house, and the smell of salty beach air filled each room. I had a feeling our time here would fly by far too quickly. I had never been to Hawaii before, but I knew that I would be begging to come back as soon as we could.

“Let’s take a walk on the beach. We have dinner reservations tonight, but that won’t be for another couple of hours,” Elio said, linking his arm in mine and guiding me to the beachfront. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

I left my shoes at the house so I could let the water lick at my toes. It was a hot day, but the breeze and cool water were exactly what I needed after such a long flight. So far my pregnancy had been mostly easy, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel the effects of it. Put a pregnant woman on a plane for hours and she’s going to end up feeling a tad achy afterward. I had a feeling that all my aches would soon be forgotten as I looked out over the unbelievably clear blue water.

“This is so beautiful,” I gasped, unable to pull my eyes away from the view.

Elio stopped and wrapped his arms around me, resting his head on my shoulder and pulling me closer to him. “I love showing you the world,” he said.

“I can’t wait to travel with our little princess,” I said, unable to keep my thoughts away from her for very long, “Every place we’ve been, I want to take her so that she can see our love story.”

He moved his hands so that they were resting on my baby bump. “I agree, I want her to see the world too.”

I gasped and squinted as two dark fins emerged from the water in the distance. “Dolphins!” I shouted excitedly.

“Yeah, my friend said they get pretty close to the beach here. They get comfortable since there aren’t so many people.”

“Are you sure we need to go to dinner? I think I could just sit here and watch for dolphins all day!” I said, wading into the water to get just a few feet closer to the majestic animals.

Elio took my hand to stop me from going in any deeper than my knees. “I promise we can spend the majority of our time right here, but these reservations will be worth it. Besides, I know how hungry you get these days; you’ll be desperate for dinner here soon.”

I chuckled at his words, he was right as usual. But that didn’t stop me from reaching down and scooping up a handful of water to splash him with.

“Hey! You’ll pay for that!” he growled, letting go of my hand and grabbing water for himself.

I squealed and ran back up the beach toward safety, but he still managed to splash me square in the back.

“I thought you didn’t want me to get too wet!” I shrieked as he continued to chase after me.

“That was before I had to get my revenge!” he shouted while chasing me. Unfortunately for me, I was no match for his long legs and before I knew it, he had wrapped his arms around my waist and swung me around. “I ought to just throw you down on the sand right here,” he teased.

I gasped. “You would never! You can’t take me to dinner with sand in my hair!”

He chuckled, “I don’t know about that, baby. I’d take you to dinner with a whole lot worse than sand in your hair.”

I pretended to be shocked and offended by his words, but secretly they thrilled me. I loved when he got wild and rough with me. He was always so reserved when we were back home; he had to think about how he came off in front of his men. But when we were on vacation just the two of us, he could really let himself be free. It was a side of him that only I got to see, and that made me love it even more.

“Alright, I’m calling a truce for now, but you better watch yourself, missy,” he joked before sweeping me off my feet and carrying me the rest of the way to the house. I threw my head back and laughed at his ridiculous words while he grinned down at me. This trip was going to be perfect.

Back in the house, the closet in our bedroom had already been filled with beachy dresses. I glanced questioningly at Elio, who shrugged. “I might have done a little online shopping and had it delivered here,” he admitted. “I can’t help it. I love dressing you!”

I rolled my eyes but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. I found it hopelessly romantic that he loved to pick out new clothes for me, especially now that my body was changing with pregnancy. I knew he enjoyed imagining how different pieces would look with my growing belly.

I flipped through the dresses, deciding on one that was made of flowy chiffon and covered in a muted floral pattern. It looked distinctly Hawaiian without making me seem like an over-the-top American tourist. I pulled it on and turned my back to Elio so that he could zip it for me. He had already changed into a relaxed linen suit, the light tan color emphasizing his olive skin. I hoped our daughter would get her looks from him. His thick black hair would be amazing on a little girl.

After a quick hair and makeup session, I was ready to go to dinner. Elio had been right; I was absolutely starving. The restaurant was within walking distance, so I grabbed an apple from the kitchen to tide me over until we made it.

We walked hand in hand to the restaurant called Cane and Canoe. The delicious smell of seafood filled the air and had my mouth watering. The restaurant had rooftop seating with string lights and a nearly 360-degree view of the ocean. I had no idea how they had managed to find such a perfect location, but I was beginning to realize that everything about this place was magical. I glanced up at Elio to see if he was as enchanted as I was, but he was staring off into space, his brow furrowed in worry and concentration. I frowned as I watched him. Was there an ulterior motive to bringing me here? Were things really as peaceful at home as he said they were? Or was this all just an elaborate way to get me out of the way while some serious shit went down?

Before I had the chance to work myself into true worry, Elio stopped staring and looked down at me with a wide smile on his face. “What do you think?” He asked proudly as we arrived at the lovely restaurant.

I forced myself to clear out the paranoid thoughts. It was just because of our past issues that I sometimes struggled to trust him when he said everything was okay. He had spent so long trying to coddle me and keep me out of the mafia life that when he finally accepted that I was an equal part in this, it was hard for me to trust him.

“This is beautiful,” I said as he held the door open for me.

The host must’ve known we were coming, as he immediately greeted us by name and led us to the rooftop. A man and woman sat in the corner, him playing the ukelele and her singing in a mixture of Hawaiian and English that suited the atmosphere of the restaurant perfectly.

We were the only ones on the roof, and I suspected that Elio had probably rented it out for us. I never minded dining with strangers, but Elio always enjoyed the extravagance of renting out an entire restaurant so that we could be the only ones there. I had to admit that it was enjoyable to be able to speak freely without worrying that the people at the table next to us would overhear what we were saying. Restaurants also tended to bring out their most special dishes when we were the only ones there.

Tonight’s meal was no exception; our waiter brought out plate after plate of delectable seafood, all cooked in a variety of styles. I took a bite of lobster tail that was by far the best I’d ever tasted. Without meaning to, I closed my eyes and moaned as the rich meat practically melted on my tongue. Elio chuckled as he watched me. “I could watch you do that all day,” he murmured suggestively.

“Feed me this for every meal and you can!”

Too soon, we were both absolutely stuffed to the brim and had to start turning away the dishes that our waiter just kept bringing. It appeared that the chef was trying to get us to try their entire menu, but it was impossible for us to eat any more. After making many promises that we would be back before we went home, we finally made our way out the door.

The sun began to set as we walked back to the rental home. The orange hue that it cast over the ocean was spectacular. If I had been a painter I would’ve sat up right there to try and capture it.

“What should we do for the rest of the evening?” Elio asked.

“After all that food, I think I’m too stuffed to do much of anything,” I said.

We made it back to the rental house and collapsed on the couch, both too full and jet-lagged to even get our nice clothes off. Elio rubbed his hands up and down my back as I snuggled into his chest, totally content with the world. I leaned up for a lazy kiss, the kind that lasts forever and feels perfect.

Everything about this trip so far had been absolute perfection. I couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

Just as I began to doze off, Elio’s phone rang. I jumped at the unexpected sound. Elio apologized and helped me off of him, leaving me there on the couch by myself.

I stared after him as he went to take the call in private, wondering who it could be.