Secret Millionaire for the Surrogate

“And we’re going to,” he said. “We’re going to get dropped off, hike, and then get picked up again.” He met her gaze briefly before turning his attention back to the road. “This way you get the alpine meadows and panoramic views without having to do all the hard climbing.”

She wasn’t sure what to think. Was he doing it because he was being overprotective and thought she wasn’t capable? How could she voice that without being insulting? It was a generous and fun thing he had planned, but Adele and Dan were already making her a bit claustrophobic with their concern. Surely it wasn’t an attempt to impress her. She’d never once given him the impression that her head could be turned by such things.

“I’m still capable of doing the hike, you know,” she said. “Not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, but I’m in great shape. I don’t need to be coddled.”

They pulled into the parking lot and Drew shut off the engine, then turned to face her. “So hear me out,” he said, resting his left hand on the steering wheel. “I don’t know if you realize it, but it’s not often that I get a day like we had on Tuesday. An afternoon of simple pleasures like a cone of ice cream and a nap on a porch swing. I liked being with you, and I think you liked being with me, and for once it had nothing to do with who I am or...” He ran his hand through his hair. “Or my bank balance, to be honest.”

“Why would I care about your bank balance?” Harper puckered her brows. Sure, he had to be successful to have his stores, but Dan and Adele had never said anything about Drew’s financial status.

“Most people do,” he admitted. “And a lot of the time personal value is determined by the zeroes after your name. But you don’t care, do you?”

“I don’t even know how much you make,” she replied, not quite sure where this was all going. Was he saying he was rich? After all, hiring out a helicopter wasn’t something you did when you lived paycheck to paycheck.

“You really don’t,” he marveled, a smile tugging at his lips. “Harper, my net worth last year was—”

He gave a number that had her lips dropping open and her eyes widening as she gave a very unladylike exclamation.

He chuckled. “So you didn’t know. See? This is why I liked being with you. You accepted me at face value. That doesn’t happen much anymore.”

She was still reeling from the fact that he was a multimillionaire. Drew never put on airs. He wore faded jeans and T-shirts. Drove a pickup, from what he’d said before. He was...ordinary.

But not, she reminded herself. He traveled extensively. Owned a chain of stores. Could apparently rent himself a luxury vehicle and book a custom heli tour at a moment’s notice. And he’d hidden that part of himself from her. She was a little bit hurt by that.

“You should have been honest with me,” she said, her lips a thin line. “I don’t like being lied to, Drew. Or being made a fool of.” God, she’d accused him of being extravagant. She felt so stupid.

“That wasn’t my intention at all. I just never know who to trust. If someone likes me for me or if they’re after some sort of advantage. I thought that if you knew about the money, it wouldn’t have been the same. It wasn’t meant to deceive you, I promise. I wanted to enjoy being a regular guy. The last week or so I’ve felt like an ordinary guy again. I kind of lost touch with that side of me.”

She understood that, even though she was still embarrassed. After all, she had her own trust issues. How could she be angry at someone for dealing with their issues in their own way?

“So why the helicopter? Why now?”

He reached over and took her hand. “Because I like you. Because I have fun with you, and this is top-notch fun. I can treat you to something because I want to, not because you expect it, and there’s something cool about that, you know? So please, come with me. Let’s fly over the Rockies, go for a hike, eat lunch in an alpine meadow. There’s no one I’d rather do this with.”

She couldn’t say no to him, and she suspected that would prove to be her biggest downfall. “I’m scared of heights.”

“You’ll forget all about it when we’re in the air and you take in the scenery. Plus you can hold my hand.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“You’re incorrigible,” she replied, but knew she was about to get into a helicopter and face one of her biggest fears.

At least it wasn’t zip-lining in the jungle.

* * *

The helicopter ride was frightening at first, but once they were up in the air it was like nothing Harper had ever experienced. She thought of her father, who had made a career out of flying, and wondered if he felt this same awe every time he looked out his cockpit window. She and Drew were sitting in the back, headsets on, and before long she had her face pressed to the window as the pilot took them on a tour over peaks and through valleys that made her stomach swoop. Puffy clouds dotted a perfect blue sky and made shadows on the brownish-grey mountains. Turquoise glacial lakes dotted the valleys, mineral deposits creating the vivid colours made brighter by the sun’s rays.

“Okay?” Drew asked once, and she nodded quickly. He’d been right, of course. Once in the air, the magnificence of the scenery had chased away any lingering fears. It was amazing! And she never would have done it if he hadn’t nudged her out of her comfort zone.

The pilot approached a grassy peak and set the helicopter down with barely a bump. Harper’s heart beat fast as she unbuckled her seat belt and Drew helped her out of the aircraft, holding her hand and then reaching for their bags. Together they scurried south, away from the rotating blades, and Drew waved the pilot off. He’d be back in two hours to pick them up. In the meantime, they could explore the meadow and valley, take pictures, and eat the picnic he’d had specially prepared by the Cascade kitchens.

Harper had never felt glamorous before, but she did now.

When the helicopter was gone and her ears stopped ringing, she grinned up at D

rew. “Well. I didn’t faint.”

“You were a trooper. Though I thought you were going to lose your breakfast when we landed. You got pretty pale.”

“Funny,” she mused. “Way up in the air it seems fine. Get within a hundred feet of the ground and my nerves...” She made a zooming motion with her hand.