Page 77 of Only Ever You

“Enough to know …Tu es superbe.?*”

Her head slowly tilted towards her shoulder, and a small smile began to dance on Faye’s lips.

Bash arched a brow. “We good?”

“Always.” Turning her wrist under his palm, Faye squeezed his fingers then dipped her gaze to his other hand, and the way her shoulders relaxed eased Bash’s worries. “I think I’ve earned the right to some of that wine, don’t you think?”

Bash gestured off towards the dining room where all of the drinks were presented like school children on parade. “After you, milady.”

Faye guffawed. “Where on earth have you heard that?”

“I don’t know.” Tugging his ear, Bash followed behind her. “One of these guests called his wife it earlier when they arrived and … ”

As he rambled on, Bash decided that he’d tell her.Tonight. He was going to tell Faye that she’s his entire world, because he had to. He’d left it too late for the last eleven years and he couldn’t pretend anymore. It was agony. A pierce straight through his chest every time she went on a date with someone else.

Call him selfish, but Bash didn’t care.

He’d been an idiot.

And it was time to change that.

This Christmas Eve party might be the best one the Phillips-Dumont household had thrown yet. The doughnuts had been a success, and the girls had managed to keep themselves out of trouble for long enough that Saira let them stay awake for an extra half an hour, which in kids’ terms was the whole night.

Michèle’s buffet spread of typical English finger foods with a healthy volume of French cuisine thrown into the mix was delicious. So much so that Bash focussed on appropriately piling up his plate instead of on the people who’d watched him do so.

How could he ever resist his mother’schouquettes?

The atmosphere in the house was like stepping into a warm and cosy fairytale and Bash was surprised by how much he’d enjoyed himself through the small talk. Uncle Mortimer hadn’t yet insulted any of the guests that he was aware of, which was a bonus. Though there was still plenty of time.

Tossing back the last bite-sized sausage roll from his plate, Bash wound his way between guests sipping their wines and whiskies to the main living room where he found Matt in the corner peeking inside gifts guests had brought.

There was no end to the people who’d wanted to talk to him tonight, and Bash was glad no one else stopped him as he edged around the room.

“Who spiked the eggnog?”

Matt jumped out of his skin, somehow not managing to turn any attention to himself. “Don’t look at me,” he said defensively, switching to French as if it was their own secret language. Both in their thirties, and neither had outgrown that boyhood fun. “I sawMamantipple something into it earlier.”

Bash lowered his voice until he murmured, “The woman is going to get everybody drunk.”

“Which is always great for making a party better.”

“Yeah.” The distracted sarcasm rolled right off of the tongue as Bash cast a glance through the living room, adjusting the way his jumper clung to his stomach. “Have you seen Faye? She’s disappeared.” He wanted to check she hadn’t gotten trapped in a conversation with theTweedsor was hiding in a corner somewhere like Matt seemed to be doing.

“Are you worried another man is going to swoop in whilst you’re not looking?”

“Who’s going to try? The average age of males in this house right now is sixty.”

“Faye might be into that.”

Bash flattened his glare across his shoulder. “Trust me, she isn’t.”

“Speaking from experience?” Matt leant in slowly. “Oh wait … you don’t have any.” A winded grunt flew from his lips when Bash elbowed him in the gut.

“Shut up and tell me where she went.”

“She was on the patio last I saw.”

Finally, a straightforward answer – one that made Bash turn his face to the window sills coated in snow. Worry worked its way into his bloodstream. “It’s freezing out there.”

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