Page 50 of It Happened In Paris

“Vivian, my sweet cupcake, I missed six years of Paris’ life. I will not miss out on the rest of it. If Holly Creek is where you want to raise her, then I’ll be right there—whether you need me a little or a lot. I’ll build a family home and when you’re ready, we can all live in it, if things between us progress.”

“I think we’d like that very much.”

“Oh yeah? Of course, we’ll need to travel to faraway places on her breaks from school. I’ve put a lot of thought into travel plans, too.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Richard Buchanan.” My heart filled with so much appreciation for him, finally letting him in. Falling for him…

We swayed together in each other’s arms in silence for a few minutes until he sighed and let me go. Earlier that morning, I had asked if I could have the night with Paris to myself. He needed a good rest for the operation the next morning, and thankfully, he agreed to stay in the hotel suite.

“I’ll see you in the morning, love,” he said, kissing me one more time. I followed him to the hospital door and pulled him back by his sleeve for another quick kiss.

“Richard, in case I forget, thank you for giving our daughter your kidney tomorrow.”

“Don’t you know by now that I’d give you two everything I have?” With one more kiss, he left.

How couldanyone expect me to sleep on the eve of the major operations? I stifled a yawn in the quiet hospital room, the only other sound the soft, rhythmic snores of Paris.

Early yet, I didn’t expect anyone here for some time. And everyone we knew planned to be here today waiting and praying that the operations would be successful.

I rubbed my arms for warmth and ambled over to the window, watching the day begin. The morning clouds lifted, the sky cleared, and the sun shone as if a promise of good things to come. I took it as a sign that all might be okay today.

From behind, I heard the gentle tread of someone entering the room, careful not to disturb my sleeping beauty.

“It’s me,” Richard whispered as he made his way over, clutching a coffee cup from a nearby cafe we’d discovered. “Got your favorite.”

“How did you know I needed this?” I replied, accepting the cup gratefully, happy to sip this liquid gold.

“Did she sleep well? And you?” he asked quietly.

“She did. But I couldn’t sleep at all,” I answered, taking another sip before setting my cup on the window ledge. I reached for his arm and nestled under it to lean against him, but in doing so, a stack of papers tumbled to the floor. “Oops. I didn’t see those there. What are they?”

“I’ve been thinking,” he began softly as he bent down to pick them up, his tone low and measured. “Just in case something happens to me?—”

“No,” I blurted out before I could stop it, hazarding a guess as to what it was.

He looked straight into my eyes, calm even as a storm churned inside me. “Vivian, listen to me.” He held the folder between us like it was something sacred. “These papers guarantee that you and Paris will never be left wanting for anything.”

“I don’t care about the money,” I snapped, louder than intended. My words felt brittle, like an unyielding bone. Meanwhile, Paris continued to sleep.

“I know,” he murmured. “That’s why you deserve it.”

I snorted. “Is this just another one of your tests?”

“No. You passed every single one of them. This is serious.”

I regarded the papers with several brightly colored tabs. He explained that he’d changed his will, and set up trusts. His businesses. The properties. The accounts. His entire Buchanan legacy. My name was on them. Paris’s name, too. Legal lingo sat in tight rows that blurred in my vision.

“Youareserious,” I whispered.

He nodded. “In case something happens… I want to know you’re both provided for.”

I shook my head, tears threatening to spill. “Don’t say that. Please, don’t even go there.”

“You know it’s a risk on that operating table,” he replied. “Even if the odds are low.”

My hand hovered over the papers. “But you are going to be fine.”

“Yes, but I’ll feel better knowing you’ll be taken care of for a lifetime,” he whispered.

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