Page 16 of It Happened In Paris

“The Globegans!” Paris pointed excitedly at the television screen when her latest favorite animated show came on, and I jumped. Mesmerized by the singing animals on the screen asthey visited other animals around the world, she paused her conversation with Richard.

The way he gazed upon my daughter and treated her with respect, like she was a little lady, had me jealous for a moment. Then his gaze met mine across her bed and held there. As if the walls stripped away, and the clock hands moved backwards, we were together again directly under the Eiffel Tower where he’d caught me up in his strong arms.

“You’re beautiful, Viv. Adrien’s a fool. If I had a woman like you, I would—” He stopped short.

“You’d what? Marry me? Whisk me away to your castle?” I teased the suave billionaire who had been a good listener and easy to talk with. He proved exactly who I needed as I left Adrien behind at the club. Besides, I didn’t see Adrien following us. No texts or calls either. I broke up with him and it was as if I suddenly ceased to exist to him.

Well, screw that French bastard.

“Yes. All of it. We’d have the best of everything. I’d ensure you led a charmed life. You’d have whatever you wanted. If you were mine.” Richard’s words were unbelievable, that a man like him would offer me, well, basically the world. This was crazy, like living a dream tonight walking through Paris with him. “Only the best for you. I promise.”

As he finished, the lights of the tower lit up above us, and we laughed at the magical moment, as if the tower knew, right then, to bless us.

He picked me up and swung me around, and when my feet hit the ground, it was more like I landed in the clouds as his lips found mine. Soft, brushing, testing at first, then ending in a tangle of tongues and passion. Richard knew how to take a woman’s breath away.

But still, in the depths of my mind, were thoughts of Adrien, the man I thought I loved…

The doctor’s sudden arrival in the room broke the stare I held with Richard. “How are you feeling now, Paris?” Dr. Ferguson approached, and I gave him room to reach her. He held his fingers on her wrist at her pulse.

“I’m fine. Can I go home now?” She yawned.

“Soon. Let me talk with your mother about that, okay? Get some rest.” The doctor nodded at me and I followed him to the door.

Once there, he explained, “The transfusion helped stabilize her, but we need to run additional tests to figure out what caused the severe anemia in the first place.”

Worry edged into my voice as I asked, “But she’s okay now, right?”

With a gentle yet firm tone, he replied, “She’s better than she was when she came in, but we still want to run tests—leave no stone unturned.”

Richard suddenly appeared by my side, arms crossed, and interjected, “Run the tests. Every one of them. Do whatever it takes.”

I nodded in agreement, and waited until the doctor left before I turned to Richard to address how he’d interrupted, unsure how to feel about it. “Those tests will cost a lot. I would have preferred to review each test and its purpose to ensure there was no unnecessary overlap. I appreciate you being here, but you had no right to jump in like that.”

“You don’t have to worry about the costs.”

“What do you mean?” My head jerked back.

“I’ve taken care of everything, all bills and expenses while we’re here. And not only for you and Paris, but for all the families on this floor today.”

I gasped. “All of them? That’s great, but-but you don’t have to for us. I’d find a way to pay for things.”

“I know I don’t have to. I want to. Often my charitable giving each year centers on children’s foundations and pediatric hospitals. It’s my thing, just what I do. Okay?”

“I’m not used to this, Richard. No one has ever?—”

“Well maybe you should get used to it.”

“I-I…” I shook my head at this man with more money than I’d ever see in my lifetime. There was nothing I could do to stop him from spending his money the way he wanted to. “I don’t know what to say. But please, I’m her mother. Let me make the decisions for my child’s care, okay?”

He stepped back a beat, nodding, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You’re right. I overstepped. But seeing her going through this… I only want to help.”

“You are helping. And I don’t even think the words thank you cover how much gratitude I have for the blood donation and everything.”

“Would you like to call the doctor back in here to review the tests?”

I chewed a nail, thinking through everything. “No. It’s fine. I guess I wouldn’t want to cancel a test that might be the exact one she needs. God, this is so overwhelming. One minute life is going along fine and the next something big like this happens.”

“Hey, Vivian.” He rubbed both of my arms and stared down into my eyes. His warm touch drove a thrill straight down my spine. “You’ll get through this. You both will. You have me here, and I’m not going anywhere unless you kick me out. Rex and Chelsea will be here at some point, too.”

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