Page 22 of It Happened In Paris

"Stay," I nodded. We wouldn't be there long anyway, considering how sleepy my little girl was.

I was right. Once she was out, my heavy eyelids fought desperately not to close. All I wanted was to curl up and embrace her little body to mine and sleep. I could listen to her tiny snores all night. If only I wasn’t worried I’d disturb her with my tossing and turning from worry.

“You must be exhausted,” Richard whispered, reclining opposite me, so tall, his legs hung way out and his arms crossed beneath his head. He, too, looked worn from hours of staying by Paris’ side. I could see how much he cared so deeply, so quickly for our situation.

“You too, but there must be a hotel nearby. We’re fine, if you want to go. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.” I let him off the hook, assuring I could fully manage without him, in case he didn’t think so.

“I’m sure you are fine, but I’m not leaving,” he said, and I wasn’t sure I really wanted him to. He’d become a solid rock I could lean on through all of this, no matter how independentand strong I thought I was. “Rex and Chelsea wouldn’t want you facing this alone, and?—”

“Please, don’t stay out of loyalty to them.”

“I’m not here for them. I’m here for you and Paris.”

I averted my gaze, knowing his eyes could see right through me and how much I wanted to believe his words were true. Instead, I reached for Paris’ hand again, committing the feel of her tiny fingers to memory. The past six years had flown by so quickly, and soon enough, before I knew it, she’d be a sassy teenager. Hand holding with me would stop. And she’d probably trade in her fascination with exploring the world for crushes on teenage boys.

“But yes, I took the liberty of booking a suite at the nearest hotel. It has two bedrooms, so we could take turns—one of us stays with her, while the other gets some rest, bathes, and has time to eat,” he said calmly, once more offering the world to me.

“I can’t just leave her here.”

“I knew you’d say that. I’ve talked with the doctor about testing me as her kidney donor—” He held up a hand to silence my protest before I could voice it. “They’ll be able to tell within about five days if I’m a match, and that’s as fast as I could get them to push getting the test results. If it isn’t me, though, finding another match could take just as long or even longer. Vivian, you can’t keep up this pace day in and out—it won’t do either of you any good if you’re not well-rested.”

I shook my head, unwilling to entertain the idea of leaving, so I changed the subject. “I cannot believe you’re here. Of all people to run into. And to think you didn’t have a clue who I was when you rescued me the night my van broke down.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Maybe not, but I took one look at your broken down van and at you, and had one single goal.”

“Getting the cake to the wedding on time?”

“Make that two goals.” He chuckled, his sultry gaze reached deeply inside of me. He stretched his arms wide, one landing behind my back where a brush of his fingertips sent a thrill down my spine.

“I suppose for a man like you, a woman with a child isn’t exactly your pace.”

“Truthfully, you, being a single mother, threw me off initially. Now? The woman with a child in this room is incredibly appealing.” His low, intimate tone left no room for misinterpretation.

“What do you want, Richard?”

He drew in a deep breath. “I want Paris to pull through this. I want to make sure both of you are financially stable, healthy, and happy after all of this… and I want you.”

The fluttering in my stomach wouldn’t stop. I shouldn’t be here in the hospital flirting with a very rich man tempting me like this. Utterly drained, I sighed and placed a palm on my forehead. “I can’t think straight. Paris is my only priority right now.”

“And I wouldn’t expect anything less. I have so much respect for you—being a single mom, leaving that deadbeat in France, doing everything necessary to survive each day. I’ve placed you on the highest pedestal of any woman I’ve ever known, Vivian. And maybe, once the dust settles, you’ll honor me by saying yes when I call out of the blue one day to ask you on a date. Or say no, if you truly aren’t interested in me. Either way, your and your daughter’s happiness matters most. Does that clear things up?”

God, I was a mess, questioning his motives. “Yes, but I’m just so exhausted. It’s all been too much.”

“That’s exactly why you should go to the suite. I have a car waiting for you whenever you’re ready.” He arched a brow andnodded toward the door. “You could give me your number, and I’ll call you if anything happens with her overnight.”

I chuckled, removing my phone from my pocket and handing it over, flirting. “Guess that’s one way for you to get my phone number.”

“I could have gotten it from Rex. I think he and Chelsea hope that we… get together.”

“Do they now?” I gazed into his eyes and lost myself for a moment, while the wordsI hope so too,played on the tip of my tongue. But I stopped from blurting it. That would have been simply my exhaustion talking.

Despite a pang of guilt about leaving Paris overnight, I took him up on the offer to use the suite. I needed to look after myself for her sake. Once we gently returned Paris back to her hospital bed and she drifted off, I kissed her goodnight.

At the door, I glanced back once more at them both. Paris’ little body curled into a ball, sound asleep, while Richard sprawled out the full length of the sleeper chair, eyes closed, trying to get comfortable for the night ahead. I spoke to the nurses about the situation one more time, who all promised they’d keep an eye on them, then left.

At the suite, where I thought I’d head straight to a bed and collapse, my eyes fell first upon several boxes and baskets arranged on the coffee table in the elegantly appointed space. Curiosity won over, and I approached and opened each one.

The largest white boxes contained clothes for both Paris and me; fashionable yet comfortable items perfectly suited for the cold weather, like thick leggings, jeans, cashmere sweaters, boots. Plus, there were several sets of pajamas for Paris, and—my breath caught—fancy sets of bras and panties for me. Such luxuries were a bit much for us, all in the right sizes, too.

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