Page 38 of It Happened In Paris

Up on my elbow, I kissed her. “I’m giving you everything you deserve. Be right back.”

I quickly cleaned up in the bathroom, then brought a washcloth back to bed and cleaned her, too. With her as my little spoon, where she fit perfectly under my chin, we rested. She fell asleep quickly, no surprise given the strain she’d been under lately.

The past seven years were nothing more than a detour in our timeline we were never supposed to take. But tonight we put everything back on track.

15

MAGICAL NIGHT

RICHARD

Vivian shifted closer,her eyes opening slowly with a sleepy sweetness that promised comfort. I could have woken up every day to those mesmerizing blues.

“Good morning. Looks like there’s no walk of shame today,” I teased in a husky tone, reaching to tuck her hair from her eyes.

“I woke a little while ago and thought about escaping,” she replied coolly before a chuckle escaped her.

“Not this time—you won’t escape me. I’ll never let you go,” I assured her as the soft sunrise peeked through the window.

She snuggled against me and yawned. “What time is it?”

“Early. We have an hour before Paris wakes up.”

“I should go and clean up,” she noted, though she made no move to do so.

“Before you do, can I ask you something?” I adjusted our position so that her head rested easily on my shoulder, then finally posed the question that had been on my mind. “Help me see what I’m missing about our night in Paris?”

She looked up, a gentle hand trailing down my cheek and neck until it rested just above my heart. “You really want me to tell you?”

“Yes, please. I want to hear it from your point of view.”

She nodded and intertwined our fingers. “That night, you were everything I needed as a young woman, desperate to escape Adrien. Your strength carried me, and your words had the wisdom of someone older and more experienced.”

I scratched at the scruff along my jaw. “I don’t know about that. For years, I beat myself up over how my ego got the better of me trying to do that deal with that asshole.”

“To me, you were exactly the man I needed that night. As we walked beneath the Eiffel Tower, the magic of moonlight, the charm of Parisian streets, your confident presence and encouraging assurances, mixed with my desire to get back at Adrien for the way he cheated on me—it all made it inevitable that I ended up in your arms, kissing you. The twinkling lights above on the tower felt like a sign that we were meant to be together that night.”

“Get back at him?” I asked.

“It was a choice I made. Not only did you have me feeling so good, but I was driven by a need to get back at him. Adrien had made me feel worthless with his cheating, and you were his complete opposite—gentle, considerate, and incredibly sexy. How could any woman in my situation say no to your charms?”

“I’m glad now that you didn’t, because we have Paris.” I pressed her hand to my lips with a kiss.

“You’re not upset about how I used you? Trust me, that’s not who I am. I’m not that type of person.”

“Hey, I know the person you are. The circumstances played a big role.”

“Not that it makes a difference, but I never mentioned about us to him. I only said we talked. I couldn’t bring myself to be spiteful and reveal we were together—our time was too precious to me to tarnish it. Didn’t want the memory to be spoiled.”

“See, I knew it. My sweet cupcake.” I hugged her closer and kissed her forehead. “I just wish you hadn’t left me the morning after.”

“I knew nothing serious could develop since you were returning to the States.”

“I could have come back often—set you up in a lovely apartment, taken good care of you.” I shook my head at what might have been.

“But my focus was on my education—studying under a famous chef and building my culinary career. I had fallen in love with France and wanted to stay, even amidst the turmoil of dealing with Adrien. And despite my special night with you, I couldn’t shake him from my mind.”

My jaw tensed at the repeated mention of his name. I wished I could erase it completely, to make her forget him.

---