Page 99 of Beyond the Lavender Fields
“If you hadn’t married me, you’d be marching off with them.” She uncovered the bowl and tipped it upside down. The dough slowly tumbled onto the small table they’d squeezed into the kitchen.
Gilles sauntered through the makeshift sitting room. “I suppose you’re looking for thanks, then.” On the lone, broken-down sofa sat an old pair of stays. Caroline had started picking apart the garment’s side seams last night to add more lacing. She insisted she needed the extra room already, though she didn’t look much bigger to Gilles.
Caroline shrugged, then batted at a loose curl with the back of a well-floured hand. “You know I always welcome gratitude.” She said it impishly, but he could hear the worry hidden beneath. Someday the government might require husbands to join the fight against foreign invaders. For now, they counted their lucky stars it was limited to single young men.
Gilles caught the curl and gently brushed it back under her cap. “Merci, my Caroline, for marrying me so that I do not have to go to war.”
She gave him a satisfied nod as she kneaded the dough. Biting back a mischievous smile, he sat on the edge of the table.
“Gilles!” She swatted at him. “You are getting flour all over your trousers.”
“And thank you for marrying me so that I do not have to scavenge for food.”
She put her hands on her hips, careful to keep her sticky fingers off of her clothes. The movement pulled her apron tight across her growing belly. Perhaps she did need more room in those stays. But they’d been married long enough for him to have learned not to say that aloud. “You are far better at cooking than I.”
“But you insist on taking care of the kitchen, for which I am grateful.” He leaned back on his elbows, blocking her from her work. “And thank you for marrying me so I do not have to retire to bed alone each night.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous. I need to form this bread, or we’ll have none for dinner tonight.” She tried to nudge him out of the way with her elbow.
He shouldn’t ... But he couldn’t resist. Gilles collapsed onto the table. The dough squished under his back like a lumpy pillow.
“Gilles!”
He chuckled as her fists pounded his chest. Little globs stuck to his waistcoat. Her squeals of protest dissolved into exasperated laughter. “You horrible oaf! I worked hard to make that.” She crossed her arms and rested them on his chest. “Now what are we to have with our dinner?”
He attempted a sheepish look. “I’ll fetch a baguette from the bakery.”
Her full lips pursed. “We’ve had to do that too often in the last year.”
“It’s worth it if it makes you happy.” That earned him a smile. “But I wasn’t finished thanking you.”
She lifted an eyebrow.
He slid his arms around her, and his heart quickened its pace. “I also wanted to thank you for making this life more brilliant than I ever imagined it could be.Je t’aime, mon amour.”
Those deep brown eyes softened. She leaned down, placing a kiss on his forehead. “I love you, too.” Her lips found his, and he lost himself in an immortal summer evening.
Too soon she pulled back with a sigh and furrowed brow. She’d started taking on the more of the weight of the world as her pregnancy progressed.
“What is it?” Gilles came up on one elbow and reached for her hand. The dough pulled at his jacket before plopping onto the table behind him.
Caroline held up her hand, wiggling the ring on her finger so the lettering glimmered. “You love to repeat ‘Never in vain’ when something goes wrong. And most of the time I believe you.” She huffed. “But even you must admit that all the work I put into making that dough was in vain.”
Gilles winced. “My apologies. But surely it was worth it for the kiss.”
“The lengths you’ll go to just for a kiss. Shameless flirt indeed.” She shook her head. And then she kissed him again.
