Page 64 of Forgiving Paris
“Yes.” Ashley had no idea how she was going to pullherself together for the other patrons. She glanced back at the gallery floor. Emilie and Edward were handling things. She turned to her father again. “Can you believe it?” She looked over her shoulder once more. “All of this?”
“Of course, honey.” He pulled her into another quick hug. “I always believed it.”
Cole and Landon were still standing there, and now Ashley took their hands, the four of them forming the happiest little group. Her family was living proof that God had forgiven her, that He had given her this week in Paris so she could never look back at this city ever again without smiling.
Without longing for every minute they’d spent here.
Especially now… now that her dad and Cole had come.
One of the patrons handed Ashley a tissue and she laughed through her tears. “Merci madame.”
The woman smiled. “Nothing better than happy tears.”
“True.” Ashley laughed again, and when they were alone once more she looked at Cole and her dad. “Are you here tomorrow, too?”
“We go home with you and Landon. On the same flight.” Her father smiled at her husband. “We’d love to tag along and see some sights.”
It was the greatest gift, the two of them being here. “Yes!” Ashley squeezed Landon’s hand and smiled at her dad and then Cole. “We’ll have the very best time.”
“Uh… hey, Mom.” Cole nodded to a few guests wanting to talk to her. “They’re waiting for you. Go on. We want to watch you do your thing.”
“Right.” Ashley nodded. She dried her face and dabbed at her eyes, then she motioned to the patrons that she would be with them in a moment. She leaned in close to Cole. “First… I want you to meet someone.”
She led the group across the gallery to the place where Alice and her mother, and Jessie and Gabriel were looking at Ashley’s painting of Lake Monroe. As Ashley walked up they turned to her.
“I’m buying this one.” Alice looked back at the painting. “I imagine you at this lake, Ashley. Finding your way back when you returned home.”
“Yes, that was the place.” For a moment, Ashley stared at the piece. Then Cole moved up beside her. “This is Cole. My firstborn.” She turned to her son. “Cole, this is Alice. She was my only friend when I was here the first time.” The rest of the story could come later.
Cole shook Alice’s hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Alice looked almost as surprised as Ashley. “You mean…” She glanced at Cole. “He is the baby… the one…”
More tears, and this time Ashley’s laugh was pure joy. “Yes. This is him.”
Alice covered her eyes with one hand for a moment, and when she lowered it, there were tears on her face, too. “Well, then, Cole… this is Gabriel.” She uttered a singlesound, more laugh than cry. “You two have more in common than you’ll ever begin to understand.”
The two young men shook hands. Cole chuckled. “Sounds like we have some talking to do.”
“Definitely.” Gabriel nodded. “We’ll connect on WhatsApp before you go.”
Ashley introduced her father to the others, and she slipped her arm around his waist. “He never stopped believing in me.” She dabbed at her face once more. “And now he’s here.”
Alice and Marie took turns shaking his hand, then Landon raised his camera. “Tears and all… we need a picture.”
They all talked at once, agreeing that the moment had to be remembered. Ashley and Cole and her father… Alice and Marie… Jessie and Gabriel. Ashley had a feeling she would frame this one.
Only then did Cole seem to notice his cousin Jessie. “Hey… I forgot you were here!”
The two hugged and Jessie looked back at Gabe. “It’s been quite the summer.”
“Looks like it.” Cole smiled. “Let’s get coffee tomorrow. All of us.”
Plans were made and then they sent Ashley back to her adoring fans. It was time. Ashley didn’t care that most of her makeup was cried off. Her father and son had come. Who needed mascara? She made her way to the patrons waiting for her.
“Hello! I’m sorry about that… How can I help you?”
A man stepped forward. “Family is so prevalent in your paintings. Can you tell us about that?”
