Page 67 of Forgiving Paris
But the groggy feeling was no match for the joy in her heart.
She met Landon in the living room, where he was staring at the painting he’d insisted on bringing back to their suite. Ashley shook her head. “I still can’t believe any of it… that it happened. That you were here and my dad and Cole. Alice and Gabriel and Marie. Jessie.” Disbelief filled her voice, the way it always would when she remembered this past week in Paris. “It’s like a dream, Landon.”
He held out his arms and she came to him. “That’s exactly how I was just feeling about this painting.” Together they turned and looked at the piece.
As with all her work, the people were only seen from the back. A couple of young teenage kids on a large rock, overlooking a pretty stream. Dreaming about life and the days to come. “The two of us. We always found our way to that spot.” He brought his face close to hers. “Remember?”
“Like it was yesterday.” She angled her head. “I love that we still live there. That we can still go out there and watch the stream. We can even sit on that same old rock.”
“It’s not the Seine, but…” Landon always knew how to lighten a moment. He kissed her cheek. “Speaking of which… it’s our last day. We should get going.”
He was right. Despite the pouring rain and gray skies, they would take the trip Ashley had been looking forward to all week. Her dad and Cole were having breakfast with Jessie and Gabriel, and later they would all meet up at the Eiffel Tower and for a tour of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Somehow the weather only made the day feel more unforgettable. Paris in the rain.
They got ready and packed quickly, and Ashley grabbed her red umbrella. The one she’d had all these years since her first trip here.
Before they left, they took the painting to the concierge and arranged for it to be shipped. Landon gave her a light elbow in the ribs as they waited at the desk. “That’ll teach you to sell one of your paintings without showing me first.” He grinned. “Especially this one. I have my favorites, you know.”
“They’re all your favorites. You’re biased.” She laughed, and the feeling was wonderful. Never had she imagined being so happy at the end of this week. So free.
Once the painting was safely packaged and on its way, they took an Uber to the seventh arrondissement, and the Champ de Mars that led to the Eiffel Tower. When they were out of the car and at the beginning of the longstretch of green space, they stood under Ashley’s umbrella and Landon faced the iron structure. “I did my homework on this one.”
“Oh, you did.” She laughed. “I can’t wait to hear.”
“Little-known facts. The tower wasn’t originally supposed to be a work of art. Did you know that?”
Ashley did, but she kept the fact to herself. “Okay.”
“Right… so it was built by a guy named… wait for it…”
Ashley loved this, loved being married to him. Standing here in the rain in Paris with her best friend. She finished his sentence. “Monsieur Eiffel.”
“Very good.” He looked to the top of the well-known structure. “It’s over a thousand feet tall, tallest building in the world for a while.” He held up his hand. “Wait for it. You can’t possibly know this. The tower was built out of puddling iron.” He shrugged. “Not sure what that is, but I’m surprised it’s held up all these years.” He cast a glance at the pouring rain. “Especially in this weather.”
“Puddling iron. Hmm.” Ashley took his hand, and they started their walk toward the tower. “Interesting.”
“Yes. And it was originally made for the World’s Fair of 1889.” Landon had a few more noteworthy details. How a person could walk up to the first and second floors, but only an elevator could take them to the top of the tower.
Ashley’s dad and Cole planned to meet them there in half an hour. So, Ashley and Landon began their ascent. The ride up was as breathtaking as Ashley had imagined.The glass elevator rose through the rain to the top, while the structure became more and more narrow.
She held tight to Landon’s arm. “Glad I’m not afraid of heights.”
They got out at the first level of the summit, the part that was indoors. But even on a rainy day like this, Ashley had no intention of staying there.
“Come on. I can’t wait.” She hurried with him to the stairs and in less than a minute they were at the very top. Mist from the rain swirled around the open space, but Ashley didn’t care. She felt around in her bag for her red umbrella.
But it was gone.
“No… I must’ve left it near the entrance. When we first started walking up.” Ashley hesitated. “They’ll have it for me. Someone will have turned it in.”
“I’m sure.” Landon nodded.
Besides, Ashley didn’t care if they got a little wet. They were really here! She took a deep breath. The air was fresh, the smell of summer rain.
At the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Ashley had to remember to breathe. “Can you imagine this?” She was barely moving now, taking slow steps to the railing at the edge of the summit floor. “To be up so high? To see all this? How it must have felt back in 1889?”
