Page 46 of Forgiving Paris
“Did you call the driver?” Ashley hadn’t noticed Landon on his phone.
“I told you… don’t worry about a thing, Ash.” He pointed to a nearby bench. “Let’s sit for a minute.”
Not until they were seated did Ashley realize how close they were to the Seine. “Wow… this view.”
He was watching her, smiling. “Yes… breathtaking.”
“Landon.” Even now, eighteen years his wife, Ashley felt herself blush.
He turned and faced her, and as he did he pulled a small box from his pocket. Then he opened the velvet lid and held it out for her to see.
“What’s this?” Ashley put her hand to her mouth and took the box from Landon’s hand. Inside was the smallest pendant of a sunburst, covered in crushed diamonds. “Landon… it’s beautiful.”
“It’s light.” He put his hand alongside her face and kissed her. “Like you.”
The piece was stunning. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s custom. I had it made for you before we left Indiana.”
Ashley’s heart soared. There was nothing she could ever have done to deserve him. “Thank you. What can I say?”
“This is the year of light, Ash.” He eased the necklace from the box and slipped it around Ashley’s neck. “Like your art show—Light of the Seine—here in the City of Lights.” He searched her eyes. “Like God’s Spirit, living inside you. His redemption. Light like you.” He slipped the empty box back into his pocket. “Happy Anniversary, Ash. I love you forever and always. More than you could ever know.”
Their car pulled up and he held the door as she stepped inside. She felt the tiny necklace and knew she would wear it always. A reminder of the light, indeed.
They traveled across the Seine now and up into the tenth arrondissement. Ashley hadn’t been here last time she was in Paris, though Jean-Claude had told her he’d take her to each of the districts. That was only one of the promises he had broken. She pushed the thought from her mind.
“I wondered about taking a boat ride, but the Seine seemed like something everyone would do.” Landon peered through the windshield and grinned. “Up ahead is a place most Parisians don’t even know about.”
A thrill ran through her. “How did you find all this? And the wall the other day?”
“I have my sources.” They exited the car and Landon took her hand in his. Again his pace was slow. “I figured with all the excitement yet this week, today we could take an hour and really slow down.”
This was so much better than how she’d felt the first day. “Sounds like heaven.”
They reached a sign that readCANAL SAINT-MARTINand just beyond it a slim winding river that ran through the heart of the district. “This way.” The joy in his eyes reminded her of how he had looked as a boy. Back in middle school.
Ashley wasn’t sure what was better… this tour he had put together for her, or the way he looked leading her through Paris. They reached a boat dock and Landon pulled out his phone. The woman at the gate scanned a barcode that must’ve been in an email receipt. And like that, they were seated, side by side, across the wooden plank of a boat that looked as old as the arched bridges overhead.
“See those?” Landon pointed at the thicket lining the canal. “They’re chestnut trees. More than a hundred years old.”
“So pretty.” She pulled out her phone and snapped a photo. Then she took his hand. “I’ll paint them later.”
A few times they stopped the boat to visit one of the colorful shops. Boutiques each unique in their offerings. After an hour Ashley had souvenirs for each of the kids and something special for Landon.
They had dinner that evening at La Marine overlooking the canal and the setting sun. There, Ashley pulled out the special gift for Landon. “Here.” She wished she would’ve brought something from home, like he had done. “I have a card for you back at the hotel. And that new drill you’ve been wanting.”
They both laughed.
“But…” Ashley figured this would redeem herself. She’d been too busy worrying about Paris to actually plan for their anniversary. “I did find this at one of those shops.” She handed him a small bag. “Open it.”
Landon took the gift. “You didn’t have to, Ash.”
“You’ll see.” She watched his eyes as he pulled an old wooden frame from the bag. “It’s made from the wood of one of the canal boats. Apparently, when they take them out of circulation, they make gifts out of them.”
“Really?” Landon studied the piece. “And what’s this?” He held it up and studied the writing at the bottom. “Paris. Pour toujours. It’s in French.”
Ashley had asked one of the clerks. “It saysParis. Forevermore. We’ll have someone take our picture before it’s too late. And I’ll put the photo in that frame.”
