“I am happy to be with you. I love being with you.” He curled his arm around her.
“I am happy to be with you, and Luca, too.” She held out her glass, and he refilled it. “Do you know why David didn’t tell me about Luca?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “He told us he would one day, and when he didn’t show up, Sophie and I feared he told you and you would not allow him to return. But that wasn’t true. Did he not tell you in his letter?”
“What letter?”
“He told us he had included a copy of a letter for you, should anything happen to him, with his will.”
“David didn’t leave a will—at least not one I or our attorney have found.”
“His letter, and perhaps his will, is in the envelope I brought to you—it must be in your bag, because you gave the envelope to Madame Justine, and she assured me she packed everything.”
What a jigsaw puzzle David had left for her. Had she not been fired and not needed David’s comfort, she’d still not know of Luca or Gilbert. Had she given away his clothing without checking his pockets, she might never have known. “I’ll save reading his letter for tomorrow. I’d like to enjoy being here with you now.”
Gilbert took a sip of wine. “Do you know why I never married?”
“You never met the right woman?”
He rubbed his jaw. “I thought I had…twice, but they both accused me of the same thing. They thought I was afraid of commitment.”
“You? You are totally devoted to Luca and the winery.”
He tipped his head and his eyebrows rose. “Do you want to know the real reason?”
“Of course.”
“I was terrified of having children.”
She pressed her hand to her throat. “But you’re a wonderful father to Luca.”
He shifted his jaw side to side. “Sophie and I were the luckiest children in the world, because we had terrific parents. Unfortunately, they both died very young. Although I was in my twenties, I still needed parenting. My papa was such a great man, I feared I’d never measure up to him, and I was afraid to try, so I never married. But when I saw Luca for the very first time, it was a coup de foudre.”
“Love hit you like a lightning bolt.” David had ensured she knew that phrase, for he had experienced it at his first sight of her.
“It did. Even though Luca was all red and wrinkled, screaming, battling the air with his chestnut-sized fists, my heart burst with love for him. At that moment I promised him I’d love him forever and never let any harm come to him.” He ran his finger along Claire’s cheek. “Another reason I am so very grateful to you.”
“We’re quite a pair, madly in love with the thing we most feared.”
Laughter burst like Champagne bubbles. Claire laughed so hard she fell onto her side and rolled over onto her back. Her laughter shook the tightness from her chest and the pain from her heart.
Gilbert caressed her cheek, and she wished she’d spent more time on her makeup. He leaned over her and smoothed a curl behind her ear. Warmth and excitement tingled in her.
She placed her palm over the center of his chest, looking deeply into his eyes.
His lips gently pressed hers, and she lost herself in kissing him.
He wrapped his arms around her, and she allowed herself to be buoyed by him. She could float like this forever.
Chapter 28
Brightsunshinefilledthesalon and woke Claire. Swimming out from under three duvets, she pulled herself to sit up on the sofa. On the coffee table sat a French press pot of coffee, a jug of warm milk, plate of croissants, jar of jam, and a note from Gilbert explaining he and Luca went shopping and hoped she would enjoy her breakfast.
Claire took her coffee and croissants to her room, found the large envelope in her suitcase, and sat on the bed. She pressed David’s last letter to her heart, remembering his love, knowing she now had the courage to know whatever had made him keep Luca a secret.
My dearest Claire,
I apologize for not telling you about Luca. I will try to explain.
