Chapter 32
After watching Edna leave, Henri checked his watch, then signaled the waiter for the check. It was time to head to the airport to pick up the visitors and return to his real life. His interlude with Edna reminded him of how much was missing from his life since his wife died. With no one to talk to, the years spent with a single minded focus on his son ended up isolating him from others. He’d forgotten how enjoyable it was to pass time with someone who was not only intelligent, but fascinating as well. After paying, he picked up the slip of paper with Edna’s phone number, smiling while folding it and tucking it into his wallet. His promise to call her the next time he was in Paris was one he planned to keep.
Walking with a new lightness in his step, Henri found himself whistling a long forgotten tune while heading to his car. His heart no longer seemed as heavy. While his quest to view MacDùghlas’ will hadn’t yielded the results he’d hoped for, the news his son was still alive made up for it—as did his meeting with Edna. Shaking his head slightly, Henri grinned, remembering their spirited discussion about the relative merits of a plain croissant versus a chocolate one. Chuckling to himself, he decided to show up with his favorite the next time they met.
After climbing into the SUV and starting it, Henri’s mind was already planning a return trip to Paris on his next day off. After waiting for a break in the traffic, he pulled out, blending seamlessly into the flow of late, morning vehicles, replete with screeching tires and honking horns. Groaning as the traffic in front of him came to an abrupt stop, he quickly turned down a side street, unwilling to sit for who-knew-how-long while the police untangled the mess. Using his knowledge of the city, he took a series of shortcuts, arriving at the airport just as the Dire Enterprises’ plane was taxiing to a stop.
He waited until the jet’s engines had wound down before driving onto the tarmac and stopping near the bottom of the plane’s lowered steps. Sliding out of the SUV, he lifted its hatchback, hoping all the luggage would fit, after which he stood next to the car, awaiting his passengers.
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Sawyer glanced over at Alex, still sound asleep even though they’d landed. Smirking, he turned to his tiger mate. “We wore him out last night.”
“Fucking all the way across the Atlantic will do it, I guess…who knew?” Glenn grinned.
“Well, to be fair, our mate did have a rather long list of sexual demands.”
“And…he’s pregnant,” Glenn murmured. “Mac did say he’d be more tired than usual.”
“True,” Sawyer replied, glancing at Alex, who was still dead to the world. “What should we do…wake him, or do you want to carry him to the car?”
“Mac said he should sleep when he got tired.”
“But we’re in France…his father’s birthplace and the home of his other father. I think he’d want to be awake to see it,” Sawyer said.
“There’ll be time for him to sightsee later. Right now, I think it’s better for him to rest, especially since meeting his brother for the first time will probably take a lot out of him.”
“Yeah, he hasn’t said much but I know he’s worried…even though Fionn wants to see him,” Sawyer said, softly.
Decision made, Glenn stood, unbuckled Alex’s seatbelt then gently scooped his sleeping mate up into his arms. Glancing at Sawyer, he said, “Grab our carry-ons, will ya?”
Rising, Sawyer brushed his lips softly across Alex’s forehead before picking up his mate’s backpack and Glenn’s duffle bag. “I can ride in the front seat so you’ll have more room for Alex in the back.”
Nodding in agreement, Glenn followed his wolf mate to the front of the cabin, pausing only long enough to thank Paul. Then tucking Alex’s face against his chest to keep the sun out of his eyes, he slowly descended the steps before heading over to the car and its waiting driver.
Approaching Henri, Sawyer smiled, holding out his hand. “Hi, I’m Sawyer…the big guy is my mate Glenn and he’s carrying our sleeping mate, Alex.”
Henri’s nose twitched,A wolf, a tiger, and a…Smiling in return, he shook Sawyer’s hand. “Hello, I’m Henri. Nice to meet you, Sawyer.”
“Same, here,” Sawyer replied. “I hope you don’t mind if I ride shotgun.”
“Not at all,” Henri murmured, taking the bags from Sawyer. “Go ahead and get settled while I take care of the luggage.”
Opening the rear passenger door, Sawyer stood aside, giving Glenn room to climb in without jostling their mate. After closing it, he headed to the front of the SUV and got in. Glancing over his shoulder, he asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Glenn murmured, glancing down at Alex, “but he’s still sleeping. I expected him to wake up…do you think you should call Mac…just to make sure this is normal?”
“It’ll have to wait because he’s sleeping right now. My wolf doesn’t sense there’s a problem so I’m chalking up his extreme tiredness to jet lag from a super short night made worse by him being up for most of it.”
“Fuck…I forgot about jet lag.”
Smirking at his tiger mate, Sawyer said, “A world traveler and you forgot…good to know you aren’t infallible.”
Snorting softly, Glenn shook his head. “I never really had to deal with it because my assignments were location specific.”
Before Sawyer could ask what his mate meant, Henri got in behind the steering wheel and started the SUV. Sitting back in his seat, he asked, “How long until we arrive at the winery?”
Shrugging, Henri replied, “Two or three hours…depending on traffic. Would you like to stop for lunch before we leave Paris?”
