“When I was fourteen.”
Something occurs to me. “So, when you moved here? Was that the reason?”
“Yes.”
My mind boggles at the revelation. “God, we have a lot of catching up to do. There’s still so much I don’t know about you.”
He shakes his head in disagreement. “No, there isn’t. Honestly, there isn’t much more for you to know.”
I give him an incredulous frown. “Are you kidding me?! There’s so much to dive into. You don’t just sell cakes, you also bake them. Your best friends are models. You’ve lived through more than you let on, and I only just figured out why you live here in Belgium when you love France so much.”
He shrugs. “There isn’t much else to know. And making friends with models and baking cakes isn’t so exciting; it just happened.” He starts smiling. “Honestly, moving to France with you will be the best part.”
His excitement is infectious, and I return his smile, reaching for his hand. As I hold it, looking into his eyes, I know there’sno question that I’ll move with him. The fact that I don’t know everything there is to know about him won’t change that. I already decided: I’m taking the leap. And that means crossing borders, living a life I never would have imagined. Because Luc is worth it. He isn’t just the reason I’m moving—he’s my home.
Chapter 29: Luc
It’s three months later, and Cody and I are in my favorite city in the world: Besançon, France. Finally. I’ve waited so long, never really wanted to be anywhere else in the first place, and now I’m finally back where I belong. Today is the first time I’m showing him around town, and I’m trying to hide my excitement, but not succeeding.
“This is Place du 8 Septembre. The clock you see there...” I point to an old building with a vast, modern clock hanging from it. “It’s one of many in this city. Because you see, Besançon is the city of clocks and time. We have the Musée du Temps—the museum of time—from the sixteenth century, and there are many stores selling clocks all over town. We’ll get to all of that.” I lead him across the square, heading further into the city. “But the must-see is the astronomical clock in the Saint-Jean Cathedral. It’s a masterpiece consisting of thirty thousand parts, showing time but also things like tides and eclipses.. .” I pause to take a breath, and Cody chuckles.
“Sounds really interesting,” he says in between.
“And the cathedral itself is surrounded by beautiful buildings and cafes, shops and restaurants. It’s always lively here because there are loads of students. Did you know that?”
Cody’s smiling at me, grinning at my enthusiasm. “I did not.”
“And we should walk over the bridges, over the River Doubs, starting with the Pont Battant. From there, you’ll see there’s not a single ugly building in this city. None. And you’ll fall in love with it like I have.”
“No doubt,” Cody says, laughing. “I never expected to fall in love with a French man, so why wouldn’t I fall in love with a French city too. It sounds beautiful, from what you told me. Looks beautiful too.”
“It is.”
We continue the tour, buying some macarons from a tiny patisserie along the way, with me insisting they’ll be better than anything he’s ever tasted. He laughs and denies it, saying they can’t be, because the best thing he’s ever eaten is the lemon cake I made in the cake store a few months ago.
I feel like I could physically melt, like the macarons on my tongue, being here with him. In a couple of days, we’ll start our search for a place to live and leave the hotel we’re staying at. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the hotel, but I can’t wait to have a place in this city that we can call our own.
“I suppose this brings us to the most important part of the tour,” Cody says as we walk across the Pont Battant.
I’m walking ahead of him, slowing my pace and opening my mouth to confirm it and tell him this bridge is well known here. “Yeah, it’s—”
I turn around mid-sentence, and when I notice what’s in front of me, I freeze. I can’t believe what I’m seeing; Cody is on one knee, holding up a ring inside a box.
“I know we’re already engaged,” he says, “so I think I know your answer, but I wanted to do this in the way you deserve. With a ring and in the city you love.”
My mouth falls open, and I bring my hands up to it, lost for words when I realize what’s happening. He’s right, we’re already engaged, but goodness, how did he know this was exactly what I wanted? I didn’t even know it myself until now.
“Will you marry me, Luc?” he asks, causing my heart to almost jump out of my chest.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing, what I’m hearing, but it’s not a question for me. Honestly, I’m not sure it ever was. “Oui, bien sûr, oui!” I shout, half laughing, half shouting across the bridge, causing some people to turn and stop.
Cody beams at my answer, stands up, and pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around him and cling to him tightly.
Life feels about as good as it can get right now. All that’s left is for us to get married here, hopefully with my father present. I’m disappointed at how he treated me when I introduced Cody, but too much time has passed since I last saw him. I’m ready to move on. After all, when it came down to it, he helped Cody when he was trying to find me. That must mean he accepts us in some way. And most of all, he’s still my dad. Regardless of his shortcomings, he’s been there for me my entire life. I want him to be present on my most important day: my wedding day. I just have no idea how to pull it off, or if he’ll even want to be at my wedding... There’s still time, though, so I truly hope we can sort things out in the end.
Another thing I hope for is that Cody will learn French. If he does, I can retire my English for good, except maybe for pillow talk, because I’ll never tire of calling him Daddy. And some day, hopefully soon, I can also call himmon époux—my husband.
Chapter 30: Cody
