But then Pierre says, “I’ll consider it.” And I decide to take the risk and push further.
“I need you to do more than consider it. Because I also want you to deliver a wedding cake—the biggest and most expensiveone you’ve ever made. He deserves it. Your son deserves to know you love and support him, especially at his wedding.”
Pierre leans back in his chair. “Did he tell you that I don’t?”
“Not with those words. He only told me you don’t care about love—only about work.”
Pierre snorts softly. “He may have a point there.”
“Can I ask what happened to you?”
“Same old story,” Pierre replies, shrugging. “A man and woman are in love, get married when they’re too young and naive, and over time, things change for the worse. Then, what was supposed to be a happy ending, results in a difficult divorce, with brutal financial losses for the man.”
“Is that why you left France?” I ask him.
He nods. “Luc’s mother got the house, and I wanted to get far away from her and our family and friends who picked her side in the divorce. I took Luc with me. I was the one who took care of him, after all. His mother turned inward. I left everything else behind. If you ask me, love is not worth the hassle.” Pierre leans toward me, folding his arms on the table and becoming even more serious. “Which is why you should be careful. I could tell just by looking at you that you have much more to lose in this marriage than Luc does. He’s young and impulsive, doesn’t know what he wants.”
I frown. Is Pierre seriously warning me about his son right now? “He seems pretty sure when it comes to me. And I’m willing to take my chances.”
Pierre stares at me for a few seconds longer, then looks away and leans back in his chair. “Alright, it’s your decision. Try to set some boundaries at least. Take precautions. You know what I mean.”
I think I do, and this time, it’s my turn to scoff. “Are you seriously suggesting I have a prenuptial agreement drawn up before marrying your son?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then. You really must not have any faith in love at all, or in your son.” I glance at the save-the-date in front of him, the beautiful piece of paper Luc spent hours working on. If I’m sure of one thing, it’s that Luc isn’t acting like someone ready to throw it all away. He’s tough. He knows things can get rough and isn’t afraid to buckle down. I’ve seen that in the past months. I’m not going to suggest a prenup—not a chance.
“I think we’re done here,” I tell Pierre as I finish my coffee. “I only hope you’ll come to the wedding with the present I suggested. Just don’t tell Luc about it, I want it to be a surprise. And if you’re going to drop the ball on this, try to let me know in time.”
Pierre smiles at me almost proudly, “You’re a good man, Cody. Luc is lucky to have you. Some people have that in life; they’ll never amount to much, but they have a partner who’ll save them from failure. That applies to my ex-wife, but I had hoped it wouldn’t apply to my son.”
I shake my head at him. “You underestimate him, Pierre. You’ll realize that one day, see what I see. And I may not have kids, but I will still say I truly hope that until the day you finally respect your son, you’ll still try to be a good father.”
Without awaiting his response, I stand up and hand him my business card. “Here’s my number if you want to talk. The theme for the wedding is sunflowers—Luc’s pick. So maybe don’t show up with a pink or black wedding cake. Other than that, I trust your judgment. Luc told me you’re the person who taught him the job, and if you’re half as good as he is, I know we’ll have an amazing wedding cake. I, for one, look forward to eating it.” I nod at the empty cups. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Pierre doesn’t nod or give me any other indication that he’ll do as I asked. He only says, “Understood. See you later.”
I walk away, clueless about what’s going to happen now. At least I know I did what I could. I seemed to have made a good impression on Pierre, given what he said to me, and hopefully I managed to talk some sense into him about how he’s treating Luc. I guess we’ll have to see. The eighteenth of August—that will be the moment of truth.
Chapter 32: Cody
Five days later, I’m finally back in Besançon and parking my car. My house keys are stuffed in my right pocket, and I can’t wait to use them. With very mixed feelings about my trip, I’m glad to be back, and more so, excited to see Luc again. He knows I’m coming home this evening, and he told me he’d wait up for me no matter the hour, so it shouldn’t be much longer until I see him. I can’t wait for it to be just us alone again, with a night of no obligations ahead of us.
I turn off the ignition and step out of the car. Without wasting time, I walk into the elevator, head to the entrance of our apartment, unlock the door, and step inside. As things are now, I’d be happy if Luc’s half as excited to see me.
And as soon as I swing the door open, his reaction is more than I could have hoped for. He squeals, jumps up from his seat, rushes toward me, and leaps into my arms, wrapping both his arms and legs around me so that I’m carrying him. I only barely manage to keep standing, but I don’t mind in the slightest.
“Finally,” he says, clinging to me. “That felt like much longer.”
I can only agree, holding him tightly. “It did.”
After a while, I put him down, and he pulls away to look at me. “Did you miss me?”
“I did—so much.”
He tilts his head and smiles cheekily. “Prove it.”
I chuckle. “Prove it how?”
