Gabriel was excited to hear the news and he came over from Paris the next day to help me pack.
Juliette had come round to see me a few days after I’d got back and we had a long and very emotional talk. She’d said she could see how happy we both were and she knew how hard that kind of joy was to find and didn’t want to lose our friendship or Gabriel, so she would give us her blessing.
She did, however, make it clear that she would do so under one condition: ‘I know I said before that I wanted to hear all of the juicy details about your match,’ Juliette said, ‘but now that I know who he is, I would be happier to know absolutely nothing!’ She’d winced.
After that, she’d encouraged me to live my life to the fullest and poured us both a glass of champagne and toasted my happiness with Gabriel.
Juliette had a heart-to-heart with Gabriel, where they had talked for hours, clearing the air. Juliette had apologised again for her mistakes, saying that whilst she couldn’t change the past, she’d do better in the future.
And when Gabriel told her about the success of his app, Juliette cried. Gabriel was confused and told Juliette that he hadgainedmillions, not lost them, so she didn’t need to be upset. At which point Juliette had said, ‘I heard what you said, but I am just so ashamed that I did not believe in you. I am so proud of what you have achieved, son. Congratulations on your well-deserved success.’
Despite saying he’d never give his mother money, Gabriel changed his mind and offered to send her something, but to his surprise, she’d declined.
‘That money is yours,’ she’d said. ‘Enjoy it. Use it to build a future with Laila. Knowing you are happy will be worth more to me than all the money in the world.’
When Gabriel told me the story, we were both in tears, then we’d joked that we should consider contacting Kleenex about any available sponsorship opportunities, given the amount of tears we’d shed since leaving Paris.
But it was all for a good reason and just like I’d hoped, everything worked out brilliantly in the end.
A week later, Gabriel and I were sipping cocktails and eating my favourite rum cake in Jamaica. We travelled around the Caribbean and California for six weeks, before heading back to Europe to Italy where we spent a month exploring Venice, Rome, Florence, Puglia and the Amalfi Coast before spending two months in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Then we returned to France to spend Christmas and the New Year in the Alps. Ricky even came to stay with us for a couple of nights and he got on with Gabriel like a house on fire, just like they used to, which filled my heart with joy.
Ricky was still planning to continue travelling for several more months and wasn’t sure yet if he’d return to the house in London, but his dad (who was also surprisingly supportive when he heard I’d met someone) said it was his for as long as he wanted it.
In the meantime, Juliette promised to check on it and said that if ever Ricky decided to return, although he was all grown up, she’d still look out for him so I wouldn’t have to worry, which was great.
Travelling was just as amazing as I’d imagined. And now that I’d been to so many countries, I was glad that I didn’t get to explore more when I was in my early twenties. Because doing it with Gabriel by my side was so much better. That was my destiny.
And not just because we stayed in some lovely hotels. It was being withhimthat mattered the most.
Now it was April and we weren’t just settled in our home together in Paris, we were also settled into our new professional roles.
I wasn’t exactly sure how Gabriel and his lawyers had done it, but I was now able to live and work in Paris, which was a dream come true.
‘So how are you enjoying working at the foundation?’ Cassie said.
‘I love it! It’s so great to wake up and go to work every day and know that we’re making a difference.’
Both Gabriel and I were now working at Cassie and Nico’s foundation.
When we returned to Paris, I’d arranged to meet Cassie just like she’d suggested when we were at the Love Hotel Riviera and we talked for hours. She offered me a job on the spot and told me all about the different charitable projects she’d like me to get involved with. Right now, I was helping to get young homeless women off the streets in the UK via the British arm of their foundation, which involved some travel to the London office.
And I was also working to raise awareness of the single mothers’ support group that I volunteered at.
Whilst we were travelling, Gabriel had generously offered to make a huge donation which would secure the centre’s future for decades to come. When Cassie and Nico heard about it, they also offered to get involved. So now we were working out how to expand the group across the UK and Paris too, which was so exciting.
Gabriel was also thriving thanks to his role at the foundation. He was using his IT skills to set up a division to train people of all ages on technology.
He ran a drop-in centre which helped pensioners to understand how to use banking apps and to educate them on scams so that they didn’t become victims of the fraudsters who preyed on vulnerable older people. And for teenagers and anyone else who wanted to learn, he gave advice on furthering their knowledge and careers.
Our roles were low pressure and highly rewarding, plus we still had time to travel.
‘Oui,’ Gabriel added. ‘I love it. It feels good to have a new purpose.’
‘And to finally have a real home and the love of a good woman too, am I right?’ Cassie added.
‘Exactement,’ Gabriel confirmed. ‘Before, I thought that I felt empty because I needed to create another business and achieve bigger success. I thought that if I made even more money, I would be more fulfilled, but what I was missing was Laila. Just like you and Nico had said, love was the answer.’
