‘I want you to come with me because I can’t stand the idea of another month without seeing you again,’ he murmured. ‘I want you by my side, Hope.’ Gus smiled. ‘But I can also see that you’d be my biggest asset in business, too. I want you to be part of this with me. Iwanta life with you.’ He paused. ‘I don’t want to leave Paris this time without you.’
That was enough. That was all she needed to hear.
And this time when she opened her mouth, she didn’t feel scared or nervous. Instead, a sense of purpose coursed through her as his hand curled softly around the back of her neck, holding her gently where she stood. And even though she’d never done anything illegal in her life, she couldn’t help but feel just a little excited about working with him.
She imagined packing up her things, waiting for Gus on the footpath and walking away from the life she’d spent the past year creating for herself. But none of that mattered now. Besides, if it didn’t work out, she could always return to the city and startagain—it wasn’t as if she was really giving up anything for the opportunity to work with him. And she could already see the fairy coming to life in her mind, her fingers itching to find a pencil and start sketching.
‘Do you have any questions?’ he whispered against her lips.
Hope had many. She wanted to know what his parents were like, where they were going, where they would be living. But right now, as her heart began to race and Gus’s arms encircled her, there was only one she needed to ask.
The question bubbled up inside her as she looped her arms around his neck.
‘When do we leave?’
17
FOUR WEEKS LATER
Hope couldn’t move. She held Gus’s hand tightly as she stared out at the landscape, a feeling inside her chest that she couldn’t explain as she took in the beauty of Pontarlier. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before, and she couldn’t stop looking around.
‘Why did you never tell me it was like this?’ she asked.
‘I thought I did,’ Gus said, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to it.
‘You said it was picturesque,’ she said. ‘But this, this is just breathtaking.’
The mountains in the near distance looked like sleeping giants to her, and everything was so green, as far as the eye could see from where she was facing. It was so different to the city, and as she inhaled, the air felt crisp and clear in her lungs.
‘Well, I’m pleased you like it so far,’ Gus said. ‘We can go for walks at the weekend, and I’ll show you all my favourite places I explored as a boy.’
For someone who’d been so unsure of leaving Paris, of giving up the life she’d made for herself there, Hope was feeling incredibly content in her decision. And from what she’d seenas they’d driven through the village, the entire place was full of beauty, including all the grand old buildings.
‘My apartment isn’t as exciting as the scenery, but?—’
‘It’ll be just fine,’ she said, dropping her head to his shoulder. ‘We’re together, and everything about this place feels right. I’m so pleased I decided to come with you.’
Gus turned to her and she lifted her head as he cupped her face in his palms and pressed a warm kiss to her lips. ‘So am I.’
As far as Hope was concerned, there was nothing about this day that wasn’t perfect.
Five days later, Hope sat, bent over the little desk, furiously sketching in her book. Earlier pages had been used for ideas for new artwork, and she’d even scribbled notes here and there, but now she was filling page after page, trying to perfect the little fairy.
It should have been her easiest project to date, but for some reason, she was finding it almost impossible. The fairy was either too small or her proportions were wrong, and it was driving her crazy.
‘How is our little fairy coming along?’
The deep timbre of his voice warmed her, and she sat up, stretching out her back as Gus came up behind her, his arms encircling her. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and leaned past her to thumb through the pages, and she wished that she had more to show him.
‘I like her,’ he said, leaning closer and whispering another kiss to her cheek. ‘You don’t?’
‘I can’t seem to make her quite perfect,’ Hope said with a sigh.
‘Just draw from your heart,’ he said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world to do, kissing her again on the top of her head before he stood back. ‘I’ll love whatever you come up with.’
Hope stared down at the drawing for a long moment before closing the book. She hated to admit it, but Gus was right. She needed to stop overthinking it, stop trying to make her drawing perfect, and just create from the heart. Hope knew how she wanted her to look, but every time she thought about the image being printed on labels for the absinthe bottles, she started to panic.
‘Have you told your parents about me yet?’ Hope asked, standing and stretching, her back sore from being bent over the desk for so long.
