He kissed her forehead. “Had you stayed in New York, you still would have had to deal with your sister and your grief.”
“True, but at least I had friends like René and Terese to support me here. But I should have been beside you, sharing it and supporting you through it.”
He hugged her tightly. “Just ... just keep your sister away from us, promise me that.”
“You have my word. I promise to phone my father and ask him to facilitate her return home. I’m done. Jane will never interfere with us again. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you told your friend about what she did to separate us.”
“I could not do otherwise in good conscience. Of course, I was drunk at the wedding, so it was easier to do, and Charlie wasn’t very receptive at the time. Although I think he’s awake now.” He swallowed, licked his lips, then brushed the back of his fingers over her wet cheek. “And with that said, I’m glad you split from Wickham. There are things about him ... his past—and present—that no matter how mad I was at you, I would never wish him upon you, let alone as a life-long partner. Did you love him?”
“No, not likereallove. I’m embarrassed to say, it was a marriage of convenience, I suppose.”
“Why would you, of all people, agree to that?”
“Because you’ve always been my forever person, but ... the truth is, I didn’t want to be alone for the rest of my life, hoping that one day I’d miraculously run into you and reconnect.”
“Miracles happen. Here I am.” His soft lips met hers.
“I used to dream you would come to me here.”
He sighed. “What an epic waste of time and life.”
“Still, what will we do now? Will this time spent together just be a beautiful one-off?”
“What? Don’t be crazy. I’ve always been honest with Beanz, but there are ... a few important issues I need to address before calling it quits. Just give me time to work the situation out.”
“Time? You only have six weeks until your wedding.”
“Right.” Wrapping his arms around her, he snuggled her close against his chest, resting his chin on her head. In silence, they stared at the Eiffel’s golden glow. “Let’s just shut the world out for a few more days,” he whispered in her ear. “I can’t bear to part from you again.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Fifth Moment in Paris—July 6
“Bonjour, mon cher,” Lizzy moaned, rolling over to face William. He looked so adorable with an outrageous bedhead.
He grunted.
“C’mon, wake up. It’s already eight o’clock. Time is fleeting.” She dragged a foot up his shin.
“Thirty more minutes.”
“What happened to Mister I Get Up at Five to Workout?”
“He was kept awake all night by your snoring.”
Play slapping his arm, she said. “You’re such a liar. Maybe it was your voracious need that kept you awake.”
“Either way, you’re responsible.” He chuckled, grabbing her waist and dragging her against him. “It’s Sunday, a day of rest.”
“Sure, it is,” she teased. “Hmm. On second thought ...” She snuggled against him and kissed his neck. “I love waking up like this.”
“Me, too. Let’s stay here all day.”
“Seriously? I thought we were going for a walk along the Left Bank to look at the artwork.”
“This is so much better. While I enjoyed the Musée d’Orsay yesterday, I could barely touch you. Too many people. Nope. I’m perfectly content right here in our private world, doing absolutely nothing together.” He kissed her sweetly, hand sliding down to her bottom. “Mmm. Good morning, beautiful. I missed you,” he moaned, following up with another languid kiss.
Then it happened ... her mobile rang. “That’s Guy and his terrible timing. Darn, it can’t be good; it’s like two in the morning in New York City.” Unfortunately, she had to untangle herself from the linen and William’s arms to reach for the phone.
