But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there were moments—occasional moments—when I’d catch her laughing, her head tipped back, her dark brown eyes sparkling, and something in my chest would tighten.
I never allowed myself to think about it for too long.
I always buried those thoughts as quickly as they’d come.
My relationship with this girl was the most important one in my life.
She was the closest person to me, and I wouldn’t ever want to do anything to fuck that up.
“I think she likes it this way,” I said to Maribel. “And this allows her to complain about all of her boyfriends to me, and I get to stay the good guy.”
“All of my boyfriends?” She gaped at me. “All two and a half of them? You’ve got quite the more extensive list, Bear.”
I chuckled as I took her in. Damn, she was pretty. Gracie Reynolds always managed to be the most beautiful girl in the room.
Always had been.
“You two are so funny. I’ve heard so much about you,” Maribel said as the front door opened again and a group of fourpeople walked in. “Pick any table you want. I’m guessing Collette will want to wait on you. You’ve always been her favorite.”
Gracie chuckled. I’d heard about this place ever since she moved here. We settled in chairs across from one another on the patio, tucked beneath a red awning, and she reminded me that Collette and her husband owned the place. They’d hired Gracie a few months ago after she and Gabriel had broken up.
There were black flower boxes sitting on all four window ledges, filled with white and pink flowers. Sunlight bounced off the weathered wood tables, and the rich aromas of espresso and baked pastries floated around us.
“I’m glad you had this place to fall back on after you left that asshole. I’m just sorry that you lost so much time supporting him, while he did nothing to support you.” I leaned back in my chair as the space around us was filled with the chatter of locals in hushed French and the occasional clink of porcelain cups.
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe that I got myself in this position. That’s why I didn’t want to even tell anyone that we’d broken up.”
“I’d wondered why you weren’t getting your design business off the ground, and you just kept saying you were busy helping Gabriel at his office. It makes sense now.” I blew out a breath.
“What does?”
“I knew something was off. The guys gave me a hard time and said it was because you were living so far away, but you were so distant, and I just had a feeling something wasn’t right.”
“You know me well.” Her gaze softened. “He made all these promises about helping me get my career going here, and he never did a single one of them. I had no contacts, I don’t speak the language, and every day he just kept coming up with things he needed help with.”
“That fucker thought he could get you here and make you his puppet,” I grunted, my hands fisting on the table. “So tell me thetruth. All of it. I’ll know if you’re holding back, so just put it all out there.”
“It happened pretty quickly.” She exhaled and glanced away for a beat before turning back to look at me. “Once we arrived in Paris, it bothered him that I wouldn’t move in with him. I reminded him that at the time, we’d only been dating for six months. Which, looking back, makes me question myself. Who gives up their job and their life for a six-month relationship? That’s on me.”
“You were in love, or at least you thought you were,” I said, my voice tight even to my own ears. “He made all these promises about helping you build your own company. Paris is a beautiful place, and you’ve always been inspired by French design. So you looked at this as the opportunity of a lifetime. I understood why you wanted this—even though I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was full of shit. Part of me thought maybe I was just being overly protective, and maybe I was reading him wrong. He never seemed genuine to me. I just hate that he hurt you, and I hate that I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”
Her gaze was wet with emotion. “Always my knight in shining armor.”
I cursed to myself.
Not this time.
A woman with short blonde hair who was probably a few years older than us approached the table. “Bonjour, Gracie, and who do we have here?”
“Bonjour, Collette.” Gracie moved to her feet and hugged her, and I stood up as well. “This is Cutler.”
“Ahhh… We’ve heard so much about her American bestie. The teddy bear, right?” Her voice was teasing as she extended a hand to me. “You came to help her pack and take her home?”
Gracie and I both returned to our seats.
“Yes, happy to be getting my girl back home.” I winked at Gracie.
“I clearly talk about you a lot,” she said with a laugh.
