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“So you said yes?” Laurence called back in a joyous tone once we were driving.
I grinned broadly. “Yes, I did.”
“Of course she did,” Paul joked.
“So which home did you like the best, Nadia?”
“I can’t decide.” I bit my smile.
Paul’s proposal tipped the scale to the house on Lake Como. However, he was so open and passionate at the Rose House. I honestly loved both of them.
“You have time,” Paul said to me. “But once you choose, we can start the renovations.” He took a call, and I went back to my phone.
A message had come in from Xander. It had a video clip of me inter-spliced with Emma Thompson crying in Sense & Sensibility.
Xander: Did you go full Thompson’s Elinor Dashwood for Paul?
I texted back.
Nadia: Yep. I cried like a baby.
Xander: The man’s crazy about you.
I smiled, thinking about Paul on his knees before me, asking me to be his forever.
Xander: Where are you going to get married?
Nadia: It just happened! I’ve been thinking about the backyard at my parents? It could be intimate.
Xander: What? Are you unwell?? I’ll wait for you to return to reality. TTYL
Nadia: Ha. Whatever. TTYL
Paul’s phone rang again, and he answered it, mouthing, “Gunnar.” I tensed. Can’t we have good news for once? Paul frowned. Not likely. “I’ll text you. I’ll have to speak with Nadia first. Yes.” He ended the call.
My brows knitted. “What now?”
“It’s about Celeste. She’s been trying to reach you through Gunnar since we left. Tomorrow, she’s heading into a cleansing retreat that will last weeks. She asked if she could speak with you for a few minutes tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah. That woman has some nerve.” His jaw ticked.
Paul’s annoyance was out of love, but I knew him well enough to know there was something else that had him enraged. “What’s really bothering you, Paul?”
He clenched his jaw. “Celeste…doesn’t want to involve her children.”
I’d expected that. If I met them, that would mean a lasting connection, and that wasn’t what she wanted with me; she never did. The difference this time was I didn’t want a relationship with her, either. “Yeah, please set it up. I still want to do it.”
“You owe her nothing. Are you sure?”
“I am. She’s not my mom, and I don’t see her that way. Maybe she hopes for closure…I know I want it.”
Paul went quiet for a while but held my hand. He finally said, “Okay, but she doesn’t deserve any of your time. I will not allow her to hurt you.”
“You’ll be near me, and I will go right into your arms after.” I leaned over and kissed him.
He blew out his breath and contacted Laurence. “The other place. Thanks, Laurence.”
