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“Don’t apologize for loving,” I whispered.
My conscience started to nag, reminding me Paul had said he would never love again, that I was only a rebound. Perhaps I was even a test subject until he found the woman he wanted in his life.And yet, his care made me feel so close to him.
I sighed heavily.
“Now you’re far away.” Paul lifted his arm, and I rested my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around me, holding me close to him. “You go easy on me, Nadia. I need your patience.”
His phone rang, and he excused himself but clasped my hand to let me know he was still with me. Even if I did know better, my insides warmed at his thoughtfulness.
After a while, I took my hand back and went into my purse to take an aspirin. There I saw my contraception pills and took out the package.
Paul’s attention switched to me, and a palpable tension arose that hadn’t been there before as he watched me swallow the contraception. I ignored him and checked my phone for messages because he didn’t need to worry about me getting pregnant. No way would I repeat my birth mom’s mistake. I would never risk a baby with a man who didn’t love me. Or one that I couldn’t afford to care for on my own. I had years ahead of me to have children.And I will, just not now.
I took out my phone. There were text messages from Mom, Dad, and Xander.
Xander: Have fun. Bring me back something.
Mom: I can’t believe my little girl is going to Paris! Stroll down the Les Champs Elysée,gaze at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, and marvel at the Versailles. Oh, to be youngand beautiful. I love you. XOX
Dad: I know you’re still with that man. You deserve much better than being with a man who doesn’t care about you. He may seem flashy with his fancy cash, but that amount of money makes your soul hollow. It’s a game to him. He can’t buy you unless you let him. Remember, Mom and I love you.
My heart contracted. Dad wasn’t letting up on me. I wrote them back as a group and stared at my sent message.
Nadia: I’m about to take off! Don’t worry. I’ll bring you back something French. I love you all!
Paul squeezed my hand. “You look pale. Are you all right?”
“I’m tired,” I said and put on a smile.
I didn’t want to tell him he had me worried. Dadwasright. I had no idea how to navigate the games of relationships. What I thought was genuine affection and care could just be Paul wanting the girlfriend experience, or a pretend relationship with an escort.
“Hmm.” He kissed the side of my head. “I’ll make sure you get to sleep during the flight.”
We reached an air hangar with several planes, and I was once again floored by the man’s wealth.
Seeing the aircraft made me wonder why Aubrey had taken a commercial flight from Prague instead of one of the planes Paul had at his disposal. But, of course, I’d never ask, and it wasn’t my business. Besides, every time their shared memories surfaced, I lost him.
“Paul has two Gulfstream G650ERs, two Bombardier Challenger 350s, and a Falcon 8X,” Laurence pointed out in admiration of the aircraft. Paul had gone to talk with the pilot while the flight crew loaded our bags onto the plane.
“I’ll just assume that’s cool,” I told him.
“Wait until you go inside the Gulfstream. It impressed me, and I’ve traveled with him all over the world.”
Laurence wasn’t kidding.
The place looked like a hotel. The lounge had flat-screen televisions and ample built-in custom leather seating. The built-in table in the dining room could easily seat a group. There were guest suites for staff. It even had an office and a kitchen.
Paul gestured for me to keep walking, and I understood why when I reached the back of the plane. A large bedroom was there, complete with a dining and seating area. Next to the seats were new iPads, iPods, and flight itineraries with a list of private screening movies. It even had a chef’s menu selection. The bathroom had a shower and sink and was stocked with my body and skin care products next to his own. Once again, Paul never missed a thing.
Once we reached an altitude where we could remove our seat belts, the plane’s chef served us a rich array of French cheeses, fruit, bread, and wine for dinner.
“What is the first thing you want to see in Paris?” Paul asked.
I smiled, spreading butter on the baguette. “The tourist sites? The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre.”
He nodded, and the hostess brought out fish with coconut sauce and beef with cranberry that complemented the fresh vegetables for the main courses superbly.
“You mentioned some parties, but are there things you have to do?”
