by Karin Baine
‘If you love her you’ll do more than try, you eejit.’
This indomitable spirit would serve the old lady well. Hopefully she would be back on her feet once the infection had cleared. Lola had made a difficult decision in keeping her off the ventilator at the first sign of her breathing difficulties, but it had worked out in the end. With the amount of problems Vera had going on already it would have been too easy for her body to give up altogether. This way she at least had a fighting chance.
‘Let’s get you sorted out first.’
He made way for the porter at the bedside, making sure Vera was comfortable before they moved her.
‘I’m going, I’m going,’ he said, in response to another glower.
Vera lifted her hand to wave at him as she was wheeled out of the department. She was a fighter, putting cowardly men who gave up at the first hint of trouble to shame. It was time he took a stand for something he wanted, needed from life.
He’d never known how to live for himself without always being mindful of how it would impact on his family. It was an exciting, if daunting prospect. Made worse with the knowledge that he’d given up a future with Lola when no one had asked him to. He’d jumped ahead, skipping the part where they could have had something meaningful, anticipating the reasons why it would never work.
He chased Lola down through the corridors. ‘I’m an eejit, according to Vera.’
Her footsteps faltered and she spoke without turning to look at him. ‘Yes. What’s your point?’
‘I thought I would be doing wrong by my family in spending more time with you. You don’t understand... Angelique gave up everything to raise me after our parents died. How do you ever repay that? Well, I thought it was my duty to be there for her and the kids—make the same sacrifice she had made for me. She walked away from the very thing she loved to make sure I had a better life. I thought I had to do the same.’
The time, money and the other relationships he’d given up to atone were small gestures compared to the great loss he’d suffered at his own hand. Couldn’t she see that?
‘I don’t think I would’ve wanted a three-way relationship anyway. What woman wants to be in competition with a man’s sister for his affections? Badly done or not, this is for the best.’
She took another step forwards.
‘But that’s it. I was wrong. Angelique is perfectly capable of managing on her own—she doesn’t need me. No one needs me. But I need you. I love you, Lola.’
His voice cracked as he said it and the implications of the words hit him. He’d never said that to anyone—not even his beloved sister. When he’d lost his parents he’d stopped believing love had any purpose other than bringing pain to those involved. That was still true now. But above all else Lola had to know that someone cared about her. Even if he was a complete imbecile who wasn’t worthy of her.
‘Maybe that’s not enough. I love you is right up there with I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s meaningless without the actions to back it up.’
Lola had put him in the same category as every other man who’d used and abused her on a whim. Unfortunately that didn’t leave any room for him to make amends.
He stood helpless as Lola denied him redemption and disappeared through the door, but he didn’t believe there wasn’t still a flicker of hope. Those tears she was trying to hide were too real, too raw for her to be pretending she didn’t care about him. It was down to him to give it one last shot and try to make it up to her.
If Lola needed a grand gesture to prove his love to her, she was going to get it.
* * *
Lola had no real desire to have another heart-to-heart with Jules about her predicament. She’d had enough of those for one day and had accomplished nothing.
Even hearing Henri say those three little words hadn’t had the effect she’d imagined. There had been no choir of angels heralding the hallelujah moment when everything fell into place, because he hadn’t yet told her this was for keeps. She’d been bitten twice now, so it was hardly surprising she was reluctant to take another man at face value. Especially since he’d proved he wasn’t the man she’d thought he was.
Another temporary placement in his bed wasn’t enough any more. She wanted a partner and a father for her baby. There was more than her future at stake here.
As she opened the apartment door it struck her that she was becoming very demanding of late, and unwilling to settle for anything less than she deserved. It was ironic that she was finally becoming an independent woman when everything was falling apart. But from now on she would put all her efforts into raising this child and leave all thought of romance where it belonged—in books.
The living room was in darkness, so she assumed Jules wasn’t home yet—until she saw candles burning around the room. She dropped her bag on the sofa, to make sure she didn’t stumble over it in the dark.
‘Did we have a power cut, Jules?’
A shadow rose from the chair opposite and moved into the flickering candlelight. ‘No power cut. No Jules. Just me.’
Lola swallowed her drool as Henri made his presence known—all six-foot-whatever dressed in a tux. The soft sound of blues music played in the background, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see rose petals strewn around the floor. She’d walked into her pre-pregnancy fantasy.
‘How did you get in?’
‘Jules very kindly lent me her key.’
‘You told her about us?’
‘I think she figured it out when I begged her to help me woo you.’
‘Woo me?’
‘Oui. Woo you.’
That accent slayed her every time.
He took a step closer and Lola resisted the urge to move back to a place of safety. There was no more running away from this for either of them.
‘How do you propose to do that? Did Vera give you some more advice when I wasn’t looking?’
Lola wasn’t impressed with his track record so far. The last time he’d attempted to seduce her he’d combined it with babysitting duties and a work conference. He wasn’t as smooth as his reputation led a girl to believe.
‘I decided against grovelling on the hospital floor in favour of a more traditional approach. You danced for me last night, and I thought you might appreciate a partner this time.’
He slipped one hand around her waist and laced the fingers of the other hand with hers, leading her in a gentle waltz to the middle of the living room.
‘You saw me last night?’
She’d thought she’d imagined him—and that look of disgust as he walked away. She stumbled over her feet, but Henri pulled her tight against him and carried on dancing.
‘You were beautiful—so confident and sexy and carrying my baby. I was so proud, watching you up there.’
‘Really? I thought you were ashamed of me.’ Lola tried her best not to get carried away by the praise and Henri’s acknowledgement of the child they’d created together. There was no point in getting her hopes up that they could be a family when her time here was almost up.
‘Never. You’re part of me, Lola, and I don’t want to be without you ever again. Either of you. Will you marry me?’
He rested his hand on her belly, on their future, and Lola really wanted to believe it was possible to have everything she’d ever dreamed of.
‘Not so long ago you were blaming me for getting pregnant and extending the time limit on our arrangement. I don’t want you to propose because you think it’s the right thing to do. What’s happened to change the way you feel about me, us?’ This wasn’t going to work if he’d somehow been strong-armed into romancing her. Jules could be lurking in the shadows somewhere pulling the strings and making him dance.
‘Nothing has changed my feelings for you. I’ve been in love with you from the moment I saw you dancing
upside down in that chair. I’ve simply been too afraid to admit it.’ Big brave Henri confessing the slightest hint of fear was confirmation enough that this was the real deal.
Lola cast her mind back to that night in the hotel when he’d taken his time with her, understanding exactly what she’d needed. She pictured him today, with her pneumonia patient, going beyond the call of duty to make sure Vera was at ease. Instinct told her that Henri was everything he was selling himself as with this stunt.
‘Ask me again.’ This time she wanted the moment free from doubts and suspicion.
‘Lola Roberts, will you do me the honour of marrying me?’
Her battered heart finally waved the white flag. ‘Yes, Henri. I will marry you.’
It seemed she wasn’t done with testing her bravery just yet.
EPILOGUE
‘I HOPE YOU’RE ready for this...’ Henri whispered into Lola’s ear and stood every hair on the back of her neck to attention. Family get-togethers were all well and good unless you were forced to keep your hands off your sexy fiancé—in which case they were damn frustrating.
‘It can’t be that bad.’ Lola carried on setting the table for Sunday lunch, looking forward to an afternoon with Angelique and the children.
‘My sister isn’t renowned for her cooking—as you well know.’ Henri gave a shudder and took his seat at the head of the table.
‘I heard that!’ Angelique carried in dishes of mashed potato and veg, while Gabrielle proudly followed with a platter of roast beef. ‘I just wanted to do something to celebrate your engagement. Besides, Gabs did most of the cooking. All I did was boil the kettle to make the gravy.’
‘You did this, Gabrielle? That’s amazing. Well done.’
Lola hadn’t seen much of the blushing teenager since she’d taken on a lot of after-school activities—including dance lessons with her mother. There hadn’t been any more mention of problems at school, and Lola hoped life was starting to improve for her.
‘Thank goodness we have one member of the family who can cook. I haven’t had a decent home-made meal in about twenty years.’
Henri took a healthy scoop from each of the dishes as he sat down, and dodged the Yorkshire pudding Angelique threw at his head. It was the sort of camaraderie Lola had missed with her brothers.
‘I should probably look into organising a family dinner at my dad’s, too. God knows the last time they ate anything other than takeout, and it’s about time I introduced you to them, Henri.’
She casually threw that at him, without referencing the inquisition he’d inevitably endure at the hands of her siblings. For safety’s sake she might suggest he wear body armour for the occasion once they found out about her pregnancy.
Henri stopped wolfing down his dinner for long enough to stare. ‘You want me to meet your family?’
‘It’s going to become obvious pretty quickly that something’s up, and if I don’t tell them about you they’ll go into full stalker mode.’
Lola patted the soft swell of her belly under the table. They’d delayed sharing their news until they’d had the three-month scan, to make sure everything was progressing as it should, but she wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer. No more secrets, no more lies. She couldn’t wait for everyone to share in the good news.
‘Wait...have you guys got something to tell us?’ Gabrielle’s cutlery clattered onto her plate at this revelation.
‘Er...’ Lola waited for Henri to drop the bombshell. He’d become quite the proud father already, poring over the scan pictures and trying to teach the baby French via her belly button.
‘We’re going to have a baby.’
He was positively beaming as he extended the Benoit family by another two. Telling them they intended to get married soon, so the baby would naturally take his surname—as would Lola.
There were gasps and happy whoops around the table—except from Bastien, who made an ‘Eww!’ sound instead.
‘I’m so happy for you both.’ Angelique was on her feet at once to hug them, giving Henri an extra squeeze.
There was nothing but love in her embrace, and Lola hoped she and Henri could stop worrying that this would somehow have a negative impact on the family dynamic.
‘I’m going to have a cousin!’ Gabrielle rushed to kiss Lola, too, and immediately offered her babysitting services for when the time came.
Far from pouting about the prospect of being left out once the new addition arrived, everyone was as excited as the parents-to-be. Lola was lucky to be part of two loving families. She was sure her brothers would be putty in her baby’s squidgy little hands, too, once they got used to the idea of their wee sister being pregnant.
‘That means you’ll have someone to boss about, too, Bastien.’ Henri extracted a worrying grin from his otherwise unimpressed nephew.
‘We have some news of our own to share.’ Angelique diverted everyone’s attention as she and the children shared knowing looks. ‘I’m taking the kids to Paris over the holidays, to show them our old stomping ground and see the sights. It’s about time they embraced their French culture, don’t you think, Henri?’
‘You’re going on your own?’ He tensed beside Lola, and she could see this would be a real test for him. But he had to let go if they were to stand any chance of making it as a family in their own right.
‘Yes, Henri. I’m taking my kids on holiday to spend some quality time with them. Do you have a problem with that?’ Her eyes glittered, daring him to challenge her, and there was a heavy air of expectation as they waited for his response.
Henri took a sip of water, rolled his napkin into a ball and rose from his seat. Lola tensed, afraid that everything they’d worked for was about to unravel before her eyes. He’d spent his entire adulthood caring for his sister and her brood, and this was the first time as far as Lola knew that they were striking out on their own. It was a lot for him to get used to.
Henri reached down and kissed Angelique on the cheek. ‘I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time. Make sure you take plenty of photographs, so I can see what the old place looks like now.’
‘I will—but there’s nothing to stop you two going to visit yourselves some time. There’s nothing like a dirty weekend in Paris...’
Angelique trailed off, as if she was remembering one. It seemed she had some secrets of her own.
‘How about it?’ Henri asked when they were washing up in the kitchen.
‘Hmm?’ Lola was distracted by his thick forearms, dipping into the soapy bubbles, clearly visible now he’d rolled his sleeves up.
‘I’m talking about Angelique’s suggestion of a dirty weekend in Paris. It’s the perfect place for a honeymoon.’
Henri encircled her waist with his wet hands and pulled her close. She couldn’t remember one good reason why she would want to be anywhere else other than here in his arms.
‘Why wait for a honeymoon when our place is only a short drive away?’
Paris could wait. Lola couldn’t. She shrieked as Henri took her legs from beneath her and swept her into his arms.
‘We have to go, Angelique. There’s an emergency. I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Maybe...’ Henri yelled his goodbyes and carried Lola out to the car with the urgency of a man on a mission.
This time there was no question over his priorities, and Lola couldn’t wait to reap the benefits. She was determined to show Henri exactly how much she loved him. Every single day.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460389621
French Fling to Forever
Copyright © 2015 by Karin Baine
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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