of those trashy photos, it looks as if they’ve already infiltrated us. Am I right?”
“Are you asking if I cheated on you last night?”
Luc’s silence was my answer.
I thought back through the random, spotty memories I had of the night before, and despite the fact that I couldn’t remember certain key moments, like walking into Marcel’s apartment, or anything that had happened once we arrived there, I was certain it hadn’t been me kissing one of the Boucher brothers on that balcony. It didn’t matter how many glasses of champagne I’d had, I would
never
betray Luc. And judging by the scene in Marcel’s bed this morning and the underwear in his living room, I knew it had, unfortunately, been Fiona.
“No, Luc, I didn’t cheat on you. I only called Nicolas last night because you wouldn’t answer any of my questions when I came back up to the hotel room. I wanted to find out why you’d never told me about your father going to prison, but instead all I found was my husband hiding in the bathroom taking some sketchy call.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Please don’t lie about this. I admit I was eavesdropping, but can you blame me after the events of that insane day? I heard you say that I wouldn’t know the truth until ‘it’s finished.’ That it would only put me in danger. The truth about
what
, Luc? What needs to be finished? And why on earth would I be in danger?”
Luc didn’t deny anything this time. Instead he gazed at me apologetically and slid his hands up to my shoulders.
“I’m so sorry you’ve been dragged into this mess, Charlotte. That is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I never told you about my father or about Brigitte because I was hoping that my mistakes and those of my family wouldn’t touch us. I wanted a fresh start for me, for us. It was wrong of me not to tell you those things, though, and I’m sorry. I understand why you went to Nicolas last night. You just wanted to know the truth, and I wasn’t giving it to you.”
“Who were you talking to on the phone, Luc?”
Luc hesitated, his eyes once again avoiding my gaze. “Just an old friend. Nothing you need to worry about,
mon amour.
Thetruth is that there
is
more to this whole Boucher family situation than I’ve told you, and unfortunately these are things that I am not able to tell you just yet. I know that is going to be hard for you to accept, but I’m asking you right now to trust me. Trust that I love you and that I will protect you, always. You must believe me, Charlotte.”
“You’re scaring me, Luc. I just want to know what’s going on. I mean, how bad it could be that it would put me in danger?”
Luc ran a finger down my cheek and smiled. “It’s not that bad. Just some unfinished business that you don’t need to be involved in, that’s all. Nothing for you to worry about. Now that we are back in Lyon, we can start our lives together. And I want nothing more than to make you the happiest woman on earth. I don’t ever want you to regret marrying me. You are the love of my life, Charlotte. Do you believe me?”
“Yes, Luc, of course. I love you too. More than I can even express. Which is why I don’t want us to have secrets from each other. That’s not how a marriage should be. After all, both of our secrets were what caused so much trouble for us last year. I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.”
Luc squeezed my hands, the look in his chestnut eyes sincere and full of love. “We won’t,
chérie
. We won’t. You just have to trust me, okay?”
I ignored the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach and nodded. “Okay, but what about Brigitte? We have to set some ground rules. She can’t stop by unannounced and upset Adeline. I’m just beginning to build my relationship with your daughter, and I know Brigitte is her mother, but I don’t want to lose the momentum.”
“I will handle Brigitte. That is not your job. I didn’t think she would return to France
“Are you asking if I cheated on you last night?”
Luc’s silence was my answer.
I thought back through the random, spotty memories I had of the night before, and despite the fact that I couldn’t remember certain key moments, like walking into Marcel’s apartment, or anything that had happened once we arrived there, I was certain it hadn’t been me kissing one of the Boucher brothers on that balcony. It didn’t matter how many glasses of champagne I’d had, I would
never
betray Luc. And judging by the scene in Marcel’s bed this morning and the underwear in his living room, I knew it had, unfortunately, been Fiona.
“No, Luc, I didn’t cheat on you. I only called Nicolas last night because you wouldn’t answer any of my questions when I came back up to the hotel room. I wanted to find out why you’d never told me about your father going to prison, but instead all I found was my husband hiding in the bathroom taking some sketchy call.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Please don’t lie about this. I admit I was eavesdropping, but can you blame me after the events of that insane day? I heard you say that I wouldn’t know the truth until ‘it’s finished.’ That it would only put me in danger. The truth about
what
, Luc? What needs to be finished? And why on earth would I be in danger?”
Luc didn’t deny anything this time. Instead he gazed at me apologetically and slid his hands up to my shoulders.
“I’m so sorry you’ve been dragged into this mess, Charlotte. That is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I never told you about my father or about Brigitte because I was hoping that my mistakes and those of my family wouldn’t touch us. I wanted a fresh start for me, for us. It was wrong of me not to tell you those things, though, and I’m sorry. I understand why you went to Nicolas last night. You just wanted to know the truth, and I wasn’t giving it to you.”
“Who were you talking to on the phone, Luc?”
Luc hesitated, his eyes once again avoiding my gaze. “Just an old friend. Nothing you need to worry about,
mon amour.
Thetruth is that there
is
more to this whole Boucher family situation than I’ve told you, and unfortunately these are things that I am not able to tell you just yet. I know that is going to be hard for you to accept, but I’m asking you right now to trust me. Trust that I love you and that I will protect you, always. You must believe me, Charlotte.”
“You’re scaring me, Luc. I just want to know what’s going on. I mean, how bad it could be that it would put me in danger?”
Luc ran a finger down my cheek and smiled. “It’s not that bad. Just some unfinished business that you don’t need to be involved in, that’s all. Nothing for you to worry about. Now that we are back in Lyon, we can start our lives together. And I want nothing more than to make you the happiest woman on earth. I don’t ever want you to regret marrying me. You are the love of my life, Charlotte. Do you believe me?”
“Yes, Luc, of course. I love you too. More than I can even express. Which is why I don’t want us to have secrets from each other. That’s not how a marriage should be. After all, both of our secrets were what caused so much trouble for us last year. I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.”
Luc squeezed my hands, the look in his chestnut eyes sincere and full of love. “We won’t,
chérie
. We won’t. You just have to trust me, okay?”
I ignored the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach and nodded. “Okay, but what about Brigitte? We have to set some ground rules. She can’t stop by unannounced and upset Adeline. I’m just beginning to build my relationship with your daughter, and I know Brigitte is her mother, but I don’t want to lose the momentum.”
“I will handle Brigitte. That is not your job. I didn’t think she would return to France
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