Page 25 of Belle Amour

“Oh, but it is,” Robert murmured, sipping his drink. “Their parents divorced when they were young, and they both spoiled all three of them to try to be the favourite parent. The youngest was only two when they divorced, so she was spoiled from the very beginning and for the longest amount of time.”

Eleanor nodded. “And I guess she felt left out because she announced her pregnancy at Casey’s bridal brunch yesterday; there was this moment of silence where everyone just looked back and forth between the two of them. Carla was giving Casey the smuggest smile I’ve ever seen, and Casey waslivid. Like, I didn’t know someone could turn that red. She screamed her head off at her sister, called her all kinds of names, and then stormed out of the room - which, you know what? Fair. I would have, too, minus the screaming and name-calling; with Carol and her bridesmaids chasing her, Carla started to cry and ran to their father, who looked completely done by the whole thing and asked Carla what she thought was going to happen before walking out with his wife.”

“I’ve got to say, I agree with her father; what did she think would happen?” Mirabelle shook her head and passed the last of her crème brulee to Bastian, unable to finish it after the meal she’d had.

“But in Carla’s defence, Casey announced her engagement at Carla’s birthday party. The whole family is crazy.” Eleanor leaned forward, clearly enjoying sharing all the dirt on Casey with people who would appreciate it. “Casey didn't want to invite her father's wife because she is five years younger than Carla and pregnant but would be ready to pop, like the tail-end of thirty-nine weeks, labour any day, ready to pop by the time the wedding happened. Her father told her he wouldn't come if his wife wasn’t invited because he wasn’t going to chance missing the birth of his son.”

“I wasn’t there for this; I’m getting it second-hand from Eddie, so take it with a grain of salt,” Eleanor finished her souffle, wiped her mouth and sat back with a happy sigh. “That was delicious. Thanks Bastian.” Bastian smiled and lifted his glass to her. “Anyway, according to Eddie, that was how herfather told her and her sisters they were about to have a brother, which sent them over all over the edge, but Casey most of all because she’s a Daddy’s girl, and she refused to get married if he didn’t walk her down the aisle and do the father-daughter dance with her. She agreed to invite his wife but told her if she went into labour to squeeze her thighs together and hold it in. One peep out of her before the father-daughter dance was over, and she would make her and the baby's life hell, and her father actually said: “That's fair.’”

“Are you kidding me?” Bastian asked incredulously. “Mira, make sure you have some of my cards in your purse. It wouldn't take me long to get licensed and sworn in here.”

Robert let out a booming chuckle and grinned at Bastian. “Still doing divorces then?”

“Oh god, yes.” Bastian nodded. “Actually, Mirabelle and I just started our own law firm, and we're representing my former partner's wife in their divorce as our first case.

“That's incredible, you two!” Eleanor smiled at them both, looking like a proud mama. “But not surprising, I’ve heard from several of your former clients that you two are the best.”

“We’re pretty excited about it,” Mirabelle leaned back in her chair and returned her smile. “I've started doing upgrading for environmental law. I'll leave the prenups, divorces, custody battles, and mediations to Bast.”

“I think it’s great that you're finally able to follow your passion.” Eleanor reached out and squeezed her hand before looking at Bast. “Doesn’t it get depressing? Constantly watching families fall apart?”

“I spend more time in complete and utter disbelief than anything else.” Bastian shrugged. “Yeah, it’s sad when there are kids involved, especially when the parents are using them asbargaining chips, but eighty percent of my client base are rich men and women who are dealing with infidelity in one form or another. A shocking number of men and women are getting involved with much younger people of both sexes, and with technology, they’re getting caught. And trust me, a mid-life crisis is a very legitimate thing.”

“I can only imagine. I just bought myself a racehorse during my mid-life crisis.” Robert chuckled, running his hand sheepishly through his auburn hair as he glanced at Eleanor. “Much to Eleanor’s shock.”

“But considering he's won almost all of his races, I got over my feelings about it pretty quickly.” Eleanor grinned at her husband. “Have you had your mid-life crisis yet, Bast?”

“I don't think so,” Bastian furrowed his brow as he thought about it. “But I'm not in my forties yet.”

“He'll get his pilot's license and buy a plane,” Mirabelle said confidently. Bastian had expressed an interest in flying for as long as she could remember. “If the law hadn’t worked out for him, his backup was to join the Air Force.”

“Probably.” Bastain laughed, nodding. “I’d actually forgotten about that.”

They spent another hour together, and since they were all staying at the Weber, they shared a cab back. They said their goodbyes in the lobby and promised to meet again on Wednesday when Mirabelle and Bastian were supposed to meet with Francesca and Victor.

Back in the hotel room, Bastian dropped down on the bed and lay on his side, looking curiously at Mirabelle. “So, we're doing the fake dating thing?”

“Well, actually, I was hoping we could actually officially start dating.” Mirabelle smiled shyly at him. “If you’re okay withthat.” She sat on the bed beside him, suddenly feeling like a teenager asking out her crush, and he shifted in to make some room for her.

“Are you sure, Bunny?” He reached for her, and she moved so she was leaning against his stomach, looking down at him. “I don’t want you to feel pressured into making a decision.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” She reassured him as he sat up and faced her. “I still want to take our time, but I think saying we're officially dating is the truth.”

“Good.” Bastian smiled at her, and she melted at how much love and affection she saw in his eyes. He cupped her face in his large hands and kissed her gently, catching her completely by surprise. She parted her lips as a soft “Oh!” escaped her, and he took advantage of it, slipping his tongue in and deepening the kiss. Mirabelle felt her breath catch, and she kissed him back eagerly, moaning softly in disappointment when he ended it. “Fuck.” He muttered. She opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. “Sorry. I had to; I've wanted to for years.”

Chapter Seventeen: Sweet Dreams

“Tease,” Mirabelle muttered. Bastian chuckled and pulled her tight against him, his lips trailing over her jaw. He didn’t want to push her or go too fast, but now that he’d started, he really didn’t want to stop.

“Is it teasing if I'm willing to take it up a notch?” He murmured, trying to make it clear he was more than happy to keep going without making her feel pressured. Mirabelle’s hands came up and slid over his chest, and for a brief second, Bastian thought she was going to agree to a make-out session. But then she yawned, and he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. He kissed her gently again and pushed a few stray tendrils of hair back off her face. “Go get ready for bed, Bunny; I’ll behave myself.” She smiled and leaned her forehead on his chest for a moment; he ran his hand over her head, down her cheek to her chin and lifted her face so he could kiss her again. “I might be developing an addiction.” He mumbled against her lips. He reluctantly pulled back, meeting her eyes as she chuckled tiredly.

“I’m gonna get ready for bed.” Mirabelle patted his chest, and he watched her get some pyjamas from her suitcase and go to the bathroom to get ready with a smile. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had felt this happy. He got up, pulled a pair of shorts out of his suitcase, and quickly changed into them. When she came out of the bathroom in a pair of tiny shorts and a tank top, he slipped into the bathroom and shutthe door with a small groan. How the hell was he going to sleep tonight with her looking like that?

He did his nighttime routine, trying to calm his excitement. He’d slept in a bed with her loads of times, but this time was different. They were together, officially together, and memories of them together at sixteen filled his head. He could still hear every moan he’d pulled out of her that night. As much as he’d wanted her before, as many fantasies as he had about her and being with her, they were just that before, fantasies. Now, he could start to work toward fulfilling every one of them. He was going to have to wait to get started, though, as much as it felt like it was killing him because she was clearly not in the mental or emotional headspace for it. Keeping that in mind, he finished up and left the bathroom.

He found Mirabelle in bed, with the TV on some sitcom, but he could tell she was barely staying awake. He climbed into bed beside her, and she immediately cuddled into him, snuggling tightly into his chest. Bastian smiled to himself as he relaxed and stroked her hair. She fell asleep almost immediately, but he was having a bit more trouble knowing she was practically naked next to him. He lay wide awake for over an hour, watching TV without seeing or hearing it. Thinking he was going to have to get up and go to the bathroom to relieve some of his tension, He started gently untangling himself from her, but as soon as he moved away, she let out a soft whimper and snuggled in closer, throwing her bare leg over his.

He looked down to see the tank top had ridden up and exposed her midriff to just under her breast and bit back the groan that rose in his throat. He had seen her in various states of undress many times in just the last ten months, and while it was always distracting, now it was straight up driving him crazy. She whimpered again, and her hips pushed forward, pressingagainst his from the side. Bastian froze in shock and looked down to see she was definitely still asleep.

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