Page 33 of The Champion
“You’re my favorite personsometimes.”
“Would you say it’s fifty percent of the time or closer to ninety-nine?”
Looking to the side, Freya waited a long second before she spoke. “Your offer for me to stay here surprised me.”
“It shouldn’t have. You know I want more time with you.”
With an arched eyebrow she muttered. “Time or sex?”
“Both.”
“I feel like you’re playing mind games. You outplayed Marco and you’re doing it to me as well.”
There was no reason to deny it. “Isn’t that what we do? May I remind you that nineteen months ago, you played a dangerous game with me when you offered to stay with me and have my children.”
Freya looked away again.
“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you ever since that day. You have to answer me honestly, Freya. What would you have done if I had accepted your offer to stay with me?”
She met my gaze head on. “I offered what I was willing to give.”
My tone was incredulous. “You were willing to move to France for Mason and Belle to be together?”
Freya didn’t blink. “I was willing to move to France to be with you.”
I closed my hands into fists as if I could squash the forbidden feelings inside my chest. “You… you…” Words failed me as I tried to compute the way her words made me feel. “Why?”
Freya angled her head a little. “Why did I want to stay with you?”
I dipped my chin a single time.
“Because I was hoping that you would come to love me the way I love you.”
Planting my elbows on my knees, I let my head fall into my hands and groaned.
“I know you French aren’t allowed to talk about your romantic emotions, but in the rest of the world, feelings aren’t forbidden. I can say that I’m in love without anyone judging me.”
“I’m not judging you.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
I lowered my hands and met her strong gaze. “You wouldn’t have been happy here. Our laws and rules would feel limiting to you and I could never be the kind of husband you dream of.”
“Because you want to sleep with other women.” Freya said the words in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I could never give away the key to my sexuality to one person. It’s unnatural.”
Freya looked out the window again. “You really think I couldn’t live in France? In some ways I always figured I would be good at it. I’m not an outdoorsy type like my fellow Northlanders. My strength is my brain, which your culture values.”
Her talk about moving to France excited me and I spoke fast. “If you could adapt to our view on sex, I think you could be happy here.”
My excitement evaporated when I heard the sadness in Freya’s voice. “I’ve asked myself a million times if I could share you with others, but it hurts to even consider. And then there’s the part about having children here. I could never give up our children, Victor.”
Hearing Freya sayour childrencreated a buzzing sensation from the top of my spine down. “Just now, when you saidour children…” I stopped myself because it was new territory for me to open up about my feelings.
“Yes?”
“It’s… it’s…”
