Page 86 of Ten Christmases Without You
“Yeah. She’d kept it all these years.”
“Unbelievable. I can’t believe she still had it…”
“What’s the significance of Rue des Lumières d’Automne?”
“Nothing at all. That’s just it. She and I used to talk about what we wanted in a proposal. I’d suggested that, when the time came, I might do something grand, and she said, ‘I wouldn’t want anything at all. Nothing should compete with the love of my life saying he wants to spend forever with me.’”
Affection for her mother ballooned inside her. “That sounds like Mom.”
He huffed out a chuckle. “Rue des Lumières d’Automne was a side street near Baudelaire’s. I told her later that if she wasn’t going to let me do something big, I was at least going to choose the street with the longest name.”
Emmy laughed, the story warming her.
“I also waited for the rain because who doesn’t want to be kissed in the rain?”
“Spoken like a true romantic.”
“I was a romantic forher.”
“So, what happened?” Emmy asked.
“For that full story, you’ll need to ask Vivienne Moreau. She was your mom’s best friend back then. But I can tell you my side: One day, I came into the studio at Baudelaire’s to find the wedding dress she’d been designing, along with a note that said she was so sorry, but she couldn’t marry me. And just like that, she was gone. She’d left Baudelaire’s and never returned.”
“And you let her go?”
“My entire life, my parents made me believe that because I didn’t follow in their footsteps, I was somehow not worth anything. The whole time I was falling for your mom, deep down, I couldn’t believe she wanted to be with someone like me, so after she left, for about a year, I believed that she was better off. But as I began to lean into who I was as a designer, I became surer of myself. A few years later, I tracked her down through Vivienne and told her how much I still loved her, but by that time, she was married to your dad and she had you.”
“And you never moved on?” she asked.
“I tried, but your mom was pretty tough to top.”
“That’s the truth,” she said.
“But in all reality, I threw myself into my work, and then I got so busy that I didn’t think about my personal life anymore. Now, looking back, I wish I had. Because I have all these designs attributed to me, but there isn’t anyone rushing home to me. No one by my side. Your dad’s a lucky man—in many ways.”
“I promise to come to your side,” she said.
He let out a satisfied exhale. “You’re a lot like your mom.”
“Yeah. I am.”
This time, she was actually glad to be compared to her mother.
After she’d ended the call, a knock at the door drew her attention. Charlie was leaning against the doorframe.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“Much better than I thought it would.”
“You’ll have to tell me everything.” He stepped into the room.
“I’d love to. Maybe we can go out for a drink after dinner or something, and you can hear all about it.”
“Ah, yes, but not tonight.”
“Okay…” she said, confused by his quick response.
“Let me show you why. Get your boots.” He grabbed her coat off the chair and handed it to her.
