Page 98 of Finally Forever
“You must be exhausted.” He strokes my hair. “I didn’t consider the time change and that you’d need sleep. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t want to sleep. I was having too much fun.” I was, but I was also tired. The coffee helped.
“Get some rest. In the morning, we’ll get coffee at a favorite café of mine.” He kisses the top of my head. I should let him go, but I cling to him for a moment longer.
It wouldn’t be fair to tell him I’m pregnant and scared. As it is, I’m second guessing all my choices, mostly the one to come here. Maybe I should have stayed with Kensington. The thought of traveling all the way back to America seems daunting.
I yawn again and release Lowell. He cups my cheeks. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nod. “Just tired.”
“Bonne nuit,” he says and closes the door after he leaves.
Exhaustion hits me like a suitcase to the head. I collapse onto the bed with the intent of getting up after a moment to change into pajamas, wash my face, and brush my teeth. I never do.
34
Sebastian
Showered and dressed, I stand on the balcony overlooking the streets of Paris in the direction of the apartment where Ainsley is asleep. Lights still illuminate the city as morning stretches near but isn’t quite here yet.
I slept for a total of two hours. More than I thought possible and more than I deserve.
Of all the luck, our plane needed a tire replaced on the landing gear, which meant we left New York almost two hours later than the original departure time.
Xavier’s informants spotted Ainsley when she left the airport with two men who were identified as Lowell Price and Luc Dubois. Shortly after, Xavier sent me detailed information on the men. They’re a couple and have been living in an apartment in the 2nd Arrondissement of Paris for almost a year. Luc works for his family’s restaurant. Lowell works at a well-known bridal boutique. Lowell knows Ainsley from high school when he lived in Florida. I suspected it was him, the friend she met in Aix-En-Provence, the moment I saw his name. According to her phone records, she wasn’t in contact with him while we were in Montana, but she had texted him right before we left the south of France.
Why she came here to see him has me baffled and frustrated. I should know her better. She’s my fiancée, for Christ’s sake, and I had no clue that she would run to Lowell for comfort.
She must trust him immensely to have chosen him to be her safe haven. I know she adored France when we lived here, too. In the past, she never said she wanted to live in Paris, but it also wasn’t a good option for us. Remote, less busy places are always better when you’re in hiding.
Xavier and I drove straight to Lowell’s apartment once we landed, but all the lights appeared off from our view on the street, and we assumed they were all sleeping. Xavier talked me out of startling her or her friends by beating down the door. He was right. Ainsley needed to rest. I needed to clear my head, and the last thing I want is for the person she fled to for safety to think I’m a threat.
I figure I will need this man’s trust and forgiveness as much as I’ll need hers. So we booked two rooms at a nearby hotel, one with views to the entrance of Lowell’s building. Sleeping seemed impossible. My mind went over hundreds of ways to apologize. What I could say. How I should approach her. Should I call her first? Greet her with flowers? Have her come to me?
I don’t want to reunite with her on the street. It wouldn’t be safe for me to be seen. If I ask her to come to the hotel, she could decline. A surprise meeting would alleviate the chance of her running again. But what if she sees me and runs anyway—or worse, she runs, trips, and falls, and hurts the baby?
Fuck. I rake my fingers through my hair and force myself to calm down. I can’t remember ever being this anxious over anything. It doesn’t help that the situation with my father and sister plays in the back of my mind on an endless loop. Did she follow through with the plan? Is he dead? How soon would news about his death reach the media? Did she betray me and rat me out instead?
Xavier is on it, checking with informants he has in Italy, awaiting any alerts or changes within my family. He’ll notify me immediately if something comes up. What if I’m talking to Ainsley at the time? I don’t want to dismiss her. I don’t want to put her in worse danger, either.
For a moment, I consider leaving her alone until I know more. It would be the noble thing to do. The smart thing.
Orange and pink streak the sky low on the horizon behind the cityscape. Morning.
Fuck waiting. I’m going after my girl.
I text Xavier. It’s a short walk. We won’t need the rental car. I can be there faster on foot. Luc, the boyfriend, leaves early for work to open the restaurant. Someone in that apartment has to be awake.
I’m out the door before Xavier can text me back.
My phone chimes when I exit the lobby doors after being greeted by staff with friendly smiles and, “Bonjour.”
Xavier: Keep your head down. Good luck.
He knows better than to try to call me back to the hotel.
I cover my head with a baseball cap and speedwalk to Lowell’s building, two blocks away. The streets remain on the quiet side, the locals not ready to greet the day yet.
