Page 72 of One Night in Paris

Laughing, I assured her, “If I don’t, we’ll just go there for fun. I can’t wait for you to see the Eiffel Tower at night.”

“I can’t wait either.” Ellie’s gaze became distant, as if she were imagining it. “I have so many places I want to go, so many sights I can’t wait to see.”

“We’ll get to them all, Mom,” Harper promised her. “Every single one of them.”

Knowing that I was going to be able to help such a kind woman’s dreams come true warmed my heart. Harper loved her mother so much, and I could see why. Ellie was the picture ofkindness and caring. Everything she did was full of love. Though she hadn’t been well for many years, she still took the time to care for others and was generous with everything she had, including her time.

The more I got to know Ellie, the more I realized exactly why Harper was as kind and caring as she was. Sure, she had some fire to her, too, but Harper did little things all the time to show others she cared, like watering a coworker’s plant when they were out on vacation or taking soup to a friend who was feeling sick. We’d talked about the different charities I was involved in, and she’d expressed an interest in those, as well as some of her own she wanted to contribute to. The more financially independent Harper became, the more she was able to help others, and it was evident in her voice when she spoke about it, and how her face lit up, that she loved everything about it.

“How is your friend Kylee doing, Harper?” Ellie asked as we finished our entrees. I wasn’t sure if anyone else had room for dessert, but I just loved their cheesecake here and intended to order a piece.

“She’s great,” Harper replied. “She’s dating Logan’s best friend, Trevor, now, so they’re both on cloud nine.”

“That sounds exciting!” Ellie said. “Do the two of you ever double date?”

“Sometimes,” I told her. “Trevor is a daredevil, so he likes to do crazy things. We’ve been trying to keep it a little more laid back.”

“They went parasailing a couple of weekends ago, and one of Trevor’s tethers broke,” Harper told her mother, chuckling a bit. “He thought it was the most amazing thing that had ever happened.”

“Oh, my.” Ellie shook her head, making a face only a worried mother could make. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t part of that.Knowing you were doing something that dangerous would make my heart stop.”

Harper and I exchanged a knowing glance. While we hadn’t been on that excursion, we had gone bungee jumping and skydiving. Thank goodness Harper had known better than to tell her mother that.

The waitress came, and we all ordered dessert and coffee. Enjoying the conversation, we took our time, talking about this and that while we ate and sipped our drinks, having a nice time together. It was clear from her reaction to everything that this was a dinner Ellie was never going to forget. Feeling blessed that I was able to provide her with a memorable time, I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.

Finished with her dessert, Ellie leaned back in her chair, letting out a sigh of contentment. “Now that was delightful,” she said. “Thank you so much, Logan, for bringing me here.”

“Of course,” I replied. “I hope we can share many more dinners together.”

“Yes, and I’m looking forward to meeting your parents as well.” Ellie nodded.

“They are excited to meet you.” I’d ripped off the band-aid and introduced Harper to my parents the week before. Thankfully, they had both adored her. It wasn’t always easy to tell with my mother. Unlike Harper’s mom, she was not laid back and easygoing. But Harper had gotten along with them both very well. I never should have doubted her.

“Now,” Ellie said, that mischievous twinkle back in her eyes. “I just have one question for the both of you.”

Harper and I exchanged curious glances, our eyebrows both arching. We returned our gaze to Ellie at the same time. “What is it, Mom?” Harper asked her.

“Well, it seems everything is going very well for the pair of you. You love one another. You’ve been dating for a while.You’re talking about your future and traveling together, the business, all of those things. I want to know… what else have you discussed?”

Again, Harper and I were confused, and our expressions showed it. “What do you mean?” Harper asked her.

“I mean, when are the two of you going to get engaged? I need there to be a wedding soon so that you can start having my grandchildren!” With that, she let out a high-pitched giggle.

I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or try to actually answer her question, but Harper replied quickly enough. “One step at a time, Mom. We’ve only been dating a month, after all.”

Ellie sighed. “Oh, all right. Well, it was worth a try.”

Shaking our heads, Harper and I finished our desserts, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit the thought had crossed my mind as well. One day, I wanted Harper to be the mother of my children—for certain.

EPILOGUE

HARPER

One year later

Sunlight played over my closed eyelids as the faint sounds of the city streets far below me hit my ears. For a moment, I was confused about where I was. Without opening my eyes, it was hard to remember exactly, but I knew the bed didn’t quite feel like home.

“Are you awake?” Logan’s voice was soft, just above a whisper, in case I wasn’t.

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