Page 97 of Chloé

“I think calling that piece of shit a car is being a little generous. Don’t you?”

“I think you might be right. But at least she’s not driving around in it anymore. The thought of it breaking down on her after a late shift at JULIEN horrified me.”

“Her fathers too. I think that was the first time Priest ever smiled at you. The night you told him it was gone.”

“Smiledmight be a bit of a stretch. But he glared at me a little less.”

Zayne chuckled as they climbed out of the car, then he took Ethan’s hand and they headed toward the front door.

It’d been nearly a week now since Chloé had told them about Paris, and much to their surprise, she still hadn’t made a decision.

Zayne had figured it would be a no-brainer. She loved Paris. She loved cooking. She loved the staff of the restaurant over there—she’d told them they were like a second family to her. So her reluctance to accept this amazing opportunity had them a little bit worried.

So much so that they were willing to brave a one-on-one—or, should he say, two-on-three—with Chloé’s fathers.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Zayne held his breath as they waited for someone to answer. He wasn’t sure why, but suddenly he felt nervous.

Maybe they should’ve called and asked if Chloé’s fathers would be home today, instead of just taking a chance that they might catch them at home this weekend.

But this had been a last-minute kind of decision on their behalf. One they’d made after talking over breakfast, and realizing just what might be going on.

When a couple of minutes passed and still no one had answered, Zayne shrugged. “Maybe they’re not home.”

“Maybe. Let’s give it another minute or so.” Ethan knocked again, and Zayne looked over his shoulder to the naked tree that stood tall in front of the house, its leaves carpeting the ground.

He could imagine a little Chloé running around under it with her brother as their fathers watched on, and had a feeling that he and Ethan were on the right track here. One of the main reasons she wasn’t immediately saying yes to Paris had a lot to do with the men she would be leaving behind.

The sound of feet on the stairs had him turning around just in time for the door to open, and they came face to face with Julien in a robe and pair of slip-ons.

His hair was damp and spiked and water clung to his insanely long lashes, and when he smiled, Zayne could see exactly why he had become a household name.

“Bonjour,”Julien said, gesturing for them to come inside. “What a wonderful surprise.”

“Bonjour,” they said in return as they stepped inside and Ethan shut the door behind them.

“We were hoping we might have a few minutes of your time this morning if you’re all here.”

“Of course.” A knowing light flickered in Julien’s eyes, then he led them up to the main floor. “We were just up in the hot tub having a morning soak. If you don’t mind waiting a few minutes, we’ll make ourselves decent and be right out.”

“No rush,” Zayne assured him, as Julien disappeared up another set of stairs.

They headed into the living room to wait, and Zayne stopped by the stereo console and picked up the photo there. He’d seen it before. It was a snapshot of the three men, arms wrapped around each other’s waist, and in the middle, up on Priest’s shoulders, was Chloé, all russet curls and apple cheeks as she smiled brightly for the camera.

“This is such a cute photo. How old do you think she is here?”

Ethan walked over and looked at the picture. “Three, maybe?”

“Actually, she’d just turned four.”

They whirled around at the sound of Priest’s voice, and Zayne quickly put the photo back as though he’d been caught stealing a precious jewel.

In a way, he guessed they kinda had.

Priest looked relaxed in a pair of black sweat pants and grey knit sweater, and like Julien, his hair was damp from his time in the hot tub.

“It’s a great shot,” Ethan said.

---