Page 98 of Chloé

Priest nodded and looked at the frame Zayne had just put back on the stereo. “It’s one of my favorites.Sheis one of my favorites.”

So don’t ever hurt herwas the underlying message there.

“Can I get you gentlemen a coffee…? Or something stronger?”

“A coffee would be great,” Ethan said, as the three of them headed toward the kitchen. “We’re sorry if we’re interrupting your morning.”

“You’re not. We’d just finished.” Priest turned on the cappuccino machine, and Zayne had a feeling hewasn’ttalking about a soak in the tub. “Plus, we figured you’d show up eventually.”

“Then you know why we’re here,” Ethan said as Priest set five coffee cups out on the counter.

He eyed the two of them as he walked over to the fridge and pulled out the milk. “Well, since Chloé has yet to give us an answer to our offer last week, I’m assuming it has something to do with that.”

“That’s right.”

Priest looked between the two of them for what felt like an eternity. “Tell me the truth. Did you tell her not to go?”

“No. We would never do that,” Zayne said, immediately on the defensive. “We did the exact opposite.”

Priest’s eyes narrowed. “You told hertogo.”

“We didn’ttellher anything,” Ethan said. “This is her choice, all we did was let her know that no matter what she decides, we support her.”

Zayne nodded. “And that if she goes, we go too.”

“Good.” Priest’s lips twitched. “That’s the right answer.”

“It’s the only answer,” Ethan said. “We love her.”

Priest shut the fridge door and nodded. “Yes, I believe you do.”

“Believe they do what?” Robbie walked into the kitchen in a pair of white sweats and a light pink crochet sweater, Julien right behind him still in his robe.

“Love our Chloé,” Priest said, and the look on Robbie’s face went from curious to overwhelming joy as his eyes began to well.

“I knew it.” He sniffed and looked back to Julien. “Did you hear that, Jules? They love our little angel.”

“Of course they do.” Julien put a hand on Robbie’s shoulder. “She’sparfaite.”

“She really is,” Ethan agreed. “You’ve raised an incredible woman. One we want to do everything in our power to make happy, which is why we’re here.”

Priest placed the milk down on the counter and joined the rest of them. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Zayne shrugged. “We all know how much Chloé loves Paris. So the fact she’s not jumping over the moon about this sent up some red flags.”

“It is a little strange,” Julien said, worry crossing his handsome face. “We noticed that too but chalked it up to shock, and maybe a few nerves.”

“It could be,” Ethan said, finally getting to the main reason they were there. “But we think it’s more than that. We think it’s the idea of leaving all of you.”

* * *

ETHAN LOOKED BETWEEN the three men standing across from him and Zayne, and couldn’t believe it had taken them this long to figure out what was really holding Chloé back from making this decision—her family.

Unlike the two of them, Chloé came from a very close one. Her fathers and brother were the most important things in the world to her—until they’d come along.

“Look.” Ethan thought carefully about his next words. “We all know that Chloé wants to say yes to you. That what you’re offering her is everything she’s every wanted. But she’s scared.”

“Scared?” A baffled expression crossed Robbie’s face. “Chloé’s Miss Independent. She’s always talked about going to Paris.”

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