You're the One: a Contemporary Romance Novella Set in Paris (Bistro La Bohème) by Alix Nichols Read Free Book Online

.
    “I’m sorry.
I’m so very sorry.” His face was red.
    She waited.
    “I didn’t mean
for it to happen, Nat. I never meant to hurt you.”
    She turned to
refill her glass and stayed with her back to him.
    You won’t see me come undone .
    “You’re the
most wonderful person I’ve ever met.”
    Get on with it already .
    “You’re pure,
you’re kind, you’re classy—”
    She spun
around. “For Christ’s sake, will you please cut to the chase, or shall I say it
for you?”
    He didn’t
answer, just stared at her.
    “You’re
leaving me because you’re not ready for what I want, right? Or because you fell
in love with another woman.”
    She was
grateful now for the Death Eater’s attack earlier. The last thing she wanted
was for Fred to watch her fall apart.
    “See, I can
handle it,” she said.
    “Is that what
you expected?” He looked genuinely surprised.
    “Why, you have another reason for breaking up with
me?”
    “I don’t want
us to break up. I want you to forgive me. That’s what I’ve been trying to say.”
    Natalie tried
to wrap her mind around it. So, he wasn’t dumping her. Was it because the
waitress had dumped him first and he had no one else? Or had it never been part
of the plan?
    “I made a
mistake—the kind of stupid thing men do sometimes. You started this talk
about having a baby . . .and I guess I just freaked out. Jeanne
doesn’t mean anything to me,” he said.
    “And what
about me, Fred? What do I mean to
you?”
    “My home. My
future.” He took a step toward her. “You are the woman I want by my side. The
woman I want to grow old with.”
    She touched
the hollow of her neck, her hand shaking.
    He took
another step and grabbed her hand. “You’re the woman I’d want to be the mother
of my child, if I ever have one.”
    She searched
his eyes. In three years, he’d never told her anything remotely close to this.Did he need to have an affair with another woman
to realize what she meant to him? Did he need to risk losing her to admit he
cared for her?
    He brushed a
kiss on the back of her hand. “Will you marry me, Natalie?”
    She stopped
breathing. Everything felt unreal, heightened and distant at the same time,
like an old Technicolor movie. Fred was gazing into her eyes beseechingly, all
his usual self-confidence gone. He was begging her to accept her most cherished
dream. How crazy was that? And how could she say no? How could she reject his
offer, now that her dream was so close she could almost touch it?
    “Yes,” she
said, her voice trembling. “I’ll marry you.”
    ***

THIRTEEN
    Michel’s
fortieth birthday was a resounding success. Clara, his wife, reigned over the
party, making sure glasses were refilled, plates heaped, and the music enjoyed.
Most of the guests danced in the middle of the living room. Others mingled. A
few stood by the wall in pairs and exchanged remarks too skimpy and far between
to be called conversation. They took turns at pronouncing mysterious utterances
that consisted of a medieval word, a letter and a number. Sometimes they
accompanied those with facial expressions or interjections such as Aha!
    Adrien and the
birthday boy were among the third group. They were playing mental chess.
    “Knight to
b6,” Adrien said looking at his shoes.
    Michel raised
his eyebrows, then closed his eyes for a few seconds. “Bishop e2.”
    Adrien’s
phone buzzed in his pocket and he whipped it out, whispering an apology to
Michel.
    Can we meet by the Palmier Fountain at
Châtelet tomorrow at 5 pm?
    N.
    He should have been happy.
Not only had Natalie texted him, she proposed to meet. But something about her
note was off—no “hi” at the beginning or “xo” at the end. It wasn’t
playful or even friendly. Adrien gave out a sigh and wrote a short reply to
match.
    I’ll be there.
    Adrien
    She
hadn’t been to La Bohème yesterday.
She hadn’t showed up this afternoon, either. In fact, he hadn’t seen her since
they kissed two days ago. Or,