Epilogue
Nikki
“Come on. We’re going to be late to our first date.” Henry kissed the small of my back. His lips lingered where my spine curved, sending goose bumps down my legs.
God, I loved Paris.
“I thought the trip was the date.” I stretched on the king-size bed, turning my head to the side so I could see out the window, where the Eiffel Tower peered over the buildings.
The hotel room was beautiful, done in various shades of creams and taupe. Mirrored bedside tables crowned the big bed. In the living area, plush beige sofas were arranged to face the incredible view. Even the all-white bouquets of flowers in gold vases matched the decor.
“No. The dinner is the date. Come on.” He slapped my ass.
I pushed myself off the bed and walked to the shower. The warm spray felt good on my skin after the long flight here. When Henry asked me out to dinner, I’d figured he’d take me somewhere nice in Phoenix.
Instead, he had the local travel agency book us a trip to Paris. I’d been made that offer many times before, but I could never say yes. It hurt too much to think what it could’ve been. Paris was the place where Henry and I had planned to run off to and live happily ever after. Even though it hadn’t happened for us when we were fifteen, coming here without him felt wrong.
Months ago when Lisa asked me to go see her, I had planned to move here, to a little pied-à-terre I got from Derek for getting him his company back. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I’d end up here with Henry. After all this time, we finally made it to Paris.
“Car will be here in thirty minutes.” Henry knocked on the bathroom door twice.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be ready in an hour.”
He groaned.
I laughed. “God, you’re bossy when you leave the States. Anything else I should know about you?”
What was his deal? It wasn’t like we hadn’t had a meal together before. I shut off the water and wrapped myself in a white fluffy towel. Henry had put his foot down when I told him we could stay in Derek’s apartment. Not only had he said we wouldn’t stay there, but he also made me promise I would return all the spoils from my last con—the apartment and the money. If I hadn’t been in the middle of a life-changing orgasm, I never would’ve agreed.
I opened the door to let the steam out and applied my makeup as fast as I could before I blow-dried my hair. A nervous energy bubbled in my stomach as I got dressed. Henry and I weren’t the dating type. I’d already moved into Cavalier Manor. We were as good as married. So why was I nervous?
Sitting on the bed, I planted both feet on the taupe carpet before I pulled on the zipper of my high heels. Outside the bedroom, Henry paced in the living area with his jacket unbuttoned and both hands stuffed in the pockets of his dress pants. Even after all the years he’d spent without his family’s money, he still had that polished look about him. That was something he was born with, not something money bought for him, just like his kind nature and big heart. He spun for yet another round of pacing across the room, then stopped to look at me. I lived for these moments when he looked at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the world.
“You look amazing.” He sauntered toward me.
“Let’s go. We don’t want to be late, right?” I swallowed. If he kept looking at me like that, we were going to miss our first date.
“They can wait.” He kissed my neck.
“You got me out of bed. Now we’re going.” I pushed at him.
“Right. The car’s waiting.” He offered me his arm, and I took it.
Outside the Shangri-La Hotel, a black sedan waited for us. I climbed into the back seat, smiling. How did I ever con this man into thinking I deserved all this? This fairy tale ending.
The car rolled a few feet before it stopped again on the roundabout. The insane traffic had us going ten miles an hour. Henry shifted in his seat again. I reached over and covered his hand with mine.
“Are you nervous?” I asked.
“Me? No. Why?”
“You keep looking at your watch.”
“I just don’t want to be late.” He shrugged. “Reservations aren’t easy to come by.”
With a loud clank, a massive crane came to a halt a few cars in front of us. Pressing my lips together, I rolled down the window. A gentle breeze brushed my cheek and hair, and I sat back, beaming.
“What is it?” Henry squeezed my hand tighter.
“Looks like the street is under construction.”
He groaned again and said something to the driver in French before he turned to me. “What a nightmare. We’re going to be late.”
“If you want, I can get out of the car and see if they’ll let us through.”
“Not tonight.” A smile pulled at his lips.
He addressed the driver again. The driver nodded in response and laid on the horn. When the cars didn’t move, he turned the wheel and jumped the curb to take a small side street. Henry’s methods were improving.
On the third turn, the driver stopped in front of the Trocadero Gardens.
“This will have to do,” Henry said before giving the driver more instructions.
“You’re here with me. This is all I need.” I climbed out of the car.
“Would you like a drink?” Henry caught up to me.
As soon as he asked, the driver rushed in front of us with two small bottles of champagne and set them on one of the park tables.
“Please. You already went through the trouble,” I said.
“ Merci bien ,” Henry said to the driver, who left with a quick nod.
“You speak French.” I took the small bottle from him.
Of course, he did. He’d spent almost ten years in Canada. This was why we were here, really. There was so much we didn’t know about each other.
“It was required. I hated it.” He took my hand in his and ushered me down the garden path, beyond the trees where the Eiffel Tower stood in the distance.
“You hated it because it reminded you of the girl who broke your heart?” I asked.
He shook his head. My heart squeezed a little when he stuffed his hand in the inside pocket of his jacket. How did I miss that?
“No.” He met my gaze. “It reminded me of the girl who stole my heart. Being without you all those years, I was barely alive. You took everything when you left. I hated that I’d been so close to being incredibly happy with you.”
“I stole your heart?” I smiled.
“That’s why no one else will do.” He opened the black velvet box in his hand and offered me the gorgeous diamond ring, an emerald cut with tiny diamonds around the band. “Would you marry me?”
“What?” I threw my arms around his neck, spilling champagne on the two of us.
“Is that a yes?” He met my gaze.
“Yes. Of course I will marry you.” I pressed my lips to his.
Henry was part of a fairy tale I never thought could be mine. But in the end, despite all the bad, all the years I spent alone wandering from one con to the next, I found my way back to him. Henry was my one great love. After all this time, he belonged to me.
Fourth Rule of Con: never fall for the mark.
It was good thing I was retired now.
Thank you for reading Nikki and Henry’s love story. Would you please consider leaving a review? It would mean the world to me, and it would help others find my books.
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