Frenched Series Bundle (78 page)

Something that looked like…a ring box.

My stomach whooshed. Oh dear. Oh
dear
. What was he thinking? We weren’t ready for that! I picked up my whiskey and took a sip. Oh my God, what would I do if it was a ring? What would I say? How dare he do this to me!

Looking slightly sheepish, he handed me the little box. “I hope I didn’t jump to any conclusions here.”

My heart was pounding. I couldn’t think of anything to say so I just unwrapped it. It was a plain white, hinged box, and when I opened it, a huge jewel winked at me from a black velvet cushion. I gasped, barely looking at it, and slammed it shut. “Charlie, are you nuts? It’s way too soon to—”

“Take it out, Erin.”

I pulled it out, discovering that the other end was a small, silver, torpedo-shaped ball.

It wasn’t a ring. It was a butt plug.

“Oh my God.” I looked at Charlie and we both burst out laughing. “Oh my God, you asshole!” I hit him with it. “Do you know what I thought this was?” He was laughing too hard to answer. He had tears. “Jesus, Charlie, I thought I was going to have to reject your proposal right here at our non-Christmas!”

“I know,” he managed, wiping his eyes. “It was hilarious.”

“No, it wasn’t. Oh my God.” My heart refused to calm down. “I want to kill you right now.”

“Ah God, I’m sorry.” He set his whiskey on the table and pushed me onto my back, stretching his long, hard body over mine. “Are you mad?”

His weight felt delicious and warm over me, and I wrapped my legs around him. “No.” I kissed him, feeling a tingle right down to my bare toes. “And I’ll even try it.”

At that, Charlie’s face lit up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You make me want to do all sorts of things I’ve never done before.” I narrowed my eyes. “But someday, I will get you back for this. Mark my words.”

He lowered his lips to mine, a soft moan rumbling in his chest. “As long as we have a someday, sweet thing. That’s all that matters.”

“Come on, Erin. We’re going to miss our chance to go up there if you take any more pictures down here.”

“Just one more!” I’d probably taken twenty already, but it was the Eiffel Tower, for heaven’s sake. And the one time I’d been here before, it had been a hazy, rainy summer day. Pretty and all, but today, with snow dusting every surface, darkness falling, lights coming on across the city…the entire scene was a fantasy in black, white, silver, gold, and evergreen.

If only it weren’t so damn
cold
.

“No. Enough.” Charlie took the camera from me and shoved it into my bag. “Let’s go. We have to do this now if we’re going to make our reservation.” His words puffed out in white wisps as he took my arm and dragged me over toward the entrance at the base of the tower.

“I don’t see why we had to make reservations, anyway. We could have just played it by ear.”

“Hush. Lucas said reservations are necessary at this restaurant.”

“Where is it again?”

“In the Latin Quarter. Apparently it’s where he took Mia on their first date.”

“Really?” That made me happy. When we’d originally planned this trip, we’d been hoping my friends and their husbands could join us, but the timing hadn’t worked out. Mia had said the dates weren’t good for her dad and stepmom to watch the baby, and Coco said Devine Events had a huge wedding this weekend. “I didn’t realize that. OK, then. Let’s do this. I promised Maddie a picture from the top.”

On our way up, I leaned back against him in the elevator. “I kind of wish she could have come with us, don’t you?”

“What? No,” he said firmly. “An eight-year-old does not belong in Paris.”

“But she’d love the sweet shops and the toy stores and the carousels. I saw a flyer for a kids cooking class, too. She’d have been in heaven. Oh!” I looked at him over my shoulder. “Remind me to pick up that little shirt with the frog on it that says
la grenouille
. It’s at that children’s store on the way back to the hotel.”

Charlie grimaced. “The one for forty euros?”

“Yes. That one.”

When the door opened, we stepped out and even Charlie braced himself in the blustery cold. But the view from the top made me shiver for its sheer beauty. All of Paris, lit up and twinkling. “Oh, it’s so beautiful,” I breathed.

“It is. I like how happy it makes you.”

I looked up and him and smiled. “Let’s take a picture for Maddie!” Opening my bag, I dug around for my camera.

“Why don’t we ask someone else to take it?” Charlie suggested.

“OK.” Scanning the crowd, I looked for someone who might be a good candidate for photographer, but a second later Charlie took the camera out of my hand.

“Here, I found someone. Miss? Would you take our picture?”

I turned around to see who he’d chosen—and spoken English to—just in time to see Mia take the camera and say, “I sure would.”

My mouth fell open, and I gasped. “Oh my God! What are you doing here?” I’d have tackled her except that she backed away, and Charlie was holding on to my wrist. I looked at him. “Hey! She said they couldn’t come on this trip! What is this?”

He dropped to one knee in front of me.

I sucked in more icy air as the world around me blurred. “Charlie?”

He smiled up at me and pulled something from the inside of his coat. Frantic, I looked over at Mia and noticed Lucas, Coco, and Nick standing by her. All four of them were huddled together with grins on their faces that put the City of Light to shame. I covered my mouth with my gloved hands. Other people had stopped to watch and smile too.

“Erin.”

I looked down at Charlie again, my heart hammering. I couldn’t even speak.

“I once described the perfect proposal to you—Paris, top of the Eiffel Tower, a diamond ring, the perfect man down on one knee.”

My eyes filled, and I nodded happily.

“Well. You’ve got Paris. You’ve got the tower. You’ve got the diamond ring.” He opened up a ring box, displaying a gorgeous round diamond that winked at me. “I added your friends to the mix, hope you don’t mind.”

I shook my head, the tears spilling over.

“And though I am far from the perfect man, I love you in the most perfect way I know how—unquestionably, unconditionally, unreservedly. I know our beginning was no fairy tale, but if you let me, I’ll give you a very happy ending.”

I nodded, my voice finally bursting forth. “Yes!” As the crowd whistled and applauded, I pulled off my glove, held out my hand, and he slipped the ring onto my finger. I admired it for just a second before throwing my arms around him and letting him lift me right off my feet.

A moment later, our friends and even some complete strangers swarmed us to say congratulations, and I lost track of how many hugs and kisses I gave and received. Mia took photographs, and Lucas took video—turns out this week was just fine for her dad and stepmom to keep the baby. Coco had lied about the wedding, too.

“Are you kidding?” she’d said, sniffing as she held me close. “When Charlie told us what he was planning, we jumped at the chance to be here.”

“I can’t believe you kept it a secret!”

“Neither could anyone else,” she confessed. “I was under strict orders.”

Mia came over to us, and we opened our arms to let her into the hug. “Thank you for being here,” I said, my throat constricting. “It means so much to me.”

#

I watched the proposal video an endless and probably annoying amount of times at dinner that night. But I couldn’t help it—the proposal was perfect, from start to finish.

Confession: Speaking of the finish, I totally had a dirty thought when he said he’d give me a happy ending.

Didn’t you?

You didn’t really think I’d let her end the story there, did you? That ending doesn’t wrap up anything! I can’t have details hanging in the balance, so allow me.

5 Things That Erin Didn’t Tell You But I Will

1)
Lucas and I had a little boy, whom we named Henri, after the Count, who was so special to Lucas and me. The count passed away about a year after I had Henri, but thankfully, we were able to travel to Provence shortly after he was born so that he could meet his namesake. The villa and vineyard were left to Lucas and his brothers, but since his brothers lived in France, Lucas and I sold our share to them and purchased land in northern Michigan to begin our own winemaking adventure. We moved up there permanently shortly before the birth or our second child, a girl we named Heloise. Ellie for short. Two children and a vineyard gave us plenty to do with our time, but of course, life continues to throw me unexpected gifts, so I’m due with our third child this fall. (I don’t know what it is yet—I’m getting better with surprises.)

2)
Coco runs Devine Events on her own now, and the business has grown so much she hired two more employees to work for her. This was especially useful when she was on maternity leave with the twins, Joey and Paul, who are going on one now. She and Nick still live in the Indian Village house, and Nick owns and runs several restaurants and bars in Detroit, including The Green Hour, although Lucas is still part owner. Coco says they’re done having kids and Nick claims they’re not, but Coco’s grandmother told him not to worry because she saw the future in a dream and Coco will be pregnant with a third son by next summer. (Coco is still not speaking to her.)

3)
Six months after they got engaged in Paris, Erin and Charlie got married in church and had their reception at The Green Hour, which we closed for the entire weekend in their honor. Madison was their combined flower girl/ring bearer, and the situation is so friendly that even Charlie’s ex and her husband came to their wedding. Erin still runs the dance studio, which expanded to include a second location two years after she took it over, and Charlie is a detective now. They live in a house not far from where Erin and I grew up, and she’s expecting their first child around the same time I’m expecting my third. She’s having a girl, whose name will be Mia Claudia Dwyer, in honor of Coco and me.

4)
The burglar who stole Erin’s things was caught about six months after he robbed her. Charlie never did get to exact the kind of justice he wanted, although Erin assured him she was over it. Since the incident brought them together, she was ready to write the damn thief a thank-you note.

5)
I don’t see my friends often enough, but when we do get together, we make it count. We watch our children play a little, ignore our husbands a little, drink wine (if we’re not pregnant), and laugh about the crazy turns life takes. We all agree we wouldn’t be where we are today if not for one another. For our fortieth birthdays—approaching faster than we’d like—we’re going to Paris together to celebrate life, love, and friendship.

If you have those things, you have everything.