The restaurant they chose was small and intimate, off the beaten track and made the most exquisite coq au vin. They enjoyed a bottle of wine and left a generous tip for the excellent service. Catherine insisted they go up the Eiffel Tower even though conditions weren’t optimal and Chanel couldn’t resist her pleading look. She gave in with a chuckle and they ascended in the elevators until they were at the top.
It was much chillier at this altitude and they clung to each other as they looked down at the lights below, when the clouds parted long enough for them to see them. The lighting was ethereal and mysterious lending a strange magic to the night.
Catherine worked up her courage and moved back from Chanel to hold her at arm’s length. Beautiful, dark brown eyes looked back at her curiously and Cat had to smile at how sweet she looked.
“I want you to know how very happy you’ve made me by coming back. I thought I’d never see you again. It felt… it felt like I’d lost an important piece of my heart. I never want to feel that again,” Catherine said looking into those lovely eyes. When Chanel tried to speak Cat touched her soft lips then went down on one knee before the shocked woman.
“Chanel, will you marry me?”
“Oh my god! Yes!” she squealed, tears welling in her eyelashes. She pulled Catherine up into her arms and kissed her until the blonde swooned. She pulled back from the kiss and held Cat’s face between her hands. “I love you so much!”
“I love you too!” Cat said with a smile.
Chanel’s eyes widened as she released Cat. “When will we get married?”
“Next weekend. I want my father to walk me down the aisle,” Catherine said with a hopeful smile.
“Who will walk me down the aisle?” Chanel said with a smirk.
Cat smiled at her. “Ben!”
Chanel opened her mouth to protest then paused to think about it. “Do you think he would?” Then she looked at Catherine. “He will not give you up.”
It was the blonde’s turn to take the brunette’s face between her hands and look her in the eye. “Ben will always be a part of my life. I love him. I’m not marrying him and I’m not going to live with him but I will never stop loving him. As I will never stop loving you!”
Chanel saw the conviction in Catherine’s eyes and felt the final remnants of her worry burn away. She smiled and leaned forward to tenderly kiss her soft lips. “And I will never stop loving you.”
“We have dresses to try on, rings to buy, flowers to order, a venue to rent… oh my god! This is so exciting!” Cat gushed and Chanel chuckled at her enthusiasm.
“There is something I’d like to give you now but I’m not sure how you’ll be when you see it. I think it should be part of the ceremony. It’s something old. You might consider it something I borrowed but that’s a stretch…” Cat paused in thought.
“For heaven’s sake! Tell me what it is!” Chanel gasped with a grin.
Catherine pulled the small box from her pocket and Chanel’s eyes widened as her smile became a look of confusion. There was something familiar about the old box.
“While you were packing I was poking around in the cubbyhole storage and I found this. Look inside,” Catherine said gently.
Chanel cracked open the lid and saw the message from Isabelle. She sucked in a breath and froze as she took in the words and the slightly messy scrawl of Isabelle’s handwriting. She reached in and lifted the tiny note out. “Ohhhh…” Chanel’s hand began to shake.
Catherine placed her hands around Chanel’s and stopped the trembling. “It’s beautiful and it looks very old.”
“Yes- It’s- it belonged to Isabelle’s nanna. It was the only item she received from the woman after she passed away in the nursing home. Isabelle was devastated when she lost it. We were sure someone had broken into our apartment and stolen it. I- I didn’t know she’d planned on giving it to me.” A tear ran down Chanel’s cheek.
A gust of wind rushed through the deck and ripped the tiny piece of paper from her fingers, flinging it upwards to dance on its way to the clouds.
“OH!” Cat yelped trying to catch it.
“It’s ok. It’s going to Isabelle, to let her know I finally have it.” Chanel said with a tiny smile on her lips as she followed the paper with her eyes until it slipped from sight. She closed the box and put it into her pocket then hugged Catherine. “Let’s go somewhere warm.”
Catherine smiled at her and nodded. They walked towards the elevator down.
“Can my wedding dress have a shoulder holster?” Chanel asked.
She chuckled at Cat’s look of outrage.
Ben woke to the feeling of soft hair tickling his nose. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and looked down to see a head with black hair resting against his left arm and chest, the long hair flowing across his chest and reaching his nose. With his free right hand he brushed the hair from his nose. He looked towards the window and saw the first hints of dawn lighting up the horizon.
He’d slept very soundly and realized it was likely because of Gretchen’s presence. He no longer slept so well when he was alone.
He tried to ease out from under her but she put her arm over his chest and hugged him. He sighed.
“Gretchen. Let go, dear.”
He felt the woman slowly surfacing from a deep sleep. Then he realized she was naked and her breast was pressed up against his side.
“Gretchen, please.”
She stretched, rubbing her body against his then she froze as she felt the tension in Ben’s body. She lifted her head and looked at him cautiously.
“Please let go so I can get up,” Ben said looking away.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a tiny voice and pulled away from his body quickly. She sat on the edge of the bed with her back to him. “I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to offend you. I’ve… never slept so well before.”
“You didn’t offend me and I slept very well too. Thank you. It’s just… we don’t know each other well enough to be doing… this.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Sleeping?”
Ben looked at her with a scowl but saw she was facing away and her question seemed to be innocent.
“Against each other… naked,” he struggled to explain.
“This is how I dress for sleep. Rainor insisted. You are not naked,” she said with a brief glance over her shoulder.
Ben sighed. It was too early for this conversation. He picked up his phone. There was a message from Margaux. He looked at it and shuddered. He wasn’t ready to listen to it. Either she was going to continue her accusations or she was going to try for a reconciliation and he wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He needed… time.
He put the phone down. It was almost 6AM, Sunday morning and he was hungry. Baby steps. Deal with getting the day started. He got up and pulled a t-shirt from his suitcase.
“Here, you can wear this for now,” he said holding it out to her. She glanced at him then got up and walked around the bed to take the shirt. Ben did his best to avert his eyes.
The shirt was certainly baggy on her but with her tallness the bottom hem hinted at her delightful- No! He looked away again. He sighed to himself. He was such a fucking adolescent. He had to grow up.
“Hungry?” he asked keeping his eyes on her face.
She nodded with large dark eyes fixed on his.
He nodded as well and pulled on his t-shirt from the previous day. He’d grab a shower after he fed his stomach.
Ben walked across the condo to the kitchen and got Gretchen a glass of water and her medicine. She took it without question.
Next he looked in the fridge and saw it was well stocked. He turned to look at Gretchen. “I’m not a great chef but I can make an omelette if you’d like one. Tina usually does the cooking at home or Karen.”
“Who are Tina and Karen?” Gretchen asked curiously.
Ben smiled as he thought of his family at home. “Tina is the woman carrying my child, managing my household, and taking care of my adopted daughters at home. She is also my fiancé. Karen is one of my adopted daughters. She and Penny were two of the girls I ‘rescued’ from the slavers. I adopted them because we couldn’t find their families.”
Gretchen looked at him in shock. “Is that why you’re rejecting me? You’re engaged!” Her expression quickly changed to confusion. “But… I thought Ms. De la Cruz was your girlfriend!”
Ben closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as the pain in her voice grated against his raw nerves. “I’m not rejecting you. I’m just not looking to begin any more relationships. I’m already in love with several women. I- I thought Margaux… she was… someone I thought I might love.”
Gretchen’s face paled. “Did… did Margaux leave you because of me?” she said, her voice quiet and tense.
Ben looked into her eyes and saw the dread there. “No. It began before our meeting. Margaux has… terrible issues with jealousy.”
“But you’re having to leave with me was the deciding factor-” Gretchen gasped, her voice rising in panic.
“Please… calm down!” Ben said and instinctively pulled her to his chest where she clung to his shirt, her heart pounding.
“I’m so sorry!” she mumbled against his shirt as he stroked her hair.
Ben felt her trembling begin to slow as she relaxed.
They stood there for a time just taking comfort from each other’s touch.
Ben’s stomach grumbled loudly and Gretchen pulled back to show him a timid smile.