His Paris Affair (The Albury Affairs) (3 page)

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Neither do I—have
an appreciation for the arts that is. That’s Riana’s thing. But I’m glad too
that we got to experience this together. Why don’t we head to the Les Invalides
next?”

She nodded, giving the Relics of the Passion window one more
look of admiration before she let him lead her out through the eastern apse.
Les Invalides
was basically a large Army
museum and a church with Napoleon’s tomb. The church was beautiful and Napoleon
somehow grew in his death because the tomb was huge—and that was all the
interest it held for Melody. Ruiz however loved all the rooms filled with
armor, weapons and military clothing. Room after room after room of the same
stuff and yet he went ‘that’s so cool’, ‘no way, that’s epic’ several times in
each room. Instead of getting bored and ruining it for him, she got her kicks
off taking pictures of him doing the silliest things. The pictures would make
for great memories, and one day when they were old and grey or telling their
kids the story of how they fell in love, they would re-live them all over again
as they traveled down memory lane together.

Kids, old and grey…yeah she was thinking of the future; had
been dreaming about it since she met the man. And truth be told, she couldn’t
wait to start on it. All she had to do now was get him to propose and what
better place than the city of love, Paris.

“What are you smiling about?” he asked, the corner of his
eyes crinkling as he narrowed them at her. There was something so dangerously
sexy about him when he did that.

She smiled at him. “Nothing. How about a late lunch at the
hotel then we get dressed up for dinner at
Les
Fines Gueules
?”

He took her hand and as always led her out—sometimes he
reminded her of her bodyguards. A bodyguard who also loved her—not like psycho
Jeb!

* * * *

Melody walked the aisles of the boutique store completely in
the dumps. Whoever said retail therapy was the best therapy had no idea what
they were talking about. Everything looked so bland and unappealing to her
after the uneventful night she’d had. Things hadn’t gone as she thought they
would at lunch or at dinner the day before. At lunch she’d laid out the
groundwork, made all sorts of hints including dragging him to the hotel
boutique after where they had a jewelry selection that included engagement and
wedding rings. Of course she didn’t want a ring from a hotel boutique and she
much preferred to wear her mother’s. Allan had given Riana both their mother’s
wedding and engagement rings but she decided they should both have a blessing,
a good omen of their parents’ great love so she gave Melody the engagement ring.
It was nothing fashionable but priceless in sentiment. The ring now sat lonely
and cold in her jewelry box giving up hope of ever been wore like Melody was
giving up hope of ever wearing it. But she did wear it the night before and was
ecstatic when Ruiz noticed it. She told him one of her favorite fairytale
stories in the world, the story of her parents’ love, and how they wouldn’t let
anything, even death separate them. Ruiz told her he thought it was
heartwarming, then changed the subject to how great Les Fines Gueules, the wine
bar they ate at was. She knew it was great; she’d picked it!

Melody walked out of the boutique empty handed. The street
of Les Champs Elysées held no allure for her anymore. But it might again if
Ruiz proposed already! She wandered the street not interested much in the sites
because she’d seen them already, she just wanted to clear her head and decide
what her next move would be. She wasn’t giving up that easy!

“A penny for your thoughts.”

She jumped, her hands pressed to her chest as if she was
blocking her heart from leaping out. “Ruiz! You scared me!”

His lips spread in a large grin. “Yeah, I can see I took a
few years off you. Your hair is already turning white.”

She stuck her tongue out at him as she brushed off the snow
from her head before she picked up her cap that fell off when Ruiz frightened
her. “Very funny. Do you know that childish prank has caused a number of deaths
by heart attack?”

A skeptical brow went up. “Let me guess, doctor internet
told you that? What exactly were you researching that you landed on that?”

She nibbled on her lower lip wondering if Ruiz would think
her silly if she told him.

Ruiz pulled on her chin, effectively pulling her lip out of
her mouth. “You keep doing that I’ll have nothing left to kiss. Come on tell
me.”

“I hope you don’t think I’m dumb. Allan thought it was just
a childish fantasy when I tried to explain it to him.”

He drew her into his arms until they touched from hip to
knee. “I won’t.”

Melody played with the buttons on his jacket and kept her
eyes averted to avoid seeing the ‘you’re so cute to think that’ look people
gave to pathetic romantics. “I believe…that people can die from…a broken
heart,” she said hesitantly.

“Why?”

She signed and with a lot more hesitation she answered. “I
believe…that my dad died from a broken heart because…because my mom died and
left him behind.”

“Is that what you went onto med.com to find out?”

She nodded.

“Well, I believe that people can die from a broken heart,”
he said, so sweetly that for a moment she thought he was actually sincere.

She punched his chest. “Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not!” He placed his hand under her chin and boosted her
head up so that she could look at him. “If people can die because they will
themselves too, because they think there is nothing left to live for, why not
death caused by a broken heart from a lost love? The will to quit living
without the person you love, the will to die so you can join your soul mate in
the hereafter…I believe it’s a possibility.”

“My dad chose not to get treatment when he was diagnosed
with cancer. He said he was only holding on long enough to make sure Allan
could take care of himself, the company, the family investments and me. When
Allan called him selfish for dying without a fight, dad said he wanted to be
with the woman he loved. And until Allan had loved—and God forbid—lost, he
would never understand the true meaning of living half a life.” She smiled,
feeling a little less ridiculous telling Ruiz that story. “When you get back,
make sure you tell Allan that.”

With a raised brow he asked, “The same Allan who literally
stopped living his life and became a zombie because he thought Riana and his
daughter had died?”

She chuckled. “I guess now he knows out of experience, huh?”

He nodded. “One that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”

A cold chill rushed through Melody and she burrowed herself
into Ruiz’s chest. As if he understood her deepest fear, he hugged her tight to
him. She prayed to God she never got to experience the torture she watched her brother
and father go through.

“Just so you know,” he began kissing the top of her head, “I
would never let you go in life or in death.”

“I would say the same but,” she pulled away and looked up at
him, “Allan was right about one thing. If there are children in the picture,
they come first. He made Riana promise him that she would always put their
children first no matter what happened to him.”

Ruiz nodded. “Agreed. I do love you Mel and I hope our love
story isn’t as eventful as my siblings.” He chuckled. “I’d rather not face any
mad men just to keep you.”

Melody pouted. “Yeah well, I kind of liked their love
stories. They were right out of my favorite romance novels.”

He shook his head as he chuckled. “Yeah epic love stories
with too many close calls for my liking. I like Matthew and Amy’s love story
better—drama free. Come on let’s go to the Lovelock Bridge.”

She tucked herself in his side as they walked to Pont de l'Archevêché.
“You see, this is why I don’t like watching romantic movies with you. You have
no flair for dangerous love. I find the whole ‘it’s me and you against the
world’ so incredibly sexy!”

“Aha, right now it’s me and you against snow and human
traffic. Walk a little faster.”

Melody huffed. “Not a single romantic bone in your body!”

“Really?” He pulled her to a jog to the bridge blanketed
with padlocks. She watched laughingly as he searched for an empty spot, running
up and down the bridge until he came to a sudden stop and called her over.
“Found one, come here!”

She jogged to him still laughing. “Okay, I was wrong. You do
have a romantic bone—might be the smallest one in your body, but it’s still
there.”

He fake glared at her then handed her a brand new lock.
“Would you Melody Sinclair take this epic romantic step with me?”

“Yes, I will.” Together they secured the lock on the bridge
but Melody noticed something was missing. “Ruiz, where is the key to the lock?
We need to throw it over?”

“Why?” he asked with a hint of a smile on his face.

Melody rolled her eyes. “That bone is getting smaller. The
lock signifies our unbreakable love and throwing the key so that neither of us
have it says we won’t voluntarily break our love by opening the lock.” She held
out her open hand, palm up to him. “Now, the key?”

“Instead of throwing it, why don’t you keep it? Think of it
as me giving you the key to my heart.”

Melody blushed. “That bone just grew longer. Ruiz Albury, I
would be honored to keep your heart and its key close to mine. And I promise to
treasure both with all that’s within me.”

Ruiz pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket and placed the
key in Melody’s hand. But there was something strange about the key. She waited
for him to draw his hand away and her heart stopped for what felt like a whole
minute.

“Ruiz!” she breathed, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“You just made me a promise, and I’m going to hold you to it.”

There, lying in her hand in the same key ring as the key was
her mother’s engagement ring and now her engagement ring. It was beautiful—well
it always has been beautiful, but at that moment it was magnificent.

He took the ring from her palm and removed it from the key
ring. He handed her the key. “Keep this safe until we can find a chain for it.”
Then he went down on one knee, took her left hand and slid the ring home. “Just
to be clear and avoid all confusions. Melody Sinclair, would you take my heart,
for it is all of worth that I have to give, my soul to mate with yours in this
life, the hereafter and the next life. And my body to support you as yours does
mine, to hold you because having you in my arms completes my existence and to
give you life because there is nothing I would love more than to see your body
grow with my child inside you. Melody Sinclair, will you marry me?”

With all the laughing and crying all she could do was nod yes.
She was finally getting her own happily ever after.

Chapter Two

Thirteen
months later…

Ruiz slouched in the lawn chair, a bottle of beer in one
hand and his cell phone in the other, watching and listening to the sounds of a
happy family as the knife of jealousy repeatedly stabbed him in the chest.

He watched as his sister Riana blew her husband a kiss where
he stood at the grill with his best friend Matthew and with a broad smile Allan
caught it and pressed it to his chest over his heart. She smiled lovingly at
him as she strolled, rocking the new addition to her family, Allan Patrick
Sinclair III, to sleep. Ruiz knew his nine month old nephew would wake almost
immediately once the laughter and other happy noises grew louder, penetrating
his haze of sleep. He didn’t like to be left out. Ruiz could relate.

And just a few feet away from him, Reno and Loraine were
having one of their famous arguments that usually ended with them sneaking off
together and emerging an hour later with the biggest grins on their faces.
Loraine was now four months pregnant so there was no sneaking away this time.
Reno had put an end to that. They all had their fingers crossed—Reno
especially—that she would carry this baby to term with no complications. After
the attack over a year ago that resulted in Loraine losing their first baby
together they had their fingers and toes crossed. Sure they were all worried,
treating her like a fragile egg, but Reno was a little extreme. From Loraine’s
complaints they barely had sex, which apparently was like torture to a horny
hormonal pregnant woman—who knew? Ruiz was sure one day his brother would lose
it and wrap his wife in bubble wrap. The attention was driving Loraine nuts
considering she was barely showing. At the beginning of her pregnancy she had
been very understanding of his antics, but now she really looked ready to punch
Reno when she stood up mere seconds after he settled her down on the cushioned
chair. Amy, Matthew’s wife, watched, quietly laughing as she cradled her second
son, seven month old Ethan in her arms.

Amy, Riana, and Loraine had become very close the past two
years, which led to their three houses being built next to each other on a hill
that over looked New York City. It was a compound that shared the same huge
access gate and yards full of trees and flowers. Their gardens were their
boundaries and there was one rock path that led to each of their front doors.
The backyard was both a playground and an outdoor living area with a gazebo, a
section for the barbeque pit with tables and chairs, a swimming pool with pool
chairs, umbrella tables and chairs, and a marquee for formal parties which
happened twice a month which Loraine’s new company catered. With Matthew’s law
firm, Allan’s company, and Red Roses hotels that Reno ran, and of course his
sister’s new pride and joy, the art school and gallery that Amy helped her
run—as she used to be an art connoisseur in her home country Brazil before she
married Matthew—it was great business for Loraine and the best excuse for the
state of the art kitchen in her home.