Midnight in Montmartre: A French Kiss Sweet Romance (15 page)

H
is sister Audrey
had been right when she said that Luc was the family's big romantic. He was not one of those men who dragged his feet when it came to marriage and commitment.

The real problem with romantic men was that when they were enamored with a woman, they idealized too much. Luc had made Beth out to be an unattainable goddess for a long time before he realized they were better off as friends. He had to be careful not to put Mia on a pedestal, too.

If he hadn’t restricted himself, he would've proposed the week after they officially began dating.

Instead, he took his time in getting to know Mia. Being in love and starting a life together took more than romantic chemistry. They had to figure out whether they had the same interests, values, and goals in life. Enjoying each other's company was also important. Would they still enjoy spending time together for the rest of their lives? It was hard to imagine that they wouldn't.

His fingers were intertwined with Mia's as they walked along the Seine. When they walked across a bridge called Pont d'Iéna, which led to the Eiffel Tower, they could see the outline of the Sacré-Coeur church in the distance on their left.

"Look how beautiful the sky is," Mia pointed out.

The sun was setting, casting a rare pink-and-purple glow in the sky. Mia's childlike admiration for the beauty of the world made her even more adorable. She was the bright spot in his life. Everything she said either made him think or made him laugh.

After spending a few minutes with the other tourists admiring the tower, the sky, and their surroundings, they continued on their walk along the Seine. She admired the architecture of the buildings, pointing one out to him and saying how the textured facade reminded her of a honeycomb.

Being a Parisian, Luc was aware that Paris was a beautiful city. However, he took a lot of the city's beauty for granted, either by being immune to it or by not noticing it altogether. Mia's fresh perspective on Paris revived his own appreciation for the city. There was so much he wanted to show her, knowing that she'd appreciate it more than anyone. He loved to see her in awe.

Luc learned how to relax and seize the moment with Mia. Before her, life had been all about work and achievements, impressing others so he could feel like he was somebody. With Mia, he could be himself and be loved for it. It was easy to be with her. They could talk about anything as if they'd been best friends all their lives, and they could easily stay in comfortable silence in each other's company. Luc knew he was truly close with somebody if he could be silent around them and not feel the slightest bit awkward.

"You know," Mia said, "when I first came to Paris, I thought everything was so beautiful. Yet it was kind of lonely to be walking around all this beauty and not have someone to share it with."

"Paris does bring out the romantic in people."

"Yeah. It's as if every day is Valentine's Day here. If you have someone, it's the greatest, but if you don't, it can be lonely seeing all these happy couples walking around and making out all the time."

"True," Luc agreed. "I was so sick of those nauseating couples. Now we get to be one of them."

She chuckled. "Maybe I shouldn't blame Paris. I suppose I felt the same in Seattle too sometimes. I love cities where I can walk around. Walking helps me think and come up with ideas. It's inspiring. Sometimes I like doing it alone, and sometimes it's nice to have someone walk with me. Now that you're here, I have both options."

"Actually, this walking thing is new for me," Luc said. "I used to walk around Montmartre to get away from the craziness of my family, but that was years ago. Ever since I moved out on my own, it's just been rushing to the office or to meetings or to social gatherings. I rarely took the time to just walk and do nothing. I should make this a habit."

"You should." Mia sighed dreamily. "I hope I never fall out of love with this city. The moment I landed here, I felt this overwhelming support. There was a lot of good energy, a lot of love. Paris led me to you, and it led me to my sister."

"If you love this city and the city loves you, have you thought more about your job in Seattle?"

"Oh." Mia was quiet for a moment.

Her impending move back to Seattle was a sore spot for both of them. Mia only had a temporary work visa. While the job at LUX would've permitted her to renew her work visa for another year, Mia missed her career as a journalist.

"I don't know yet," she finally said.

They'd reached the beautiful Pont Alexandre III, a grand bridge lined with decadent sculptures and ornate street lamps. They walked to the middle of the bridge, where Mia looked down and watched the boats floating along the Seine. A tour boat was passing through, and the passengers waved up at them. Luc and Mia waved back.

"I don't want you to go," Luc said.

"I can't imagine being apart from you either," she said softly.

A smile slowly spread on Luc's lips. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black velvet box.

"In that case”—Luc got down on one knee—“will you marry me?"

He smiled up at her hopefully.

Her beautiful features arranged into a look of pure surprise. A joyful surprise. Tears welled, and her hazel eyes glistened against the pink-and-purple sky light.

"Oh, Luc..."

She gazed at the ring. It was a princess-cut diamond surrounded by more tiny diamonds.

"I know it's only been a few months, but I know for certain that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Mia, you know I mean it when I say that I want to make you the happiest woman in the world. I want to be the man who makes you happy."

"You already are." Tears ran down her cheeks, and her hands cupped her mouth. "Yes. Of course, I'll marry you, Luc."

He took the ring from the box and slid it onto her ring finger.

She gasped. "It's so pretty."

"I had my mother and Christine help me pick it out," Luc said. "If you didn't like this style, we had two backup options in mind."

"No, I love it. And look, it's a perfect fit, too."

She held her hand up, and the diamonds glistened.

"I know you'll miss your family in Seattle, but what do you think about living in Paris with me?"

"As your wife, I wouldn't dream of living anywhere else."

"Will you move into my apartment? You've seen it. It's big enough for two. You won't be living near Montmartre anymore, but we can visit my family's house there in case you miss the neighborhood too much."

"When I first met you," Mia said, "I thought you were a mirage, some kind of white knight on a black scooter waiting to save me. Now you're going to be my husband."

"A white knight?" Luc laughed. "You never needed saving. That's what I love about you. You can take me or leave me."

"But I want you."

"And I want you."

"My parents will miss me," Mia said. "But they are visiting for Christmas. This is perfect, because they can stay in my old Montmartre apartment. Maybe I can convince them to stay longer."

"And of course we'll visit them in Seattle."

"They're retiring soon. They might as well move here, even get to know Christine and her parents. I'm sure they'll have a lot in common." Mia laughed. "I'm getting ahead of myself. They do have some say in the matter."

"We'll see," Luc said. "I did ask your father for your hand over Skype, you know. They're ecstatic about visiting Paris. Maybe they will fall in love with France and move here."

“My mom has always talked about wanting to live in Provence when she retires."

"So it's a possibility. It'll all work out. You're moving in immediately, and we're getting married."

"My head is swirling," Mia said.

It began to rain. Drizzle. Details were important in Paris.

"When you first met me," Mia continued, "that night in Montmartre, I was dancing, you know. In the rain."

"You mean before that mugger accosted you?"

"Yes. I was dancing by myself in the rain. And I'm not afraid to do it again."

"Here? In public? Now?" Luc shook her head. That was the thing about Mia. She wasn't afraid to be herself. She had fun without caring what other people thought.

"You can either watch me or join me. I'd prefer for you to dance with me, though."

Mia held out her hand. For Luc, it wasn't even a question.

He danced with his future wife on the bridge, in the middle of Paris, and he loved every second of it.

W
hen Mia woke up
, she was startled to see that it was almost ten a.m. She was going to be late for work!

But then she remembered: it was Sunday. And the bed she was sleeping in wasn't her Montmartre studio apartment; she was in Luc's king-sized bed in his apartment in the 2nd arrondissement.

Mia pulled away the fluffy white comforters, realizing that Luc's part of the bed was empty. Before she could call out for him, Tabby jumped onto the bed and meowed. Tabby was Luc's sister Madeleine's cat. He was cat-sitting for her while she was away on a film shoot.

"
Bonjour, ma belle
." Mia stroked Tabby’s soft gray fur. "
Comment ça va?
"

Her French was coming along, slowly but surely. She was able to have basic conversations with people, but she still had a long way to go before she would be able to join in on conversations on politics and philosophy at French parties.

Christine had been helping her, speaking to her in French often so that Mia would be able to practice. She had to admit that she spoke a lot of English, especially with her friends from French class. If she was going to stay in Paris, she had to make more of an effort.

Sometimes she still couldn't believe that her life was real. When she had first come to Paris, she hadn’t fully believed she would find her sister. Not only had she found her, she had also found the love of her life. As she drew back the curtains, her diamond engagement ring glistened in the sun.

It was a beautiful day, the sun's strong rays casting a heavenly glow over the whole room. Luc lived in the thick of the 2nd arrondissement. They were on the top floor, and she could see into the gardens of the Tuileries.

Since it was Sunday and many shops and restaurants were closed, she and Luc planned on spending the day picnicking at the Tuileries for lunch and relaxing for the afternoon. At night, they were going to the Deneuve house in Montmartre for dinner, as they did most Sunday evenings. Luc's oldest brother Alain had just returned from his travels, and Mia was going to meet him for the first time.

Before she had gotten engaged, Mia had been at a crossroads about whether she would move back to Seattle when her year was up. She couldn't simply continue working at LUX as an employee, since she did want to go back to journalism, which was her true passion. It had been scary to consider giving it all up—the job, the city, and possibly the man—but she was glad she didn't have to make that choice.

Now that she was entitled to live in France, she could embark on her new career as a freelance journalist. Mia did have great relationships with editors from different newspapers and magazines, and she was sure there were plenty of stories to uncover and write about in Paris and in Europe. She had always had a natural flair for writing, and she was versatile when it came to topics. She already had a few story ideas to pitch, and she was in talks with an online Paris-based anglophone magazine to write restaurant reviews.

She'd given Luc her two weeks’ notice. Sarah, Amélie, and the other friends she'd made at LUX were going to miss her at the office, but it wasn't as if she wouldn't see them again. She could easily pop in at the office to say hi and have lunch with the ladies.

LUX was gaining more industry recognition than ever. Luc and Didier had even been nominated for a media award for the most innovative ad agency. She was tremendously proud of Luc.

"I need to get changed, Tabby." Mia placed the cat on the floor. "Why don't you go say good morning to Luc?"

Tabby ran out of the room, and Mia could hear her scuttling down the hallway. Mia changed out of her silk pajamas into her Sunday best: a yellow jersey wrap dress and bright-orange patent Marc Jacobs flats. After she applied some simple makeup and tied her fluffy hair back with a gold leaf headband, she went out to the kitchen, where Luc surely was.

"Good morning."

Luc was in dark-blue jeans and a crisp light-blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He hadn’t shaved that morning. He'd learned a month ago that Mia liked him rugged from time to time, and he took advantage of that when he didn't have to be clean shaven for the office.

His eyes lit up when Mia came in. She hugged and kissed him good morning.

"
Mon chou
," Mia said adoringly. "What does that mean again? My cabbage?"

"Hmm. It does sound strange when you translate it. It's like saying 'darling' or 'honey.'"

"My little cabbage," she teased. "That's what I'll call you."

"Little?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, my enormous cabbage."

Luc laughed. "That's more accurate.” He put two plates on the table. "I went downstairs and got you the croissants you like."

"Yum," Mia said. "I really prefer this over..."

"Over my cooking?"

"Well, yes."

"Hey, those two hard-boiled eggs I made this week were legendary."

Mia shook her head with a smile. "Whatever you say. They were filling, at least. It's the effort that counts."

"In my defense, I was running late for work. This is why you shouldn't spend any time with Philippe. The man makes up to twelve exotic dishes for breakfast when he's trying to seduce someone.”

"He does sound dangerous," Mia said.

"Hey, at least I made fresh orange juice. That's got to count for something, right? Try it."

Mia drank up. "It's really good."

Luc looked proud, and Mia had to laugh. She was still the cook of the couple. Without her homemade food, Luc would be eating kebab takeout or dining all the time in restaurants. Nobody was perfect, and Mia certainly wasn't marrying Luc for his culinary skills. He was trying, however, and he was making an effort to cook more. In fact, he was going to go to the Deneuve house early to help his parents and Philippe prepare the dinner.

When Luc made the effort, he put his all into it. It was a trait that Mia respected and admired. They were going to be together for the rest of their lives, and Mia never wanted the spark to fade. She knew that marriage changed things for many couples. Once people got married, sometimes they stopped trying, but Mia would always cherish Luc.

They'd discussed having children someday. While they were not ready yet, Mia shared his excitement about becoming a parent. She'd come to Paris looking for a sister, a possible extension of her family. Not only had she found her, she was also going to begin her own family with Luc in the near future.

The past few months had been a whirlwind. If she stopped to think about it all, it made her head spin. Mia had never been so happy in her life, and it had all started at midnight in Montmartre.

V
iolette Nights in Paris
, Book 2 of the
French Kiss Sweet Romance
series features Mathieu Deneuve, Luc’s brother.

Mathieu is the biggest rock star in France. His bandmates are happy to be rolling in the money and the girls, but at the end of their European tour, the only thing he feels is depressed. His band has lost touch with their original vision. Music has lost its purity, and he needs to shut himself away to write songs from the heart. What he wants is to buy a house in the countryside, away from the chaos of Paris.

Violette is almost thirty, with no dating prospects on the horizon and a mother with Alzheimer’s to take care of. When a handsome client uses her service as a real estate agent, she has no idea that he’s the lead singer of Les Slinks.

Mathieu’s afraid to reveal his identity, but when the truth is out, he has more than Violette to lose. A greedy record label exec wants to replace Mathieu with a new singer. Can he fix everything and win Violette back before it’s too late?

Read an excerpt at the end of this book.

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