“Okay.” Her shoulders were drooping then, and so were his. They both felt defeated. For now Heloise had them on the run without even knowing it. “It’ll happen sooner or later. It can’t stay a secret forever.” Their relationship was good and kept getting better, except for this one issue, which was a big one. His loyalties were divided between her and his daughter, and sooner or later he’d have to make it clear to everyone that he could handle both. “Did you have fun?” she asked him generously, and he loved her more than ever, for how kind and reasonable she was and loving to him.
“I did.” He pulled her close to him. “But I missed you.” Not being able to talk about her had made the longing worse. And all he wanted to do now was hold her and kiss her and caress her and make love to her, and make up to her for what he hadn’t done and said he would. He was starving for her as he put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door of the empty suite and the chain on, and pulled her into the bedroom with him. Their clothes were off instantly, and she was just as hungry for him. She had worried about what would happen all week, and now she no longer cared. She just wanted to be with him again, and whether or not his daughter knew no longer mattered. All they cared about as they made love was how much they loved each other, and everything else disappeared. And by the time it was over, she had forgiven him for not telling Heloise. They were both breathless as they lay there, and he smiled at her and pulled her back into his arms. If anything, he loved her even more.
FOR THE NEXT two months, their life seemed totally normal. Natalie’s brother James and his wife came to town, and she and Hugues had dinner with them, and the two men got along famously. James thought he was a great guy and perfect for his sister. The two men talked business all night, and Natalie talked to her sister-in-law about the kids and the cases she was working on.
Natalie’s business was booming, and she was still doing some things for Hugues at the hotel. In some ways it was almost as though he didn’t have a daughter, because she wasn’t part of Natalie’s life and she had no idea when she would be, if ever. She had stopped worrying about wanting to make friends with her. She was in a separate part of Hugues’s life, and they were building their relationship without her. It felt solid and strong, and their lives were blending nicely. They couldn’t move in together because he lived at the hotel, and Heloise would be coming back in December. But in every other way, their relationship was going well and the bond they shared strengthened every day.
Hugues was busy at the hotel, and he enjoyed talking to Natalie about it. She was an intelligent woman, was interested in it, and always gave him good advice. They went to the Hamptons for Memorial Day weekend, and while they were having dinner at Nick & Toni’s, she said something about an art exhibit she wanted to see at the Museum of Modern Art, and he told her he was going to Paris the following week.
“On business?” She looked surprised. It was the first time he had mentioned it, and she knew it must have come up suddenly for him not to have told her about it.
“No, to see Heloise. She’s starting her internship at the George V on the first of June. I told her I’d come over and see her before she starts work.” Natalie was quiet for a minute and then nodded. There were occasional reminders that he had a whole other part of his life that she couldn’t share. It hurt her feelings, but she tried not to think about it. It was almost as if he had a wife tucked away somewhere and she was his mistress, the woman that he loved and hid with. She would have liked to go to Paris with him, and she had the time, but there was no way that she could. Not until he told his daughter about them, and he was no longer saying that he would. They had taken the path of least resistance and were enjoying what they shared.
“That feels a little weird,” she admitted to him, and she didn’t ask him if he was going to tell her this time. She knew there would be some excuse when he didn’t, about how much it would upset her and how he couldn’t risk it. And she didn’t want to be disappointed again, and knew she would be. “I’d like to go to Paris too.”
“Maybe next year,” he said softly, feeling like a heel. Sometimes she wondered if he was going to break up with her when Heloise came back in December, just so he wouldn’t have to tell her. It was beginning to remind her of the relationship she’d had for eight years, with the man who had refused to commit. Hugues appeared to be committed, but as long as he hadn’t told Heloise about them, Natalie knew he really wasn’t. She was a phantom in his life that he was in love with, but only Heloise was real.
“What happens when she comes back in December?” Natalie asked him sadly.
