He shook his head. “I’ll live. But I don’t think Liv’s moving on very well.”
Fresh pain worked its way through my chest at the thought of her hurting. After Will’s call, I knew she was, but I didn’t have to see it or hear it, so I could talk myself into thinking she was happy with Will and the promise of their future together.
“Is she okay?” I forced the words out, bracing myself for his reply.
“We had a family dinner the other night. Will came.” He shrugged and made a face that I recognized as unimpressed.
If I weren’t so emotionally fucked up over the whole situation, I might have laughed.
“And…”
“I don’t know. Vanessa told me you left, and I guess I didn’t realize I was rooting for you this whole time. You know, between fantasies of drowning you in the East River.”
I cracked a smile. “I’m touched. Truly.”
He exhaled a loud sigh. “I don’t know. She doesn’t seem as happy as she was, you know, before…”
“It’s complicated.”
My relationship with Liv had been complicated from day one. I was certain Darren couldn’t disagree, but I wasn’t sure yet if he knew about the pregnancy. I sure as hell wasn’t going to bring it up.
“Tell me the truth. Do you really love her? Like, are you sure you even know what that means?”
“Of course I love her. And yes, I know what it fucking means. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s not going to work out. It’s over.”
He drew his lips tight together. “Goddamnit, Ian.”
I frowned. “What?”
Why was he pressing me about this? This was a hot-button topic that we both knew to steer clear of if we had any hope of repairing our friendship down the road.
He brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed back and forth. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this. But I think you should reconsider.”
“Reconsider what?”
He threw his hands up. “She’s in love with you, man. I don’t get this whole fucked-up thing you guys started, but I can’t see that look in her eyes week after week. Whatever you did, you have to fix it. I don’t care what you have to do, but you’ve got to make this right.”
I looked away, unwilling to believe I had the power to change this path we were on. A path that was taking Liv and me in two different directions. Day by day, we got farther apart.
The street was busy with other firefighters, police, and a couple of news trucks. Above it all, a sunset washed over the sky like a watercolor made of pinks and violets.
I shook my head. “I can’t fix this, Darren. I wish I could. I just can’t.”
OLIVIA
We had planned to stay in London for a little over a week, but after only a few days, Will concluded his business and let me in on a surprise. We’d be spending the remainder of the trip in Paris, a city I had fallen in love with long ago.
I’d never experienced Paris in the fall. The city was as beautiful as I remembered, but cozier and infinitely more romantic now that I was sharing it with Will.
Our hotel had a view of the Sacré-C?ur, and every morning, Will would wake me up with a tray of hot cocoa and chocolate croissants. The pregnancy nausea I’d experienced had been manageable thus far, and I was determined that nothing would keep me from French pastries on this trip. Life was too short for that.
On our second night, we had dinner with Will’s mother. She was a petite blonde. Fashionable but not pretentious. She was warm, and the love she had for her son was infectious and heartwarming. She begged us more than once to leave New York and start our family in Paris. At the end of one of the most incredible meals of my life, I almost considered it.
Afterward, Will and I went for a walk around the Champ de Mars. The sun had set and the air was cool, but Will’s hand was warm in mine.
“What do you think? Should we relinquish our citizenship and stay here forever?”
“I wish.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Do you? You know I’ll give you whatever you want.”
I laughed, but I knew he was serious. “Might be hard to manage your empire from here.”
“No doubt it would.” He sighed. “Maybe one day, when I can step away from all of it, we’ll go expat and get a place on the Riviera or something. We can make love and drink wine and eat all the food, every day.”
“Sounds like heaven. I think I should start brushing up on my French now.”
He pecked a kiss on my cheek. “We’ll have you fluent in no time, princess.”
The night was growing dark, and we found a bench along the path that offered an unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower. I pulled my coat tighter. Will immediately put his arm around me to keep the chill away. I leaned into his warmth.