Page 111 of Reluctantly Yours

Now, we’re finishing lunch on the patio at a bistro near our hotel. Just like yesterday, she had me order and was excited to try everything the waiter brought. That’s one of the things I admire about her. She isn’t afraid to try new things. To get out of her comfort zone. I know because I’ve been pushing her out of it since we started this whole fake dating arrangement.

There’s nothing fake about it now. Nothing fake about how I feel about her.

She’s wearing a white sundress with ties at the shoulders. Her hair is pulled up on top of her head. With no makeup on her face, I can see the light smattering of freckles on her nose.

She catches me staring.

“What?” She looks behind her, oblivious to the idea that in a place like Paris where everywhere you look, the architecture and sights are breathtaking, it’s her I can’t keep my eyes off.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask.

“Oh. Sure.” She stands and positions her small purse across her body. “Where to now?”

I take her hand and we start walking along Rue du Maréchal Harispe.

I know she wants to see the Eiffel Tower. She hasn’t asked about it. I know she’s let me take the lead on showing her the city, defaulting to my expertise, but there’s no way I can let her leave without seeing the view from it.

I have no desire to do it, but that shouldn’t stop Chloe from experiencing it.

As we walk, Chloe talks about how much fun she had yesterday and how she still can’t believe that we came to Paris for the weekend.

“Oh, I should grab something for Jules. She’s going to freak out. And my family. Maybe an ornament? Or shirts? What do you think?”

“We’ll hit the souvenir shop after.”

“After what?” she asks.

I nod in the direction we’re headed.

Chloe’s eyes light up. “The Eiffel Tower?”

My answer is to take her hand and lead her to a small building on the side.

“Isn’t the line over there?” she asks.

“I had Bea arrange this,” I tell her after I check in with the security guard.

“You both going up?” he asks when he returns.

“No, just her,” I say, dropping her hand so she can follow him to the entrance. “I’ll wait here.”

Chloe grabs my hand. I look from where our hands are joined up to her face.

“Come with me.”

I want to share everything with her, but I can’t do this.

I shake my head. “I can’t.”

She lifts up on her toes and takes my face in her hands.

“Barrett, do you trust me?”

I hold onto her wrists.

“Of course. It’s not about that.”

“Isn’t it? I got on a plane not knowing where I was going, because I knew if I was with you, it would be okay.” She looks around. “And it’s better than okay. I get it. You’re scared, and you might freak out, but if you trust me then you know that you’ll be okay because I’ll be with you.”