Beyond Chance (7 page)

“I think this is the perfect room for us.
You chose well, Mr. Sullivan.” I flashed a grin and imagined myself
waking up in the morning in such an idyllic setting. “I can’t wait
to bring the roses in and put them on this table.” I spun around
and Aaron was less than a foot away when I spotted a gorgeous, red
dress hanging from the armoire. He followed my gaze and slid his
arms around my waist.

“I thought you might like something new to
wear to tonight’s dinner. When I saw it in the boutique’s window, I
knew it was meant for you.”

I brought my eyes to his and smiled as I
attempted to push away the anxiety that was threatening to ruin
this moment. When he mentioned dinner tonight, I assumed it was a
normal dinner, but I should’ve known better. Nothing in Aaron’s
world was normal. If my family mentioned throwing a dinner for
someone, pot roast was in the oven and mashed potatoes were on the
stove. In his world, galas were the norm and cocktail parties the
equivalent to our backyard barbeques.

“Everything okay?”

I nodded and smiled. “Sorry. I …I didn’t
know it was that kind of dinner. I assumed it was something small
and…”

“You’ll do amazing,” he interrupted, his
thumb running along my cheek.

Going to events with Gabby should’ve
prepared me for Aaron’s lifestyle, but it didn’t. I still felt like
a fish out of water, and I had no idea why. Ever since the
accident, I noticed my tendency to shy away from events. Well, not
just events—people in general, and I kept hoping that putting
myself out there would make it easier. It still hadn’t.

“If you need to rest…”

I shook my head. “No way. And let my sexy
man have fun in Paris without me? I don’t think so.”

He shot me a devilish grin and scooped me
into his arms. Tonight would be full of new beginnings, and I
couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow held.

A bowl filled with floating candles and
white rose petals greeted partiers in the front foyer. Large
bouquets anchored the doorway leading into a sitting room. A man
dressed in a tuxedo offered flutes of champagne to the couple in
front of us, and I glanced at Aaron who was taking in the scene. He
looked to be in his element. Except for an occasional snippet of
French, the party could have been held in Seattle.

“Merci,” I said, as I took a flute of
champagne from the tray.

“You’re very welcome,” the man said, giving
me a wink.

So much for nailing my French.

I chuckled and took a tiny sip as Aaron led
me into the sitting room where several small groups had assembled.
Watching the guests sip champagne in between whispers and laughter
reminded me so much of all the other parties I’d attended with
Aaron. It was like there was a handbook on how to throw these kinds
of gatherings and no one ever veered. A tiny seed of homesickness
sprouted, and I had to push down the silly feelings as I thought
back to my family’s parties of streamers and confetti.

“The guest of honor,” a man called from
across the room with no hint of an accent.

The man’s greeting was just the trick to
pull me out of myself. His wide smile and sparkling eyes conveyed a
chumminess that I hadn’t expected. The older man made his way
through the room, and Aaron slid his arm around my waist as I
spotted a woman in her late twenties trailing behind the man. Maybe
she was the man’s daughter. There was a slight resemblance. He had
blue eyes and so did she. Both of their jawlines were strong, and
their expressions held determination. Her red hair was braided
loosely and a diamond pendant dangled on her creamy skin. She was
breathtaking. I was completely grateful to Aaron for picking out my
dress as I watched this woman practically glide through the room.
Dressed in a powder blue dress that streamed behind her with each
step, I felt completely out of my league. Her eyes fastened on
Aaron and that was when I figured it out. I was Aaron’s surprise.
She gave me a considering look as her eyes slowly trailed up and
down my body, and I realized that my standing here must be quite
the disappointment for her.

“Aaron, it’s wonderful that you could come
tonight,” the man said as they shook hands. His eyes fell on me,
and his smile deepened. “And who is this lovely woman?”

“This is my girlfriend, Brandy Rhodes.
Brandy, this is Gregory Sennet and his daughter, Tracy.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Before I had a
chance to react, Tracy gave me two air kisses—one on each cheek—and
her father did the same.

“We’re really looking forward to Aaron’s
opening,” Gregory said, nodding. “His pieces are quite soulful.
It’s unusual to capture such expression with metalwork.”

Tracy nodded and continued to eye me.
“Amazing indeed. I’m thrilled Elizabeth reached out to me about
your work.”

Aaron’s body stiffened, and I caught a
flicker of something behind his gaze.

“I am too,” Gregory responded. “It’s always
exciting to introduce such talent to the world.”

“Your ex-fiancée always had exquisite
taste.” Tracy smiled at Aaron and took a sip of her champagne as I
attempted to stay upright with this revelation.

I watched a subtle change transform Tracy’s
face as she watched Aaron. It was a mixture of smugness and
amusement, and I wasn’t completely sure at whose expense.

My heart pounded, and my face flushed as I
struggled to keep my confusion, anger and hurt in check. This
wasn’t the place to discuss such a gut-wrenching surprise. In fact,
I didn’t think anywhere in France would be an ideal locale to
discuss finding out my boyfriend of almost a year, who also
excelled at running away in life, had an ex-fiancée that he just so
happened to forget to mention. I felt the fury ramp up my spine,
and it felt eerily similar to the moment when I’d found out Aaron
was headed to China without me. This communication thing had to
improve.

I was all for ending things gracefully with
an ex. In fact, I’d endured endless teasing from Gabby on the
subject, but that didn’t mean I had ex-fiancés and husbands hanging
out in my closet of relationships past.

Even though the room was filled with
air-conditioned air, I felt extremely hot as I puzzled over what
else Aaron forgot to mention. Gregory was completely oblivious as
guests surrounded our group, and he began introducing Aaron to
everyone.

Aaron slid his arm from my waist and began
greeting the waiting guests as I shuffled off to the side. I didn’t
feel much like plastering a Howdy Doody grin on my face so I
retreated to the hors d'oeuvres table and stared at the escargots
smothered in garlic butter. A shudder ran up my spine at the
thought of having to plop one of those slippery suckers in my
mouth. I preferred all my snails and slugs to slink along in our
garden not on a dining table.

I let out a sigh and picked up a small plate
as I eyed the rest of the spread. Besides the snails nothing
screamed French to me until I landed on a beautifully presented
platter of ham rolled around a cheese spread. A tiny card in front
of the rolled meat dish read, Jambon Chevre. That sounded French
enough to me as I placed a few pieces on my plate. I heard Aaron
answering questions behind me, and my chest tightened. I knew I
should be standing next to him, showing him support, but I needed a
few minutes to collect my thoughts.

Weren’t things supposed to be easier than
this?

“It’s so nice to see Aaron settling down,”
Tracy cooed as she came up behind me.

I’d already hit the elaborate crudité
display when I heard her. I turned to greet her while still loading
my plate with vegetables. Not realizing how many carrots I’d loaded
onto my plate, one rolled off and hit the ground. I kicked it
quickly under the long tablecloth and put the tongs down.

“I’m not sure that’s completely possible.” I
smiled, stepping away from the table.

“How long have the two of you been an item?”
Tracy asked, picking up a plate.

“About a year,” I said, glancing behind me
at Aaron, who was being bombarded by eager art collectors. Gregory
and his daughter certainly were excellent at building the buzz.

“That’s impressive.” She placed two snails
on her plate and flashed me a smile. “And you two are living
together?”

Not that it was any of her business, but I
found myself nodding.

“He’s a wonderful man, but he’s a man,”
Tracy said, her voice lowering. “Elizabeth understood certain
things would never change.”

Gripping my plate tight enough that it might
shatter, my fingertips began to tingle.

“It’s never a good idea to try to change
someone,” I said softly.

“She’s here in Paris, you know. But she
decided not to come tonight. She didn’t want to be a
distraction.”

I nodded and smiled. “Very thoughtful of
her.”

“You didn’t know about her, did you?” Her
eyes narrowed on me.

“I…uh—”

Aaron came up behind me and interrupted the
conversation that threatened my ability to maintain control. “You
doing okay?” he asked, his hands gripping my hips.

I nodded and spun around to see him. “Better
than ever.”

We glanced at Tracy as she wandered off,
leaving us standing in the middle of the bustling party.

“A fiancée?” I arched a brow and waited
impatiently. I kept a smile plastered on my face so nothing looked
as off as it felt. I prided myself on being fair and not one to
rush to judgment but come on…never a mention?

“I can’t argue with the obvious. I should’ve
told you, but it meant so little to me I—” he stopped himself once
he saw my horrified expression.

“How could being engaged mean nothing?”

He drew in a breath and glanced around the
room before bringing his gaze back to mine. “I honestly didn’t
think I was engaged.”

Another carrot tumbled off my plate, and I
quickly bent down and picked it up. Looking for a place to put
everything, I spotted a tray with a few empty plates. Since I’d
lost my appetite, I walked my full plate to the tray and dumped it
off. Aaron was right on my heels as I attempted to grasp what he
was saying. How in the world could someone not know they were
engaged?

I spun around to ask that very question
right when a couple of guests introduced themselves to Aaron, and I
lost him in the crowd once more. This wasn’t the time or the place
to discuss anything like this with Aaron, but with my best friend
across the globe? Absolutely. I opened my clutch and pulled out my
phone. Even though Aaron was doing his part at acting interested in
everyone around him, I saw a worried look only a blink away and
knew that whatever he had to tell me wasn’t something that I’d want
to hear. I quickly did the math in my head and felt better about
calling Gabby. She was probably already at the bakery.

Wandering through the foyer with phone in
hand, I began texting Gabby this nasty revelation. Still feeling
quite stuffy, I trundled outside to get some fresh air. There was
something about tonight that seemed almost surreal. Aaron and I had
been through so much, and yet I suddenly felt like he was a
stranger. I glanced up at the windows as I walked down the street
and saw the back of Aaron as people continued to indulge him with
attention. I let out a sigh and stopped walking so I could finish
texting Gabby. I knew she didn’t know about an ex-fiancée, but I
thought I’d ask anyway.

It was early evening and the sidewalks were
bustling. A line at the patisserie across the street wrapped around
the side of the building, and the coffee shop patio was filled with
customers sipping lattes and smoking. Maybe that would make me feel
better—not a smoke—but my first Parisian latte. I looked both ways
and crossed the street. There was no question I was overdressed for
a cup of coffee, but I needed an escape and this seemed
perfect.

I took a seat outside on the patio, and the
waiter immediately appeared with a menu. Once he heard me squeeze a
few French words out, he switched over to English, and it was as if
a huge weight was lifted. He could understand me, and I could
understand him. Now if only it was as easy with Aaron. Aaron was a
complicated man, and it seemed as if the longer we were together,
the more complex he became. I watched the waiter return back
inside, and I let out a sigh as my phone buzzed.

Gabby texted her response, which was that
she was horrified and had no idea, and asked if I needed to come
home.

I almost laughed aloud when I realized I
hadn’t even thought about going back home. My reaction wasn’t to
run, yet hers had been and so was her brother’s. Was that what
happened with his fiancée? He ran?

My latte was delivered, and I ordered a brie
sandwich before turning my attention back to texting Gabby. I
relayed what little I knew and waited for a response. I didn’t want
to overthink things, but I was getting nervous.