to work very early on Monday. She couldn’t lie—she was disappointed that Lucien had made no attempt to contact her over the weekend, and considering he’d called her a whore, twice, he should have. Her office door was closed, which was odd since she always left it open. As soon as she flicked on the lights, she gasped in delight. Her entire office was one colorful garden—vases filled with every color and variety of flower covered every horizontal surface.
One vase, filled with peonies in varying shades of pink, sat right in the middle of her desk. She reached for the card and couldn’t help but laugh at Lucien’s apology.
I was a dick. Forgive me.
“So?”
She turned, her heart in her throat, to see him leaning in the doorway of her office. He took her breath away, and to see him looking so contrite and sexy—damn, she’d forgive him anything. But she was going to make him work for it.
“The flowers are beautiful.”
“Do you forgive me?”
“For calling me a whore because I was dancing? I’m still on the fence.”
“I suppose I deserve that.” He entered her office and stopped just in front of her. “I thought about what you said, how I didn’t fight for you. You’re right, I didn’t. At the time I was so devastated, losing Sister Anne and then you, I guess I just shut down. I should have come for you.”
She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she held her ground. He needed to know that he couldn’t keep throwing their past in her face.
“I’m sorry about Friday night.” He looked down for a moment before he said, “I was jealous.”
His words made her feel almost giddy, but she schooled her expression. “Jealous. Well, there was no need to be. I was just dancing.”
“But not with me.”
She tilted her head and smiled. “You didn’t ask.”
“And that’s all I need to do? Ask?”
Her expression changed from teasing to sincere. “I’ve never denied you anything, you know that.”
His fingers played with a lock of her hair and though she had the sense he was up to something, he said not a word before he turned and walked out of her office.
Around noon, Darcy went to get a bite to eat, but when she stepped out of her office, there was a sign on the wall just opposite her door that said, “Join me?”
Down the hall she could see another sign. This one had an arrow and she followed that to the next one, up the stairs, down a hall to a door with a sign that read, “Took you long enough.”
It was the door to the roof and she pushed it open to see Lucien standing next to a small table with two large crystal bowls filled with pudding. When she reached him, he pulled her chair out and settled her napkin in her lap before he took the seat across from her. He lifted his spoon and waited for her to do the same, before he winked. Words weren’t needed. It was, hands down, the best lunch ever.
Two nights later Darcy sat in her apartment with her thoughts entirely on Lucien. After their lunch of pudding, he’d walked her back to her office and kissed her hand before returning to his own office. The following morning there had been a small box on her desk. She’d been hoping there would be a follow-up to the flowers, but she didn’t expect this type of gift. She opened the box to find a mug bearing Lucien’s face. She’d laughed out loud at the ridiculous picture. It would, of course, sit prominently on her desk, just like he knew it would.
She threaded her fingers through her hair as worry tingled her spine. She had to tell him about the baby, but she didn’t know how. She’d suffered with guilt for years over subsequently losing their child. Would he hold her responsible too? It was terrifying, and yet she knew they’d be unable to move forward until she overcame her fear and told him.
Darcy’s morning was booked, so at lunchtime she went in search of Lucien. She’d take him to lunch and tell him everything. She stopped at his office door and took a minute to just look at him. He glanced up, saw her, and smiled.
“Would you like to go to lunch?” she asked.
“Yeah. What are you in the mood for?” he asked as he moved from his desk toward her.
“Chinese.”
“I know a place.”
Outside, the sun was bright in the