Nine Lives - Danielle Steel Page 0,68

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She left for Paris two days after she spoke to Aden about Paul. In the end, she missed Paul, and everything that was happening to him seemed so traumatic to her that she wanted to be with him, even if he claimed he wasn’t too upset about it. But he looked tired when she got there, and he was grateful she had come. As always, he made everything perfect for her. He spent as much time with her as he could, between serious business and legal calls from around the world. They went for long walks. He took her to romantic restaurants at night, brought her flowers, told her how much he loved her, and made her laugh. He still behaved like a kid at times, despite the vast amounts of money he moved in international financial circles, and the massively successful, world famous career he had. He had another race coming up in France in May, which she dreaded. But other than the races he still contracted for, his life-threatening career, and the drumroll of the IRS in the background, her life with him actually felt normal most of the time. She wondered if he was crazy, or she was, but they were able to detach from the hard things in his life, and spend time together like any ordinary couple.

He bought bicycles for them, and on weekends they pedaled around the Bois de Boulogne and picnicked in the park, before going back to his luxurious suite at the Ritz. There was a disconnect between the joys and the risks in his life, which somehow made it possible to be happy with him. And their nights together were pure bliss. He was as tender and loving with her as he had been at eighteen when they kissed. And now so much had been added to their lives, both good and bad. But whatever happened, they faced it together.

She spent April in Paris with him, and planned to leave a few days before his race in May, in order to get back to Lake Forest when Aden was due back from school, to begin his summer vacation. In June Aden would take off for his travels around Europe with his friends. Maggie planned to go back to Paul in Europe then, after six weeks at home. As Paul had predicted, the ownership of the Lady Luck had been cleared, despite the IRS’s best efforts to impound it, so it was back in Paul’s control, at the dock in Monaco, and Maggie was planning to meet him there in June for the summer they had planned. In spite of everything, their life was going smoothly, and it was full steam ahead. Aden could hardly wait to spend July on the boat with them.

At times, Maggie couldn’t understand what was happening to her. The life she shared with Paul was one of constant contradictions. Exquisite ups and terrifying downs, blissful nights and the fear that it could all go wrong and the IRS would put him in prison, despite what Paul said. She had the feeling that Paul would always love her, and that he meant all the promises he made her, but it could all end in a burst of flames on the racetrack. Paul was like lightning bolts in the sky, exciting, powerful. He brilliantly lit the darkness around him, but there was no way to predict what he would do next, or what terrifying, breathtaking challenge he would take on. Being with him was dizzying and frightening, but at other times she knew she had never been as happy in her life. It was a roller coaster ride from morning until night, but the best one of her life, and until now, she had never even liked them. And now she didn’t want to get off and was hanging on for dear life.

Chapter 12

Although Maggie missed Paul, it felt good to spend six weeks at home in her own bed without him. Aden came home, and she lost herself in the ordinary pursuits of buying groceries and doing his laundry. It was a calming balance to life at the Ritz in Paris, and waiting to see what Paul would do next. Nothing new had emanated from the IRS, and just as he had said, it had become a high-stakes negotiation involving millions of dollars. That in itself had an unreal quality to it, as did life at the Ritz with all the luxuries it offered.

She had made