She got down on her haunches and smoothed the tears from his cheeks. “All right, honey. You don’t have to be in the program. Will you at least come with me so we can watch it together?”
“Yes,” he croaked.
“That’s good because Fleur and Lise are going to be singing with their classes, too.”
She stood up and caught Madame Fillou’s eye. The teacher could see something was wrong and nodded.
Clasping his hand, Crystal started walking them behind Vivige. When her sister-in-law opened the door into the hall, Philippe’s cry rang throughout the room. “Hey—you’re back!” He let go of Crystal’s hand and literally flew into Raoul’s arms.
One of the mothers smiled at Crystal. “Your son is certainly crazy about his good-looking father. I never saw anything like it. Lucky you.” She winked.
Crystal smiled back, but her emotions were in chaos. She’d never seen anything like it, either, as she watched the two of them hug. It wasn’t the normal hug a nephew gave an uncle coming and going. This was her son who’d been suffering trauma since discovering his uncle had gone on a rescue mission—the uncle Philippe had known from birth and had turned to whenever Eric hadn’t been there.
Through the years a bond had been forged and another truth had to be faced. All the time Eric had been a part-time father, Raoul had done the heavy-duty round-the-clock parenting. Somewhere along the way he’d become the daddy.
If Suzanne had lived and they’d had children, things would have been different. But, the reality was, Philippe had drawn close to Raoul and her little boy thrived on the love he gave him.
“Philippe, honey—your teacher wants you to get in line.”
“Okay.” His uncle’s appearance had turned him back into a sweet angel.
Raoul put him down. “We’ll be out in front watching you.”
Crystal blew him a kiss, then hurried to join Vivige.
They made their way into the auditorium where the rest of the family were saving seats. Crystal sat next to Jules with Vivige on her other side. Bernard had the camera ready.
Out of the corner of her eye Crystal saw Raoul sit next to his mother. Jules wore a permanent smile. For the next hour they were treated to a wonderful Christmas program. All the cousins performed beautifully, and it was as if Philippe had been in the school all year.
When they got to the part where they sang “Silent Night,” the carol mocked the turmoil going on inside of Crystal. Even though Raoul had returned, the fear that something had happened to him had upset her so much, it had caused havoc with her stomach. A minute before the program was over, she turned to Vivige.
“I suddenly need a restroom. Will you see to Philippe? I’ll meet you all at the house.”
“You poor thing. Of course.”
She rushed past the crowd and was the first one to leave the auditorium. Because she was so fast, she beat the others exiting the parking lot and raced home. Once upstairs, she thought she’d lose her lunch; but, by that time, the nausea had subsided.
Once she’d freshened up, she planned to go back downstairs and hug her son, but there was a knock on the door. Surprised Philippe didn’t just burst in, she opened it and met a grim-faced Raoul in the entry. He came inside, nudging the door shut behind him with his foot.
“What happened to make you bolt like that after the program?”
“I had a hard time with Philippe before you came to his schoolroom. My stomach cramped up because of delayed stress, but I’m fine now.”
“The hell you are. It’s something else.”
She could never hide anything from him. “No, Raoul. I—I was just so thankful you came when you did,” she said, her voice faltering.
“So thankful it made you sick?”
Crystal struggled for breath. “Before you showed up, Philippe was afraid you’d died.”
A ring of white appeared around his compelling mouth. “Is that what you thought, too?” When she didn’t say anything because she was afraid to admit it, he held her upper arms, shaking her gently. “Tell me the truth.”
“I didn’t want to think it because—because I couldn’t bear the thought.”
“Of what?” he demanded.
“Of you being gone—” She averted her eyes. “The family couldn’t handle another tragedy.”
His sudden intake of breath sounded like a volcanic fissure erupting. “So it wasn’t personal?” He’d brought her body right up against his.
“Raoul—” she cried in torment, but that was the only word to escape her lips before he lowered his dark head and found her mouth. Her body quivered as he closed his mouth over hers in a man’s kiss so hot with desire it began melting her bones.
Crystal had already caught flame and opened up to him, giving in to her terrible hunger for him. She heard his unmistakable moan of longing before he deepened their kiss. The kind of rapture she’d never known sent out voluptuous heat, encasing them in a fire too marvelous to describe.
To be tasting and loving him like this when she’d dreamed about it for so long had her soaring. When he unexpectedly wrenched his mouth from hers, leaving her reeling, she gasped in the aftershock and took a step away from his arms.
What had she done?
“You—you shouldn’t have done that, Raoul,” she said, her voice shaking while she wobbled in place. The feel of him still held her in its grip.
His eyes glittered dangerously. “Hate me all you want, but you’d be lying if you told me you didn’t enjoy that.”
Her cheeks burned as if she had a fever. “Yes, I enjoyed it,” she admitted. “No man has kissed me since Eric. I’d forgotten how pleasurable it could be.”
“Kind of like the same way you forgot how much you loved to ski,” he persisted. “Look what happened when you gave yourself permission to embrace life again.”
Fighting for her life she said, “Yes, and that’s because of the offer you made me. I’ve done nothing but think about it, so I might as well give you my answer now.”
Raoul’s body broke out in a cold sweat. This was it, the answer he’d been waiting for since the other night at his house.
He watched her brace her legs against the end of the bed, as if she needed support. “This won’t take long.” He could hear her rapid breathing.
“Go on,” he said, moving toward her.
“I’ve considered it from every angle. Your offer was so incredibly generous, I’m still overwhelmed by it.”
His lungs froze. If his theory was wrong and she took him up on it, then it meant she didn’t have the feelings for him he had for her.
“I happen to know it’s unprecedented,” she continued, “which makes what I have to tell you sound like I’m the most ungrateful wretch who ever lived. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn it down because I’ve decided to make a new life for myself and Philippe in Breckenridge.”
The blood pounded in his ears.
“After we return, I’m going to start a ski school. I’m also going to buy Philippe and I a house of our own and get him enrolled in some activities like karate. At some point I’m also going to rent a piano in the hope he might take to it. Raising a well-rounded child is important to me. Though I didn’t like piano lessons when I was younger, it taught me music and I think it’s important.”
Crystal