Chapter 34 – Paris
Paris! I still couldn't believe Edward had gifted me with the trip. The airport was a nightmare, but Edward had mentioned all airports were nightmarish, and that is why he finally broke down and bought a jet. He expertly guided me through throngs of passengers rushing from one gate to the next. I took it in stride, though I kept a tight hold on Edward's arm, like I had when we entered JFK. I didn't want to get lost in the crowd. The further we moved away from the terminal, the denser the crowd. Not once did we have to pause as we continued on our way to the baggage claim.
Watching as the bags and suitcases tumbled down from the shoot to the conveyor belt, I thought it was going to take forever to find our luggage. I peered over at Edward. He had his phone in his hand, his eyes glued to the screen.
"Ah," he exclaimed, moving away from me and pulling the first bag off, and setting it down at his feet.
I blinked and our three suitcases were next to him, one more to go. It was confusing. How had he found them so fast? Before I could even ask, he arranged everything so he could pull them behind him with one hand, as if he traveled with this much baggage every day. Glancing around, I saw other passengers struggling while others chose to use trolleys, others were still searching the conveyor for their bags.
He slipped his hand into mine. "A car should be waiting for us when we clear customs," he said close to my ear as we walked through sliding doors and towards customs.
We were met with long lines and chose one at random. Edward pulled our passports out of his inner jacket pocket, handing me mine before kissing my cheek. The line we were in went surprisingly fast, and before long I was being motioned forward to one of the booths.
"Bonsoir, mademoiselle. What brings you to France? Business or pleasure?" the guy in the booth asked in heavily accented English, accepting my passport.
"Pleasure," I answered simply.
"How long will you be in our lovely country?"
Again I answered simply, "Six days."
"Anything to declare?"
Uh? I wasn't sure what he was asking and looked over my shoulder at Edward. "No," I said.
The guy nodded, picking up his stamp and flipping to a crisp blank page and marring it with black ink.
Handing it back, he said, "Enjoy your stay, mademoiselle."
I moved around the booth, to the other side and waited for Edward. Five minutes later, he joined me.
"Damn custom agent," he muttered, I didn't think I was meant to hear and didn't ask what he meant.
Slipping my hand in his free one, we made our way to the escalator. I saw a number of men in black suits, holding signs up. Edward led us over to the one holding up "Cullen."
It turns out Edward had hired a private car for the duration of our vacation and the gentleman Edward approached was our driver.
The night was chilly as we exited, and luckily the town car was not far from the doors. As the driver placed our bags in the truck, Edward held the back door open for me. He soon slid in on the other side of me.
From the back seat, I could see the lights as we drew near to the city. The headlights on some distant road. And, could it be? Yes, I think it very well was… the Eiffel Tower. There it stood, off in the distance, all its grandeur, sprinkling and twinkling in the night. It was true what I heard about the tower, it could not be comprehended in photos.
We turned off the main thoroughfare. The tower was to the south, on my side of the car. Leaning toward Edward, I kissed his cheek. He turned his head and captured my lips in a tender kiss.
I pulled back, yawning. Even though I slept on both flights, I was exhausted.
"We'll be at the hotel soon," he whispered.
~~~ Reaching for Love ~~~
The room, or rather, the suite was impressive. It was like a loft but without a kitchen. The main room was divided by a low wall. On one side was the sitting area and, on the other, the bed. Two chairs and a small table were tucked into a window well near the bed. The tower could be seen from the window and the other south-facing windows. Off the main room were the door, a small closet, and the bathroom. As I explored the suite, Edward slipped the bellhop a nice tip.
I stood by one of the windows, peering out with a wistful smile on my face. Edward joined me after a bit, wrapping his arms around me. "I've put your pajamas in the bathroom. Why don't you take a shower before we turn in?"
I wasn't sure what made me say it, my being tired or finding myself in Paris with my loving and generous husband. "Join me," I whispered, seductively as I turned in his arms.
His lips met mine halfway, and his right hand snaked its way up my back, coming to rest between my shoulder blades. Deftly, he pulled the zipper down, and the coolness of the room made me shiver.
He pulled back, a sad smile on his face. "Tomorrow, sweetheart, I promise." Brushing his knuckles along my cheek, he leaned back in and tenderly kissed my lips. "It's been a long day and we both need sleep."
As if his words were my cue, I yawned. "Okay. I am going to forgo a shower and take one in the morning."
~~~ Reaching for Love ~~~
A kiss… a ghosting touch over my stomach. Yet another kiss. I cracked an eye open, and the situation struck me as odd. Edward was up before me, even on the weekends. What was he still doing in bed with me?
He said nothing, inching closer and kissing me full-on as his hand caressed my bare stomach a little more. It was still flat, with me only being twelve weeks. It was hard to believe I'd met and married him two months ago.
"How did you sleep?" he asked, pulling back and knocking his forehead against mine, though his caresses didn't stop.
Smiling, I nodded and turned my head. The clock I expected to see wasn't there, windows and a small sitting area. My eyes moved up to the opened window, I could just make out the… Eiffel Tower? It hit me then. The party, Edward's gift, the first class flight from New York. My smile widened.
"What's the plan for today?" I said, turning back smile still in place.
Placing my hand atop his, I stopped his ticklish administration. Whatever we did, I didn't care. He had given me Paris.
"Well, given the time, I thought we would start with brunch and just walk around, taking in the city."
That sounded wonderful. A lazy day.
Nuzzling my hair to the side with his nose, he placed a kiss on my neck. "I do have evening e-tickets to go up the tower. But the day is ours."
~~~ Reaching for Love ~~~
The afternoon was lovely. Edward and I had found ourselves at Coco, a wonderful restaurant set within the Opéra Garnier. The famous opera house screamed luxury the moment we set foot through the doors and moved toward the restaurant. Oh, let's not forget, it's the setting of the book Phantom of the Opera. Unbeknownst to Edward, he helped me cross off one item on my Paris bucket list. It didn't matter to me it wasn't a complete cross-off, I was in the Palais Garnier. Seeing a performance here would be the icing on the cake, and to expect to get tickets to whatever was playing… no, I decided. The shows were probably all sold out.
The restaurant was luxurious and, could I dare to say it… romantic. It featured curved shapes, lush vegetation, cozy alcoves, and a great terrace, where Edward and I sat. A menu was handed to me and it was all in French. I gulped. Thank goodness for Google Translate.
Even with translating the menu, I couldn't figure out what I wanted. I blew out a breath, my gaze going to Edward. "Would you order for me?"
It was the first time I had asked him, and we'd been to several fancy-for-me restaurants. I smiled at the memory of him when he took me out for dinner shortly after we met.
He lifted his eyes and connected with mine. Concern danced in his eyes. "Do you need help translating?" he asked.
"No, I used Google. There are so many options and everything sounds good."
Setting his menu down, he reached across the table, taking hold of my hand. "It would be an honor, Isabella."
~~~ Reaching for Love ~~~
Edward excused himself after we exited the restaurant, leaving me wandering around the lobby of the opera house. I was in awe at the opulence, and it was far better in reality than in pictures.
Arms wrapped around me. "Miss me?"
I giggled. "Were you gone?" I teased.
He kissed my cheek, "Ready for the tour."
"Tour?"
I felt his smile against my ear. "Of the opera house," he whispered.
"I thought we were going to walk around Paris."
A low chuckle tickled my ear. "I thought why we were here, we could take the tour."
EDWARD
The way Bella's eyes lit up when she turned to face me, made me happy. If I was reading her right, she wanted to tour the opera house but didn't want to voice it. Not wanting to ruin the moment, I refrained from commenting.
With my hand on the small of her back, I guided her over to the waiting tour guide for a private tour. I had booked it while Bella was in the shower, once again refusing to join her. It wasn't that I didn't what to, it was more what I pictured doing. I shook my head, clearing the image from my mind.
Over the next two hours, Bella and I were taken from one part of the opera house to another. Told in great detail the history of the building and about the architect. Not once did the smile fall from Bella's face.
I even got a few candid pictures of my beautiful, lovely wife. Bella insisted on a few of us together, which our tour guide was delighted to take.
It was quite the building, and I couldn't wait to see the opera in a few days, another surprise. Luckily, one of the operas I thought Bella would love was on stage, and I was able to get tickets, thanks to one of the movie directors I knew having season tickets.
Once outside again, I turned and saw Bella yawn. "Love, are you tired? We can go back to the hotel and rest a bit."
She shook her head. "I'm fine. Let's head toward the Seine."
It pleased me she voiced her desire. There were several shops in our path, maybe she would be persuaded to enter a few.
"I need to look at the map before we start our walk. But first, I want you to promise to tell me if you need to rest." I winked at her, pulling my cell out of my pocket. Bringing up Google maps, I looked for the path that would take us past the most shops. "I'm waiting for a promise."
I looked up and over at Bella. She had her eyes closed and her head tilted up towards the sky. A serene expression on her face. Capturing her this way, so carefree, was a memory I wanted on my desk. Switching to the camera app, I snapped a few pictures.
"Are you sure you don't want to go rest a bit?" I asked, reaching out and rubbing her arm.
"I'm sure, and I'll let you know if I need rest. Figured out a route?"
Offering her my hand, we made our way toward Avenue de l'Opéra. It was nice to have no plans, to have no appointments. I haven't really taken a vacation since graduating college. An occasional weekend here and there in Vegas or Atlantic City, but taking a week off was a foreign concept until now. I found I quite liked it and felt like a kid again. It's not like Mom and Dad hadn't tried to get me to go with them on their last cruise. If I had gone, I would have never met Isabella. Would have never married her. Would be in the same rut of loneliness Bella had broken me out of.
Being in Paris might have been a birthday present, but it was for me as much as Bella. A cheesy souvenir shop was coming up, and I didn't know what overcame me, but I dragged my adorable and laughing wife inside.
Together, we picked out some postcards, a couple of magnets, and a few other chintzy trinkets. It didn't even matter to us that we hadn't been in Paris for a full day yet, we were making memories. Bella even let me snap a picture or two of her in a beret, and she refused to let me buy it.
By the time we made it to the river, my cheeks were sore from all the smiling. I had managed to pull Bella into a few more shows, and like the beret, she refused to let me pull out my wallet. Although one of the dresses I convinced her to try on, I secretly purchased and asked for it to be delivered to the hotel. The blue, flowing gown was absolutely gorgeous on her and the way her eyes lit up when she tried it on had me throwing caution to the wind. I would probably get an ear full when we got back and she saw it.
~~~ Reaching for Love ~~~
Halfway back to the hotel, Bella swayed and collapsed against a lamp post. She said she was fine and just needed something to eat. We were near a little café, and after ordering a couple of sandwiches and drinks, I joined her at a table. "I know you say you're fine, sweetheart, but I called for the car. We'll go back to the hotel and nap for a few hours."
"What about the tower?"
Leaning over, I kissed her. "We have plenty of time."
A/N: This chapter was running long, so I decided to split their Paris vacation, into 2 or 3 chapters. Next up, the Eiffel Tower… Opera… and few more surprises.
