“I’m okay with that,” he replied, but she immediately stepped back into the bathroom to check her lipstick. With her preoccupied, he pulled the tie off his shoulder and popped his collar, winding it around his neck. Bringing the two end pieces together, he tried to remember how the fuck to do the knot. It had a name — that he couldn’t fucking remember — and on his third attempt, he stepped into the bathroom to look at it in the mirror, but he was distracted watching Lianna put on earrings.
Every movement she made was so damn graceful, and he made a mental note to find time for a real date when they got home. Some place where she could dress up like this… because she clearly loved it. She was practically glowing.
“Any chance we can just blame jet lag and skip this?” he asked, grinning at her when she turned toward him sharply.
“Not a chance.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and messed with her hair some more.
“It was worth a shot,” he added, leaning on the counter to watch her, and her baby blues landed on him, that sympathetic expression passing over her face again.
“I know this sounds like torture, but you look too good not to show off, baby.” Leaning close, she placed a chaste kiss on his lips, and he sighed, because that seemed like the only action he’d be getting until after the party. Then Lianna reached up, tugging at his tie until it was loose. “Let me just fix this, and you’ll be perfect.”
Fuck. He’d screwed it up that badly?
“I’m not exactly the suit-and-tie type, angel,” he said, feeling more than a little defensive.
She laughed softly. “I’m well aware of that, and I don’t care if you never wear a suit and tie… even if you do look spectacular in it.” Lianna’s hands moved confidently, adjusting the fabric, and he hated that she was having to do it for him. It just wasn’t something he’d ever learned how to do, and it wasn’t as if he’d ever worked the kind of jobs that required one.
“I don’t think I’ve even worn a tie since my dad died.” And I’m pretty sure Harry tied it that time.
“It’s okay, I’ve got practice. I used to do this for—” Lianna cut herself short, clearing her throat as she tweaked the tie one more time before she stood back. “There you go. Perfect.”
She was avoiding his gaze, and he knew why, but he let it go. Lianna was nothing like her father, and that man had burned whatever connection they had the day he pointed a gun at her. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead and winked. “Thanks, angel.”
“Think you can survive tonight?” She smiled up at him as she toyed with his suit jacket again.
“Depends. What do I get as a reward?”
“Reward?” Lianna’s brows drew together as she laughed. “You want a reward for coming to my birthday party?”
“In this house? Absolutely.” Grinning, he grabbed her by the hips and yanked her against his front. “Tell me what I get if I survive the night.”
“If you’re not an asshole?” she clarified.
“Right.”
“I think we could come up with a few ways to keep me quiet while you get a reward.” Lianna’s voice was a low, teasing whisper that went straight to his balls. All he got out in response was a groan as she slipped away from him, grinning like a temptress as she braced one hand on the bed to put on her heels.
The visual of her on her knees, her make-up smearing as he made her gag and choke on his cock… that was all he needed.
Do not fuck this up.
“Ready?” she asked, that seductive glint in her pretty blue eyes as she walked backward around the bed.
“The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back up here, right?” Stalking her toward the bedroom door, all he wanted to do was pin her against it, but he held back. Behave.
“Just try and have fun. Okay, baby?”
“I’ll try,” he promised, gesturing to the door. “Let’s go celebrate your birthday.”
“I love you,” she said, leaning back against the door for a second, and his eyes fell to the necklace she was wearing. His necklace.
“I love you too, and if you are a good girl tonight, maybe I’ll give you some birthday spankings.”
“David!” Laughing, Lianna pulled open the door, shaking her head. “Absolutely not.”
“You know that’s my favorite game.”
“David.” She looked back at him as he shut their bedroom door.
Grinning, he couldn’t resist messing with her a little more. “Go on, angel. Tell me no again.”
“Oh my God, please don’t talk like this downstairs.” Groaning, Lianna headed toward the stairs and he chuckled as he followed her.
It was always fun to see the pink rise in her cheeks, to get her all wound up, but he wouldn’t embarrass her like that. If the night went the way he planned, he wouldn’t speak much at all. It was safer that way, easier to avoid voicing how he really felt about the Faures.
One of the armed guards who lurked around the house was waiting at the bottom of the steps, and he gestured to the side of the stairs as Lianna approached him. “This way, Ms. Mercier.”
Pausing at the edge the stairs, Lianna turned toward David, extending her hand and he took it as he caught up. She was his lifeline in this place, the only reason he was here, and he loved her just a little more for wanting him at her side.
Through the windows he could already see that the terrace was lit up brightly, Christmas lights in the trees, and David wondered if they’d been there during lunch or if the Faures had somehow added them in the hours since.
“It’s beautiful,” Lianna whispered, and he tightened his grip on her hand as the guard opened the door for them.
As soon as Lianna stepped outside, people turned toward her, and then they were cheering, clapping, and the sheer numbers stunned him. Were there really this many Faures?
Heat washed up his back, making him feel like he was sweating through Rémi’s expensive shirt, but Lianna didn’t falter. She waved, smiling brightly, and he recognized the movements from every press event she’d ever done with her father.
Looks like Rémi isn’t the only one skilled at acting.
The crowd surged forward, surrounding them, speaking in rapid French and bits of English. He heard a few ‘happy birthday’s and several people saying how beautiful she was, but most of it was lost in a rush of noise and fancy clothes. Everyone looked like they were ready to walk the red carpet, and there he was wearing a tie that Lianna had to put on him, in a borrowed suit that was at least a size too small.
“Lui donner de l’air!” Jean-Luc appeared in the crowd, gesturing people to move back, and when he saw Lianna the man laid his hand over his heart. “Mon oisillon, you look beautiful! Happy birthday, Lianna.”
“Thank you,” she replied, still smiling, and Jean-Luc stepped forward to hug her, which meant her hand left his. Jean-Luc whispered something to her, and she nodded as he leaned back. “Okay.”
“Génial! Come this way.” The crowd parted for Jean-Luc as he moved forward, but David was relieved when Lianna reached back to take his hand again before she followed. Jean-Luc led them through the various people who smiled or waved at Lianna, occasionally saying something to her that she tried to reply to as she trailed after him.
Eventually, David realized Jean-Luc was moving toward a small, raised platform where his son, Mathieu, was standing behind DJ equipment. The music was quiet for now, but it seemed the Faures had not wasted any time putting together a party for Lianna.
Just one more reason I had to be here.
Tightening his grip on Lianna’s hand, she squeezed back as Jean-Luc gestured for her to wait where she was. Lifting a microphone, Jean-Luc waved an arm to get the attention of the people crowded onto the terrace, and the noise slowly subsided.
The first words out of his mouth were in French, and David leaned down to whisper against her ear, “What the hell is he saying?”
“He’s saying something about how he wants to welcome me in English, but that if anyone doesn’t speak En
glish, he still wants them to know they’re welcome to his home and my party.” Lianna turned to smile at him for a second before she returned her gaze to Jean-Luc.
“Now, Lianna, my beautiful niece. I want to welcome you, and David, to my home. Our family has wanted to meet you for so many years, and we are glad to have you home.”
This isn’t her home.
David felt himself tense, but he forced a long, slow breath as Jean-Luc continued.
“We are here today to celebrate Lianna’s twenty-seventh birthday in true Faure style. Many of our extended family members have traveled from across France and parts of Europe to be here today, and although I know you all want to speak to her, I will ask everyone not to overwhelm our dear Lianna. It is her birthday, after all!” The crowd laughed a little, and Jean-Luc smiled down at her again, but all David wanted to do was pull her closer. “One more thing before I let my son, Mathieu, share his music talents. Please try to speak English this evening, as much as possible, although I must admit Lianna’s French is quite impressive!”
“Better than mine?” someone called out from the crowd, and David turned to find Rémi’s wife waving to Jean-Luc.
Chuckling, Jean-Luc shook his head. “I will refuse to answer that.”
Another round of laughs followed from the gathered Faure clan, but he didn’t have the urge to laugh. Rémi’s wife may not speak much French, but David didn’t know any. It sounded like a bunch of drunk people slurring, and how anyone was supposed to tell where one word ended and the next began… he had no fucking idea. Lianna had seemed confident that he’d pick it up, but beyond the random shit he’d learned from television — he was useless.
“Happy birthday, Lianna! Everyone, enjoy the evening!” Jean-Luc waved, returning the microphone to Mathieu, who was focused on the laptop propped in front of him. The volume rose gradually, just loud enough to hear over the buzz of the crowd, and David was surprised to hear normal music. He’d expected some pretentious violins or piano, but this reminded him of going to bars and clubs in New York with Vincent.
“Thank you so much, Jean-Luc. This is definitely the biggest birthday party I’ve ever had,” Lianna said, hugging the man with one arm after he came down from the platform. Her grip on his hand tightened as she embraced Jean-Luc, like she was anchoring herself from the impossible pull of everything the man represented. David knew Lianna wanted to get to know her family, wanted to dive in with both feet… and he’d let her.
He’d just also be there to pull her back out before she drowned.
“Oh, this is nothing! You should have seen Emilie’s twentieth birthday party. All of her friends from university came, and the house was overrun with girls. I believe Cécile and I hid in our bedroom the entire weekend.” Chuckling, Jean-Luc gestured toward someone behind them. “Ah, look who Anaelle brought tonight!”
“This is Quentin,” Anaelle said, tilting her head toward the dark-haired young man at her side as she spoke in quick French to him.
“Hello, I— I feel good to meet you,” Quentin replied, nodding at Lianna as he made an apologetic face over his broken English. Lianna answered him in fluent French, and although he hated these people and their language… it sounded good coming from Lianna’s lips.
“Your French is so good, Lianna!” Anaelle cheered, smiling broadly as she leaned over to kiss Quentin on the cheek before tugging him away. “We’ll let you meet everyone now, we just wanted to say hi!”
“Thank you, Anaelle! Au revoir, Quentin!” Lianna leaned into his side, her arm folded over the crook of his, and it felt nice — but Jean-Luc was still hovering at her other side.
“Ah, I see someone else. This way, mon oisillon,” Jean-Luc said, guiding Lianna through the crowd. For the next half hour there was a blur of names and introductions, some in English, some in French, and David was just grateful they’d made a stop at the bar. The alcohol made all the false smiles easier to tolerate.
Lianna’s smile wasn’t fake, though.
She was excited to meet each random family member, and she let go of him more and more often as they moved through the party, led by Jean-Luc from person to person. Still, she always reached back for his hand, her blue eyes focusing on him as he stood back to let her get to know all the strangers. An entire goddamn family tree of Faures and their significant others, their children.
David was just about to excuse himself from the monotony to grab another drink when Jean-Luc raised an arm to wave at someone.
“Natalie! Where is my brother?” Jean-Luc called out, a laugh in his voice as a dark-haired woman waved back before heading toward them. “Where is Marc hiding?”
Marc Faure.
Clearing his throat, David stepped a little closer to Lianna. He may not have known most of the names that had flitted past them, but he knew this one. Marc Faure was Jean-Luc’s younger brother, the middle child who had stayed behind in France when Lianna’s father had run off to the US.
“Oh, we just arrived. He said he needed to check on something, but he should be here soon.” Natalie smiled broadly, extending a hand. “And you must be Lianna!”
“I am, it’s nice to meet you,” Lianna replied, shaking her hand as the woman turned toward the two people beside her.
“These are your cousins, Madeline and Gregory. They’ve been looking forward to meeting you since Emilie first texted them that you were coming to visit!” Nicole reached forward to touch the ends of Lianna’s hair with a sigh. “Look at this, the Faure blonde. You look so much like your grandmother, and Alain even named you after her!”
“I do?” Lianna asked, and Jean-Luc readily agreed.
“Absolutely! Maman was beautiful, and I like to think that Alain saw her beauty and grace in you the day you were born.” Jean-Luc reached over, resting a hand on Lianna’s shoulder, and David had the urge to shove it off. They were just pulling Lianna in deeper with random genetics. Everyone resembled their family in one way or another, it was just DNA at work, not some divine intervention or sign that she was destined for this place.
Fighting the urge to comment, David drank the remnants in his glass, which was mostly melted ice, and scanned the party to see where the bar was as the cousins introduced themselves, switching between French and English with ease as they talked about their lives.
Such bullshit.
Not all of us went to private schools or traveled the world for fun.
It had never been more painfully clear just how much he didn’t belong in her world. Everyone seemed to be educated, wealthy, and then there was him. He stood out, and his silence was probably making things awkward for Lianna… but he didn’t have anything to say to these people. The conversations they had were outside his experiences, and even when they politely smiled at him — he knew they were only speaking to him out of obligation, some abstract social requirement to include him as Lianna’s guest.
But he wouldn’t have ever let her come here on her own.
He would have lost her to this place. To Jean-Luc.
“There he is!” Jean-Luc said, interrupting Madeline in the middle of a discussion about some area of London both she and Lianna liked. Raising an arm, Jean-Luc beckoned someone closer, and David followed his line of sight until he saw the blond man moving through the crowd.
“I told you he’d join us soon,” Natalie replied, turning to accept a quick kiss from Marc Faure as he approached them with a polite expression.
“This is a nice party, Jean-Luc,” Marc said, and his brother laughed.
“It is! So, where have you been hiding? We’ve been keeping Natalie company in your absence.” Jean-Luc moved forward to embrace his brother, and the other man returned it, shrugging as they separated.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” he replied, turning his gaze to Lianna. “I’m your Oncle Marc, Lianna, and I’m so glad to finally meet you.” He offered her his hand, but for the first time that evening, Lianna seemed stiff. Her smile wasn’t as bright as it had been, and when they released each other�
��s hands, she had a sip of her wine, a small furrow appearing between her brows.
He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but it would have to wait.
Tonight. I’ll ask her tonight.
Six
Lianna
Swallowing her wine, Lianna couldn’t take her eyes off the man who was apparently her uncle.
“Have we met before?” she asked, trying to figure out why Marc’s face seemed so familiar.
“Oh no, my dear,” Marc replied, smiling as he glanced at his wife. “But everyone always used to say how much I looked like Alain.”
“Maybe you recognize him from all the family photos Cécile gave you?” Jean-Luc suggested as Cécile joined them, and he wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist. “I’m sure Marc was in many of them.”
“Right, that’s probably it,” Lianna conceded, but something nagged at her. Like a lyric in a song she couldn’t quite remember. She’d seen photos of so many members of the family, her cousins included, but no one she’d met that day had brought the sense of familiarity like Marc had.
He does kind of look like Dad. With his blond hair… and around the eyes.
“How long are you staying?” Madeline asked, and Lianna glanced up at her.
“A week or so,” she answered, reaching back for David to squeeze his hand. “We’re already overwhelmed by how kind everyone has been.”
“Of course! You’re family!” Madeline replied with a laugh. “We’ll have to go into Nice together. It’s not far, and Anaelle, Emilie, and I know all the best spots. We go all the time.”
“That’s true,” Natalie added with a chuckle as she leaned against Marc.
“I’m sure our girls could find plenty to do,” Cécile confirmed, laughing softly, and Lianna smiled at her. The woman was so warm, so kind, and everyone had been so welcoming. She wasn’t lying when she called it overwhelming though, her head was a sea of names and faces while she tried desperately to remember them.
After a few more minutes of conversation, Jean-Luc touched her elbow and tilted his head toward a new spot in the crowd. “Come, come, there are more people that want to meet you, mon oisillon! You are the woman of the hour.”
Redemption Page 5