Another man, about his age and stature, stepped forward and said, “I haven’t punched anyone in thirty years, but I have your back if you need me, Alessandro.”
Richard assessed the two older men. In their prime they might have been deadly, but age had softened them a bit. As long as the fight didn’t include the bodyguard he was pretty confident he’d win. Still, this was Madison’s family. Diffusing the situation would be better for all involved. “I don’t blame you for wanting to hit me, sir. If the situation were reversed I may want to do the same thing, but . . .”
“But nothing,” Alessandro roared. “How dare you take advantage of my daughter and then have the nerve to think I’d do anything but ruin you?”
Richard’s temper began to rise along with his accuser’s. “I am only being civil for Madison’s sake. On any other occasion I would have already thrown your elderly ass off my property.”
Alessandro growled something in Italian and stepped toward him.
Richard growled back in French, dropped Madison’s hand, and met him halfway.
Victor interjected, “As long as he doesn’t run, I’m in.” When Alessandro paused to look at his brother, Victor shrugged. “I’m only ten months out of my knee replacement surgery. They said no running.”
Madison stepped between Richard and her father and put a hand on both their chests. Her cheeks were red with anger. “If you touch Richard, Dad, I will never forgive you.” To Richard’s surprise, she then turned her displeasure toward him. “And you, watch your temper. He’s in his sixties for God’s sake. A fight could give him a heart attack.”
The tall blonde woman, who had been quiet up to that point, started clapping. “You tell ’em, Maddy.” When her husband frowned at her, the woman Madison had called Aunt Katrine smiled sweetly at him. “I’m not saying I condone how she ran off, but look what she ran to.” She winked at Richard. “I wouldn’t let you mess up that face either. Let the poor girl enjoy her first boyfriend.”
Madison’s mother laid a hand on her husband’s arm and addressed Richard, “Instead of brawling in the driveway like miscreants, why don’t you invite us inside . . .” She paused when she came to what she didn’t yet know.
After releasing a long breath, Richard supplied his name. “Richard D’Argenson.” Then he added, “You are all more than welcome to come inside. It’s a cold night.”
No one moved at first. Richard sensed if he softened his stance now Madison’s father would never respect him, and for some reason that was becoming important to him.
“Thank you, Richard. I’m Elise and the man who is glaring at you is my husband, Alessandro.” She waved a hand at the other older Italian man. “This is Alessandro’s brother, Victor, and his wife, Katrine. I believe you met our cousin, Gino.”
In a somewhat absurdly polite exchange, considering the situation, Richard nodded to each and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, come inside for coffee.”
“There is no way in hell I’m going to pretend—” Alessandro boomed. His wife whispered something in his ear and although he didn’t look happy about it his tone was civil, even if it sounded a bit forced when he said, “By all means, let’s have coffee then.”
Madison’s worried eyes searched Richard’s. She mouthed a silent, “I’m sorry.”
He took her hand and raised it to his lips, even though the action gained him an audible hiss from her protective father. He pulled her close to him and, softly so no one else could hear, he said, “I like them already.”
Once inside, Elise and Katrine flanked Richard. Under the guise of wanting to help him make coffee, they pried him away from Maddy and swept him into the kitchen with them.
Alone with her father and uncle, Maddy crossed her arms over her chest and prepared for a lecture. Her father closed the distance and pulled her into his arms despite her rigid pose. “I haven’t slept since you disappeared. Why would you put us through this?”
Even as she fought back tears, she kept her arms folded between them. “I didn’t mean to worry any of you.” He held her back from him and she was unable to lie to his face. “Okay, I did mean to. I was angry with you and I wanted you to see how much what you’d told me hurt me.”
She looked across at her uncle. “You, too, Uncle Vic. How could you lie to Stephan? How could you not tell him the truth now?”
Her uncle addressed her father, “I can’t believe you told her.”
Alessandro held his daughter away from him a bit and, looking down into her eyes, said, “She asked me and I’ve never lied to her.”
Maddy shook her head angrily and pulled away. “I used to believe that was true, but I’m not sure anymore.”
Her uncle defended his brother. “Alessandro never agreed with my decision, but he stands by my right to raise my children the way I think is correct.”
Maddy snorted. “Stephan wasn’t a child. He was my age.”
“And he’s successful now because he left his foolish California lifestyle behind him. I know you think he loved Nicole, but he was trying to get with her like she was some common tramp . . .” Victor’s tirade tapered off as if he remembered why they were in Richard’s house. “I’m not judging whatever happened here.”
Angry for both herself and her cousin, Maddy said, “Yes, I slept with Richard, but that doesn’t make me anything but a normal woman in her twenties, and I’m not going to apologize for that. This is not the old world. I love you, Uncle Vic, but your values are not mine. And they weren’t Stephan’s. I don’t want to be there the day he finds out what you’ve done. So, if you’re feeling self-righteous, judge yourself first. I’m not ashamed of my decisions, but I am of yours.”
An angry red spread across her uncle’s face. “Alessandro, you’re going to let your daughter talk to me that way?”
Maddy’s father rubbed his hands over his face roughly then said, “Maddy has a right to voice her opinion.”
Victor turned angrily on his brother. “Do you agree with her?”
With a pained shrug, Alessandro said, “I don’t know. I’ve never lied to Maddy and,” his face tightened a bit and a muscle in his jaw twitched, “even when she knows I don’t want to hear it, she has never lied to me. I may not like the truth, but I would rather know it.”
“I did what I thought was right.”
Alessandro went over to his brother and put a hand of support on his shoulder. “I know you did. And I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last few days. If Maddy needs to tell Stephan the truth, then that’s what she has to do. No matter what the consequences are. She must also do what she thinks is right.”
Watching her uncle shrink a bit before her father, brought new tears to Maddy’s eyes. Victor said, “I hope to God we don’t lose him over this.”
Maddy reached out and took her uncle’s hand in hers. “I don’t want to cause trouble, Uncle Vic. I don’t want to hurt anyone. If you promise me you’ll tell him, I’ll honor your secret.”
Her uncle’s eyes misted over and he nodded. “You’re a good girl, Maddy.”
Her eyebrows shot up in challenge. “Even if I’m a tramp?”
He blushed at her jab.
Alessandro interjected, “About that. You’re not staying here.”
“Dad, I’m old enough to know what I’m doing.”
“Apparently not or you wouldn’t have run away in the first place.”
Ouch.
“And you’re lucky your mother was here or your boyfriend wouldn’t be looking so pretty. He was smart to hide in the kitchen with the women.”
“He’s not hiding. He spends his life in a kitchen. He’s a chef.”
“A chef?” both men asked in unison with similar levels of disdain.
Putting her hands on her hips, Maddy said in a huff, “It’s a perfectly respectable profession and I won’t have you looking down on him.”
As if she weren’t in the room anymore, her uncle said, “You should tell her to stay here. She’s always been a bit contrary.”
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“Oh, she’s coming home with us,” her father said.
Shaking her head, Maddy said, “Where’s Mom? I can’t talk to you about this.”
Richard was showing Elise and Katrine how to make a traditional holiday dessert when he stopped and smiled. They were both paying close attention and shared not only his passion for good food but also a keen appreciation for the process.
After he had briefly described his restaurant to them, Elise had said something that had touched his heart. “My grandmother always said that the reason a family recipe is impossible for others to duplicate is because the most important ingredient is love. You can’t go wrong if that’s where you start.”
He’d nodded in agreement, but didn’t admit the truth. He didn’t have a family recipe. Not one. He’d created his own dishes and that had always been enough until now. His father’s house had once given him a sense of family, but after meeting Madison’s family it would never be more than a cold stone structure.
This was family. They yelled. They worried. They protected each other. Maddy might have had a reason to leave them, but there was no doubt they loved her.
As I do.
The realization shook him. He’d heard couples say they knew from the moment they met they were meant to be together and he’d always scoffed at the idea, until Madison. He had tried to push her away, tried to fight the attraction, but in the end he admitted to himself that the more time he spent with her the less he could imagine his life without her.
As if she’d heard his thoughts, she walked into the kitchen and crossed the room to stand by him. When she saw he was cooking with her mother, she smiled. “Did you survive the grilling?”
He swept her hair over her shoulder, kissed her neck gently, and said, “Easily. Your mother and aunt are incredible.”
She jumped as her father and uncle entered the kitchen and asked, “And my father?”
Richard put a supportive arm around her waist. “He loves you. That much is obvious. You’re lucky to have someone who cares enough to be angry with you.”
Maddy smiled up at him. “Thank you for giving us time to talk. We’ve at least come to an understanding.”
Fear seared through him. “Does that mean you’re leaving with them?” Of course she was. Why wouldn’t she? Because of one day they’d been together? Because of one romp in his bed? She’d run away to prove a point to her parents and sleeping with him had driven that point home.
“Do you want me to?” she asked softly.
His heart clenched in his chest. “No,” he admitted huskily.
Madison straightened her shoulders with resolve and looked at her father. “Then let’s feed him and see if it softens his mood.”
Although he had no doubt that her family had house staff, none of them seemed the least bit bothered when he said he didn’t and requested that they each take something to the table in the dining room. Her father and uncle took plates and saucers from their wives and dutifully followed Richard to the dining room. Elise handed Gino the coffee pot and he took it to the table as if he’d done it a hundred times before.
When they were settled around the table, Richard said, “Had I known you would be here for Christmas Eve I would have planned Le Réveillon feast. Instead, I hope you will accept la bûche de Noël. It is a chocolate and chestnut cake rolled like a log with cream filling. Normally, I would adorn it with a bit more, but time did not allow this, you understand.”
Alessandro leaned toward his wife and said, “I can’t look at him and eat.”
“Dad, we can hear you,” Maddy said with a sigh.
“Let it go, Madison, it’s okay,” Richard reassured. He took her hand in his in full view of everyone. “He won’t like me until he knows me, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Elise touched her husband’s arm and said, “It’s been a stressful day for all of us. Alessandro’s tired. We’re all tired. But thank you for welcoming us, Richard.” She rested her head on her husband’s shoulder and said, “Do you realize that this is the first Christmas Eve that I’m not cooking?”
Alessandro kissed his wife’s forehead and said, “You sound sad about that.”
“I’ll miss your mother’s meatballs. And the chocolate tortellis your grandmother taught me to make. I’m happy we found Maddy, but it’s strange to not be with the rest of the family.”
Some of Alessandro’s earlier softening disappeared when he looked across the table at his daughter. “This is the first Christmas since Maddy was born that we aren’t all together.”
Victor interjected, “We can rectify that if we leave soon. I don’t sleep well on planes, but at least we’ll be home.”
Raising her chin, Maddy announced, “I won’t be going with you.”
Feeling her hand go cold beneath his, Richard knew what the declaration cost her and he said, “You can, Madison. I’m not going anywhere, except after you if you don’t return.”
She met his eyes and what he saw there hit him like a punch to the gut. “I’m not leaving you, Richard.”
Standing up, Alessandro threw his napkin on his empty plate and said, “Enough. I have been more than understanding. I am sick to here,” he raised a hand to the top of his head, “with understanding. No more. Maddy, we are going home now and you are coming with us.”
Madison stood, her chin set proudly and at the same angle of her father’s stubborn one. Richard wondered if Alessandro knew how alike he and his daughter were. “No, I am not. I want to stay in France. Maybe study French at the university. I’m not leaving Sablet until I’m ready to.”
She’s not leaving. His heart thudded joyfully in his chest. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She looked down at him and he nodded. Yes. Stay with me.
“Don’t push me, Maddy. You are . . .” her father boomed.
Elise stood beside her husband and touched his shoulder lightly. “Alessandro, sit down. Sit down before you lose your daughter.”
He glared at his wife. “She’s coming home with us.”
Elise looked at her daughter and then up at her husband and shook her head. “She loves him.”
“She doesn’t even know him,” Alessandro stormed.
Taking one of his hands in hers, Elise chided, “How long did it take you to decide that you wanted to marry me?”
His expression softened with the memory. “I knew the first time you said my name.”
With tears in her eyes, Elise smiled up at him. “It was the same for me. And we were younger. What would we have done if my father had tried to separate us?”
He shook his head in resignation. “Anything and everything it took to stay together. And he would have failed.” Alessandro pulled his wife to his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head. He closed his eyes and said, “What is a man to do when his daughter is as stubborn as her mother?”
“Me?” Elise squealed. “You think she takes after me?”
A deep laugh rumbled out of Alessandro and the tension of the moment dissolved. In that exchange, Richard had seen more love and loyalty than he’d witnessed in his life and it inspired him to take a leap of faith and trust what he felt for Maddy. He gently pulled her down to sit beside him. Her father and mother returned to their seats.
The short silence that followed was broken by Victor’s exclaiming, “Oh, my God, this has to be the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted.”
Katrine laughed and chastised him, “Victor, how can you eat a time like this?”
Victor shrugged and dug into the cake with his fork again. “I thought we might be going and it seemed a shame not to at least taste it.” He offered the next bite to her. “Try it.”
The tall blonde shook her head. “You know I have to watch my diet. It’s too easy to put on weight at our age.”
Wiggling his eyebrows at his wife, Victor said, “We could burn it off later at the hotel.”
Maddy buried her face in Richard’s chest and said, “You can still back out if you want to. This is my life.”
Richard eased her back a bit so he could look into her eyes. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you or them. Did you mean what you said about staying and studying here?”
“Yes.”
He kissed her lightly on the lips then looked at her parents. “I don’t want to be the reason your family is apart this year. There are several unused bedrooms in this house and enough hotels nearby if needed. It would be an honor if your family celebrated Christmas in my home. I’ll cook.”
Elise hopped with excitement beside her husband. “Christmas in Provence. Let’s do it, Alessandro.” He didn’t stand a chance against his wife’s plea. She looked down at her watch. “It’s almost seven. We have time to charter something big enough to bring them all over.”
Maddy asked, “Do you think Stephan will come?”
Katrine looked sadly at her husband and said, “He works so much right now, it’s hard to say. All he thinks about is competing with Dominic Corisi. I worry about him.”
Maddy appeared to want to say more on the subject. She and her uncle exchanged a meaningful look, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
Alessandro announced, “I’ll bring the family here, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with Maddy living with a man no one knows.”
Madison stood and walked around the table to her father. “I can find a place in town. I would like to take French language classes. I know you’re not happy with my decision, but I do want to stay here.”
Alessandro stood and hugged his daughter. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Find two apartments because Gino will need a place to stay, too.” When Maddy would have said something, Alessandro addressed Richard instead. “It looks like the Andrades are having a Joyeux Noël this year. Are you sure you’re ready to meet the whole family?”
How many could there be? Richard shrugged. “Certainly.”
Maddy put her hands on her hips and said, “Dad, you can’t invite them all.”
Looking far too pleased with himself, Alessandro sat back in his chair and cut himself a slice of chocolate cake. “You heard your boyfriend. He wants to meet them.”
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