The French Quarter lived up to its famous reputation as being one of the most beautiful places in the world. I loved the buildings with its wide porches, wrought-iron railings, and colorful shutters.

One of the first places Gavin took me to was a small shop called Café Beignet. It was a long space with adorable metal tables and chairs, display cases full of Cajun seasonings and spices, all beneath crystal chandeliers. The shop smelled like heaven.

The beignets tasted like it too. They were so delicious—not quite a doughnut but made sweeter by powdered sugar. I could’ve inhaled a whole plateful. I probably would’ve if Gavin wasn’t there watching me with a half-smile.

He even took the time to wipe my mouth and chin.

“You’re like an adorable kid, Paige, eating your first beignet.”

I absolutely didn’t mind the pampering. In fact, I reveled in it. He could baby me all he wanted for as long as he wanted. Especially when he looked at me the way he did.

I could almost let myself think it was the look of love. Almost.

Later we took a streetcar over to the Garden District. As we strolled past the coveted real estate my feet slowed while my eyes took in the visual feast. The houses were incredibly beautiful with that patina of age and mystery. I would’ve happily traded in my New York apartment for any one of them.

Stopping at one gated beauty, I mused out loud, “Do you think they have a pool?”

“It’s hard to tell. Maybe. Why do you ask?”

“Because it would be perfect if it had a pool.”

“You like to swim?”

“I do. But the real reason is I always wanted to have a house with tall ceilings, a front porch, and a courtyard with a fountain and a pool. This house is exactly the kind I always dreamed of—as long as it has a pool or a place to put one.”

Secretly, I dreamed of it because I saw it on a TV show once. Happy family, books, and joy. Ever since I was little I always promised myself that if I ever got married, I’d want to raise a family in a house like this one.

The idea of a happy family was one that never did die. I wondered how many more years and disappointment would it take before that dream left me too? Especially when I didn’t let myself get close enough to a man to get pregnant?

All right, Ms. Morose. There’s no reason to think about those things now. Save it for another time, preferably when you’re alone.

How many times would I have to remind myself? I needed to live in the moment because time was dwindling. These memories would be all I had soon enough. I needed to make them happy ones.

I looked up to see Gavin studying me with the same intensity he gave a contract while looking for the loopholes and traps. That wasn’t good.

I laughed off my wistfulness and patted his arm.

“I swear I’m not hinting for you to buy me a house even though you’re a billionaire and all.”

Gavin’s eyes crinkled in a smile. He tapped my nose. “Don’t forget I’m only a billionaire about half this month, considering how my investments have been doing. But don’t you worry, sweets. I’m working really hard to make myself a full-fledged billionaire like my big brother.”  

Relief that we were back on familiar ground made it easier to breathe. I snapped my fingers. “Darn! I guess I can’t take a chance that I’ll bankrupt you…yet.”

He wiped his brow and craned his head towards the sky. “Safe!”

Giggling, I bumped his arm with my shoulder. “How did your parents get so lucky having two billionaire sons?”

Gavin’s grin faded. He shrugged. “I guess you’d have to ask them.”

I could’ve cursed myself out for being so insensitive. I truly meant it as a compliment, but I’d momentarily forgotten the circumstances of his birth, murky as they were.

The public story was that Gavin was adopted by the Hawthornes. I knew differently. The day I discovered the picture Melissa had told me she’d left Gavin with his father and that he was better off living in New York.

But was he really? Did Melissa truly believe that or was that the lie she told herself just to sleep at night?

If things were so great for Gavin then why did his father pass him off as an adopted child versus his own?

It didn’t take much conjecture to figure that one out. Hawthorne Senior had an affair with Melissa resulting in a child—this wonderful man. Most likely they didn’t want anyone to know.

Did Gavin even know the truth or was he lied to? My heart thumped in pain just thinking about it.

Kissing my fingertips, I dashed them against his lips.

“I don’t have to ask them. I already know they’re lucky to have you for a son. Anyone would be.”

“Because of my hit-or-miss billion?”

“No. Because you’re the greatest guy I ever met.”

“Is that so?”

Hugging his waist, I said, “Yep!”

“You’re not just saying that to be nice?”

“Nope!”

Gavin suddenly picked me up and swung me around.

“All right, love. Your flattery just bought you a house.”

“What?” I laughed while holding onto his shoulders.

“You heard me. This is the house you want? Then let’s go buy it right now.”

Gavin set me down and then took me by the hand. He tried the front gate but it was locked. “How do you get in here? There’s got to be another way inside. Let’s go around the side of the house.”

It slowly dawned on me Gavin wasn’t joking.

“You’re serious.”

“Yeah.”

“No, Gavin.”

“Yes, Gavin.”

I dug in my heels. “No way! You can’t do that.”

“Why not?” he asked with a haughty lift of his brow. It was the same look he wore in the office when a product dared not hit its projected numbers.

“Because that’s insane!”

“Not really.”

“Well, I won’t accept it.”

“Why not? You like it. You just said you did. If it doesn’t have a pool I can get one installed.”

“Yes, I do like it, but that doesn’t mean you can buy me a house.”

This seemed to get him to stop. Gazing at me as if I was an alien creature, Gavin took his time answering. “You really mean it.”

“Of course, I do.”

“I’m offering you your dream house, no strings attached, and you’re turning me down?”

“Yes. Who would just take a house from someone they’re not even married to? And before you think it—no. I’m not hinting for that either.”

“I know and you’d be surprised, love.”

Actually, I wouldn’t. But Gavin didn’t need to know that.

My father settled a house on my birth mother in exchange for full parental rights. I liked to think she got the chance to at least raise her later children in it. After all, it was in a nice gated community close to the ocean. Great school district too.

Somebody should’ve benefitted for the price I paid in having to grow up with Patrick Brookstone.

Trying to steer his attention away from spur-of-the-moment real estate purchases, I found a safer subject to talk about.

“Tell me about your niece and nephew.”

Gavin gave me a knowing look. Clearly, I wasn’t fooling him. I smiled, innocent as an angel.

“I’m not sure what’s there to tell. They’re babies. Adriana is six? Victor is just a few hours old.”

We continued our leisurely stroll. I tried to come up with ideas about what normal families did. Thank God for books and television.

“Are you going to go see them?”    

“No. At least, I hadn’t planned on it.”

Okay, maybe he and his brother weren’t that close.

“As your PA, I can send a gift. Unless you’d like Caroline to do that instead.”

“No, that’s fine. Please pick out whatever you think is appropriate.”

“I could do that. Or we could pick one out together.” Another bout of shyness hit me. I didn’t want Gavin thinking I was angling to push into his life. “It would come from you, of course.”

“Paige?”

“Yes?”

“You overthink things too much sometimes.”

“Guilty.”

Breezy laughter, nothing to hint that Gavin nicked too close to the real me.

“I like the idea of going shopping with you.”

“Really? I thought guys hate shopping.”

“We do. You missed the operative key words of ‘with you’, love.”

“Ah. Important words.”

“Very.” He pointed out to a gorgeous two-story house with stately columns. “What do you think of that one?”

“Mmm…”

“I’m not going to offer to buy it for you if you say something nice. It was a one-time deal, Paige.”

“Well, in that case. I like it.”

“But…”

“I like the other one better.”

We continued our walk with Gavin pointing out one house after another. I got so at ease I nearly answered his question automatically when he asked, “Where did you grow up?”

“Haw—” I coughed hard. When I finally drew a clear breath, I said, “Sorry. I swallowed mosquito. What did you ask again?”

“Where did you grow up?”

Shit. I didn’t want to lie—yet again—but I couldn’t take the risk that he wouldn’t eventually put the pieces together if I admitted to Hawaii.

New York was out. Any place in the South was also out because I only passed through there, plus I didn’t have the correct accent. The Midwest was a big nope considering I’d never been—which left me one place.

“California.”

“Really? Whereabouts?”

Of course, he’d want details.

“LA.”

I visited it often enough because Melissa liked to shop on Rodeo Drive. Besides, LA was so big he’d never pinpoint anything to tie me to Hawaii.

“Did you like it?”

“It was fine. Warm. Lots of traffic.”

Gavin laughed. “You sound like an adult describing it. I take it you don’t miss being home much?”

“No. Not a bit.”

“So what about siblings?”

“No. Just me.”

It was challenging enough to invent a life. No way did I need to complicate it further by inventing a whole person like a brother or sister. The fact I even contemplated it said a lot about my moral compass.

“How’d you like being an only child?”

I didn’t.

It was lonely on the best of days and frightening during the other times. There wasn’t anyone to share the burden of growing up with Patrick and Melissa. No one to turn to, no one to comfort and lie to me by saying everything was going to be okay.

It truly wasn’t any wonder I clung to the fantasy of Gavin as a teenager.

“It was great. I got all the attention and didn’t have to share,” I lied smoothly.

“Holidays must’ve been fun knowing all those presents were yours.”

“Sure was.”

Wasn’t.

My father didn’t hold a lot of stock in holidays. At least not when it came to me. Melissa’s gifts overflowed the tree and then there was the private holiday trip they took every year.

Although if it wasn’t for Melissa, I would’ve went without. But I never went without hearing Patrick complain about how I didn’t deserve my gifts since I failed in some way or another.

The holidays were nothing nice for me.

“What about you, Gavin? Do you have any other brothers or sisters?”

“No. Just Adrian.”

“Are you close?”

“Not particularly.” He paused and then added, “I mean, we got along fine. No grudges or fights. It’s just he’s older than I am so that probably put a wedge from the beginning.”

I didn’t want Gavin to feel melancholy or regret sharing about his life with me. The best way to avoid that was to change the subject.

Inhaling deeply, I let out a happy sigh. “It’s so pretty, Gavin.”

He smiled, eyes brightening as he looked around us.

I could smell the dirt, the living green canopy above, and all the vines trailing over garden walls. It was a testament to the strength of the city. War, fever, and flooding had done its best to tear this place apart. But the trees still stood and the flowers still bloomed.

I’d like to think one day I could be as resilient as them.

“Don’t you just love it here? Look at all this! I can even smell the flowers in the air. Thank you so much for bringing me with you.”

“You’re sweet, love, but no thanks are necessary.”

“That’s why I like you, Gavin. You’re just so nice.”

“Nice, huh? That’s usually not a word used to describe me.”

“Now I don’t believe that.”

“That’s because you’re you.” Gavin swung my hand between us. “Aren’t you going to ask what I like about you?”

“Uh, sure.” I tried to sound upbeat and confident.

“Never mind the fact you’re incredibly beautiful and you dress like a dream, I love how strong you are. You don’t take any of my shit. I don’t have to walk on eggshells around you out of fear I’ll accidentally hurt your feelings.”

It was clear to me that every single word was meant as praise. Too bad the person he admired didn’t really exist.

I was extremely sensitive and hardly strong. While I enjoyed my clothes in the same way a child enjoyed dress-up, those outfits weren’t me. I was a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal.

So this was yet another bit of proof the woman he enjoyed wasn’t really me. I didn’t have the luxury of sadness since I created this problem myself.

Yet, I still feel sad. Would he ever like me if he got a chance to know the real me?

Gavin wasn’t finished.

“I admire you, Paige. You make me feel normal.”

“Normal? Me?”

“Yes. Normal. You. I don’t feel like I have to worry about you seeing my worst and judging me poorly for it. You know how I am and you still stay.”

This time my smile was genuine.

“You’re my favorite person, Gavin. Really. And your worst is still so good. You have no idea.”

“That’s not how I heard it.”

“Well, then you heard wrong.”

Gavin slung his arm around my shoulders. “Are you sure I can’t buy you that house?”

“Positive.” I poked him in the side. “But maybe one day I’ll invite you over for lemonade after I get settled in.”

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “You’re just about the sweetest girl I’ve ever met.”

I smiled, wondering if what wasn’t true now might be true later.