Shark Out of Water (28 page)

Chapter 33

Tu es Ma Vie

It was the first time Guy had been back to the flat since Charlotte was admitted to the hospital. Warren had stayed with his mother at the hospital, thrilled he could visit her without having to be wrapped up in protective clothing. Everyone still had to be careful not to expose Charlotte unnecessarily, but two days after waking from the fever, she was gaining strength quickly.

As Guy locked the door behind him, he was filled with a sense of home. He had not missed his own flat when he packed it up months ago. His belongings had slowly migrated over to Charlotte’s in the weeks after she asked him to move in with her and Warren. This was where he belonged. This was home.

The familiarity with which Guy wandered into the master bath and prepared the shower made him smile. He could not remember ever feeling so comfortable, so happy. The possibility of unexpected company when he was young had kept their house immaculate and the occupants well kept. His
maman
loved to shower them with affection, but her bubbly nature vanished at the first sign of an outsider. Sabine and Guy were each other’s refuge. They talked about everything, sometimes just to escape the stillness of the flat they grew up in. She was the only one Guy could truly open up to, and he was the same for her. It was the closest to home he had experienced until meeting Charlotte.

Guy toweled off as he pulled fresh clothes from the dresser drawer he had commandeered after moving in. He was still barefoot and shirtless when his phone rang. Instinctive fear raced through him at the sound, but he forced himself to take a deep breath.
Everything is fine
, he reminded himself. Charlotte was well. Everything was all right. Reaching for his phone, the panic did not completely subside until he saw his sister’s face smiling at him from the screen.

“
Comment allez-vous, frère
?” Sabine asked when he answered.

“
Je suis bien
,” he answered, “but I will be better if you tell me you have it.”

Sabine huffed. “You doubt me?”

“I doubt the courier service. I do not like trusting such things to them.”

“They are not as bad as the airports.”

“Do you have it?” Guy asked impatiently.

“Of course. I said I would get it here and I have.” He heard shuffling noises coming from the phone, but before he could ask, Sabine continued. “I am here. You must buzz me in. You forgot to give me the code before you left the hospital.”

“You are here at the flat?”

“
Oui
, I thought you might want to see it and make sure it is what you want first.”

Guy shook his head. He knew exactly what he wanted. Regardless, he hurried over to the front door and buzzed his sister into the building. He unlocked the front door for her and went back to finish dressing. By the time he heard Sabine come into the apartment, he was ready. He walked out to greet his sister, but rather than her reaching out for a hug, her mouth twisted into a scowl.

“That is what you are wearing?”

“And what should I wear to the hospital?” he asked, glancing down at his jeans and t-shirt.

Sabine rolled her eyes. “Here.”

Taking the package, Guy only took a moment to make sure it had arrived unharmed before turning back to his sister. “Ready to go?”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Sabine asked.

“
Oui
,” he said, annoyed, “I would not have asked for it if it was not what I wanted. He shook his head and started to walk away, but she caught his arm.

“
Non
, I meant, you are sure this is the right choice, yes?”

Guy’s hand rested on the door knob. Sabine questioned his choices frequently, and enjoyed letting him know when he had chosen wrongly, but this was not the same. There was concern in her voice. “You think I am not up to the task?” he asked quietly.

Sabine smiled. “I know you are. I just want to make sure you know the same.”

Pulling his sister into a hug, Guy said, “This is the right choice.”

He started to open the door when his phone rang again. “
Bounjour
,” Guy answered as he and Sabine stepped out into the hall.

“Guy,” Myles said, “I have news.”

***

“Papa! Papa!” Warren yelled happily when Guy crossed into Charlotte’s hospital room.

The simple words lit up Guy’s face despite his palpable anxiety. After learning he would not be taken from Guy, even if Charlotte could not care for him, Warren seemed to have decided that he no longer needed to refer to him as
Papa Guy
. Papa was apparently all he needed. Guy caught the fully energized little boy as he leapt off a chair and swung him over his shoulder.

“Have you been taking care of your
maman
while I was gone?” Guy asked.

Warren’s chin bounced against his back as he nodded. “We played cards.
Grand-maman
brought us brand new ones that weren’t dirty so Mommy wouldn’t get germs.”

“That was very nice of
grand-maman
.”

“She said we’re going to have a party later, too, but she didn’t say when. Do you know when?” he asked, trying to look back over Guy’s shoulder.

“A party, huh?” Charlotte asked. She looked up at Guy, but he said nothing. She watched him suspiciously as he sat down and plopped Warren onto his lap.

The confidence Guy had felt earlier in the living room of the flat had abandoned him. His fingers curled around the edge of the chair armrest. He did not know where to begin.

“Guy,” Charlotte asked in a trembling voice. “What is it? Did Myles talk to you already? Is it bad?”

His head snapped up immediately. “What? No. I mean yes. Myles did talk to me. Did he not speak to you?”

Charlotte shook her head back and forth quickly. The fear in her eyes cut away everything else. When Myles had called him earlier, he said he was on his way to speak to Charlotte. That was almost half an hour ago. Guy shook his head.

“Myles only had good news,
ma chérie
. He was supposed to have spoken with you already, but he must have been delayed.”

“What did he say?” Charlotte begged.

One of Guy’s arms was occupied holding onto Warren, but he reached out for Charlotte with the other one. He held her hand as he repeated his conversation with Myles. “Your kidney function is almost back to normal, and your white blood cell counts are declining again. Myles said the chemo is doing its job.”

“No bad news?” she asked. Disbelief was clear in her expression. Guy shook his head, smiling. Charlotte looked almost giddy for a moment, but then confusion set in. “Then why were you so nervous when you came in? I thought something was wrong.”

Setting Warren down beside him, Guy moved closer to Charlotte. “Nothing is wrong, but there are a few things we need to discuss.”

She took on a serious air, though she still seemed confused. “About my treatment?”

Guy shook his head. “About our jobs.” When Charlotte’s expression became even more perplexed, Guy pushed on before she could say anything. “Vance has already agreed to help me with the date shark business and take on some of the more difficult clients who need continued help with their problems. I will be taking on fewer clients until you are better. I won’t be going back to the hospital, either. You…Charlotte, you cannot keep working. It is putting too much stress on you. We both must focus on getting you through chemotherapy and into remission. After that, we will see.”

“But…” She shook her head. “Guy, my insurance. I can’t just stop working.”

“
Oui
, you can, and you must. This is not negotiable.”

“What am I supposed to do for insurance then?” Charlotte asked.

Guy took his arm from around Warren. “You will be added to my insurance.”

Tilting her head to the side, Charlotte stared at him. “But, we would have to be…”

“Married,” Guy finished as he stood, sliding the ring Sabine had brought him from his pocket.

Charlotte stared in shocked silence at the diamond engagement ring that had been passed down in his family for many generations. Her hands pressed to her mouth, one still trailing an IV. “Guy, you’re proposing? I’m not even done with chemo yet. I could get really sick again. I could…”

“I know all of that,” Guy said as he took her hands in his. “I do not wish to wait. I love you, and I want to take care of you. Both of you. This is all I want.
You
are all I want. You and Warren.”

Her fingers were tentative as they brushed the ring, but she did not take it. As she closed her eyes, tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Charlotte, please. I love you too much to not spend the rest of my life with you.”

As Charlotte opened her eyes again, Warren began chanting, “Say yes, say yes.”

His insistence drew a laugh from them both, but Charlotte faced Guy seriously. “Are you sure about this?”

“Sabine asked me the same question,” Guy said with a grin, “and I will give you the same answer. This is the right choice. It is the only choice for me.”

Nearly climbing over the top of Guy, Warren leaned in close to his mother. “Now it’s your turn,” he whispered. “Choose yes, so we can be together always.”

Charlotte pulled her son to her and kissed his forehead before turning him so she could whisper in his ear. Every inch of Warren’s body lit up a moment later. He bolted off Guy’s lap and out the door yelling, “She said yes! She said yes!”

Happy reactions rose from everyone out in the hallway, but Guy barely heard them. “You will marry me?” he asked, grinning as he leaned in to kiss Charlotte’s lips lightly.

“Yes,” Charlotte whispered. Her body softened as Guy’s lips moved down to her fingers. He kissed each one before slipping the engagement ring onto her finger. She stared at it in amazement. “It’s beautiful, Guy.”

“You are more beautiful, and you have made me very happy.”

He kissed her again, this time more slowly. Her mouth moved against his, consuming him to the point that nothing else seemed to exist. As Charlotte’s hand slipped around his neck to pull him closer, he gave himself over to her completely. He did not care who might walk into the room. All he could think about was her. His lips scoured her skin, trailing down her jaw to her ear. Charlotte’s fingers tangled in his hair as she whimpered.

“We’re not going to be able to stick to our agreement,” Charlotte said breathlessly as his lips explored the delicate skin of her neck.

Guy shook his head, but did not pull away. “No, we will not.” Staying away from Charlotte when she was feeling well had already been difficult…nearly impossible. Guy brought himself back up to face Charlotte. He kissed her lips, drawing out every motion, telling her without words how much he loved her and how much he wanted her. When he finally pulled back, they were both struggling to breathe calmly.

“What will we do?” Charlotte asked.

Guy smiled. “I have already spoken to Myles.” He kissed her one more time, making her grin.

“Guy, do you think Myles will clear me to fly once I’ve recovered from the fever all the way…maybe between rounds of chemo?”

“Fly?”

She nodded, her hand tightening nervously. “Your mother once told me that the church on their estate would be the perfect place for a wedding.”

Warmth spread through Guy’s chest at her words. “You want to be married in France?”

“Do you think Myles will allow it?”

It was difficult to describe what emotions stumbled through him in that moment. This beautiful woman who had once been too afraid of rejection to even open herself up to friends and family, now embraced the idea of a life together, not just their small group of three, but everyone they cared about and loved.

“I think he would be willing to fly to France with us to make it happen if that was what it took.”

Charlotte’s eyes filled with tears, yet she was smiling. “I don’t think I can ever tell you how much I love you, Guy. You’ve amazed me since the moment we met. You have given up so much for Warren and me.”

“
Non
,
ma chérie
,” Guy said as he kissed her gently, “you have given me so much more than I ever gave up. You and Warren are everything to me.
Tu es ma vie
. You are both my life.”

Apparently no longer willing to wait, their friends and family began pouring into the room to offer congratulations. Guy’s mother was already babbling about wedding plans as Sabine promised Charlotte she knew exactly where to get the most gorgeous wedding dress. Guy’s father stood with Charlotte’s, neither one joining in the fray, but clearly thrilled with the news. Even Charlotte’s mother was smiling.