He chuckled. "All right, let me order it while you shower." He shook his head, and as I turned and walked into the bathroom, I heard him laugh to himself and repeat what I had said. I wanted to die.
"We hope you enjoyed your day with us," the girl behind the counter said as I grabbed the small bag of products I had purchased from the spa.
"Oh, I did. Thank you." I checked inside the small bag to make sure I had everything. Then I walked over and slid my shoes on and deposited the slippers that they had given me to use into the basket marked ‘used.’
I stepped out of the spa and made my way through the lobby of the hotel and over to the elevators. It had been an amazing day. It would have been more amazing had I been able to get Maddox out of my mind. Instead, he had stayed at the forefront of my mind the entire day, and during my massage, my mind kept drifting and I was sure it was his hands I felt running over my body.
I climbed into the elevator and leaned against the wall, trying hard to clear thoughts of him from my mind. I was to get changed and meet Maddox outside the hotel at six. We were going to take a walk down to the Eiffel Tower, and then we were going out for dinner.
I stood inside the room, pulling outfits out of my suitcase, trying hard to decide what on earth to wear. I had only brought a couple of dresses, and I wanted to save the black one for New Year's Eve. After numerous minutes of internal debate, I finally settled on a pair of black dress pants and a beige sweater. I checked the time, it was almost five thirty. I showered, got dressed, and then swept my hair up into a ponytail and looked at myself in the mirror.
Twenty minutes later, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror that hung inside the closet door completely unhappy with my outfit decision, I knew I should have packed a little better. "Guess it will have to do," I muttered, turning side to side to check myself in the mirror. I hadn't cared what I looked like as much as I suddenly did in a very long time.
"You look gorgeous."
I jumped at the deep voice behind me and turned around to see Maddox standing there in slightly baggy jeans, a sweater, and a three-quarter-length coat, a black scarf hung loosely around his neck. I followed his eyes as they ran the length of my body and back up to my face.
"I didn't even hear the door open."
"I was getting worried. You’re normally twenty minutes early. You’re almost ten minutes late."
I glanced down at my watch and then over to the clock beside the bed. "Ohhhh…” I said, tapping the face of my watch. “My watch must have stopped," I said, taking it off and laying it on the table.
"As long as you are okay. Are you ready?" he asked, holding his hand out.
Snow fell gently around us as we stood looking up at the amazement of the Eiffel Tower. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I whispered.
"Sure is," Maddox whispered back.
When I glanced over to him, he wasn’t even looking at the tower. His eyes were focused on me. I felt my cheeks heat and then looked back at the tower. "Oh, look at the lights," I said in amazement as the twinkling lights started up again. Again, when I turned to look at Maddox, he was still intently watching me, a calm, peaceful look on his face as he studied me.
"I really hate to do this, but we need to get going. We can come back later on, but we have reservations in five minutes," Maddox said, pulling me in the tower's direction.
I took a couple of steps forward and stopped. "The restaurant is this way," I insisted, trying to pull him back, but he stood his ground.
He looked at me and shook his head. "I changed it. We are now eating here. We have reservations on the second floor for seven."
I blinked and looked up at the tower, then looked to Maddox. I could feel the tears beginning to burn. I had written the idea down in my honeymoon planning journal and had only ever told Derrick about it, but he had quickly squashed the idea. "How did you know?" I questioned.
"I remember the fight, Tess," Maddox said, stepping closer, taking my hands in his. “I went to go into the kitchen and heard the things he had said to you. I heard you try to fight back, then I heard you cry. I heard it all.”
I remembered the fight as well. I had brought it up at one of our wedding planning sessions with the wedding party. When I had gotten up to grab more drinks, Derrick had come into the kitchen behind me. I had thought he’d come in to help me carry out more drinks, but instead he closed the door behind him and, in a matter of moments, had basically made me wish this trip wasn't going to happen.
I'd thought no one had heard us fight, but I’d been wrong, and when we walked out of that kitchen, I put on my brave face and never brought it up to anyone ever again.
I looked up at the Eiffel Tower, the twinkling lights now blurring because of tears. Then I looked down at the ground, not wanting him to see my tears.
I felt his hand on my chin and the pressure as he gently raised my head and wiped the tears from my cheek with his thumb as he looked into my eyes. “Remember what I said. He deserves none of those tears.”
His words made me cry even more. "You didn't have to do this," I said between tears.
"I know, but I did it, so let’s not waste the reservation, okay. Besides, you deserve it. I mean, when do you think you are going to be back in Paris?" he asked, bringing his hand up to wipe away another tear from my cheek.
I glanced up at him, staring into his eyes. “Thank you,” I said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.
"Don't thank me. Just please, do me one favour and just explain to me sometime over this trip what it was you ever saw in him, because I'm having a hard time figuring it out what a girl like you was doing with a guy like him," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"I think I can do that," I whispered, looking up at the twinkling lights once again.
I looked at Maddox, a soft smile falling over my lips. Our eyes locked, and we stood there before the Eiffel Tower, and before I knew what was happening, he leaned in and placed a single kiss on my lips.
A surge of heat ran through my body the instant his lips touched mine, and I closed my eyes. We stayed that way for a few moments before he pulled away. "Shall we go?" he questioned, looking into my eyes.
I bit my bottom lip and nodded, and even though all I wanted was to feel his lips on mine again, I threaded my arm through his and allowed him to lead me toward the Eiffel Tower.
Dinner had been absolutely amazing, each course better than the previous. Once again, the conversation flowed between us, and it seemed all the tension that had been between us before was quelled with that kiss. As the night passed, I wished that we could have spent the entire night at the table, drinking and talking as we looked over the beauty of the city.
We now walked through the quiet streets of Paris, snow falling heavily. Maddox was quiet, and I clung to him so I didn't slip.
"Did you enjoy dinner?" he asked. It was the first thing either of us had said in over twenty minutes.
"Loved it. That meal—oh God, and those desserts…What amazing choices you picked." I smiled. We'd each ordered a main, and then each a different dessert. We both ate half, then switched, but the chocolate souffle had stuck out in my mind and how it practically melted in my mouth.