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She smiled at his enthusiasm. “I’m very excited.”
“You don’t seem to be.”
“It’s just that the potential investor wants me to expand my business in the US, specifically New York City. That’s where my meetings are next week.”
He was starting to see why she was so subdued. “That’s a long commute.”
“I was worried about it.”
“And now you’re not?”
“I think Gabriel and Olivia’s news might have allowed us to dodge a bullet.”
“How so?”
“You didn’t really want to get married, and now you don’t have to. Marc is your son. As he gets a little older, we can figure out a visitation schedule that enables you to see as much of him as makes sense.”
“And in the meantime?” Christian was having a hard time keeping his rising anger out of his tone. “Am I supposed to just let you take Marc to New York and not see my son?”
“No, of course not. I’ll have to travel back and forth between New York and Europe. I have many clients on this side of the Atlantic whom I can’t afford to neglect. But I’ll be creating a collection to show at New York Fashion Week in February that will kick off my ready-to-wear line and I’ll probably be spending the bulk of my time in America leading up to it.”
“Marc should stay here with me.” It’s not what Christian had intended to suggest. He couldn’t imagine living without Noelle or his son, but once again he’d used Marc as a decoy to distract her from the full scope of his emotions.
“I can’t leave him in Sherdana. I’m all he’s known his whole life. He’s too young to understand why his mother is leaving him.”
“You don’t take him with you every time you travel for business. We’ll start small. How long are you going to be in New York next week?”
“A few days.”
“That’s perfect.”
“No.”
“You go to New York and meet with your investor while I stay here and take care of Marc. If we’d gotten married, it’s what would have eventually happened. The only difference is the lack of a legal document.”
She gave a soft gasp. “A custody agreement?”
“A marriage license.” Christian stopped the car in front of Noelle’s shop and put it in Park. Turning in his seat, he took her hand that held the ring and opened her fingers. “I’m not giving up on the idea of marrying you,” he said, slipping the diamond onto her right hand. “Take this ring as a sign of my faith in us as a couple and as a family.”
“I’ll wear it until I return from New York. At that point we will sit down and discuss what’s best for Marc and for you and me.”
Which meant he had a little more than a week to convince her to go forward with their plans to get married. If he hoped to convince her they belonged together, he’d better pull out all the stops. He wasn’t going to make the mistake of letting her go a second time.
* * *
The morning she was scheduled to leave for New York, Noelle woke with her stomach twisted into knots. She was about to embark on the most ambitious project of her career. To fail would mean she’d not only risked damaging her reputation as a designer and a businesswoman, but had created a rift between Christian and her for nothing.
She’d decided not to leave Marc at home with either his father or her mother. This wasn’t a two-day hop to Paris or Milan. This was a ten-hour plane ride and an ocean between them. Her son didn’t share her anxiety about their separation. Taking him with her meant Marc would be missing a field trip to the zoo. He’d protested vehemently, and reminding him that they’d visited less than a month ago had only made things worse.
“Marc, please go upstairs and brush your teeth. You must get dressed. The car will be here any moment to take us to the airport.” She turned to her mother. “Why is he being like this?”
“He doesn’t want to go. Why don’t you leave him with me? He shouldn’t be stuck in a hotel room in New York while you’re working.”
While a part of Noelle knew her mother was right, she couldn’t quell her uneasiness at the thought of leaving him behind. She’d made arrangements for a nanny to stay with Marc while she conducted business, but didn’t know if she was comfortable letting the woman roam around the city alone with him.
A knock sounded on the door. The car she’d arranged to take her and Marc to the airport had finally arrived.
