“Last month I started one of those rapid learning courses to learn French a couple of weeks ago, it’s going pretty well. I think it helps that I know Spanish.”
“I didn’t know that,” Law said. He snagged a pickle off of her plate.
“I didn’t want to mention it in case I failed,” Jill admitted.
“You never fail,” Law smiled indulgently. A shot of pleasure burst through Jill.
“You’re wrong, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
She looked at everyone’s empty plates. “Do you two want seconds? Or are you ready for dessert?”
“What do you have?” Asher asked.
“Either strawberry shortcake or brownies.”
“Yes,” Asher answered.
“So which one?”
“That meant both, Honey,” Law chuckled. “I’ll take the same. Want some help?”
“I’ll help her,” Eden said as she stood up and took Asher’s plate.
“Thanks.”
“So we’re agreed?” Asher asked.
Law rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’m definitely onboard, but I don’t think it’s going to work. Maybe if all three of us were here, but not now.” He thought about how close his mother had been to Xavier. They’d had a special bond.
“What’s that look for?”
Law sighed. “Are we ever going to tell Maman the truth about Xavier? Because if we get her to move to the States, there’s more of a chance of her finding out the truth.”
Asher looked torn and Law understood. “I’ve thought about that. She knows some of Xave’s buddies, God forbid she finds out from one of them, and not from us. But Aunt Claire has her family, and from some of Maman’s comments, I know she’s feeling a little left out.”
Law stared into the view overlooking the gorge, then back at his brother. “Then, we’ve got to convince her to move back, and we’ve got to tell her the truth.”
“Maybe we tell her when she’s here for the wedding?” Asher proposed.
“We are not going to ruin your big day.” Law was emphatic. “We’ll do it while we’re in Belgium.”
He heard the sliding glass door open, and the sound of Jill laughing. It helped make things better, instead of thinking about breaking his mother’s heart.
“I refused to put a brownie and strawberry shortcake in the same bowl, so you each get two dishes,” Jill explained.
“I said it was fine, since they’re going to end up in the same place anyway,” Eden said as she handed Asher his two dishes.
“These are pretty big portions,” he said as he eyed the bowl with a hot brownie and melted ice cream, then the bowl with fresh strawberries, whip cream, and shortcake.
“I brought an extra spoon for me,” Eden smirked.
“I wasn’t complaining, I could definitely eat it all,” Ash said.
“Well, now you know you can’t,” Eden laughed as she scooped up a large spoonful of brownie and ice cream.
Law wasn’t surprised to see Jill had brought out three bowls, two for him, and one strawberry shortcake for herself. The woman did like her cream, and she wasn’t about to share.
“So, did you solve the problems of the world while we were gone?” Eden asked.
“Or maybe just of your mom?” Jill queried.
Law laughed. Trust Jill to get to the heart of the matter.
“Asher and I are going to talk to her about Xavier while we’re in Belgium. We really want her to come to the States, but there’s a slight risk she could somehow find out that he committed suicide if she lives here, so it’s incumbent on us to tell her what happened.”
He felt Jill give a little jolt beside him. It was almost imperceptible, but he caught it. He tried to catch her eye, but she continued to look down at her dessert.
What is she thinking?
“Jill?”
“That sounds like a good plan. If you want me to be with you when you talk to her, I’m there, Honey.”
“No, this is something that Ash and I need to handle ourselves, but is something about this bothering you?” Law asked.
Jill sighed. “I’m sorry. But I think you’re going to have to deal with two issues, not just Xavier’s suicide, but also not having been honest with her in the beginning. I think you two better be prepared for some blowback.”
“That’s on me,” Ash said, as he set down his one of his bowls and handed the other to Eden. “I’ll take the hit. And Jill’s absolutely right. I thought about that, but then pushed it aside.”
“You did what you thought was right,” Eden defended him. “She’ll get that.”
“Not to begin with, to begin with, she’ll be angry and hurt.” Asher rubbed the back of his neck.
“Ash, I backed you on your decision,” Law said. “We’ll be able to work through this with her. We’ll tell her at the beginning of the trip so that we’re there for her. You know Maman, she’ll process this, she’ll be heartbroken, but she’ll deal. She always copes. But we need her here with us, and she needs to be here with us.”
“I agree,” Jill said.
“Absolutely,” Eden said at the same time.
Law hugged Jill closer, which caused her to tip some of the strawberry juice onto his jeans. Didn’t that just figure, he thought as he started to laugh.
Eden giggled as Jill rolled her eyes.
“You might as well know now, this is normal for me. Keep me far, far away from your wedding dress before the wedding,” Jill advised.
“She’s not kidding,” Law said as he wiped up the juice from his jeans. “Luckily, she is a whiz at laundry.”
Jill blushed and laughed. “It’s true, I can get out darn near any stain.”
“Even guacamole,” Law said huskily. He watched as Jill’s blush turned brighter.
She grabbed his thigh and dug her fingernails in. Shit, thinking about guacamole and having her grip his
