“Please come in.” She was thankful she’d done the housework. If they’d come a couple of hours sooner and seen the mess... Wait till she told Raoul. “Sit down, won’t you?”
“If we’re disturbing you, we won’t stay.”
“But you’re not,” Abby assured them. “Can I get you coffee or tea?”
Both of them shook their heads. “Nothing thank you.”
Josette looked pale and nervous. “The way I treated you and my brother on your wedding day was so inexcusable I know neither of you will ever be able to forgive me. But I had to come and tell you how sorry I am.”
“It’s all right, Josette. I know our marriage came as a huge shock to everyone. Most of all to me!” The two of them looked surprised. “Raoul and I met under the most unusual circumstances. He was very honest with me about the loss of his wife and baby. I could tell how he’d suffered.”
Their eyes filled with tears.
Thrilled that they were listening, Abby broke down and explained everything to them. “My friends were worried about my coming to France with him, but I couldn’t not come b-because I’d fallen in love with him that fast,” her voice faltered, “and he with me.
“I’ve cared deeply for two men in my life before Raoul, but I could never see myself married to them. But then I met Raoul and realized he was the one I’d been waiting for. We’ve come from opposite ends of the world, opposite lifestyles, but we love each other.”
“I could tell that,” Hélène-Claire murmured. “I saw the way the two of you looked at each other. For the first time in his life, my son looked completely happy and my mother-in-law agrees with me. His marriage to Angélique—”
“I know about that,” Abby interrupted. “Nothing else needs to be said. But I know he’ll never get over losing his little girl.”
“You’re very sweet. Raoul couldn’t help but fall in love with you.” She touched the pin. “This gift you gave me was unexpected for many reasons. It touched my heart.”
“I wanted you to have something meaningful. You raised a son who has made me so happy I can’t begin to describe how I feel about him. I plan to be the best wife I can be, but I’m going to need help from all of you. My parents are behind our marriage a hundred percent, but what do I, an American literature teacher, know about the family Raoul was born into?”
“I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Josette. Raoul loves you and your boy very much. When I met Paul the other day, he let me know how excited he is about the baby that’s coming. He was so nice to me.”
“Much nicer than I was,” she murmured. “He told me my brother deserved a woman like you. Now that we’ve talked, I couldn’t agree with him more.”
“Thank you.”
“Will you let us make it up to you for the way we treated you?”
“You don’t have to do anything. All Raoul would love is to hear what you’ve just told me.”
“We intend to do that,” his mother asserted. “What I’d like to do is host a party to welcome you into the family. My husband—”
“Raoul has explained many things to me,” she broke in once again. “He suffers a lot of pain.”
“Yes, but he needs to demonstrate his love for Raoul, which of course he has always felt. I’m ashamed for his actions as well as the way my two sisters-in-law walked out of the salon. Here’s what I’d like to do. Raoul and Paul will be back Wednesday evening. We’ll have a family dinner in our suite on the terrasse.”
Abby got excited. “Let’s make it a surprise. Can Maurice come? I want to meet my new nephew.”
Josette broke into a genuine smile. “He’d love to be a part of things because he adores my brother.”
“Who doesn’t?” Abby quipped. “Will the grandparents be able to come?”
“If it’s too much for them, we’ll visit them after we’ve eaten dinner.”
“And Jean-Marc?”
Josette’s brows lifted. “If he can get over his jealousy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Our cousin Gilles and my younger brother have a crush on you at the moment.”