Sunlight streamed through my office window, raising the temperature at least a couple of degrees. I hit the speaker button, rested my phone on the table, and shrugged off my jacket.

“Are you okay with it?” the voice of the person who made me smile filled the room.

“The weather’s too perfect for staying at home. Dinner on a terrace downtown sounds great. I’ll be done by six.”

“I don’t have patients in the afternoon, but I need to do the paperwork I neglected. Is six-thirty okay?” Sylvie asked.

“More than. Text me the name of the restaurant once you’ve chosen one.”

“Deal. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

I waited for Sylvie to hang up, a smile still playing on my lips. I didn’t expect to say those words to anyone other than my son, but here I was, a living proof that love — and happiness — could find you at any age.

I didn’t even have to go far to find mine — Sylvie was my new neighbor. Late-night conversations turned into dates and a relationship that made me feel twenty years younger.

I sifted through the papers I needed for our morning meeting. Darren, Ollie, and Aiden would return to the office from the cafe any minute now. I forced them to go have breakfast because they’d been at the office since seven a.m., getting the contract ready.

A knock on my door rattled the silence. “Come in,” I said.

Aiden stepped over the threshold and shifted his weight. “Victor.”

“Everyone’s back? So soon?”

“Only me,” he said. “The guys are still there, but I was having coffee and saw this.”

Aiden handed me today’s newspaper. “I wasn’t sure if you’ve already seen it, but I brought the paper just in case.”

The rays of the sun felt scorching on my back. They burned me through my shirt, and the words I read blazed into me with the same intensity.

My eyes skimmed through the article over and over. It was what my son and I feared but also expected. Only that it happened at the worst possible time. Just when Thierry managed to move on, his past resurfaced in the shape of the three victims who came forward. 

“It’s not my place to tell you this,” Aiden said, leaning against the door, hands tucked into the pockets of his dress slacks, “but I think Thierry should know if he doesn’t already.”

“It’s still too early there. I don’t think he knows, but I wasn’t going to keep it from him. Thank you, Aiden.”

“Not at all.” Aiden gripped the door handle but then halted, facing me. “I think it’ll give him the closure he needs,” he said. “He’ll probably want to come here.”

Once Aiden left, I searched the web for more mentions of my ex-wife's husband. The victims kept quiet the way my son did, but they were adults now — all except one kid. 

My absent-mindedness at the important meeting earned me concerned glances from my team. When we were done, the majority left, but I asked Ollie, Darren, Mathis, Claire, Aiden, and Liam to stay.

"What's going on?" Darren asked. "Did the customer change their mind again? I swear if they don't leave the budged alone—"

I shook my head, leaning on the glass table behind me. "No."

"Then what?"

"Let him finish." Olivier rolled his eyes. 

"Nothing happened yet," I said. "But there's a delicate matter involving my son and something that happened years back. One of the parties involved is someone well-known in the city. If Thierry wants to press charges, the media will turn their attention on Fauber Construction. It doesn't have to disrupt our work, but we'd have to think about a strategy. I'd rather we continued being known for our work and not gossip regarding someone's private life."

"I guess you'll tell us more once you know what your son decides to do," Mathis, my right hand, said.

"I will as soon as Thierry makes a decision. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Aiden and Liam looked at each other before sweeping their gaze over the rest of our team.

Darren crossed his arms in front of his chest. His shoulders rose and fell, and a smirk I was familiar with graced his mouth.

"Well, you know how the saying goes, boss. One for all, and all for one. Tell us what we need to do."

I straightened, adjusting my tie. "I will. Now, if you'll excuse me."

After one final glance at the six people in the meeting room, I left them. Once in the privacy of my office, I plucked the phone out of my pocket and called my son.

It was barely five a.m. when my phone buzzed on the nightstand. 

Lou stirred in bed next to me. Her sleepy eyes blinked. "What's it? The alarm?"

"My dad. Go back to sleep," I said despite knowing she wouldn't.

Worry slipped into her features, and she sat against the headboard, clutching the sheet to her chest.

I cleared my throat. "Dad?"

"Thierry," he said. "Everyone's fine; don't be alarmed. I just wanted to tell you something that couldn't wait."

"What's going on?"

Dad sighed. "Yves Morin is under investigation. More victims testified."

I ran a palm across my forehead. Lou wrapped her hands around my bicep, giving me a questioning look. 

I put the phone on speaker. "How many?" 

"Three. Two are older, and one is still a minor. It's in today's paper, and I thought you'd want to know."

I took a break from my past, but my father's words catapulted me back to it. And while my stomach churned at the thought of more people going through what I did, a sliver of something unexpected peeked through. 

Relief.

"What do you want to do?" Dad asked. 

He didn't add anything else. He'd never put pressure on me or force me to do something if I wasn't entirely sure. 

But I was. Because it was never too late to do things right. We were going to travel to Paris for my dad's birthday anyway.

Lou ran her hand down the length of my back. I kissed her forehead and gripped the phone tighter.

"See you in Paris as agreed."

"Sylvie and I can't wait to have you and Lou here."

"We're looking forward to seeing you both. And Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I want to do what's right. Thank you for telling me. I'll probably need a lawyer in France if you have anyone in mind."

"Consider it done," Dad said. "I'm proud of you. Even if you change your mind and decide not to do anything."

I wrapped an arm around Louise's shoulders, pressing her to my side. "I won't change it."

***

Sylvie and my dad made a beautiful couple. Both were full of life and projects, and he deserved someone like her. It didn't take me long to see Sylvie loved and admired him. 

After celebrating my Dad's birthday until late into the night, the logical thing was to sleep in, but I woke up before seven a.m.

 I had a busy day ahead of me. And as I sat at a table in my dad's garden, sipping my coffee, dozens of jumbled thoughts swirled in my brain.

Yves was on every news channel. I saw and read enough to be sure I wasn't the first, but there were others after me.

"Ready for today?" Dad asked, walking toward me.

"More than. I'm honestly surprised I am."

"Probably because you've been ready to do this for twenty years," he said, sitting across from me.

"And because I have something and someone to do it for other than myself."

Dad tapped his fingers on the table. "Marc is an excellent lawyer. He'll help you with whatever you might need."

The investigation would likely take months, but that was okay. Doing my part to make sure Yves went to jail was the least I owed those he hurt and myself.

"Thank you for everything. I'm taking Lou sightseeing once I've pressed charges," I said. 

There would be questions from the police. I still wasn't sure whether my words would be enough to accuse my mother’s husband. Too much time had passed, and I didn't have proof. The only person who saw me after everything happened was my mother, and I was certain she wouldn't take my side. She didn't do it twenty years ago, and doing it now would mean saying goodbye to the life of luxury she was accustomed to living. 

The supposedly unbreakable bond between us was damaged beyond repair.  And probably the best we could do with some bridges was burn them to build something better in their place.

***

Lou gripped the railing of the Eiffel Tower with both hands. The iron giant screeched with a gust of wind, and a nervous giggle fell off her lips. 

"This is… Wow."

Paris stretched beneath in all its eclectic glory — the skyscrapers of the business district rose above the historical buildings, but somehow, nothing looked out of place.

I laughed when Louise repeated wow a couple more times and shoved a hand in the pocket of my slacks. "A picture?"

"My hair is a mess. Wait."

She combed her fingers through the blond strands, although there was no need — the wind would mess them up, and she was already the most beautiful woman I'd seen.

"Ready," Lou said.

I aimed the camera of my phone at her. "Almost there. Hold this for me while I look for the best angle."

Keeping calm was a daunting task. Lou gaped at the small box I thrust into her hands. My camera captured the exact moment she opened it and clamped her hand over her mouth, staring at the ring.

After everything, I owed her a cheesy, cliche proposal she'd seen in movies. Louise's glistening eyes told me she didn't think it was cheesy. She probably thought it was just right.

I completed the ritual by getting down on one knee.

"Don't." Louise laughed. "It's scary. And the tower sways. You know—"

"Just marry me," I said. "I bought this ring the day after I asked you to be my girlfriend. I've reached my limit of patience."

Lou bit her lip. "I don't know. Took you long enough. Maybe I should make you wait longer."

I raised my brows. She admired the ring and pulled it out of the box.

"I probably should, but I won't." She slid the ring onto her finger. "The ring is too beautiful not to wear it. It's a yes."

I leaped to my feet and drew my arms around Louise.

"You know I'd wait," I whispered, cupping her cheeks.

She said nothing, just kissed me. 

It felt the way it always did with her — just right.