Сьюзен Мейер – A Christmas Family Miracle: Snowbound with Her Hero / Baby Under the Christmas Tree / Single Dad's Christmas Miracle (страница 13)
Crystal had known fear once before around Raoul. Now she felt it even stronger to see the way Philippe clung to him. This affection for his uncle that had its roots deep in the past was reaching critical mass. With a sense of despair, she knew it would only grow stronger. She needed some advice about now.
His cute little face was all blotchy. “Mommy says you don’t have time to t-teach me some s-songs for the school program.”
“Of course I do.” Raoul turned his dark head in her direction. “Did you hear that, Mommy?” Raoul had turned his back on her, reminding her of their conversation outside the bedroom the other night when he’d told her Philippe could never be a burden.
This was so hard. Crystal resented being in the position of the enemy when Philippe was her son. But this wasn’t a situation where blame could be attached to any one person. Whatever she said right now would spell the difference between temporary peace or permanent chaos. It wouldn’t be fair to create more problems when Jules wasn’t even out of the hospital yet.
“I did. I just didn’t know if it was all right with you, Raoul.”
Crystal thought she saw a look of satisfaction enter Raoul’s eyes before he kissed his forehead. “There. Did you hear that?” Philippe nodded. “Have a treat on me.” Raoul pulled two small wrapped candy canes from his pocket and undid them for the boys.
Philippe put it in his mouth. “Mmm. This tastes good, like peppermint.”
“Yum,” Albert said.
“I brought them especially for you guys because I know you like that flavor.”
“Thanks!”
“You’re welcome.” Though he was speaking to the boys, his focus was on Crystal. After taking in her knitted blue ski hat, Raoul’s eyes narrowed on her mouth. Fire ran through her body, igniting her. It brought back the joy she’d shared with him earlier.
Maybe it was the cream-colored cable knit pullover he was wearing that made his eyes look inky blue in the afternoon light. Helpless to do otherwise, her gaze lowered to the jeans molding his powerful thighs. Her heart thumped hard as she took in his features again. To think any one man could be that handsome …
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vivige pull up. Her daughters rushed toward her car. More than ever it didn’t explain Raoul’s presence. The thought—the hope that after this morning’s ski run he might be missing Crystal’s company—gave her a suffocating feeling in her chest.
Vivige opened her window. “Come on, Philippe, Albert,” she called to them. “We’re off to the hospital to see
“I’ll feed the children dinner. See you two later,” Vivige murmured as she looked at the two of them.
After she drove off, Raoul’s gaze flicked to Crystal. Her pulse was galloping. “I came by here to catch up with you because I want to give you your prize.”
She smiled. “My prize? For what?”
His eyes held a mysterious gleam. “For letting me win in front of that crowd earlier.”
Crystal laughed. “You’re not serious.”
“Oh, but I am,” he insisted, “and I always pay my debts.”
“In town at Chez Pierre. We’ll go in my car. I’ll bring you back later.” He helped her out and they walked back to his car.
Before long they arrived at the charming bistro, one of many lining the streets of Chamonix. Chez Pierre was known for serving the best cheese fondue in town.
The host led them upstairs, where there were tables near the window with a superb view of the mountains. But the second they reached the next level, she let out a cry.
On the two walls facing each other were giant-sized colored posters, bigger than life. Above them were banners that read
The other one showed Crystal flying down the icy trek with her body perfectly aligned. She wore a smile beneath her ski goggles as she was coming in to take the bronze. Seeing herself at the height of her career in competition form was too much.
In front of the other people eating, she burst into quiet tears. Raoul slid his arms around her and pulled her close to him until she could get hold of herself. Crystal was so moved by his gift, she couldn’t find words.
“I didn’t bribe Pierre to put up that poster of you,
Overwhelmed by this incredible man, she kissed his jaw. “Thank you for believing in me.” After she eased out of his arms, he found them a table at the window. It had been reserved for Raoul Broussard.
Her heart jumped to think he’d planned all this. It was the most romantic, thrilling thing anyone had ever done for her.
Crystal never imagined the day would come when she’d be eating fondue with him like this while she soaked in the atmosphere he’d created by simply being Raoul. But as she ate the French bread she dipped in the bubbling mixture of Gruyère cheese and kirsch, she sensed something was on his mind. She couldn’t bear for anything to be wrong right now.
“What is it, Raoul?”
His eyes searched hers. “Did I make a mistake bringing you here?”
“Mistake?” she murmured in shock.
He cocked his dark head. “You’re so quiet, I couldn’t help wondering.”
“Wondering what?”
“Whether my good intentions backfired because seeing Eric’s picture here was too much for you.”
After what she’d experienced with Raoul today, she couldn’t hold back certain information from him. “Before we leave here, there’s something you need to know about Eric and me.”
“What? That he betrayed you?” he bit out.
“No—” she answered honestly.
“He had a reputation with women before he married you.”
Raoul had never gotten this personal with her before; but since this morning, everything seemed to have changed.
“I know. My teammates warned me about him. He was known as the heartbreaker on the circuit, but I couldn’t help how I felt about him. We both had the same drive and the same daring, I guess. One day when he said, ‘Let’s get married right now,’ I just went with it.”
Shadows marred his features. “Then if it wasn’t another woman, what changed in your marriage?”
Crystal let out a shaky breath. “Was it that visible to everyone?”
“No,” he said quietly. “Only to me because Eric was my brother. It’s something I’ve never discussed with anyone.”
She put down her fondue fork. “You could say the existence of Philippe transformed my life. Until I discovered I was pregnant, I was selfish and didn’t think much about anything beyond Eric’s and my dreams of success. We were two people flying high and enjoying every minute.
“It pains me now to think we just went off and got married in Val d’Isère without telling either of our families. We cheated everyone out of one of the most important times in all our lives, but Eric insisted we didn’t have time for wedding plans and still make all our races.”
“Patience was never his forte, but it made him the world’s greatest skier.”
She nodded. “Still, in hindsight, it was extremely selfish of us. I should have insisted on a traditional wedding. Do you realize we didn’t even have one picture of us on our wedding day? Nothing to show for the biggest event in our lives. We were only in the
“But that’s absurd,” Raoul responded. “No one cared. The family was thrilled you got married. My parents worried Eric might never settle down. I know your parents were happy. We talked at length about the two stars in our families joining together.”
Crystal shook her head. “Two selfish stars. We both agreed to put off having children while we were in our athletic prime, but even with protection, Philippe came along anyway.” She took a fortifying breath. “From the moment I became pregnant, my whole outlook on life changed dramatically.”
His features took on a chiseled look she didn’t understand.
“For once I had to think about someone else besides myself and Eric. The baby’s needs superseded everything else. I had to stop skiing, but I didn’t mind at all because this miracle of motherhood was going to happen to me. Though Eric was happy we were going to have a baby, he didn’t undergo the same transformation.”
Raoul’s eyes narrowed. “No. My brother developed that killer instinct early to be the top skier in the world. It never left him.”
He’d taken the words right out of Crystal’s mouth. “No. And at the height of his fabulous winning streak, my new priority was to be the best mother and wife in the world instead of the best female skier. I was determined to make a real home for us. Any hard times came when I saw Eric disappoint our son because he had to be someplace else.”
Raoul gave her a commiserating look that spoke of deep understanding.