Always Him (Always #1)

Chapter Forty-One

    Paris, France! I was really in Paris, France! I'd been dreaming of going here since I was a child. I'd never told anyone about it, though; I'd only written it down in the journal. Jasper had found it one morning when he was cleaning the bedroom; that had been when he'd decided to take me here for Christmas.

He'd apologized for reading the journal. I waved it off. Most of it was stuff he'd already known about me, so it wasn't a big deal. Plus, I knew he'd never judge me for what I had written there, and it wasn't like he read the rest of the journal. He promised he hadn't.

So, Jasper reading that journal was how we found ourselves outside of the Mecure Paris Centre Eiffel Tower hotel.

We stepped into the lobby, and I froze and not just due to the colder temperatures. It actually was a tad warmer than back home. The lobby was beautiful and grand beyond belief. Fancy chairs and fancy lounges, everything was clean and pristine. It felt like it was meant for royalty. Perhaps the royals had come here before.

At that moment, I felt like a queen. My king was checking us in while I admired the hotel from where I was. I was happy in my little trance and was glad he left me to it while checking us in.

A moment later, Jasper rejoined me. He hooked my arm through his and lead us to an elevator, dragging our luggage behind. This time he even let me pull a suitcase. Inside the elevator, I turned to him.

"This is incredible, Jas. How are you able to do this for us?"

It took a moment for him to answer. For a while, he was so transfixed on me that it was as if he'd forgotten how to speak. When he finally found his voice once more, it was my turn to be in awe.

Before, I felt like a queen. Now, I felt like an empress.

"That necklace wasn't the only thing I was saving up for, Sades. Hell, this was something I began saving for before I even thought to go back to Rosenwood. I had a dream one night about coming to Paris. I'd wanted to go since we talked about it in school one day." He blushed. "Dreaming about it after talking about it at school felt like a sign to me. Then, another sign came to me." He shook his head just as the elevator doors opened. We walked out as he continued to talk. "I was at my grandparents. My grandmother was talking about places she'd never been but had always wanted to go."

We'd reached our door, but Jasper made no motion to open the door to let us in. I could tell he wanted to finish this conversation before we went in. I leaned against the wall, the epitome of patience, as I waited for him to go on. He leaned on the opposite side of the door before speaking again.

"Paris had been at the top of her list. She'd been sick for so long she'd never been able to travel far again. I made a promise to her that day that I'd go for her, and I'd bring someone special. Granted, I didn't know I'd be taking you, though I do think a small part of me knew it would be you coming with me." He chuckled at a memory in his mind. "Seems everyone had that line of thought."

That was the truth.

"Before leaving Houston, I knew I would have to save up a lot of money to make the trip. I worked overtime like crazy over there. And then," he sighed. "I knew I had to go back to Rosenwood, knew I had to come back to you. Something clicked inside my brain, and I just knew." He smiled at me, reaching for my hand and squeezing it tight. "I knew it was you, Sades. So, I knew I wanted to impress you, had to make it something that would have an even better impression of me." He smirked, one side of his mouth turning up a little higher than the other, revealing a dimple. "Knew you were fond of me."

I playfully retracted my hand though he was quicker and kept mine within his. A smile on my face, I gazed at him as if he were a god. "Glad you were; it took me forever to see it."