Page 86 of Sweet Wicked Vows
I nodded. “For as long as you’ll have me.”
His leg no longer twitched by the time we arrived at his family home.
The Dade home was old French Riviera with a touch of modern.
I understood that Jaxon was incredibly wealthy, butDade Diamondswas still a relatively new business in the grand scheme of things. He and his brother’s billionaire status was only acquired in the last five years. The brothers were newcomers with pretty much nothing to their name when they started the company.
The house in front of us screamed infinite wealth.
“I didn’t grow up here,” Jaxon said as if he was reading my thoughts. “Frederic and I bought the place for ourGrand-mèrea couple years ago. She took care of us when ourmamanpassed. We thought it was the least we could do for her.”
“That’s sweet of you.”
He shrugged. “She’s as stubborn as a mule. She refused to take it unless we all agreed to come home every Christmas.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
It was a half-truth. Both Jaxon and Olivier had spoken so fondly of their grandmother, and who could blame them? The woman stepped into a mother role without hesitation. However, I feared meeting someone as important as Jaxon’s grandmother would only blur the line between us more.
Knocking on the front door, a child no more than four years old with uncontrollably curly blonde hair and piercing blue eyes opened the door in their pajamas.
The little girl practically jumped into Jaxon’s open arms. “Uncle Jax!”
“There she is.” Jaxon’s face broke into a grin. “Petit monstre!”
Uncle Jax?
An elderly woman hobbled into sight. Flour coated her sun-kissed cheeks and apron as she greeted me with a smile that would have melted ice-caps. “Oh Dieu merci, il a enfin ramené une femme à la maison!”
I froze.
Why didn’t I download a starter guide to understanding French for the flight instead of reading my favorite author’s newest romance novel?
The past couple of months with Jaxon, I picked up some words, but not enough.
Jaxon scooped up his niece, placing her on his shoulders. “Grand-mère, Evelyn ne parle pas français. En anglais seulement, s’il vous plaît.”
His grandmother nodded and waved me into the house. “Apologies, dear. I am just excited to have you here. It’s been a long time coming since that one even thought about bringing a woman home to meet his family.”
Jaxon rolled his eyes. “Evelyn, this is myGrand-mère,Florence.”
“It’s a pleasure.” I followed them into the house. “Thank you again for inviting me to spend Christmas with you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”
Florence’s hands encased my cheeks. Flour and lavender settled my nerves as she graced me with a genuine smile. “Nonsense. You are family now. You do not need an invite. You simply show up and you will be welcome. Always.”
I willed myself not to cry.
Weeks of pent-up emotion threatened to break free.
“And you—” Florence turned to Jaxon and the child giggling on his shoulders. “—you know you are not supposed to answer the door. Wait until I tell yourpapa.”
“No! Don’t tell him!” she squeaked. “Uncle Jax tell her not to tell Daddy.”
Florence tapped her fingers on her chin. “Fine, I won’t tell him.Onlyif you are good and go get washed and dressed right now. Can you do that for me?”
She wiggled to get down. “I’ll do it! That way, Daddy won’t know, and it will all be our little secret.”
The second Jaxon put her down, she was up the stairs faster than a hare.