The Temptress (47 page)

Lulu

Saturday

‘Come on, darling, we need to go,’ I called from the
bottom of the stairs. What was he doing up there? I heard a crash and a cry,
dropped my handbag and took the stairs two at a time racing into his bedroom to
find it empty.

‘Mummy,’ he called between sobs. He was in my
room, what was he doing in my room. I ran across the landing to find him
sitting in the middle of my bed crying and saw a broken picture frame and glass
on the floor. I skirted around it to sit next to him and pull him onto my lap.

‘What’s the matter, what happened?’

‘I tried … to get … my picture …’ he gasped,
his chest and cheeks wobbling as tears poured down his face. I looked up at the
top of the bed to see the elephant picture was missing. That was what had
fallen and was in pieces on the floor.

‘Why did you need your picture?’ I asked,
kissing the top of his head and stroking his hair.

‘I wanted to show him my elephants.’

‘O, darling. Why didn’t you call me?’ I leaned
over to get a couple of tissues and gently blew his nose and dabbed his eyes.
Luc had obviously already seen it, he loved it and had even taken a picture to
keep on his phone, but Tristan wanting to show him would mean so much. ‘I’m
sure we can fix it, it’s only the frame, I bet the picture will be good as
new.’

I hugged him tightly rubbing his back and
sighed. It was the first weekend of the month, our visit to the Zoo, so Luc had
taken the chance to have a few more days in Paris to collect the remainder of
his essential work and personal items, to move over to his new offices in London
and into his house. The last week had gone really well, Luc had been for dinner
with us a few nights, Tristan even asking for him to read him some Elmer one
night, which had been the highlight of Luc’s week. I’d even had trouble getting
him to sleep last night, as he wanted Luc to come and read to him and I’d had
to explain that he was in Paris working.

‘Come on, why don’t you go downstairs to play
in the lounge while I clean this up, then we’ll go to the zoo to see Max and on
the way home we can stop and buy a new picture frame?’

‘Ok,’ he sniffed. I lifted him up and carried
him away from the dangerous shards.

‘You don’t need to be upset, we’ll show him
when he comes for lunch tomorrow ok?’

‘Can’t he come to the zoo with us today?’ he
asked, looking up at me with tear streaked cheeks.

‘O, darling, I told you he’s in Paris which is
a long way away, but I know he’d have loved to have come. Shall we ask him next
time?’

He nodded and slowly made his way down the
stairs as I stood watching him and sighed. Luc would have loved that. We were
trying to take it slowly, to go at Tristan’s pace, so while he’d spent every
night here with me this last week before he left for Paris on Thursday morning,
he was gone before Tristan woke up. We’d made such progress, Tristan had
started kissing him goodnight and asking him to come and see the toys in his
bedroom. Reading Elmer was a massive step, and now he wanted to show him the
family picture he’d drawn and invite him on our zoo trip? Not even Mum, Dad,
Dom or Coco had been invited on that. I carefully lifted and shook his picture,
which thankfully was intact, and quickly cleared up the large chunks of glass
and splintered wooden frame, depositing them in the bin, then went to the linen
cupboard to get the vacuum cleaner to make sure no traces were left on the
carpet. I pulled my phone out of my jeans and sent Luc a text.

How are you? I’m missing you so much. Just
found our son in tears. He was trying to get his elephant picture down so he
could show it to you tomorrow and he accidentally dropped it, breaking the
frame. He wanted to know if you’d come to the zoo with us today and was upset
when I told him that you were in Paris. He’s never asked anyone to come with us
before! I hope you’re not overdoing it, you work so hard I worry about you.
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Love you, Lulu x

I shoved it back in my pocket and hurried down
to find him entertaining himself with his Lego, grabbed my bag and held out my
hand.

‘Mummy, that monkey’s got a very red bottom,’
he observed, making me laugh. ‘Why is it all red?’

‘I’m not sure, darling.’

‘Maybe he had a poorly tummy and used too much
toilet paper.’

‘Maybe,’ I giggled, ruffling his hair. I felt
my phone vibrate and pulled it out as I stood behind him, while he clung to the
railings watching them.

I am missing you too, both of you. Is he ok
now? I’d love to be there with you. Where are you, looking at the elephants
yet? Luc x

He’s fine now, wondering why the monkeys
have such red bottoms and I’m not quite sure how to explain that one! Elephants
are next on our tour after the farm area. I wish you were here too. Please tell
me you’re still coming back tomorrow? x

Do not worry, I will be with you before you
know it x

‘Mummy, can we go and see Max now?’ Tristan
called, stopping me as I was mid reply. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and
picked him up, kissing his cheek.

‘I thought you’d never ask. I can’t wait to see
him. Do you think he’s playing with his sister Donna again?’

‘He loves Donna, he sprayed her with water from
his trunk last time,’ he grinned.

‘Yes he did,’ I laughed, remembering how much
it had amused him. We stopped for an ice cream on the way around and I held his
hand as we made our way over to the walled elephant enclosure. We didn’t need a
map, we knew the place inside out and followed the same route every time,
always ending with the elephants, where we stayed the longest, whatever the
weather. He was ecstatic to see that they were all out in force. I wondered if
he’d train to be a vet or zookeeper one day. He suddenly yelled “Mummy” at the
top of his voice, making everyone around us look, as I put a hand to my beating
chest.

‘Don’t scare me like that, Tristan,’ I moaned.

‘It’s my daddy,’ he announced, pointing behind
me.

‘What?’ I asked, looking at him puzzled. Before
I had a chance to stop him he shot off at a lightening pace, as I spun around
wondering what was going on. I gasped to see Luc striding towards us, looking
every inch the seriously hot CEO in a fitted tailored grey three piece suit,
sticking out like a sore thumb in the crowds of people in jeans and casual
wear.
Daddy
, Tristan had just called him Daddy, I felt my chest
constrict at the thought. I watched with my mouth open as he hared across
towards him, Luc hesitated for a second, as surprised as I was, then quickly
crouched down and held out his arms. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks as
Tristan ran into them and threw his arms around Luc’s neck, kissing him on the
cheek. I grabbed a tissue and tried to pull myself together as Luc spun him around
laughing and kissed him back as they talked to each other. I hadn’t felt this
emotional since I’d given birth. I could see people giving me strange looks as
I stood there, rooted to the spot, a quivering wreck watching the two most
important men in my life sharing their first proper moment as father and son
and it was everything I’d ever hoped it would be. Luc shifted him onto his hip
and reached up to wipe his own eyes, which were also full of tears. He slowly
made his way towards me, the smile on his face widening as he held my gaze. I
could hear Tristan excitedly jabbering away, telling him all about Max and
Donna.

‘How are you here?’ I uttered, as I shook my
head in disbelief.

‘I cut my meeting short the minute you said he
wanted me here and had my pilot fly me straight back.’ He put his free arm
around me and pulled me against him, dipping his head to kiss me. I melted into
his side as I wallowed in the bliss of the moment, just like the hippos we’d
seen in the mud this morning.

‘Daddy, please come and see Max. He’s my
favourite real elephant in the whole wide world,’ came Tristan’s pleading
voice. Luc and I broke our kiss, as my bottom lip wobbled to hear Tristan say
the word “Daddy” again.

‘I’d love to come and see Max,’ Luc nodded,
happiness written all over his face. He lifted his hand and wiped my tears
before tightly clasping my hand. ‘
This
is the best day of my life,’ he
whispered as we walked together, as a family, just like all the other ones
surrounding us.

‘I’ve heard that before,’ I laughed.

‘And you will continue to hear it, because
every day with you just gets better and better.’

We spent a blissful hour and a half together,
with Tristan impressing Luc with his knowledge of the whole family of elephants
at Whipsnade Zoo, he could be a tour guide he knew that much about them. When
it was time to leave Tristan walked between us, holding hands with both of us,
making my heart melt, Luc and I stealing glances at each other, as we sported
the largest smiles of anyone around us. There was a dilemma when we got to the
exit as to how we were all going to get home. My sports car only had two seats,
Luc had come in a Mercedes too, but not his own, he’d hired himself a new
driver called David for when he didn’t want to use one of his own cars. I
convinced Tristan to go with his dad and handed over the child seat. I’d roared
with laughter as the two clueless men tried to work out how to fix it in place
and eventually had to push them aside and do it myself. Tristan was bouncing
around he was so excited, I had a feeling he was going to sleep really well
tonight. I strapped him in and kissed him goodbye and turned to face Luc.

‘Thank you for this, for trusting me with him,’
he nodded solemnly, showing me that he knew how important that small gesture
was.

‘I know he’s safe with you and it will be good
for you both to have a bit of bonding time on your own, but it’s David I’m
trusting, with
both of you
. You’d better be a good driver,’ I warned
him, he just smiled politely back at me.

‘I can assure you he is,’ Luc chuckled. ‘You
think I would employ any Tom or Jerry to look after me, let alone my son?’

‘Tom, Dick or Harry,’ I giggled.

‘Who is Tom and Jerry then?’ he frowned. I
smiled and reached up to touch his face, living rough as a child probably meant
he hadn’t seen much television in his life.

‘A famous cartoon cat and mouse.’

‘Then no, not a Tom, Jerry, Dick or Harry.
David is an excellent driver. We will see you in about half an hour back at
your house?’

‘Yes, but don’t rush, I need to stop and buy a
new picture frame on the way back and pick up the chicken and vegetables for
lunch tomorrow.’

‘No food needed. I have plans for us to go out,
all three of us.’

‘What plans?’ I asked, looking up at him
surprised.

‘You will see, he is on school holidays now, oui?’

‘Yes,’ I confirmed.

‘Bon. See you in a while,’ he pulled me to him,
clasping my face as he kissed me properly, with David discreetly turning his
back and Tristan giggling in the car to see us in a lip lock. I felt my cheeks
flush, this was all so new to him, to all of us, but he seemed to have really
turned a corner. I enjoyed putting my foot down on the motorway, going a little
faster than I did when I had Tristan in the car with me. Was this really
happening? Years spent fantasising about seeing Luc again and the three of us
being together and it had finally happened? I made it home, even with the pit
stop for the frame, long before they did and had assembled it and left it lying
on the bed just in case, then headed down to order a Cantonese takeaway to be
delivered. No way was I cooking and missing out on time with my two boys
tonight.

We spent an amazing evening together, Luc and
Tristan were so much more relaxed in each other’s company and we were all
laughing as Luc tried to get my French pronunciation better and Tristan
corrected his English. After dinner we put on
Tom and Jerry
cartoons for
Luc to see. He sat next to me on the sofa with his arm around me and Tristan
ran upstairs. I smiled as I heard his little footsteps heading in the wrong
direction to his room. I knew exactly where he was going. He was extra careful
coming back down, taking one step at a time, clutching the new picture frame
tightly in his hands, like it was the next Mona Lisa. Luc looked at me with
raised eyebrows, so I gave him a wink. Tristan handed me the picture and
scrambled up onto the sofa, squeezing himself in between the two of us, making
us shift a little to make room for him, which made us look at each other with a
grin. Tristan held out his hands as he looked up at me seriously and I handed
it over, letting him turn it the right way around before he looked up at Luc.

‘What’s this, Tristan?’ he asked, playing
along, as if he’d never seen it before.

‘I drew it,’ he announced proudly. ‘They’re
elephants.’