Page 35 of The Princess and the SEAL

I surprised myself by telling her no, but I wanted to think about the day we had just spent. I went to my room and ordered room service and liquor. The more I drank, the more the nightmares came. I could feel my stepdad’s hand around my throat, smell his tobacco spiked breath, hear my foster sister’s cries for help. The cocktail of alcohol and death consumed me until I passed out.

The next morning, I woke with a wicked hangover. I felt a little better and brighter and pulled myself together.

I hated myself for not sleeping in Giselle’s room last night. We only had a few more days together. What had I been thinking?

Now that I had achieved my goal of seeing Normandy, I wanted to have some fun with Giselle. This was my vacation. So far, she had been mugged, we went on an emotional picnic, she received a lecture from her daddy, and yesterday we took a trip to a cemetery. Man, I really knew how to show a girl a good time.

I knocked on her door, and she opened it.

She smiled when she saw me. No one ever smiled when they saw me. “Did you sleep well?”

“No. But I feel better. What did you want to do today?”

“I was thinking we could walk around town and see the Bayeux tapestry.”

I loved that she finally was making plans and not going along with what I wanted to do. “Let’s go.”

I was eager to finally explore Bayeux. We stopped for breakfast at a local café. Giselle ordered for us in perfect French. A few people seemed to stare at us, and I wondered if they recognized her, but no one said anything to her, and I hadn’t seen any more paparazzi.

After breakfast, we walked to the museum.

Giselle took my hand. “The Bayeux Tapestry shows the events up until the Norman Conquest of England. It’s simply gorgeous.”

I was in awe of the vast cloth which depicted epic battles. Swords, shields, and soldiers stitched in remembrance. To think this was the way these warriors’ lives were immortalized warmed my soul. It was truly a stunning piece of art.

And I was grateful to see it with Giselle.

We strolled through some more exhibits with Giselle narrating as we went.

“How do you know so much about art?”

“Oh. I studied it at college.”

“Right. You went to the Sorbonne?”

“Yes. It was glorious. J’adore Paris.”

“I’ve never been.”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh, we must go. The nightlife, the food, the museums; it’s my favorite city.” She bit her lower lip. “I mean, you must go. Someday.”

Her words weighed on her. I wanted to go to Paris. I wanted to go with her. But our time was running out.

After our day date, Giselle went back to her room to freshen up. I ordered a bottle of champagne, flowers, some strawberries and chocolates, and a cheese tray and knocked on her door.

She greeted me wearing a sexy dress.

I was obsessed with her body. This was the longest I had ever been around a woman romantically and not slept with her.

I was starting to see the problem with my past. I had always figured that I was just a player. Keeping people away from me ensured that I didn’t get hurt.

But, and I hated to admit it to myself, I actually enjoyed being around Giselle. I liked the way she asked how I was feeling. She had tried to do something nice for me with the tour, and I had a great time at the museum today.

This was her last vacation before her marriage—I needed to do something great for her as well.

She beamed. “Hey, handsome. You brought me flowers?”

“Yeah. I wanted to thank you for today and yesterday. It was really nice of you to arrange the trip for me.”