He took a step back. “I’m sorry if I was rude. I was . . . surprisingly emotional.”

“You weren’t rude at all. We should have sat down and talked.” She hated that she’d sent him running out of her office. “I don’t like how we left things.”

“Is that why you cut your date short?”

She was confused. “Date?”

“You said you had plans.”

“I did. With Hallie and Seraphina. We do girls’ nights once a week. Usually it’s dinner.” Though she’d skipped that part this evening. He’d thought she was dating? Had that been why he’d left so quickly? “I’m not seeing anyone. I don’t have the time to have a relationship right now.”

She hadn’t for three years. Where had the time gone? She’d been sure she would come home and things would slow down, but the time was gone and she wasn’t going to get it back. If she let it, another decade would go by, and she wasn’t sure what she would have to show for it.

“I understand that. I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve been told honesty is the best policy in these instances. I intended to ask you out when you came home. I was planning on giving you some time to settle in and then I was going to show up on your doorstep.”

“You were? Why didn’t . . .” She knew what had happened. “Your father died.”

“And then there was the accident.”

“And then your mom had cancer.” It had been a rough few years for Rene. “And now you’re dealing with this.”

“It’s not ideal.” He stared at her for a moment, and his voice went soft. “Why are you here, Sylvie?”

She was here because she couldn’t not be here, but she wasn’t ready to admit that to him. “How will it work?”

He moved in, his lips beginning to curl up. “Why are you here?”

The air suddenly seemed heavier than it had been before, some spark coming to life between them. “You know why I’m here.”

“I want you to say it. I want you to tell me yes.” His voice was dark and rich, tempting her.

She should run but she couldn’t make her feet move. And then she admitted she wasn’t going to run at all. She was going to do this with him. “Ask me again.”

His gaze seemed tender as he stared down at her. “Sylvie Martine, will you marry me?”

She was diving into the deep end of the pool. “Yes. I will marry you, but I have some questions. And some boundaries.”

“Of course. We should negotiate.”

“First, I do not want any kind of financial settlement.”

He hesitated.

She wasn’t going to back down. “I mean it, Rene. It’s a deal breaker.”