Nanny

Epilogue

Rather than flying through the night, this time we had left America early in the morning. The six hour flight, plus the seven hour time change, meant we would land in Paris at six in the evening. All of us buckled up as we landed, gathered our luggage, and then got in cars to take us into the city.

We stopped by our flat before dinner. It was located in the Eighth Arrondissement, across the river from the Eiffel Tower. The living room faced the tower, with glass along one entire wall and on the ceiling so we could see the entire thing from the base to the top.

"It's just a stupid tower," Barry said. "There are way bigger buildings back home!"

The restaurant where we had reservations was within walking distance. Night was falling as we departed. Oscar walked behind us to keep an eye on everything, and the twins scrambled a few feet ahead. They waved to every Parisian they saw.

"Bonjour!" Allie said to another little boy.

Barry ran into a coffee shop doorway and yelled, "BONJOUR!"

"Bonjour, madame!" Allie said to an old lady.

"It's night time, remember?" I told them. "So what do you say instead..."

"Bon soir!" Barry ran back to the coffee shop to correct himself. "Bon soir, everyone!"

Allie tugged on a man's sleeve. "Bon soir, monsieur! Comment ça vas?" Good evening, sir! How are you?

We all laughed at the sight of them eagerly showing off what they had learned. Months ago, Claudette had insisted that we teach the twins French to go with German, Spanish, and Japanese. Braxton agreed, commenting that maybe ABK Capital would build their European headquarters in Paris.

Our dinner reservation was at a quaint little restaurant whose owner Claudette knew from her childhood. The man beamed when he saw Claudette, and the two of them hugged for a very long time. Then we were led to a private room in the back, free from watchful eyes.

"We beat them here?" Adam asked. "I thought for sure they would be here already."

I looked at my phone. "I texted her when we landed. She said they were getting ready to leave."

Miranda and Nelson came through the door moments later, arm in arm. I hugged my best friend, and then her boyfriend.

No, her husband. That was going to take some getting used to.

"Sorry we're late," she said. "It was a long walk."

"Isn't your hotel one block from here?" I asked.

Miranda grinned as they sat down. "We were... busy."

Nelson blushed and said, "Sorry if we delayed you, sir."

"Don't call me sir," Braxton said. "You're on your honeymoon! Plus you technically don't start at ABK Capital until next week. Until then, I'm Braxton."

"Speak for yourself," Adam said. "You can call me Mr. Sizemore."

"Oh don't be a drama queen," Miranda said. She snuggled up to her husband and said, "Adam is just upset he never won me over."

Adam rolled his eyes at me. I gave his leg a playful squeeze.

"How has your trip been so far?" Mathias asked. "Surely you have seen all the sights already!"

"We... Haven't seen much, actually," Miranda said. "We've been staying in a lot."

"We're jet-lagged," Nelson bashfully said. "That's why."

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Miranda teased him.

Mathias roared with laughter and clapped Nelson on the back so hard he almost dropped his glass of wine.