Those were the questions that kept her up at night. Well, and wondering if Rene was in the other room lying awake and thinking of her, too.
“Do you believe he could do that?” Sera didn’t sound like she bought that line of thinking.
But Sylvie couldn’t see a way around it. He’d told her flat out he wasn’t sure he could love anyone and that it seemed like it was time for him to get married. “Like I said, I think I meet all his requirements.”
“Like he’s got a list or something?” Sera asked.
Hallie’s blond hair shook. “And like I asked—is that so wrong? Men view things differently than we do. Didn’t you go to college? They should have made you read all those books on psychology on how men are dumb and don’t know how to process their feelings.”
“I didn’t have to go to college to figure that out,” Sera replied. “I lived with Zep and Remy all my life. Though Harry is surprisingly good with his feelings.”
“Which is a miracle considering he shares DNA with Celeste Beaumont,” Hallie added. “You know, have you considered that Rene runs in that world? Not only is he a man, he also has been in that real wealthy world all his life. There’s a lot of judgment there. That many eyes looking at you all the time can have an effect.”
“Rene’s parents were wonderful.” She’d never heard Rene complain about his parents. Of course, she hadn’t asked. She’d seen what he’d wanted her to see. Had he been doing that all their lives? Had he hidden his pain?
“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t still hard on him,” Hallie countered. “And it doesn’t mean he knows how to express himself. Rene isn’t all huggy like most of this town is. That came from somewhere. Have you talked to him about it? I personally would jump into bed, but maybe you should talk to him.”
“Do you want this to work out?” Sera asked.
She wasn’t going to lie or prevaricate. She wanted Rene. “I do.”
Sera looked her way. “Why?”
“Because maybe he’s right. Maybe it is time. I worry if I don’t settle down soon, I might not at all.” It was the reason she’d given her mother, who’d shaken her head and told her she was good at lying to herself.
Sera had turned, propping herself up on her elbow. “Seriously? If that’s true, then what is the problem?”
Hallie was staring at her, too. “Yeah, why all the angst? He’s nice, has a ton of money, and he wants to stay married to you. If this is about his family, Remy really does know a lot of people who are surprisingly good with murders.”
“Because I don’t want to get married simply because it’s time,” Sylvie argued. “Shouldn’t I want the man I marry to be in love with me?”
“Of course,” Sera said quickly.
“It depends.” Hallie’s answer was far more intriguing.
Sylvie always had liked to hear from the other side. “How so?”
Hallie’s normally happy expression turned distinctly thoughtful. “It depends on your definition of love and whether or not you have to have everything your way.”
Sylvie didn’t like the sound of that. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It goes back to that thing I said about men and women speaking different languages,” Hallie explained. “You have to figure out what you’re willing to put up with and what’s a deal breaker. My dad isn’t a talker. In the almost thirty years my parents have been married, he’s told her he loves her a handful of times, and only when he was prompted to. But he wakes up every morning and fixes a big pot of coffee despite the fact that he doesn’t drink coffee. He forgets her birthday if no one reminds him, but he goes to every doctor’s appointment with her since she had a heart attack because he wants to know how to take care of her. Sometimes men don’t say how they feel. They show you. How does Rene make you feel?”
Like she couldn’t breathe if his hands weren’t on her. Like if they held hands, the world would be a better place. Or if they held on to each other, they could get through any storm. Wasn’t that more important than words? “He treats me like I’m special, but how can I be sure he’s doing that because he cares about me and not because he wants me to stay married to him?”
“Ask him,” Sera encouraged. “Talk to him about something other than work. Romance the man and see how he responds. Also, sometimes when a man isn’t good at saying how he feels, he’s real good at showing it physically.”
“Or he could simply want sex,” Sylvie countered. But she wanted to explore the physical side of their relationship, too. No one had ever made her feel the way Rene did. No man had caused her heart to race and her whole soul to go soft at the thought of being in his arms.