PROPOSITIONS

The Lacroix grounds were stunning on any given day. Tonight, they were breath-taking. Evergreen trees were strung up with hundreds of fairy lights. The winding stone paths littered with flower petals that swirled with each step. The sweet scent of candy floss and buttered popcorn saturated the air. Servers in impeccable uniforms supplied the guests with French Champagne.

“Everyone showed up tonight,” Laura Ramsden said to her friend Marianne Perrin. As they walked, the light summer breeze cooled their alcohol-flushed cheeks.

“Please,” Marianne huffed. “Rodrick could be the most hated man in the country and still, no one would turn down a Lacroix party.” She punctuated her point by raising her flute to her lips and taking a sip.

“That’s not true,” Laura said, despite knowing, deep, deep down, Marianne was right. The Lacroix had money, and they weren’t afraid to show it. Everyone was happy to humor them, so long as some of it landed on them. Laura knew Sebastien would have been happier without the fuss. Without the fancy garden lights, champagne flutes, and decadent catering. A group of friends, a keg of beer, and some red plastic cups would have been more than enough for him. But not for Rodrick. Rodrick needed this to remind everyone who he was, what he had. It was a facet he’d inherited from his father. No matter how much she’d tried, Laura had never got him to see his worth beyond it.

Marianne took Laura’s empty glass and replaced it with a full one from a passing server. “It’s a little bit true. Rodrick wouldn’t have drawn half this crowd if he was poor, trust me.”

Laura rolled her eyes and let her friend’s comment slide. She knew Marianne wasn’t Rodrick’s biggest fan. She usually stood up for him, but Laura was too happy and too full of champagne to care at the moment. She didn’t want to spend the rest of the evening listening to Marianne complain about Rodrick, anyway. She was going to drink, and laugh, and dance, and spend Sebastien’s last night home wrapped up in his arms. Laura was about to change the subject when she heard Sebastien’s familiar laugh. She turned her attention to him, her words dying on her lips. She watched as he chatted with a group of friends, people she recognized from his old class. Sometimes, she couldn’t believe a man like him was hers, and hers alone. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she was afraid she’d made him up. It wasn’t possible that someone like him could actually exist.

“Marianne…” she said, unable to tear her eyes off of Sebastien. “I love him so much, I will actually stop breathing.” As if sensing her attention on him, Sebastien looked up and caught her gaze. His face broke out into a grin equalled only by hers.

Beside Laura, Marianne shook her head and laughed. “Look at him. The feeling is mutual, Lulu.”

“Hold this,” Laura said, handing her glass over to Marianne, and walked over to a nearby wooden table.

“What are you doing?” Marianne asked, as Laura lifted the long, white skirt of her dress and began climbing onto it. What was she doing? She wasn’t sure, but she’d figure it out on the way up. Marianne watched her, unable to do anything but stand there, two glasses in hand. “Laura!”

Up on the table, Laura lifted a finger to her lips, shushing her friend. She gestured for Marianne to hand her back her glass. Marianne shook her head but complied. Laura turned her attention to the crowd. “Can I have everyone’s attention?” she called, and the crowd obliged, much to her surprise. From the corner of her eye, Laura saw Sebastien approach.

“Come down from there!” he called up to her with an amused smile.

“No, no, I have a few things to say! First-” Laura stepped out of his reach and stumbled, but righted herself. “First,” she started again, raising her glass. “A toast to our friends Sebastien and Rodrick! They will leave us tomorrow -” A burst of booing cut her off. “I know, I know,” she said, waving the crowd off. “But they will come back to us with a handful of gold medals!” The crowd burst into cheers and applause as everyone raised their own glasses.

Sebastien laughed as he lifted himself up on the table as well. He wrapped an arm around Laura’s waist, pulling her to him. “Alright, come on now,” he whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair.

“No, wait, one more thing!” Laura extricated herself from him. “An extra special toast to my handsome, brilliant, incredible-”

“Laura…” Sebastien groaned, looking embarrassed by the attention. He grabbed her by the waist again.

“And amazing boyfriend,” Laura continued, unfazed. “Who will become the youngest ADA in DA Walsh’s Homicide Unit upon his victorious return!”

“Thank you,” Sebastien said. He waved at the crowd as a fresh wave of applause rippled through it. “Thank you. Since my beautiful, brilliant, incredible, and amazing girlfriend already has everyone’s attention...”

Sebastien turned his attention to Laura, his dark eyes looking nervous and uncertain. Her stomach filled with butterflies when he took her hands in his and lowered himself down on one knee. She’d never seen him look so scared and exhilarated all at once. “Laura Grace Ramsden, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

If she hadn’t had four glasses of champagne already, Laura might have been able to control herself. She might have teased him a little by dragging her answer out. As it was, only a split second had passed before she yelled her answer.

“Yes!”

Sebastien stood and pulled her into a kiss as the crowd burst into cheers once more. Laura let herself sink into him. The entire world faded around her until there was nothing left but him. Him, and the taste of his lips on hers, and the feel of his hands on her skin. She closed her eyes, wishing she could live in that moment forever.

#

Lawrence Degas turned away from the ridiculous display on the table and downed the rest of his drink in one go. Coming to this party had been idiotic. All everyone could talk about was Sebastien’s move to the Washington County DA’s Office. How perfect he was for it, and how it was such an amazing opportunity for such a promising young lawyer. It made Lawrence sick. He threw his empty glass into a nearby bush and headed towards the garden gates. Before he reached them, he spotted Rodrick Lacroix and stopped. The heir to the Lacroix name and fortune was standing alone, hands in his pockets, a dark look in his eyes. Lawrence followed Rodrick’s line of sight. He was watching Sebastien helping Laura step off the garden table. Pushing Rodrick’s buttons tonight would be easy. Lawrence was not going to pass up the opportunity.

“Cheer up, Rodrick,” he said, coming up to stand next to him. “Some people might think you’re not particularly pleased about the happy couple.” Rodrick’s ridiculous crush on Laura was obvious to everyone but her and Sebastien. Lawrence didn’t see what the fuss was about, to be honest. Yes, Laura was attractive, but she was so… Vanilla. She didn’t seem like the type of girl who knew how to have fun. Real fun.

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“Heard you lost out on that ADA job with DA Walsh.” Rodrick kept his gaze on the couple as he spoke, his voice light. Lawrence felt his jaw tighten. How could Rodrick have known he’d even applied? “We can’t all measure up to Sebastien, now can we?” Rodrick couldn’t even make the effort to look at Lawrence as he insulted him.

“Is that what you told yourself when he stole Laura right from under your nose?” That got Rodrick’s attention, as Lawrence knew it would. Rodrick turned to him, his gaze even darker now. Lawrence knew there were very few things that would make Rodrick lose control. He also knew Laura was one of them. He usually steered clear of the subject. He preferred to spar with the younger Lacroix on professional grounds, but tonight... Tonight, Lawrence felt like going for blood. Losing out on the job with DA Walsh had affected him harder than he’d cared to admit. And he’d gone too long without a good hit. Lawrence raised his chin, preparing himself for the counterattack.

“Why are you even here?” Rodrick asked, his voice icy, all the usual pretense at friendliness gone. “Don’t tell me Horace has finally realized you’re not worth the paper your degree is printed on and got rid of you?” Rodrick smiled that irritating lopsided smile of his, the one he pulled out when he thought he’d won. He took a step closer to Lawrence. “How are you going to pay your dealer now?”

Lawrence fought the urge to look around, see if anyone nearby had heard. He didn’t want Rodrick to see he’d rattled him. He considered backing off, letting Rodrick take the point. But he needed at least one win tonight, even if he had to pay for it later. “What are you going to tell Sebastien when he asks you to be his best man?” Lawrence asked, his voice sounding steadier than he felt. “No thanks, I’m in love with your fiancée?”

Rodrick’s winning smile dropped. He stepped back, his eyes shifting away, as if Lawrence had become invisible. “Pleasure as always, Lawrence.” The lightness, the pretense, was back, but Lawrence knew he’d gotten his win. Without another word, Rodrick pushed past him.

Lawrence pondered what kind of reprisal Rodrick would fire against him. There would be one, no doubt about it. He’d started walking towards the exit again when a strong hand slammed down on his shoulder.

“Lawrence, going already?” Dr Albert Lacroix asked. “The night has only started!”

“I wish I could stay,” Lawrence lied, “but I have an early morning at the office.” He tried to step away, but Albert’s grip on his shoulder did not loosen.

“Horace is working you too hard, young man.” Albert steered him away from the garden gates, and Lawrence let him. “What is he working on that’s got you so busy? Big case?” He asked, grabbing two glasses from a passing server and handing one to him.

Lawrence took a large sip before answering. “It’s not a case, it’s an obsession.” Lawrence smoothed his tie as he spoke. “He dug up this cold case into child trafficking, and it’s all he’s cared about for months.”

“Ah, yes…” Albert nodded. “I’ve heard rumors about that case. The selling of newborns, horrible business.” Albert fell silent for a moment. His gaze drifted onto a nearby group of guests, but Lawrence had the sense the ex-doctor wasn’t done. Sure enough, a few beats later, Albert turned his attention back to him. “And how is that going? Any developments?”

“I’m sorry doctor, I can’t discuss it.” Lawrence took another swallow of champagne and looked away. The case interested Albert Lacroix, as Lawrence had suspected. What Lawrence needed to know now was how far the old doctor would go to get the information he wanted.

“No, no, of course not. But I have been wondering if any familiar names have cropped up?” Albert raised an eyebrow. When Lawrence frowned, he added, “it seems I’m being too indirect. What I’d like to know is: has my name cropped up?”

“Why would your name crop up in a child trafficking case?” Lawrence pulled at his tie, taken aback by Albert’s straightforwardness. He’d asked if he was a named suspect in an abhorrent crime, as if he was enquiring what was being served for dinner. As if a conviction might be a small, irrelevant complication. One that he could resolve with a snap of his fingers. It shouldn’t have shocked Lawrence. Albert Lacroix would be the kind of man with that kind of arrogance.

“It wouldn’t, of course. But one can’t be too careful these days. Why don’t you look into it for me? If you come across anything interesting, we can come to an agreement?” He paused and regarded Lawrence with a loaded look. “Think about it. You know where to find me,” he added, in a tone that implied they both knew said agreement was already in place. Lawrence watched him go until Albert had disappeared into the crowd. He’d be an idiot to get into bed with a man like Albert Lacroix. A very rich, very powerful idiot.

#

Sebastien Merrow guided Laura Ramsden into the Japanese Gardens, and away from the party. Quiet and secluded, it was one of the many private sections of the Lacroix grounds. It was also Laura’s favorite place to go to when she wanted to get away from the chaos of the Ramsden household. She would sit for hours in its peace and quiet, reading her medical textbooks. She’d often use it to practice a new dance routine, too. It was here Sebastien had first seen her, from the floor-to-ceiling window of Rodrick’s bedroom. He’d caught the glint of sunlight reflecting off her fiery hair and had become mesmerized. Her limbs twirled through the air as graceful as the cherry blossoms in the breeze surrounding her. He had no idea how long he’d watched her dance. By the time Rodrick had gotten his attention back, his annoyance with him was palpable. It had taken weeks of pestering before Rodrick had given in and introduced the two. When he’d decided to ask her to marry him, Sebastien knew this would be the only place to do it.

With a hand over her eyes, he steered Laura through the paving stones, past the koi pond, towards the gazebo. He had spent the afternoon decorating it with electric tea lights and fresh flowers. Laura giggled as he helped her up the steps, trying to keep her from tripping. Sebastien held still for a moment behind her, and then let his hand drop.

Laura gasped, hands flying to her mouth. “What is this?” she asked, as she took it all in.

“This was part of my plan,” Sebastian explained. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I had a whole speech and everything, I swear, but I saw you standing there and I… Couldn’t wait any longer. I’m sorry. I wanted it to be perfect.”

Laura spun around in his arms to face him. “Here, out there, speech or no speech,” Laura wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer. “My answer would have been the same.” She pressed a quick kiss against his lips. “Spending the rest of my life with you, that’s perfect,” she whispered, before pulling away. “But since you went to all this trouble setting this up, we should enjoy it for a bit.”

With a mischievous smile, Laura grabbed his hand and led Sebastien towards the blankets and pillows he’d arranged on the opposite side of the gazebo. Once they had both settled down, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.

“I want you to have this,” he said, holding it out to Laura. He lifted the lid to reveal three raw diamonds set in a white gold band. “It was my mother’s.”

“It’s beautiful.” Laura ran her fingertips over the stones, then shook her head. “I can’t-”

Sebastien silenced her with a kiss. “She would have wanted you to have it,” he said, once he’d pulled back. “I wish you could have met her,” he added, pulling the ring out of its box. He’d had it cleaned and resized, with his father’s permission. The center, larger diamond, the palest of the three, looked iridescent in the low light. Sebastien pulled his gaze away and glanced up at Laura. “She would have loved you.”

Laura reached over and tucked one of his long dark curls behind his ear, then rested her hand on his cheek. “Wherever she is, she is so proud of the man you’ve become.”

Sebastien smiled and leaned his forehead against hers. He couldn’t think of any other time in his life where he’d felt as complete as he did in that moment. “I have loved no one the way I love you. I want to be yours,” he whispered.

“Until death do us part?” Laura whispered back.

“Even beyond death.”

“Beyond the end of the world?”

“Beyond even that.”

“The end of the universe?”

Sebastien couldn’t help but smile, hearing the gentle, teasing tone in her voice. Pulling away from her, he grabbed her hand. “Yours forever,” he said, slipping the ring onto her finger. “Until we are nothing but dust among the stars.”