A Perfect Life by Danielle Steel

Author:Danielle Steel [Steel, Danielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
ISBN: 9781446465141
Publisher: Transworld
Published: 2014-07-17T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

IT TOOK SIMON a whole day to calm down after his parents’ visit, which was what his mother always did to him. And Blaise kept telling him that it was fine. She said his mother wasn’t a vicious woman, just an outspoken one, and there had been no harm done.

But he made a superb dinner that night to thank her, chateaubriand and asparagus with hollandaise. And after Salima went to her room, he talked about his mother again.

“She actually asked me if I was gay when I was in college, because I’d never introduced her to a girlfriend, but she’s so outrageous, I was afraid to,” he said, sipping the wine he had bought to go with the dinner, to atone for his mother’s sins. He had been apologizing for her all his life, and should have been used to it by then, but he wasn’t. He still looked embarrassed and contrite.

“What convinced her otherwise?” Blaise asked with a look of amusement.

“I slept with the daughters of all her friends to reassure her,” he said, and Blaise laughed.

“I guess that would do it,” she said, with no need to be convinced.

“I was thinking about what my mother said today, about our having an affair.”

“She would kill you if we did.” Blaise was clear on that concept also. And his mother had made it clear the night before. She thought Blaise was too old for him, and Blaise thought so too.

“I told you, your age is irrelevant. But what could I ever give you, what could I add to your life? You have everything, a fabulous career, every material thing you’ve ever wanted. I couldn’t support you on what I make. You have Salima. And what do I have? Nothing.” He sounded sad as he said it. He had thought about it all day, and the night before.

“You have you,” Blaise said simply. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted from anyone. I’ve never been dependent on any man in my life. All I’ve ever wanted from a man is for him to love me. I don’t need anything else. You’ve already improved my life immeasurably. You worry about me, take care of me, feed me. You’re wonderful to Salima. You care how my day was, you ask me how I am and want to know. That’s more than I’ve ever had from any man, even the ones I was married to. I’m not worried about what you can give me. Everything you are is a gift, and you already are just as a friend. And I’m not suggesting we have an affair. But if we did, the real problem is what I can’t give you. Or probably not at this point. I have Salima, as you just said. And I’m sure you want children. I’m too old to have another one. Technically, I could, but probably not without some assistance. But I’m too old to do that again. And going through Salima being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes was so traumatic that I’d never want to try again.

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