Chapter24: Stay.

MIA.  Once I had put the kids to bed, I walked back out to the terrace. Time had already passed and it was too late for me to return to the Ball. Too late for Lucien too.  I pulled off my dress and put on something more comfortable—a T-shirt and some plaid pants. I walked out onto the terrace and there he was, Lucien, leaning against the wooden railings.  At the sound of the door, he threw a look over his shoulders and I walked to him. "They're finally asleep," I whispered. I had his jacket in his hands which I handed over to him. "Thank you for this." I said. Lucien reluctantly collected it, a cigarette perched between his lips. He blew it to the winds. It was such a chilly night. I don't think it'd been this cold since I came here. "You didn't have to." Lucien collected the jacket. I did. I stood right next to him, folding my arms on the ledge too. I looked over the terrace with the winds blowing through my hair. Lucien let go of the cigarette and crushed it beneath his feet.  For a