New Beginnings (49 page)

“Shh. I’ll take care of you,” he whispered, hooking his hands around the edge of my panties. His hot tongue trailed down my back as he slowly pulled my panties down my legs. His tongue down my back and his fingers down my legs left scorching trails behind. He tapped each ankle to let me know when to step out of them. I was left standing in nothing more than my blue pumps and black thigh-highs.

“Mmm. That is so damn sexy.” He took my hand and started leading me further into the room. “I need you on the bed. Now,” he said gruffly.

“Finally,” I mumbled, causing him to release another husky-sounding chuckle.

“Oh, we’re just getting started,” he whispered as he positioned me on the bed.

As soon as I was settled right where he wanted me, the bed dipped as he moved to get off. I heard his shirt being pulled from his trousers then the rustle of the fabric as he took off and tossed his shirt aside. The jingle of his belt as he undid it and pulled it through the loops, and then the sound of his zipper being pulled down as he removed his pants. I fisted the bedspread in anticipation of his touch.

It was quiet for several minutes, but I knew he was still in the room. I could hear his ragged breathing. I heard a jar pop open then the sound of a Ziploc bag being rustled. The bed dipped once again as he crawled up on it. The anticipation was killing me. My heart was pounding in my chest and my breaths were coming in pants. I just wanted his hands and mouth on me, but then the sudden smell of chocolate and strawberries made my mouth water.

Xavier ran his thumb along my lower lip. “Open,” he said softly.

The first thing I tasted was the satin-smooth chocolate then the juice exploded in my mouth as my teeth pierced the sweet skin of the strawberry. After I took a bite, I heard Xavier finish off the other half.

Suddenly, without warning, his lips crashed onto mine. I gasped, he moaned as our tongues tangled with a desperation that left me breathless. He tasted of chocolate, strawberries, and Xavier. Arching my body into his bare chest, I dragged my nails down his back. As I trailed my fingers along his hips, he broke the kiss and stopped the progression of my hands. I groaned with frustration.

“You touch me now and it’ll be all over. I’m nowhere near finished with you.” His voice was rough and his breathing was uneven. At this rate neither one of us was going to last long.

The bed dipped as he moved out of my reach. I heard a utensil against glass. Then the sudden feeling of warm chocolate being drizzled across my chest down to my navel had me gasping. My body bowed off the bed when Xavier’s tongue slowly and meticulously started licking the trail of chocolate off. Then he presented me with another chocolate-covered strawberry before he drizzled more chocolate over my naked body then more licking. A sheen of sweat bloomed across my skin. I continued to moan and wither under him.

When my body was mad with need, he pushed my pumps off my feet. He impatiently rolled my thigh-highs down my legs. The bed dipped as he crawled up my naked body. When he was poised at my slick entrance, he pushed the eye mask off my face. Piercing blue eyes filled with desire met mine. His cheeks were flushed from his arousal.

Wrapping my legs around his lean waist, I pushed my feet into his behind urging him on. I cried out when our bodies came together. Immediately he stilled. “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice rough.

“I’m fine,” I said with a raspy voice.

We were both so worked up that it didn’t take long before we were both crying out together with our release. When his arms gave out, he collapsed onto me. His delicious weight pressing me down into the bed felt comforting. I ran my fingers up and down his sweat-slicked back as our hearts pounded against each other.

As our breathing slowed, my phone signaled an incoming text message. Xavier rolled off me allowing me to get up to retrieve my phone. It was a text from my mother. I smiled at the attachment. She sent a picture of my dad out cold on the couch with both babies sleeping on his chest. Even six weeks after their birth, they still slept cuddled up against one another. It was adorable.

“What are you smiling at?” Xavier asked, pulling down the covers and climbing into the bed. He pulled the sheet back and summoned me in.

“A picture my mom sent,” I said, handing him my phone.

He chuckled as I climbed in and snuggled into his side. Kissing my forehead, he put my phone down on the bedside table. My fingers trailed lightly over his chest while his fingers trailed lightly along my back. I sighed content and happy.

“Thank you,” I softly whispered.

“For what, baby?”

“For finding me. For loving me. For giving me the opportunity to start over.”

He pressed his cheek against the top of my head, squeezing me tightly to him. “I never thought I’d find you. I had myself convinced that something like this was never going to happen for me. Then I stepped on that plane and there you were. My forever,” he said softly.

I never tire of hearing how he felt when he first saw me on that fateful flight. I leaned up on my elbow and looked down at him, resting my palm over his heart. His warm fingers grasped my chin holding me in place.

“Thank you, sweetness. For showing me all the wonderful new beginnings this beautiful life has to offer me so far. There isn’t anybody else in this world that I would want to share this journey with.”

I smiled widely at him. “I have a new beginning I want to start with you right now,” I said, climbing on top of him and crushing my lips to his.

“Sophia, you need to wear your boots. It’s snowing where we’re going.” I stood in the doorway of Sophia’s room watching as Xavier gently tried coaxing her into wearing her winter boots.

“No, Daddy. My feet get hot.” Placing her hands on her little hips, she stomped her little foot. Covering my mouth to hide my smile, I coughed to hide my giggle.

Xavier stood looking completely exasperated. Running his hands through his hair, he walked up to me. “Stubborn just like her mother,” he whispered with a smirk on his face. “She’s all yours.” He pinched me on the butt as he walked out causing me to yelp. I narrowed my eyes at him over my shoulder.

I walked into the room. Stopping in front of Sophia, I kneeled down in front of her. “Sophia, sweetheart, I know your boots make your feet warm, but it’s cold and wet outside. I’m sure you don’t want your feet to get wet.” I paused as I watched her process this information. She hated her feet in wet shoes. “Now let’s get them on so we can go. Daddy and Brant are waiting.”

She let out a little sigh. “Okay, Mommy.” She sat on the edge of her bed allowing me to slip them on.

“Thank you,” I said, kissing her cheek.

Grabbing her hand in mine, we made our way out to the living room where Xavier and Brant were patiently waiting. Xavier glanced at his watch and gaped at me. I shrugged my shoulders at him.

“You have such a way with her,” he said, shaking his head. “Let’s get on the road.”

We climbed into the BMW SUV and started heading toward Leavenworth. It was a week before Christmas and for the first time since the twins had been born we had plans of meeting Gabriel and Tiffany, Stewart and Marissa, and Tom and Renatta at Gabriel’s cabin. We just had one important stop to make on the way.

Xavier navigated the SUV off the ferry and through Seattle to Pike Place Market. When we arrived at the flower shop, like usual, Xavier let the kids create their own bouquet of flowers. They always came up with such colorful arrangements that consisted of many different types of flowers.

Not long after, we were driving through the entrance of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Since Xavier’s breakdown on his parent’s graves after Stephen’s funeral, Xavier has been coming on a very regular basis. It was still difficult for him, but nowhere near what it had been that one dreadful day. We’ve been bringing the kids by at least once a month since they could walk.

As soon as they got out of the car, they ran right to the big, black stone nestled under the pines. Xavier and I walked hand-in-hand behind them. He had vases to match the stones installed four years ago so flowers could be left. He reached down and removed the dried-up bunches the kids left last month, which were all brown and fragile looking now.

“Hello, Grandma,” Sophia said, placing her bouquet in the vase near the stone of Xavier’s mother.

“Hello, Grandpa,” Brant said, as he too placed his bouquet in the vase near the stone of Xavier’s father.

We all stood quietly for a few minutes. Sophia was the one to break the silence.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Do you miss your mommy and daddy?” She looked up at him with her big, chocolate-brown eyes.

He crouched down next to her, putting an arm around her waist. “Yes, sweetie. I miss them very much every day.”

“Do you think they would have liked us?” Her innocent question brought tears to my eyes. Xavier didn’t go unaffected either. He needed to clear his throat before he answered her. I squeezed his shoulder.

“They wouldn’t have just liked you and your brother. They would have loved you both very much,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. I surreptitiously wiped the tears from my eyes.

“Grandma’s name is like mine,” Sophia said, tracing her little fingers over the name carved in the stone.

“Yes, it is. Your mother and I named you after your grandmother just like Brant was named after his grandfather.”

“Why did they die on the same day?” Brant asked, crouched down in front his grandfather’s stone.

“A plane your grandfather was flying crashed,” Xavier replied.

Brant frowned for a moment while he thought about this. “Can I become a pilot too, Daddy?” he then asked, his little face lighting up at the possibility. Xavier’s face, on the other hand, blanched.

“Well, Brant, you have a long time yet to think about what you’d like to do when you get older.”

“I’m gonna be a pilot then just like my grandpa was,” he said proudly.

We stood for several more minutes in silence. Xavier looked up at the thickening clouds and frowned. “We should get going.”

Once the twins were asleep in the SUV, Xavier grabbed my hand and squeezed. I looked over at him.

“They asked some tough questions today,” he said somberly.

“They did, but we knew this day would come eventually.”

“I know, but it was still hard.”

That was evident based on his reaction to Brant’s question about wanting to be a pilot, which got me thinking. “Would you stop Brant from flying if that’s what he really wanted to do?”

I glanced over at him carefully. He was staring out the windshield. His lips were pressed into a hard line. “No, of course not. He’s my son, Ella. I would support him regardless just like my parents would’ve done.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said softly.

We arrived at the cabin just after lunch. Gabriel and Tiffany were already here. As soon as the car shut off, the kids popped up like some kind of spell that had been cast over them suddenly got broken. Gabriel must’ve heard our approach. He was standing in the doorway with a huge smile on his face.

“Ella,” he said, wrapping me in a warm hug and kissing my cheek as soon as I stepped out of he car. “How are you?”

“I’m good, Gabe. You?”

“Very well,” he said, giving me a secret smile that had me frowning.

“Uncle Gabe!” Brant shouted excitedly, shooting around from behind the SUV.

“Hey, little man,” Gabriel said, catching Brant up into a big hug. “Have you been behaving yourself?”

“Yes,” Brant said, rolling his eyes as Gabriel put him down.

“Hello, Gabe,” Xavier said, coming around from the back of the SUV. He had Sophia in his arms while he was carrying an overnight bag. She struggled to get down as soon as she saw Gabriel.

“Hey, X.” He smiled at Xavier. “There she is! There’s my princess! Ooph.” Gabriel had the breath pushed from his lungs as Sophia launched herself into his arms.

“Hello, Uncle Gabriel,” she said excitedly. “Can we go and find a Christmas tree now like you promised?”

“Let’s get you guys settled first,” Gabriel said, bending down to place Sophia on her feet.

“Go on, Gabe. Ella and I’ve got this,” Xavier said.