New Beginnings (23 page)

“I know. Honestly, I do. It’s just taking my subconscious some time to catch up. Can we just forget it? I’m okay. Really.”

He grabbed my face and kissed me deeply. When he pulled away, his hands remained on my face holding me firmly in place. “I’ve already unloaded our bags. They are upstairs in the bedroom we stayed in last time. Tom and Renatta are about an hour out. Gabe and Tiffany have already been shopping and have dinner planned for this evening. I could really use a nap. Will you lie down with me?”

I smiled at him and nodded. Like I would ever be able to turn down that request. He grabbed my hand and pulled me off the couch.

“Gabe, Ella and I are going to lie down for about an hour,” he called out towards the kitchen as we made our way to the stairs. He didn’t wait for a response from Gabriel.

It was then that I noticed the tall Christmas tree that was next to the huge stone fireplace in the living room. Some Christmas presents were already placed underneath it. It made me smile.

In the bedroom, the small mantel on the fireplace was draped with fresh evergreen filling the room with a wonderful pine scent. Xavier closed the door behind me then the blinds on the huge picture window. He set his alarm on his iPhone and stripped down to his boxers before he climbed into the bed. He gave me a wicked smile and patted the spot on the bed next to him.

I raised an eyebrow at him as I stripped down to my bra and panties. “I thought you said you could use a nap?”

“I need you more then we’ll get some rest,” he said huskily.

Who was I to argue with that?

Hours later, I woke to the wonderful smell of steak. Xavier’s laughter mixed with that of my friends drifted up from downstairs. I rolled out of bed and got myself dressed so I could go join them.

I found them all in the kitchen. Gabe was grilling steaks on the indoor grill that was part of the massive, professional-looking stove. Tiffany was busy cooking on the cooktop. Tom and Renatta were standing in the kitchen. He spotted me first.

“Here’s the sleepyhead,” Tom announced.

Renatta peeked around the corner. “Ella!” she exclaimed as she walked over and hugged me tightly. “Xavier told me what happened this morning. How are you feeling?” she whispered in my ear.

“I’m fine. Really,” I said trying to reassure her. “When did you guys get here?”

“About two hours ago,” Renatta said.

Renatta led me into the kitchen where Tom came over and hugged me before Gabe and Tiffany did. I was literally being passed around the room. Finally, I made it into Xavier’s arms. He kissed the top of my head.

“Why did you let me sleep so late? I’ll never sleep tonight now.”

“Oh, I’ll make sure you’re tired enough to sleep later,” he said to me loud enough for everyone to hear. The room erupted into cheers. My cheeks heated.

“What are you cooking, Tiffany? It smells fantastic.” My mouth was watering.

“Garlic mashed and green beans. And I believe we are now ready to eat.” Gabriel agreed with her assessment as he removed the steaks from the grill.

We all gathered around the huge dining room table. Gabriel opened a bottle of wine. Xavier handed me a glass of sparkling cranberry juice, which I noticed he was drinking as well. I saw Renatta smiling at us from across the table.

There were several appreciative moans as we began to eat. The steaks were cooked to medium rare perfection. They were juicy and mouthwatering with wonderful flavor. We were all praising Gabriel and Tiffany for the delicious meal.

It dawned on me that this was the first time Tom and Renatta were meeting Gabriel and Tiffany. I was glad to see that they were all hitting it off so well. With the way they interacted with each other, you would have sworn they were all old friends. The thought made me smile.

“What’s on the menu for tomorrow?” Tiffany asked.

“If it’s not snowing, I thought we could go horseback riding,” Gabriel replied.

Xavier shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Before he could protest, I opened my mouth. “I’d love to go horseback riding. I haven’t been since I was little.” Xavier glared down at me. “Come on. I’ve told you before I’m not made of glass,” I whispered through clenched teeth.

“Well, we could also break out the snowmobiles instead,” Gabriel said.

“Yes, I think the snowmobiles would be a better option,” Xavier said. I just rolled my eyes at him. Mr. Overprotective strikes again.

Renatta and Tiffany got up to clear the table. I stood to help them, but Xavier grabbed my arm and pulled me back into my seat. “They’ve got it,” he said softly to me.

Once dinner was cleaned up, the other two couples decided to get in the hot tub.

“Don’t worry. I have a surprise for you,” Xavier said. He took my hand and led me upstairs. He handed me a pair of sweats and told me to put them on over my leggings. Making sure I had my heavy socks on, he then handed me a sweatshirt telling me to put it on over my long-sleeved t-shirt. We headed back downstairs.

Stopping by the front door, Xavier had me put on my boots while he did the same. He wrapped my scarf around my neck and handed me my gloves. The two tartan blankets we used for our carriage ride last weekend were still sitting by the door. Xavier grabbed those on our way to the back deck.

He stopped just at the sliding glass doors turning so he was blocking my view. “Close your eyes and no peeking,” he said. Grabbing my hand, he led me out onto the deck. “Okay, open them,” he said excitedly.

My hand flew up to my mouth and I gasped. There was a fire blazing in the stone fireplace that was at the edge of the deck. Placed in front of that, was an oversized, round, wicker lounge chair with matching ottoman. It was easily big enough for the both of us.

Xavier led me over to it. He sat down first and then pulled me down next to him. I snuggled into his side as he wrapped the tartan blankets around us.

“Where did this come from?”

“I had it delivered this week,” he said softly as he kissed the top of my head. “Hey, my girl likes to watch the snow fall. I thought we could do it together comfortably.”

His sweet gesture brought tears to my eyes. “Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome, sweetness,” he said, running his fingers gently through my hair.

It was of course snowing. The crackle of the wood in the fire was a nice addition to the sound of the river running over the rocks.

“Are you warm enough?” Xavier asked.

“Absolutely.” Between being snuggled under the blankets with his warmth and the warmth of the fire I was almost getting too warm. I could have stayed like this for the rest of the weekend. I let out a contended sigh and snuggled closer into his side.

“What was the sigh for?”

“I was just thinking how perfect this is. I could stay here like this with you for the rest of the weekend,” I confessed.

His silent laughter jiggled me. I looked up at him smiling. When our eyes locked, the smiles faded from our faces as that familiar electricity ran through me. I knew he was feeling it, too.

We kissed each other desperately as if it were the last time. He shifted me so I was under him. I wrapped my fingers in his hair and held him to me. We stayed like that for several minutes. Then his hands hungrily sought the bottom of my t-shirt. Goosebumps burst across my skin as his hand found the warmth of my bare belly. He caressed my stomach gently and lovingly, his touch making me desperate for him.

I broke away and sat up pulling my scarf off. I grabbed the bottom of my sweatshirt and pulled it up over my head letting it drop to the ground. The move caused my shirt to go half way up my body. Xavier grabbed it and pulled it up over my head.

He quickly sat up and pulled his sweatshirt and t-shirt off, too. Pushing me back down onto the cushion, he made sure we were well covered by the blankets before he sealed his mouth over mine once more. The warmth of his bare chest against me was fueling my fire.

“I want you,” I mumbled against his lips. He moaned softly as I reached for the tie of his sweatpants.

We both froze when we heard the laughter of our friends. He pulled back and looked toward the sliding glass doors. They all bailed from the hot tub and were back in the house.

He pressed his forehead to mine as we both slowed our breathing. “What you do to me. I can’t believe we almost took it too far out here.”

I wiggled suggestively underneath him. “Well, hotness. I hope you plan on finishing what you started whether it be out here or in there.” I gave him a wicked smile.

He jumped off the lounge chair and scooped up our clothes faster than I could blink. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me off the chair. Making sure we were both wrapped in a blanket, he opened the sliding glass doors, and quickly ushered me into the house.

Gabriel, Tiffany, Tom, and Renatta were all sitting in the living room wrapped in plush robes.

“There you two are,” Gabriel said. “What did you think of the lounge chair, Ella?”

“I think it’s perfect, and we were just about to christen it, Gabriel.” He widened his eyes at my comment.

“Good night, all,” Xavier growled. He dropped our t-shirts and sweatshirts right there on the landing of the stairs along with the blanket that was wrapped around him. Quickly, he scooped me up and headed up the stairs.

I glanced over Xavier’s shoulder into the shocked faces of our friends and gave them a little wave. Once we were out of sight, the four of them burst out laughing.

A horrible pain ripped through my abdomen. My arms wrapped around my body as I pulled my legs up into the fetal position. It was then that I felt the cold dampness in the bed. No! Sitting up I threw the covers back to find I was lying in a pool of blood. My heart sank. My tear-filled eyes were riveted on the bright, red stain against the white sheet. It looked gruesome and perverse. I reached for Xavier, but all I grabbed were cold, empty sheets. I called out for him, but there was no response.

Carefully, I slipped out of the bed. The bathroom was empty. Where the hell was he? Usually, he could sense my distress. I paused waiting to see if he would come bursting through the door, but he never came.

As I made my way downstairs, another pain ripped through my body making me gasp and double over. I needed to find Xavier and I needed to find him fast. I searched the entire downstairs for him, but he was nowhere to be found.

I stopped and stood before the sliding glass doors. Could he be out there watching the snowfall like I enjoyed doing so much? Suddenly, I heard distant laughing. One voice was familiar, but the other made my blood run cold. Xavier was out there and he wasn’t alone.

Sliding the door open, I hesitantly stepped out onto the deck. My cold, bloody feet slapped on the deck. There he was in the hot tub with some unidentified woman. In a matter of seconds, several emotions ran through me; anger, hatred, jealousy, and finally sadness.

They both appeared to be naked and laughing. His eyes widened with surprise as soon as he saw me. No! Not again. How could he do this to me?

The instinct to run surfaced. This scene was something I had to get away from and as quickly as possible. I turned to head back into the house. Bloody footprints covered the ground through the trail of blood I left behind. I dropped to the ground feeling weak and exhausted and in horrible pain. I was losing the baby. I was losing Xavier. I wasn’t going to survive this.

My eyes sprung open in a complete panic as I gasped for air. I was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. My heart was pounding. Xavier. I glanced over only to find that he wasn’t with me. I needed to find him now.

In a rush, I tried to get out of the bed not realizing that my leg was tangled in the sheet causing me to stumble. I threw my hands out as I landed face first onto the hardwood floor with a horrible thud. During my struggle to get my leg lose the sheet was pulled off the bed giving me a clear view of the fitted sheet on the mattress. There was nothing but the white sheet. It was just a dream, just one crazy, screwed up dream.

I sat on the floor trying to calm my breathing when I heard heavy footsteps charging up the stairs. The door flew open as Xavier came bursting into the room. His eyes widened as he took me in on the floor. He rushed over to me. Strong hands grabbed me under my arms like a child and lifted me onto the bed.