Page 27 of Kiss and Makeup
“I remember, actually.” Like me, Xavier’s grandpa had grown up in a small town and left to make something of himself. He and I had gotten along wonderfully for that very reason. “What’s all this?” I asked, pointing to the papers and files spread out on the table in front of the couch.
“Do you want some tea? Or some coffee?” Xavier asked from the kitchen.
“Tea sounds nice.”
“That stuff is for a new contract I’m working on securing. If I can get this client to choose us over the competition, it’ll be great for Cruise Media. It’s a pretty big electronics company.”
“Pretty big” wasn’t exactly the most professional term, but Xavier still struck me with how far he’d come. Genuine excitement filled his voice when he talked about new contracts and successes not only personal to him, but generally created within Cruise Media. He no longer only took interest in things that his father forced him to work toward, but the big picture—the massive, clockwork machine that was Cruise Media as a whole.
Every day, he sounded more like an executive—like a CEO—and I couldn’t be more impressed.
I took off my shoes and placed them at the edge of the flat stones marking the hearth, stole up behind Xavier in my socks, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He didn’t stop pouring hot water from the electric kettle, but his back relaxed into my chest and his shoulders melted into my arms. “Hey,” I said.
“Hey?” he replied, the sliver of brown eye I could see looking quite confused.
“I’m proud of you.” I watched the eye flutter shut as I kissed his jaw. “And I know your parents are too.”
Xavier turned about in my arms and pressed a mug into my hand, but kept my body close to his. “Speaking of parents, I actually have something to tell you. You’ll find out soon enough, so I thought about keeping it a surprise… But then I wouldn’t get to tell you myself.” He took my hand and led me to the living room, took my tea from me, and set both our mugs down before sitting himself down. His arms opened wide and he hugged me close the second I snuggled up to him in the nook between his arm and chest.
“What is it?” I asked a little lazily, warmer now in two seconds than I’d been in a week of wearing thick, heavy, winter clothes.
“Cruise Media holds a huge Christmas party every year, and we always invite the staff of companies involved in our holiday contracts. BeautyBee Cosmetics’ staff is invited, of course. Also, parents are welcome to bring their kids. There’ll be a place for them to play and things for them to do.”
“What kind of party? I mean, formal, casual?” Outfits belonging to me dove out of the recesses of my closet and paraded through my mind like some kind of private fashion show. None of them were appropriate for a formal corporate party.
His reply of “semi-formal” put my fears to rest immediately. I had dresses for semi-formal occasions. Emma would need something, though. “Sounds lovely.” I burrowed a little deeper into Xavier’s embrace. “When is it?”
“The 16th. This Sunday. Can you two make it?”
He kissed the top of my head and I snuggled into him again, trying to tell him that if there was any way to get closer to him than I was now, I would. “Of course.”
“My parents will be so thrilled to see you.”
A hint of tenseness diluted the comfort and safety from Xavier’s body. “Have you talked to them lately?” I asked casually.
“My dad, yes. Not my mom lately. I’ve been busy with your contract and this new one I’m hoping to land.” He must have felt the change in my body because I felt his chin rub my head as he looked down at me. “Why?”
“I was just wondering if you’d mentioned I was Head of Marketing at BeautyBee, that’s all.” That was the truth, but… It was a little more than that.
“No. I didn’t know what we were for a while. Or if there even was an “us”. I didn’t want to say anything until I figured us out. My mom would have been so disappointed if I lost you again.” His tone was joking, but his arms tightened and he clutched me to him like he would never let go.
“Well there is an us. And it’s pretty great.”
The doorbell dinged, and I remembered the Chinese we had ordered. “Be right back. Okay?” Xavier extricated himself from me and went to get the door.
I watched him until he stepped outside. Wow, I hadn’t seen Xavier’s parents in… just as long as I hadn’t seen him. What if they held a grudge against me for breaking up with their son? Or blamed me for his habits, or something? And I had Emma now. A big controversy around women executives was that pregnancy could break a company with a woman at the head, and I had a child already. Marcus and Paula Caruso might believe my child and I would distract Xavier from this new direction.
This is exactly how I thought when I decided not to tell Xavier about Emma,I realized with a pang. Everything turned out for the best then. Surely, if I just showed the Carusos that I was still that driven business woman they had loved in college, they wouldn’t think ill of me.
Xavier coming back into my life had been so good for me, and I spent every day happy and fulfilled between spending time with him and Emma. I had to believe that everything would turn out for the best.
And for now, I couldn’t take that wide, happy smile off Xavier’s face with unnecessary worry. So, I hopped up energetically and jogged to the kitchen to search for forks. What would happen would happen, and I would just have to trust in the love between us.
