Page 43 of Say I'm Yours, Firecracker

“It fits like a glove!” Stacey crooned and I teared up.

She would be a stunning bride, which meant Eli would be leaving in two weeks. I needed to let him go, and focus my efforts on Finn. We were going to have a baby, sooner rather than later. It was high time I got my shit together and focused on the future of my child.

When we got back from the dress shop Xavier was waiting, sprawled out on our couches like he owned the damn place.

“Where have you been?” Bellamy started.

“Chill Bells, I had a lot of errands to run.” Xavier said lazily. Recently he was either irritable or extremely happy. Looks like we got happy Xavier today.

“Our bride was expecting to meet you today.” Bellamy almost growled, and I knew she was about to blow if I didn’t intervene.

“I’m sure he has a valid reason for missing us today,” I said, moving between the two. Xavier was glaring at Bell and she was lasering him with her eyes.

“I told you already, I had a lot of errands to run.” He waved his hand in front of his chest as if shooing a fly.

“When we tell a client that you’re going to show up, You. Show. Up.” Bell stepped forward. “Or do we need to find another photographer that wants our business?”

“Okay, Bell.” I said, pushing her toward her office.

“I can’t believe you!” Xavier exclaimed, standing from the couch.

Her face flushed red, and I knew we were about to get very angry, Bell. “You can’t believe me?” She huffed and got all up in his face. “You’re the flake here. It’s our first client on our own, andnowyou want to start not showing up?”

Xavier had the decency to look ashamed, like he didn’t think of it that way. Once Bell put it into perspective like that, I could rationalize her anger. Xavier sat down with a sigh and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to flake on y’all.”

“Xavier, what's been going on with you recently?” I asked, making my voice soft. “You’ve been… distant.”

He shuffled his feet on the carpet, but didn’t say anything. Bellamy sat down on his other side and I followed suit, squishing him between us.

“I went to see a therapist.” He squeaked out.

“That’s great news!” I told him. Therapy had saved my tail a time or two. Bellamy didn’t speak, instead she let Xavier have his space to feel whatever he was feeling.

“Since Landon came back it’s been bringing up a lot of memories.” His eyes watered but he didn’t cry. “The session went over, it won’t happen again.”

“Well, my thoughts still stand, but now I feel slightly like a dick.” Bell huffed.

“You are a dick.” Xavier quipped back.

We all laughed because she may be an ass sometimes, but she was the fiercest friend.

“Don’t shut us out. You need us, just as much as we need you.” I said, because even though we were all laughing now, he needed to know how serious I was.

He nodded, dabbing a tissue under his eyes and nose to clear up anything that had dripped. We chatted for a few more minutes and just enjoyed the company. Bellamy and I had a few things to catch up on so we headed to our offices and bid Xavier goodnight.

Bellamy locked the door behind him and we silently made our way to our offices. I turned my lights off because it was easier with just the table lamp light this late. I tried stifling a yawn, and failed miserably when I heard Bellamy across the hall saying, “None of that!”

I answered a few emails and approved a new mock-up for our redesigned logo. It was perfect, a blend of Bell and I. Our tastes may not be the same, but we meshed seamlessly.

I caught myself drifting, eyes heavy as the words on paper blurred. I’d just rest my head on the table for a second, then I could get back to work.

My phone rang as I was climbing out of the shower. I was going to miss the upgrades my penthouse in the city had. The house didn’t have the sleek lines and marble my apartment did, but it also didn’t have the cold and detached feel.

Bellamy’s face was lit up on my screen but went black once the ringing stopped. Alarm thrummed through my system. Bellamy never called me, Aaron did. Dripping wet I unlocked my phone and immediately dialed back.

“What’s happened? Is Ronnie okay?” I blurted the moment she answered, not even giving her any time to say ‘hello’.

“Easy, big guy. Everything is fine.” Bellamy said by way of greeting. “Wouldn’t want you to break a nail, punching numbers so fast.”

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