Chapter 38 - Xavier

Xavier

W e spent the better part of Monday in my flat.

I didn’t have training so we only came up for air to eat. I did sneak away for a couple minutes to reschedule my appointment with Dr. Frances. He wasn’t pleased but I didn’t give a shit. Being with Victoria was more important than rehashing everything we went through over the weekend. I’ll tell him about it soon enough.

“Do you think we should get dressed and go out for dinner later?” Victoria snuggled into me, draping an arm across my stomach.

“No.”

Her melodic laugh sent my heart racing. I buried my nose in her hair, inhaling her sensual scent. Staying like this forever seemed like a better option.

My phone vibrated on the nightstand. She reached over, grabbed it, and answered.

“Xavier’s phone. How can I help you?”

I squeezed her waist, watching her cheerful expression.

“It is,” she exclaimed. “Yep, I’m in London. Nice to talk to you too. Nope, we’re not busy. We’d love to. Great. See you later.”

“Who was that?”

Victoria smiled at me and tossed the phone on the mattress. “Your stepmother. She invited us over for dinner.”

My stomach dropped into an endless free fall. “Tonight?”

An exaggerated eye roll preceded her sarcastic answer. “No. Next year.” A pillow hit my face. “Yes, tonight. We’ve been in bed too long. Get up. You can take me to my cottage on the way.”

Fine.

But before any of that would happen, I yanked her into the shower, claiming and ravaging her body until she shattered into a million pieces. And then I did it again.

The drive out to Briarcliff Village was enjoyable. Victoria messed around with my radio, playing DJ until she found something she liked, which always seemed to be pop music from the late nineties.

About ten minutes before we arrived at the cottage, she got a text.

“My dad’s here.” Her voice softened. “Can we stop at Black Rose first? He’s there with Ray and Dawn.”

Forget free fall. My stomach collapsed into oblivion. Introducing her to my family was a big enough challenge. Meeting her father ?

Not ready for that at all.

“Of course we can.”

I noticed a tiny smile when she saw my discomfort.

Black Rose Tavern was fairly empty at this time of day. The lunch crowd was already gone, so just a few people sat at the bar. Dawn saw us and beelined over, engulfing Victoria in a massive hug.

“I have missed this beautiful face,” she exclaimed, cupping Victoria’s cheeks. “You are glowing. Told you he was a charmer.”

“You flatter me, Dawn.” I grinned when she ruffled my hair.

“Is my dad still here? He texted me a few minutes ago.”

“Yes.” Dawn turned and waved someone over. “He’s been waiting for you.”

She hugged Victoria and looked at me. Something in her eyes gave me pause, like she was privy to specific information and I wasn’t.

I almost fired off a snarky comment but was halted by the sight of an older gentleman walking our way.

Tall, well-dressed, salt and pepper hair.

A weird sensation swooped through my body.

I recognize this man .

“Hello sweetheart,” he said, wrapping Victoria in a warn hug. “Congratulations on a successful game. Quite a stressful one at that.”

“A win is a win. Even the ugly ones.”

The man looked at me, a pleasant smile reflecting in his eyes. “Trevor Chase.” He offered his hand. “Not sure if you remember me. We met a few weeks ago in here.”

Victoria’s jaw dropped, meeting mine on the floor.

Trevor Chase . The random stranger Dawn said wanted to meet me when I was here with Cade.

I shook his hand. “I remember. You’re not a Royal City supporter.”

“Dad,” Victoria hissed. “You told him that?”

When Trevor laughed a lightbulb went on in my brain. I’d thought there’d been something oddly familiar about him that night. And now I know.

His laugh.

It didn’t sound like Victoria’s but his smile and the way his eyes lit up were the same.

I should have known.

“Not going to lie to him, love.” His smile grew bigger. “I’m Leeds ’til I die. But I’ll always support England’s number one.”

Victoria folded her arms, glancing at both of us. “Unbelievable. What else did you two talk about?”

“Mostly football. Which reminds me. Hell of a save against the Dutch. Nearly had a heart attack when Donovan made that sliding block.”

“You and me both.” I relaxed into the conversation. “Good thing I spent extra time in training working on penalty shoot outs.”

“Ready for the big tournament next summer? It’s in Italy, right?” He addressed his daughter. “Will you be going?”

“Oh. Um, I don’t…we haven’t—”

“I’ll convince her.” I slipped an arm around Victoria’s waist. “We’ve talked about going to Italy on holiday.”

As we spent the next few minutes chatting, I felt Victoria soften in my embrace, leaning comfortably into my side. Her relationship with her dad hasn’t been the greatest. Seeing them get along pleased me in a way I didn’t expect.

“Before I go,” Trevor said, reaching into his pocket. “I wanted to give you this.”

He handed her a small box.

Victoria’s breathing stuttered. “What is it?”

“A charm bracelet.” A wisp of heartbreak passed through his eyes. “I know it’s not something you’d wear but…I saw your mother a few weeks ago.” Victoria’s hands shook when she opened the box, revealing a delicate bracelet. “This belonged to her. The charms represent you and Charlotte. The silver crown is you. The gold crown is your sister. You’re both named after royalty you know. Helena wanted you to have it. And she apologized for missing your birthday.”

I held Victoria in a firm grip.

“I don’t know…I don’t know what to say.” Her body trembled uncontrollably.

“You don’t have to say anything, sweetheart.” He looked at his daughter softly. “I told her about the foundation and how you created it to honor Charlotte.”

Victoria slumped against me. “What did she say?”

“You know how your mother is. She’s stubborn, like you. The words never came out of her mouth but I could see the pride in her eyes. Maybe someday the three of us can all sit down and work through this rift.”

Trevor looked at me, holding my attention with a steady gaze.

“Take good care of my little girl.”

Dawn caught my eye after Trevor said his goodbyes and left. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

“Do you still want to go to the cottage?” I asked, skimming my hand along Victoria’s arm. “Or would you rather we go back to London?”

Regaining composure, she looked up at me through her lashes. “We have dinner plans.”

“We don’t—”

“We’re going.” Slipping the box in her bag, she turned to fully face me. “To the cottage and your family’s house.”

Discussion closed.

“Stunning work, Xavier.” My stepmother gushed while looking at the photos Victoria took of her cottage. “I love the color on the walls. And the flooring is immaculate.”

The two of them scrolled through picture after picture, smiling and chatting like old friends.

“I keep telling him this isn’t a bad trait to have.” Victoria slid a cool glance in my direction. “You should see the way he geeks out over architecture.”

Squeezing the glass, I sipped my drink. My return glance said it all. Another lesson later?

“Sorry I’m late I—” Adam burst into the kitchen, stopping short next to Rebecca. He and Victoria stared at one another, shocked. Not as awkward as the day in the changing room, but not exactly comfortable.

“Right on time.” Rebecca welcomed him with a hug. “I was just admiring your brother’s work on Victoria’s cottage.” She glanced between the two of them. “Have you two met?”

“Kind of,” Victoria answered.

“Not really,” Adam responded.

“Right then. The three of you sort out the introductions and I’ll grab your father.” My stepmother left the kitchen but not before I noticed her self-satisfied grin. Agreeing to this dinner was not my best decision.

Victoria tucked her phone in her pocket, pinning an expectant stare on me. Adam looked at me warily.

Well, this will be fun .

“Adam, this is Victoria. Victoria, this is my stepbrother.”

Adam narrowed his eyes. “You suck at this.” Turning to Victoria, he smiled. “Lovely to meet you. Sorry about the whole Char— I mean, sorry I thought you were— Christ . Hi.”

“And I’m the one who sucks?” I taunted.

“At least I don’t sound like a robot. I thought you were supposed to be the charming one.”

“I am.”

“Right. And I’m the Prince of Wales.”

A shrill whistle ended our bickering. We both looked at Victoria.

“Boys.” She clasped her hands together and muttered, “Feels like I’m with Killian and Max.”

Confusion spread across Adam’s face. “Who are they?”

“Friends of mine that will obsess over your hair if you ever meet them.”

Adam’s confusion deepened as he touched his hair. “It is nice to meet you finally.”

Victoria’s soft smile melted my heart. “You, too. I hope this isn’t weird or anything. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“That’s my mother. She probably sounded all apologetic and flustered when she called to ask if you were free for dinner, when in reality her plan was to get us all under one roof.”

And just like that, Adam charmed my girlfriend and I was rendered invisible.

“No pouting, Maddox.” Victoria laughed. “Come on. Show your brother all the great work you’ve done on my house.”

We all squeezed on the couch together with Victoria seated between us. She kept a hand on my knee the whole time, knowing this was probably not what I’d expected.

Then again, neither did she.

The two of them danced around the elephant in the room until Victoria finally broke the impasse and asked, “So how did you meet my sister?”

It was an easy ice breaker seeing as she already knew and just wanted to hear his version.

Adam’s stunned silence only lasted a few seconds before he launched into the story.

By the time we sat down for dinner, I’d unraveled my nerves and started to enjoy myself.

It’s funny how one person could change the dynamic in a room. Victoria’s light dazzled as she talked about American football and volunteering at the animal shelter, the latter being something she wished she had more time to do.

Even my dad engaged in the conversation.

“This might be the quietest Xavier’s ever been,” Adam chided. “Surprised you let someone else have center stage.”

“A true gentleman knows when to be seen and not heard.”

His burst of laughter ricocheted through the house. “The rubbish coming out of you.”

“Try not to talk with your mouth full.” I tilted my glass toward him in a fake toast before taking a sip.

I caught a glimpse of Rebecca trying, and failing, to suppress a smile.

When I turned back to Victoria, she was huddled in close with my dad, pointing at her phone screen. Dread flitted through me. As pleasant as this dinner has been, I wasn’t prepared to start fixing all my relationships at once.

“Is this the original wood paneling?” he asked, turning the screen for me to see.

“Yeah. I used a medium-grit sandpaper on it. Wanted to keep the rustic, distressed look.”

His little mouth shrug and head bob spoke volumes. For those fluent in the body language of James Maddox, that meant he was impressed.

Leaning back in my chair, I moved my eyes around the table, taking in every detail. A casserole dish with only a serving of cottage pie remaining, rumpled napkins, an empty soda can, and a basket of bread. Nothing about it seemed extraordinary. Just a normal Monday night at home.

But when I saw Victoria, Adam, my stepmother, and my father all gathered in one place, the same unrecognizable emotion I’d felt last night consumed me.

Only this time, it wasn’t so unrecognizable.

Cade and Bennet have always been like brothers to me. Like family.

I’d closed myself off to my actual family years ago. Maybe this was the first step to allowing them back in.