“I had to deal with it when I started dating Levi again,” Laiyla says, and smiles at her fiancé. “Women kept coming out of the woodwork. Now, I only have to tolerate the long-suffering looks of women wishing they were in my shoes.”
That makes KT laugh. “And if you’ll remember, it wasn’t all that long ago that I was exactly like Z,” she says, turning her gaze on Ben. “Look at me now, all monogamous and sh—stuff.”
I laugh at her almost slip.
“What’s mogomus?” Poppy asks, drawing a round of la
ughter.
“I’ll tell you later,” Ben says, satisfying his daughter for the moment.
Dinner is delivered before I have to address the comments, but it definitely gives me something to think about while we’re eating. I’m feeling more relaxed by the time three slices of chocolate cake are delivered to the table, each with a lit candle.
Everyone in the restaurant stops what they’re doing to sing happy birthday to us, then the three of us make our wishes and blow out our candles.
“What did you wish for?” Violet, Ben’s oldest daughter, asks KT.
“Forever with you,” she says, tapping Violet’s nose, then Poppy’s, “and you,” then Jazz’s, “and you.”
Ben lifts his arms, a what-about-me look on his face. KT tilts her head to kiss him. “You’re stuck with me.”
Poppy takes a sloppy forkful of KT’s slice of cake while bouncing in her seat. “Presents now!”
Ben and Levi both produce thin small boxes for KT and Laiyla, and I smile in anticipation of seeing what the guys got them.
“Everyone has to open them at the same time,” Jazz says. “Chloe, take yours.”
When I look at Jazz, I find Xavier offering me the same box, his smile soft. “Happy birthday.”
Everything inside me melts. “Aw, you didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.”
The three of us unwrap the gifts and draw out three identical silver necklaces. They have dainty chains and three interconnected ovals in the center, which I know represents Laiyla, KT, and me.
My heart skips, and I press a hand to my chest. “Oh, wow.” I smile at Xavier. “This is so sweet. It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
He waves gimme fingers, and I hand him the necklace so he can fasten it around my neck, just as Ben does for KT and Levi does for Laiyla. When it’s in place, Xavier cups my face and kisses me.
Dinner may have started out rough, but it definitely ends on a high note. And I’m looking forward to the sleepless night he promised.
14
Xavier
Levi and Ben give me fist bumps of approval before they make their way to their cars and Laiyla, KT, and Chloe hug as if they aren’t going to see each other first thing tomorrow.
I unlock the car and open the passenger’s door for Chloe. The skirt of her dress floats around her thighs and falls between the seat and the door. I lift the edge of her dress to make sure it doesn’t get caught, but instead of laying it in her lap, my hand finds its way underneath the fabric and along her toned, smooth thigh. The sight of my hand moving beneath her dress, along all her warm skin, spikes desire.
“I’ve been wanting to do this all night.” I cut a look toward Levi’s and Ben’s vehicles to make sure everyone is out of sight. “I’ve been wanting to do this all night too.”
I lean in and kiss her. Her lips are warm and welcoming, but I pull back to look directly into her eyes. “I’m sorry about… You know.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s tough to be in demand.”
“I meant what I said earlier,” I remind her. “I’ve just been waiting for you.”
She doesn’t say it’s okay, but she smiles and kisses me, which is the next best thing. When she pulls back, she plays with the hair at my nape. “I still have a lot of insecurities, but they’re mine, not yours.”