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21
MEL
Dinner with his father had been a stressful affair.
The tension in the room is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. His brothers were worried about his father's health and how the news of escaping the family would make him fare.
Amory, as usual, had been staunch, a frown on his face that only lifted when the food had arrived and he'd said the grace. Then he'd proceeded to take only a taste of it and asked to be taken to his study, where Xander had soon joined him, and then his brothers after a few minutes.
So it's just his mother and I, the two women of the family left together to pass the time.
"Are you happy?" She asks, a kind smile on her face.
I smile back at Xander's mom, the slight breeze in the air carrying the earthy smell of the frangipanis that border her garden. We're seated on the porch, the sun waning above us, the trees waving listlessly to and fro. "I think so. Are you?"
She smiles back, tipping her head back to take a gulp of the wine in the glass with the twisted stem she favors. "What is happiness Melissa? I take my joy as I see it."
I nod. Isn't she just right? "So do I. I'm as happy as it is possible for a human to be."
She leaves her seat and I do the same, thinking we're returning to the men inside. Xander and his father have been locked away together for about an hour now in his study. She comes towards me though, her arms stretched out and I lean into her just as she locks her arms around me.
It reminds me for a poignant second of my mother. She'd always hugged me this way, sharp and there, her arms locked tight like a vice around my small body. I sniff and drop my head into her shoulders but her head moves too fast and she pulls away.
The stamp of footsteps reaches my ears and I turn to find Xander watching us, his eyes heavy. His mother smiles and walks towards him, offering him the same hug.
He fuses his arms around her but his eyes remain on mine and my eyes, they fill up just like that. I stand up and pick my bag off the table, throwing back the rest of my wine.
He holds his hand out to me when his mother pulls away. "Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes."
A few minutes later, I place my bag in the space between Xander and me and slide as far away as I can go.
I smile sadly out of the window, and Xander's fingers cover mine. "What are you thinking about amore mio?"
I shift my head to him, and he lifts the bag, dropping it to the floor with no regard for the thousands of dollars that went into getting it.
He drags me across the seat into his arms, and I relax my head into the crook of his shoulders. "I'm thinking about my mother. Your mother reminds me of her. Or at least she did today."
"What does she remind you of?" He slides his hand through my hair, gentle swoops that have my body wanting more.
I shake my head. "I don't know exactly. Just the way she asked if I was fine. It's much the same voice and the way my mother would. And the hug? I don't think I've had one quite like it in a while."
He nods and plants a soft, almost tender kiss on my forehead. I like it. I enjoy it.
"Where's Romero?" I ask, looking up at him for a second.
"Ahead of us. I need to know the house is safe."
I sit up, sliding on the leather of the car seats before hitching myself to him. "Lucian is there. Father wouldn't let anything harm him."
Xander nods again. "I know. But I needed to make sure."
I smile and incline my head towards his. He bends towards me too but stops just before he claims my lips.
He waits, as though he's waiting for me to kiss him, like he wants me to finish what I started. I look out of the window for a quick second to gauge where we are.
We're too close to the house. I don’t want anyone to see, especially not with what I have in mind. I shudder a deep breath out and sway towards him before biting my lip and slanting my head away to hide in his shoulders.
