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“Why so sad, sweetheart?” He lifts my chin with his finger.
“I just want to be with you so bad.” And then I take the leap. “I love you.”
His eyes bore into mine. “I love you so much more.” And then he kisses me again, and I forget everything.
We dance the night away, never once letting the other go. And I don’t even notice the time when Xavier leans over telling me it’s time to go.
I don’t want this night to end. I pray and hope it won’t. He caresses the turtle dove necklace against my skin, and I smile at him.
“So, Miss Stoneworthy, should we head back to your place?”
I park a hand on my hip. “That reminds me, nice name, Mr. Stone.”
He laughs and places a finger over his lips. “Shh, name’s Mr. Doves, Jack Doves. Nice to meet you.”
My heart didn’t hear him right as it skips a beat. “What do you mean?”
But he doesn’t answer, and just keeps talking, “And if you don’t like your last name, then we should remedy that soon with a wedding. I think Brianna Doves has a nice ring to it.”
I know I’m not a squee’ing type of girl, but some sort of excited sound erupts from my lips as I fling my arms around Xavier.
Best life ever.
Chapter 35
Xavier: Jack
So, you’re probably wondering how I was able to take down the whole DeLaurio crew so easily. Or how I knew without a shadow of a doubt he had killed my mother. Or why.
Money.
Money makes the world go around. It really does. And I knew exactly how to put every penny my mother stashed away for a rainy day to good use.
There was no way I believed for a second, I was related to DeLaurio—ok, maybe a small second. Or minute.
It ruined me when he pulled me aside at my mother’s funeral. I knew in that moment, I would fight the rest of my life to make sure this fucker got everything he deserved.
Shannon DeLaurio was an unexpected solider in my war against her husband. She contacted me not long after my mother died, telling me a very different tale.
It was a late Sunday night when she found me, working at some small security systems dump.
Her red hair, same as her daughter’s, shone under the fluorescent lights as she stalked my way. At a little diner, she told me everything.
“Xavier, you need to know the truth.” She kept glancing over her shoulder as if she feared her husband might appear out of nowhere.
And then she told me things I couldn't make up.
“When I met Al, I thought I loved him, but he’s not an easy man to love.” She didn’t need to tell me that.
She continued, “Your mother and I were best friends, your father and Al were business partners. Life was great, until it wasn’t.”
She told me how she fell in love with my father, Marshall, and how it drove Al insane with jealousy. How he wanted to ruin Marshall’s life, as well as Shannon’s.
Al DeLaurio felt his power was eternal—something he no longer believes, thanks to me.
She explained how he framed Marshall for some petty crime and had him sent off to prison in Detroit.
“Here’s all your father’s info,” she said, handing over some papers with a picture of my father.
