I pulled into Xavier’s driveway and parked my car. With my arms full of grocery bags so I could make him my grandmother’s famous homemade spaghetti and meatballs, I climbed the steps on the front porch and shouldered the door open.

Heading straight for the kitchen, I dropped the bags on the island, vaguely noting a jazz singer crooning in the background.

“Honey, I’m here,” I called out, rummaging through the bags and organizing my ingredients on the counter. “Sophie says hi. She’s staying at Ruth’s tonight, so we have all night. I thought that would excite you.”

Turning my back, I faced the sink and began washing the salad lettuce. I was just turning the water off when an oppressive feeling hit the room.

I spun around to see Xavier standing next to the island with his arms crossed over his chest. He had on a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt, and a face full of thunder. It had been a while since I had this feeling with regards to him, but right then I was terrified out of my mind with how angry he looked.

“What’s wrong?” I finally worked up the courage to ask him.

“Drop the lettuce,” he demanded.

“What? Why?”

“Drop the fucking lettuce, Aurora,” he bellowed, and the lettuce fell to the ground at my feet.

“You’re scaring me,” I whispered.

“Good. Now tell me what the fuck you were doing meeting with Spencer Davis earlier today.” The edge of his voice felt like a knife against my skin, sharp and biting in a way that did not feel good at all.

“How’d you know?”

“It doesn’t matter how the fuck I know. Answer the damn question before I make you answer it,” he hollered and then took a menacing step towards me that had me instinctively stepping back, only to be met with the edge of the sink.

“He asked me for coffee,” I spoke quickly, scared out of my ever loving mind. “We were in foster care together and he wanted to catch up.”

“So when I assigned you to that party, it wasn’t your first time meeting him?”

“No,” I whispered, afraid that was the wrong answer.

“Fuck,” he bit out and grabbed my biceps, roughly pulling me up onto my tiptoes. “What the fuck did you tell him?”

I swallowed, tears filling my eyes. What I didn’t do was answer his ludicrous question.

“Tell me,” he shouted in my face, shaking my body.

“Nothing,” I whispered, my heart breaking that he could think I would do that to him. “I didn’t tell him anything. I’d never do that to you.”

“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath this time. “Does he know about us?”

“No,” I whimpered. “Please let me go.”

“Don’t lie to me. I need to know if he fucking knows.”

“He doesn’t know,” I cried out, the pressure of his thumbs on my biceps making it hard not to scream bloody murder. He didn’t know his own strength on a good day. Don’t even get me going when he was this visibly upset.

“Promise me,” he whispered fiercely.

“I promise,” I whimpered on a sob, causing him to release me and run a frustrated hand through his hair.

“You don’t know what he’s capable of. He works for my biggest enemy,” he finally told me when he looked at my tear-stained face.

“Maybe not, but I have known him a long time. We were just talking,” I snapped, upset when, without any warning, things had escalated so out of control between us.

“No more talking, Aurora. Do you hear me? You won’t speak to that piece of shit ever again.”

I nodded even though I wanted to call Spencer right then and ask him out on a date just to spite Xavier. Even in my chaotic brain, I knew that wouldn’t solve anything, and clearly something about Spencer was not right if Xavier was this concerned about it. And it did make sense that we had barely talked at all before Spencer started grilling me about The Den.

“I hurt you,” Xavier whispered in horror, his eyes scanning the vicious marks he’d left on my arms. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“It’s fine,” I murmured. His contrition helped ease my ravaged soul, but I was still reeling from everything that had happened.

“No, it’s not. You deserve better than that.” His hand cupped my cheek and brought my eyes up to his. “I’ll never let things get out of control like that again. I promise you that.”

My heart tripped at his vow. Deep down I knew Xavier would never do anything to hurt me intentionally, but it still hurt like hell to know he had.

“Come.” He held his hand out to me. “Let me make it up to you.”

“I was going to make you dinner.” I gestured to all the forgotten food.

“Forget it. We’ll order in and you can make it another night.” He jerked his hand in a silent reminder he wanted me to take it.

Knowing in my gut that being with him was the right thing, regardless of any shit we shoveled each other’s ways, I reached out and wrapped my hand around his and let him lead me down the hall to his bedroom. Once there, we strode right through and into the large bathroom complete with marble countertops, soaker tub and glass shower large enough for at least six people to stand in.

Stripping us both down to our birthday suits, he turned the shower on and pulled me into the stall where he proceeded to show me just how sorry he was. Twice.

A black Lexus LS 460 pulled up behind my car at the same time Sophie and I were walking down the steps of my apartment building to the parking lot. We were on our way to dinner and then to the grocery store.

The Lexus was completely out of place alongside the rundown, used vehicles that dotted the lot that I had to do a double-take. The fact that it was literally parked horizontally behind my car added to my unease.

My steps slowed hesitantly, unsure as to who was behind the wheel considering the windows were all blacked out. Ever since Xavier had lost his shit about Spencer, I had felt a tad bit paranoid. It was starting to fuck with my head. I had even convinced myself that I’d seen Spencer several different times while I was out shopping or running errands. It was a bit unnerving.

We were twenty feet away from the car when the driver’s window rolled down, revealing the man inside. My face broke out into a relieved smile and Sophie wriggled her hand free to bolt to the car.

“Where’s the Aston Martin?” I asked when I arrived at his sleek, hot-as-shit luxury car.

“Can’t fit a car seat in the Aston,” he informed me with a point of his thumb towards the pink car seat set up in the back. My heart tripped over itself at the thoughtfulness of that gesture. The sweet, caring, and completely over-the-top gesture.

“You bought a car so my daughter could ride with you?” I asked disbelievingly. Was this man actually for real? With each day that passed, I became more terrified that one day I would wake up to find this was all a dream and he wasn’t real at all.

It would be just my luck.

“Aurora, I have four cars, all of which are two-seaters. It’s no big deal for me to get another one. Now get in.” His bossiness had me throwing attitude his way, something that for the most part amused him. The rest of the time we ended up in a humdinger of an argument over it.

“You’re awfully bossy. Maybe I don’t want to.” I crossed my arms in a defiant gesture.

“I want to ride with X, Mommy,” Sophie whined as she pulled on the handle to the back door repeatedly. Xavier pushed the power locks and the door sprung open, nearly knocking her off her feet.

“No child locks?” I bitched like it was the biggest offense in the world.

He gave me an amused smirk that made me glare in response. “Get in the car, Aurora.”

“Come on, Mommy,” Sophie called from her place in the back seat.