17. Sophie
“You sure you want to do this?” Xander asks from the driver’s seat of his car.
I look at him and smile. “I’m sure. I can’t wait to meet your mom.”
He drives us through the Wash Park neighborhood of Denver, an upscale part of the city. Even though it’s located in the center of Denver, it’s known for its relaxed suburban vibes.
“Did you grow up here?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I grew up in St. Louis. I moved my mom out here when I signed my contract with the Bashers so she could be close to me.”
Warmth courses through my chest at the thought of Xander insisting his mom move to the same city as him so he can look after her. I think back to their phone conversation, how concerned he was about her when they spoke, how I could tell just how much he cared about her.
A sharp pang of guilt hits me soon after. When I first met Xander, I wrote him off as a shallow guy who only cared about hooking up with hot women. But there’s so much more to him than that.
I think back to our date the other night at Se’bon, how romantic and thoughtful he was. I remember the look in Xander’s eyes when I told him how Ethan never took me out on a date when we were together. He looked pissed.
And then I remember how Xander insisted he’d pay for every date we’d ever go on. I swoon, just like I did that night.
It’s not that I need a guy to take care of me or pay for me all the time. I don’t. I make my own money and I can pay for the things I want to do.
But I know what it’s like to be with someone who never cared to do anything special for me. It hurt. So to be with someone like Xander, who goes out of his way to dote on me, even when this whole setup between us is fake, feels incredible.
I gaze at him, in awe of just how much he’s surprised me.
Beneath his joking, panty-dropper exterior, he’s ridiculously romantic and a total sweetheart.
And he kisses like a demon.
A faint pulse hits between my legs. I cross my legs and squeeze my thighs together, hoping Xander doesn’t notice the awkward movement.
Even just thinking about the way he kissed me that night after dinner has my clit throbbing.
That first kiss, which was all for show for the paparazzi photographer, made me dizzy.
But that second kiss…
I want to show you how you deserve to be kissed at the end of a date, Sophie
I think back to the flash of heat in Xander’s hazel eyes when he said it. I should have known that kiss was going to knock my socks off. And oh boy, it did.
Kissing Xander was so hot that I soaked my panties. The second I arrived home, I ran to my bedroom, grabbed my favorite vibrator from my nightstand, and played with myself while fantasizing about doing all sorts of filthy things with Xander. I’ve never come that hard, that fast.
“I should warn you, my mom’s going to hug you to death,” Xander says as he turns left onto a street with rows of snow-covered pine trees lining both sides.
I clear my throat and shove away those filthy thoughts. “That’s okay. I’m a hugger.”
A pang of guilt hits me. What a creep I am to fantasize about Xander like that. I bet he didn’t do that after our date. I’m sure he’s done loads of sexually adventurous things and that kiss didn’t even faze him.
I shake my head and tell myself not to focus on that when I’m minutes away from meeting his mom.
He pulls into the driveway of a gorgeous single-story craftsman home. When we climb out of his car, he fetches a toolbox from his back seat. I grab the bouquet I picked up at a floral shop this morning. We walk to the front porch and Xander opens the door.
“Mom, we’re here.” He holds the door open for me.
I follow his lead and kick off my boots and set them on the rubber mat off to the side of the door. He takes my coat along with his and hangs it in the nearby coat closet.
“Finally!” a cheery voice says from around the corner.
The tiniest flicker of nerves spark up inside of me. I know Xander’s not even my real boyfriend, but I want to make a good impression on his mom. I want her to like me.
I think about my mom, and how she loved getting flowers too. How my dad surprised her with massive bouquets every year for her birthday, Valentine’s Day, and their anniversary.
How I never got a chance to get her flowers because I was a kid when she died and I never thought to…
Pain rockets through my chest. I take a slow, silent breath and it starts to ease.
His mom walks in from the hallway with a cane, a bright smile on her face. She’s small and slight but moves with confidence and energy. Her wavy shoulder-length hair is a few shades lighter than Xander’s. Her facial features are so delicate and pretty.
She looks at me and beams. “You’re here!”
I’m smiling at how excited she is to see me. I walk up to her, flowers in hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Williams. I mean, Jeanette.”
She laughs and sets her cane against the wall and pulls me into a hug. I hiss out a breath. Xander wasn’t kidding. Her hugs are tight.
Xander chuckles as he looks at the two of us.
“Try not to squeeze the life out of her, Mom.”
She lets me go and cups a hand on my cheek. “I can’t help it. I’m just so thrilled to meet your lovely girlfriend. Goodness, look at you. So beautiful! And you’re a doctor! And you’re so young! You brought me flowers too?”
She looks at Xander and raises her eyebrow. “Sweetie, how in the world did you manage to land her? She’s a catch!”
I laugh as Xander rolls his eyes and smiles. He walks over and hugs her.
“Good to see you, Mom.”
“You too, sweetie.”
He loops his arm through hers, grabs her cane, and walks with her into the living room. She sits down in a plush recliner and he sets her cane against the chair. I settle on the couch next to her. Xander heads over to the fireplace, which boasts a few small flickering flames, and tosses a few logs onto it.
I glance around the cozy space. There are loads of plush pillows on the couch and nearby armchairs. On top of the dark hardwood floor is a large area rug with an ivory floral motif. The massive window on the far side of the living room looks out to the backyard, which is covered in snow.
“You have such a gorgeous home,” I tell Jeanette. “It’s so beautiful and cozy.”
She beams at me. “Oh thank you, dear.” She looks over at Xander tending to the fire. “It was a gift from my amazing son. I told him it was too much, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”
“You deserve it, Mom,” Xander says as he stands up from the fire and walks over to her. “Want me to make some tea?”
“I’d love that, sweetie. I have the mugs set up on the counter all ready to go.”
He pats her shoulder and looks at me. “Tea?”
“That sounds nice. Thank you.”
He takes the flowers from me and walks through the nearby dining room to where the kitchen is.
“Did you do all the decorating yourself?” I ask Jeanette.
“I sure did. That was a fun little project, helped me get settled in when I first moved here.”
I compliment the rich color of the wooden dining table. Jeanette tells me about how she found it at an estate sale in Arvada, just outside of Denver.
After a few minutes, Xander returns with a tray and three steaming mugs of tea. He sets it on the coffee table and hands one to his mom, then one to me.
He sits down next to me.
“Thank you, sweetie,” she says as she cups her mug with both hands. “You know, when I told Xander I wanted that dining table for the house, he tried to talk me out of it. Said he could buy me a new one instead. But I like things to have character. Especially something like an old dining table. Think of how many conversations and special occasions were shared at an old table like that.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” I say. I’m instantly reminded of my mom. She loved antique furniture. When I was little, she would take me with her almost every weekend to check out antique shops.
Jeanette shakes her head at Xander. “New furniture has no soul. It’s all mass manufactured.”
Xander sighs like he’s annoyed, but I can tell he’s playing along. “You’re the one who buys furniture from dead people and I’m the weird one. Okay then,” he jokes.
We all laugh.
Jeanette reaches over and pats Xander’s cheek. “I’m so lucky to have a son like you.” She turns to me. “He spent months looking for the right house for me. So many places are multi-story, and I need a single-story because stairs can be hard for me.” She gestures to her left leg. “I told Xander I was happy to live in a simple apartment as long as it’s on the first floor, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”
“You deserve something nicer, Mom,” Xander says as he looks down at his mug.
There goes that pull in my chest again. It’s so, so sweet how much Xander cares about his mother.
“You kids hungry? I put in an order from my favorite bistro and it’s due to arrive soon.”
“That sounds yummy,” I say. “Thank you for ordering lunch. We could have brought something though so you didn’t have to go through the trouble.”
“Absolutely not. When you’re over at my house, I feed you. That’s my rule,” she says.
I chuckle. “I like that rule.”
“I normally cook, but I was feeling tired today so I thought I’d order in.”
A worried frown appears on Xander’s face. “Everything okay?” he asks her.
“Yes, I’m good, sweetie. It’s just that when the temperature gets this cold, I feel a bit stiff in my bones.”
That worried frown doesn’t budge. “Xander. I’m fine. I swear.” Jeanette’s tone is soft but firm.
He nods despite still frowning. A minute later, the doorbell rings and he hops up to answer it.
He returns with a giant takeout bag in each hand. “Mom, you paid already?”
She waves a hand. “Of course I paid, sweetheart. You pay for everything else. Let me get lunch for once.”
Xander sighs. “Fine. Thank you.”
He tells us to finish our tea while he gets lunch set up in the dining room.
Jeannette twists around to look at Xander. “He’s so helpful,” she muses with a soft smile on her face.
I smile at her. “He really is.”
“Every time he comes over here, he’s always fussing over me. Drives me crazy.” She chuckles.
“It’s pretty clear he does it because he loves you,” I say.
She beams. “He does. I’m the luckiest mom in the world. He was always so sweet. When he was a baby, he cuddled with me constantly. He’d grip me so tight with his tiny, chunky little hands. It was the most precious thing in the world. People would say they’d never seen a cuddlier baby.” She chuckles. “His dad would tease him all the time when he was little. He’d tell him, ‘Hands off my wife, mister.’”
I laugh. “That’s so cute.”
Her smile turns sad. “Xander’s always been so protective of me ever since his dad passed away when Xander was barely twelve years old.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “Lung cancer.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”
She nods. “He made Xander promise to never, ever smoke. It’s horrible what it can do to your body.”
I nod in agreement.
“Joe would be so proud if he could see his son now, all grown up, a professional hockey player. And if he could see how he takes such good care of me. Whenever Xander’s not busy with hockey and practice and traveling for away games, he always comes to see me and makes sure things around the house are working and takes me to the grocery store. He hired a wonderful nurse to come by on the days that he can’t be here to look after me. He hires people to shovel and remove snow in the winter and a lawn care service in the spring and summer. And he has house cleaners come by every week to make sure I don’t have to clean. Joe would be blown away. ”
Her eyes turn misty as she smiles. I scoot closer to her and grab her hand. I hand her a clean tissue from my pocket.
She dabs her eyes. “Thank you, dear. I just get a little emotional thinking about it all sometimes.”
Emotion surges through me. “Of course. I completely understand.” I hesitate for a second. “I, um, lost my mom at a young age too. I was thirteen when she died in a car accident.”
“Oh, my dear.” Jeanette’s face turns pained. She squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry.”
I nod. “It was hard. It’s still hard. I’ll always miss her.” I pause for a second. “I hope it’s not weird to say this, but you remind me a little of my mom. She loved antique furniture too. Her favorite thing in the world was going to antique stores with me and finding cool pieces for our house.”
“Oh, honey.” Jeannette squeezes my hand again and rests her free hand on her chest. Her gaze turns tender as she looks at me. “I’m honored that anything about me reminds you of your mom. She must have been an amazing woman to raise such an impressive young lady like yourself.”
Emotion surges through my chest. “That would have meant a lot to her. Thank you,” I say, my voice shaky.
Jeanette’s hazel eyes glisten with tears. “Grief is so hard, isn’t it?”
I nod.
“That feeling of always wishing they were with you and wondering what life would be like if they were here still.” She lets out a shaky breath.
“I’m lucky to have my dad though,” I say.
Pain burrows deep in my chest. We still haven’t spoken much since he found out about Xander and me. I expected there would be tension between us, but it hurts knowing that our relationship is more strained now.
I clear my throat and smile at Jeanette. “Xander is so lucky to have you too. Really, really lucky.”
She smiles and glances over at Xander setting the table and unpacking the food. After a few minutes, he tells us lunch is ready. He helps his mom to the table and I follow them.
When I sit down, I see that he already plated the food for all of us. He sits down across from me and I glance at him, still in awe that he’s so doting and attentive to not only his mom but me too.
My mouth waters at the croissant sandwich and roasted potatoes sitting on my plate.
“Xander said croissants are your favorite so I wanted to make sure we had some for lunch,” Jeanette says.
I smile when he winks at me.
We dig into lunch and chat. She asks me about my schooling and what it was like going to college and medical school when I was so young.
“So. What does your dad think about you two getting together?” Jeanette asks me.
I let out a nervous laugh. “Um, well…”
“He’s not a fan of us being in a relationship,” Xander says.
Jeanette gives her son a knowing smile. “I’m not surprised.” She turns to me. “I know my son has a reputation. I know about your panty dropper nickname.”
Xander coughs mid-sip of his water glass, his face bright red. I burst out laughing. He covers his mouth with his hand, but I can still see the embarrassed smile on his face.
“God, Mom. Really?”
She shakes her head and waves her fork at him. “What? It’s the truth. I watch your games. I see the attention you get from your female fans.”
Xander coughs some more.
Jeanette smacks his shoulder. “Goodness, sweetie, get a hold of yourself. We’re all adults here. I know my son isn’t some innocent prude. I was young once too. I know what it’s like to have a bit of a wild streak.”
I laugh even harder, and Jeanette chuckles too. It takes a minute before Xander joins in.
She aims a pointed look at Xander. “Can you really blame your coach for being mad that a young man with the nickname panty dropper is dating his daughter? His daughter who happens to be a genius?”
Xander shakes his head, that embarrassed smile still on his face. “You’re absolutely right, Mom.”
He swipes my hand in his. When he gazes at me, that flustered look in his mesmerizing hazel eyes is long gone. They’re fiery and focused now. The corner of his mouth hooks up in a hot half-smile. “Believe me, I know how lucky I am to have a woman like Sophie.”
He brings the back of my hand to his lips and presses a soft kiss to my skin. He holds my gaze the entire time. Goosebumps flash all over my body, and my heart skids inside my chest. I silently remind myself that this is fake, that he’s putting on a show for his mom, that he needs to sell us as a couple, and that’s why he’s doing this…
But damn, is he good at making this feel real.
Jeanette claps her hands together, yanking me out of my trance. “Now. Who’s ready for some dessert?”