Chapter 12 #2
With unwavering resolve making his heart thump hard in his chest, he started walking swiftly towards the cafe again, prepared to do everything in his power to save their marriage.
He was in love with Soli and he was going to do whatever it took to prove it to her.
* * *
Soli was practically dead on her feet.
She’d not slept properly since leaving Xavier’s house – the place she’d previously begun to consider her home too until she’d been made to feel supremely unwelcome there – and it was really beginning to show.
Even her mother had noticed her lack of energy and positivity in the last few days.
Xavier’s initial, shocked reaction to the pregnancy had been understandable – she recognised that – but to reject her love, then let her leave and not contact her again, was just plain heartless.
To be perfectly honest, it had broken her heart.
But then, she’d not contacted him either, she accepted with a thud of despair. She’d been too afraid to, in case she saw that look of cool reproach on his face again.
Sighing loudly, she picked up a mug from a tray of newly washed crockery and rubbed the tea towel over it.
It was all very well holing herself up here, but she was going to have to face him again eventually so they could work this thing out between them.
She’d signed a contract to stay married to him for the next few months after all and there was no way she was going to welch on their deal. She wasn’t a quitter.
She was just finishing this thought when a familiar and stomach-twisting scent hit her senses.
Looking up, she found herself staring into the dark intensity of Xavier’s gaze.
‘Hi, Soli,’ he said quietly.
‘What are you doing here?’ she blurted, completely losing any poise she’d coached herself to exude when next confronted with him.
‘I came to talk to you.’
‘Here?’ she said, glancing around her, unable to keep the incredulity out of her voice.
The corner of his mouth twitched up. ‘Yes. I figured it’s as good a place as any.’
‘It’s not exactly private,’ she said, gesturing round at the tables full of customers and at her sister and mother, who were currently drinking coffee at the other end of the bar, celebrating a successful end to Domino’s first term at university.
The two women were now watching them, their interest clearly piqued.
‘That’s my sister and mother over there,’ Soli hissed under her breath so they wouldn’t hear her.
‘Have you told them about us?’ he asked.
‘No. Not yet.’
He gave a sharp nod, but didn’t move away from the counter. ‘Well, we could go somewhere a bit quieter if you like.’
Suddenly she didn’t want to move away from behind the counter.
She wanted to make him pay for his indifference towards her by forcing him to say whatever he had to say in front of all these people.
To hell with his manly pride. She didn’t need to take his feelings into consideration any more, especially when he obviously had no intention of protecting hers.
‘No. Whatever you have to say to me you can do right here. I’m busy doing my job – I don’t have time to leave just so you can reject me again.’ She folded her arms and stared him down, determined not to let him win this time.
She might love him, much more than she was willing to admit right now, but she was damned if she was going to let him hurt her any more than he already had.
She and the baby would be fine without him and his money. She had enough love in her to count for two parents.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed her sister was still staring at them both.
‘Soli, did this guy break your heart or something? Is that why you’ve been moping around looking so broken since I got back?’ Domino called out.
Obviously, they weren’t being as discreet as she’d hoped.
She swallowed and was about to answer when Xavier spoke over her.
‘Yes, I’m afraid I did. And I came here to apologise and tell your sister how much I love and miss her.’
He turned back to face her and looked directly into her eyes.
She just stood there, dumbstruck, with blood rushing in her ears, wondering if she’d misheard him.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, with such emotion in his voice she knew immediately that he genuinely meant it.
‘I’m so sorry for hurting you.’ He put his hands on the counter and leant in closer to her.
‘I don’t work properly without you. You’ve changed me, changed the way I think about life and what love really is.
I don’t deserve you, Soli, I know that, but I want you back. I want us all to be a family.’
‘Really?’ was all she could think to reply to that, her scrambled brain slow to catch up with everything he was saying.
‘Yes. Really. I got spooked when you told me about the baby because I’d promised myself I wouldn’t fall for you, and it made me realise that I had. That I wanted you more than I should. I’ve been a complete idiot. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me – you and the baby.’
There was a loud gasp and a squeal from the direction of her mother and sister, but Soli ignored it, her attention focused solely on Xavier now.
‘You really want me back?’ she asked shakily.
‘Yes,’ he said with more determination in his voice than she’d ever heard before. He moved round to the opening in the counter and took her hand in his, gently tugging on it to ask her to follow him out to the floor of the cafe.
When they were both standing in front of the now mostly silent room – since the whole of the clientele appeared to have stopped playing their games to stare at them instead – Xavier dropped to one knee and looked up at her with such intensity in his eyes her heart nearly flew out of her body with excitement.
His hand was shaking as he held onto hers tightly, their palms pressed hard together, and she realised with a shock that he was scared.
He was afraid she would reject him, but he was still going through with this, in front of all these people.
He wasn’t hiding any more.
He swallowed, looking as though he was having trouble starting his sentence, but his voice was loud and clear when he spoke.
‘As you’re aware, I find it really hard to trust people, but I know – I guess I’ve always known, deep down – that I can trust you, Soli.
I love the idea of you being the mother of my child.
You’re the most wonderful, caring, compassionate person I’ve ever met, and it would be a huge privilege to spend the rest of my life with you. ’
There was a low murmur from the crowd, but he didn’t let it distract him.
‘I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make you happy. I’ll give you everything I have, everything, if you’ll come back home with me.’
She could barely breathe as the reality of his words began to sink in.
‘I love you, Solitaire McQueen. Will you marry me,’ he paused and smiled before adding, ‘for real this time?’
Soli thought her heart might explode with happiness.
Xavier loved her and he wanted them all to be a family. A real family.
‘I love you too,’ she sobbed, unable to control her emotions any longer. ‘And yes,’ she took a steadying breath, ‘I’ll marry you.’ She grinned through her tears. ‘Again.’
He kissed her hand before standing up and pulling her into his arms, where he held her to him so tightly she could barely breathe, before finally drawing away just far enough to kiss her deeply, with the love and emotion she’d always known he had in him.
‘We’ll make one hell of a team, Mrs McQueen,’ he murmured against her lips, and she knew, right then, that there would be no more games.
She’d won the ultimate prize.