Chapter Twenty-Five
Xander
It was past midnight when we left Chad and Scarlett’s house.
“I loved this,” Bailey exclaimed. “Just putting it out there, but whenever Bella gets the green light that she can watch the next Harry Potter movie, I volunteer to watch it with her.”
I pulled her close to me, laughing. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Oh yeah.” Then her eyes widened. “I mean, I wasn’t implying that... Oh, shoot.”
“What is it?”
“Well, that could take a while.”
“Probably. Knowing Chad, he’s going to make her wait another year or two.”
Bailey was still looking away, and then it dawned on me. She didn’t know what was going to happen in a year or two. Frankly, neither did I, but the thought of coming here with her to watch the next installment of that godforsaken movie franchise sounded good. I could do anything with her and would be totally fine with it.
“It would be my pleasure to watch the next one with you. If anything, you’ll make it more enjoyable.”
She looked up at me with a smile as we started to walk again.
I held her hand, interlacing our fingers. Neither of us was wearing gloves, and the temperature had dropped. But that wasn’t the only reason why I was holding her hand. I liked this contact.
“So, that thought doesn’t scare you?” she asked.
“What?” I was doing this on purpose because I wanted to hear her thoughts first.
“Oh, why are you like that?”
“Because I want to know what’s going on in that pretty mind of yours.”
“I’m not even sure. I like planning ahead and thinking about the future, but...”
“This seems fast,” I finished for her.
She nodded, her smile dropping a bit.
“It is fast, but you know what? It feels damn right.” I wrapped an arm around her waist. Clearly just touching her fingers wasn’t enough.
“I know. I usually go with the flow,” she whispered, “but not you, Mr. LeBlanc.”
“Not me. You’ve got that right,” I admitted. “But this is different.” I felt it in my bones. I’d never felt as close to anyone as I did with Bailey.
I kissed the corner of her mouth, and she sighed. “You’re going to make me swoon in the street, aren’t you?”
I was about to answer when her stomach rumbled.
I laughed. “First I’m going to feed you.”
“Mm. What are we having? I was starting to get a bit hungry at the house, but I was ashamed to say anything.”
“They always have excellent food. Next time, just look in the fridge.”
She blinked rapidly at the words “next time.”
“Scarlet cooks in her free time?”
“Not as much, but Chad does, and he’s skilled in the kitchen.”
I looked at her intently. She still seemed to be processing the “next time” thing. I was confident about it. I wanted Bailey to be part of my life more than I wanted anything else.
“Where exactly are we going?” she asked.
“How do you feel about po’ boys?”
Her eyes widened. “Helloooo? I love them.”
I chuckled. “Had to ask. After all, you said you’re not a beignet girl.”
“I know, but still. I was born and bred in NOLA. I do like most of our treats. I just think beignets are overrated.”
“Don’t let Bella hear you say that. She won’t be a fan of you any longer.”
“My lips are sealed.” She mimed the action, laughing. “So, where is it exactly?”
“Just around the corner. I often grab one if I’m in the area. It’s my favorite po’ boy.”
“Must be a fancy place.”
I wondered why she’d say that. “It’s actually not. It’s just a take-out spot.”
“You’re joking.”
I frowned. “No. Why?”
“I thought you always had fancy meals in one form or another.”
As we turned to the left, I pointed in front of us. “Here it is.”
Her eyes lit up. “A mom-and-pop shop. I love those!”
The shop was empty at this hour. We both ordered chicken po’ boys with all the toppings they offered and then stepped out on the street with our sandwiches. Bailey bit into hers right away.
“Ohhhhh, I’ll remember this place. Truly one of the best I’ve had.”
“Whenever you’re in the mood for it, just tell me and I’ll bring it to you.”
“In-person delivery?” She batted her eyelashes.
I nodded. “Of course. Only the best for you.”
“I wasn’t expecting you to agree so fast. Can we make it a naked delivery?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
I growled. “Woman!”
“Okay. Okay, let’s eat.” She started to shiver as she took another bite.
“Want to hurry to the car?”
“Sure. Or you can keep me warm.”
“We can do both.” I was going to, anyway.
I put my free arm on her back, moving it up and down. It didn’t take us long to finish the po’ boys. Just as we were done eating, we passed a group of carolers who were singing in front of a mansion along the way.
“I used to do that with Avery a lot as a kid.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I teased. And then I couldn’t help myself. I lowered my mouth toward her ear and tugged at her earlobe.
“Xander...,” she chastised, and I straightened up. Clearing her throat, she added, “It was a nice tradition. Didn’t you go with your brothers?”
“Actually, I did.”
“Ha. I knew it. No one can live in New Orleans and not go caroling.”
“I’m pretty sure there are some people who don’t, but that wasn’t how we did things in my family.”
“Then you have to know some carols.”
“Of course I do. Vaguely. Like I said, I go caroling in Jackson Square with the family every year.”
“Right, I remember you told me that. Avery and I do that too. I, for one, can’t wait to have kids. Then I‘ll have a perfectly good excuse to go with them. They’ll need a chaperone, obviously.”
I stopped walking, just watching Bailey as she watched the group. “I’d give you some of that eggnog to take caroling with you.”
Bailey immediately looked at me, her breath catching. She cleared her throat. “Alcoholic or nonalcoholic?”
“Everyone would have separate flasks,” I said, a picture of the future filling my mind. “You would have one with alcohol, and the kids would have their own—without alcohol, of course.”
“And you?” Bailey whispered.
“I would be the chauffeur who picks you up, since you’ll be tipsy.” I’d never had any train of thought that led me this way before, at least not one that was so vivid and full of details.
Bailey would be dressed just as now, maybe with a cap on her head. We’d have possibly three kids. They’d know all the carols by heart.
“What would it take to hypothetically convince you to go caroling with us?” she asked.
“That would not happen,” I countered.
“Why not? I could even share my eggnog with you.”
I threw my head back, laughing. “You’re trying to bribe me using my own eggnog?”
“I mean, the problem would be that we’d then need a designated driver,” she pondered.
“We could just Uber, or I’m sure one of my brothers wouldn’t mind chaperoning us. Here’s a thought, actually.” The ideas were free-flowing now—which also never happened to me. I never dealt in what-ifs or imagined futures. I was a facts man. But this was fun. “We could go in a bigger group.”
“Does Bella go caroling?”
“Yeah, she does. Anthony and Beckett go with her, sometimes Zachary too.”
“I see. So, they’re easily corrupted when it comes to caroling.”
I nodded, moving closer to her once more. “Yes. But I’m easily corruptible too. For certain things.”
“Not caroling.”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not.”
“Oh, you’re such a Grinch.”
“Stop saying that or I’ll kiss you right here in the middle of the street,” I growled.
“And you think I don’t want that? What gave you that idea?”
I pressed my lips to hers the next second. Though I couldn’t kiss her the way I wanted to because we’d make a spectacle of ourselves, and there were kids around.
When I straightened up, I noticed two of the kids watching us.
“Don’t want to be a bad influence on those kids,” I said, nodding to them.
Bailey turned to watch and giggled. “Whoops, we’re drawing attention to ourselves. So, you’d like to be a role model, huh, Mr. Grinch?”
“You call me that one more time...”
“And? What do I get?” She batted her eyelashes. “You’ll throw me over your shoulder and take me to the penthouse?”
“I so fucking will.”
She bit her lower lip.
“Why don’t we move toward the car?”
“Good idea.” Her voice was uneven.
I was going to spend the night pleasuring this woman. I was already making plans.
Fuck, I needed to change the topic right now or else we’d never make it to the penthouse.
“So, what other Christmas traditions does your family have?” I was genuinely curious about it.
“Mom and Dad weren’t big on celebrating growing up.”
I couldn’t let this opportunity pass. “And how do you feel about that?”
She elbowed me lightly. “I think it’s a missed opportunity. Christmas should always be celebrated, no matter if there are kids in the house or not.”
“My grandparents and parents agree with you.”
“You act like you’re completely different, yet you have your traditions with Bella.”
“I do a lot of things for Bella,” I admitted. “I like making her happy.” As we reached the car, I added, “Sometimes I think I should make more of an effort.” I opened the door for her. “This year it’s become even clearer.”
She leaned against the seat, looking up at me. “How come?”
“I thought that honoring my family’s legacy meant making sure the company was doing better than ever. Always improving profit margins, processes, and so on. It was my top goal. And it still is. It probably always will be. But I realized that I’ve been spending less time with my family over the years, and it’s a pity. I mean, Bella will soon be all grown up.”
“I think you’ve still got a few years.”
“My grandparents and parents won’t be around forever, yet I’ve spent the past few Christmases cooped up in my office.”
“There’s always time to change that. I can’t believe the Christmas spirit is rubbing off on you.” Her smile was delightful.
“It’s not that,” I assured her, resting my fingertips on her neck. “You’re making me see things in a different light.”
“Really? How come?”
“I can’t explain it. Your way of looking at things. The fact that you were willing to completely change careers because you were no longer happy doing what you were doing. That’s admirable. And now you’re doing something that makes you completely happy. You make me question myself in all the good ways.”
“And I have a few more ideas concerning you.”
“I can’t wait for you to share them with me in front of that fireplace you like so much.”
She grinned. “Hell yes.”