Chapter 50

Xavier takes my hand, and I smile at him as I entwine our fingers. It hadn’t occurred to me that this is our first public appearance since we announced our marriage, and it’s at an event that actually matters to him. “Do I look okay?” I ask, trying not to let my insecurities show. The last thing I want to do is embarrass him when he’s introducing me to somehow he really cares about.

“You look perfect,” he says, his eyes roaming over my body. “I can’t wait to put Valeria back on a plane tonight, so we can be completely alone together.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and rise to my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “We could let her stay a bit longer,” I murmur. “I don’t mind.”

He narrows his eyes at me as we walk along the beach. “Don’t even try it. I know you two are in cahoots these days — she needs to get on that plane, Kitten. It’s for her own safety, and you know it. There are far too many people here, too many threats.”

I pout but nod nonetheless. “Fine,” I mutter. “I’m taking her to Zane’s private island for her birthday, though, and you’re not invited.”

He chuckles and throws me a sweet look. “Fine by me so long as you take adequate security with you,” he says, and the way he looks at me makes my heart skip a beat.

“You’re nervous,” he remarks, seemingly amused as we walk into the gorgeous beachside venue. “It’s been years since I last saw you get nervous. You’re always fearless, certainty in every step you take.”

I look up at him and blush fiercely. “I am nervous,” I admit. “How could I not be? I’m scared I’ll do or say something weird, and I’ll make a bad first impression. I don’t want your friends to hate me, or think that I’m not good enough for you.”

He stares at me in disbelief and raises a brow. “You? Not good enough for me?” I watch as the edges of my husband’s lips pull up, a smile slowly transforming his face. “Sierra, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. If anyone is unworthy, it’s clearly me. There’s not a chance that my friends would think badly of you.”

I turn to face him and gently caress his emerald tie. It matches my dress perfectly, and it’s one of those little things that I secretly really love about him. He always makes sure our outfits match. “You genuinely don’t realize, do you?”

“Realize what?”

“That you’re the man of my dreams.”

He freezes, almost like the words don’t quite register, and then he looks away, his cheekbones flushing. I can’t help but giggle at his response, and he grins as he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer.

“Xavier Kingston — smiling?”

I look up at the sound of an incredulous voice and find an unfamiliar man looking at us both with something that can only be described as affection.

“Vicenzo Rossi — engaged,” Xavier responds, letting go of me to give his friend one of those weird side hugs that men tend to do. “It was about damn time.” I’ve never seen him look so animated around anyone but me, and my heart overflows with happiness at the sight of him looking so happy.

“I know,” he says, looking down. “I kept Tiff waiting too long, hence the massive party.” So this is Enzo. He isn’t quite as handsome as Xavier, in my opinion, but I can understand why V is so smitten. He looks like a Roman statue, with his half-long wavy hair and his chiseled jawline.

“Meet my wife,” Xavier says, wrapping his hand around my shoulder. “Sierra Kingston.”

The butterflies in my stomach go wild at the way he addresses me, and I can’t help but smile shyly. “It’s lovely to meet you, Enzo. I’ve heard so much about you.”

He narrows his eyes at Xavier. “You haven’t been telling your lovely wife any lies about me, have you?”

“Do you really think I’d do that?” Xave asks, laughing.

Enzo looks at me with an expression that clearly says — yes, your husband would definitely do that to me, and I burst out laughing.

“Xavier! Oh my gosh, I didn’t think you’d come!” My eyes widen when a blonde woman rushes into my husband’s arms, hugging him tightly, and I raise a brow when she looks him over, her hands wrapped around his biceps.

“Tiffany,” he says, smiling. “Congratulations on getting engaged, and thank you so much for inviting me.”

He isn’t quite as warm to her, and it’s petty, but I find it reassuring when he steps away from her and pulls me against him, before he proceeds to introduce me all over again. Tiffany smiles and congratulates us on our marriage, but it’s clear she’s curious about us, and I probably should’ve expected it. We never got engaged the way they did, and we didn’t have a big wedding with lots of guests. I never gave it much thought, but in hindsight, I wish I’d gotten to experience all of those things.

I study Tiffany as she talks to Xavier and mostly ignores me, and I can’t help but dislike her. I’m not sure if it’s because of what I know, or because of the way she seems to be dismissing me. I just can’t imagine doing what she did, not even if my best friend died, and I just can’t forgive her for hurting my sister-in-law, even if she did it unknowingly.

“Dance with me,” Xavier says suddenly, cutting off his conversation with her mid sentence when the band begins to play a slow romantic song.

I look into his eyes as he pulls me onto the dance floor, my heart beating wildly. “I love you,” I whisper, the words bursting from my lips.

My husband smiles and slides his hand up from my nape, into my hair. “I love you more,” he tells me, before leaning in to kiss me, the ocean breeze and the music creating a scene right out of my favorite romance novels.

“This is it, you know?” I murmur, my breathing unsteady. “I think this is a real life happily ever after.”

Xavier chuckles and presses a soft kiss to my forehead, before kissing the tip of my nose. “No, baby,” he murmurs. “This is only just the beginning.”

We’re in a world of our own as we dance and drink more champagne than we really should, and I wish things could always be like this. We stay on the dance floor until the last song comes on, and he never once takes his eyes off me. I wasn’t sure it was the right move when I asked him to take me on a honeymoon, but I’m glad I did. We needed this — time in isolation, without work and our families there to distract us.

Almost like he knows what I’m thinking, he drops his forehead against mine and sighs. “We better keep our word,” he says, sounding reluctant.

I glance over my shoulder and find Enzo standing in one corner with his friends, while Tiff is laughing with her own friends. Xavier’s hand wraps into mine as he nods at his bodyguards, and two of them instantly approach Enzo and Tiffany. They glance at us simultaneously, and Xavier grins as he tips his head toward the beach, where more of our staff should be escorting V to right now.

“I hear you’ve got a surprise for me?” Enzo says, throwing his arm around Xavier and stealing my husband away. “What did you do? Did you buy me this island?”

I laugh, unable to help myself. It actually is something I could see Xavier doing. “Unfortunately, it isn’t really possible to buy a country,” I tell him, “but I’d argue that this surprise is better than that.”

Enzo smirks at me. “Better than an island of my own? That’s quite a grand promise, Mrs. Kingston.”

“You already have several islands anyway,” Tiff reminds him.

“You do,” Xave agrees, “and don’t smile at my wife like that. Actually, don’t even look at her.”

Tiff laughs and lightly punches his arm as we walk onto the beach. “Never thought I’d witness you being jealous or possessive, Xavier, over a man whose engagement party you just attended, no less.”

“If it isn’t an island, what could it be?” Enzo asks, his voice playful. It’s clear he enjoys winding Xavier up, and I have a feeling we’re going to get along really well.

“See for yourself,” I tell him, my voice faltering when I spot Valeria stepping out from behind her bodyguard, her long blue dress flowing with the wind.

Enzo follows my gaze and freezes in place, his expression fracturing as disbelief and longing fight for dominance in his eyes. “Valeria,” he whispers, before he takes off running, bridging the distance between them until he’s cupping her cheek with one hand, his other hand buried in her hair. “It’s you,” he says, his voice breaking. “It’s really you.”

Enzo drops his forehead to hers, and her arms wrap around his neck as she bursts into tears. Xavier tightens his grip on my hand, almost painfully so. “That’s the first time she’s cried since⁠—”

“She’s back,” Tiff whispers, staring ahead in shock. Something that looks a whole lot like heartbreak crosses her face as she watches Enzo hold Valeria, but then she seems to snap out of it and rushes up to them, wrapping her arms around them both. Even so, Enzo doesn’t loosen his grip on Valeria at all, not even for a moment.