If Helena hadn’t believed in him, Xavier knew, he would have none of the success he had. He owed her everything he was; not only for her financial backing, but also for the love she’d lavished upon him at a time in her life when love had been hard for her to comprehend. She had given him everything, and he would give back for the rest of their lives.
Leaning over, he brushed his lips ever-so-gently across her brow, whispering his love for her. In response, the young woman snuggled close to him, her back flush against his chest as his hand rested on her belly.
Within her, their child slept just as peacefully as his mother, without a single kick or undulation. Inhaling the sweet scent of his lover’s hair, Xavier found sleep, content in the presence of those he loved more than anything.
The next day was the last that Xavier would be allowed home before returning to work. He spent it in utter seclusion with Helena. When she suggested slyly that they not leave bed all day, he decided to oblige her. They had their coffee after an extended romp that lasted until around noon. Then he helped her from bed and they partook of a leisurely shower and lingered there until the water got cold.
They had breakfast out on the terrace before lying on the grass as Xavier listened to his son make a fuss inside his mother’s belly.
“He’s going to be just as high maintenance as you are.” Helena teased as she kissed him. Xavier merely rolled his eyes playfully before smacking her behind.
“You’re the one who’s being high maintenance, Ms. I-Need-It-Now.”
Helena laughed softly, drawing her lover upward to plant a soft kiss against his throat. The warmth of her lips awakened a hunger that Xavier thought had been sated until at least dinner.
How wrong he’d been.
By the time they left the bed again, their last meal was well-overdue. Helena tried not to dissolve into a fit of laughter as Xavier called a plethora of restaurants, trying to explain to them that he would pay extra for delivery and apologizing for the time.
By the time they finally got their sushi and tucked in, it was close to midnight. Rather than return to the bed they’d spent most of the day in, however, the two of them cuddled up before the fire, regardless of the fact that there were still a few months of summer left.
Xavier couldn’t remember when he’d been more content.
He knew that the both of them would have to go back to their respective jobs the next day, but for that minute, they were basking in baby bliss – and each other.
Xavier had noticed that Helena tired much more easily with their child growing inside her. Not thirty minutes after they’d finished their dinner, she was sound asleep in the crook of his arm.
Watching her, Xavier stroked slowly over her shoulder and down her arm until his hand covered hers where it rested upon her swollen belly. The dark-haired man lowered his head to brush a kiss across the taut flesh there before scooping Helena into his arms to carry her back to their bedroom.
Once he had her settled among the blankets, Xavier left her briefly to make his way down the hall to his home office. The entire room was hopelessly cluttered – a detail Helena never failed to point out – and he knew he needed to clean things up a bit. But, for now, the mess served its purpose. Helena was a bit too round to fit past anything – making his desk the perfect place to hide the ring.
Edging past a bevy of boxes yet-unpacked, Xavier sank down into his plush office chair before pulling open the top drawer. Inside rested a red velvet box. For a moment, he just stared at it. Such a tiny, infinitesimal thing...and yet it had the power to change their lives.
Extracting the box from his desk, he thumbed the top open to take a peek at the modest diamond and ruby ring inside. The platinum band sparkled in the low light, and though Xavier knew Helena wasn’t a woman who liked to covet pretty things overly much, she would covet this.
A small smile tugging at his lips, he replaced the box in his desk before returning to bed. Helena had curled up on her side amongst a mountain of pillows and was breathing softly, the sheets tucked around her. Chuckling lowly, Xavier slipped into bed behind her, tugging a few pillows strategically out of the way so that he could lie against her skin to skin.
When they were like this, he could almost pretend that he’d never have to go in to work again, and would get to lie with her until he damn well felt like getting up.
It was too bad life was poised to intervene.
Leaving Helena’s warmth to go into the office was one of the hardest things Xavier had to do in his life. He reminded himself that her assailant was in jail awaiting trial, that she was alive and well, and that they had to get on with their lives to provide for their son.
And that still didn’t make things any easier.
Even so, he suited up and hightailed it down town, where his office manager, Margaret, was waiting for him with bated breath and extended claws.
“Xavier! So good to see you!” The spectacled brunette pumped his hand hard enough to make his arm hurt. “How are Helena and the baby?”
He supposed he should be grateful that she started with the pleasantries. Usually, the woman barely bothered to wait until he was in his office to lay into him with a to-do list five miles long. That was, he supposed, part of why he’d hired her. Margaret was ruthlessly efficient – atop being very qualified. “They’re fine.” He managed a smile, massaging his bicep as he followed the slightly older woman into the elevator. “Helena’s due in about a month.”
“Marvelous!” Margaret beamed. For all that she harried him, he supposed that she really did care about his personal life. She made allowances for him to be with Helena and see his family whenever she could – quite possibly stemming from the fact that she had a husband and children of her own. “I can’t wait to show you some projections I’ve made…and there’s a mountain of paperwork that needs seeing to.”
As Margaret fairly dragged him to his office on the top floor, he was greeted by everyone present. He barely managed proper replies to anyone who addressed him due to the speed with which he was being propelled across the floor. That was, however, until Daniel Hayes stepped out in front of him, wearing a resplendent smile.
“Mr. Thompson! Nice to see you back.”
Xavier’s grin was immediate. He managed to extricate himself from Margaret’s grip enough to pump the younger man’s arm enthusiastically. “Daniel! Nice to be back.”
Hayes was the man who had single-handedly managed all of the accounting for XTech’s portion of the merger. The tall, dark-skinned man was a good three years younger than Xavier, but had flourished in the role, excelling in the gargantuan amount of paperwork allotted to him.
When it came to dealing with amounts of money as massive as those involved with XTech’s endeavors, Xavier was a little nervous about the numbers, to say the least. Despite the turmoil that he’d been going through while he and Helena had been apart, Daniel had worked closely with him to ensure that all the amounts had panned out and that the merger went smoothly. The work involved a lot of late nights, gallons of coffee, and thousands of pages of print that made both of their eyes water.
But in the end, everything had been done, and Xavier had emerged with not only a bigger profile for his company, but also with a close companion. He was actually considering inviting Daniel over to the house to meet Helena and the baby after he was born. The man had little family of his own, and was in California with no one to support him.
“I assume all those figures are still meshing?” Daniel chuckled, dark eyes gleaming with good humor.
“Well, I haven’t heard anything from the big guys yet, so, we’re OK so far.” Xavier quipped in reply. When Margaret huffed lowly, tapping her foot, he glanced over his shoulder at the minute woman with a humoring smile. “One sec, Margaret.”
When he turned back towards Daniel to address him, the accountant was smirking. “Two minutes inside the building and already, duty calls.”
“You know it.” Xavier released the man’s hand, his expression amu
sed. “We’ll catch up later, alright?”
“Whenever you’re free.” Daniel shot Margaret a long-suffering look that just barely escaped her attention. “Though that might not be for a few years.”
Xavier snorted, finally relenting to follow Margaret to his office. He withdrew the key from his briefcase and swiped it through the strip, admitting them into the darkened room. While Margaret hurried to open the blinds he tossed his briefcase onto the desk. The huge space was flooded with light and just as welcoming as he’d left it.
As much as he hated to leave his lover’s side, Xavier had adorned his desk with more than enough pictures of the two of them together to make do. There was an image of them at the beach, one of them standing outside their new house, and taking center stage was an image he’d acquired of his unborn child sleeping within his mother’s womb. Xavier’s eyes lingered on the last image, as he wondered exactly how much his life would change once he became a father.
“Hello?” He jerked from his reverie to see Margaret staring up at him, her gaze slightly concerned. “Earth to Xavier?”
“Sorry, Margaret.” He replied sheepishly, opening his briefcase to take out the stack of paperwork contained within. Contrary to popular belief, he had actually gotten some work done while he was at home with Helena. It wasn’t a lot – but it was something to make up for the weeks that he hadn’t been in the office.
At the sight of the papers, the office manager’s expression turned to delight and she snatched them from their folder. “Are these the final figures for July’s report? Oh, thank heaven!” For a moment, the brunette looked so grateful that Xavier thought she might actually kiss the bound pages.
As she slavered over the information for a moment, the young man took a wary look at the very intimidating pile in his inbox. He would definitely be taking home work that night – which meant that the time he’d be able to spend with Helena would be limited.
Such was life. He supposed he’d have to revel in being able to work in the office while he could. Once the baby was born, he’d already made clear his intentions to take a month or two of leave to help Helena; and as much as he adored his toffee-skinned lover, he knew that, eventually, he’d start to long for the triumph of writing an intricate program or fixing a computer whose owner was convinced it wouldn’t give up its goods.
He sank into his chair with a faint smile, ready for anything Margaret might throw at him. Whatever he might think about where he was, or how he’d come to be there, life, as it stood, was good. He’d made his own name, and was on the cusp of having his own family – parents be damned.
He couldn’t wait.
Chapter Two: Accomplice
“When am I going to be able to convince you to go home?”
Arching a brow, Helena gazed at Miranda over the desk behind which she sat. After a moment beneath her incriminating stare, the redhead smiled sheepishly before going back to her task of putting the filing cabinet in order.
It had been this way for the past two weeks or so – both Doctor Forge and Miranda attempting to get her to take her maternity leave early. Helena had told everyone – from the administrators at medical school, to her teacher, to Xavier himself that she wasn’t going to take her leave a day earlier than necessary. As much as she’d come to anticipate the birth of her son, nothing short of the little monster choosing to make an early appearance was going to stop her from doing her job. She had to make a living, after all, and she still had her MD to earn.
Which would explain why, at a little over eight months pregnant, she was still showing up at the office every day. Helena had to admit that as difficult as it could be to haul her bulk around, she definitely enjoyed children’s queries, delighted smiles, and wanting to talk to her belly. Her son was already adored and he hadn’t even been born yet.
She was a bit too big to do much other than sit behind the desk and go over paperwork, but she enjoyed what few duties she could perform. Helena had always loved her work, and the fact that she would complete her MD shortly after the baby was born was just something else to be excited over.
The young woman rubbed over her belly absently as she entered patient data with her opposite hand, humming to herself. It was hard to imagine that in a few short weeks, she was going to bring life into the world. No matter how many times she felt the baby grasp and kick within her, she knew it wouldn’t be real to her until she saw his face. Would he have his father’s eyes, and Xavier’s enviable bone structure? Or would he look more like her, with gray eyes and rounder features?
Imagining a cherubic, soft laugh and a large, curious gaze made Helena’s lips curve. She supposed she’d know soon enough. And, in the meantime, she could look forward to working on the nursery every day when she came home. She and Xavier had relatively little time to come to an agreement on the color scheme and decorating, but it was turning out nicely. And, thanks to his Aunt Brandy, the child already had a closet full of designer clothes.
At the thought of one of her best friends and Xavier’s sister, Helena’s smile faded somewhat. In the last few weeks of her pregnancy, she’d come to make peace with her growing family and her excitement had finally made an appearance. Brandy, however, had gotten pregnant a few months behind herself after years of wanting a baby. However, she was having a tough time enjoying her own pregnancy because of the familial ties that had always bound her.
Even now, weeks later, when Helena thought of what Garret Thompson and his wife had planned to do…to take her own baby from her and lie to their son about her intentions…it made her slightly sick to her stomach. The Thompsons were ruthless and single-minded. Apart from Brandy and her husband Hank, they couldn’t be trusted – which was a shame.
Xavier had long wished to have a close relationship with his youngest sister Emily. However, the young woman had proved herself too indoctrinated by her parents to think progressively. She would have unwittingly helped them take Helena’s baby from her to give to Xavier under the guise of the greater good. The truth didn’t matter to the Thompsons – only their family image and doing whatever they needed to maintain it.
Which meant that they intended to have substantial influence on Brandy’s child and its future.
Though Helena knew that Brandy usually handled her parents’ interference and domineering with grace, to lose control of her child to them would break her heart. The notion put a bit of a damper on Helena’s own anticipation. She had already spoken to Xavier about the possibility of bringing Brandy to the west coast, and he seemed up for it. The problem was getting a reluctant Brandy to agree. Unlike Xavier, she had never lived beyond the shadow of her parents, even if she wasn’t blind to their bigotry.
Helena knew she had to try and convince the elder woman. She didn’t know if she could stand to know that Brandy was suffering when she’d wanted a baby for so long. After the baby was born, she’d do all she could to help her– and damn the Thompsons.
The door to the waiting room swung open, distracting the young woman from her thoughts as she raised her head to greet their next patients. However, at the appearance of three armed policemen entering the establishment, a thrill of nerves ran through her.
She couldn’t recall cops ever coming to the practice before. Maybe they were here to ask about an injury that had happened, or a child that had gotten hurt?
Miranda, too, looked perplexed by their sudden appearance. Before Helena could speak, the younger woman beat her to the punch. “Can I help you, officers?”
“Yes.” A tall, dark-skinned man with a sheriff’s badge appeared to be leading the group. “We’re looking for Helena Graves.”
At the sound of her name, the gray-eyed woman’s blood unexpectedly ran cold. The reaction was swift – almost instantaneous, and she tried to curb it even as she rose with some difficulty from behind the desk, a hand protectively over her stomach. Just because they were looking for her didn’t mean anything untoward, did it? They probably just wanted to ask her a few questions.
“I’m Helena Graves.”
The policemen looked to her immediately and Helena tried to read their carefully neutral gazes. She’d dealt with the police an unfortunate number of times in her life, but she never got any better at guessing what their actions would be.
Which explained why she was completely shocked when one of the cops spoke words she never thought she’d hear.
“Ms. Graves, you’re under arrest.”
Helena’s eyes widened until they were the size of saucers and her heart stuttered in her chest.
She couldn’t have heard them right. Did they just say…she was under arrest? She had just gone through a gigantic episode with the county police where she’d had to identify Elliot and give the details of her experience and now she was dealing with them again?
“Excuse me?” Her words came out in a low, disbelieving whisper.
“Officers, what is the meaning of this?” At that precise moment, Susan emerged from her office down the hall, her face fixed into a fierce scowl of disapproval. “This is my practice. Why are you arresting one of my employees?”
The tall, dark-skinned officer remained unmoved by Doctor Forge’s show of authority. “Ma’am, we have a warrant for Helena Graves’ arrest on charges of conspiracy to embezzle, forgery, and grand larceny.”
Susan’s shock could have matched Helena’s. The younger woman’s head reeled as she tried to comprehend what the officers had just said. She was being arrested for stealing and embezzlement? But she hadn’t stolen anything! God knew her mother had done that enough that Helena abhorred even the thought of taking something that wasn’t hers.
“Who’s filing charges?” After what seemed like an eternity of trying to remember how to speak, Helena finally found her tongue, making both Miranda and Susan look to her in surprise.
For the first time since they’d entered, the cops’ faces changed. They all registered expressions of acute annoyance. “You act as if you don’t know, Ms. Graves.” Their leader accused overtly, making Helena’s heart drop painfully into her stomach. Setting her mouth, she glared at the man.
A Kiss of Color: A BWWM Interracial Romance (Book 3) Page 2
