A Spring Affair

by Té Russ

  "Not exactly, but there was just something in your eyes. But for the record, I've never brought Darby here. She wasn't really the outdoorsy type."

  He let her go, and turned to lay the blanket out so they could sit down.

  "I'm sorry," Maya said, as Xavier opened the picnic basket.

  "For what?" Xavier stopped what he was doing to look at her.

  Maya shook her head. "I don't want to be one of those types of girlfriends who's always obsessing over an ex, trying to figure out all of the things you did or didn't do together, always trying to compare things."

  "You're not being obsessive Maya," Xavier said. "It's only natural to be curious."

  He went back to unpacking the basket and grinned at her. "You do realize that's the first time you called me your 'girlfriend', don't you?"

  Maya's head snapped up. "What? I...I said that?" she stammered.

  He nodded and looked at her again. "You did."

  "Are you...okay with that? I know we haven't really discussed anything like that, and I know we haven't been seeing each other that long–"

  He cut her cute rambling off by leaning over and planting a kiss on her lips.

  After letting the kiss linger for another moment, he pressed his forehead to hers.

  "I am more than okay with that," he said. "No, we haven't been seeing each other that long, but...time doesn't seem to be a factor where my feelings for you are concerned Maya."

  Her already pounding heart, sped up even more. She took a steadying breath. "And what exactly are your feelings for me?"

  He seemed hesitant to say anymore. "I don't want to scare you off."

  "You won't."

  She watched as Xavier looked as though he were carefully thinking of his next words. He looked over his shoulder at the lake, then smiled as he picked up a magnolia flower that had fallen off of the tree and slipped it in her hair above her ear, letting his fingers gently stroke her cheek.

  "I'm feeling like some day soon, I could find myself here carving your initials in this tree with mine."

  She felt her breath catch in her throat at his words, especially the next ones.

  "I think I may be falling for you Maya."

  She sat there staring at him for a moment, and he started talking again quickly.

  "I shouldn't have said anything. I knew it was too soon, and you're probably freaking out right now–"

  She lifted her hand to cover his mouth and stop him from rambling, much like she'd done earlier.

  "I feel the same way."

  He looked at her with a surprised expression on his face.

  "You do?"

  Maya shrugged. "I told you that you wouldn't scare me off."

  "So...what happens now with us?"

  She bit her lower lip for a moment then said, "Now...you kiss me again and we enjoy our lunch."

  There was no need for them to define "what happened next". They could just enjoy each other and see where the road would take them.

  Xavier smiled. "That sounds like a good plan," he said. Then he ran his hands through her hair and pulled her lips against his.

  Soon they were enjoying the wonderful meal, Xavier put together for them and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sitting under the magnolia tree, just talking. He promised that they would return one day so that they could go fishing.

  As the sun began to set, they packed up the picnic basket and made their way back to the convertible.

  Maya glanced back at the magnolia tree one last time and smiled. She remembered Xavier's words about carving their initials in the same tree that his parents did one day. That was a day that she now looked forward to.

  Chapter 11

  "Evie, give me a call."

  Maya put her phone down and thought about her sister. She felt like she hadn't talked to Eva in ages. It wasn't like her to not answer when Maya called, but she figured she was with Roger. She would call when she could.

  Maya leaned back in her chair and thought about Eva and Roger. She loved seeing how Eva was hopelessly in love with Roger and how Roger worshipped the ground Eva walked on. They were a match made in Heaven and she hoped she would find that one day with someone.

  She felt like she may have found it already with Xavier.

  Maya opened her computer and saw Xavier was online and sent him a quick hello. The sound of her phone ringing took her attention away from the computer. Her eyebrows drew together when she realized it was a number she didn't recognize.

  "Hello?"

  "Maya?"

  Maya sat up straight and her heart began to pound at the sound of her brother-in-law's voice.

  "Roger? What's wrong?"

  "It's Eva..."

  "Evie? What happened to Evie?"

  "There was a car accident...and..." He sounded so broken.

  "Where are you?" Maya said, standing and grabbing her purse.

  "Sutter Memorial."

  "I'm on my way."

  An hour later, Maya was running into the hospital. She tapped her foot impatiently as she rode the elevator to the floor Roger had informed her Eva was on. As soon as the doors slid open she took off running. And came to a dead halt when she saw Roger. He had cuts and bruises on his face and arms, and his clothes were torn and tattered.

  "Oh my god," she said, her eyes filling with tears. Roger looked up, then placed his head back in his hands. Maya ran over to him and fell to her knees in front of him.

  "She's still in surgery," his voice trembled. "Maya, I'm so sorry."

  "What happened? Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine," he said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "We were on our way to lunch. She wanted to go to some café in town she'd been talking about. I was driving and she made some joke. I looked her way for a second. I saw the truck coming at us, it ran a red light. I tried to stop...swerve...anything, but...Maya I'm so sorry," he said again.

  Maya wrapped her arms around Roger as he sobbed and continued to apologize.

  "You have nothing to be sorry for," Maya said, wiping her own tears away.

  "Mr. Duncan?"

  Roger and Maya both stood at the sound of the doctor's voice.

  He gave them a gentle smile and said, "We're all finished up. She's still unconscious, and there's no real way to tell when she'll come to."

  "How is she?" Roger asked, squeezing Maya's hand.

  "I'm not going to lie to you, right now she is in critical condition, but her chances of survival are high. We'll know more when she wakes up. She's lucky she didn't sustain more injuries. I'd say it's a miracle. And the baby is fine, but we will continue to monitor it as well."

  "Baby?" both Roger and Maya said in shock.

  The doctor looked at them with raised eyebrows. "You didn't know?"

  "No," Roger whispered, as his body began to shake.

  "When can we see her?" Maya asked.

  "They're moving her to ICU right now. Once she's settled, you can visit."

  "Thank you," Maya said quietly, then the doctor walked away.

  Maya turned to Roger who fell down into his seat.

  "Pregnant...she's pregnant...if anything happens to them–"

  "It won't," Maya said fiercely. "They'll be fine. They have to be."

  Two days passed and Maya kept vigil at her sister's bedside. Eva still hadn't woken up. She hated seeing her sister looking so frail and helpless. She could imagine Eva complaining about how she looked terrible in the horrid hospital gown.

  "You have to wake up," Maya pleaded, squeezing her sister's hand. "Evie, please. Roger is a wreck. I'm a wreck. We need you. Your baby needs you."

  "Maya?"

  She turned at the sound of Roger's voice.

  "Nothing has changed. You should go and get some rest."

  Maya stood, shaking her head adamantly. "I can't leave. What if she wakes up?"

  "Then I'll call you. You've got a key to our place. Why don't you go and freshen up and sleep for a few hours. You've been awake for nearly two days."

 
"So have you," she snapped. "Why don't you go home?"

  "Because she's my wife and the mother of my unborn baby."

  "And she's my sister!"

  "Maya..."

  Roger and Maya turned to see her parents standing at the door of the hospital room. Her mother took a step forward. "We got here as soon as we could," she said.

  Seeing her parents there caused something inside of Maya to break down. She rushed into her mother's open arms and began to cry. Her mother rocked her and smoothed her hair, like she used to do when she was a young girl.

  "It's all right," she said in a soothing tone. "Everything is going to be all right."

  Maya pulled away and looked at her mother. "How can you say that? Evie has been unconscious for two days."

  "Evie is a fighter, you know that. She has all of us pulling for her. We just need to send out positive vibes for her. She'll pull through. Now, your father is going to take you to Eva and Roger's place so you can get some rest."

  "But–"

  "Amaya. Roger needs time alone at his wife's side. You have to respect that."

  Finally, she nodded and turned to her father.

  He pulled her into his arms for a hug. "Come on," he said.

  "No," Maya said. "You guys just got here. I can drive myself over there."

  "Are you sure?" he asked concerned.

  "Yes, you guys stay with Evie for awhile. I'll be back in a few hours."

  She turned to apologize to Roger for her earlier outburst, but he held up his hand to stop her. He understood. She nodded and turned and made her way out to her car.

  When she got there, she realized that her phone had been left in the car.

  She noticed that she had several missed calls from Xavier. In the time that they'd been dating they rarely went a day without speaking. She was sure he was probably concerned by now. She would call him later.

  She took one step into Eva's place, and it was too much for her to bear. She backed out of the house, rushed back to the car and took off.

  She had no idea where she was headed, but soon realized she was in a familiar part of town. The darkening sky matched her emotions and when she parked her car and got out, the downpour of rain mixed with the tears streaming down her face as she made her way over to Wined & Dined.

  Two days.

  Xavier hadn't heard from Maya in two whole days. He'd found it odd, that she'd sent him a message, but didn't respond anymore when he sent a message back. She hadn't been answering her phone either.

  He finally called Russell Oaks and asked for her and they said she was out with a family emergency and they didn't know how long she would be gone.

  That made him worry even more and he'd been calling nonstop.

  "She'll call."

  Xavier looked up to see Lena giving him a reassuring smile.

  He nodded. "I just hope everything is okay."

  "I'm about to lock up, why don't you go ahead and head home. This freak storm looks like it's gonna be a doozy."

  "I'll head out in a little bit."

  Lena gave him a pat on the shoulder before leaving his office.

  He was just about to pick up his phone to try and call Maya again, when Lena called out.

  "Xay! You need to get out here now!"

  Xavier was up and out of his office in a flash.

  He stopped when he saw Lena wrapping her arms around Maya, who was soaked to the bone and shivering. Her hair was drenched and clung to the sides of her face.

  "Maya?" He rushed over to her. "Are you okay?"

  "I....I'm sorry for showing up so late...but..." she sniffled and Xavier noticed her eyes were red. Her face wasn't just wet from the rain, it was also wet from her tears. "Evie...my sister...she was in a car accident. She's not waking up...and the baby...my parents wanted me to go rest at her place, but I got there...I couldn't, I just couldn't..."

  He pulled her away from Lena into his arms and Maya began to sob uncontrollably. He looked over her head at Lena who had tears in her eyes now as well. She swung her head over her shoulder, silently telling him to get Maya out of there.

  Lena was right. He needed to get Maya calmed down, as well as dry, and fast.

  And he knew the perfect place.

  "Come on," he said. He hurried with her outside down the street to his family's bistro.

  Bobby and LeAnn looked up when he saw them walk in. They started to head toward him when they saw a distraught Maya in his arms, but he shook his head and gave them a look that said he'd explain later. He went through a door and then led her up a set of stairs. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked a door.

  Once they were inside, he took her to the bathroom, stripped her out of her clothes and helped her into the shower. After he washed and dried her, he helped her into one of his large t-shirts and sat her down on the sofa in the living room.

  "I'll be right back," he said, then went to the kitchen to make her a drink. She needed something a little stronger than wine.

  "Here you go," he said, handing the glass to her.

  "Thank you." She hadn't said a word since they'd left the café. She took a long sip of the whiskey and orange juice.

  "How are you feeling now?" he asked.

  She gave him a small smile. "Better, thanks to you." She looked up and seemed to look around for the very first time.

  "Is this your parent's old place?" she asked, realization filling her face.

  "Yeah, I stay here sometimes, when I'm too exhausted to go home."

  "It's very...cozy."

  "Yeah." He sat down next to her. "I'm glad to finally hear from you. I was getting worried."

  "I'm sorry I hadn't called you back sooner, I left my phone in my car when I got to the hospital. And I'm sorry for just showing up."

  "No need to apologize. You had a family situation. And as far as you just showing up, I suppose we can call it even now," he said, reminding her of the time, he'd showed up in Napa after the Darby debacle.

  Maya looked down into her glass.

  "What are you thinking?" Xavier asked, pushing a strand of hair out of her face.

  A tear slid down her cheek as she whispered, "She has to wake up, she just has to."

  "What did the doctors say?"

  "They said it's a miracle she didn't sustain more injuries from the car accident, and that her chances are high."

  "Well there you go," Xavier said optimistically.

  "But it's been two days."

  "Maya, I've never met your sister, but from what you've told me about her, I can't help but believe she'll pull through this. You have to believe it too."

  Maya's shoulders sagged as she said, "You're right...you're right. She'll be fine."

  She sat back on the couch and laid her head back with her eyes closed.

  "When's the last time you actually ate or slept?" he asked.

  "I've had a few vending machine snacks, but that's about it. As far as sleep...probably a few days, not since before her accident."

  "Then you definitely need to eat something, especially after the drink you've just had. I'll run down stairs and grab you some food."

  As he stood, Maya opened her eyes and reached out to grab his arm. "Xavier I don't want you to go through any extra trouble for me."

  He leaned down and kissed her on her forehead.

  "It's no trouble at all sweetheart, I'll be back soon."

  He ran his hand over his head and he headed back downstairs to the bistro. Hearing about Maya's sister and brother-in-law being in a car accident had stirred up some memories of his parents. He would never forget the call he got with news that he would never see his parents again. Thankfully, the outcome was better for Maya's family. But he knew Maya wouldn't get any real relief until Eva woke up.

  But until then, he would do everything he could to comfort her as much as he could.

  And that would have to start would food, he thought as he pressed his way through the double doors into the kitchen.

  Bobby and LeAn
n looked up when Xavier walked in. They both had looks of concern in their eyes.

  "Is Maya all right?" LeAnn asked first.

  "Her sister was hurt in a car accident," Xavier said.

  LeAnn's hand went up to her mouth and Bobby wrapped an arm around her.

  "How bad is it?" he asked Xavier.

  "Maya said she had to have surgery, but it went well. They'll know more when she wakes up. Apparently they discovered she was pregnant as well. The baby is fine."

  Xavier went to the deep fridge and began to pull ingredients out.

  "I hope you guys don't mind me cooking in here. She hasn't had a real meal in days."

  "Of course not son," Bobby said, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

  "No, I've got it," Xavier replied, as he began dicing vegetables. "In fact, you guys can go ahead and head on home. I'll lock up the bistro for you."

  LeAnn went over and gave Xavier a quick hug. "You let her know if she needs anything, we're here for her."

  Xavier nodded, and continued working on Maya's meal.

  Bobby clamped his hand on his nephew's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze before he and LeAnn left.

  Half an hour later, Xavier reentered the apartment with a tray full of food. Maya was sitting on the couch looking completely exhausted.

  "Hey," he said, sitting the tray in front of her. "I got you something to eat."

  He was glad to see her sit up and begin to eat. After awhile, he could see the fatigue beginning to set in. Her eyelids drooped and he could tell she was crashing hard.

  Xavier took the bowl from Maya's hand and sat it on the table then scooped her into his arms. He took her to the bedroom that he used when he stayed there and laid her in the bed. He kicked off his shoes and took off his shirt and pants, then climbed in the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed into his body and before she drifted off to sleep she said, "Thank you Xavier."

  He kissed the back of her head and said, "Anything for you Maya."

  Chapter 12

  Maya woke up the next morning feeling better than she had in days. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so well. She rolled over and was surprised to see Xavier was already gone. He left her a note on his pillow.