New Beginnings (2 page)

It wasn’t until the elevator began to move up to the twelfth floor that the butterflies started to assault my stomach. I couldn’t stand still in the small confines of the elevator. Just knowing that I would be seeing him in a few short moments had my skin tingling with anticipation.

I looked over at Renatta and was in awe of her composure. She looked so calm and serene as she stood and watched the number indicator rise as the elevator smoothly glided up.

Soon the elevator dinged announcing our arrival on the twelfth floor. The doors smoothly rolled opened. Suddenly, I was frozen on the threshold, remembering why we were here. Renatta frowned and grabbed my arm in an attempt to pull me out of the elevator. Then I heard Xavier’s hearty laugh.

I bolted off the elevator and there he was. My second chance stood there looking heart-stoppingly beautiful in his two-button, black Armani suit with a crisp white shirt and simple black tie. Those brilliant cerulean blue eyes stood out against all the black and white, and right now they were fixated on me in such a way it had me blushing. His cheeks were slightly flushed from laughing, and a huge smile spread across his face as our eyes locked. I couldn’t help but mirror his smile as I walked over to him.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me gently. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in my ear. I tightened my arms around his neck in response. Closing my eyes, I leaned into his neck. I breathed in Xavier’s familiar woodsy scent and sighed. Home. He smelled like home.

The room in which they conducted marriage ceremonies in the courthouse was huge. There were floor-to-ceiling windows and, being on the twelfth floor, they supplied breathtaking views of Seattle. A courthouse judge was standing in one of the corners with Tom and Renatta. Xavier and I made our way over to them.

Tom was dressed in a simple, black suit. What truly made him look so handsome was the adoring look he was giving Renatta. He looked at her as if there was no one else in the room.

Tom said hello and kissed me on the cheek. I handed Renatta her bouquet of white roses that were accentuated with pale blue carnations that had been dyed to match the color of her dress. Xavier and I dug out the rings. We held them until they were needed during the ceremony.

The judge was a small Asian woman dressed in a black robe holding a black leather portfolio. She cleared her throat to indicate she was ready to begin.

“Today we are here to join Tom and Renatta in marriage and to share in the joy of this occasion, which should be one of the most memorable and happy days of your lives. Now will you please face each other and join hands.” She paused for a moment as Tom and Renatta turned to face each other. Renatta handed me her bouquet so she could hold Tom’s hands.

At that moment, Xavier stepped closer to me and put his hand on the small of my back. I looked up at him and was rewarded with his adorable half smile. He then mouthed the words I love you.

Suddenly, without warning, I was transported back to the day Stephen and I were married. I gasped when Xavier’s face morphed into Stephen’s. I looked away quickly, confused as to why I would think such a thing when I knew in my heart that Xavier was the only one for me. He immediately brought his mouth to my ear and whispered, “Are you all right, sweetness?” Afraid to look at him for fear of seeing Stephen’s face again I just nodded in his direction.

“Please repeat after me,” the judge said, as she started to recite the traditional vow.

Tom’s voice revealed his nervousness by cracking occasionally as he said his vow. The tears that welled up in Renatta’s eyes were her only sign of emotion. There was no hint of nervousness in her voice when it was time for her to recite her vow.

Renatta had two previously failed marriages, but as she stood here before us today, she looked so sure and confident with her decision to marry Tom. Despite the hurt she had been through before, she still gave her heart to Tom fully trusting him with it.

Peeking up at Xavier, I was relieved to see his beautiful face. Deep inside I knew that he loved me as much as I loved him. I glanced down at the flowers in my hands. I love him, but was I ready to marry again? Could I survive the pain if my heart were to get broken again? Did I rush into things with Xavier? Would he be willing to wait a while before we got married? Was I getting cold feet? Was I having second thoughts?

“Ella,” Xavier said, effectively snapping me out of my reverie. He was frowning at me with a look of concern on his face. “It’s time to exchange the rings.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry,” I said quietly. I shook my head hoping to dispel my sudden erratic thoughts.

Xavier handed the ring he was holding to Tom, and I handed the ring I was holding to Renatta. The rings were simple gold bands with their names and the date engraved on the inside.

After exchanging rings, the judge continued. “Your rings, by their very shape, are symbols of eternal unity without beginning or end. Let them always remind you of the commitments you have made today.” The judge looked at Tom. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Tom and Renatta beamed at each other as they came together for a chaste kiss. The judge congratulated them before moving on to the next excited couple. Xavier and I hugged and kissed our friends giving them our congratulations.

“Is everything all right?” Renatta whispered in my ear when we embraced each other. Before I could answer, she pulled away but didn’t release me. She frowned as she intently searched my eyes.

I did my best to smile widely at her. “Yes, everything is fine. I’m so happy for you.”

When I turned back to Xavier, he wrapped his arms around me. We stood embracing each other for several long seconds. He pressed me closer, holding me tightly to him as if I was in danger of being blown away at any moment. Before he pulled away, he whispered in my ear. “I can’t wait for the day when I get to hear you say I do to me.”

I pulled back to look him in the eyes. Love, passion, and adoration were all I could see in their clear, blue depths. I also saw the same look of confidence and surety on Xavier’s face that Renatta’s face wore during her wedding ceremony. There was no denying his feelings for me. But did he have it in him to have an affair like Stephen did? Was he capable of hurting me like Stephen had? I wanted to believe the look in his eyes, but the pain in my heart left me feeling wary.

“Me too,” I mumbled, smiling weakly at him. He just frowned at me in response.

Xavier turned to Tom and Renatta asking if they were ready to go. Apparently, he had reservations at the Metropolitan Grill for seven o’clock.

As we were riding down the elevator, Xavier’s thumb kept running over my knuckles in a soft caress. I could feel his eyes on me. He knew something wasn’t quite right, but he wasn’t pressing me about it since we were with Tom and Renatta. It was only a matter of time though before he was able to corner me. I had no idea what I was going to say either. Knowing how much Stephen had hurt me with his betrayal, and given how quickly Xavier and I started our relationship, would he understand my reasoning for wanting to wait?

Stewart was at the curb with the rear passenger door of the limo open and ready to welcome us. He congratulated Tom and Renatta before they climbed in.

Suddenly, Xavier’s hand tightened on mine almost to the point of pain. Alarmed, I looked up at him only to find he was staring at something across the street. His face was ashen and his firm grip was cutting off the blood circulation to my fingers. When I flexed my hand in an attempt to free it, he hustled me into the limo.

I looked out the window across the street to see if I could find what caused him to react the way he did, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. All I saw were regular people setting out on a Friday night following a busy workweek.

As we were driving to the restaurant, I felt my phone vibrate in my clutch. I quickly dug it out thinking it might be my mother or father calling since the only other important people in my life were currently in the limo with me. Surprised to see that it was restricted, I cautiously answered the call. After saying hello several times with no response, the line disconnected.

“Who was it?” Xavier asked, frowning.

“I don’t know. It came up restricted, but there was nothing but dead air.” I shrugged, placing my phone back in my clutch.

We pulled up to the valet at the Metropolitan Grill. Stewart opened the door for Tom and Renatta as they exited the limo first. Xavier stepped out, and ever the gentleman, held his hand out for me. Pulling me close as we walked into the restaurant, he scanned the street around us. He was tense and alert.

“What is it?” I asked. His actions were starting to trigger my panic.

“Nothing, sweetness. Everything is fine,” he said smoothly. I could see the tension in his face though. He wasn’t fooling me for a second.

Xavier surprised us all by having reserved a private dining room that normally would have been able to accommodate twenty-two people. It was odd to see this one table for eight with only four place settings. The remaining tables were all pushed off to the side. A DJ was putting together a small set-up in a corner of the room. A small hardwood dance floor had also been laid out. Xavier spared no expense to make this dinner special for all of us.

We toasted our friends with a bottle of Dom Perignon. We talked and laughed over a beautifully prepared steak dinner. Xavier even made arrangements to have a small two-tiered wedding cake served following dinner. We happily danced until my feet were throbbing in my pumps. With the passing of every joyful moment, my doubts and fears about marrying Xavier diminished.

As the evening came to a close, Xavier presented our wedding gift to Tom and Renatta. Well, he called it our gift to them, but I hadn’t known anything about it. He made all the arrangements himself. He was sending them to Maui for a week.

“You leave Monday. I have made all the arrangements with your employers. I’ll have a limo at Equinox to pick you up and take you to the airport. I’ve also made arrangements to have my company jet available to you. This trip is all-inclusive. The only thing I ask is that you two enjoy yourselves,” Xavier said.

Tom looked shocked. He just sat and gaped at Xavier at a loss of what to say. Renatta squealed and jumped up to kiss and hug us both.

When it was time to leave, Xavier hit me with a little surprise of his own. As we exited the restaurant, Stewart opened the door to the black BMW SUV, which was parked behind the limo we had all arrived in.

As soon as Tom and Renatta left in the limo, Xavier turned to me. “We’re going to the mountains for the weekend,” he said quietly. He gestured for me to get in the vehicle.

My pulse started to race from the weird vibe I was getting from him. The serious tone he was talking in set me on edge. He sat down next to me, but didn’t touch me, which was odd. “We need to talk,” he said somberly.

It was a long and tense ride to Xavier’s house in Port Angeles. The few times that I snuck a peek at him, he was staring pensively out the window into the darkness. It was too dark both inside and outside of the car to be able to see his reflection in the window. I could only assume this had something to do with my moodiness from earlier during Tom and Renatta’s wedding.

It was just after one in the morning when we arrived at the house. I was surprised to see my silver SUV in the driveway. Obviously Stewart or Marissa had been up to the house earlier. Stewart opened the rear passenger door for me. I walked around to the back of the SUV to help with the bags, but Xavier held his hand up at me. “Clothes and essentials are already in the house. Just go inside. You should get ready for bed. It’s late.” He didn’t even look at me when he spoke.

Without answering, I just turned and went into the house that was already unlocked thanks to Stewart. I headed directly into the bathroom, shut the door, and started the shower. The hot water burned my skin. I should have found the shower to be relaxing, but I was too tense trying to figure out what Xavier wanted to talk about. Wrapping a towel around me, I headed back into the bedroom.

Somebody at some point had been busy in the house. The one dresser was filled with pants, jeans, t-shirts, and underwear for me. In addition to Xavier’s things, the closet also housed some dresses, a couple of knee-length satin nightshirts, and a few satin chemises with matching robes. I chose a deep purple, lace top chemise with a matching robe and headed into the living area.

Xavier was sitting with his back to me at the breakfast bar typing furiously on his laptop. He didn’t hear me approach. I waited until he was done typing before I spoke.

“Xavier?” I asked softly.

Slowly, he turned around. He froze momentarily as his eyes swept up and down my satin-covered body. An impassive look remained on his face. He turned back around to his laptop. “You should get some sleep. I have some things I need to take care of for work that can’t wait. We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said in a dismissive tone.

I sighed heavily and headed back to the bedroom. How in the world did he expect me to sleep? Something serious was obviously on his mind. My heart sank and my stomach flipped at the thought that he had changed his mind. Maybe he didn’t want to marry me anymore. Maybe he was ready to break it off. Why would we have come to the mountains then? He could have easily dumped me from his condo. What the hell was going on?