24.

“Mom, please, you need to leave,” Nikki says with pleading eyes.

Nikki’s mom looks at her daughter, but her face quickly softens when she sees the pout on her daughter’s face.

“Alright, fine. I’ll go, but the both of you better come to my house for lunch this Sunday.”

Nikki nods, “Of course, we’ll be there.”

Nikki pushes her mother towards the door.

“I love you,” her mother says.

Nikki opens the door and says I love you back, before closing the door and putting her back against it and feeling relieved.

“I like your mother, I think she’s cool,” I say, with a smile.

Nikki rolls her eyes and walks towards me, “I need alcohol.”

Charles laughs, “I’m right behind you girl, lead the way.”

Xander laughs and follows behind them with Damien not too far behind, they step into the luxurious kitchen and stand around the kitchen island, while Nikki takes out some glasses, Charles pulls out a bottle of vodka from the wine rack and pops the bottle open. He pours wine into the glasses, and we all reach and take one.

Charles raises his glass, “Here’s to a good day.”

“Cheers,” and we all drink.

“What the heck is this stuff,” Damien coughs, “Tastes like a concoction of death.”

“Russian bear,” Nikki laughs, “The new and improved recipe.”

Damien grimaces, “Fuck, I’m done for the night.”

“Lightweight,” I laugh.

“I’d actually want to be able to drive and function in the morning,” he says.

He had a point.

I put my glass down and Nikki poured me some more, with a mischievous smirk on her face.

“Are planning on getting me drunk tonight, Miss Abraham’s?”

She giggles, “Is that a crime, sir?”

I lean forward towards her, “Call me sir again.”

“Okay, ew,” Charles says, making a puking sound.

I roll my eyes, “Shut up and get out.”

Nikki laughs and stands up straight, “I don’t think our babies are ready to see us like this, don’t you think, baby.”

“I think so too, my love,” I reply and kiss her cheek.

Damien laughs, “Ah, I get the joke but watch it, Andy, we are the grown-ups here.”

Charles sticks his tongue out and Nikki giggles, I pick up my glass and take a sip of vodka. I gulped down the rest of it and put the glass back down on the counter.

“I’m so proud of you Xander, you did a good thing,” Nikki says, “I know that it wasn’t easy for you, and I understand that, but whatever happens from here on out, I am here for you.”

I sigh, “Thank you, I just hope that what I did was enough.”

“It was Xander, more than enough. You finally move on with your life and pursue the things you’ve been wanting to and as Nikki said, we are here for you,” Charles adds, “I love you.”

Tears well up in my eyes, but I blink them away, “It really means a lot to hear you say that, and I know there’s still a lot more for me to do, to make up for what I did, and I’m glad you guys are here for me.’

“We are family now, and family always has each other’s backs, no matter what,” Charles says.

I sniff.

Nikki coos, “We are gonna make him cry, guys,”

I laugh and wipe the side of the eye with my blazer jacket, “I hate you guys.”

Everybody laughs. This is what my life should have been like, filled with love, family and friends, people that love me and support me, no matter how much of a dick I’ve been. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to them.

“Charles, we need to get going,” Damien says, “We need to give the couple their space.”

Charles nods, “Of course babe, our babies do need their privacy.”

We walked them to the door, and they hopped into the car, we came in, and they left. Nikki and I walked back into the house, and she locked the door, and we walked back to the kitchen.

“Alone at last,” she sighs.

“Nikki, can we talk for a minute?”

She sits at the counter, and I stand in front of her, we press our foreheads together. I could live in this moment forever, me, her and the peace and silence. Everything about this moment is perfect, especially hers.

“So, what is it that you want to talk about?”

“The engagement,”

She looked at me, I could tell that she was worried.

“I just wanted to ask you, how you felt about this? When this whole situation is over, do we call off the engagement, or should we make it official, official?”

“I would like for us to be official, official, but I know that this is your first relationship, so I want you to feel free to make this decision and make sure that it’s the best thing for you,” she replies.

I nod, “I want us to be together, I need us to be together, I barely know you, but I’m willing to get to know you and earn your trust Nikki, I really have fallen for you, and I keep falling for you. You’re a woman after my own heart.”

“You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time, Xander, and I want to cherish you and give you the love you deserve and have been missing,”

“I, I love you, Nikki Abrahams,” I blurt out.

She looks at me for a brief moment, with wide eyes, slowly a smile forms on her face, “I love you too, Xander Forsythe.”

My heart does somersaults, she said it back. She said it back!

She throws her arms over my shoulders and pulls me closer to her and we share a deep passionate kiss, this woman will be the death of me. We pull apart and she smirks.

“Fuck me,” she whispers.

We all know what happens next.

Charles

Fast asleep in my bed, dreaming of Louis Vuitton and Gucci, I’m awakened by the sound of my phone ringing. Who dares wake me up at this ungodly hour?

“Charles,” Damien groans beneath me.

“Ignore it,” I mumble in my sleep.

“What if it’s Xander?”

I groan, “He better have a good reason why he’s calling.”

“Maybe the condom broke,” he laughs groggily.

I smack my lips and reach for my phone, I answer it and put it on the loudspeaker.

“Xander, if the condom broke, it’s not my problem,”

“Oh, I am so sorry Charles, I didn’t mean to wake you,” the soft feminine voice spoke.

Shit. I sit up and look down at my phone, I turn off the loudspeaker and put the phone to my ear.

“Aunt Sarah, is everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s time Charles,” she says, “We’ve waited long enough. The plan isn’t going to work, the truth will eventually come out, and we are both going to be in big trouble.”

“Let me talk to him first, please. I don’t want him to hate you, I’d rather have him hate me,” I say.

“Okay, again, I’m sorry for waking you up,”

She hung up the phone and I locked my phone and put it back on the bedside table.

“Charles, I know what you’re thinking, and you know she’s right,” Damien says.

“He’s going to hate me,” I whimper, “I don’t want him to hate me.”

Damien pulls me into his chest, “Xander could never hate you. Best believe he will be mad and will need some time, but he will never hate you.”

I sob, “I shouldn’t have kept this from him.”

Damien gently rubs my back and kisses the top of my head, “It’s okay baby, everything will be alright.”

This time I fucked up, and I don’t think Xander will forgive me this time. Not with this.