chapter 47

Ailee zipped up her duffle bag and smiled proudly after overpacking all the stuff in just one bag.

She was going to stay over at Xavier's place for a few days because she was missing both Xavier and Doodles. He said he'll bring him over but hasn't been getting time.

It's been a week since that incident and Ailee was feeling much better now. There were times when she would randomly get very sad or start crying but her family and Xavier were constantly there. She talked her feelings out to him about everything that had happened and he assured her that no harm would come to her ever again.

She was utterly thankful for always having a shoulder to cry on and arms to give her a warm hug whenever she needed or wanted one.

And lately, Xavier's been out of the city a lot but he always made sure to visit her every time he returned and called her regularly to check up on her. Now he would be here for a few weeks before having to leave for work again so she decided to crash in his place instead of making him go back and forth over and over again in his already tired state.

Her phone tinged, informing her about the incoming text.

'Come down' it said.

She quickly ran downstairs along with her bag to bid her family goodbye.

She skipped her way down and saw her father talking on his phone in the living room.

"Papa, I'll miss you" she said, wrapping her arms around him from behind and he laughed, patting her petite hands that barely reached his belly.

"Is Xavier here already?" He asked, quickly ending the call when she released him and came to stand in front of him.

"Yes" she said and just on cue he entered, spinning the car keys around his finger.

"Welcome Zai," she said loudly, taking him by surprise by her excitement.

He nodded and approached them. Mr Laurent gave him a quick hug, a gesture Xavier still couldn't get used to, and Ailee smiled in awe at their cute interaction. It was so rare to see him like this.

"I was just telling papa how much I'll miss him, right?"

"You're not going for that long but if you still miss me a lot then you can come back by evening. I will take you out for ice cream" he said and whispered the last part as a bribe to make her come back sooner.

"Zai always has ice cream and chocolates in his home stocked up for me, right Mr Romano?" She rested her back on his front and he wrapped his one arm around her side to support her body weight.

"Mhmm"

"What are my kids planning without me?" Juliana said, coming down the stairs.

She smiled brightly at Xavier and pulled him in a much longer hug and even cradled them like she was hugging a toddler.

Ailee laughed and quickly made a short video to show him later.

"Romano, son, you've lost so much weight. Have you not been resting well? You look exhausted." She squished his jaw with one hand and asked worriedly.

"It was a hard week" he concluded and moved back awkwardly.

Her family is totally opposite of his entire lifestyle. Where he is habitual of being alone and fending for himself, Ailee's family are always sticking to each other and showing affection to literally everyone.

It will take him a lot of time to get used to so many people loving and caring for him but he will get there.

"Oh poor baby, why don't you come and stay here then, with us? I will cook a lot of healthy food for you. You will become fit and fine just like my Calvin" She cooed and patted her husband's almost pot belly.

Ailee looked at his flat stomach and then her father's plump one and laughed out loud at the absurd difference between the two.

"Yes you will look so cute Zai" she said in the same tone as her mother's and pinched his cheeks while standing on her toes.

He raised an eyebrow at her in amusement. He would absolutely NOT look cute. It was her father's baby face that made him look adorable in whatever shape he is but his face would probably scare the shit out of every child.

"Some other time Mrs Laurent" he nodded and glanced down at Ailee who was looking at him like she always does, like he was the brightest star in her galaxy.

This little girl right here created a better version of him because he knew it never existed before.

"Sure and call me when you have reached there safely, okay?" She said like any other concerned mother.

"We will," Ailee replied, smiling toothily.

"Ready?" He asked and picked up her bag when she had responded positively.

"Byee byeee" She waved at them and followed him out.

"Do you think Doodles still remembers me now?" She asked with a sad pout.

"He does"

"How can you be so sure?" She frowned, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You'll see"

"Mmmkay"

___

"Babyyyyy" she yelled running into his house and crouched down, spreading her arms.

Doodle immediately jumped on her, wagging his tail and licked her face in so much urgency that she fell down with him on her torso and she bursted into fits of laughter while Xavier leisurely strolled behind her with a small smile.

His house just became home.

"My sweetie cutie pootie baby, I missed you so much. Did you miss me?" She asked, showering him with kisses and his favourite belly rubs.

He barked and panted with his tongue out as a response and Ailee lifted him up in her arms.

"You were right, sugar he remembers me just fine, see?" She sat down on his couch when he came down after placing her bag in his room.

"Told ya" he mumbled and settled down next to her. He rested his head back and closed his eyes.

"Hmm do you want some cuddles? C'mere, because we do"

She lied down with a lot of struggle considering he was sitting right in the middle and tried to pull him down beside her. He peeled open his left eye from her constant nudging and looked at her only to find them both staring at him with the same puppy eyes.

He sighed and fell down on her with his face now on her chest. She gasped from the sudden drop of weight on her little self but then smiled and intertwined her legs with his to adjust herself in a more comfortable position. Doodle also settled at their feet and enjoyed the warmth of his parents after weeks.

"This feels good right" she asked, combing through his hair gently.

"Mhmm"

"You're not allowed to leave this house till.....ummm..... tomor- no day after tomorrow"

"Mhmm"

"I'll cook for you"

"Mhmm"

"We will play with Doodles"

"Mhmm"

"We will also plant the flowers I couldn't last time because of him"

"Mhmm"

His voice got quieter and quieter with every hum as she was lulling him into a much needed sleep with the caress of her soft fingers and voice.

"Are you asleep?"

"Mhmm" It was all she needed to know that he was indeed out like a light.

She smiled sadly and continued massaging his head.

She was feeling so bad for him. He is always running around managing everything on his own but he never complains or runs away from his responsibilities, unlike her.

And how he never had a family most of his life. Her heart clenched thinking about that one time where he almost opened up to her about his family but then just like something snapped in him, he shushed her to sleep. She doesn't mind though, she will be there whenever he will be ready.

___

She woke up when she felt the immediate urge to use the bathroom but found a 6′3" man lying on top of her. She was surprised she was able to breathe okay.

Giggling quietly, she shook him slowly and said,

"Zaiii?"

Silence

"Zai?"

Silence

"Xavier?"

He just tightened his hold on her and turned his head the other way.

She laughed loudly from the light stubble that was tickling her on the exposed skin on her upper chest and attempted to free herself from his arms. Doodles immediately got down from the couch and started barking.

From the continuous movement from beneath him and the loud barks from the puppy, Xavier grunted and finally opened his eyes half way to look at the culprits.

"Xavier Romano DeVinci, let me go" she squished his cheeks with her palms and the pout that his lips got turned into made her awe and fake cry in admiration.

So pink and plumpy.

"No," he mumbled.

"I'm gonna pee here otherwise" she threatened.

"I don't mind"

She gasped and blushed in embarrassment at the thought of peeing in pants in front of him AND wetting him in the process as well.

"I see your brain has begun working on it" he chuckled in his sleepy voice and rolled to his side.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

She patted her cheeks and quickly walked to the bathroom downstairs.

Coming outside, she found him the same way she left him. So she decided to make him a good meal.

"Hmm Doody, why don't we turn this dinner into a candle light dinner?" She asked, sitting down on the steps to the kitchen.

"But does he have candles?" She asked him again as if he would go inside and fetch it for her.

Sighing, she stood up and searched for it in the whole house even under the bed but couldn't find any.

With a sad pout she started making Beef Stroganoff with Olivier salad and Parmesan Potato Wedges that she learnt the other day. A taste of home for him. She wasn't surprised to see his pantry and fridge stocked up well. He did say he hired a few new maids to take care of Doodles and other maintenance stuff around the house. The one responsible for Doodles would stay the whole day and the rest would come only when needed.

He doesn't like many people on his private property.

She moved around the kitchen with ease after checking out where the different ingredients were and made sure to feed Doodles in between too.

Around forty five minutes later, she was done with everything and checked the time to see it was already seven and he was still sleeping.

Leaving everything as it was, she went to wake him up. He sure does sleep soundly when she is around.

"Zai, wake up, dinner is ready" she said softly.

"Later?" He mumbled in his sleep.

"No, I think now would be good" she whispered in his ear.

Doodles contributed to the mission by barking after every sentence she spoke.

"Mhmm"

"I made you a little something" she tried again but this time a bit more seductively, in his ear.

He immediately lifted his head and smirked in amusement while taking her in.

She was wearing a light brown apron with different cakes imprinted on it and 'If it's food, don't wine' written in the center. She had her long hair in a messy bun sitting atop her head and had a natural pinkish glow to her face.

He nodded slowly and got up while Ailee and Doodles watched him in anticipation.

In the blink of an eye she was on his shoulder. It happened way too quickly for anyone to see it coming. One moment she is standing there with Doodles, enjoying her victory and the other, she is on his shoulder, squealing and hitting him on his back.

"Zai! Xavier! Xavier Romano DeVinci! Doodles' dad! Please!" She kept calling him out while also laughing hysterically because it felt weird in her belly.

He chuckled at her antics and just to add to his amazement, he started spinning her around.

"Oh- ohhhh- aaahhh Zaiii!? I'm getting dizzyyyyy"

He threw her on the mountain of throw pillows on the other couch and let her breathe.

"What was that for?" She asked, panting hard.

"For the little trick you tried to pull there" he said, looking as fine as he was lying down, breathing at a normal rate like he didn't just spin around a whole human on his shoulder.

She blushed and looked away, trying to come up with a believable excuse.

"I- I have to check up on the food. Come quickly" she said and ran to the kitchen, not waiting to hear his witty response.

He smiled a little and shook his head.

"You aren't ready for the other punishments just yet baby" he whispered to himself while moving to the bathroom to freshen up.

Ailee quickly served the beef stroganoff over the egg noodles and took it to the dining table along with the other side dishes.

By the time she put their drinks on the table, he was already settling down in his place.

A look of surprise crossed his face seeing the Russian dishes before becoming stoic again.

"I learnt it for you" she said, coming to sit beside him.

He just looked at her and pecked her lips in appreciation before digging in.

He nodded with a hum at the savory taste of the food. She chose the perfect cut of the beef and cooked it to the perfection- tender and juicy. The sauce was smooth with just the right amount of tanginess from the sour cream and not too many mushrooms since they are not exactly his favorite. It was very nostalgic.

"It's delectable Coco. You did a great job" he fed her a bite and tucked behind the stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you" she smiled with puffy cheeks.

"Can we go to the beach for a walk?" She asked while eating her food.

He nodded and earned her squeals of happiness.

She quickly gobbled up her food and rushed upstairs to grab herself his jacket from the room.

Humming in excitement she walked out of the door and found Xavier standing outside his car, talking on the phone and Doodles in his carrot onesie circling around him.

"Awwee look at you baby" she cooed, picking him up in her arms.

"Who's little carrot is this hmm? I've never seen such a cute one before"

He barked and panted with his adorable big shiny eyes.

"Ready?" Xavier asked, putting his phone back into the pocket.

"Yessy yes" He opened the door for her and she quickly jumped in with Doodles.

It was just the picture perfect moment for the both of them.

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