The warm brown eyes of my mother catch my attention as I catch her staring at me through my peripheral vision.
"Wow." She mouths to me quietly and I let out a silent laugh nodding at her. I'd seen it in her eyes when she'd opened the door to let Xavier and I in. Her eyes widening as she looked at him, that complete surprise at him being so very handsome. Even my father had done a double take. I could see the slight apprehension in their eyes. Xavier was a giant especially compared to my 5'4 frame, and he had an intimidating aura if you hadn't seen the crazy cuddly kitten side of him. The form fitting navy coloured sweater and black jeans, that displayed his well muscled form wasn't exactly easing my dad's worry.

But as soon as he'd opened his mouth to greet her, his voice lowering in respect, before he grabbed her hand pressing a kiss to the back of it. I could see it in her eyes as she smiled at me, she loved him already. My father had been just as appeased with Xavier's respectful greeting and appropriately firm handshake.

"I hope I'm not intruding but if you aren't opposed to it, I'd love to help you prepare lunch." Xavier had said, and I could practically see hearts in my mother's eyes. I knew in her head she had just bought us wedding rings and was hugging Xavier instead of me at the ceremony. My mother nodded in response, unable to say much else. I'd told her he cooked, but clearly she didn't expect him to want to help with the preparations of lunch.

"How've you been Raine?" My father asks wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"I've been good dad, how have you and mama been?" I ask.
"Your mother's as eccentric as always, I spend my days trying to keep up with her." He says and I let out a breathy laugh, we both knew very well that my dad loved how crazy my mother was. It was what had made him fall in love. Also what had kept him in love all these years.

"I'm a little scared your mother's going to fall in love with him, let's follow them." My father whispers to me making me giggle. I walk next to him, tripping over my own feet over the completely smooth ground, and I nearly topple over if it weren't for my father arm coming around me. He pulls me upright, and I look up meeting Xavier's nervous gaze.

"I got you honey." My father says and I smile at him, I'd missed my parents so much. My dad had always caught me when my clumsiness took over when I was a little kid, and despite how old you got, to your parents you'd always be that stumbling crazy baby.

Xavier's right in front of me as I look up and I pat his chest over his fitted sweater to reassure him I'm alright.
"Are you okay?" He asks regardless, you'd think after living with me he'd get used to how clumsy I was but he still worried. His grey eyes widened in panic. He worried far too much. There was a time when I was in high school when my parents stopped asking if I was alright when I tripped down the stairs.

"I'm fine Xavier, now go help my mom, shoo." I say and he gives me a small smile, nodding before turning around to the kitchen. My mother probably not seeing it necessary after years of me tripping to leave in the midst of the preparations to come see me. I always ended up alright, it was the people around me that got bruises while I flailed around trying to keep upright.

"I like him." My dad whispers to me and I look over at him grinning.
"Really?" I ask happily and my father nods with a smile.
"He really cares for you, and he's polite. He looks like he'd be nearly as capable as I am of taking care of you." My father says and I try to hold back my grin, my father looked like a dwarf compared to Xavier.
"I'll always need you Dad." I tell him and he presses a kiss to the side of my head.

"Now let's hurry before your mother falls into the lasagna she's making, looking at your boyfriend." My dad says steering me into the kitchen as I let out a snort. It was plausible, you could practically see the hearts in her amber eyes as she looked at him.

Xavier's gaze turns to me as soon as I walk in, and as my dad speaks to my mom, clearly trying to ensure she still likes him better than Xavier. Xavier leisurely allows his eyes to trail over my form slowly. My cheeks redden as I remember exactly how clear he'd made it how much he liked the fitted white coloured shirt I'd adorned along with black skinny jeans. His rough calloused fingers trailing so gently over the skin of my throat before they gripped a lock of my wavy chocolate brown hair gently, his other hand slowly finding its way around my waist. Fingers touching the skin atop my jeans that had been exposed due to me running around and grabbing the necessary stuff for our long drive. A quiet gasp escaping me as his fingers had tickled over the skin.

"You're so beautiful." Xavier had mumbled into my hair, burying his nose into it and inhaling my scent as I near trembled in his hold. My own arms going around him to press him to me tightly.
"I love you." Xavier had said quietly pulling away to look into my eyes, his own softening with delight as I repeated the words to him breathlessly. He pressed his plump red lips to mine softly, once, twice, before pulling away sighing. I loved the way he'd look at me every time he said those words. His eyes brightened with this childish hope that I would say the words back to him, it nearly brought tears to my eyes every time I thought of it.

"A part of me wishes we were going tomorrow now, but I'd also love to meet your parents, and I'd hate to be late. Completely disrespectful to the creators of such magnificence." Xavier whispered to me huskily making me gulp as my cheeks had reddened. Under his gaze I didn't feel like ordinary Raine anymore, the way he looked at me as if I were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, as if he could spend eternity just looking at me. It still made me giddy just to be around him, but somehow he was also a sense of comfort, he was home.

The microwave let out a loud beep suddenly making me break out of my reverie, only to look back into the silver eyes. Xavier had a small smirk playing on his lips his dimple popping slightly as he licked over his bottom lip. It were as if he knew exactly what I was thinking about. My eyes widened and I looked away quickly, my eyes darting to my parents who were still busy chattering to one another. How did he manage to get away doing stuff like that. As my eyes darted back to him, he had the audacity to let his eye drop into a wink, his smirk widening as my jaw dropped. Xavier turned back around to tend to the cooking sauce but I could swear his broad shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.

"Darling is that the beef in the microwave?" My father asked my mother and she nodded happily. Xavier looked towards the microwave horrified, as my mother pulled out the beef she'd attempted to cook in the microwave. My mother could normally cook a great meal, but she loved trying new things. She believed we could use technology in intuitive ways to make traditional recipes much quicker and easier to make, but cooking meat in the microwave would never be modern, it was just gross. Often she tried new things without thinking them through. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing at the look on Xavier's face, the absolute horror at the idea of someone cooking beef in the microwave. He was such a prissy little chef.

What was more unfortunate than the questionable looking beef was the fact that my mother didn't see the wrong in her cooking method. But a few soft smiles and dimples later Xavier had charmed my mother into allowing him to redo the beef.

My father and I sat perched on the kitchen bar stools, watching Xavier work his charms in absolute awe. Although I was used to it, it was still like watching magic happen, I'd never get tired of watching it.

As lunch progressed my father and I chatted with each other, occasionally joining in on my mother and Xavier's conversation. She was clearly very impressed with him, having done a business degree she was not much better than my erratic business professor as she discussed the details of his corporation. My father the holder of a masters in classic literature was as intrigued by their conversation as I was, which meant both of us were concentrating on our saucy lasagna and keeping it off of our shirts as we conversed.

I loved the fact that Xavier was getting along so well with my mother until their conversation took a turn I wish it hadn't, just as the lasagna had cooled down enough to eat unfortunately. Stopping me from really digging into it as I had planned to, getting extremely tired of just nibbling on little edges of it.

"So you two are living together now." My mother says, and my hand freezes, the fork only half dug into the soft succulent looking, now lonely square of lasagna. I make eye contact with Xavier internally cursing him as I see his silver eyes glinting with amusement. That little dimpled smirk that even in my irritated state I can't help but to want to sit down and decipher whether it's heartbreakingly adorable or wickedly attractive.

"Yeah, it's just like two people in the same apartment building." I try nodding my head to a non existent beat to make my words seem casual. But I realize I've failed in my attempt to seem nonchalant as I receive three blank looks. To my relief Xavier steps in.

"It was my idea for Raine to move in with me, after the whole break in fiasco, I didn't want her living alone. After a while we even decided to buy a different home together. Raine designed her own room and even helped me with mine. She's pretty great with interior decorating." Xavier says and I stare at him in awe once again how casually he'd mentioned we had separate rooms, integrating it into his telling of the tale. That man should have been a lawyer. I let out a breath of relief finally able to eat in peace, and as the lasagna meets my tastebuds, I realize Xavier definitively should have been a chef. With my mother as a sidekick.

While chewing I looked up at my parents to see if they had bought our story. Although my parents looked a little sceptical on the interior decorating bit, they knew I was hopeless when it came to anything artistic but decorating cupcakes. Although one look at Xavier's innocently widened eyes and polite smile and they bought it all. It was probably best to keep quiet about the fact that although I had my own room we usually just slept in Xavier's. By usually I meant always, at times I thought that if I actually slept in my room he'd scratch on my door all night like a sad kitten.

As we ate lunch I couldn't help but to quietly sit back and watch Xavier interact with my parents. It was like falling in love with him all over again, how good looking a person was, or the way they dressed wouldn't hold your heart. It was the man behind all that, the person that they truly were that would make you fall in love with them every day of your life. I loved the man sitting beside me, I loved him for the way his voice softened when he answered my parents questions. For the way he humoured my father by letting out a chuckle at his non humorous dad jokes, and the way he complimented my mother even a little falsely sometimes. Reassuring her that the lasagna was all her doing, although really he'd practically redone everything she had started. I loved him for the way he would look over at me, and every time I would see that breathtaking melted silver, that held so much adoration and love it made me feel complete with just one glance. I loved him for the child that lay within the huge intimidating infamous Xavier Night, the boy who liked to cook. Who got excited at chocolate cake, and the man who loved me with every part of him.

I'm broken out of my reverie as I hear the word child and I look at my mother alarmed. Was she planning for Xavier and I to hook up, but unfortunately what she was doing was much worse.

"So I was getting the bathrooms redone, so the doors were open and the child safety doors on the stairs were taken off to make it easier for the workers. Now I've just bathed a three year old Raine, and even back then her hair was always tangled. So I put it up in two little pigtails, and I've only put on some pink tights on her, along with her undies when I heard a very loud crash. I leave her there and go running, to see one of the men dropped their tools by accident. I go back into her room and she's gone. I'm searching all over the house, even the men are helping me by now. Then I hear this familiar ringing, this sweet little chime. We go outside and we see a little three year old Raine, topless may I add terrorizing the poor ice cream man to give her ice cream. Let me tell you I have never seen a grown man look so terrified of something that didn't reach past his knees." My mother says ignoring all my begging for her to stop telling her embarrassing story, but she continues. She's almost breathless trying to control her laughter as she speaks.

A loud husky laugh echoes around the room and my cheeks turn red as Xavier wraps his arm around my shoulders bringing me closer to his chest, pressing a kiss to my cheek as he laughs. His loud laughter ringing through me and I shake my head at my mom. My dad's chuckles die down, until only a content smile is left as he sees the tender way that Xavier holds me to him. He gives me a little nod and through my embarrassment I let a little laugh of my own escape.

I try to stop my mom from telling more stories but my attempts are only halfhearted. It was heartwarming the way my parents and Xavier's laughs rang throughout the house even though it was at my expense. I look at Xavier from the corner of my eye as he laughs along with my dad as he tells the story about the way that I'd met Cyrus. Having climbed over the glass display case to get to the cookies. A small smile comes on my face as I see how invested Xavier is in my father's animated tale, my smile widening as Xavier squeezes my hand as he laughs.

Although it was Xavier's first time meeting my parents there was something in the atmosphere that just felt like we were all a family. There was this sense of content in his silver eyes that made me happier than I could possibly express.

"Thank you." Xavier whispers to me from the corner of his mouth as my parents bicker over the details of yet another embarrassing childhood story.
"For what?" I ask him.
"For introducing me to your family, for letting me be a part of this." He tells me quietly, his eyes honest. Leaning up I press a soft kiss to his jaw and he smiles at me before turning to my mother who's trying to get his attention as she talks over my defeated looking father.

My father mimics her facial expressions and grand gestures and I giggle at him, seeing Xavier look at me from the corner of his eye. A softer smile comes onto his face as he watches my father and I.
"I love you." I mumble to Xavier as my mom scolds my father having caught onto his mimicry and Xavier turns to face me grinning, his silver eyes bright and soft. A gasp knocks us out of our trance.

"He has dimples." My mom gushes only now realizing as he explicitly had his cheek towards her, clearly the optometrist knew best and she needed glasses. Xavier's dimples were so deep one could eat cereal out of them.
I giggle at my father's childish frown as he tugs at my mother's sleeve, trying to get back her attention.

"Mom I think you need glasses." I tell her and she waves me off playfully.
"Those eyes weren't meant to be hidden behind frames." My father says chivalrously and my mom grins at him.
"Her face wasn't meant to be squashed against some bolder she didn't see while walking." I say and my mom glares at me.

"I think you'd look lovely with glasses." Xavier interjects and I nod as if that was what I meant all along, very intimidated by her glare.
"Thank you honey." My mother says graciously.
"My pleasure." Xavier says, and I smile as he cleans up yet another one of my messes with his charm.

"You're useful." I whisper to him, a sly smirk grows on his face and his eyes dart towards my parents before he leans down, his lips dangerously close to my ear.
"That'll cost you later." Xavier mumbles huskily into my ear, capturing my earlobe between his teeth playfully. My cheeks turn bright red as he pulls away. Something told me I wouldn't exactly mind settling this debt.

A/N--------------------------------------------------
Hello my lovelies. This isn't the last chapter, I promise. I've tried writing the last chapter, and I wanted to incorporate this into that chapter, but it wasn't flowing. I'm not liking what I have for the last chapter, but hopefully that too will be written and published soon. I've been experiencing some writer's block but I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Embarrassingly I even cried a little, I'm really not ready to let this book go, but it's necessary. I hope you guys like the chapter, and I hope you're all doing well. Have a nice night, and I am sorry for the long wait. Thank you for being so patient.