Chapter 29

"It's been a while,” Xavier began, trying to sound nonchalant but fails miserably.

"Xavier..."

"No…it’s okay, it's fine... it's nice seeing you again though," He cut her off angrily.

She didn't need to know the reason why he was here, and he had to leave because they started giving him a pathetic look.

"Well, I didn't know I'd run into you here, anyway, I really need to get going," With that, he started walking away.

"Do you actually think he just ran into you coincidentally?" Miguel asked.

"He has been looking for me?" Amanda asked, surprised.

Miguel shrugged. "Seems so."

She took a step to go after Xavier, but Miguel held her arm.

"Didn't you see how pissed he looked. He won't listen to you. Let me talk to him instead," He offered giving her child to her.

"Could you please make him come to the house so that I can at least apologize?"

Miguel nodded and walked away.

Xavier opened his door, but someone slammed it shut, he turned around to see Miguel.

"What? You want to rub it in my face how you..."

"Calm down and listen to me, please."

"I don't want to listen to you so get lost," He opened his door again, but Miguel shut it, Xavier angrily grabbed his collar.

"What the hell is wrong with you? What do you want to say to me... huh? How you fucked her?"

Miguel yanked his hands away.

"I get that you're pissed, but it's Amanda we're talking about here," He reminded.

Xavier scoffed. "You bloody liar, you told me you had no clue where she went to?"

"Yes, I had no clue, I just found her few months ago, I didn't know you were looking for her and believe me I was as shocked as you were today to see her kid"

Xavier backtracked.

"What?"

"The child is yours, Xavier," Miguel announced.

Shockwaves rolled through him and the heartache he had been feeling was starting to subside.

"I thought..."

"I am the father?" Miguel completed and laughed. "Come on, you should know very well that I can't replace you even if I wanted to before, look... I'm not your favorite person but believe me, Amanda and I have no romantic relationship going on, I'm just visiting"

Xavier sighed deeply. He was a father, and he didn't know...not even a slightest clue.

"You wouldn't mind saying hello to your kid before leaving, would you?"

Xavier stared at him and looked away.

Amanda sat on a stool in the kitchen, contemplating on how to talk to Xavier. She knew she shouldn't hope for a chance to be with him considering the fact that she left him, and he was still very angry.

How much did he hate her now?

Miguel walked into the kitchen.

"He's at the sitting room with Raphael."

"Oh"

Miguel sat on a stool adjacent to her and held her hands.

"Stop fidgeting, you told me you've dreamt of this day, well.."

"That was all a fantasy, I never truly believed he would look for me, and I have no idea what to say to him"

"Well, try telling him what leaving him did to you. He might still seem angry but if you choose to bottle up what you really want again, I don't think you would get another chance"

Still stunned that he had a kid he didn't know about, Xavier just stared at the little boy sitting on the floor, playing with toys.

He bent down and the kid turned to face him and smiled.

His heart warmed.

Dio! Those chubby cheeks were so adorable, it was as if he was staring at the little version of himself.

Raphael stood up and giggled happily, throwing a little ball.

Xavier couldn't help the broad smile that covered up his face. This adorable little boy was his?

Miguel and Amanda walked in.

His smile faded.

Miguel stared at Amanda then at Xavier... someone had to speak first, and he didn't like this tense room at all.

"So I'm gonna take Raphael to the park so you two can talk, I'll be back soon" He broke the silence and carried Raphael into his arms then walked away.

Amanda held her hands together, she had to apologize for leaving like that, but she couldn't get any words out of her mouth when Xavier turned to face her.

He was glaring at her, his face hard and unreadable. It reminded her of their first meeting, the Xavier who had been cynical.

Her breath constricted in her throat.

"Fine, I can accept that I didn't deserve your presence in my life, I still didn't deserve to know that I had a kid?" He asked, sarcastically.

"I was... I didn't..."

"Nothing can justify the fact that you chose to keep this away from me, for crying out loud, I even thought he was Miguel's child. And I thought I knew you?"

He scoffed. "I was wrong about you. And I'm done. I'm tired of this shit. Maybe I'm not cut out for this, maybe we were never meant to be. I should've realized that sooner"

She couldn't stop the tears from spilling. "I'm sorry..."

"Anyway my efforts to finding you wasn't wasted, at least I got to know I had a kid, you would let me take care of his needs, it isn't too much to ask, right?" He asked, coldly.

Amanda bit her bottom lip hard that she tasted her own blood, why did he had to show up and give up? This was all her fault, right? So she had to face it.

"I'll come over another time to set up accounts for him, see you then" He walked towards the door and held the doorknob but felt her hands encircling around his stomach.

"Don't leave" She cried, painfully.

"You left...why shouldn't I?" He asked a little bit calmly now.

"I didn't want to...for months, I was shattered because of that, I know you hate me now, I just want you to know that I wasn't okay... I was never okay... without you..."Her voice trailed off unable to tame her cries.

Xavier looked down at her hands, he was surprised to see her still wearing the ring...his ring.

He pulled her hands away and turned to face her.

Dio! She was practically weeping, breaking what was left of his heart.

She looked up at him, his breath caught just looking into her eyes.

"Don't give me that look, Amanda, don't make me think you want me... don't make me take a chance with you just to wake up alone one morning again, you have no idea how that feels"

She wiped off the tears on her cheeks with the back of her hands, but they won't stop coming.

"I'm sorry for thinking that was the best thing to do for you. I had wish countlessly that I thought properly about my decision.

It was too lonely being on my own. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't eat. It got to a point that I had to start taking sleeping pills so I could at least sleep for a few hours. And then I discovered I was pregnant for you. Those months were the most painful months of my life, but I didn't want to get rid of the baby, I knew if I manage to bring it to the world, it will give my life a meaning again.

I almost lost him when I was due, there was no one around and I had started to bleed but I kept on screaming so someone could help me.

During those times, I wished I could turn back time and have you by my side, but I couldn't. A neighbor helped me eventually, she was an old lady, she called others to assist her that I had to have the baby right then, I had Raphael in this apartment before I was taken to a hospital."

Xavier was in tears now.

"Why didn't you come back? Why did you go through all that on your own?"

She sniffed.

"Believe me, I tried to, I arranged my luggage and I was ready to head to Italy but I couldn't because I thought you would reject me, I knew that would make me more miserable so I couldn't come back, you hated Selena for what she did and after what you tried to do for me, I still left, so I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with me, and I was right, you hate me now"

He held her chin, tipping it up so she could look at him.

"How many times would I tell you that you're different from that woman? I can never hate you, cara. Yes! I was angry and hurt after you left. I couldn't even sleep in our room, I had sleepless nights too but I couldn't hate you, instead every fiber of my being craved for you."

"You mean to say that...you still want me?" She asked half hoping and half doubting.

"I need you"

He hauled her into his arms, and she broke down again.

"Stop crying, Bambi," He muttered stroking her hair. Damn he had missed her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so..."

"Stop saying that, it'll only make us continue dwelling in the past"

Amanda held onto him tightly, what did she do to deserve this man? What did she do to deserve his undying love? She felt so lucky and no matter the hurdles, she would never trade this for anything again.

"Thank you for keeping my child," He said, gratefully. "I hope he wasn't too fast and made you strain your voice, screaming"

"He did and he gets it from his father"

Xavier disengaged from the hug.

"Seriously?"

"Of course, you made me strain my voice screaming countlessly," She reminded.

He laughed and was so glad that she had stopped crying.

"Are you sure you still want me?" She asked still finding that hard to believe.

He frowned. "What? You don't want me?"

"I mean... it's just that all this while... I had no idea you were looking for me and I thought you despised me and probably would've replaced me"

He showed her his finger.

"You still wear that?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes and I told women constantly that I am married." He held her hand staring at her ring.

"And I assume you did same"

She smiled and hugged him again just wanting to drown in his love.

"I missed you a lot...more than a lot," He said inhaling her sweet scent.

"I missed you, Xavier, I'm so..."

"I told you not to say that to me again...tell me something else"

"I love you, Tesoro mio," She whispered.

Cuddling her in his arms, he looked down at her.

"Tesoro?"

She nodded and smiled. "You're my priceless treasure and I won't risk losing your love again"

He pressed his forehead against hers.

"I love you so much, I can't stop, and I still want to grow old with you, that's if you would want..."

"I want that, I want to spend the rest of my life with you and no one else... just you...only you... Ti amo."

He bent his head and kissed her deeply and she all but melted in his arms.

When he finally tore his mouth away, he drew in needed air, God! This woman was his soulmate, his love for her sees through all her imperfections...it sees through all hurdles... penetrates every strong wall to make sure she was his again... forever and always.

The feel of her soft curves awakened every nerve ending in his body.

Her pulse sped up when he murmured her name into her hair as he stroked his hand down her back.

Amanda moved against him restlessly. Her fingers knotted in his jacket and she turned her face up to his. He felt her breath feather across his cheek, adding fuel to his desire.

She raised up on her toes and her lips brushed his. When she pressed her mouth to his, he reciprocated, passionately.

She whimpered, straining closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Her lips yielded to him...he dipped his tongue inside teasing hers into a fervent dance. Their bodies grew warm with need.

His hands roamed over her soft body, bringing her so close she couldn't help but feel his desire which was equal to hers.

He couldn't get enough of her. He cupped her breasts through her T-shirt, gently squeezing the luscious weight in his hands.

"Oh Xavier" She breathed.

A discreet cough made them reluctantly disengaged from each other.

They turned to face the door and saw Miguel removing his hands from Raphael's eyes.

"Sorry to break up that tender moment, I thought it was time to bring Raphael back home"

Amanda snickered and watched as Xavier took his son from Miguel, possessively.

"Your mother wants to see you" Xavier announced turning to face her.

"Even when I go back to Rome with you, I won't see her" She declared.

Her mother's favoritism was unforgivable.

"I've told her that before, but she refused, maybe seeing her king might make her change her mind" Miguel said.

Xavier smiled, glad that Miguel knows very well that he is her king.

"Bambi..."

"You must be tired from your trip, I'll hurriedly prepare something and run a bath for you."

'A bath?' Xavier thought, he loved the sound of that, she furthermore surprised him by pulling him down for a kiss.

"Hmm... There's a kid watching" Miguel announced.

Amanda disengaged from him and chuckled then hurriedly walked into the kitchen. Miguel felt so happy seeing that she was bubbling with joy. Now, he could finally find that kind of happiness for him.

Xavier sat on the couch, picking up one of Raphael's toys from the floor and handing it to him. He loved the fact that his son was so comfortable with him, this was a good start, he had a lot to make up for... both Amanda and his son starting from tonight.

Miguel sat on a sofa opposite to him.

"Aren't you leaving already?" Xavier asked.

Miguel frowned. "My visit isn't over."

Xavier's teeth clenched; this man had to leave.

Miguel knew he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink if he spent the night recalling the passionate kiss he had disrupted.

"I'm only leaving because I had planned on leaving today not because you want me to” He said.

'Thank God' Xavier thought.

He was grateful to Miguel for stopping him from leaving when he misunderstood everything, he wondered what would have happened if... anyway, he brushed out that thought... everything was okay now, he had his woman in his life again and an adorable little boy.

"Thank you for stopping me from leaving" He said, hesitantly.

"You're welcome"

"But don't get me wrong, I still don't like you"

Miguel snickered. "The feeling's mutual!"