XOXO, Winter

by Bloom, Nikki

  “That’s not a bad idea. They actually serve pretty good food there, but it’s a bit far, don’t you think?”

  “Reed–”

  “If I have to carry you to the bedroom and force you into that dress, I will.”

  By the look on his face, I could tell that he was being serious. “Alright, alright.” I threw my arms above my head, signaling defeat. “But what about you? What are you wearing tonight?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m pretty sure I can dress myself,” he said with a wink.

  He left me to my own devices which was a blessing because I definitely needed the time to process what was going on.

  Vera Wang.

  I hadn’t even dressed in such luxury for my senior prom.

  “This can’t be real…” I whispered.

  And yet, the dress slipped through my fingers and onto my body like it had been made just for me.

  The zipper was fluid as it crept up my back and settled at the base of my neck. Standing in front of the mirror, I could barely recognize myself. “Wow…” My hands hovered over the curves I didn’t even know I had.

  “You look stunning.” Reed stood in the doorway wearing a black vest and a dress shirt, rolled up at the forearms. His tie was the same color as my dress. It was a business-casual sort of look but he pulled it off so well. I half expected him to tell me that he was late for a photo shoot or something.

  He crossed the room, wing-tipped shoes echoing against the hardwood floor.

  “How did I ever get so lucky?”

  I should be the one asking myself that.

  He kissed my cheek and took my hand. “We should get going or we’re going to risk missing our dinner reservations.”

  “How did you manage all this in such a short amount of time? I got my test results back this morning.” At the door, he helped me into my jacket. Our eyes connected and time seemed to stop for the moment.

  He kissed the tips of my fingers and smiled. “Because I had this planned well in advance.”

  “And if I had failed instead?”

  “I knew you wouldn’t.”

  His words filled me with a confidence I had never felt before. He truly believed in me even when I had failed to believe in myself.

  “Now, your carriage awaits, my lady.” He swept out his arm towards the garage. To keep me from falling, he held my hand down the steps, and when we reached the car, he opened up the door.

  Reed really was the epitome of a modern-day gentleman. All this was beyond lovely, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but think that there had to be a catch. No one could be this perfect and I wasn’t the kind of girl who got this lucky. I knew it was only a matter of time before this dream of mine became a nightmare.

  “Winter?” Reed looked in my direction. Somehow, we were already on the road. I hadn’t even noticed him pulling out of the garage. “Are you okay? You went quiet all of a sudden.”

  “Sorry, it’s just a lot for me to take in. I’ve never been pampered like this before.” I ran my hand over the fabric of the dress. “It feels like I’m in a dream and I’m afraid that I’m going to wake up.”

  “Well, if at any point in the night you want me to pinch you, just say the words. But, be advised, I’ll probably go for the butt.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a guy.”

  “Guilty as charged.”

  “And yet, you’re so different than any guy I’ve ever met before. You actually respect and listen to me.”

  “It’s a shame that I’m a rare breed of decency,” he said.

  “Don’t ever change, alright?” I laced our fingers into a crisscross pattern and gave him a heartfelt smile. “Because as far as I’m concerned, you’re damn near perfect.”

  He snorted. “Perfect? Far from it. There’s always something I could improve upon.”

  “And amazingly, modesty is one of your strong suits. That isn’t something most people can say about themselves.”

  “You’ve never seen me stand in front of a mirror. I could stare at my reflection all night long.” He finished off his sentence with a low, radio-station sort of voice.

  Not only was this guy funny but he was sexy too.

  “So, promise that you won’t ever change?”

  “Well, there’s a thing called again…”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “But in terms of values, yes, those won’t ever change. They’re set in concrete, so you never have to worry about me turning into a jerk one day. The Reed you know today is the Reed you’ll know twenty years from now.”

  Would we still know each other twenty years from now? I asked myself. I certainly hoped so.

  24

  Reed

  Winter was the girl I had always been waiting for. She was kind, compassionate, and had the cutest laugh I had ever had the honor to listen to. She was the woman I wanted by my side for a long, long time.

  Eventually, we reached the restaurant. It was in the next town over, and from the research I did on the place, it was five-star service with mouth-watering dishes – the perfect combination.

  “Where are we?”

  “New Brook,” I said as I helped her out of the passenger seat. “And this gem is Dante’s.”

  “I’ve never been here.”

  “Neither have I,” I admitted. “But people say that this is the place to bring your girl when you’re trying to impress her.”

  “Is that what you’re trying to do? Impress me?”

  “Perhaps.” I tightened my grip on her hand when I felt her start to lose her balance. Her heel had caught on the edge of the sidewalk, sending her flying forward. Lucky for her, I was able to keep her upright by pinning her body against my own. “You know, even with all that talk in the car it seems you’re still falling for me.”

  Her cheeks burned crimson as our faces gravitated together. Those beautiful green eyes of hers glimmered with what I could only describe as excitement.

  “Let’s have a good time tonight, alright? You deserve it after all the hard work you’ve put into studying.” I eased my arm around her waist, hand finding its place on her hip. Walking like this had the tendency to be a little awkward, but with Winter it felt nothing but natural like we were meant to be attached at the hip.

  We reached the entrance of the restaurant which was lined with a red carpet.

  “Jeez. I don’t know what’s more impressive, your miniature palace or this place.”

  “I take offense to that,” I said with a laugh. “This place might be fancy, but my home is much, much better because…” I leaned in and whispered naughty words against her ear. Her cheeks burned even darker. “Unless, of course, you want to sneak into one of the bathroom stalls while we wait for our entrees.”

  She slapped my arm. “Reed.”

  “What?”

  “Not here.”

  “Consider it payback for teasing me earlier.”

  “Yeah, well, your erection isn’t going to haunt you all night long, but if you get me wet, I have to deal with it–”

  “Hello, welcome to Dante’s. Two tonight?”

  “Two,” I answered with a nod.

  “Absolutely, right this way.”

  We were guided through an extravagant dining room complete with crystal chandeliers and candlelit tables. Every server walked around wearing white gloves. This place was much more bougie than I thought it would be.

  Staff was at the ready to pull out our seats.

  “Can I start you off with a bottle of wine?”

  “What would you recommend?”

  “Malbec or Cab Sauv are typical choices for our clientele but I can get you the full menu for all our spirits if you’d like.”

  “Malbec is fine,” I said. “Chilled, if you would.”

  “Of course.” She nodded. “And would you like a minute with the menu or do you know what you’d like to order?”

  “A minute, please.”

  Again, she nodded. “Certainly.”


  “So, you were saying?” I picked up our previous conversation just as soon as the waitress had disappeared. “Tell me more about this problem of yours.”

  “Quit it.” She dropped her hand on the table. “We can discuss this later.”

  “In bed you mean?”

  She glared so hard I thought I was going to keel over. “Okay, okay, maybe I’m taking things a little too far, I’m sorry. I’ll try and behave myself.”

  “You’d better.”

  “Although, I think you like it.”

  She didn’t answer but instead started to browse through her food options. “Well, I can definitely tell that this place is fancy because nothing has a price on it.”

  “I already told you not to worry about the cost of tonight. This is my treat, and all I want you to do is enjoy it, alright?”

  She ran her finger along the menu and stopped halfway down the list. “What are you thinking about getting? Half this menu is in French?”

  “The surf n’ turf platter looks pretty good to me or maybe some buttered lobster.”

  “I’ve never had lobster before.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “And I have no intention of trying it. Remember, I’m allergic to most shellfish…”

  “Okay, so no lobster then.”

  “Definitely not.”

  “I’ll remember that.”

  “Do you think this is going to be a problem we’re going to have all the time?”

  “If you stick with me, it might be,” I said with a wink. “Because I can see myself pampering you all the time.”

  “You don’t have to pamper me, Reed. I’ll be happy so long as you keep being the guy you are now. All I want is for you to remain the same because I’ve had too many people change on me.”

  He reached forward and took my hands. “I’m not going to change. What you see is what you get, so if you don’t like it, I’m afraid you’re all out of luck.”

  The waitress returned with our wine. She poured it into crystal decanter and then into our glasses so the drink was nice and bubbly – exactly how I liked it. “So, have you decided?”

  “I’ll have the surf n’ turf.”

  “I’ll just have the Prime Rib,” Winter added. “I have a shellfish allergy.”

  “Absolutely, I’ll let the chef known. And how would you like your prime rib?”

  “Medium rare for me,” I answered.

  “And you, ma’am.”

  “Well done.”

  “Very good.” She took away our menus and passed our orders to the kitchen. I could vaguely see the chefs as they played with fire. Next time I would take Winter to a Hibachi grill so she could experience the showmanship of real cooking.

  “So, you’re a medium rare kind of guy, huh?”

  “Most of the time.”

  “Doesn’t it weird you out that your food is bleeding?”

  “Not a bit.” I nudged her under the table with my foot. “Not to worry you or anything but I might just be a vampire.”

  “That might explain your good looks.”

  “So, you think I’m good looking, do you?”

  “I thought that was obvious.” She was already halfway through her drink, so I brought it upon myself to pour her a refill.

  From there, the conversation became easy. The wine helped her loosen up and with a little probing on my part, I had her laughing most of the night. It was good to see the crinkle of her eyes and that slight dimple of her left cheek. This was what I wanted – to make this woman happy.

  “Thank you,” she said after we had ordered our desserts. “You’ve treated me like a princess tonight and it is really more than I deserve.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short.” I ran my thumbs along the back of her hands. “Because you truly are a talented and beautiful woman. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their own, and I swear, I will never take that for granted.”

  She looked at me from underneath her eyelashes. “How do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “You always know exactly what to say to make my heart beat fast.”

  I smiled. “I guess it’s a skill I never knew I had.” I plucked the rose from the vase that separated us. The stem was already free from thorns, so all I had to do was shorten it a bit.

  “What are–” Before she could ask the question, I tucked the flower behind her ear.

  “There,” I said. “I didn’t think it was possible but somehow, you’re even more gorgeous than when the night began.”

  She looked like she was about to say something, but then her whole body froze. I followed the stiffness of her eyes to a couple being seated towards the back. The man had his back turned in my direction so I couldn’t see exactly who it was, but he did have a certain familiarity about him. Could it be…? No. Someone on a librarian’s salary couldn’t afford to come to a place like this. It had to be someone else.

  “What is it?” I asked, sensing that something was wrong.

  She shook her head. “I want to leave.”

  “Leave?” I looked back at the couple and wondered what it was about them that was bothering her so much.

  “Yes.”

  She was already getting to her feet.

  “Winter, wait.”

  Since she was already heading for the door, I fished for my wallet and left a few hundred dollars on the table hoping that would be enough to cover the cost of our evening. And hopefully, there would be enough left over for a decent tip. Thinking about it, I dropped another bill before rushing after my date.

  She was pacing back and forth by the restaurant’s water fountain. I had to grab her by the shoulders to get her to stop. “Winter, what has gotten into you?” By the way she was breathing, it looked like she was hyperventilating.

  I dragged her over to a nearby bench and sat her down.

  “I need you to breathe for me.” Needing her to look me in the eye, I squatted down beside her. “Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

  Her eyes were glassy like she was only seconds away from crying.

  “Do you not want to talk about it?”

  “Monroe…” she said at last.

  “Who?”

  “Monroe… he’s Victor’s older brother. He left town when he was eighteen. Rumor has it that he joined a gang and climbed his way to the top.”

  Protective of Winter, I stood in front of her as I scanned the area, half expecting him to emerge from the shadows.

  “If he’s here…it can’t be a good thing,” she whispered, fright apparent in the way her voice trembled. “This isn’t just some sort of coincidence. What if he’s hunting me down for what I did to Victor?”

  “No one is hunting you down–”

  “No, you don’t understand. They say he’s in the mafia – that he’s some sort of capo. And if The Godfather taught me anything, it’s that these guys will do anything to defend their family name. I’m the reason why Victor–”

  “Winter. Look at me. This isn’t a movie. No one is going to hunt you down for doing the right thing. You were just protecting yourself against a predator.”

  She shook my head. “It can’t be a coincidence that he’s here…” The fear in her eyes was obvious. She truly believed that this man would hurt her. Well, not on my watch. He’d have to go through hell and high water to get anywhere near her. Fuck his personal vendetta or his family revenge. He had no reason to pick a fight with a woman.

  “Winter, just think about what you’re saying. If he’s really a mafia lord then I’m sure he has bigger fish to fry then some small town girl,” I said, trying to convince her that there really wasn’t anything to worry about.

  “But he’s been gone for years,” she argued as she clung to the lapels of my jacket. “And suddenly he decides to show up and its conveniently when I had a run-in with his brother. Reed, I know it sounds crazy, but I swear, we need to get out of here.” She looked like she was about to book it straight to my car, but I kept her firmly in place. There were
goosebumps covering every inch of her chest. She was truly and utterly frightened.

  “Breathe. Just look at me and breathe.”

  She parted her lips like she was about to say something in response, but then the door to the restaurant opened back up, revealing a finely dressed individual. He had his hair slicked back with an obnoxious amount of styling gel, and his neck was completely covered with tattoos. A few of them had even snaked onto the side of his skull.

  “We should go.” Winter tugged on my arm. “Please.”

  But for some reason, I held my ground. If this guy had some sort of quarrel with Winter, then I rather nip it in the bud sooner rather than later. Winter had already dealt with Victor – she didn’t need to add this asshole to her list.

  Plus, I had to prove to Winter that I was capable of defending her and that there was no need for her to live her life in fear. I would keep her safe – no matter the cost.

  “Oh, I knew it was a bad idea to file that complaint… I knew it was going to come back to haunt me…” She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “This is bad – really bad…”

  “Shh,” I hushed as I held out my arm to keep her from stepping into the light. From the shadows I observed the individual and tried to gauge whether he was an actual threat or not. Perhaps he was just using his drug money to treat his girl to someplace nice. It wasn’t unusual for gang members to flaunt their success.

  He pulled out a cigarette case. It seemed to be made of silver. From it, he removed a smoke and brought it to his lips. When he lifted his arms to light it, part of his vest lifted as well, revealing the concealed firearm he had tucked away. It was a pretty big gun, too. Now, I’m usually one to keep my cool, but an icy dread washed over me. If he really wanted to cause harm to Winter for causing Victor’s arrest, how would I be able to stop him?

  “I know I’m a pretty face to look at, but are you two just going to stare at me all night long?” Monroe took a drag and blew a plume of smoke toward the sky. “Because I don’t take kindly to those that stare.”

  Winter whimpered beside me, clutching my arm so tightly that it actually hurt.

  “It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’ve got this under control.”

  “And what exactly do you have under control? If you don’t mind my curiosity that is.” Monroe stepped forward. The tips of his shoes reflected the moonlight. They looked expensive – alligator skin maybe. His leather jacket squelched with the movements of his arms; even through the thick fabric, I could tell they were insanely muscular because they threatened to burst right through the seams.