Claiming Xana (Wildcat Graduates Book 2) Read online

  Mike stood on the porch, in front of the door, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. “What are you doing here? Where is Xana,” he questions, looking over my shoulder for Xana.

  “I brought her home since we were finished with exams at the same time, and Stacy is going to Texas straight from school.” I set her laundry basket in front of Mike and place her bag beside it. Looking toward the car, I nod at him.

  “She fell asleep in the car as soon as we left Magnolia. I thought I’d unload her stuff before I woke her up. She’s exhausted from studying so much,” I explain as Mike drops the scowl from his face.

  “She always studies too much,” he sighs, putting his hands in his pockets and looking at my car in the driveway. Mike shakes his head and casts his gaze back on me. “Thanks for bringing her home, Daniels.”

  “She’s never a problem for me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her,” I tell him honestly. Even if it were better for her to be away from me forever, I’d do it. It would haunt me for the rest of my life, but if she was happy and safe, it would be worth it.

  “She has a boyfriend, ya know,” he reminds me as he picks up her laundry basket, and opens the front door. I pick up her bag and follow Mike inside to Xana’s room,

  “Doesn’t matter to me,” I state as I put her bag on her aqua comforter that has giant, white art deco dandelions on it. I turn to face him as he sets the basket of laundry by her desk and stares at me, eyebrow raised..

  “I know we’ve talked about this before. But nothing has changed for me. I care about her more now than I did then. Nothing or nobody is going to change that, whatever their relationship status is. I’m not forcing anything with her, but she will know that I’m not going anywhere, ever again.”

  Mike stands there for several minutes as he studies me. I’m not intimidated by him, and stand tall, returning his stare ten-fold. “Well, we’ll see what Jeff has to say about this.”

  “Let him try. I bet you’ll find that he’s not worthy of her as much as you seem to think he is.” I walk out of the room and down the hall to the front of the house. As I reach the door, I hear Mike calling out after me.

  “I won’t be as nice to you as I was the last time. You know that, don’t you?” he asks and I turn my head over my shoulder to acknowledge him.

  “Keep up that promise, only be prepared to use it on someone else besides me.” I leave him with that thought as I head to my car to wake Xana up.

  The drive home was over before I even knew I was asleep. “Hey, baby. You’re home.” It takes me a few minutes before I’m awake enough to realize that Noel is squatting to the side of me with the passenger door open. We’re in my driveway and the last thing I remember was reading the mileage sign right on the edge of town as we left Magnolia.

  “Noe,” I ask as I stretch out my neck and back.

  “Yeah, it’s me, sleepyhead. Feel any better?” His face shows concern, and I realize he must remember how my stomach was hurting before we left. He hasn’t messed around with things like that after he took me to the clinic that weekend. I take a moment to analyze how I feel before I answer.

  “I feel really tired, and my side still hurts a little. I can’t believe I slept all the way home. You’re gonna stop wanting me to ride with you pretty soon,” I joke and sit up a little straighter in my seat. Noel smiles back at me, his smile causing little crinkles at the corners of his eyes. I’ve missed those.

  Noel takes my hands in his and gives them a squeeze. “I’ll always want you to ride with me, Sweetness. Where does it hurt?” he asks, moving one of his hands to my waist. I can’t do anything but look into his eyes. Speechless, I move my left hand to where the pain is centered, my eyes never leaving his.

  Noel places his hand on top of mine, his eyes inspecting the area of concern. “How long?” he asks, then looks back to me. His brows are furrowed, and frown lines appear between his eyes.

  “Since yesterday afternoon,” I softly reply. “I thought it was just stress or hunger.”

  “Maybe, but from where it seems to be located, I don’t think that’s what it is. Promise me you will go get it checked if it still gives you trouble tomorrow?” Noel looks intently at me, serious in his request.

  I don’t know how to respond to that. He’s just as bossy now as he was when we were dating, maybe even more so. Why is he so concerned about me, now? I know we’re friends, but this seems to be a little more than friendly concern. What is that look in his eyes? I’ve never seen it before.

  “Xana, promise me you won’t overlook it like last time. If you need me to come and take you, I will. I know your parents will be at work and you won’t want to bother them, but you can bother me all you want. I want you to,” he pleads, cupping his hands around my face. The seriousness emanating from his gaze does not go unnoticed by me.

  “Noel, I’ll be fine, really. You don’t have to worry…” Noel stops me from saying more by pressing his fingers against my mouth.

  “Don’t. Promise me, or I’ll tell your mother. I don’t want to do that, but if you can’t do as I ask, I will tell her you’re in pain.” Unable to deny him anything when he looks at me like I’m the center of his world, I nod my head in agreement. He moves his hands from my face and touches his forehead to mine.

  “Okay,” I agree, shivering when the cold December wind blows in through the open car door.

  Placing a quick kiss on my nose, Noel takes my hands in his and begins to help me out of the car. “Let’s get you inside before you become a popsicle,” he laughs and stands beside me on the the driveway. He closes the door before I can get my bag from the backseat.

  “I already took your things inside while you were sleeping. You looked so relaxed I didn’t want to wake you up yet.” Noel takes my hand and leads me to the porch where Mike stands watching us.

  “Oh, crap. Mike is home. You can leave now, if you want. He doesn’t look very happy to see you,” I offer, hoping to avoid any form of confrontation. I just can’t handle it today.

  “We’re fine. We talked while taking your things to your room, so there’s nothing to be concerned about.” Noel smiles at me, then leads me up the front steps toward Mike.

  Mike takes me in a giant bear hug and twirls me around once before setting me back on the floor. “I’ve missed you, Xan,” he tells me. Turning to Noel, Mike thanks him for bringing me home, and walks back inside the house before he can reply.

  “Thanks, again, Noel. I’m really thankful you didn’t mind me riding with you. I promise to be a better co-pilot next time.” We wrap our arms around one another and hold on for a long time before releasing one another.

  “Always, Sweetness. Call me if you need to go get checked out. Anytime, Xan. Alright?”

  “I promise, but I’m sure I just need more rest. I’ll be fine.” I hug him one more time and walk inside. This time, I’m not the one left standing speechless on the front porch.

  It’s only four when Noel drops me off at home, but I’m still a little sleepy from my short nap, so I decided to finish it until it is time for Mom to wake me up for dinner. I take a few ibuprofen for the pain and cuddle up under the quilt my grandmother made me. It doesn’t take long before I fall asleep thinking about Noel.

  Mom didn’t wake me up until six thirty for dinner. I felt more awake by that time, and was able to enjoy the Italian sausage spaghetti and peach cobbler she made for dinner. Mike, never one to turn down a free meal, stayed to eat with us before returning to his apartment for the night. The conversations were light and funny as Dad told us about Uncle Derek’s latest car chase through town with a drunk driver leaving the bar. He truly has the funniest things happen to him while on duty.

  After dinner is over and the dishes are cleared away, I sit down with Mom and Dad in the living room. Mike left after helping relieve Mom of all the leftover spaghetti, and we’re now watching one of those Christmas specials that they always have this time of year. Dad has the fireplace going, and I’m curled up in a fleece blan
ket as I sit in the chair nearest to it. It really isn’t that cold outside just yet for a fire, so I know Dad started it just for me. Sitting by the fire always makes me feel better.

  An hour passes before I find myself getting sleepy again. I shouldn’t be this tired with the naps I took, but I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Standing up from my comfy spot in the chair, I unwrap myself from the blanket and lay it across the chair’s back.

  “Goodnight, Mom. Dad. I think I’m going to go to bed now, I can’t stay awake any longer,” I tell them as I make my way across the living room to the hallway. Dad gives me a hug as I pass and kisses my forehead.

  “Get some sleep, pumpkin. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Call me at work if you need anything, Xana. I’ll be home by five thirty,” Mom says and I lean over to kiss her goodnight.

  “Okay, Mom. I will.” Grabbing a glass of water to take with the ibuprofen I have in my room, I make my way to the bathroom to take a shower before getting ready for bed. The pain isn’t as bad as it was before, but if I want to avoid going to get it checked out, I need to take them anyway. I must get rid of all the pain or I’ll be forced to call Noel for a ride. I really can’t have that conversation with him, that’s just awkward.

  I’m just about to climb into bed when I receive a text from Noel.

  NOEL: Hey, how are you feeling?

  ME: I feel better. About to go to bed. You?

  NOEL: Went to work out with Cade. Going to take a shower.

  ME: Good workout?

  NOEL: Yeah, got a lot done. How did your nap go?

  ME: How did you know I took a nap?

  NOEL: Are you really asking me that?

  You were still yawning when I left.

  ME: Oh. I guess I was. It was needed I suppose. LOL

  NOEL: I’ll let you go to sleep now. Don’t forget to get checked out if the pain comes back, alright?

  ME: I will. Thank you for giving me a ride home.

  NOEL: Always.

  ME: Goodnight.

  NOEL: Goodnight, Sweetness.

  I slept until almost noon today. I suppose all of those late night study sessions finally caught up to me. Mom left me a list on the kitchen counter with a few things she needed me to get ready for dinner tonight. Other than a little food prep and a load or two of my dirty laundry, I haven’t done much else. It definitely feels weird not having classes to attend or study for, but my brain is more than thankful for the reprieve.

  I’m sitting on the couch reading when my phone rings. It’s too early in the afternoon for it to be Mom or Dad calling, so I’m curious as to who it could be. Leaning over and picking up my phone from the coffee table, I look at the caller ID and see that it is Jeff calling. What’s he calling me for? We haven’t talked in almost two weeks, and he’s never returned my calls when I have tried reaching him.

  Not really looking forward to talking to him, I answer his call anyway.

  “Hello,” I say flatly, my eyes closing in apprehension of hearing his voice.

  “Hey, baby. I’ve missed you,” he croons into the phone, making me roll my eyes in disgust. Yeah. I bet you missed me in between sucking-face time with the slut, Brittney.

  Not wanting to hear that kind of talk from him any longer, I quickly change the subject. “How’s the restaurant business? Have they called Gordon Ramsey for your Kitchen Nightmares episode, yet?” Joking around is a guaranteed easy way to get him off topic. It really is too easy.

  Jeff laughs at my joke and continues on with talk about his restaurant. From everything he tells me, I’m surprised he has this much time in the middle of the day for a phone call to me. He has never had much time for it on any other day.

  “That’s good to hear,” I tell him. “I’m sure your dad loves having you around full-time at the restaurant to help with the new ticket system. It sounds complicated.” I’m only halfway paying attention to his ramblings. It’s a good thing I heard him mention that bloody system earlier, or I’d have been at a loss for something to say.

  “Yeah, that’s been one thing that’s been in my favor. It helps me get away with other things,” he laughs at his own statement.

  “So,” he continues, “I’ll be there by seven tomorrow night, okay?” Jeff doesn’t wait for my response as he begins to give more information about “our” plans for the evening.

  I’m too speechless and confused to say much of anything to him in response, so I simply say ‘okay’ and end the conversation by claiming I had to check on something in the kitchen for Mom. Thank coconuts he believed me.

  Unable to concentrate on my book any more, I lay my kindle on the coffee table and walk to the kitchen. Searching through the cabinets I look for something to snack on. Checking Mom’s secret hiding place, I find the stash of Christmas cookies she always hides from Dad. I fill a small plate with them, grab a cold glass of milk, and make my way back to the living room.

  I’m flipping through the channels when I have a sharp pain stab me in the abdomen. Assuming it is just a hunger pain since I haven’t eaten since last night, I wait a few minutes for it to go away while laying on the couch. I’m watching a Christmas movie while I wait, but the pain only gets stronger. I try laying in different positions to relieve some of the pain, but nothing seems to be working. I’m on my way to get some ibuprofen when another sharp pain runs through my stomach.

  I’m able to make it to my room and get the pills that I take with the glass of water left on my nightstand from last night, not caring if it tasted funny. I lie on my bed and try to hopefully sleep it off, and the pain subsides a little. I’m unaware of how long I lie there when the pain becomes more than I can tolerate any longer. Slowly, I make my way back to the living room so I can get my phone.

  I am able to reach the living room and lie on the sofa as I pull up the contacts on my phone. It will take too long for Mom to get here and Mike and Dad are out on a job installing a security system, and since Stacy is in Texas, that limits my options. The pain is getting worse and I make a quick decision and press Noel’s number, it being the first one I come to.

  “Hello, Sweetness. What’s up,” he answers. I can hear the smile in his voice.

  “Noe,” I say weakly, fighting back tears. His tone immediately turns serious, and begins bombarding me with questions I have little energy to answer.

  “What’s wrong? Are you having pain again? Where are you? Do you need me to come get you? Nevermind, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Just hold on, baby, I’m coming,” he tells me and ends the call before I can respond. No matter how irritating that should be, I’m just grateful he takes over, because I’m almost incapable to talk at this point. I am able to unlock the front door so he can just come on in, and I return to my place on the couch and wait.

  When Noel arrives, he doesn’t bother knocking and immediately begins to look for me. He rushes to my side and does his own version of a vitals exam before asking me any more questions. He doesn’t wait long before he gathers me and my phone and carries me to the car, whispering reassuring words the whole walk there. At this point, I’m starting to tear up, and he kisses away the tears that slip past me eyelids.

  The drive to Mom’s office doesn’t take long, and I find out that Noel called her on his way to my house, so she is ready for me when we arrive.

  Having Xana call me unable to speak almost made me lose my head. I could hear the pain in her voice as she said my name, and it pained me to hear it. It made me remember the last time she sounded like that, when she had those cysts rupture and the bad case of flu, and I wasn’t about to let her suffer like before. I jumped in my car as fast as I could, barely giving Mom and Dad an explanation as to where I was going.

  I was able to keep my calm long enough on the drive to her house to call her mom at the doctor’s office to let her know I was bringing her in and what was happening. Now, she’s sitting in my front seat, almost doubled over, begging me to make it stop. It’s killing me not being able to hold her, so I take her hand
in mine and try to comfort her with my words.

  “Please, Noel. Hurts. Make it stop,” she begs as I stop at the red light. She’s squeezing my hand harder than before and tears are covering her pain-filled face.

  “I’m here, Sweetness. Hold on to my hand. We’re almost there,” I tell her before releasing her hand to pick up my cell phone and call her mother.

  I call Mrs. Bradford and let her know that I’m worried about how much she is hurting, so I’m taking her to the hospital instead of the office. She lets me know she will meet us there before I end the call and take Xana’s hand in mine once again.

  “It’s going to be alright, Xan. I’ve got you.” She raises her head to me slowly, and I notice how pale she has gotten. My heart drops into my stomach and I push the speed limit even more in an attempt to get her to the hospital faster.

  Mrs. Bradford met me out front of the emergency room doors and already had her checked in, so I was able to carry her to the seating area while they prepped a room for her. Sitting on my lap, she curled her body into mine as I ran my hand in circles along her back. We aren’t kept waiting too long before they call us back to an exam room, me carrying her all the way to the room. Xana clings to my hand as I try to leave her in the exam room with her mom, but I promise to be right outside if she needs me.

  I’m not sure how long I waited before her mother, Diane, came out to let me know what was going on while they ran a few tests before taking her upstairs to a room. They are keeping her overnight so they can monitor her and help her pain management. Mrs. Bradford tells me that they have given her something for the pain right now, so she should be able to rest.

  A nurse comes out to let us know that they have taken Xana up to her room just as Mr. Bradford and Mike arrive. They were out on an security system installation and had to finish what they were doing. We follow the nurse up to the room where they are taking Xana, me following behind her family. As we exit the elevator on the second floor, Mike pulls me away from the rest of his family.