Page 32 of Miss Taken Identity

Totally anxious until Xander slips my hand into his and leans over to kiss me.

“Don’t worry, Chloe.” He smiles again and mouths something.

Words I don’t quite catch.

“What did you say?” I ask, feeling my anxiety turning to a definite thrill in my chest.

My face flushing deep red.

“I said I love you, and I’m going to take care of you, every detail in every way… all taken care of from now on,” he boasts, thumbing at his chest, showing me whose boss.

Making the same words, my reply, stick in my throat.

I’m speechless.

Nobody’s ever told me that.

Nobody’s ever said it and meant it the way I know Xander does.

My folks? They love me, but this is different.

Xander saying it means the world to me because it’s the only three words that make sense when I think about him.

The car drives on, and we sit in silence. I shift closer to Xander, hugging one of his arms, and finally, I look up at him.

“I love you too, Xander. I really do,” I tell him. Happy to finally get the words out that have been circling my mind since I met him.

He makes a low sound and looks out the window, and I feel his huge arm pulling me closer.

No words are required now. We both know exactly how we feel.

And each of us may feel just a little strange, a little silly even for saying it out loud.

But I know we’ll get used to saying it and hearing it in time.

“Do you think a virgin could get pregnant her first time?” I hear myself ask after minutes of silence.

He laughs quietly to himself. And then resting his hand on my belly, he whispers his reply into my ear.

“I hope so, don’t you?” he asks.

I nod my head but have to tell him. “If it’s not today, then it might be another day,” I reflect.

I was relieved that my secret desire to have a child with Xander wasn’t going to scare him off.

I’d heard some real horror stories about guys running a mile once a girl wanted to settle down.

And Xander and I have officially been a thing for… Not very long.

Not even twenty-four hours, and I’m already choosing baby furniture in my mind.

But he doesn’t seem to mind one bit.

Quite the opposite. In fact, I think he’s just as excited by the idea as I am.

A feeling, like his overall good mood, I notice waning once we exit the freeway and end up driving through a massive pair of wrought iron security gates.

Bella Vista Country Club, the ornate, gilded sign reads.

The same logo as the hotel chain is right next to it, so I’m assuming the country club is another feather in the Condor cap.

“I can wait here if you aren’t long,” I find myself telling Xander, suddenly scared to death as the enormous and ancient sandstone building comes into view.

I had no idea places like this even existed anymore…

It’s like a damned castle.

“Are you kidding me?” Xander quips. “You’re gonna protect me in there. You’re my ace in the hole,” he says, forcing a smile, but I can sense his nerves.

And Xander doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to get nervous about anything. He’s not scared for himself.

But maybe he is worried that what he has planned to say or do might affect someone else, like his aging and frail boss.

Something else is bugging him, though, and it’s not just his boss either…

As the limo makes a wide arc, taking a sandy-colored gravel drive all the way to the front entrance of the place, my heart stops in my chest.

It’s Xander’s turn to ask if I’m alright.

“Chloe? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What is it?” he asks me, following my eyes and then my pointing finger as we pull to a stop.

It’s in the general car parking area, but I know my parent’s station wagon when I see it.

I could see it from space given half a chance, and it’s so obviously theirs.

“An older car, here? I know, I know. But if people can afford the membership, they’re allowed in,” Xander reasons quietly.

But it’s not that at all what bugs me.

“That’s my mom and dad’s car,” I murmur, stifling a low groan and sinking into the leather seat, suddenly incapable of movement.

“Oh,” Xander says under his breath, his jaw setting hard and his body tensing.

I assumed this wasn’t supposed to be a walk in the park for him and me both, but I never expected this.

“Wait a second,” I blurt out, suddenly aware of the situation.

“How could they even know I’m here?” I ask nobody in particular, with Xander looking as stumped as I feel.

Our driver knows from recent experience to let Xander let himself out, and now I’m his woman. It’s Xander’s job to help me out. Nobody else’s.

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