They say that love is a drug
That when you start, you cannot stop.
That once you fall, you cannot be caught
That love is sweet and maybe even hot
And cupid's arrow, cannot be unshot
* * *
The feeling of falling has always terrified people.
The sense of losing all control on our bodies as we fall to the ground makes our hearts lurched in panic and fear.
But it isn't falling that we were afraid of.
It's hitting the ground.
But falling in love isn't just the sense of losing control.
It was the sense of flying, soaring through pleasant winds of happiness and joy. Embracing the cool currents of comfort and looking out at the world beneath you, and the world that was no longer just yours. It was a world that you shared with someone else. A world that you could make your own together.
Falling in love was scary, just as it was comforting. Knowing that you'd eventually fall right into the arms of the person you had given your heart to. Knowing that they'd catch you. That they'd save you.
And although the heart didn't run by words, rather by emotions, confessing what the heart had always craved, brought upon a sense of relief and peace that couldn't be compared to any other feeling in the world.
And that is exactly how Raine and Xavier felt when they finally told each other what their hearts had known for far too long.
It had been a month since that day they had confessed their love and even though they had spent most of their time at the hospital, amongst doctors and medicine, it had still been the most beautiful time of their lives.
Like the doctor had adviced, Raine was required to stay in the ICU for a week longer until they were sure that she had no internal damage. And of course, Xavier was with her every step of the way. Not leaving her for even a second.
And finally, after getting the ok from the doctor, Xavier had brought Raine back home. Not that it had made much of a difference anyway.
Xavier had practically converted the hospital room into their own little apartment while he stayed there all week.
On the second night, after getting tired of sleeping on the uncomfortable couches that were too far from Raine's bed for his liking, Xavier had snuck into the storage room and rolled in an empty bunk into her room, setting it up right next to Raine's so that he could sleep beside her, holding her hand without hurting her.
Raine had laughed when she woke up in the morning to Xavier laying on an old bunk, curled into a ball in her direction. His fingers were woven with her's as he held her hand all night long and his bright blue eyes were hidden behind his eyelids as he slept peacefully for the first time in ages.
The week went by so fast with Xavier's funny jokes and sweet pestering and before they knew it, Raine was cleared to go home.
It was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders as Xavier carried Raine into their house for the first time in days.
Even though it was the same house that she had been living in for months, it still felt different.
This time it wasn't just Xavier's mansion. It was home. Their home.
They were finally about to start their lives together without the harsh demons of the past trying to ruin their second chance at happiness.
And this time, they were in it together.
After the wild whirlwind of news stories and reactions to Xavier's statement, the FBI had released a statement that confirmed everything he had said. It wasn't anything Xavier cared much about, but for Raine, it was everything she had wished for.
After everything that she had gone through, she was happy that she was able to fight her way through the harsh circumstances, and bring justice to her parents.
Her parents' names had ultimately been cleared and justice had been given to them for the significant work they had done for the country.
Raine couldn't be happier hearing all of the stories of her parents' undercover missions that had saved so many lives. Agent Conner and personally delivered a file to her which held all kinds of information on Eden and Abby, some that Raine had never known of before.
After much thought, Xavier decided that it would be best if he took a break from Thorn Inc. He had spent his whole life under the shadow of the company and worked hard to get the company to where it was since the day his father had handed it over to him.
But in the process, he forgot to live his life the way it was meant to be lived. He wanted to be in the moment and put himself first before thinking about the company. And putting himself first meant putting Raine first.
She was his whole life and his world revolved around her.
And at the moment, she needed nothing more than support and comfort to help her cope with everything that had happened in the past few months.
Like always, the media didn't take the news of Xavier's temporary leave too well and neither did the shareholders. But Xavier was certain to assure them that he'd only be gone for three months and that he'd still be actively making decisions for the company. He just wasn't too keen on showing up to work all day and attending meetings when he could be spending time with Raine and helping her heal.
They could finally go out in the public and Raine didn't have to be afraid of getting photographed or caught by Malin. He was put away for good and she never had to be afraid anymore. Not that Xavier let her go out on her own though.
He was being very cautious with her. He knew that her injuries were serious, and he wanted them to heal properly. But his overprotective self always irritated Raine.
She loved him, but she hated it when he wouldn't let her do anything.
She was always so independent, but now, Xavier wouldn't even let her walk on her own.
"Xavier put me down!" Rane whined, tired with all of the carrying around she'd been going through.
She had asked Xavier to go on a walk in the garden with her since the weather was nice and warm, but she hadn't expected Xavier to pick her up in his arms bridal style, and carry her through the garden instead.
"But you wanted to go to the garden." Xavier justified.
"I wanted to walk in the garden!" Raine fought back.
"But we are walking."
"No, Mister," Raine rolled her eyes. "You're walking and I'm being carried against my will."
"But Love, you need rest." He pouted so sweetly, that for a minute, Raine almost gave in.
"I've been resting for weeks, Xav!" Raine groaned. "I got shot in the chest, my legs are perfectly fine."
At the mention of her being shot, Xavier's arms tightened around her and he pulled her into a hug. Raine regretted it instantly.
Although Raine had been the one to suffer the most due to last month's events, she was holding up way better then Xavier was.
He had been struggling for the past month. He couldn't leave Raine alone and often times, he'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming from nightmares of Raine not surviving the horrifying events.
He tried hard to hide his own anxiety from Raine, but Raine saw it all. She knew he was having a difficult time and she felt bad about that.
Xavier had wanted them to start a new life together, but it was so hard when there were so many demons still lingering around them. The people who had put them through hell may have been locked up in jail, but their memories still haunted their dreams.
"Hey..." Raine whispered, caressing his face. "You ok?"
"Hmm..." He nodded, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too." Raine smiled.
He bent down, putting Raine back onto her two feet and instead wrapped his arm around her waist as they strolled through the garden.
"I can't believe it's spring already." Raine sighed, resting her head against Xavier's shoulder.
The flowers had started to bloom and the once luscious green garden was painted with bright hues of yellows, oranges, and pinks. Rose bushes lined the small path that they walked across, which eventually led up to the small koi pond and gazebo that Raine had fallen in love with.
They had had their first date there.
She still remembered the looking in his eyes and the way her heart was pounding against her chest the entire time. It was the first time that someone had made her feel so special. So loved.
"I know..." Xavier muttered. "Time's flown by so fast."
"When are you go back to Thorn Inc?" Raine asked, taking a seat underneath a tree. "I'd like to have my job back please."
"Your job?" Xavier frowned, taking a seat beside her.
"Yeah! I'm the personal assistant to the CEO." Raine pouted. "As far as I can recall, I wasn't fired."
"Ah, but the CEO is on a break, which means he's not in need of a personal assistant."
"Then what is this CEO in need of?" She asked suggestively.
"He's in dire need of his very beautiful girlfriend that he wants to spend every second with," Xavier whispered into her ears.
Raine giggled, playfully hitting Xavier's chest.
"But seriously Xavier." She began. "When are we going back to the company?"
"You won't be going back, Raine." Xavier slowly announced.
"Excuse me?" She asked, pushed herself away from Xavier's side so that she was facing him.
"Raine, why are you doing this job?"
"Because I need to earn money to make a living." She responded. "I may live with you, but I most certainly will not live off of you."
"But is this the job you really want to spend the rest of your life doing?" Xavier asked. "Are you really passionate about being my personal assistant? Does it make you happy?"
"Being with you makes me happy." She whispered.
"But you had dreams, Raine." He insisted. "I know you didn't grow up dreaming about being a personal assistant. I'm sure there was something else you wanted. Something else you wanted to be."
"I don't know..." She muttered. "I never really had a chance to... to dream of a future where I could do anything more than just survive."
"You like to bake," Xavier stated. "You like to make things. You're so creative."
"I know butâ"
"Raine, I'd never try to dictate your life, nor make any decisions for you." Xavier clarified. "I don't intend to keep you home all your life. You're an independent woman and I fell in love with that. I'd never try to change that about you. I just want you to do something that you love. That you're passionate about. I know you never had much of a choice in the past but now you do. You can live your life however you want to and you can do anything you choose. The sky's the limit baby. I want you to strive for the stars and I want to be there with you when you reach them."
"No one has ever made me feel so special Xavier," Raine whispered. "No one has ever cared."
"I love you, Raine," Xavier said. "Of course I care."
"I do love baking," Raine answered, coming closer to Xavier and resting her head onto his chest. "Mom and I used to bake every weekend and Dad would always be there to taste our crazy creations... I guess that's why I started working at the cafe. It allowed me to do something that brought me closer to my parents. When I was little, my dad would always say that we should open up our own bakery."
"This one?" Xavier asked, pulling out a folded piece of paper and handing it to Raine.
"What is this?" She asked, frowning at the piece of paper.
"Open in."
Raine nodded, her fingers tracing over the folds before she unraveled it. Instantly, the sight of a bright and colorful drawing caught her eyes and it didn't take long for her to recognize the zagged lines of crayons that were scattered all over the paper.
"H-how did you find this?" She said, overwhelmed with emotion.
"I found it in the box with all your parents' stuff,"Â Xavier replied. "Raine Clouds and Thunder Bakery. That's what it's called right?"
"Yeah." Raine nodded, taking in the entire picture. She still remembered when she had drawn it. "It was raining one day and me and mom were making cookies together. Dad came in and said that we should open our own bakery and I got super excited. I ran to grab my crayons and started drawing. I was making the sign when my dad came next to me and gave me the name. Raine Clouds and Thunder..."
"That's a nice name you know." Xavier smiled.
"It's lame." Raine laughed before hugged Xavier. "Thanks for finding this though."
"Of course." Xavier smiled back at her, quickly kissing her lips before pulling her body against him.
The sky was the perfect shade of cool blue with rolling white clouds that looked as soft as cotton candy. A smile graced her face as Raine laid between Xavier's legs her back against his chest, looking up at the clouds.
"You know, someone's birthday is coming up soon," Xavier said, breaking the calming silence that filled their ears.
"How'd you know?" Raine asked, turning slightly to look up into Xavier's ocean eyes.
"How could I not know?" He grinned, winking. "You're the love of my life, I think it's obvious that I'd have to keep tabs on your birthday."
Raine blushed as he called her the love of his life. Even though he'd say it to her on every occasion he could find, she had yet to become accustomed to his confession. It still made her heart go wild and her cheeks heat up and Xavier loved seeing her like that.
He loved seeing the effect that he had on her.
He loved her cheeks that turned rosy when he kissed her. And he loved her lips and how she'd bit on whenever he'd get close to her. They longed for him just as he longed for her.
"What do you want to do for your birthday?" He asked softly.
He hadn't ever really celebrated anyone's birthday that was as special to him as Raine was. He wanted everything to be perfect.
"I don't really want to celebrate Xavier." She answered softly.
"Baby, it's your birthday." Xavier frowned. "We have to celebrate."
"I don't really..." Raine began before stopping herself. "I haven't celebrated my birthday since my parents..."
"It's ok." Xavier softly murmmered into her ears. "I know that it must have been hard on your own but Raine, you've been through so much. It's time for you to finally move on. Your parent would have wanted you to be happy right now. They would have wanted you to have all the happiness in the world."
"I know but..." She stopped herself, not knowing what else to say.
"We can do anything and everything you want." Xavier smiled down at her. "Name anything."
"All I want is you, Xav," Raine whispered, leaning back into his chest and looking up at the sky.
"You have all of me, Raine." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm all yours."
Raine smiled, closing her eyes and relaxing, taking in this beautiful moment. The sky was painted in streaks of whites and blues and the green grass beneath their feet was cool and calming. The subtle chirping of insects in the garden was peaceful and the songs of the bluejays flying around were the perfect melody.
"I want to be with you on my birthday." She replied. "I don't care what we do as long as you're with me."
"I wouldn't leave you for the world."
* * *
"Love?" Xavier asked, entering his room to find the bed empty. "Raine, where are you?" He called out, looking around the room just as Raine exited the bathroom with in a yellow sundress and wet hair.
"I was showering Xavier." She smiled, shaking her head and letting drops of water splash onto Xavier's face.
A smile tugged on his lips and before he knew it, he had his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his body.
"Looks like someone's feeling a lot better today." He mumbled against her lips before kissing them softly and sweetly.
Raine savored the feeling of his lips against hers, giving her a toe-curling kiss before they finally pulled away and rested their heads against each other.
"I want you to meet someone," Xavier whispered.
"Who?" She whispered back.
"A very special friend of mine." He replied.
"Hey, I thought I was your only friend." Raine pouted.
"You're my only girlfriend, Love," Xavier smirked. "But I'm afraid I've made a new best friend. You have been replaced."
"I see how it is." She playfully smacked Xavier's chest before giggled and leaning into him. "I'd love to meet this friend of yours."
Xavier smiled, leaning down to scoop her into his arms in a bridal position.
"Xavier for the millionth time, I can walk!"
"And for the billionth time, you're not supposed to be putting pressure on yourself." He refused.
"How is walking to the living room putting pressure on myself?"
"Walking down marble stairs is a safety hazard, I can't risk it."
"You're crazy." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Only for you." He smirked, kissing her nose before taking her out the door and heading down to the living room.
As soon as the staircase ended, Xavier set Raine down and lead her to the living room where a middle aged couple was waiting. In there arms was a ting baby that was sleeping peacefully, but what caught Raine's eyes was the brown-eyed boy that was patting the baby's head and admiring her in awe.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Collins." Xavier began. "This is my girlfriend, Raine Woods."
"Oh please!" The women shook her head, standing up. "Call us Tessa and Sebastian."
"Hello, Tessa." Raine smiled, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Sebastian."
"Nice to meet you too Raine," The both of them nodded.
"And who do we have here?" She asked, looking at the liitle boy and baby."
"I'm Luke!" The boy annouced with a gaint smile plastered to his face. "And this is my very own baby sister Penelope."
"Hi, Luke!" Raine smiled at him.
Luke ran to Xavier's side, tugging on his pants to get him to kneel beside him. "Did you fix it with a kiss?" He whispered in Xavier's ears.
"Yes," Xavier whispered back. "And you were right, it worked."
"Awesome!" Luke clapped his hands.
"Hey, whatcha guys talking about?" Raine asked, kneeling beside the two of them.
"Nothing." Luke quickly said. "You're very pretty." He smiled shyly, touching Raine's hair with one of his hands.
Raine blushed. "Thank you! But can we talk about how cute you are, first?" She said, pinching his cheeks.
Luke blushed and leaning into Xavier.
"So this is my best friend," Xavier said, hugging Luke.
"Oh really?" Raine asked. "Well Luke, I must say that I'm very jealous. There's no way I can compete with you."
"It's ok!" Luke shrugged. "We can share being Xavier's best friends! Oh! And you can be my baby sister's best friend too!"
Raine laughed as well as Tessa and Sebastian who were silently watching their boy making new friends while cradling their baby girl.
"Xavier, did you see my baby sister?! Isn't she sooo small?" He asked, pulling on Xavier's arm with excitement.
"I did." Xavier nodded. "She's quite a beauty! You're really going to have to work hard to keep the boys away now."
"I know." Luke pouted. "But it's ok. Dad said I can take karate lessons so I'll be able to beat all the guys up!"
Tessa and Sebastian began to laugh.
"No beating people up!" Tessa playfully scolded.
"He's lovely," Raine said, standing back up to talk to Tessa.
"He's quite the charmer." Tessa smiled down at Luke. "I'm going to need to find someone to keep all the girls away from him."
"Oh, that will be impossible." Raine laughed. "But I have to say, Luke, I am very proud of you." She said. "Thank you for taking care of Xavier."
"No problem." He struggled. "He was kinda a mess without you, but I fixed it."
"Of course you did." Raine laughed, high-fiving him.
"Shall we all sit down?" Xavier said as soon as all the introductions were over. "Would you guys like to have something?"
"No, no." Sebastian shook his head before taking a seat. Noticing that Tessa was getting tired, he carefully took the baby girl out of her arms and gently rocked her in his own.
"So Sebastian and Tessa, what do you guys do for a living?" Xavier asked curiously.
"We used to run a coffee shop in downtown," Tessa said sadly, and Sebastian was quick to reach out and take her hand, offering her comfort.
"Things have been tough," Sebastian answered.
"What do you mean?" Raine asked in confusion.
"We saw you on the news," Sebastian started. "So, it's likely that you know of the recent events."
"Ah, yes." Xavier nodded. "However, I do not see the relevance of that incident at the current moment." He said, squeezing Raine's hand.
Although it had been a month, she still had a sense of fear that all of this would be a dream. That she'd wake up in Malin's hands and that Xavier would just be a fragment of her imagination. It wasn't often, but talks of the past often drew her back. And Xavier had tried his best to never mention those events in front of Raine.
"I apologize," Sebastian said, a look of guilt passing through his eye. "I didn't mean to..."
"No, please." Raine urged. "What happened?"
"Tessa and I used to own the coffee shop at the base of Lyzo Corp. But ever since the FBI released the statement about Killian, the company was shut down and so were all of the businesses at the bottom of the building. We lost our cafe."
"I'm so sorry to hear about that," Raine said.
"We came back from the hospital with Penelope in our arms and just as we set her down in the crib, the phone calls began," Sebastian explained.
"Luke's been helping a lot by keeping her busy and watching over her while we sorted things out," Tessa said, looking at Luke with admiration.
Although he was only about four, he was considerate, understanding, and a kind child.
"We tried hard to get the businesses on the bottom to be left open but the FBI wanted to take the whole building under investigation so they sealed it all."
"I'm sorry," Raine said, looking down at her hands.
"No, no." Tessa shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. If anything, I'm sorry that you had to go through such a horrible experience. No one deserves that."
"We all didn't deserve everything that happened," Sebastian says. "But we can't change the outcome of it. We can only grow from the experience."
"I agree." Xavier nodded. "Sebastian, if you guys need anything, please feel free to reach out."
"Yes," Raine said. "If there's anything we can do to help, we'd love to help."
"Thank you," Tessa said with gratitude. "We're looking for another place we can open our shop in but the rent for business locations is so high."
"I agreed to work at my father's company for a while until we find something though," Sebastian said. "Tessa stays home with the kids. Penelope is too young to be left alone and hiring a babysitter is out of the question now."
"Wait a minute." Raine stopped them. "My friend owns a coffee shop in downtown too! I can ask her to hire you guys until you find a place of your own."
"That's a brilliant idea Baby!" Xavier nodded in agreement.
"Seriously?" Tessa asked. "That would be amazing for you to do.
"Yeah! I'll call my friend up tonight and tell them about you! I'm sure she'd love to have someone like you work at the cafe!"
"Thank you so much." Tessa smiled. "You have no idea how much this means to us."
"Of course." Xavier nodded, smiling at Luke. "Anything we can do to help you, just let us know."
"You're really kind," Tessa said. "And Luke talks about you non stop."
"Is that so?" Xavier smiled at Luke.
"Yes," Sebastian said. "He goes on and on about his new best friend. I thought he'd be disappointed if you guys never met again but thank you for reaching out."
"How could I not have?" Xavier said. "Luke helped me at a time I felt like I was dying. He was there to support me when no one could and I don't think I'd be able to live without my new best friend."
Just as Xavier said that a small sound of crying interrupted their conversation. Sebastian quickly began to rock his arms, trying to get Penelope to fall asleep again but instead, she just stared at him with big wide eyes.
"Would you like to hold her?" Tessa asked, noticing the way Raine was looking at Penelope.
"I... Um, may I ?" Raine asked nervously.
Raine loved babies but at the same time, they were so delicate she was afraid she'd hurt her.
"Of course you can!" Tessa said, taking Penelope out of Sebastian's hands and placing her into Raine's.
It was the craziest feeling Raine had ever felt. She felt at peace yet so restless. Penelope was so light and so warm and her eyes were so big that they captured her heart in a second.
Gently, Raine began rocking her which Penelope clearly loved because a couple of soft giggles escaped her mouth causing Raine to laugh.
"Look, Xavier!" Raine said with excitement, causing Xavier to smile.
He came closer to her, putting his hands underneath Raine's from behind so that they were both cradling Penelope together.
"She's so cute," Raine whispered.
But instead of responding, all Xavier could do was stare at Raine and Penelope and nodded.
This was what he had wanted his life to be all along.
His heart thudded with joy and warmth. Just the feeling that one day, he'd be holding his baby too. That one day, Raine would be a mother and he'd be a father. That one day, they'd have the family they both had dreamt of for ages.
Their lives had never been easy, but for once, Xavier was thankful for it all.
He was thankful for Raine.
He was thankful for the good and the bad she came with.
Life was never fair. He'd grown up hearing that saying.
But the truth was that it never mattered if life was fair or not.
All that matter was that you shared your life, fair or not, with the one person who made everything seem right.
Fairness was insignificant where love was involved.
And love was all they needed.
* * *
"Jordon!" Raine whisper yelled. "In here."
"Raine, what are youâ"
"Shhhh." Raine quickly shushed him, yanking his hand and leading him to the kitchen, careful not to run into Xavier in the process.
"Raine. You are going to get me in trouble one day." Jordon whispered back, following her lead.
"Don't worry." She shrugged. "Did you get everything I asked for?"
"Yes, I got strawberries and ice cream." Jordon nodded, setting the paper bag onto the countertop. "Where is Mr. Thorn anyways?"
"He's in his office," Raine answered. "I don't know what he's been doing, but for the last few days, he always heads into his office after putting me to sleep."
"He's probably just trying to sort work things out," Jordon answered casually.
"I don't know," Raine said. "But it's great! I get to sneak out to the kitchen while he thinks I'm sleeping."
"Of course." Jordon laughed. "You aren't one to follow orders."
"Nope." She said, pulling things out of the bag and setting them on the table.
"Alright, do you need me to do anything else?"
"You can be my taster!"
"Umm..." Jordon said looking around. "Sure, but if Mr. Thorn finds out, I'm sure to be fired."
"Calm down, Jordon. I promise Xavier won't fire you."
"I'll take your word for it." He smiled. "Now, shall I helpâ"
"What's going on?" Xavier's voice interrupted, causing Jordon and Raine to turn around.
"Xavier!" Raine announced, caught off guard. Quickly, Jordon pushed himself away from her, standing straighter.
"Raine, I believe you were sleeping upstairs." He said before turning to Jordon. "And Jordon, about 20 minutes ago, you told me you were in a conference."
"I apologize Mr. thorn, I was just trying toâ"
"I told him I needed some help." Raine interrupted. "He's just helping me."
"By lying toâ"
"Jordon, you can go home." Raine cut Xavier off, turning so that she was facing him while silently gesturing him to escape the wrath of Xavier.
"But I'm not done talkingâ" Xavier began, before once more getting cut off.
"Xavier my arm hurts." Raine pouted, causing Xavier to completely forget about Jordon and rush to her side.
"Where?! What happened?! This is exactly why I told you to stay in bed." He scolded her, inspecting her arm.
Meanwhile, Raine gave Jordon the look, telling him to leave without make a sound, to which Jordon willingly obliged to and left giving Raine a thumbs up.
"Raine, where does it hurt?" He asked when he couldn't see any injuries.
Raine was smiling back at him with mischievous eyes and it didn't take Xavier long to figure out her little tricks when he found the kitchen missing Jordon.
"You're mean," He said, playfully glaring at her.
"But you still love me!" She shrugged, leaning up to kiss his cheeks.
"That I do," Xavier confessed before looking around the kitchen. "Babe, I know you love this kitchen and it's all yours, but if you're planning on staying here and working all the time, I'll have to banish you."
"Xavier!" She pouted. "I'm just baking."
Xavier rolled his eyes. This was typical of her. At any given moment when he'd leave her to finish some other work, he'd often find her baking away in the kitchen.
"I know, Love," Xavier said, putting both of his hands on top of her shoulders and leaning in. "But it's not healthy for you to be working and putting too much stress on your body. I need you to get as much bedrest as you possibly can."
"But I'm bored." She whined. "And I wanted something chocolaty to eat."
"That's exactly why I had hired a 24-hour chef, Raine." He said. "Until you fired him.'
"I didn't fire him." Raine justified sweetly. "I gave him a vacation."
"Was a month-long vacation really necessary?"
"Come on Xavier. I've been in bed for a whole month now. I want to do stuff. And you said this house was mine. So why can't I use the kitchen?"
"This is your house, Raine. Everything that's mine is yours, but I just want to make sure you are fine before you jump back into normal life."
"I am fine Xavier. I just wanted to spend some time baking and eating."
"Alright." He nodded, giving in to her wishes like he always did.
"You know, you can just help me right?" Raine suggested.
"Alright chef Raine, what shall this servant do for you?" He teased.
"Umm, go get the basket of strawberry and then the bag of chocolate chips." She ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" Xavier saluted before getting right to work.
Raine smiled, enjoying this intimate moment with Xavier. She had always grown up watching her parents romance in the kitchen and it had been her dream to do the same with the love of her life one day too. And now that she had found the love of her life, she planned on never letting him go.
"Here you go. What next?" Xavier asked, passing Raine all of the things she had asked for.
"Ok, I'm going to set up a double boiler, so can you fill this a quarter way with water." She asked, handing him a pot.
Xavier nodded, taking the pot and filling it with water before handing it back to her.
"Perfect! Now, all we have to do is put this glass bowl on top and put the chocolate chips and milk into it."
Xavier watched as Raine worked her magic around the kitchen, melting the chocolate and chopping up the strawberries.
"Xav, the cookies are in the oven. Can you please take them out?"
"On it," Xavier said, grabbing the pan of freshly baked cookies from the oven and setting them on the countertop.
"That's perfect!" Raine smiled, setting a bowl of the melted chocolate beside the cookies as well as a tray of chopped strawberries and a carton of vanilla ice cream.
"What exactly are we making?" Xavier asked.
"Ice cream sundaes with chocolate covered strawberries and freshly baked cookies!"
"Wow." Xavier smiled. "I love chocolate covered strawberries."
"Or chocolate covered everything!"
"I want a chocolate covered you." Xavier winked, causing Raine to blush.
"And I want a chocolate covered kiss." Raine whispered, dipping her finger in the chocolate and smearing it on Xavier's lips while her eyes bore into his blue ones.
"Your chocolate wish is my chocolate command," Xavier said before leaning in for a kiss.
It was slow and passionate and the butterflies in her stomach were just the same as they were the first time they had kissed. No matter what had happened in the past, nothing could change the way fireworks lit up their skies when their lips met. The world was long forgotten and all that remained was the two of them.
"I love you," Xavier said, pulling away and leaning his forehead against her's.
"I love you more," Raine replied.
Life wasn't perfect. It never would be. And nothing could ever change the past.
Xavier's money could never buy him the love that he wished his father could give him and Raine could never change the scars that Malin had left upon her life.
All they could do was accept the past and move on.
Love was a reward and they had rightfully earned every bit of it.
They say that love is selfless. That you give yourself away to another person. But the truth was that love was selfish.
You take from a person something you never give back. You take their heart and keep it safe within your clutch. You take their nights and shower them with love. You take their dreams and make them your own. You take their thoughts and fill them with yours.
Love was selfish. But who said selfish had to be so bad?
And this was Xavier and Raine's love.
It wasn't perfect, but that was ok.
They never wanted perfect.
They only wanted love.
~THE END~
______________________
A/N: Hey guys!! Finally, this journey is coming to an end! I began this book about a year and a half ago and I never thought I'd ever make it this far! Forever Raine officially hit 100k reads and I could not be more happy about it! Writing this book has brought peace and joy to me in times of great stress. I began the story at the start of Junior Year in college and now I am finishing it as I get ready to graduate with a BS degree in Computer Science! I'm so excited for the future and I'd like to thank all of my amazing readers for leaving such sweet comments throughout the book and motivating me to continue writing. I couldn't have finished the book without your love and support!
Before everyone begins to panic, there will be an epilogue that will come out shortly, hopefully within the month and talks of a sequel are definitely on my agenda! However, life is definitely getting more busier as I begin grad school applications and internships so I'm not sure when the sequel will come out yet!
Like I've said before on my profile, I am working on a new book which is going to be different from this one, and that book should be out shortly so please do give it a read and follow me for updates!
Thank you all one more time! And I'll see you soon with an epilogue.
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