Chapter Thirty-Seven
Xavier
A week had passed since the devastation of the fire. The eight injured men were still in the hospital, and would probably remain there for at least another week or two. Some were worse than others. A memorial was going to be held at the station for the two men that died, but we were going to wait for the injured men to get out of hospital first. We wanted everyone to be there for it. It was strange to move on from such a horrible event. Every now and again, I’d feel a massive wave of guilt wash over me. It wasn’t just about coming out unscathed, but also because I was feeling so happy now that Holly was back in my life. I’d seen her a few times since that day, and it was fun going out in public without feeling any shame. But I went through varying degrees of feeling happy and then feeling sad throughout the day. Life moved on, but that didn’t mean it was easy.
People seemed to respond well to us too, with most people telling us how well suited the two of us were for one another. One or two people made a joke about the fact that we were once considered siblings, but for the most part, people seemed to handle it well. In fact, most people seemed surprised that we hadn’t gotten together a long time ago.
I’d spent the morning at the station, helping the guys. There was a lot of cleanup work to do now that the fire was out, and we had to make sure that everything was ready in case there was another one. I found Kenny standing outside with a cigarette, and I went to see him.
“You coming to the car wash today?” I asked him. The boss had asked us all to help wash cars that afternoon in order to raise money for the guys in the hospital. There was going to be music, and advertising, and people selling food and drink. We wanted to get the whole community out there supporting these guys who had so bravely put their lives in danger.
“I’ll definitely be there,” he said. He smiled at me. “Andrea is meeting me there with Holly.”
I knew Holly was coming. I’d invited her, and she’d gotten a lot of the church members involved too, but I had no idea that Andrea was going to be there.
“She is? You don’t seem too concerned about that.”
“Oh, I’m not. Actually, I’m looking forward to seeing her.”
“What? Are you serious? Are the two of you a couple?”
He laughed. “I guess so. I don’t know. It’s all a little bit confusing. I mean, she’s not just my girlfriend now, but also the mother of my child. We’ve jumped right into it.”
“You have a girlfriend? An actual girlfriend?” I said. I was still in complete shock as to what I was hearing.
“I do. Looks like my single days are over. Look, we’re just taking things slow. We don’t want the whole thing to become too overwhelming. So we’re just seeing where it leads us. But we’re at least going to give it a try. I owe her that much. And, if I’m honest, I like her way more than I said I do.”
“Oh, I know that.”
“You do?”
I laughed. “I’ve always known that, but I didn’t think you’d ever admit it to me.”
“I’m that bad, huh?”
“You’ve been a player for such a long time it’s hard for you to be anything else.”
“That’s true. Can I let you in on a little secret?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sort of excited. To be a father. To be a boyfriend. It’s weird. I never thought I’d ever say that, but it’s true. I’m excited. Scared as hell, but excited. Maybe this is what I wanted all along, and I just didn’t know it.”
I grinned at him. “Are we growing up?”
“We’re finally adults!” he said and laughed. “Took me long enough. I must say, I never thought that I would be the first one to have a kid out of the two of us. Goes to show that you can never guess the way life is going to go. I think that fire was a bit of a wakeup call to me. Our life can be over so quickly. I thought about Andrea so much that day. She was on my mind constantly which has got to say something.”
“Yeah. I know what you mean,” I said. “I thought about Holly. Hey, if you’re growing up does that finally mean you’re going to give up smoking?”
He laughed. “Woah! One thing at a time, man.”
We finished up at work and then headed out to the carwash. Holly, Andrea, and Silas were already there. I didn’t realize that Silas was going to be there, so it was good to see him again. He was talking to Holly but came up to me when he saw me arrive.
“Are you our entertainment?” I said to Silas as we arrived.
“You want me to play country music at a car wash?” he chuckled. “I’m just here to support you. Also, I thought I’d try my luck with Holly. She looks very pretty in those shorts today.”
“Hey!”
He chuckled. “Just kidding! Glad to see the two of you finally being open about your relationship, though. It took you long enough.”
I turned to look at Holly. She was wearing small denim shorts and a t-shirt. There was nothing special about her outfit, but there was something about it that made her even hotter than a sexy dress would’ve done. I loved how natural she was. Her long legs looked great, and I felt a longing to take her home and forget about the car wash. I blinked when I realized I was staring.
“She does look hot in those shorts.”
“Lucky man.”
“I sure am.”
Holly walked up to us and gave me a hug. “What are the two of you chuckling about in the corner?”
“Oh, just boy talk,” I said. Silas laughed and walked away, and I turned to look at her with a grin. “We were also saying how good you look in those shorts.”
Her face turned pink. “Xavier! Stop it.”
I laughed. “Well, it’s the honest truth. Also, I love it when you blush like that. I’m going to have to compliment you more often. Come on, let’s get these cars washed. If I’m not careful I’m going to spend more time with you than I am on the cars. Ah, look at Kenny and Andrea. If I’m not mistaken, I’d go as far as saying it looks like the start of something special there.”
Holly smiled as she looked out at her best friend. “They suit each other. I’m glad that she finally found a nice guy. I’ve always liked Kenny.”
“And I’ve always liked Andrea. I’m so glad he made her pregnant and not one of the other girls he slept with. I met a few of them, and I would’ve been sad to have seen him waste his life with them. Andrea is a good person.” I was looking forward to getting to know Andrea properly. I had known her for many years, but the two of us had never really been friends. I had always liked her though, and always appreciated how good she had been to Holly growing up. She was one of the only people that didn’t tease Holly, and I would never forget that. I hadn’t realized how sad she always looked until now. Her face was transformed, and the smile that she now sported seemed genuine. Kenny made her happy, and it was good that they were finally admitting it to themselves. And Kenny kept looking at her when he thought nobody could see him. I once caught him giving her a small kiss, and saw him put his hand on Andrea’s stomach and smile lovingly at her. Who knew that Kenny could have such a soft side to him?
We spent the afternoon cleaning cars and throwing water at one another. We were having a lot of fun, and it was nice to see the community joining in to help us. People left more money than I thought they would, and almost everyone that came by offered to volunteer whenever they could. We’d put a clipboard out for people to write down their names and numbers as well as what sort of help they would be willing to give, and I was surprised by how long the list was.
When Rick came over, I wasn’t sure how to act in front of him. He pulled his truck in and climbed out.
“This is nice. I’ve been meaning to get my truck washed for a while now. Who would’ve thought my own daughter would end up doing it.”
Holly chuckled and ran up to her father to kiss him. Rick pulled her towards him and kissed her on her forehead. He looked up and saw me watching.
“Come on, join us,” he said.
I walked up nervously to them, and Rick pulled me in for the hug with him and Holly.
“Thank you, Rick,” I said as I pulled away.
“I should be the one thanking you. I mean, she could’ve ended up with Ryan, you know. I hear I have you to thank for punching that guy square in the nose?”
I laughed. “That would be me.”
“Twice,” Holly interrupted. “He punched him twice.”
“Then I need to thank you twice too. You’re a good man, Xavier. I have always wanted you to be a part of my family. I’m more than happy that you are my daughter’s boyfriend now, and I welcome you into the family. I was stubborn and stupid, and I realize it now. I’m actually incredibly lucky. Not many fathers can say that they like their daughter’s choice in men.”
I beamed. “Rick, you have no idea how much that means to me. I promise you that I’ll treat your daughter with all the respect that she deserves. And more.”
“I know you will. Now, your first job as Holly’s boyfriend is to clean my truck.”
“Yes, sir!” I said and chuckled.
After the car wash, we took a trip to a nearby café for burgers. Silas complained that he was the only single one in the group as he looked between myself and Holly, and Kenny and Andrea.
“You’re a big shot singer now,” Kenny said. “If you want to become even more popular, it’s probably best that you keep yourself single.”
“I’m the new Kenny now,” Silas said, and we all laughed.
After the burgers, we walked out, and I turned to Holly. “Want to come back to my place? I know tomorrow is Sunday, but I was thinking that maybe you should skip church for a change. I want as much time with you as a possible. Tonight is not enough. I want tonight and tomorrow with you. I have a lot of time to make up for still.”
She laughed. “Heathen.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Of course it’s a yes. In fact, why are we still standing around? I want to go home with you right now.” Holly was biting her lip in a way that made her look both sexy and cute at the same time. She was still wearing her shorts, and her t-shirt was still slightly damp from the car wash. Her shirt had been wet when we’d made our way to the café, and I’d spent most of the time trying not to look at her breasts. The thought of finally being able to take the shirt off was making me very excited. I liked that she was just as eager as me.
We ran off like teenagers to say goodbye to everyone, and then she jumped into the car with me, and we made our way back to my place.