A Kiss of Color: The Complete 3 Book Collection (16 page)

Margaret would have to wait for her little pow-wow. Xavier had things that were a bit more important to tend to.

***

House hunting was far more enjoyable than Helena had imagined. Of course, after the decadent lunch they had, she found herself pretty much open to anything; but house hunting, in particular, had always been a source of nervousness for her.

Once they bought a house, that would mean more bills that she had riding upon her success as a physician – something she was particularly sensitive about. As much as everyone always told her that she was a natural – a born prodigy, not unlike her father had been, Helena could never shake the fear that she might disappoint him. That she wouldn’t live up to his expectations.

That, she supposed, was something her mother had instilled in her.

For a moment, the young woman withdrew from the gorgeous, open-floor plan house she was currently exploring with Xavier as her thoughts returned to a point four years ago. In court, she had testified against her mother, stating that the woman had kidnapped her with the intention of whoring her out – and Janette Freeman had denied every claim. She’d begged for Helena’s understanding and forgiveness, railed to the jury that her daughter had forgotten and abandoned her for the lot in life she’d been dealt and tried to pander to anyone who “had a heart”. Her exact words.

Helena had drawn strongly on the presence of her boyfriend and the memory of her father to get her through that day. Perhaps if she were younger – as weak to her mother’s wiles as she had once been – she would have given into the woman. She would have dropped all the charges right there, right then, in the courtroom. But that would have allowed her to come after her again and again. The next time, Helena told herself, the police might not arrive in time to save her. Xavier might not arrive in time to pluck her from the clutches of what would be an incredibly cruel fate.

She would have wasted all she’d worked so hard for.

And so Helena had been strong – stronger than she’d been in her entire life. Her testimony, and Xavier’s, had seen Janette Freeman, as well as her boyfriend and accomplice, Big Tony, imprisoned for the next fifteen years without the possibility of parole.

It had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. She, who had only ever wanted her mother’s approval and acceptance, had helped put the middle-aged woman away. What’s worse, she hadn’t even responded to Janette’s flagrant tears. With Xavier’s arm around her, Helena had merely walked out of the courtroom – and away from the mother who would never truly claim her.

Even four years later, it was a bitter pill to swallow. She’d had so few precious years with her father before he’d passed that Helena had never really known what it was like to have parents the way that most people did. And, of course, she didn’t have the opportunity with Xavier’s mother and father either. The couple had made it quite clear that they didn’t approve of her, and never would. Their views, however, had everything to do with where she had come from and nothing to do with where she was going.

She
would
be successful. This, the young woman promised herself every night, before she went to bed. She loved her work and she loved what she did. She even loved the children that came into the clinic every day. They and their parents trusted her with their lives, and that trust made her heart swell.

“Babe?” She jolted from her reverie to see Xavier speaking to her from over the kitchen island. She herself was standing in the middle of the recessed living room and looked up at him in surprise. “Well?” He extended his arms in question. “What do you think?”

For the first time, Helena took a really good look at the house. It was absolutely gorgeous – right on the edge of town with wide open spaces, and large kitchen, and three bedrooms. The views of downtown from the terrace were breathtaking, and the structure was filled with light. However, the one point three million dollar price tag gave her pause.

It wasn’t as if they couldn’t afford it. No, the income Xavier received from the growing XTech was more than enough to keep them comfortable for the rest of their lives. It was just that…coming from where she had, sometimes the young woman still found it difficult to believe where she stood currently.

On the cusp of obtaining all she’d ever dreamed of, with a man that loved her more than life itself. Sometimes it all just seemed like a dream. One she would be terrified to wake from. Helena didn’t know if she could take opening her eyes to her decrepit bedroom in Maynard, with her mother screaming at her to make breakfast.

She forced a smile as she moved towards the kitchen, stepping up onto the gorgeous marble floor. “It’s amazing, Xavier. Really, it is…but the price? Isn’t it a little steep?”

The man fixed her with a reassuring smile – one that never failed to get her hot and bothered. “It’s not cheap, that’s true. But think of the space! Think of the location!”
Think of our family
. Her lover didn’t say it, but Helena could hear the desire in his voice. She knew how important family was to Xavier, never having had proper family structure. She, herself, had learned over the course of her life to be wary of her family and overtures they made towards her – but Xavier had no such qualms.

He wanted a wife. He wanted children – and this place, Helena knew, would be the perfect family home.

The dark-skinned woman wanted to give Xavier everything he desired, truly, she did. He wasn’t the problem. It was her own personal hang-ups that got in the way. She and he were both so busy in their day to day lives that she just didn’t see how feasible it would be for them to get married just now. And children? If there were any at all, they would have to be far in the future. They were both working on building the structures they needed in their lives. In Helena’s mind, there simply wasn’t room to take the steps that would yield the family that Xavier wanted at this exact moment.

Buying a house frightened her. Taking a deep breath, she glanced around the space again. How could she possibly explain herself to Xavier? She didn’t know how many times she’d tried, only to come up short. He knew how she felt about her own family, and the problems she sometimes had believing in herself.

She just didn’t want him to think that any of her shortcomings were his fault.

How could they be?

For a moment, Helena forced herself to forget her misgivings – to push aside all her fears. She stared at the man that stood before her and her heart stuttered in her chest.

Xavier’s innate good looks had only improved with age. While the man was still pale – despite their living in California, he always stayed in the shade when they went to the beach – he was broader, more sure of himself, and carried himself with much more confidence. Today, he wore a plain white t-shirt that showed off the mouthwatering definition of his arms and chest, along with black jeans and boots. He’d begun to wear his hair long when XTech had taken off, and since Helena had mentioned that she liked it just brushing her shoulders, he never cut it shorter. He’d taken to wearing his glasses more often than not, which, along with his usual five o’clock shadow, only enhanced the swarthy, intellectual appeal she’d fallen in love with. But, for all of Xavier’s nerdiness, the man could still lift her into the air like she weighed absolutely nothing – and toss her around in the bedroom in ways she dreamed about for days afterwards.

He had always believed in her.

From the day they’d met – from the moment he knew who her mother was – he had never doubted her. He, unlike his parents, had never believed her to be defined from where she’d come from. Even when chasing her dreams kept her away from home for long hours, when she came home and snapped at him, or even when she fell apart in his arms, Xavier never deserted her.

She could let him have this, couldn’t she? It was just a house. It wasn’t like he was asking her to marry him, or that they were planning children.

All of those things could be dealt with in the future.

Helena exhaled a long breath, and this time, when she smiled, the gesture was genuine. “I really do like the house, Xavier. If this is what you want, we can definitely talk to the realtor.”

His blue-eyes widening in ecstatic joy, the programmer grinned, showing off pearly whites. “Are you serious?”

Helena nodded. When it made him so happy, how could she possibly refuse? Within seconds, she was in his arms, breathing in the intoxicating, masculine scent of him. “Helena, honey, you won’t regret this. We’re going to have so much more space...this is going to be the beginning of…limitless possibilities.”

Closing her eyes, the young woman pressed herself against Xavier’s firm chest, reveling in the strength there. When she was in his embrace, feeling his heartbeat pump against hers, she could almost believe him.

Almost.

Two weeks later, Helena had almost forgotten the house they were closing on. Of course, the thought remained in the back of her mind, but her main focus was the absorption of everything her instructor taught her. In entering the last and more difficult leg of her medical school journey, she would have to apply everything she had learned about physiology and anatomy and enter the world of pediatric surgery.

It was strange, even though she thought she had once gotten over her squeamishness, she found that watching film of surgical procedures and seeing some of the more severe injuries of smaller children were beginning to make her sick to her stomach again. To combat her nausea, she’d begun to take Dramamine – which, of course, meant that she had to fight the fatigue that came with it. Xavier had promised to help find her a better solution, but currently, Helena had to depend on sheer dedication to get her through long days of work and school.

Luckily enough for her, she passed her first written surgical exam with flying colors and got to spend the remainder of the day in the clinic. Though her stomach wasn’t really cooperating with her, she entered the clean, bright office with a relieved smile – and was immediately rushed by a bevy of her smallest patients.

“Helena!” She stumbled slightly as she was hit around the midsection by about one hundred twenty pounds of force. No less than three children had latched onto her – and each of their enthusiastic faces made her grin as she greeted them in turn.

“Well, hello there! What are you three doing here? I thought I just saw you a few weeks ago!” The young woman looked expectantly to the mother of the triplets, who was smiling from her position near the door.

“Well, Melanie has picked up an ear infection and her brothers have been fidgety. Might as well see if either of them is coming down with something as well.” Nicole Thatch was a very active mother of triplets, and their doctor was Susan Forge, Helena’s mentor. From the moment she’d first met the triplets, Helena had only been able to imagine what a handful Melanie, Christopher and Jeffrey were. However, as nervous as she’d been about dealing with them the eight year olds were actually very sweet. It hadn’t taken long for her to fall in love.

“Well, guys, let me just get back into the office and see what’s going on with Doctor Forge, OK?” She touched Melanie’s forehead gently, feeling the heat of her fever. The tiny girl would get checked out, her brothers looked over, and then they’d send the family on their way. Helena gently extricated herself from the children’s grip to make her way behind the partition and into the office. She waved at Miranda, the secretary, in greeting before striding down the hallway towards Dr. Forge’s office.

To her surprise, she found it dark and locked.

“Susan called out sick today.” Starting, Helena turned to see that Miranda had followed her down the hallway. The red-head fixed her with an apologetic glance. “She just called, the moment after you walked past me. I was wondering why she was so late.”

Helena’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? But the triplets...” She trailed off with a frown. Her stomach had been bothering her all morning, and news of Dr. Forge’s unexpected absence wasn’t helping. “Should we call down to the hospital and see if we can get someone else in to treat them?”

Miranda made a face, pursing full lips. “They might send someone, but it would be a few hours. Mrs. Thatch will have to come back later this afternoon.”

Biting her lip, Helena contemplated. That probably wouldn’t work for Nicole at all. It took her an hour and a half to get her children ready to come to the doctor’s office in the first place. They’d been waiting so patiently, and they probably wouldn’t be happy to find out that it was for nothing. And, atop that, Melanie was sick. “Well,” Miranda shrugged, looking thoughtful for a moment before she spoke again, this time more slowly. “Why don’t you just treat them, Helena? The kids seem to like you well enough, anyway, and you know everything in this office back to front.”

The young woman’s eyes widened. While she was flattered that Miranda had that kind of confidence in her, as a medical intern, she couldn’t legally administer any care to patients without an actual MD present. Biting her lip, she merely stepped past the receptionist, shaking her head.

“I can’t, Miranda. You know the rules. I don’t want to do anything that might endanger this office, or my position as an intern.”

Miranda merely sighed, casting the intern a small smile. “Helena, you know that no one here would report you. It’s not like you’re negligent. You’re practically a walking medical textbook.”

Helena felt her heart stutter in her chest. On the one hand, the prospect of treating patients on her own gave her a neat little thrill of anticipation. On the other, she feared intensely what might happen if something went wrong. Without Dr. Forge to look over her shoulder, who would be there to correct her procedures – to make sure she was following regulations correctly?

“Helena?” Startled, the dark-skinned woman whirled to see Nicole leaning over the reception desk down the hall, looking slightly frazzled. “I hate to bother you, but any idea when Doctor Forge will be ready to see the kids? They’re getting a little…impatient.”