Seven Days Read Online Free Page B

to see all the baby pictures he’s hidden from me at home. Even Elise won't show them to me.”
    Xavier threw up his hands and stomped off to the baggage claim to get our bags. I was laughing with Dorothy, but still watching Xavier. I was rarely able to look away from him when we were together, so watching him do mundane things like wait for our bags was normal for me. It wasn’t until I saw him pause that I followed his gaze and saw an older man with sandy hair and light eyes duck behind a pillar. I wondered fleetingly why the man appeared to be hiding from Xavier’s family, but I didn’t have the chance to think anything more of the man’s strange behavior before the rest of Xavier’s family descended on me.
    “So Kerry, Xavier tells us that you’re much smarter than he is,” a young woman said. “How come you’re with him if you’re so smart?”
    I laughed and felt the heat rise in my cheeks. There was not subtle and then there was conversing using a baseball bat. Xavier’s family seemed to be leaning toward the more extreme end of the scale. “He’s irresistible,” I admitted.
    “Oh, Shelli knows that,” a large blonde man who bore a striking resemblance to Dorothy said. “She’s had half a crush on Xavier for most of her life.”
    “Dad!”
    “Tell the truth and shame the devil, honey.” he smiled at me. “I’m Danny Vargas, Dot’s big brother,” he said, holding out his hand. “This one is my daughter, Shelli.”
    “Pleased to meet you both,” I said. Xavier was lugging our bags across the floor, heading for a tall, dark-haired man. I could tell by his resemblance to Elise that this man was Xavier’s father, Tyler. Xavier gestured to where the sandy-haired man had been and his father shook his head. I realized that appearance-wise, Xavier looked far more like the sandy-haired stranger than anyone else in his family. A seed of dread planted itself in my soul as I watched Tyler and Xavier exchange words and glance toward where the sandy-haired man had disappeared. I wanted to ask who the sandy-haired man had been and why Xavier and Tyler both looked concerned, but Dorothy had other plans for us.
    “Come on, everyone,” Dorothy said. “The fire pit should be ready when we get back and the whole neighborhood is waiting to see the birthday boy.” She pulled me toward Xavier and his father. “Tyler, you haven’t met Xavier’s young lady,” Dorothy said, placing a hand on her husband’s arm. Tyler turned and smiled at me.
    “Pleased to meet you, finally, Kerry. I’m Tyler, Xavier’s dad.”
    “I’m glad to meet you, too, sir,” I said.
    “No, no. Call me Tyler, hon,” he said. “I’m sure if what Xavier’s said is true, you’ll be around long enough to start calling me dad soon enough.” Tyler smiled and ducked the punch Xavier playfully threw his way.
    “You want me to just melt through the floor in embarrassment, don’t you?” Xavier joked. “First mom tells Kerry I haven’t said anything about her, and then you tell her you expect her to marry me. I’ll be in the car.” He grabbed the bags and headed toward the door. I could tell by the way he walked that Xavier wasn’t really upset with his parents. He just wasn’t used to anyone giving him such a hard time. At home, the panthers all deferred to Xavier as the leader of the pride. He was used to being in charge, not being the little boy his parents obviously still saw him as. I thought the whole thing was highly amusing, which, of course, made Xavier even more conscious of not being the big cat he was in East Hampton.
    I hefted Mairin's backpack higher on my shoulder and followed Xavier to the car, taking the opportunity to ask, “Xavier, who was the man by the baggage claim?”
    “I don’t know,” he said. I could see he was concerned, but trying to hide it. “I asked Dad, but he said he didn’t see the guy.”
    “Do you think it’s someone you knew when you were a kid?” I asked.
    “No, I didn’t