The Arrangement Book 6

XAVIER

“The kids!” Angela gasped.

We quickly threw on our bathrobes and went sprinting into Leah and Ace’s room. Adrenaline coursed through my veins; all of my senses were on high alert.

My family is in danger.

I practically broke down the door.

“Ace! Leah!”

But they weren’t in their rooms.

Angela and I exchanged quick glances, thinking quick.

“I’ll check the other rooms,” I told her. “You check downstairs.”

We split up, running down the halls of the house. While our home was beautiful, it was way too big for a family of four.

It had never been a problem...until that moment.

I checked my study—nothing.

The library—nothing.

“Fuck!” I swore.

Why is this house so damn big?

“Xavier!” I heard Angela call from downstairs. “I found them! Everything’s fine, come downstairs!”

Relief flowed through me as I jogged down to meet my family.

“What do you mean everything’s fine?” I called.

Angela was waiting downstairs, her back turned to me as she looked into the kitchen. I walked up next to her to see what she was looking at.

“Is the house not on—”

My jaw dropped as I took in the scene before me.

“Fire,” I finished.

The kitchen island had been transformed into a mad scientist’s lab. A wide array of beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks crowded the countertops.

Bunsen burners ran on full throttle.

Mystery liquid bubbled over and stained the kitchen marble, sending smoky wisps coiling up into the ceiling.

And there was little Ace, trying frantically to put it all out while Leah watched on, laughing her butt off.

I guess Ace found the latest monthly copy of Little Scientist’s Digest…

“Help me, Leah!” Ace cried.

“No way!” Leah giggled. “I told you it wouldn’t work.”

I groaned.

“Where the heck do these kids get their wild streak from?” I asked Angela.

She just gave me a blank, deadpan stare.

“What?” I asked.

ANGELA

I sighed and shook my head.

How Xavier could be so clueless was beyond me.

I took in the nightmare scene before me—one that was unfortunately semi-common in the Knight household.

Ace was smart.

Really smart.

And he was never satisfied with YouTube videos or textbooks. He wanted to study some things firsthand...and so sometimes his little experiments could get out of hand.

“Is it my turn or yours?” I asked Xavier.

“Yours, technically.” My husband smiled. “But you’ve had a long day. Go back upstairs and get some sleep. I’ll take care of this.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I could—”

Xavier interrupted me with a kiss.

“Get your beauty sleep, angel. I got this.”

He walked into the kitchen and helped Ace get control of the situation. I watched them for a second before heading upstairs.

A part of me wanted to stay and make sure that Xavier handled the kids properly. He’d practically encouraged them when they’d ruined DaVinci’s cake.

Would he really be able to handle them properly this time?

You’re overthinking things, Angela, I told myself. ~Xavier’s the father of your children. He can handle it.~

I crawled underneath the silk covers, my mind running a mile a minute.

It took me a while to fall asleep.

XAVIER

I sampled the whiskey, admiring the smooth and easy flavor of X-Label.

It was bold, strong, but not overbearing. It had just the right amount of character without singeing your nose hairs.

“Perfect,” I said.

I put the small sampling cup away without finishing the rest of the whiskey.

Drinking alcohol is like flirting with fire. The warmth is alluring. Seductive. But get too close and it’ll burn you and everything you own.

I was firmly in control of my desires.

I wouldn’t risk the life I had for the bottom of a bottle—no matter how delicious the liquor.

Still, being careful never hurt.

“This is the batch we sent over to Brussels,” Al told me. He grinned as he looked around at the distillery, admiring everything we’d built over the past few years.

The rows upon rows of barrels were a sight to behold. American white oak, redwood, walnut, cherry, chestnut...

I felt like a kid in a candy store.

“So that’s why they wanted to set up a call so soon?” I grinned and clapped Al’s shoulder. “I think we can expect some good news.”

My partner and I made our way to the office, putting the Brussels call up on the big flatscreen.

We had a meeting with the European Auto Racing League. We were in talks of securing a possible sponsorship with the brand, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Whisky and cars. Two of the great loves of my life.

The call rang in, and Al and I grinned at each other.

“Ready?” he asked me.

I nodded, eager. “Let’s close the deal.”

***

Al walked over and ended the call.

Neither of us spoke for a moment, letting it sink in.

“That went better than expected…,” Al said.

“That’s an understatement.” I laughed. “Al. They’re considering us for the fucking Brussels Grand Prix!”

Al and I had gone in thinking that best-case scenario we’d get a multiyear deal as one of the endorsed whiskey brands of the Racing League.

We never would have expected that we’d get a shot to be the official spirit of the most esteemed car-racing event in Europe.

“I guess that secret ingredient really made an impression on them, huh?” Al laughed, lighting a cigar.

“We don’t have the deal yet,” I told him. “Pack your bags, Al. They want us on a plane to Europe tomorrow.” I grinned, feeling like I was on top of the world.

I can’t wait to tell Angela.

ANGELA

“Are you holding up okay?” Em asked.

I stopped in surprise, my cup of iced tea halfway to my lips.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, confused. “Why?”

Em and Lucas exchanged glances.

The three of us were out on the back patio, watching Leah, Ace, and Bella as they ran around in the yard. The kids were playing hide-and-seek, and poor Bella couldn’t seem to find her cousins.

Leah and Ace had an unfair advantage. Our yard was huge, and they knew all the little nooks and crannies to hide in.

Eventually Em just shrugged.

“I don’t know. You just look”—she searched for the word—“tired.”

I frowned.

I’d been hearing that a lot lately. First Dustin, and then even Xavier.

“Maybe I should start putting on more makeup,” I said defensively.

What’s everyone’s deal?

“You know, ever since Bella started elementary school, Em and I have had a lot more time to ourselves.” Lucas added another cube of sugar to his coffee. “Leah and Ace are starting soon too, right?”

I nodded.

I’d been looking at different schools to enroll my kids into. While a part of me was really excited for them to start a new chapter in their lives, another part of me wasn’t so thrilled.

How would I know that they would be okay if I wasn’t around to be certain?

Could I really trust strangers to be responsible for my kids?

I knew it was an inevitable part of them growing up. They’d have to go off to school and make their own friends and start on their own paths.

And I was determined to make sure they got set on the right ones.

“Xavier and I actually have a tour of St. Barnaby’s with the kids tomorrow.”

Lucas’s eyes went wide. “You mean the St. Barnaby’s? The superprestigious one for the elites?”

His description of it made me uncomfortable. I’d grown up in Jersey. I’d never considered myself an elite.

“I guess so… What’s with that look?”

Lucas was giving me a funny look, and he could only shrug when I called him out on it. “Never thought you’d enroll your kids in a blue-blood school like that.”

“I just want to give Leah and Ace every opportunity I can,” I said. “They take education very seriously. They’re even interviewing the kids. It’s almost like applying to a college.”

“Whatever you think is best,” Em assured me, elbowing Lucas in the ribs.

I nodded, turning to watch my kids playing in the summer sun.

Only the best.

XAVIER

Night had fallen by the time I got home. A few final details had to be ironed out with our Brussels connection, and the private jet was all cleared to fly early tomorrow morning.

I walked upstairs to our bedroom, an excited bounce in my step. Angela was already in bed, tapping away at the MacBook in her lap.

“We’ve almost got the Brussels deal!”

She looked up at me, her eyes instantly lighting up with happiness. She set aside the laptop and hugged me as I sat down next to her. “Oh, babe! That’s amazing!”

I laughed as I buried my face in her hair. That was one of my favorite things about my wife. Her enthusiasm and happiness for my victories made them even better.

“The Grand Prix, Angela! Al and I are flying out early tomorrow morning. This could be the biggest win for X-Label yet!”

I felt Angela stiffen in my arms, and I could instantly sense something was wrong. She leaned back to look at me.

“Xavier... our tour with St. Barnaby’s is tomorrow.”

Ah, fuck.

The silence stretched on between us.

“Shit, I forgot,” I admitted. “We can reschedule that, right?”

“We’ve been on the waiting list for months, Xavier!” Angela pulled herself out of my arms. “The school year is starting soon. This is the only chance we have to tour the campus.”

“Angela... If I don’t go to Europe tomorrow, the deal falls through. I can’t afford not to go.”

“Of course you can’t,” Angela said, her voice flat. She turned her attention back to the laptop, and I saw that she was reading through reviews of St. Barnaby’s. “It’s only our children’s futures, here. Why would that be important?”

“Oh, come on,” I said. “They have virtual tours on their website. We have other schools lined up after St. Barnaby’s as well. Missing one tour isn’t that big of a deal.”

“That’s not the point, Xavier.” Angela sighed, and I could see the disappointment in her eyes. “What matters is that you’re here. These are our kids... we need to make these decisions together.”

She’d driven me into a corner.

I groaned, putting my head in my hands.

What the hell should I do?