She shook her head and said, “No it’s fine. They are actually home with my grandfather and Maria, you met her earlier. She’s pretty much their unofficial grandmother.”
“And their dad?” Xavion asked before he could stop the words. He shut his eyes in embarrassment and stuffed his mouth with a s’more.
She laughed, “You really don’t have to be embarrassed. I’ll either choose to answer the question or not but I’m not offended.”
“Nonetheless, I usually know how to keep my mouth shut and not butt into private affairs.”
“Well it could be the s’mores or cocoa or the warmth of the fire but it’s cool to loosen up every once in a while, don’t you think?” she winked and he smiled. “To answer your question, their dad is out of the picture.”
“I’m sorry,” Xavion said softly.
“Please don’t be. It’s the best situation for all of us. I have no regrets. Believe me, I’m glad he is nowhere around.” She took a sip of her cocoa and sighed.
She turned to him and said, “Are you cold?”
Xavion shook his head and said, “Oh no, this is nothing compared to South Korea.”
“All the same, you should get closer to the fire but hey, be careful,” she added the last part with a wink.
Xavion chuckled and took a s’more from her plate. “Hey, make yours. You’ve seen me make four already.”
“You make them better,” he said with a shrug. She rolled a pair of green eyes,
“You haven’t even tried, besides it’s so straightforward.”
“I’m talking from future experience,” he said with a grin, causing her to laugh. “Here I am making you laugh so much and I still don’t know your name.”
“Well you are full of yourself,” she rolled her eyes. She let a smile slip and said, “It’s Emma.”
“I'm Xavion. I would shake your hand but they are so sticky.”
“Why won’t they be? I’ve been making s’mores.”
Xavion laughed and spread his arms out, “How about I learn from you tonight and next time, I’ll treat you.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. They sat in silence for a while until Xavion broke it when he said, “So you live here on the ranch?”
“Yup, it’s absolutely amazing, you know.”
“You’ve always lived here?”
“Yeah, I have. I did live away when I went to college but as soon as I was done, I returned here. The truth is, it’s where I’ve always wanted to be. The country life’s my way of life. I love working here and I love living here.”
“You seem really passionate about your life here,” Xavion said softly as he watched her eyes glint with delight.
She turned to him and nodded, “I am. I mean, life’s worth living if you’re living it to your best, don’t you think?”
“You know, I admire the fact that you’re able to live the life you want freely and without any restrictions.”
“Why? Don’t you like the life you have?” Emma asked quietly.
Xavion looked at her and smiled. He was beginning to realize that when he was with her, his smiles came easily, “It’s a bit complicated. I used to love what I’m doing but now, not so much.”
“And isn’t there no way to breathe back light into it?”
He saw the concern in her eyes and he averted his gaze, “You know that situation when you have been stifled so much that you finally just lose interest? Well, that’s pretty much what happened to me. The structured and fake life has become so overbearing and it’s gotten to the point where I don’t care anymore. I want out but I can’t so I’m just doing it because I have to. You know, tonight is the most genuine fun I’ve had in a while. I’ve become so quiet that I no longer enjoy what I’m doing. It’s so funny, there was a time I used to love it, eat and breathe it even.”
“What? Are you an athlete or something like that?” Emma asked with a quirk of a brow.
