Chapter Sixteen— Xander
1469 Words
The dinner was still going.
I barely touched my own food.
Not because I wasn’t hungry.
Because I was watching Cairo.
I watched the way he laughed at something Caleb said. The way his eyes brightened when his mother joined the conversation. The way he absentmindedly played with the edge of his napkin while listening to his father talk.
And, most importantly, I made sure his glass never stayed empty.
Every time it got low, I filled it.
Every time he stopped eating, I asked if he didn’t like something.
“I’m fine, Xander,” he finally said, giving me a look.
“I know.”
“Then stop checking.”
“No.”
Caleb laughed across the table.
“he’s got you trained already, Princess.”
I looked at him.
Caleb immediately lowered his eyes to his plate.
Smart.
I turned back to Cairo.
He was smiling.
And somehow, that smile made everything worth it.
The gifts.
The planning.
The months of preparation.
The arrangements.
Every single detail.
Worth it.
Because Cairo was happy.
And I wanted him happy.
After dinner, I handled the bill without even looking at it.
Cairo tried to protest.
“Xander—”
“Don’t.”
He closed his mouth.
Good.
“Come upstairs,” I said.
We took the private elevator to the terrace.
The doors opened.
Cairo stopped.
There was a cake waiting in the center of the terrace.
It wasn’t enormous.
It didn’t need to be.
It was elegant.
Soft colors. Delicate decorations. Everything carefully chosen to match his taste.
The candles were already glowing.
Cairo stared.
“What…?”
I smiled faintly.
“Happy birthday.”
His eyes immediately widened.
“You did this too?”
“Yes.”
“Xander.”
“Come here.”
He walked closer.
Everyone gathered around him.
Caleb started recording before I could even tell him to.
His parents stood beside him, smiling.
Then we sang.
Cairo looked almost embarrassed at first, but halfway through the song, he started laughing.
That laugh.
I could listen to it forever.
When the song ended, I nodded toward the cake.
“Make a wish.”
Cairo closed his eyes.
For a second, I wondered what he wished for.
Then he blew out the candles.
Everyone applauded.
He cut the cake.
And then—
The sky exploded.
Cairo jumped.
“Oh my God!”
Fireworks illuminated the entire night sky.
His name appeared above us.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAIRO.
Then another display.
WELCOME HOME.
And finally—
I’M GLAD YOU’RE HOME.
Cairo just stood there.
Speechless.
His mouth was slightly open, his eyes reflecting every burst of light above him.
Then he turned toward me.
His entire face was glowing.
“You did this?”
“Yes.”
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
Caleb was practically losing his mind beside us, taking picture after picture.
“Princess! Look at this!”
Cairo was already pulling out his phone.
“I’m taking pictures!”
“I know,” I said.
He didn’t hear me.
He was too happy.
And I didn’t mind.
I wanted him to remember this night.
I wanted him to remember exactly how it felt to be celebrated.
To be wanted.
To be home.
Eventually, the fireworks ended.
We made our way back downstairs.
I thought we were finished.
We weren’t.
The moment we reached the entrance, Cairo stopped again.
His eyes landed on the car waiting outside.
A sleek Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
Black.
Perfect.
His dream car.
He stared.
“No.”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Xander…”
“It’s yours.”
His entire expression changed.
“Oh my God!”
He practically bounced on his feet.
“This is my dream car!”
“I know.”
“How did you—”
“I listen.”
Caleb stared at the car, then at me.
“Princess, you do realize that car costs around nineteen million dollars, right?”
Cairo looked at him.
“Yeah.”
“And you’re just standing there screaming?”
“Yes!”
Caleb shook his head.
“My brother has officially lost his mind.”
I ignored him.
I watched Cairo walk toward the car.
He touched the hood carefully, almost reverently.
Then he opened the door.
The interior made him gasp again.
“This is beautiful.”
I watched his face.
That was all I needed.
His parents were impressed too.
His mother hugged him.
His father shook my hand.
Even Caleb, despite all his jokes, looked genuinely stunned.
But Cairo…
Cairo looked happy.
Truly happy.
And that mattered more than the money.
I could replace money.
I could make more.
But I couldn’t buy that expression on his face.
Eventually, the night came to an end.
His parents left.
Caleb said goodbye.
And Cairo came home with me.
The house felt different tonight.
Warmer.
Because Cairo was still smiling.
Upstairs, we changed into comfortable clothes.
When I came out of the bathroom, Cairo was already lying in bed, scrolling through the pictures from the evening.
He was smiling at his phone.
I stood there for a moment.
I wanted to memorize that sight.
Then I climbed onto the bed.
“Come here.”
He looked at me.
Then he smiled softly and moved closer.
He settled beside me, and I wrapped an arm around him.
His head rested against me.
I took his phone and started scrolling through the pictures.
There was one of him cutting the cake.
One of him laughing.
One of him standing beneath the fireworks.
One of him staring at the car.
I stopped at that one.
“You were very happy.”
“I was.”
“Good.”
He looked up at me.
“Did you enjoy the birthday?”
“Yes.”
His voice was soft.
“This was the most amazing birthday of my life.”
Something inside my chest loosened.
“I’m glad.”
“Thank you.”
I looked down at him.
“For what?”
“For everything.”
He paused.
“The gifts. The dinner. The fireworks. The car. Everything.”
“You deserve it.”
His fingers moved over the phone.
“Xander… do you know how expensive all this was?”
“I don’t care.”
“You could have bought me something normal.”
“I could have.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No.”
He smiled.
I brushed my fingers through his hair.
“I could give you anything, Cairo.”
He looked at me.
“I will give you anything.”
My voice was quiet now.
Certain.
“I’ll do anything for you.”
He stared at me for a moment.
Then he smiled.
“I know.”
I went still.
Those two words meant more than he probably realized.
I know.
He knew.
He finally understood that when I said I would protect him, I meant it.
When I said I would take care of him, I meant it.
When I said I would give him anything, I meant it.
There were things about me Cairo still didn’t understand.
The possessiveness.
The jealousy.
The need to know where he was.
The way I hated seeing other men look at him.
I knew those things could be difficult.
I knew I could be too much.
But underneath all of it was something simpler.
I loved him.
More than I knew how to explain.
More than I knew how to control.
And tonight, I had watched him smile because of something I had done.
That was enough.
Cairo eventually grew quiet.
His breathing slowed.
His body became heavier against mine.
He fell asleep.
I didn’t.
I just watched him.
His face was peaceful.
His hair was slightly messy.
His lips were curved faintly, as if some part of the evening was still making him happy even in his sleep.
I thought about the fireworks.
The gifts.
The car.
The dinner.
The way he’d laughed.
The way he’d looked at me and said, I know.
I had done it.
I had made Cairo happy.
And the satisfaction that settled inside me was almost frightening.
Because now I knew exactly what I wanted.
More of that smile.
More of that laughter.
More moments where he looked at me without fear, without irritation, without wondering what I was going to demand next.
I wanted him happy.
I wanted him safe.
I wanted him protected.
And if protecting him meant becoming the most possessive, unreasonable man alive—
So be it.
I tightened my arm around him slightly.
He didn’t wake.
“Happy birthday, Cairo,” I whispered.
Then I pressed a kiss to his hair.
“I’ll do this all over again if I have to.”
Anything.
I would do anything for him.
And I meant it.
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