Free New Beginnings by Lori Maguire

beautifully decorated with red linen tablecloths and gold place settings. Red rose arrangements with twigs of holly and pine complete with pinecones were placed in the middle of all the tables.
    A gentleman dressed in a black tuxedo approached us. He introduced himself to Xavier as the piano player for the evening. I glanced around the room until I located the piano set up in a far corner. There was no dance floor that I could see so clearly there would be no dancing.
    A few hotel employees were busy throughout the room checking all the place settings making sure that everything was how it should be. Two gentlemen, also dressed in black tuxedos, made their way to the open bar on the back wall.
    Xavier led me to the upper level of the room where a table for six was set up near the floor-to-ceiling Palladian windows. Four huge trees in planters were decorated with white twinkle lights. A huge Christmas tree with the same lights was set up behind our table.
    “Can I get you something to drink?” Xavier asked.
    Shit. I hadn’t thought about that. There would be no alcohol for me given that I now knew I was pregnant, but I didn’t want Xavier to know just yet. How the hell was I going to pull this off?
    “You know, my stomach is still a little queasy from nerves. Can you just get me a sparkling cranberry juice?”
    Xavier frowned at me for a moment. “Sure, sweetness.”
    Whew. I breathed a sigh of relief as he walked off. As I sat at the table, I glanced around the beautiful room, which was wonderfully decorated for the holiday. A few moments later, Xavier returned with my drink.
    “Well, what do you think?” He gestured at the room before us.
    “I think all that is missing is some snow and Santa,” I replied.
    “I can’t do anything about the snow, but Santa will be arriving in a bit.” He smirked at me. “I have someone who comes dressed as Santa every year. He’ll hand out presents to my employee’s children,” he said.
    “Wow. I love how you think of everything.”
    “Now tell me something. What do think about this room in general?”
    I looked around the room with wide eyes. “I think it’s beautiful. I love the indoor gardens that are weaved throughout the room. And these Palladian windows are absolutely gorgeous,” I said, as I glanced at the windows behind me.
    “What do you think about this room for something like a wedding?” he asked carefully.
    My wide eyes scanned the room as my mouth dropped open. It took me several seconds to compose myself. “I think …” I focused back on Xavier. A small smile played on his lips. His blue eyes sparkled with excitement. “I think this room would be perfect for a wedding.” I smiled widely at him. “Is it big enough though?”
    “Sure, I think so. How many people are you planning on inviting?”
    “I don’t know. I’d like to keep it small. Family, close friends. I know we haven’t really discussed it. I’ve been married before. I want our wedding to be whatever you want it to be.”
    “Ella, that’s sweet. But it’s a day for the bride, not the groom. I want our wedding to be whatever you want it to be. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s big, small, or we elope. All that matters to me is being able to hear you say I do.”
    I smiled widely at him this time instead of allowing myself to panic.
    Guests started arriving for the party. “We’ll need to finish this conversation another time,” I said.
    The next two hours were a flurry of introductions. Xavier escorted me around the room stopping at each table to introduce me to everyone. Of course, I recognized his personal assistant, Patrick, and his receptionist, Carmen, both of whom were with their girlfriend and boyfriend respectively.
    It was awkward when I was introduced to Carline’s parents especially after the incident that transpired between Carline’s brother and Renatta, which resulted in Renatta spending a night in the hospital with a minor concussion.
    Her parents were not what