The chapter opened with Xavier describing the relief and certainty he felt as he kissed Samantha after their dinner, convinced she was the woman he wanted to marry. He contrasted his elation with the fear that this might be their last time together if she enforced the boundaries she had set.

Hours later, Xavier and Samantha lay in bed together with Pooter nearby, sharing tender banter about his faked conference and whether a relationship was possible. Samantha admitted she was not suited for long-distance and needed consistent togetherness, while Xavier pledged to make it work, proposing monthly visits and confessing that he had thought about her constantly during their separation.

A car alarm outside broke the moment; they saw Samantha’s father in a Honda backing out of the driveway without headlights at 2:08 a.m. Samantha recalled his prior explanation about leaving for Orajel, which struck her as suspicious, and the moment passed with lingering concern.

Shifting to deeper sharing, Samantha asked about Xavier’s past and why he left his parents to live with Jesse. Xavier recounted having convergence insufficiency, which made reading difficult, and how his parents failed to investigate his struggles, punished him harshly, and called him degrading names. In eleventh grade, after his father tried to beat him, Xavier sought refuge with Jesse’s family, who intervened and enabled him to leave home.

He explained that with proper treatment he excelled academically, funded his own college and veterinary school, and opened his clinic. He said he had cut off his parents, who occasionally tried to contact him through intermediaries for help he refused to provide. Samantha reacted with empathy and admiration, promising he would no longer be treated badly.

The scene closed with light teasing about Tristan cooking with chorizo and a soft kiss, underscoring that their emotional fit felt right even if the logistics of distance and caregiving remained difficult.