Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy) Read online

  “Just in case you change your mind…”

  I heard him laughing as I shut the door again. I turned the water on and waited for it to warm up. I took my hair down and combed my fingers through it, untangling the knots. I took the rest of my clothes off and opened up the shower door.

  I grabbed the luffa and poured body wash over it. I lathered it up and began washing over my body. I smiled as I washed over my swollen bump. The reality of having twins suddenly overcame me as I felt butterflies and kicks on the outside for the first time.

  “Oh my god!” I squealed, smiling. I dropped the luffa and brought my hands over my belly, anxiously waiting to feel them again. “Drake!” I called out, opening the shower door. I wanted him to feel this.

  I left the door open as I waited for him. I heard the bathroom door open and heard Drake, “What is it? Everything okay?” He peeked in looking worried.

  “Everything’s great! The babies just kicked!” I pointed down at my belly, all giddy. “I can feel them on the outside!”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, come in here!” I smiled. I waited as he stripped down and slowly stepped in. “Here, put your hands right here.” I placed his hands on each side of my belly.

  As the water sprinkled over us, both babies kicked simultaneously. Drake’s face lit up as the little movements kicked against his hands. The moment was simply incredible—watching Drake’s expression as he felt his babies for the first time.

  “I can’t believe this,” he gushed. “It makes it so much more real.”

  I watched as his hands roamed over my belly. I could tell it was making him emotional. This was the absolute best part of pregnancy—watching Drake become a father and finally being able to experience these moments with him.

  “Isn’t it amazing?” I looked up into his eyes.

  “It’s incredible.” I wiped under his eyes where I could tell he was crying.

  He cupped my face and softly kissed my lips until they were nearly bruised. The water continued sprinkling over our heads as we kissed under it, not moving or saying a word—just soaking up every second of this moment.

  * * *

  The following morning, I woke up feeling sick. I’ve been blessed with not much morning sickness, but this particular morning was different. Something was different.

  “Drake!” I called out, not exactly sure where he was.

  “Coming!” I heard him yell from the hallway. I sat up and leaned against the bedrails. I pushed a pillow behind my back, hoping to reduce the amount of pain I was beginning to feel.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, walking in as he adjusted his tie.

  “I don’t know. I just feel…weird. My back is in some pain. And my stomach isn’t feeling so hot either.”

  He rushed over and immediately put his hands over my belly to soothe the ill feeling. He shoved another pillow behind me and one behind my head. I finally started to feel comfortable, but I still felt like something was wrong.

  “Do you want some water or anything to eat?”

  “Water is fine.”

  As I waited for Drake to come back, I rubbed my hands over my belly, waiting to feel some movement. I don’t know why, but I had a strange feeling overcome me.

  “I think I need to go see my doctor,” I informed Drake as soon as he walked back in.

  “You think something’s wrong?” he asked worried. I nodded slightly as I took a drink of water. He reached for his cell phone and began dialing.

  “I just don’t feel right. I don’t know…mother’s instincts, I guess.”

  “Okay, baby. I’ll call now.”

  As soon as we arrived to the doctor’s office, my back pain had decreased slightly. I still felt off, but I was hoping the doctor had a simple explanation and that nothing was majorly wrong.

  “Come in, and let’s take a look at you.” Doctor Nora was one of the best in Chicago. She specialized in multiple birth pregnancies and was the top 10 rated OB/GYN in the country.

  I pulled my shirt up and let her exam my stomach. The pressure made me cringe. “Yeah, that doesn’t feel good,” I groaned.

  “Alright, I want to do a cervix exam. I’ll have you undress from the waist down.” She handed me a gown and a little sheet.

  Drake stayed silent as he helped me undressed. I could tell he was worried, but I didn’t want to give him any false hope by being overly optimistic.

  The doctor came back in, snapped her gloves on, and sat down in between my legs. This was one of the most embarrassing parts of pregnancy—all opened and exposed for all to see.

  “Everything looks really good, Molly. I’m going to schedule you for some testing and an ultrasound though, just to be safe.” She smiled up at me as she snapped her gloves off. “There’s always a chance of preterm labor, especially in twin pregnancies, so I’m going to recommend bed rest.”

  “Bed rest?” I gasped, leaning up on my elbows.

  “Yes, I think with your higher blood pressure, you are at risk of developing preeclampsia. And you definitely don’t want that, especially with twins. If you do—you’ll have to deliver right away.”

  I surrendered back to the table and lay down. This can’t be happening. I knew it wasn’t the worst news ever, but bed rest? God, I was going to go crazy.

  “Isn’t it too soon for bed rest? I mean, I’m only half way through.”

  “It’s always better to be safe, Molly. Once I get the results from the ultrasound, I’ll have more information for you.” She gave a sincere smile, and I knew everything she was saying was right. I just really didn’t want to be put on bed rest already.

  “This is going to suck,” I mumbled as Drake tucked me into bed.

  “You will survive.” He grinned, pulling the covers over me. He fluffed the pillow behind my head and gently pushed me back. “You need your rest. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

  “I’m probably going to go crazy, you know. Just laying here, doing nothing,” I whined. This was not like me. I hated sitting around, and I hated not working.

  “And when you do, I’ll be here to help you through it.” He smiled as he leaned in. He pressed his lips firmly against mine, while he rubbed circles with his thumbs over my cheeks. “It’s just temporary,” he reminded me. I knew it was, but I was still bummed.

  “I’ll write down the kids’ schedule for you, and the recipe to Stella and Liam’s favorite meal. And the grocery shopping list—”

  “Molly!” Drake’s dark voice interrupted. “Sweetheart, I love you, but you need to trust me.”

  I closed my eyes and inhaled. “Okay, I’m sorry. I just…really hate this,” I admitted.

  “Hate having no control? Hate letting others do things for you?” he smirked.

  “Yes, okay! It drives me crazy not helping or knowing what’s going on. Just sitting here…you might have to admit me into an insane asylum,” I warned.

  “And when that time comes, I’ll be sure to send you to the best one in the country.”

  I huffed in surrender, knowing Drake was just trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t. I wanted to be a part of the family, to make breakfast for my family in the mornings, and to make love to my fiancé without putting our babies and myself in jeopardy.

  Guess I had to get used to it…for the next four months.

  -----<>-----

  4

  Drake

  Knowing Molly was struggling with being on bed rest, I tried to keep her involved as much as I could—dinner plans, homework with Stella and Liam, movie nights in bed. It had only been a week since she was ordered to bed rest, and she was already begging to get out.

  “Oh, hell no. You are not reading that smut.” I grinned and crossed my arms as I leaned against the doorframe.

  “What’s wrong with Fifty Shades?” she asked, lowering the book. “I have to do something with all this unwanted free time,” she groaned.

  “Because I’ve heard how worked up that book gets ladies.” I pushed off the doorframe and w
alked toward her.

  “And what’s wrong with that?” she laid the book flat on the bed, eyeing me as I inched closer to her.

  “Well, my love, normally nothing would be wrong with that.” I crawled on the bed, crawling over her slowly. “But right now, I can’t give you what you need. Right now, you need to rest, and sex is not something you can have.”

  “Why?” she whined, crying out. “Please?”

  “You know why. Baby, if I could, I would. I’d—” I bent my lips down and softly kissed her mouth. “—kiss you here, and then I’d kiss you here—” I brought my lips to her neck, suckling and kissing her soft, sensitive skin. “—and then I’d kiss you down here—” I lowered my body down to her bare legs and kissed right in between her thighs. I spread her thighs wider with my hands as I nuzzled my face against her. She moaned out, arching her body up to greet me.

  The truth was that I wanted to make love to her so fucking badly. And if I knew I wouldn’t be putting her at risk, I would every which possible way, but I wasn’t about to risk the babies’ health over my desires. However, that didn’t mean I couldn’t make her feel good. I could tease and seduce her enough to get her off and relieve some of her sexual tension that I knew she was holding.

  “You are evil,” she growled, digging her nails into my hair. I continued kissing up her thighs and eventually made my way to her panty line, just barely grazing my tongue and lips over her wet spot.

  “Just giving you a taste, baby.” I smiled as I slowly tongued her panties aside. As long as she lay completely still, I wouldn’t be putting her at risk. “You must stay still,” I demanded in a firm tone as she began wiggling.

  “You got to be kidding me,” she roared. She cemented her nails into the bed sheets, grasping on tight as she released from her first intense orgasm. I always loved watching her unravel underneath me. It was the fucking sexiest thing ever to watch—the way her eyes would roll back, the way her head would fall back against the pillows, and the way her toes would curl as she screamed through the pleasure.

  I wasn’t done with her yet. I pressed two fingers in lightly, not wanting to be too aggressive with her. I twisted and pressed against her until she begged and pleaded with me to stop.

  I chuckled at the way she demanded me to give in, but I wouldn’t. With her high blood pressure and being a high-risk pregnancy, there was no way I was going to add to the distress. But I vowed to make her feel as good as I could without giving in completely.

  I devoured her with my mouth, licking and sucking her clean. She screamed my name over and over as she came down for another orgasm. I wanted to give in so damn badly and please her the way I knew I could. But for now, I’d give her all my pleasure.

  “Drake, baby, please,” she begged as I finished cleaning her up. “Just once. I swear, it’ll be fine.”

  I couldn’t contain the amused grin on my face as she begged for it.

  “Sweetheart, no,” I replied sternly. “Did I not satisfy you enough? Do you need more?” I mused.

  “I need you,” she said sadly.

  “I know. And I want to, but I can’t… not knowing what the doctor said.”

  She stuck her lower lip out in a pout, making an insanely cute sad face. “Soon, baby. I promise.”

  “Fine. I guess in the mean time, I’ll just read about Fifty Shades of kinky fuckery.”

  I lowered my brow at her. “I don’t even want to know what the hell that means.”

  She laughed as she lay back in bed with her book. I kissed her gently on the lips and walked out to give her some quiet time before the kids got home.

  * * *

  I hated leaving for work in the mornings and leaving Molly behind. I knew she was in good hands with the help of Michael, but I still felt sad that she was laying in bed miserable.

  I was packed solid with meetings and paperwork all day, but I wanted to surprise Molly and give her something to smile about. I had two dozen white and red roses delivered with a little message:

  24 minutes, 24 hours, 24 days, 24 months, or 24 years…

  would never be enough time with you.

  For every day I get with you, my life feels complete.

  Don’t ever forget that.

  My life only just began the moment you were mine.

  Love yours and forever more,

  Drake xo

  It wasn’t much, but I wanted to give her at least one reason to smile today. I had been working so much lately on Stanley’s event that I had been coming in early and staying late to get everything organized and ready.

  The caterer’s and coordinator were all set in place. Now it was just handling all the small details. I had to move some stuff around to squeeze it in, but I was also secretly working on the engagement party I wanted to throw for Molly. I knew she’d be excited to get out of the house at least, but I had to make sure I got her doctor’s approval before allowing her.

  “Baby!” Molly screamed in my ear after I picked up the phone. “You know how much I love you? These are breathtaking!”

  I smiled at the excitement in her voice. “I’m glad, sweetheart. I was hoping they’d make you feel better.”

  “They do. They are simple stunning. They’d be a little better spread out on the bed underneath us.” I could hear the amusement in her tone.

  “Oh, is that so? I could go for a nice snuggle.”

  “That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she fired back.

  “Sorry, baby. That’s all I can give you right now.”

  “Ugh,” she huffed. “I know.” I continued clicking away on my computer, needing to finish some last minute paperwork before I checked out for the night.

  “Listen, I’ll be home soon, I promise. Can I bring you anything?”

  “Hm, maybe some cheesecake?”

  “Of course. Strawberry?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Alright, leaving soon. Love you.”

  We hung up, and the truth was, I had a ton left to plan for the surprise engagement party, but I was dying to get home to see Molly and the kids, so I decided to leave it until tomorrow.

  “Hey, Michael, how’s everyone doing?” I asked, placing the bag of cheesecake on the kitchen counter.

  “Seriously? This is worse than flu-Molly, 9 months pregnant-Molly, and PMS-Molly all combined.” I knew he was referring to stuck-at-home-Molly. I chuckled as I took the cheesecake out of the package and put it on a plate.

  “Sorry, man. Only four months left.” I winked and grabbed a glass and filled it with milk.

  “Easier for you to say. You get to leave and go to the office everyday.”

  “Look, I can work from home if you need me to. I can make it work if it’s getting too rough for you. I know Molly can be a handful, I just know I won’t get much done if I’m here,” I replied honestly.

  “No, man. It’s cool. I’m use to crazy-Molly. I just need to keep her busy.”

  “Good idea. But one thing—keep the smut books out of her reach, k?”

  “Got it. No kinky shit.”

  “Thanks.” I patted him on the back as I walked out of the kitchen. I walked up the stairs and made it to our bedroom where Molly was sitting up against the bedframe and combing Stella’s hair as she sat in between her legs.

  “Hey, my gorgeous girls.” I walked in and kissed Stella on the cheek, and then Molly. “How are you all holding up?”

  “Mommy’s combing my hair for the zillionth time,” Stella replied right away. I couldn’t tell if she was complaining or just amused that Molly was brushing her hair.

  “Well, it looks beautiful.” I gave a sympathetic smile.

  “We just ate dinner. Sorry, the kids were hungry, and they didn’t want to wait,” Molly informed.

  “No problem. I brought dessert.” I held up the plate and handed it to Molly. “There’s more in the kitchen if you and Liam want a piece.” I told Stella, hoping she’d jump at the opportunity.

  “Yay! I’ll tell Liam right away!”


  With Liam’s schedule, she didn’t get to see him very often unless he was home for the weekend. I felt awful having to work late, so I told Molly I’d be back up in a few.

  I entered the kitchen and watched as Stella and Liam devoured their cheesecakes. It was the funniest and sweetest thing ever. They were shoving spoonfuls into their mouths while laughing and talking.

  “Slow down kids. You’ll get a stomachache.”

  “We’re racing!” Stella announced in between bites.

  “Well, you’ll be racing to the bathroom when you need to throw all that up.” I crossed my arms as I leaned against the counter.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Liam chimed in. “The first plate empty is the champ!”

  “You two seriously crack me up.” I couldn’t stay mad at them for long. They were just the funniest kids.

  “I win!” Liam yelled out, spiking his spoon into the air in victory.

  “No! Not fair. Daddy Drake interrupted me,” Stella complained, quickly shoving the rest in her mouth.

  I leaned into Liam’s ear and whispered, “You should always let the girl win.” I winked and nodded toward Stella.

  He smiled back at me and gave a happy shrug.

  “Alright, you win, Stella.”

  Before she could thank him, he grabbed another piece and quickly smashed it into her face.

  “Oh my god!” I yelled out, shocked. Half expecting Stella to get mad, I braced myself for the war that was about to develop.

  “You’re so dead!” she screamed out, laughing. She grabbed another piece and threw it at Liam, getting him right in the face.

  I was so shocked that I didn’t know what to do. They just continued laughing and throwing cheesecake at each other.

  “Okay, okay. Stop!” I laughed, separating the two. “I’m probably supposed to yell at you guys or something, but it’s just too damn funny.” I laughed again. I snuck a piece off the tray and quickly smashed them in their faces, surprising them both.