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

  I had a few more hours before Stella and Liam would get home from school. I made sure to have dinner ready by five, so Molly wouldn’t feel the need to get up and cook. I knew it was something she was missing, but I wasn’t going to risk anything when it came to her health and keeping our babies inside as long as possible.

  I slipped into the closet, changing out of my suit for the night. I dug around the closet, looking for something else to wear when I found something odd.

  It was a box.

  It was a picture box, decorated in sweet little hearts and musical notes. To be respectful of Molly’s privacy, I decided not to open it. As much as I was dying to look, I gently placed it back down.

  As I dressed, my eyes kept looking back to the box. I hadn’t noticed it before, making me wonder if it was something new.

  I decided to brush it off, not wanting to upset her by snooping into her things. I figured if she wanted me to know about it, she’d tell me.

  I tiptoed back downstairs, not wanting to wake her just yet. I still had a few phone calls I wanted to make before the kids got home. Making sure everything was perfect for Saturday was starting to make me anxious. I never get anxious before a big event, but this one was special to me. It felt like we would be officially engaged or something—officially announcing it to the world that Molly was mine.

  “You’re home early,” Michael stated, plopping his ass on the barstool.

  “You’re observant.” I grinned. I lay my fat planner on the table opening up to the phone numbers that I needed.

  “So smartass, do you need me to help yet?”

  “Well, I want to get Molly a gift. Any ideas?”

  “That five carat diamond you gave her wasn’t enough?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay for starters, it wasn’t five carats. Secondly, you live here rent free, so limit the smartass comments, and thirdly, you smell funny.”

  He laughed. “I smell funny? It’s called working out. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?” He lifted his arm up and kissed his bicep.

  “We are so not having this conversation.” I laughed. “Okay, enough muscle talk. I need ideas.”

  “Alright fine. What kind of gift do you want to give her?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you for help,” I scoffed.

  “Not what you want to get her, dumbass, but what kind? Like…what do you want the gift to mean or say by giving it to her?”

  I let that one slide, but scowled at him anyway.

  “I want it to say that this finalizes it. This means us forever. That we’re meant for each other.” He lifted one side of his lip in a not impressed look and crossed his arms. “What?” I snapped.

  “I didn’t know you were such a girl,” he teased.

  “Ugh, forget it. I don’t want your help.” I closed my planner and pushed myself against the table to stand up.

  “Okay, okay, you big baby. I’ll help you.”

  “No smartass remarks?”

  “Promise.”

  “Fine,” I growled. Michael was a good guy, but he sure loved to give me shit. I still thought, even after all this time, he was having a hard time letting Molly and Stella go completely. I mean, they’d always be within arms reach of each other, but I think us getting married just made it more concrete that Molly was moving on and starting a life with another man.

  “She loves charm bracelets.”

  “Bracelets? I’ve never seen her wear one.”

  “She got one from Liam. She used to wear it every single day, even after he passed away. It was like her little memory holder. As long as she wore it, it was as if Liam was still with her,” he replied sincerely, all joking aside.

  “Why doesn’t she wear it anymore?” I asked, wondering why I had never seen it before.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. She stopped wearing it a while ago. I haven’t seen it.”

  “So you think a charm bracelet is a good idea then? You don’t think it’ll bring up the memory of Liam?”

  “I think she’ll love it if it’s from you,” he responded sincerely. “And add some of that sappy shit to it, and she’ll go crazy over it.” He grinned, trying to hide his smile.

  “Thanks, man. Appreciate the help. Even if you’re a pain the ass.” I patted him on the back before I left the room.

  “That’s what I’m here for. Day or night!” he called out.

  * * *

  It was finally Saturday. Molly had no idea what was about to happen. I found the perfect Tiffany charm bracelet for her. I wanted it to represent everything we’ve been through, everything that brought us together, and everything that we shared together. I wanted to give her something special and meaningful, but for it to represent that no matter what I wasn’t going anywhere. I knew since getting engaged that she’s been having a lot of dreams about Liam and about her past, being engaged to Liam and planning a future with him. I knew she had been feeling guilty for being happy and moving on after Liam passed away. I wanted to reassure her and give her closure that it was all right to feel that way, but also, that it was all right to move on.

  I have never felt the way I feel for Molly for anyone. No ex-girlfriend has ever come close. She was it for me. She was my present, future, and forever. No matter what.

  “Good morning, sweetheart,” I whispered quietly as I walked into our bedroom. She was lying peacefully, sleeping soundly. “I brought breakfast.”

  “You’re spoiling me, you know.” She opened her eyes and smiled back at me. “I’m going to be expecting this kind of treatment forever now.” She grinned, happily taking the tray of food I prepared for her.

  “And I’ll gladly do it for you. Forever.” I kissed her forehead lightly. “I have a surprise for you,” I announced. I bent down on my knees in front of the bed so I could be eye level with her.

  “Are you proposing again?” she teased, taking a bite of her toast.

  I smirked. “Not exactly. But I do have a gift for you.” Her face went soft as I grabbed the blue Tiffany & Co. box out of my pocket. “It’s something I wanted you to have as a reminder.”

  Her eyebrows narrowed.

  “I want you to remember that no matter what, I will always love you, Molly. The journey, the fight, the fear—everything we’ve been through to be together—has always been worth it for me. It’ll always be worth it.”

  “You’re scaring me, Drake,” she muttered. She had a look of fear on her face.

  I slowly opened the box, displaying the charm bracelet, decorated with charms already. “This is for you. It’s a reminder. It’s our life, our journey. And I don’t ever want you to be without it. It’s us.”

  She nose-dived into the box and grabbed it with both hands. “Oh my god! It’s stunning!”

  “It holds memories of us together. Memories that made us and that make our future, memories that I want you to hold onto no matter how hard things get.”

  “It’s so perfect,” she gushed. “But, why? Is something wrong? Are you sick?” she rambled off in a panic.

  “No, no. Nothing like that. I just wanted to get you something special, baby, something that you can wear and remember all the good times.”

  And it was the truth. I only wanted her to focus on the good memories. The nightmares of Travis and the memories of Liam, I knew she’d never forget or get over, but I didn’t want her to feel guilty about being happy now.

  “I—I absolutely love it!” She squeezed the bracelet in her hands, holding it close to her heart.

  “I’m glad.” I grabbed her face in my hands and leaned in to kiss her lips.

  “Want me to show them to you?” I asked, breaking the kiss. I knew if I kissed her too long, I’d want to keep kissing her, and that would lead to more, and she wasn’t allowed to have more right now.

  “Yes, definitely.” She smiled, opening her hand back out.

  “Okay, this one—” I pointed to the anchor, “is the most important one. Not only does it match our tattoos, but also it represents our rela
tionship, being together and never sinking.” I paused, watching her reaction. “This one—” I pointed to a spatula, “is the first kitchen utensil we used while getting…caught.” I chuckled lightly, knowing that was the first time we’d done it in a very public place—in my restaurant at the very least.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize this was a dirty bracelet.” She giggled.

  “Well…I tried to mix it up a little, ya know. Keep it interesting and all.” I grinned.

  She laughed. “Is this a bathtub?” she asked, holding the charm up.

  “That represents our first anniversary.” I smiled wide at the memory. “We pretty much spent the whole day in the tub.”

  “I do love that tub.”

  I laughed and pointed out another one. “This—” grabbing the 3 joined hearts charm, “represents you, Stella, and me. Not only did I have to win you over, but I had to win her over as well. And you both let me weasel my way into your lives.”

  “Well, I don’t know about weasel, more like forced…” She giggled, unable to finish the sentence. “No, you were just what Stella and I needed.” She grasped the bracelet and clenched it close to her heart.

  I continued explaining the other charms, the chef hat—the first time I saw her in my kitchen at my restaurant I knew she was different—and I wanted nothing more than to get to know her. The Christmas charms—our first Christmas together with Stella as a family, the heart and key charm, a little cheesy, but the sales woman assured me girls go nuts over it, so I added it anyway—meaning she owned the key to my heart, which of course, she does. Then there was the engagement ring, the tiny baby rattle, and the key—representing our life together as one—being engaged, finding out we were pregnant, and moving in together, and hopefully, some day soon, buying our first place together.

  “I can’t believe you did all this. I love it so much,” she continued gushing after I explained each charm.

  “I’m so happy you love it.” I kissed her lips softly again. “Oh, can’t forget the lips charm.” I pointed out. “But I think that one’s pretty self-explanatory.” I winked and crushed my lips back to hers. It was hard to contain myself. I wanted my lips on every inch of her body. I wanted to explore her body with my mouth and not leave any part of it untouched.

  “You are in dangerous territory, mister,” she warned, breaking the kiss just enough to speak.

  “With you around, I’m always in dangerous territory,” I pleaded. I wanted her so fucking badly; it was starting to become painful.

  “Wait a minute—” She pushed me back slightly, looking into my eyes. “How come every time I start kissing you and getting aggressive, you stop me. But when you do it, it’s okay?”

  I chuckled. “Because,” kiss, “I,” kiss, “said,” kiss, “so.” Kiss, kiss. My lips moved up and down her lips as I spoke, feeling her shiver underneath me. I felt her body melt against mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck, clinging to me and urging me on. I knew what she wanted. And I wanted to give it to her, but since I couldn’t fully, I’d give her something else instead.

  “Drake, baby,” she moaned, molding her body to mine. “Please,” she pleaded. I knew what she was begging for. I wanted more than anything to be inside her, feeling her body around mine, soaking up every inch of her, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t allow myself to get out of control and forget about everything that the doctor had said.

  “I’ll take good care of you, sweetheart,” I murmured, making my way down her body. I softly kissed my way down her arm, making sure to cover as much skin as I possibly could. I wanted to devour her, take her in my mouth, and have my way entirely with her, but right now was just about her—giving in to what she needed.

  I softly brushed my fingers against her skin, pushing her shirt up over her bump so I could feel it next to mine. I would never tire of rubbing her and feeling our babies inside her. It was the most wonderful feeling, her skin so soft, yet acting as a shield to protect them.

  Molly was only in a t-shirt, so sliding my fingers inside her was an easy task. She immediately arched her body, giving in to what she wanted. I watched as her eyes rolled back, moaning out in pure pleasure. It was euphoric to watch her, watching the pleasure take over her body, and knowing that I was the one giving that to her.

  I synchronized my fingers with my lips, kissing along her thighs. Aggressively, I brushed my tongue up and down her leg, suckling the desire that was being set free.

  “Baby, you taste so fucking incredible. Even more so, if that’s even possible.” She responded with more moaning, clearly unable to speak. I took that as a good sign as I continued assaulting her body with mine.

  I waited for her release before pulling my fingers out and sucking them into my mouth, tasting her. She lay effortlessly on the bed, panting.

  “Make sure you eat, sweetheart. You’ll need it.” I winked. “I’ll be back up for your next surprise.” I smirked as I watched her unable to respond yet.

  “I don’t know if I can take anymore of your surprises,” she finally managed to say.

  “I promise that you won’t want to miss this one.”

  -----<>-----

  7

  Molly

  I had no idea what Drake was up to. After being stuck in the house for weeks, I really didn’t care either. I was happy to just be excited about something.

  Being in this house was making me a bit crazy. Okay, perhaps a lot crazy. Then add in the hormones, and I’ve become a recipe for the dragon lady. I even think Stella has been avoiding me. I hated this. I hated feeling this way and feeling trapped.

  However, one glance to my swollen belly, and I soon remembered the sacrifice I was making for them. I wanted them healthy, to give them a chance before they even entered the world.

  Baby B was still developing at a slower rate than Baby A and was being very carefully watched with ultrasounds and doctor’s visits.

  I stared at my wrist as I continued eating my breakfast. I was used to Drake’s extravagant gifts, but this one…was different. It had meaning. So much meaning. It was definitely needed.

  Sitting around all the time made for a lot of thinking time—over-thinking to be exact. My brain went from feeling guilty over Liam to thinking worst-case scenarios with the babies. And then, if that didn’t drive me insane, the image of Stanley with Denny continued to flood my mind. What was he doing here? Denny had his own business in Iowa, so why would he come to Chicago? And with Stanley?

  After finishing breakfast, I decided to take a quick shower. Whatever Drake had in mind for the rest of the day, had me anxiously wanting to know what was going.

  I washed over my body, slowly rubbing soap over my belly. The babies kicked more often now, giving me the best feeling of closure ever. Knowing they were in there moving around and kicking helped ease the fear of something going wrong.

  My mother would call me every day. She felt she needed to check up on me and tell me the brief details of her day. It was something at least. I needed some excitement, even if it meant listening to her boring stories.

  I knew she was worried for me as well, so I let her talk my ear off, giving her some kind of closure that everything would be all right. Hopefully.

  I stepped into the closet, unsure of what to wear. I was hoping Drake’s surprise meant something fancy. Or something I could dress up for at least. I needed out of my maternity yoga pants and t-shirts. However, searching through, there wasn’t much that would fit me right now.

  “Ah! There’s nothing in here,” I screamed out into my closet. “Some day I’ll fit back into you, my pretties.” I petted a few dresses in front of me that wouldn’t fit me even if I greased myself with butter.

  “Molly?” I heard Drake yell out.

  “In here!” I called out.

  I bent down, digging through what I call my fat clothes when I bumped into an old box. It was a picture box that I’ve had for years. I brought it out after Drake proposed. There were special things in there that I haven’t shown him—memories
that I had blocked away because they were too painful to revisit.

  “Are you okay? I heard screaming,” Drake said, entering the closet and panting. I quickly cover the box up with some clothes and stand up.

  “Yeah, fine. Just having a mini panic attack on finding clothes to wear.” I looked around the closet, hoping he’d get my signal. “It’d sure be a lot easier to get dressed if I knew what I was getting dressed for.” I smirked at him, hoping he’d give in.

  “And what fun would that be? Plus, I think half dressed and wet suits you just fine.” He grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist.

  I looked down at the bump that separated us, not being able to press myself against him anymore. “See what you’ve done?” I playfully point down to my bump. “And now I have nothing to wear.”

  “There might be a special something for you. But I can’t show you just yet.”

  “You take this whole boss thing a little too extreme, you know?” I teased, loving the way Drake always took over situations.

  “You have no idea,” he whispered aggressively against my ear as he leaned in. “Now, put something comfortable on for now and let me massage you.”

  My eyebrows immediately shot up. Massage? Now this I could get use to.

  “Is this where you seduce and shower me with gifts to later tell me you’re a vampire or something?” I pushed back slightly.

  “What kind of books have you been reading?” he asked, narrowing his brows.

  “Hey, I have to do something to keep me from completely losing it.”

  “I’m going to have to approve your reading list from now on,” he joked. “Nicholas Sparks only.”

  “Oh, so you want me to be a blubbering crying mess instead?”

  “Shit, no. Okay, fine. How about some mystery/thriller?” he suggested. “As long as you don’t get any ideas about killing me or something,” he warned, playfully pointing a finger at me.

  “I make no promises,” I quipped. He reached around and aggressively squeezed my ass. “Ow!” I squealed, laughing as he tried again.