Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy) (7 page)

“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 relationship, 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.”

-----<>-----

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.

“That ass better be in that bed in five minutes. Not a minute longer,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir, boss man.” I saluted him as I wiggled out of his grasp and out of the closet. I heard his deep laughter as he exited the room.

I grabbed my body pillow and adjusted it perfectly, making sure not to put too much pressure on my belly or my back.

I heard Drake walk back into our room. He set a few items down on the dresser before I saw his feet on the floor next to the bed.

Soon, soft music began to play, surrounding the bedroom with jazz. I closed my eyes as the music reached me, calming and relaxing my body. I heard Drake rub his hands together and blow on his hands. He softly pressed his hands on my back, rubbing back and forth with warm lotion. It was perfect and felt incredible. It was definitely something I needed.

“Mmm, this feels amazing,” I mumbled between relaxed breaths. The way Drake took care of me made every fear, every struggle, every pained feeling go away. At the end of the day, Drake was mine and I was his.
Forever.

I woke up some time later, not even realizing I had fallen asleep. My body felt incredible, completely relaxed, and rested. I grabbed the robe that was sitting on the end of the bed waiting for me and tied it in a tight knot above my belly.

I opened the door and immediately spotted red rose petals on the floor. I couldn’t help the stupid grin that formed on my face as I realized Drake’s next surprise is coming. I followed them into one of the spare rooms and immediately spot Drake looking out the window at the beautiful Chicago lights. He’s in a tux, and he looks damn good.

“Babe?” He immediately spins around wearing the sexiest grin on his face. “You look mighty good in a tux.” I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands cupped my face as he laid a gentle kiss on my lips.

“Do you know how much I love you?” he asked, looking me in the eyes.

“Of course.”

“Because I love you more than I can even fathom. I don’t think there are words that can truly express how much.” I cocked my head, trying to understand where this is coming for.

“Please don’t tell me you’re dying or something,” I said wearily.

He laughed. “No, no. I just…just want you to know how much I love you and how happy I am.” He gently kissed me once more, and not giving me more than a few seconds of his touch before he broke the kiss. “I wanted to give you a special evening, something that all newly engaged couples deserve. And since you can’t go out, I thought I’d bring something special here.” I opened my mouth to ask what he was talking about, but he cut me off. “And no, I won’t tell.” He reaches to a hook off the closet and grabs a white garment bag. “Wear this. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

I took it and walked back to our room. I unzipped the bag, realizing it has
Saks Fifth Avenue
on it and gasped when I saw what was inside. It was a red, one-shoulder cocktail dress. It was stunning. There was a little flower on the shoulder strap, giving it just enough elegance and glamour.

I suddenly began to worry as I realized it was probably not going to fit me. As much as Drake put the effort into finding me a gorgeous gown, he probably didn’t realize I’d need a maternity size.

I studied the dress, wishing I were only small enough to squeeze my massive-self into it. A quiet knock startled me and as I turned, I saw Michael at the doorframe.

“Need some assistance?” His smile is contagious, so even though I wanted to be sad and cry, I smiled back.

“I don’t think it’s going to fit. It’s a size 4,” I complained.

“Did you try it on?” he asked, walking toward me.

“No. But does this—” I waved my hands up and down my body. “Look like a size 4?”

“Oh, honey.” He smirked. He grabbed the dress out of the bag and threw the hanger on the bed. I shot him a look and shook my head. “Just trust me.”

I shrugged, giving in. I dropped the robe and let him pull it over my head. It fell on me perfectly, fitting me in all the right places.

“How the hell?” I asked, looking down. It should be tight on me. It shouldn’t be fitting over my belly and it most certainly shouldn’t be able to zip up.

Michael spun me back around to face him, a look of proudness in his eyes. “How does this fit?” I asked, knowing he did something.

“Let’s just say, I have skills.” I playfully punched him, making him tell me.

“Okay, fine.” He rubbed a hand over his shoulder, pretending to be hurt. “Drake asked me to get your dress size, knowing it was different, but I convinced him he just needed to alter the stomach of the dress, not get a maternity dress. So when you were sleeping, I measured your belly.”

“You measured me?” I squealed. “That’s creepy, you know?”

“Hey, would you rather a maternity dress where you drown in?” He placed his hand on his cocked hip, raising his brows at me.

“Fine.” I laughed, unable to deny it. “I can’t believe how great it fits.”

“That’s because you’re all belly, Molly. I doubt anyone would know you’re pregnant if they saw you from the back.”

“Yeah, right. I feel like a swollen whale.”

“A very sexy whale I might add,” Drake interrupted, approaching us from behind. “You look incredible.” He kissed my neck, letting his lips linger down to my exposed shoulder.

“I can’t believe you did this,” I whispered.

“Just you wait, girlfriend,” Michael smirked, interrupting. “Now, let’s tackle this bird’s nest you call hair and get some makeup on that glowing skin of yours, which I’m totally jealous of, by the way.”

I laughed as I let Michael grab my hand as he led me away from Drake.

“See you soon, sweetheart!” he called out, blowing me a kiss.

For the next forty-five minutes, I let Michael do his magic on me. I barely recognized myself once he was done. He had curled my hair and put it half up, so only some was falling down on my neck. He did my makeup flawlessly, making it look practically airbrushed.

“Damn girl.” Michael stood behind me as we admired his work in the mirror. “It’s a good thing he put a ring on it,” he said, practically singing Beyoncé’s lyrics.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel pretty.” I smiled.

“Pretty? Try a fucking knock out! I do good work.”

I laughed at his bluntness. “Yes. Yes, you do.” I took another look at myself, hardly recognizing the Molly that’s been in a funk for the last few weeks. I was so excited for this night that I could barely contain myself.

“Well, chick, are you ready?” Michael asked, reaching for my hand.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Nope.” He looked away, grabbed my hand, and led me out of the bathroom. “Stay here. Drake will come get you when it’s time.” I quickly grabbed a pair of black flats, knowing I wasn’t even going to attempt heels.

I was so ready to know what was going on, I could barely contain my excitement. I didn’t have to wait too long before Drake walked in, smiling ear to ear.

“Well, sweetheart, are you ready to go to your engagement party?”

My eyes shot open. “Engagement party? You planned us an engagement party?” He nodded. “What about…did you ask the doctor?” I asked worried.

“Yes. And tonight is just fine. Since it’s only one night,
but
you will need to sit and rest.”

I could barely believe it. It was an emotional mess now. Everything coming together—breakfast in bed, the charm bracelet, the massage, the dress—it was perfect.

“You deserve it, Molly. You deserve to show off your happiness just like every other engaged woman out there. Just because you’re on bed rest and pregnant, doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate our engagement. I want nothing more in this world than to call you my wife, and I want to make sure everyone knows that.”

I was in complete awe. This man. He was just…
perfect
.

“I can’t wait,” I gushed, unable to say much through the tears threatening to come out. He grabbed my hand and ushered us out of the bedroom. As soon as we started walking down the stairs, the lights, music, and crowd became visible. “Oh my god!” I covered my mouth with one hand as I saw both my parents.