Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy) (8 page)

“They’ve been dying to see you,” he leaned in and whispered in my ear. He smiled and nodded down to where they were.

As soon as we took the last step, I flew right to them. “I can’t believe you guys are both here!”

They engulfed me in a tight hug, tears swelling down my cheeks. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them. Even speaking to my mother daily wasn’t enough, but now…now this was just right.

“You look stunning, Molly. You really do,” my mother said, pushing back slightly to look over me. “You have the cutest bump.”

“Okay, stop hogging her. My turn,” my dad interrupted. I hugged him back and kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” I wiped the tears and smiled.

Being isolated really took a toll on me. Just seeing new faces was making me an emotional wreck. Being able to show off my ring, my belly, and our happiness was just what I needed. I was never one to brag, but just for tonight, I wanted to act like a normal engaged person. I wanted people to be happy for us.

Blakely and Colin showed up as well, but late. I could sense what they were doing before they arrived, so I didn’t give her too much grief about it.

“You have sex hair,” I whispered so only she could hear me. She quickly brushed her fingers through the strands, untangling it. I laughed as she frantically adjusted herself. “You’re a dirty ho, you know?”

“I learned from you,” she teased.

“I doubt it. If anything, you taught me.”

“Ha!” We both laughed.

“So, are you and Colin official?”

“Officially what?” she asked, sincerely confused.

“A couple, you slut.”

“Oh, hell if I know. I’m not like you—needing all this lovey dovey shit,” she groaned. I could tell she was giving me a
hard time, so I laughed it off, knowing that she easily guarded herself, not allowing herself to get too close so she wouldn’t get hurt in the end.

“It’s okay, you know? It’s okay to like him,” I reminded her.

“I like him,” she fired back quickly. “I like him on top. I like him behind me. I like him underneath and even pressed against a wall. I pretty much like him anywhere.” She smiled.

“Oh my god. You have just ruined Dr. Seuss for me,” I moaned. She head fell back as she laughed.

We continued talking a few more minutes before Colin came back over. I could tell he was completely smitten by her, hardly able to keep his eyes off her.

“Well, I’m going to take advantage of my freedom for the night and go visit.” I reached my arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze. It was nice seeing her again. I surprisingly missed her these past few weeks and her smartass comments.

Drake ushered me to a few of his colleagues, letting them give us congrats and making small talk about the babies. It was nice. A nice, low-key evening that was helping me to forget about the reality of all that surrounded us and especially, me being confined to bed rest for the next few months.

“Attention, everyone. Can I please have your attention?” I looked up and saw Drake standing on the staircase a few steps up. He must’ve snuck out of the circle when I wasn’t looking.

I smiled as I watched him up there, holding his glass of champagne. Everyone silenced immediately and turned to listen to Drake.

“First, on behalf of Molly and I, we thank you for being here tonight. Molly was just told a few hours ago about this and I
can’t think of a better way to surprise her than to celebrate our engagement with all of you. It’s been five months since I proposed—five long-anxiously-waiting-to-marry-her-months. And then we were pleasantly surprised with the announcement of twins.” His eyes grew wide and the crowd giggled. It was incredible how Drake could take over a room. Everyone watched him. It was impossible to take your eyes off him. He stood with authority, but something about him was different. He had changed.

He looked softer, happier than I’ve ever seen him before. His face glowed whenever he talked about the babies or us getting married. I could tell he was happy. So happy.

“I would like to give a little speech now, in honor of my bride-to-be if you all don’t mind.” His eyes met mine and we both smiled.

“If I could marry you tomorrow, I would. Hell, I would’ve married you yesterday already, but I wanted to give you this—” He waved his hand around to our guests, motioning the party, “—tonight, because I have
never
been so happy in my entire life. And even if we can’t get married for another ten years, I want you, our friends, and family to all know that no matter what happens, I promise you. I promise you everything—I promise to be true, always faithful, I promise to stand by your side, to love you unconditionally ‘til death parts us, in sickness and in health, I promise you forever, Molly Woods.”

The tears began to roll down my cheeks even before he was finished. This I hadn’t expected. I blushed knowing everyone was staring between Drake and I, but I didn’t care. I never heard those words before and to hear them from Drake sealed the deal
for me. I was allowed happiness, yes. I wouldn’t allow myself to feel bad anymore.

I slowly walked up to Drake, waiting anxiously for him to step down and meet me. I grasped his face in my hands and kissed him. I kissed him hard, passionately, and filled with lust. I didn’t care who was watching.

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” I whispered through the tears that were still falling freely.

“Just say ‘I do’ and I’ll die a happy man.” He smiled. He brought both hands and wiped my cheeks.

“I can’t wait.” I smiled.

“Then don’t,” he whispered. I could tell he was serious with the way his hold felt tighter on me and his eyes darkened.

Before I could respond, Drake stepped back and thanked our guests once again for being here tonight. He welcomed them to the champagne and
hors d’œuvres.

As the guests went back to chatting, Drake grabbed my hand and escorted me upstairs.

“We can’t ditch our own party.” I giggled. I felt like a teenager, sneaking out past her curfew.

“They won’t even notice once the good stuff starts coming out.” He grinned. As soon as we made it to the top level, I heard the piano. “See? Now they’ll be entertained.”

I laughed again, tiptoeing behind Drake as he led. We ended up in the unfinished nursery.

“What are you doing—”

He cut me off before I could finish. “Just listen.”

There was a little chalkboard mounted to one of the walls already. Michael was
working his magic
, as he said on making this room as neutral as he could.

“Take this,” he ordered, handing me a piece of chalk. I narrowed my eyebrows, confused as to what he was planning. “Just take it.”

I grabbed it from his hand and watched as he began writing something on the board.

I, Drake Stagliano, take thee, Molly Woods, as my lawfully wedded wife.

He looked over to me and nodded at my hand that was holding the chalk.

I, Molly Woods, take thee, Drake Stagliano, as my lawfully wedded husband.

As I finished writing, he took both of my hands in his. “Molly, I don’t need a fancy ceremony. I don’t need the flowers, the big cake, or even the cheesy music. I just need you. I only want you. And if that means writing our vows on chalkboards, then it’s exactly what I want.”

“You’re really laying it on me tonight, aren’t you?” I chuckled nervously, slowly rubbing under my eyes once again. I clenched his hands back in mine. “I don’t need that either, Drake. I just want you.”

His hands flanked to my face, pulling my face to his. Our mouths met, and I could’ve sworn fireworks went off. Every moment with Drake was magical, but this— this was beyond anything I could ever imagine. It was just me and him. Him and me. I didn’t need anything else. My life was now complete.

He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine, panting.

“I have a few more promises,” he whispered. I watched as he grabbed the chalk again and began writing.

I promise to make you breakfast in bed every Saturday.

I laughed and began writing my own.

I promise to eat it, even if it’s awful.

He laughed and began again.

I promise to massage you in the tub as often as you want.

I promise to let you.

He smirked, cocking his head at me.

“Okay, okay.” I laughed.

I promise to always be honest with you. No more secrets.

I promise to stand by your side. In good times and bad.

I promise to be always faithful.

I promise to love you. Always.

I promise to love you. Always and forever.

“Always have to up me, don’t you?” He cocked his eyebrow.

I held up one finger as I continued writing.

I promise to always challenge you.

He grinned. “Sounds like the perfect life, to me.”

“I do.”

“I do too.” His eyes sparkled back at me.

He brought his lips back to mine, starting the kiss out softly. His tongue brushed against mine, begging for permission. He tasted amazing, and I could never get enough of him. He tasted a blend of mint and strawberries. It was easy to get lost in him, lost in the kiss. But we had guests downstairs, and I didn’t want someone going on a manhunt for us.

“You are beautiful,
Mrs. Stagliano
.” His smile reached his eyes.

“Thank you,
Mr. Stagliano
.”

It didn’t matter to me that it wasn’t official. We promised each other forever, we made our vows. That’s all that matter to me.

“We should get back,” I whispered softly, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

“Yes, I suppose we should.”

As we made our way back downstairs, the party seemed to be in full force. People were taking advantage of the champagne and food and genuinely seemed to be having a good time.

“I’ll be right back.” I nodded as Drake kissed me once on the cheek. I found Michael and Trey standing nearby and walked to their corner.

“Well, well, well.” Michael eyed me suspiciously. “I know what a
just fucked
face looks like.”

“Apparently you don’t,” I spat back. “We were just kissing, thank you very much. Not that I need to explain myself.”

“Hey, if you wanna ditch this lame ass party, I don’t blame you,” he snorted.

I turned my attention to Trey. “God bless you for being able to handle this man.” I laughed. Michael’s face turned a bright shade of red. “Hey, you started it.”

“I was only playing, sweetie. The party’s fine. It’s all the uppity-business looking people that scare me.” His lip curled up in disgust. I laughed, unable to deny it. I had gotten used to this, being around business people and having to listen to their business talk.

“Well, make sure you keep Mom and Dad company, while I go mingle, k?”

“No worries. Stella stole them away an hour ago.”

Just as I went to find Drake, I saw
him.
I blinked several times, not believing what my eyes were showing me. What the hell was he doing here?

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

Drake

Watching Molly from afar would never get old. I watched as she and Michael bantered over something. There relationship still doesn’t make sense to me. They fought like brother and sister, but loved each other as husband and wife—or rather gay husband and straight wife. Either way, it was cute.

She flipped her hair as she moved swiftly across the room. Our eyes locked for a split second before her eyes dart to something else. Just as I was about to walk back up to her, someone approached me from the side.

“Drake, darling.”
Violet.
And she’s wasted. The only reason she was invited was that I invited Stanley and Dan. She’s been pretty harmless, which I know I have Stanley to thank for that. He’s been a great influence on her, making sure she always acts appropriately.

“Are you alright, Violet?” I asked, letting her lean on me for support.

She ignored my question and began stuttering. “I just—just want you to k-know how happy I am for you!”

Her eyes are glazed over, and I could tell she’d had way too much champagne. “Thank you, Violet. However, I think you need to stop drinking now.” I looked around for Stanley, hoping to get his assistance.

“I was such a bitch to you,” she spit out. “I’m so sorry I ever let you go, Drake. Really. You’re a great guy. I never should’ve acted that way.”

“Thanks, Violet. I appreciate that.”

“And I should’ve told you about Liam. God, I’m an idiot. W-will you ever forgive me?” she slurred, her eyes begging for forgiveness.

I gave in, not even certain she’d remember this conversation by morning. “Of course, Violet. Water under the bridge,” I assured her.

“We’re not under a bridge, silly.” She laughed, playfully as she hit me on the shoulder.
Shit, she’s wasted.

“Riiiight.” I don’t know what else to do with her, but I knew she was fucking hammered. “I’m going to go find Stanley. You should go home.”

“No, Drake! Don’t leave me,” she begged. “Stanley’s too busy with Don anyway,” she slurred again.

“Dan,” I corrected her.

“Well, what the fuck ever.”

I tried not to laugh, but drunk-Violet was hilarious. “Okay, I’m going to lead you to a chair now before you fall on top of me.”

“Oh, Drake, I love your dirty talk.”

Oh good Lord.

Stanley finally came to my rescue. He knelt down and grabbed her face in his hands.

“Violet? Are you okay, sweetie?”

“I’m fine! Why do you all insist I’m not?” she snapped.

“Well, for starters, you’re hitting on your ex at his engagement party with his fiancé a few feet away,” Stanley stated, laying it all out there. “And with your boyfriend right in front of you,” he added just for good measure.

“I’ll leave you two alone. I can call a cab if you want,” I said, patting him on the shoulder.

“Thanks, man. I’ll call for my driver.

I nodded and left them to be alone. I finally spotted Molly, and she looked as if she had just seen a ghost. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide open, not blinking.

I walked straight to her, but before I could reach her, Blakely and her date were giving her hugs goodbye. I thanked her as well for coming and shook Colin’s hand.

“Everything okay?” I whispered in Molly’s ear, taking her hand in mine.

“Fine. Just a little tired. Thinking maybe I should sit down.”

“Okay, I just want you to meet Stanley’s new partner real quick. I’ve been talking about you for weeks, and he’s demanded a face to the name. Otherwise he doesn’t believe me.” I chuckled lightly.

“Sure.”

I found Dan amongst the crowd and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Drake! Awesome party. Did you see where Stanley went?” he asked before I could do my introductions.

“He took Violet home. She was sloshed.”

“Oh, go figure. She was milking the champagne bar pretty hard.” We both laughed.

“Well, I want you to meet my fiancé, the future Mrs. Stagliano.” I took a step out, giving a full view of Molly. Her eyes locked with Dan’s and her face went pale again. She stood silent, not saying a word as Dan held his hand out.
Shit, maybe she shouldn’t be standing up any longer.

Just as I was about to mention she rest, she finally cleared her throat and spoke. “It’s a pleasure. Dan, right?”

“Yes. And the pleasure is all mine.” He wore a genuine smile. He took her hand in his and was just about to kiss it before she yanked it away.

The jerk of her hand out of his grasp shocked me. I was confused by Molly’s reaction. She was always so polite and respectful when meeting my work colleagues.

“Sorry, I-I just need to rest. Been standing too long,” she insisted.

“Of course,” Dan replied. “Congrats and best of luck to you.”

She nodded, tilting her head down without saying a word.

*   *   *

The party went damn near perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better turn out. And to watch Molly’s reaction was priceless. This whole day was about her. Breakfast, the massage, the charm bracelet, the dress, the party—it was all for her. She deserved it and more. She deserved everything.

By the time the caterers left, Molly had long been passed out in bed. I hoped she hadn’t overdone it with standing too long, but I was happy she was able to enjoy one last event before the babies arrive.

I watched as she lay in bed, peacefully wrapped around her body pillow. Her body was changing rapidly, swelling, and expanding—but she was stunning. I loved watching her body change, growing our babies inside her. I’ve never felt anything like it—the overprotectiveness, the love I felt when I would see her rub her belly, the feeling that I might fuck it all up—it was all jumbled into one large anxiety attack waiting to happen.

I stripped down and carefully, without waking her up, crawled into bed next to her. I just couldn’t help myself. I wrapped my arms around her, spreading my warmth against her chilled body.

Her body curved against mine, fitting just perfect together with her body pillow on the other side, holding her in tight. Unable to resist her bare neck, I leaned in and kissed it gently. She must’ve showered before bed because I could taste the fruity mix of her shampoo and body wash.

I continued kissing her softly, needing to taste her when she moaned in her sleep and mumbled something. I froze, not wanting to wake her from her dream when she continued wrestling in her sleep.

“No…I said no,” she whimpered. My lips froze, keeping my ear close to her mouth so I could hear her better. “Please, don’t! Stop!”

She screamed out the last one, jerking me away from her completely. I jumped onto my knees and carefully turned her body over so she was lying on her back. She had tears rolling down her cheeks, her face pale and cold.

“Molly? Baby, wake up,” I said softly, gently shaking her awake. Her eyes shot open, and she screamed once again before she realized it was only me.

Her eyes stayed frozen for a moment before they finally moved and looked at mine. “Are you alright?” I asked, worried.

“He’s here,” she replied softly.

“What are you talking about? Who’s here?” She wasn’t making any sense.

“Denny,” she muttered, her eyes staying wide with fear. “Denny’s here. I saw him.”

“When? Sweetheart, what are you talking about?”

“Denny! He was here tonight,” she insisted. She was starting to freak me out. I got up and clicked the side lamp on so I could see her better.

“Baby, listen to me. It was just a dream, okay? You’re safe. He’s not here.”

She pushed herself up and leaned against the bedrail. “He’s Stanley’s partner,” she explained.

I lowered my brows at her, curiously. “Molly, that was Dan. Dan is Stanley’s business partner.”

“I’m not an idiot, Drake. His name is not Dan. It’s Denny.”

“I think maybe you’re over-tired. Perhaps you over-did it.”

“No, that’s not it,” she persisted, clenching her mouth. “He lied. His name is Denny.” Her voice was deep, threatening almost.

I’m not sure why she insisted his name was Denny. I knew she had been going through a lot lately, and that perhaps she just needed some rest.

“Did you have a nightmare? Maybe you’re confused.”

She whipped the covers off her and stood up. “I’m not fucking confused.”

I stood up next to her and gently placed my hands on her shoulders to sit her back down.

“Sweetheart, you need to sit down, please. We’ll figure this out, okay?” She agreed and got back in bed finally. “Can I get you some juice?” She nodded and covered herself back up.

As I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, my mind raced with thoughts of what Molly said. Could it be true? Did he look familiar to Denny? That had to be it. There was no other possibility.

I handed Molly a glass of juice and watched as she chugged it down. She started to look a little better, but I was still worried about her.

“Better?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Does he look like Denny?” I cautiously asked.

“No, he is Denny,” she responded calmly.

“How do you know? It’s been years since you’ve seen him, Molly. I’m sure he’s changed by now.”

“A few months ago, Stella, Michael, and I were at the café when Stanley showed up. He said he was meeting someone there for a business meeting. Denny showed up. He was his business meeting. I got Stella and me out of there right away before we could be introduced. I knew it the second I saw him, Drake. I never thought I’d see him again, so I didn’t say anything.”

I stood there, watching her lips move. I wasn’t sure what to think. How could she
know
it was him after all these years? I wanted to believe her, I really did. But with her hormones lately and the nightmare she just had, I didn’t know what to think.

“So why is he going by Dan now? Do you think he recognized you?” I asked, needing to get more information.

“He’s lying. Isn’t it easy to change your name or something now? And no, I don’t think he did. You never told him my first name.”

Well shit.

We lay in bed as I analyzed everything in my mind. I believed Molly. I believed that
she believed
it was Denny. I wasn’t quite sold on it yet, and I felt horrible for that. However, when I was doing all my research on Denny when I thought he was the one behind the notes, I looked into his background. His business was in Iowa. From the looks of what I found, it was going very well. There’d be no reason to partner up with Stanley, or any business for that matter, unless he was looking to branch out and eventually sell.

There were no documents showing a name or identity change. As far as I knew, he was Denny from Iowa.

I massaged Molly back to sleep, hoping to get more answers out of her in the morning. It would be hard to ignore it, knowing that she believed it was him. I’d have to talk to Stanley and see if he had any details on his background before I would know for sure.

*   *   *

By Monday, Molly had calmed down some, but still insisted the man was in fact Denny. I promised to look into it and find out all the information I could. I just wanted to help her realize that it wasn’t Denny, that perhaps she was just paranoid still.

I spoke with Stanley and asked to get all his records about his new partner. I BS’ed my way through an excuse so he wouldn’t suspect anything odd. If he was in fact Denny, I didn’t want Stanley bursting the bubble just yet.

“Drake? You have a carrier here for you with a large package. You need to sign for it,” Carla’s voice rang over the intercom.

“Send it in,” I responded. It was the documents from Stanley that I had requested. I was eager to get a good look at them now while I could.

After signing and thanking the messenger, I ripped into it right away. Daniel Ronald West—ID, birth certificate, background check and information, banking information, every single job he’s ever had, education transcripts—Stanley really went all out on sending me everything he possible could.

I spent hours looking through them, trying to put the pieces together. This guy had nothing on Denny. Not even from the same state. No criminal history. Not even a bounced check.

I Googled Denny McMillan but came up short on pictures. He didn’t have a Facebook page or even a Twitter. All I found was his business webpage, but no pictures of him.

I decided it was a long shot, but I went for it anyway and called the business number.

“McMillan Industries, how may I direct your call?”

“Yes, hi, I’m looking to speak with Denny McMillan, please?”

“Do you have an appointment?” she asked roughly.

“Um no. My name is Drake, I’m the CEO of Riverside Hotel. I just need like two minutes,” I pleaded.

“Hold on,” she muttered.

A few minutes later, I was directed to another line. “This is Mr. McMillan.”

“Hi, Mr. McMillan, so sorry to intrude. I’m Drake Stagliano, CEO of Riverside Hotel and Restaurant Cooperation in Chicago, I hope to take a few minutes of your time?”