Raising Cain

by Scarlett Jade

  “I promised Christina I would take care of Cain. I can do that. Sleep isn’t a big deal.” Grace insisted.

  Drake sighed softly and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “It’s okay to have someone help you.”

  “Well, it’s not going to be you. I appreciate you doing it last night. I’m not going to get used to you doing something like this for me, for us. So please don’t. Don’t work your way into our lives and then leave. I’m not going to do that,” Grace whispered fiercely.

  “I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t plan on us being together, Grace. Yes, I have to travel for work. At the end of the day, I’d always be coming back to you.” Drake carefully stood from the rocker and lowered the still sleeping baby into his crib. Grace wiped at her eyes with a trembling hand and darted to her bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her.

  Drake followed her with a grim look on his face. “Shut me out all you want. I’m still here.”

  “For now!” Grace snapped, pushing her dark hair back from her face. “You won’t be forever.”

  “Why, because I’ll travel for work? People do that stuff every day, Grace. Why don’t you just admit that you’re too scared to love someone? You’re too scared to care, because of Christina’s death. So you hide yourself away and insist on handling the burden of Cain all on your own. Admit it.” Drake stalked across the room, and Grace gasped as his hands curled around her upper arms. “Say it, Grace.”

  Grace stared up at his beautifully hewn face. “Fine. I’m scared of loving anyone, especially you. You come in here and beat my father up because you think I’m having sex with him based on an e-mail. What would it be if I had coffee with a guy friend? Are you going to just go everywhere I go and beat up any man I talk to? Are you going to worm your way into my life and leave and find some tight little groupie on the road and decide that me and a sick kid aren’t what you wanted?”

  Drake snorted and rolled his eyes again. “I had opportunities, hundreds of them on the road to have sex with as many women as I wanted. I didn’t. Not once. You know why? Because all I could think about was you. The way you writhed beneath me when we made love. The way things ended and all the unfinished business between us. All I can think of right now is how your lips would feel fitted against mine. I can’t think of anything else…” His voice softened as he leaned forward, their lips a hair’s breadth apart. “I’ve dreamed of it.”

  Grace’s breath hitched in her throat as his lips tenderly, sweetly touched her own. A groan escaped between her lips at the gentle press of his mouth. She wavered on her feet and suddenly found herself swept into his arms, his lips coaxing a response out of her own. The sensations coursing through her body were delicious and frightening. Her nipples tightened and jutted forward, silently pleading for his touch.

  The kiss went on and on, their tongues soon tangling together, mating in a wanton dance as old as time. A tease, suckling and nibbling a lower lip, a tango round and round that left them both panting with desire.

  “Grace,” Drake breathed against her mouth, and Grace found her hands lifting involuntarily and tangling in his dark hair.

  “Good morning!” Damien called, and Grace jumped back guiltily, her knuckles pressed against her swollen mouth.

  “I-I, um.” Grace stumbled over her words in embarrassment.

  “You were making out with him. Believe me, I’ve seen worse. I sure hope that you remember what we talked about.” Damien smiled at Drake, who ran his hand through his hair.

  “I remember,” Drake murmured guiltily.

  Cain’s cry broke the tense moment, and Grace hurried to take care of her son. Her hands shook as she lifted him from the crib and readied him for the day. She was relieved when Drake didn’t follow her. His kiss was unnerving and terrifying. Her body reacted immediately to his touch, and like an addict, she wanted more. Her biggest fear was that it wouldn’t be enough.

  Once Cain was changed and dressed, she took him to her room, locked her doors and got dressed herself. They had an appointment with his cardiologist after lunch, and Grace was glad to get away from the house.

  She picked up Cain and took him to the kitchen, where she made herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the table with him. He cooed and gurgled as she wolfed down her cereal and placed the bowl in the sink. Sitting him up in his high chair, she found her baby carrier and slipped him inside it, carrying him around on her chest. He was content being carried most of the day, dozing and waking intermittently as she picked up the baby mess from around the house and responded to a few calls regarding new scripts.

  Both Drake and Damien were surprisingly gone, and Grace was grateful for the reprieve. She assumed Damien had taken Drake with him to a set, and jealousy flared up deep in her breast at the thought of him watching a couple get it on. She wasn’t so sure why it bothered her so much.

  I don’t have time to do this. See? He’s getting under my skin, and I can’t let him.

  As the morning wore on, she fed Cain and made herself a sandwich for lunch before getting them both ready for the appointment. Cain loved to ride in the car, he would be sound asleep within minutes. Grace buckled him in his car seat and loaded up everything she was taking with them, the stroller, his diaper bag, and his stack of files.

  She’d found it was best to keep a running copy of files with her at all times with Cain, in case he needed to be rushed to the Emergency Room again. It made treatment for him so much better. They knew what was going on with him immediately instead of having to take her word for it or guessing.

  Pressing a button on the wall in the garage, she waited for the gates to open and slid behind the wheel of her car. Driving out of the mansion, she meandered through the streets of Phoenix, arriving at the doctor’s office a few moments early.

  Cain was sound asleep, and she left him in his seat, removing it from the base and snapping it into his stroller. She hurried through the parking lot and into the cardiologist’s office with a minute to spare before her appointment time. She signed him in and sat in the far corner of the room.

  She waited a few minutes more before being called back. Cain was awake and was busying himself with his favorite plastic keys. She unbuckled him from his seat and the nurse weighed him and checked his blood pressure and temperature. “How has he been?”

  “He’s been doing really well. Using the cannula less and less at night. The pulmonologist said this was a good thing.” Grace explained and the nurse made some notes in her file.

  “You’re right, it is. Congratulations! Dr. Carter will be in here in just a few minutes.”

  Grace cuddled Cain while she waited, and she sang to him. He was particularly fond of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The doctor entered the room with a smile.

  “Good afternoon, Grace and Cain, how are we today?” Dr. Carter sat on the little stool and opened Cain’s file. “Oh, I see we’re tapering down on use of the oxygen at night. That’s great.”

  “He’s doing well so far. Knock on wood no major colds or anything,” Grace explained as she hopped up on the exam table with the baby in her lap.

  “He’s still taking the indomethacin?”

  “Of course. He’s gotten all of his shots and the RSV medication monthly as well.” Grace held her breath as he placed the stethoscope in his ears and pressed the end to Cain’s chest.

  “Mmm…I’m still hearing noise. Grace, we talked about this last time, I think he’s going to need surgery. We’ve given the medicine time to work, and I don’t think it’s working well enough. I’d like to perform the surgery after Christmas.”

  Tears filled her eyes as she panicked. “No…”

  “I think it would be best. We need to get this closed up. He’s going to be more active before we know it and it would be in his best interest. We’ve talked about this in depth before, and we knew the medicine might not work. His PDA is pretty large.” Dr. Carter patted her knee reassuringly. “It will be okay.”

  “Let’s schedule the surgery.” Grace finally conceded, h
ating more than anything her boy would have to undergo surgery again. She knew deep in her heart it was for the best.

  “I know I have some openings the first week of January. I’ll have the nurse follow up for sure with the date. Just enjoy your Christmas with him. We’ll do the surgery, he’ll stay in the hospital for a few days, and all will be well. I’ll see you soon, okay, Grace?” He stood and moved to the door. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas,” Grace murmured, kissing the top of Cain’s head.

  The nurse returned with a surgery date of January 7th. She explained that they’d need to be at the hospital first thing in the morning and bid them goodbye. Grace ticked off the days in her head. Less than a month.

  She pasted a smile on her face and loaded Cain back in his car seat. “How about we go to the toy store?” Normally she’d go home immediately after his appointments. Today, she couldn’t bear to see Drake or her father. She didn’t want to tell anyone about the surgery just yet. Why ruin everyone’s Christmas?

  Chapter Nine

  “Something’s bothering her,” Damien muttered, and Drake sighed softly.

  “I shouldn’t have kissed her this morning,” Drake replied, beating himself up mentally.

  “Nope, something happened with the boy. I know that look. She kind of looks like she’s going to puke and she’s cleaning obsessively with baby wipes. He had an appointment today. I recommend you get her mind off things,” Damien advised with a slow wink.

  Drake slipped out of the office and hurried upstairs to the room he’d been using. Damien had offered the use of the Lambo so he could get some clothes and necessities for his stay. Drake had browsed through the jewelry section and found a pretty necklace for Grace featuring a mother holding a baby. It was a simple gold necklace, and he wanted to see it around her neck.

  He rushed back down the stairs and found her obsessively scrubbing at the front table. “Hey, want to go grab a coffee?”

  He fully expected her to say no, but was shocked when she tossed down the baby wipe and nodded. “Yeah. Let me make sure Dad is good with watching Cain for a few.”

  “Okay,” he murmured, completely flabbergasted that she’d agreed.

  She was back a few minutes later, her expression stony. “Let’s go.”

  “Do you know of a good coffee shop in the area?” Drake pressed.

  “Get in my car, I’ll drive,” Grace demanded as she grabbed her keys from the bowl by the door and slung her purse over her shoulder.

  Drake followed her out the door. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” Grace replied, not offering anything further. He watched her push her hair back and rub her temples.

  “Are you sure?” he probed gently.

  Her dark eyes flashed in irritation. “I’m fine. Get off my back or you can stay here.”

  Drake held up his hands before him, begging for peace. “Sorry.”

  She smacked the button on the wall to open the gates, and slipped behind the wheel of the little car. Drake hurried to follow suit, buckling up as she started the car and began to drive. They drove for a while, seemingly an aimless jaunt. Drake longed to ask her again if she was okay. It was obvious she wasn’t, and she wasn’t interested in chatting. Finally, they pulled into a Starbucks, and wordlessly Grace shut the car off and got out.

  He hurried to catch up with her, and his hand caught hers. “Talk to me.”

  “I have nothing to say. I’m tired, I want coffee.” Grace opened the door of the shop and stepped inside, pulling away from his grasp.

  Drake stepped up behind her in line and bent to whisper in her ear, “What happened at Cain’s appointment?”

  He was rewarded with a shocked glance. “Nothing.”

  “You can trust me, Grace. I’m not just going to disappear again,” Drake murmured.

  “There’s nothing to trust you with. Everything is fine. We went to the toy store and looked around, and Cain let me know what Santa should bring him. No big deal.” Grace insisted.

  “What should Santa bring Grace?” Drake pressed as they moved forward in line.

  “I have everything I could want,” Grace replied.

  “Everything?” Drake quizzed her. “There’s nothing you’d want?”

  “There’s nothing I want that I can have, so no.” She moved forward and placed her order, a large peppermint mocha.

  “Make that two,” Drake interrupted the cashier. “I’ve got this.” He pulled out his wallet and paid. Suddenly, he heard a squeal.

  “Oh my God! Drake!”

  He turned in confusion to see a young girl gripping her cell phone and taking pictures of them. “Hey, can I help you?”

  “You’re Drake from Jacob’s Ladder! Oh my God! Can I get a picture with you?” the young blonde begged, and suddenly he found himself mobbed with people.

  “Grace!” he yelled, panicked when he couldn’t see her. She was simply gone. He signed T-shirts, napkins, took pictures with fans, and kept running his gaze through the coffee shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of her face. His heart fell as he realized she had left. Turning, he picked up his coffee and found two words scrawled across the cup.

  GO AWAY.

  He pointed at the barista. “Hey, did you see the girl I was with leave?”

  “Yeah, she asked me for my pen and wrote on your cup, paid, and left. Why, was she like your girlfriend?” The boy leaned over the counter, his eyes glittering.

  Drake frowned at the teenager. “No. Thanks for letting me know.” He took a sip of the mocha and hurried from the coffee shop. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called Toby.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, man, so I’ve been spotted in Phoenix. Expect it up on the gossip sites soon,” Drake explained as he walked down the street.

  “Shit! I’ll get the publicist on it,” Toby promised.

  “Oh, and hey, I kinda screwed up your Porsche. I’m getting it fixed…”

  “You did what to my sexy, perfect Porsche?” Toby shrieked in his ear, and Drake pulled the phone away from his head.

  “I sort of jammed it through some automatic gates and scratched it up. It’s being fixed, though.”

  “Oh my God, I’m going to jam your head through some damn automatic gates, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you doing down there besides screwing up my car?” Toby yelled.

  “About to lose what’s left of my heart to a curvy brunette and a little boy. Paparazzos are about to be swarming around here. I need to go back to the house one more time and make sure she doesn’t want me there. I’m gonna get a taxi there and to the airport. Can you get a helicopter there?” Drake explained as he hurried down the block. “I know the grubby little barista in the coffee shop was angling for a story. Tell the publicist I said I’m sorry.” Drake hung up before Toby could ask more questions, and he flagged down a taxi. “I need to go to this address.”

  He watched as a black car tailed them. Shit. Paparazzi were everywhere, and this leech had a story. It felt like déjà vu all over again. This time instead of a crazy stalker teacher being angry that she got dumped, it was a magazine lusting after a story. Anything to catch Drake of Jacob’s Ladder in a compromising position.

  As the taxi pulled up to the mansion, he found the gate locked. “Push the call button,” Drake demanded as he rolled his window down. The driver did as he asked, and Drake leaned forward. The black car pulled up behind them, effectively blocking them in and a man stepped out with a video camera.

  “Drake! Who lives here? What are you doing in Phoenix?” he asked. Drake ignored him.

  Damien’s voice came through the call box. “She doesn’t want you here, Drake.”

  “Tell her I’m sorry, and that this comes with the territory.” Drake ignored the pap who was now gleefully rolling film.

  “Who lives here, Drake?” the pap asked again.

  “Grace doesn’t want you here. I’ll bring your stuff to the gate. She said her son deserves more,” Damien replied.

  Dra
ke froze and looked at the pap, who had a wide grin on his face. He threw caution to the wind. “Tell her I love them both.”

  No response came from the box, and he fought the urge to climb the fence to go see Grace and tell her that it was part of being in a band. Having girls crawling on him was commonplace, and that he only wanted her. Then he saw Damien coming out of the mansion, toting the bags of things he’d picked up.

  Drake exited the car and the gates opened slightly as Damien stepped up to them. “What’s this?” he asked, nodding toward the paparazzo.

  “They found me. Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her I love her,” Drake whispered fiercely.

  “She says she never wants to see you again, and for you to go.” Damien handed him his bags. “I’ll work on her, but I make no promises, son. She doesn’t want your life. Now go before you make a scene.”

  Damien stepped back then, and the gates closed. Drake stared up at the house, and his heart broke as he saw Grace in the window. She was working the gates, and she didn’t want him here. “Hey, I’ll send for the car,” Drake offered and Damien nodded.

  “That’s probably for the best. Take care.”

  Drake trod back to the car, heartbreak written all over his face. “Drake!” the paparazzo yelled. “Tell us, who were you here with?”

  Drake looked up with a dejected gaze. “The woman I love.” He clambered back into the cab and closed the door. “Can you get around him?”

  “If I drive in the grass…” the cab driver responded.

  “Take me to the airport.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Toby again. His fingers gripped the seat as the driver went off-roading for a moment to get around the paparazzo. “Toby, is a copter waiting?”

  “Yeah, and Jane is fit to be tied. I think she had a stroke when I told her what happened.” Jane was their publicist.

  “She’s going to kill me when I get back to L.A. I’ll be there soon,” Drake promised his friend, and he leaned back against the seat as he hung up.

  His heart was heavy. It was choosing Grace or his career. And this time he couldn’t walk away from his career. Music was his life. At the airport, he paid the cabbie and ran for the helicopter waiting on the launch pad. The paparazzo had followed and was still rolling film. Drake knew it would be splashed on every magazine in the United States and some of the rest of the world that he was shacked up with a mystery woman in Phoenix. His biggest fear was the paparazzi digging into Grace’s life and causing trouble for her and Cain.