by Lisa De Jong
“Oh my God, Em,” he says, wrapping me up in his muscular arms. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you just now did I?”
Smiling, I comb my fingers through his hair. “No, you didn’t hurt me. In fact, I remember being really freaking horny the first few months of my last pregnancy.”
He pulls back, cupping my cheeks in his hands. “You know how sorry I am that I missed that.” He kisses the tip of my nose, brushing his thumbs along my cheekbones.
“I’ll make sure you make it up to me.”
“That will be my pleasure.”
“Mommy!”
“Shit,” Drake mutters under his breath. “I hope I locked the door.”
Grabbing my nightgown from the counter, I pull it over my head while Drake pulls out of me and quickly slides his pants back on.
“Coming, Michael.”
“Not anymore you’re not,” Drake whispers, a crazy ass grin forming on his face. I hop off the counter and smack his shoulder, turning his smile into a grimace.
“Hurry, Mommy, I need to go potty.” I hate to say it, but we live in the same one-bathroom type house I grew up in. It’s okay, though, because I love the people who share it with me. I like the closeness.
Drake unlocks the door, and our little monkey comes running in. “Why do you guys always lock the bathroom? What if I really need to go?”
I rub the back of my neck, waiting for Drake to come in and save us both with the answer. “Daddy just likes to spend time with Mommy before she goes to work.”
“Yeah, me too,” Michael answers. “I can’t wait until I go to her school.”
“I’m excited too, baby,” I answer, scrubbing my fingers through his sandy blond hair. He looks a lot like his daddy right now, but his hair is getting darker with every passing year. I love this little boy something fierce, but I’d like a little girl, too.
As soon as he’s done, he runs right out of the room. I’d bet money that cartoons will be on in less than sixty seconds, followed by demands for fruity cereal.
Drake leans in to kiss my cheek, resting his hand across my stomach. “I’ll take care of him while you finish getting ready for work, Mommy.”
“I promise not to take too long.” He winks before leaving me to finish. Looking in the mirror, I finger the locket that still hangs around my neck every day. Although, now one side has my mom and me, while the other has a picture of Drake, Michael, and me. It’s truly my past, present, and future.
While there are things I wish hadn’t happened in my life, there are plenty of things I’m glad did. My dad has been excellent, taking Michael for a weekend here and there to give Drake and me a break. Kate and Rachel are still in my life, and even though we live in different parts of the state, we get together a few times a year.
Drake and Michael are the reasons I wake up in the morning. They’re my forever, and that’s never going to change.
They say you should dream like you’ll live forever, and live like you’ll die tomorrow. This is my life and my dream … it just took a while for me to see that in order to have them both, I had to change my idea of forever.
Coming late Summer 2014:
Rachel’s Story … Living With Regret
Also coming this fall:
Always Imperfect, the first book in the Imperfect Series
FIRST, AND FOREMOST, I have to thank my husband and kids for being so patient with me when I need my time with my imaginary friends. Your continued support is what allows me to do what I do.
I’d also like to thank my family and friends who have been more than understanding and supportive. I couldn’t have done it without you.
To my beta readers, Autumn, Melissa, Amy, Jennifer and Megan. You feedback helped immensely on this one, and Thank You doesn’t seem like enough.
Jessica, you are a rock star. You’ve helped me so much with my writing and became a great friend in the process. Your turn is coming.
To my editor, Madison, thank you for putting up with me, even when I want to use clichés and such. I promise to cause those elusive butterflies with my next project.
To my agent, Jill, without your guidance, Drake and Emery would not exist. Thank you for pushing me to do more.
And last, but not least, to the readers and bloggers who have supported my work, THANK YOU! I never thought I’d be where I am today, and I owe it to you.