“I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings or any worry in that department.”
“I have no worries. I just met you, Natalie,” she said, resting her hand on my arm. “But, I know my brother. He looks happy and I can see you’re the reason for that and Drew deserves to be happy. You have my full support if that’s what you’re asking for.”
“Thank you, Kayla,” I said softly. “That means a lot.”
She patted my arm, smiling again and the nerves from earlier were gone. I’d only just met Kayla, but I liked her already. I knew I didn’t need it, but her words and acceptance offered me the validation I’d been looking for and as we walked to find Drew, I did so with a confidence that had not been there since we stepped foot in Connecticut.
I felt that confidence waver though when I spotted Drew and the woman talking to him. Her black hair was a dead giveaway. Christina was here and she’d found her brother. Drew must’ve noticed us because he looked up and made eye contact with me as we got closer. Christina turned around to see what he was looking at and then her green eyes pierced into mine. A smile curled up on her face, but it was cold and I knew her opinion of me hadn’t changed since our first encounter at Thanksgiving.
I looked back to Drew and I knew he could sense my nerves.
“Have you tried the food yet, Chris? It’s delicious,” Kayla said when we’d approached them. I hesitated beside Drew until I felt his arm slide around my waist as he pulled me to his side.
“Not yet,” Christina answered as she turned her attention to me. The smile was still on her face, but it was a cold smile and if she thought I was buying her act, she was crazy. “I just got here. I had to come over and say hi to our brother since he’s never around.” She shot Drew a playful glare and he returned it with a forced smile.
“Hi, Christina,” I said, my talk with Kayla earlier giving me the courage to take the lead and be the bigger person. I was a grown woman and I wasn’t going to let Drew’s little sister intimidate me. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Likewise, Natalie,” she said, her face softening in an obvious attempt to hide her contempt, but I could still see the venom in her eyes as she looked at me. “Now, I’m going to go check out that food Kayla seems so excited about.”
She turned and left, Kayla following as uncomfortable silence settled in. We all knew it was from Christina’s coldness towards me although I doubted Drew would acknowledge it. Before anyone could say anything, the lights went out and a glow of candles lit up the room. Drew’s father was walking in holding a cake and leading the crowd in Happy Birthday. Drew took my hand and led me towards where his mother stood. Kayla and Christina were there too, and Drew took his place by his sisters. I felt a little uncomfortable standing beside him, amongst his family, but he wouldn’t let go of my hand. When the song was over, his mom blew out the candles and everyone clapped. Drew finally let go of my hand, but only to hug his mom. I stood back and watched him. It was interesting seeing this side of him, a side I hadn’t seen before. I could tell he loved his family, but he seemed apprehensive as well. I wondered why he never shared his personal life with them, but what made me even more curious was why he’d chosen to tell them about me.
“Would you like a piece?” His voice tore through my thoughts and I turned to see him holding out a piece of cake for me.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the plate.
“It’s not chocolate. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“I think I’ll survive. Cake is cake. I’ve never met a kind I don’t like.”
I dipped my finger in the frosting and I wasn’t sure if I did it intentionally or not, but I licked it off, pulling my finger slowly out. He was staring at my mouth and I grinned up at him, raising a playful eyebrow.
“Don’t do that again.” His voice was low and serious and he didn’t smile.
“Why not?” I locked my eyes on his, dipping my finger in the frosting again and pulling it out of my mouth even slower this time.
“You know why.” His voice was low, but then he was leaning into me, stopping just inches from my lips and then I felt his tongue on the side of my mouth, licking slowly at the corner. I felt my breathing start to quicken as his mouth lingered on mine. “You had a little frosting right there I had to take care of. It’s pretty good actually,” he said softly and then he pulled away leaving me breathless. “Now,” he said, touching the tip of my nose with his finger. “I’m going to go help my dad pass out cake.”
I couldn’t say anything as he grinned at me and then was gone. My thoughts were still occupied with his tongue on my mouth and I wished we weren’t at the party, but instead back in New York at the apartment.
“How’s everything going, Natalie?”
My head jerked around at the voice and I was startled to find Christina beside me. She still had the cake in hand that Drew had just given her. She took a bite and smirked at me as she pulled the fork out of her mouth.
“I’m fine, thank you,” I answered, taking a bite of my cake.
“And how’s Ethan? That was his name, wasn’t it?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”
“To be honest, you are.”
“Not my intention, truthfully.”
“What is your intention, Christina?” I turned abruptly, staring at her with surprising confidence.
“Believe it or not, Natalie, I just want to help you.”
“Help me? Forgive my frankness, but you’ve been anything but helpful since I met you.”
“You don’t know my brother the way I do.”
“I happen to know your brother very well actually.”
“You know what he wants you to know.”
“What are you getting at?”
“You’re not in his league, Natalie. Not even close. He’s only looking out for himself. You should get out before you end up hurt.”
I took in a deep breath as my mind tried to formulate what I would say to her. I couldn’t blow up. I couldn’t be catty. That would just prove her point…that I wasn’t in his league. Drew was always in control. Even when he was angry, he never lost control.
“I just want you to know one thing, Christina,” I said, making sure my voice was calm.
“What’s that?”
“That I love your brother and he loves me. He’s shown me over and over how he feels about me…”
“Like when you were fucking in the bathroom on Thanksgiving?” she interrupted and I felt my jaw fall, a sick feeling brewing in my stomach. “Yeah…you thought you two were being discreet…you weren’t. Try and have a little class. This is exactly what I’m talking about. You give it up like that, in a bathroom no less. That just goes to prove my point. He’ll crush you if you let him.”
“You…you don’t know anything about me or him,” I stuttered, trying my best to hold it together, to not let the tears form so she couldn’t see how her words had gutted me.
“I know all I need to. Enjoy the rest of the evening.”
With that, she was gone and I couldn’t get Christina’s words out of my mind.
Five
“You’ve been so quiet, Natalie,” Drew said as we drove back to his parents’ house. He took my hand across the console and I thought back to the rest of the evening. I’d stood by his side while his mom opened her gifts and I wasn’t surprised when I learned he’d given her a trip to Bermuda. It was a very Drew thing to do and he seemed so happy when he saw her face. I hadn’t been able to shake my conversation with Christina though and I hadn’t said much as Drew went around mingling with the guests. I was grateful when we finally left and I didn’t want him to know I was bothered by what happened.
“I’m just tired,” I said, giving him a little smile as he turned his eyes briefly from the road to look at me.
“Is that it? Nothing more?”
“That’s it.” I smiled again, squeezing his hand so he wouldn’t keep asking me about it.
; We pulled into the driveway followed shortly by his parents and Kayla, who decided to come back to the house for a while to spend time with Drew before we left in the morning. I was grateful Christina hadn’t followed suit.
We grabbed the gifts and leftover food and made our way inside. His mom was still grinning and it was obvious she’d had a great time.
“Thank you for that lovely evening,” Janice said, leaning over and hugging Kayla and then Drew. “I’m so glad you all could be here with me and Andrew,” she said, looking up at him, “that present was completely unnecessary.”
“I wanted to do something nice for you.”
“It was very nice and your father and I will have a great time. Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek and he hugged her again.
We put things away and I glanced at the clock. It was nine-thirty and I was tired as I’d told Drew, but if I was being honest with myself, I really just wanted to be alone for a little while.
“How about a game of poker?” his mom asked when we’d finished.
“Sounds good,” Drew said as his sister nodded in agreement.
“Perfect way to end the night. I’ll get the chips and cards,” Janice said, walking over to a cupboard in the kitchen and pulling them out.
“We used to play poker all the time,” Kayla said, turning to me. “Drew’s actually very good.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said and I couldn’t help but think about when Christina implied I didn’t know Drew.
“I’ll have show you my skills sometime,” he said, walking over and putting his arm around me.
“He kicks our butts whenever we play,” his dad added.
“And I intend to do it again tonight,” Drew laughed. “You up for it, Natalie?”
“Actually,” I said, hoping he didn’t hear the hesitation in my voice. “I want you guys to have some time together. I think I’ll head to bed.”
“Are you sure, Natalie?” Janice asked, turning to me and I was surprised to see she looked disappointed.
“I’m tired and I really want to give you some family time.”
“That’s very sweet, but it’s not necessary,” Janice assured me.
“I know, but I’ll just do a little reading and get some sleep. You guys have fun.” I saw Drew was looking at me curiously, but he didn’t say anything. “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the celebration today.”
“We’re so glad you could come,” Janice said, hugging me. “Get some rest and we’ll see you in the morning.”
“I will. Good night,” I said to everyone, turning to head upstairs.
I wasn’t surprised to hear Drew behind me and when we got to the second floor, he took my hand, pulling me into the bedroom, closing the door behind us.
“Natalie,” he said the moment we were alone. “What’s wrong? You’re not acting like yourself. You haven’t been.”
“I told you that I’m tired,” I said, reaching up and resting my palm against his cheek for a moment before turning to my bag to get my pajamas. I felt him behind me, his hand sliding around my waist. “And you don’t get to see your family very often. I want you to have time with them before we go back tomorrow.”
He spun me around slowly, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear.
“I want them to spend time with you too. That’s why I brought you here…so my family could get to know you.”
“I know that and you have no idea what that means to me…that you want them to know me, but I also know that sometimes it’s just nice to have time with your family.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, but then he looked at me and sighed.
“I can see there’s no talking you out of this, so I’ll stop trying.” He smiled at me, taking my face in his hands and kissing me gently. “If you change your mind, we’ll be downstairs.”
“I know. Go have fun,” I told him.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said and then kissed me once more.
He was gone a moment later and I changed into my pajamas before going across the hall to brush my teeth. When I was finished and I walked across the hall to the bedroom, I could hear Drew and his family downstairs. It sounded like they were already having a good time and despite his protests, I was glad to give them the chance to be together. I shut the door behind me and crawled into bed, trying not to notice the emptiness beside me.
~~~
A touch on my shoulder woke me up. When I opened my eyes, it took me a moment to focus in the darkness and fingertips began stroking across my skin. I laid there for a moment, not moving because his touch felt so good, but when I turned around, there was just enough light that I could see him looking at me, his brow creased the way it did when he was concerned.
“I’m sorry to wake you.” His voice was low, so quiet I almost couldn’t hear him. “Why didn’t you tell me Christina talked to you?” I turned to him and he moved his fingertips from my shoulders to my cheek, brushing lightly over my skin as his eyes searched my face.
I didn’t know what to say to him. I hadn’t wanted to address this. I hadn’t wanted to seem petty, but I couldn’t avoid his question.
“There was no need to.”
“Yes, there was, especially since that’s why you’ve been so somber.”
“I’m fine, Drew.”
“Don’t lie to me, Natalie.” His voice was low and stern and I knew he was in no mood for me to try and downplay the conversation.
“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. How’d you even know?”
“Kayla saw the two of you talking and when she told me, I knew that’s why you’ve been so distant tonight. I don’t know what she said to you, Natalie, but I know my sister and I hope whatever she said didn’t trouble you too much.”
I paused again for a moment, wondering what I should say to him. I didn’t want him to know what Christina had said to me, mostly because it scared me to even think that maybe I didn’t know Drew as well as I thought I did.
“You’re her brother,” I decided on, keeping my voice soft. “She only wants to look out for you. She doesn’t trust me and there’s really nothing I can do about that.”
“What else did she say to you, Natalie?”
“It doesn’t matter what she said,” I told him, and I watched as his eyes darted around my face and he sighed, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to him.
“It does matter to me because I can’t fix whatever it is she broke unless you tell me.”
I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t want to give any credence to what she’d said to me. I didn’t want him to think I was bothered by what she’d said. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she’d accomplished her goal of coming between us.
“Let’s just say she doesn’t see a future for us.”
Drew sighed again, his chest heaving deeply and then he pulled away.
“Please don’t listen to Christina. I’m sorry for how she’s treated you, but please don’t listen to her,” he said, grazing his fingertips over my cheek. “All I know is that I see a future for us, Natalie.” He paused, smiling at me as he gently brushed his lips against mine. “I’m sure you heard my slip of the tongue earlier…about our children.” He grinned shyly at me and I smiled back.
“I did.”
“I think about that a lot…about our future…about having children with you.”
“Why haven’t you ever told me that?”
“I didn’t want to scare you,” he chuckled lightly. “You’re only twenty-three. You probably don’t think about that, but I do…and I think about that with you.”
I didn’t quite know what to say. I loved Drew. Our relationship had been fun and passionate and exciting. He encompassed all of those things. I didn’t think about him ever settling down and I hadn’t given it much thought either. My life was just beginning, but as I looked at him now, the way he smiled at me and the way he touched me, I could see doing this forever with him.
“Drew…I don’t…” I began, but then I felt his finger on my lips, silencing me.
“You don’t need to say anything, but I wanted to tell you because I want you to forget about everything Christina said. I love you, Natalie. I hope you know that because when I think about my future, I don’t see it without you and all I can say about my sister is that I’m sorry.”
He leaned in, his lips brushing over mine before pulling me to him so my head was resting on his chest.
“Stay with me tonight,” I whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied as he pulled me closer, kissing the top of my head and I knew no matter what Christina’s motives were tonight, Drew loved me. There was no doubt in my mind about that.
Six
Drew snuck out shortly before dawn and I woke up a few hours later. He wanted to get an early start back to New York. I was anxious to get back too. The weekend had been an interesting one, but I was ready to get back to our bubble in the city.
After taking a shower and getting dressed, I went downstairs where Drew and his father were standing by the counter, looking as if they were about to start making breakfast. I stopped on the bottom step and smiled for a moment, watching him. He must’ve heard me because he turned around, grinning when he saw me.
“We’re about to make waffles? You want one?” he asked.
“Actually,” a voice interrupted and I turned to see Kayla walking in, followed by Janice. “I was hoping I could steal Natalie away and take her to breakfast.”
She walked up beside me, putting a friendly arm around my shoulder. Drew’s eyebrow rose curiously as he looked at his sister.
“Am I invited?”
“Actually, you’re not. I thought Mom and Dad would like to have you to themselves for a bit while I get to know Natalie a little better.”
“Well, that’s up to Natalie.” He turned his gaze to me and I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. Kayla had been nothing but sweet since I’d met her, but why she wanted to take me and only me to breakfast piqued my interest, but I had to agree. I couldn’t offend her.
The Heart of Tomorrow (Book Two) (The Tomorrow Series 2) Page 5