I just hope we’ll be able to manage the inevitable bumps we’re bound to face.
Fifteen
ASHLEY
At work the next day I log in to my computer and begin working. Though I’m being productive, my mind keeps wandering to the lovely morning I spent with Drake. He got up early and surprised me with breakfast, then we stayed in bed until we were forced to get up and get ready for work.
If today is any indication of how my mornings are going to be, I’m going to like living with Drake.
My day goes well, and when it’s time to go home, I’m eager to see Drake, but when I reach his house, he’s not home yet. A short time later he texts me and lets me know he’ll be working late in preparation for his trip.
Though disappointed, I understand, and I tell him I’ll see him when he gets home. As the night grows later and Drake doesn’t come home, it occurs to me that I have no idea how late he usually works. Up until now we haven’t spent many evenings together during the week. For all I know, he routinely works this late.
Channel surfing, I find my thoughts wandering. In my mind’s eye I imagine Jasmine sitting close to Drake as she helps him with his preparations, then eating dinner with him and chatting with him about his day.
And here you are, all alone, not even Emily to hang out with. And you have no idea how Drake’s day went. Did his meetings go well? Is everyone carrying their weight? Or is Drake having to pick up the slack?
Jealousy and anger thread through me and I suddenly have an overwhelming desire to be part of the marketing team at Drake Consulting.
He’d hire me. He said he would.
I set the remote on the couch cushion beside me and sit up straighter as my gaze goes to the nighttime view.
It wouldn’t matter how late he works, because I’d be right there beside him.
The idea excites me, and I decide to talk to Drake about it when he gets back from his trip.
As the night drags on, I find my eyelids drooping, and eventually I crawl into bed alone. When I wake the next morning, Drake is asleep beside me, and I wonder how late he got in.
It’s okay. Soon you’ll be working side by side with him.
Smiling, I curl against him, then feel him stir.
“Hey,” he says in a sleep-filled voice.
“Did you get much sleep?” I ask, which I think sounds better than asking How late did you work?
Softly laughing, he pulls me tighter against him. “Enough, I think.”
That doesn’t tell me anything. “Did you get everything done that you needed to?”
“Yeah. I’m ready for this trip.”
I snuggle closer to him. “I’ll miss you while you’re gone.”
He kisses me softly on the lips. “Mmm. I’ll miss you too.” Then he throws back the covers. “I’d better get up. I don’t want to miss my flight.”
I watch him walk into the bathroom, then hear the shower turn on and know that all our mornings won’t be as lovely as the one the day before.
When I get off work that night, I head to Emily’s—no point in going home to an empty house.
“What a nice surprise,” she says as she opens the door to let me enter.
“How’s the roommate hunt going?” I ask.
“Not so good. But it’s only been a couple of days.” Then she smiles. “How are things with you? Are you loving seeing so much of Drake?”
I frown, then tell her how little of him I’ve seen. “But I have an idea for a solution.”
“What?”
I smile a secret smile. “Well, Drake mentioned that if I wanted to…” My smile grows. “He said maybe I could work at Drake Consulting.”
Emily’s eyebrows draw together. “What? When did he say that?”
The doubt on her face rubs me the wrong way. “Just the other day.”
Now Emily tilts her head. “Doing what? Being his assistant again?” Then she laughs. “You are so devious, Ashley. You’re going to replace the hottie, aren’t you?”
As much as I’d like to get rid of Jasmine, I don’t think it would be a good idea to be Drake’s assistant again. “No. He said I could work in the marketing department.”
“Oh. That could work.”
Having Emily’s stamp of approval on my idea gives me confidence.
“When are you going to ask him?”
“When he gets back in town.” Which won’t be soon enough. It was different when I didn’t live with him. When he was gone, I was busy with my life and I knew we’d get together another day. But now his absence is so much more noticeable.
“Let me know how it goes,” she says.
“I will.”
Drake calls me that night. His trip is going well, but he tells me he won’t be home until Thursday. Disappointed—and not happy that I keep feeling that way—I wish him luck, tell him I love him, then we say good-bye.
The next day after work, Wednesday, Emily is busy, so I go home to an empty house. After I eat dinner I curl up on the couch, ready to watch whatever is on, but ten minutes later there’s a knock at the door.
Certain it’s Emily come to keep me company, I hurry to the door, but when I open it I find a woman on the porch with a sleeping baby in her arms.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Colton Drake,” she says, her eyebrows pulled together like she’s already in a bad mood.
Uneasiness slices through me. “He’s not here. Is there something I can help you with?”
Her mouth flattens as she adjusts the baby on her shoulder. “I doubt it.” She looks me up and down and clearly finds me wanting. “Who the hell are you?”
Taken aback by her hostile tone, I look at her more closely—late twenties, long dark hair, pretty face, nice figure. Looks like someone Drake might have dated. My uneasiness grows. “I’m his fiancé.”
Her eyes narrow. “Did he knock you up too?”
I recoil at the implied meaning, but I have to ask. “What do you mean ‘too’?” My gaze snaps to her baby—an adorable little boy—before going to her face.
She smiles and shifts the baby so that I can see him better. “This is Drake’s son.”
Sixteen
ASHLEY
I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut and I want to retch. “Wha…What?”
She ignores my distress. “Is Drake going to be home soon?”
In shock over her announcement, I shake my head. “No. He’s out of town.”
The corners of her lips curve upward. “Maybe you and I should talk.”
I want this woman, along with her allegation, to disappear. But I’m curious. And I know I should find out exactly what’s going on. “Okay.” I open the door and motion for her to come in.
“Do you mind if I lay him on the bed?” she asks as she steps inside.
The baby is sound asleep, and though I don’t want the woman to get too comfortable, I decide I would rather talk to her without staring at the evidence of her claim. “Yeah. Sure.”
The woman walks right past me and goes straight into Drake’s bedroom. I hurry to follow her and watch as she lays the baby in the middle of Drake’s—my!—bed.
She’s been in here before.
The thought makes me sick to my stomach, and it gives weight to her claim that the baby is Drake’s.
The woman turns and looks at me with a knowing smile, then she gestures towards the living room. “Shall we?”
It’s as if this is her house and I’m the guest. I’m too stunned to reply, so I follow her into the living room where we sit on opposite ends of the couch.
“I’m Megan, by the way,” she says.
Nodding dumbly, I say, “Uh, I’m, uh, Ashley.” I feel like an idiot, but I’ve been blindsided, so who can blame me?
Her gaze goes to my engagement ring. She stares at it for a moment, then her eyes meet mine. “How’d you do it?”
Though I think I know what she’s asking, I want to make sure. “How’d I do what?”
“How’d you get him to propose?” She laughs, but it has a disgusted tone to it. “As much as I hinted at my interest in a more permanent relationship, he never took the bait.”
I picture this woman trying to manipulate Drake and I develop a deep dislike for her. Then I remember that she may be the mother of Drake’s child and it’s as if someone has dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.
“Are you pregnant?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
“Then how? How’d you get him to do it?”
The answer is so obvious, but clearly she needs it spelled out. “We love each other.”
An unflattering snort escapes her mouth. Then she grins. “Oh. You’re serious. How sweet.”
I don’t know what her problem is, but I’m not going to let her plant seeds of doubt in my mind. “What is it you want?”
Her eyebrows bunch. “Isn’t it obvious? I want Drake to take responsibility for his child.”
“How…I mean, are you sure the baby is his?”
Her lips flatten as a blush climbs her cheeks. “Damn right.” A frown brackets her mouth. “There’s no doubt.”
“Does he…does he know about the baby?” How could he know about having a child and not tell me? The thought horrifies me. What other secrets is he hiding?
“No. He doesn’t.”
Flooded with relief, I feel my body relax. Until I think about the ramifications. Drake is a father.
“Why didn’t you tell him you were pregnant?” I ask.
She crosses one leg over the other before leaning back against the cushions. “The last time I saw him—before I knew I was pregnant—he made it pretty clear he didn’t want to have anything more to do with me.”
“Oh.”
“When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn’t even sure I was going to keep the baby. But then I decided I wanted to.” She pauses. “I thought I could do it on my own.” Her eyes redden as if she might cry. “But lately I’ve begun to realize that I…well, I can’t do it by myself.”
For a moment I feel sorry for her. Until I remember that her announcement has the potential to completely change everything.
I don’t know what to say—there’s nothing I can do for her, and I want to rewind time back half an hour to when I was blissfully unaware of this.
She seems to get her emotions under control. “When’s he going to be back?”
I want to talk to Drake about this before she does, so I lie. “Friday afternoon.” That will give me one day to talk to him face to face before she springs this on him.
She runs her hands over the legs of her jeans. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to him before I…well, before I come back.”
Why? So you can have the element of surprise? Like hell. “Yeah, sure.” I think I sound convincing, but there’s nothing she can do about it in any case.
She smiles. “Thank you.”
Holding back a smirk—does she really think I’m going to put her wishes above Drake’s?—I nod.
“Well,” she says as she stands. “I’m gonna go. I’ll come back Friday.”
I follow her into the bedroom, my gaze glued to the sleeping baby. He looks like an angel. Trying to find the resemblance to Drake, I scrutinize his face. “What’s his name?”
Megan lifts the baby from the bed and turns to me. “Colton. Colton Junior.”
Fury swells within me and my jaw tightens. It’s not right. Drake and I should be able to name our son after him.
The baby stirs, and Megan holds him out to me. “Would you like to hold him?” One side of her mouth turns up. “I mean, I guess you’re going to be his stepmother.”
Shock tightens my throat, but Megan is shoving the baby into my arms so I don’t get a chance to refuse before I find the baby pressed against my chest. He’s all warm and cuddly, and as I hold him against me, my heart softens towards him. “How old is he?”
“Three months.”
This isn’t his fault, I remind myself as he molds himself against my neck. He’s an innocent victim in all of this. He deserves to have his father in his life. The faint scent of baby powder emanates from him, and though I’m still horrified by this turn of events, this little baby is tugging at my heart.
“Well,” Megan says as she gently takes Colton from my arms, “I’d better get going.”
We walk to the front door where she stops and turns to me. “Thank you for talking to me.” She smiles. “I can tell you’re a good person.” Her smile trembles. “I’m glad to know Colton will have good people to help raise him.”
Her statement is like being doused with another bucketful of ice water. Help raise him? I’ll be raising him? Another woman’s child? I’m not ready to be a mother.
Megan opens the front door and walks out without another word, and I watch as she places the baby in the car seat of a small car parked in the driveway, then climbs in the driver’s side of the car and leaves.
I close and lock the door, then sink onto the couch and stare blankly at the wall.
How am I going to break this to Drake? How do I feel about this? Do I want to marry a man who has a surprise baby?
Then an even more horrifying thought fills my mind.
Are there other children of his out there?
Seventeen
ASHLEY
At work the next day I find it hard to concentrate. All I can think about is what’s going to happen when I see Drake that evening. I don’t think I’ll be able to hide the fact that I have something on my mind.
Halfway through the morning my phone chimes a message.
Drake: I’m back in town. Are you available for lunch?
Dread cascades over me. I’m desperate to see him, but I know the moment he sees my face he’ll know something’s up. And I don’t want to discuss this earth-shattering news over a light lunch in a crowded cafe.
Ashley: I wish I could—I’ve missed you so much! But I can’t get away. I’ll see you tonight?
I hate that I’m lying to him, but there’s really nothing else I can do from work.
Drake: Absolutely. I love you <3
The emoji makes me smile and I tell him I love him too. Then I try to imagine his reaction when I tell him he’s a father of another woman’s child. My heart thuds dully as I picture the shock on his face, but I know it will be much better for me to break the news rather than for Megan to show up on our porch with a baby in her arms.
I get home from work before Drake does. Wanting to expend my nervous energy, I put dinner together, and while I wait for the casserole to bake, I scrub the bathrooms. My mind goes back to the time at Drake’s cabin when I pretended to be his maid so that Rachel wouldn’t know the real reason I was there. As I think of how far my relationship with Drake has come, I smile.
I hear the front door open and close.
He’s home.
I quickly finish my task, then put the cleaning supplies away before I go out to greet him.
“There you are,” he says as he comes out of his office.
Seeing his handsome face—a face I’ve grown to love so much—I throw myself into his arms. His arms go around me and I press my cheek against his shoulder.
“What a nice welcome,” he murmurs against my hair.
“I missed you,” I say, which is absolutely true. I also realize how on edge I’ve been since Megan showed up the night before, and how much I need to talk to him about her—and Colton. “Dinner smells good,” he says as he pulls away. “I’m starving.”
Pushing a smile onto my mouth, I take him by the hand and lead him into the kitchen. “It’s almost ready. I just need to throw a salad together. Will you set the table?”
“Sure.”
I make the salad without having to face him, but as we carry everything to the table, I know the time has come.
Desperate to avoid the conversation, I ask, “How was your trip?”
“Good. I accomplished everything I set out to do, so I’d call it a success.” He serve
s himself some salad, then smiles at me. “How’d everything go around here?”
My heart pounds at the obvious opening, but when I open my mouth, I say, “Fine.” Mentally scolding myself, I reason that he just got home and I don’t need to tell him right this second.
We chat about other things as we eat, but I find myself giving abbreviated answers. Drake must notice too, because he asks, “Is something wrong?”
I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide this from him.
Knowing it’s time to give him the news that will shatter his calm, I feel my hands start to tremble, and I hesitate.
“Ashley?” His eyebrows slide together. “What’s going on?”
I swallow over the knot in my throat. “I had a visitor yesterday evening.”
His head tilts and his eyes narrow. “Who was it?” A muscle works in his jaw. “Was it Evan?”
The absurdity of that—not to mention how much better that would actually be—makes me laugh.
He frowns.
“It was a woman,” I say as my laughter dies away. “Named Megan.”
DRAKE
The moment Ashley says Megan, I picture the woman I broke up with a year earlier, and my frown deepens. Things had started off great with Megan, but her neediness, her clear desire for more from me, had finally been too much, and I’d cut her loose. At the time I had no interest in getting serious with her—or anyone else. I’d just started dating Rachel and was happy with a woman who didn’t want more from me than I was able to give.
I have no idea why Megan would have come to my house after all this time, and though I’m sure Ashley’s annoyed that she had to talk to another one of the women I dated in the past, I’m sure she’ll get over it.
“What did she want?”
Ashley looks away from me and shifts in her seat, making me wonder what lies Megan told her about me.
Drake and Ashley: The Complete Story Page 52