Drake and Ashley: The Complete Story

by Noelle Stevens

  He laughs. “I can see that.” A brief pause. “So how are the wedding plans going?” He smiles, and it seems genuine.

  I’m not about to tell him about the baby who’s suddenly appeared in our lives. “We haven’t gotten too far on those.” Will the wrinkle of a child force us to postpone our wedding? I don’t like that idea, but I recognize that things are not completely under my control any longer.

  “Uh-huh. Well, I just wanted to let you know that an issue came up with the Harrison account and Donald scheduled a meeting with them late this afternoon.” Then he tells me what my responsibilities are for the meeting.

  “Okay. What time’s the meeting?”

  “Four-thirty.”

  Great. That means I probably won’t get out of here until six. Drake is not going to be happy.

  “All right,” I say, although I hate that these last minute things have such a tendency to ruin my plans.

  Evan smiles. “Let me know if you need any help.”

  “Will do.” The moment Evan is gone, I send Drake a text to let him know I’ll be late, and then I get to work.

  Twenty-Five

  DRAKE

  Colton’s taking a nap, so I’m finally able to get some work done. It’s late in the afternoon, and I’m eager for Megan to pick up her baby. Colton’s been here for twenty-four hours, and I’m starting to feel exhausted.

  I can hear Megan’s voice in my head. Now you know how I feel, and now you understand why I needed a break.

  Grudgingly admitting that she’s right, that still doesn’t mean Colton is my son. But if he is, I can see my life is going to change dramatically. I think about Ashley’s question earlier: If he’s yours, are you going to ask for joint custody?

  Deep inside I’d like this whole thing to go away, but in reality I know I won’t abandon my kid. It’s not his fault his parents brought him into the world in less than ideal circumstances. Still, how in the world will I be able to run my business if I have an infant to take care of?

  An email appears in my inbox, and I force aside my worries and focus on my job.

  It’s five o’clock and I’m starving. I’ve either been taking care of Colton or working, so besides a couple handfuls of nuts, I haven’t had a chance to eat anything all day. Trying to hold in my impatience—I had to stop in the middle of a project to deal with a crying Colton—I adjust the baby in my arms as I feed him his bottle.

  “Babies sure like to eat a lot,” I murmur as I watch the contented expression on his face. His miniature fingers touch the bottle as if he’s trying to hold it himself, and I smile.

  The doorbell rings.

  That must be Megan.

  Hurrying to the front door, I juggle the bottle as I reach for the doorknob. A moment later I see Megan standing on the porch. I want to say Finally, but I resist the temptation. “Hi,” I say instead. “Come on in.”

  She follows me inside and I sit on the couch so I can finish feeding Colton before I hand him over.

  “Thanks for watching him,” she says as she sits on a chair next to the couch. “You have no idea how nice it was to have a day to myself.”

  Actually, I have a pretty good idea, but I don’t want to go there. Instead, I want to see where things stand. “Did you meet with the lawyer?”

  Her lips purse. “No. I decided to wait.”

  Relieved, I nod. “You should know that I took the paternity test today, and I should get the results by the end of the week.”

  Her expression remains flat. “That’s fine.”

  Clearly, she has no doubts about the results, which, added to Ashley’s certainty, pushes me more into the I must be his father camp. I look at Colton’s face and know it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to be this baby’s father. The part that would make it challenging is the fact that I’ll have to deal with Megan for the rest of Colton’s life.

  Holding back a frown, I lift my eyes to meet her gaze, which is steady on me, then say, “We should probably talk after I get the results.”

  She smiles, but it seems forced. “Yes, we definitely should.”

  Colton finishes his bottle and I place him against my shoulder and pat his back. After a few pats and no burps, Megan holds out her hands.

  “Here,” she says, “let me.”

  Not liking the way she’s assuming I’m incompetent—although she may be right—I shake my head. “I’ve got it.”

  A frown pulls down the corners of her mouth.

  After several more pats on the back, Colton releases a loud burp. Thanks, kid. With a smile of triumph, I hand him to her.

  She takes him without comment, and a moment later she stands. “Let me know when you get the results.”

  “I will.” I walk her to the door, and after she leaves, I close it behind her.

  The silence of the house takes me by surprise. I like the quiet, yet I’m kind of shocked to realize that I actually miss the baby. My maybe-son.

  More anxious than ever to get the test results so I can stop being in this limbo state regarding my—and Ashley’s—future, I go into the office and resume working on the project that I’d been working on before Colton woke up from his nap.

  ASHLEY

  When I get home, the house is dead-silent.

  Megan must have picked up Colton.

  I find I’m slightly disappointed. I’d enjoyed caring for him, despite the time it took.

  “Drake?” I call out.

  “In my office,” he says.

  I go in there and find him typing away on his keyboard. Happy to see him, I lean down and kiss him on the cheek.

  He stops typing and grabs me, then pulls me onto his lap. “Oh no. One little kiss is not enough. Not after the day I’ve had.”

  I giggle as he kisses my neck then moves to my mouth. My arms go around his neck and I kiss him right back.

  “Mmm,” he murmurs against my lips. “This is much more fun than taking care of a crying baby.”

  His mention of Colton reminds me that he spoke to Megan, and with my arms still around his neck, I lean back and ask, “How did it go with Megan?”

  Half-smiling, he says, “Okay. She decided to wait to talk to a lawyer, so there’s that.”

  “Good.” I think about the envelope I dropped off at the post office. “Did you tell her about the test?”

  “Yes. And I told her we’ll need to talk after I get the results.”

  Surprised by his comment—is he coming around to the idea that the baby is his?—my eyebrows rise in question.

  “What?” His hands tighten around my back as his muscles tense.

  “I’m just…are you thinking the result’s going to be positive?”

  His shoulders lift in a shrug. “Maybe.”

  This is the first time he’s even hinted that Colton might be his son. “How do you feel about that?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, he’s an adorable baby…”

  I smile. “That’s because his father’s gorgeous.”

  His dimple shows as he smiles. “On the other hand, he’s a lot of work. Plus, we’re not really set up for a baby here.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If he is mine…and…well, if we have him here part of the time, where will he sleep? He can’t stay in the guest room forever.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “I’m just wondering if maybe we should…you know, look for another place.” He chuckles. “Something with his and her closets.”

  Picturing how crammed his closet is with both of our things in it, I laugh. “That’s not a bad idea.” Not that I like the thought of me and my stuff being the cause of us needing a new place. But clearly that’s not the reason at all. If he’s going to be raising a baby—if we’re going to be raising a baby—we’ll need more space. Especially if we’re going to start our own family someday.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though,” I say. “I mean, shouldn’t we wait for the test results first?”

  His head tilts. “Wh
at? Are you saying you think the test will come back negative?”

  As adorable as Colton is, I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed if it turns out he’s not Drake’s son. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he doesn’t look that much like Drake. Maybe it was Megan’s certainty that made me see what’s not really there. I shrug. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

  Drawing me against him, he says, “Yes we will.”

  Twenty-Six

  DRAKE

  On Friday afternoon I’m in the middle of a conference call when I glance at my phone and see an email has arrived from the lab. It takes all of my discipline to focus on the rest of the meeting, but I’m desperate to get back to my office where I can read the results of the paternity test in private.

  The others in the room don’t seem to notice that I’m distracted, and I manage to finish the call without any mishaps. But the moment we hang up, I grab my laptop and stand, then say to Jasmine, “No interruptions for the next hour.” She nods, and I stride back to my office and close my door.

  Setting my laptop on my desk, I drop into my chair, then pull up my email account and click on the email from the lab. Quickly perusing the message, it only takes seconds to find the information I’m searching for. It’s as if a boulder has settled in my gut. I reread the results, then lean back in my chair and stare at nothing, my thoughts flying.

  One thought stands out more than the rest: What is Ashley going to say?

  ASHLEY

  When I pull into the driveway after work, I’m pleasantly surprised to find the garage door open and Drake’s car parked inside. His truck is parked on the other half of the driveway.

  He’s already home.

  Eager to see him, I grab my purse from the passenger seat and go into the house through the garage. I enter through the kitchen, but don’t see Drake, so I go to his office. Sure enough, that’s where he is.

  “Hi,” I say as I walk up behind him.

  He turns to me with a slight smile. “Hey.”

  He seems subdued, and I wonder what’s going on. “How was your day?”

  “Good.” A soft sigh slips from his mouth. “We need to talk.”

  His tone is serious, which puts me on alert. “Okay.” I sit in the other chair in the room and give him my attention. “What’s up?”

  A muscle works in his jaw. “I got the test results back.”

  “Oh.” I’d tried to put that out of my mind and had nearly forgotten that the results were supposed to come by now. “And?” My heart begins to pound as I wait for the verdict.

  He nods. “You were right. He’s mine.”

  My breath comes out in a rush. My throat feels tight and I don’t know what to say. As the week had gone on, I’d almost begun to believe that the test would be negative, that we would be able to put this unfortunate incident behind us. But now that science has confirmed the facts, there won’t be any more denials.

  “Ashley?”

  I lift my gaze from my hands, which are twisting together in my lap, and see terror shining from Drake’s eyes. He needs me now. I can’t think about myself. I need to focus on him.

  I scoot my chair so that I’m right in front of him, then I take his hands in mine and force a smile. “We’ll get through this. Together.”

  His shoulders slump as his body relaxes. “I knew I could count on you.”

  Can you? I’m not one hundred percent sure. Now that there’s no doubt of Colton’s paternity, I have to evaluate the situation anew. Am I ready to be a mother? Now? Overwhelmed at the prospect, I know what I need to do. I need to talk to Mom and Dad.

  Pushing aside those thoughts for the moment, I smile and nod. No reason to pile more worries onto Drake. He doesn’t get a choice in this. He is the father. He’s in it. I, however, do get a choice. But what a choice. Marry the man I love more than anything and become an instant stepmother, or leave my dream man—the Honey to my Bee—and step away from a responsibility that should not be mine.

  The weight of the world is on my shoulders, and I’m overwhelmed. Right when Drake needs me the most, I want to bolt to Vegas to see my family.

  “I’m going to call Megan,” Drake says, “and ask her to come over tomorrow. Does that work for you?”

  I answer automatically. “Yeah.” But in my mind I’m arriving at my parents’ house in Vegas and curling up in my childhood bed.

  The next morning we sleep late—we both tossed and turned most of the night. I don’t know what’s on Drake’s mind, but I know what’s on mine, and I’m struggling. More determined than ever to talk to my parents, I want to book a flight right away and be in Vegas today. But first we have to get through our meeting with Megan. Drake told her over the phone that the results came back positive, and now they need to talk about custody.

  “Megan will be here soon,” he says as he pulls me into his embrace.

  I love the feeling of security I get from being in his arms, and the sense that my world is rushing out of control begins to settle. “Okay.” After cuddling for several minutes, I throw back the covers and jump in the shower before dressing, but when I come out of the bathroom, Drake is sitting up on the bed, clearly waiting for me.

  “Before she comes over,” he says, “we need to get on the same page.”

  I sit near him. “What did you have in mind?”

  Determination shows on his face. “I’ve decided to ask for joint custody.”

  Heart hitching, I nod and absently wonder if that’s what kept him tossing and turning all night.

  “How do you feel about that?” he asks.

  “Colton needs his…his father.” It pains me to say out loud that Drake is the father of a child that is not mine.

  “Right. So you’re on-board?”

  I’m not ready to commit to this, but I know he needs my support. I can see it in his eyes. “Uh-huh.”

  Head tilting, he says, “You don’t sound too certain.”

  As much as my next words will add extra stress to his already burdened shoulders, I need to be honest about my feelings. “It’s just that I’m…I’m still coming to grips with the idea of being an instant parent.”

  A bitter laugh erupts from his mouth. “Don’t you think I’m going through the same thing?”

  “But it’s different for you. He has your DNA. He’s yours. I’m just involved because we’re going to get married.”

  His nostrils flare. “Don’t do this now, Ashley. I have enough on my plate without worrying about you breaking our engagement.” He draws in a long breath. “I need you right now. You understand that, right?”

  I move closer to him and place a hand on his knee. “Yes, of course.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  Go for it, Ashley. Go all the way with the truth. “I want to talk to my parents about everything. In person.”

  DRAKE

  I recoil slightly, and when I remember Ashley’s father saying it’s rather soon for me to consider marrying his daughter, my worry deepens. Will her parents counsel her to move on? To break our engagement? To find a man without children?

  The thought brings a sharp pain to my chest. Still, if she needs to talk to her parents, then I’ll support her.

  “All right,” I say, “when do you want to go?”

  Her shoulders relax as if she was worried about what I was going to say. “Tonight.”

  That soon?

  “I’ll come back tomorrow night,” she quickly adds. “It will be a short trip.”

  At least she’s talking about coming back. That’s a good sign, right?

  Then I remember what started this conversation—my statement that I’m going to ask Megan for joint custody of our child. Thinking that statement in my mind, I feel a slight jolt. My child. I’m a father.

  Shaking my head, I sigh. “That’s fine, but for now let’s focus on this meeting with Megan.” I’m beyond overwhelmed with how my life has turned upside-down, but I’m ready to face it.

  “Okay,” Ashley says. “Tell me what you wa
nt me to do.”

  I stroke her face. “First off, I want you by my side.”

  A soft smile curves her mouth. “I will be.”

  Giving her a mock-stern look, I say, “Second, let me do the talking. I know Megan, so leave the negotiations up to me.”

  She laughs. “I can only assume you’re referring to my ill-advised offer to babysit for a couple of hours last Sunday.”

  I nod. “Yes.”

  “I’ll keep quiet.”

  I lean in for a kiss, but before my lips touch hers, I whisper, “I love you, Ashley.”

  She gazes at me with a warm smile, then my mouth presses against hers and I feel the passion in her touch and think, Everything’s going to be okay.

  Twenty-Seven

  DRAKE

  When Megan and Colton arrive two hours later, Ashley and I are prepared to present a united front. Colton is wide awake, and when I see him, I have a surprising desire to hold him. I wait until we’re all seated—Ashley next to me on the couch and Megan and Colton on an adjoining chair—before I ask Megan if I can hold him. I see uncertainty on her face, but after only a slight hesitation, she hands him to me.

  I study the baby’s face—my son’s face—for several moments as a feeling of tenderness washes over me. I look up and say to Megan, “I want joint custody.”

  Her lips turn up in a smile that says this is something she expected. “All right.” A short pause. “Tell me what joint custody means to you.”

  My gaze goes back to Colton for several moments, then I look at Megan again. “He’ll be here half the time, and I get an equal say in decisions that concern him.”

  Megan nods. “I can accept that.”

  Pleased that she’s agreed to what I want, I smile.

  “Now,” Megan says, “let’s talk about child support.”