“Ew, stop it!” I laughed, hitting Travis on the arm. He was eating a tuna fish sandwich, opening his mouth wide for all his chewed up food to be seen. He was like a big kid, but he sure knew how to make me laugh, and tried to make me forget everything.
“So what’s on your agenda this weekend?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Not really sure. Haven’t really been in the mood to do anything but curl up in my bed and wallow in a gallon of chocolate ice cream.”
He raised his eyebrows at me. “Girls really do that stuff?”
“Yes!” I hit his arm again. “It’s the only time in a girl’s life that makes binging acceptable.”
“Well, if you’re interested, I’m taking Jacob to the Shedd Aquarium on Saturday. Perhaps he and Stella could have a play date,” he said casually, like it wasn’t a big deal or anything. Play date or date date?
“I’m sure she’d love that! She’s been begging me to take her. Would you mind if I brought my roommate, Michael? He loves going with Stella to these types of places,” I counter-offered. At least this way it wouldn’t seem like a date. Michael could help navigate away from any awkwardness.
“Yeah, the more the merrier! I already have your number, so I’ll call you tomorrow morning so we can meet up.”
“Sounds great, see you then!” I grabbed the rest of my belongings and left. That made for an interesting end to my week.
I had seen Drake every night this week. He would meet me at my apartment, or I would sneak away after Stella was in bed for the night. It was becoming exhausting, but he was well worth it. He had another business trip this weekend that would allow Stella and I some bonding time.
* * *
“Stella baby, we have to go!” I called, trying to drag our belongings out the door. “Michael, are you coming or what?”
Michael came strolling out of his bedroom wearing a fluffy purple robe, holding a box of tissues and looking like absolute crap. It was obvious he wasn’t coming with us today.
“You look like shit.” I stepped away from him as he blew his nose.
“Well, I feel like shit.” Stella came skipping out of her room with her little backpack on. “Sorry, Stella-bug, I can’t go with you today. I’m too sick.” He frowned.
“That’s okay, Uncle Michael. I’ll bring you back something to make you feel better!” She smiled and hugged him.
“Thanks, baby. Have a wonderful time.” He leaned down to hug her, and looked back at me. “Have fun, Molly,” he winked, making me realize now it was going to look like a date.
Drake had called me that morning after he arrived in Atlanta. Just hearing his voice gave me butterflies. I missed him when he was gone, but I knew it was good to spend some time away from one another, especially so early on. I was still reluctant to move too fast, but part of me couldn’t help it. I was in love with him, and I wanted the whole world to know. I LOVE DRAKE MATTHEW STAGLIANO!
* * *
“Hello, strangers! Glad you two could make it!” Travis walked up to me, giving my shoulders a tight squeeze.
“Hey, you,” I faked a smile. I was really hoping this wasn’t going to be weird, but so far, I already felt weird. I told Drake we were meeting friends at the aquarium today, but he didn’t know about Travis asking me out several times. I didn’t want any jealousy to fire up.
“Stella, this is Jacob. I want you to be polite and respectful; you hear?” I lowered my body down to her level so I could look her in the eyes. She wasn’t always nice to other kids, especially boys, and I didn’t want Travis thinking my child was a bully. Even though she kind of is.
“Come on Jacob, this way,” Stella grabbed his hand and together they walked in front of us. They were so cute and innocent. Travis and I stayed back, walking behind them and making sure they enjoyed themselves.
“Your daughter is a mini version of you,” he said playfully as we watched Stella boss Jacob around, telling him where to go.
“Ha, Jacob doesn’t seem to mind.” I chuckled lightly. That’s what happens when you are an independent person, and you’ve never had anyone to lean on. Stella got that trait from me all right, and I was proud she did.
Travis and I trailed behind Stella and Jacob for the next three hours. Their faces were beaming the entire time, pressing their hands up against everything and running from exhibit to exhibit. I was starting to wonder if they would ever run out of energy. I know I was.
Watching Stella jump around and play with Jacob brought back so many memories when it was just Stella and me. Right after Liam passed away, my mom moved in with me in an attempt to help me with Stella.
After a couple of weeks, my mom couldn’t stand watching me cry everyday and went back to her old routine. I stayed home with Stella for the next nine months, taking care of her and looking into career options. Once I was accepted into Kendall, off we went, dragging Michael with us.
There were days I would scream into my pillow at the end of the day. Stella was walking by thirteen months and was into everything. I could hardly study, cook, clean, or anything else, for that matter. I never imagined while I was pregnant that I’d be raising Stella alone. I always pictured our perfect little family with the three of us. It wasn’t until Stella was six months old that it finally sunk in that I’d be raising her on my own. I was a young, new mom with absolutely no idea what I was getting into.
”Are you two ready for some lunch?” I asked almost insisting.
After exploring the Caribbean reef and the Oceanarium, where we saw dolphins, sea otters and sea lions, I needed to eat. The dolphins were Stella’s favorite, so we decided to buy tickets to the Shedd aquatic show, where the dolphins would put on a show.
“Hot dogs and chips?” I asked out loud, seeing the limited variety. I looked down to a bouncing Stella. I loved seeing her so happy, even if I was a little uncomfortable myself.
“Molly, I found us a booth over here,” Travis said motioning us over to him. The place was packed, and seating was limited.
Stella and Jacob ran into one side together leaving Travis and me to squeeze in on the other side. Great. I tried to act like it didn’t bother me, but I was still worried about giving Travis the wrong impression.
After lunch, we took the kids to the Polar Play Zone to check out the penguins, belugas, and sea stars. It was amazing to watch Travis with his son. He was so engaged and playful with him. I always imagined what it would be like to watch Liam with Stella at this age. He would have spoiled her rotten for sure, but more importantly, he would have had a blast watching her learn and grow. Stella was so fun to be with, and it was sad he was never going to have that with her. Deep down I hoped to find a man someday that would adopt Stella, and love her as his own. I hope Drake is that man.
“Mom, is it time for the dolphin show yet?” Stella looked up at me, yanking on my sweater. I was distracted, watching Travis with Jacob. He was holding him up to look inside the window at the moon jellies. I beamed at him, envious of that father-son bond they had.
“Yes, darling, let’s go to the show!” I waved at Travis for them to follow us and away we went.
Six hours later and we were finally done at the aquarium. The kids had an amazing time and were beyond exhausted. It was a nice change of pace spending time with another adult that also had a child.
“So can I ask you a personal question?” I asked Travis as we were waiting for our Chicago-style pizza in a booth at one of the best pizzerias in town.
“Sure, what’s on your mind?” he asked, taking a sip of his soda.
“Where is Jacob’s mom? I mean, you haven’t really talked about her, so I wasn’t sure if she was in the picture or not,” I asked, trying not to sound too nosy.
“She’s a trauma nurse at the Children’s Hospital. She works twelve-hour shifts every weekend so he stays with her Monday night through Thursday night and I get him every weekend. That way I can focus on my internship during the week, and she can work on the weekends. Works perfectly, actually.”
“So you two aren’t together anymore?”
“No, we split when Jacob was only two. I was in my first year of culinary school, and she was doing her clinicals. We just didn’t make time for one another and grew apart. We’re very civil though, for Jacob’s sake,” he replied matter-of-factly.
I could not imagine having to share custody of Stella. She was my baby, and I depended on her as much as she depended on me. A part of me ached for Travis not seeing his child as much as I got to see Stella. But in a perfect world, that wouldn’t be an issue.
Travis and I could talk so easily, like we had been friends for years. We had so much in common, and our goals were very similar. Although he had wanted a romantic relationship in the beginning, it was starting to feel easy just being friends with him.
After our long day, I tucked Stella into bed and poured myself a glass of wine. I hadn’t heard from Drake since earlier in the day, and I was starting to miss his voice. Before I could grab my phone to call him, my doorbell rang.
“Delivery for Ms. Molly Woods.”
“Yes, that’s me.”
A deliveryman stood at my door and handed me a large decorated box. It was wrapped in pink paper with magenta ribbon twirled in the middle. A single stem rose lay on top. My eyes lit up as I realized Drake had sent me something special, again.
I thanked the man and rushed back to the table to open the box. Inside were a dozen beautifully decorated chocolate-covered strawberries. They looked like a masterpiece of heaven. Some were dipped in milk chocolate, and some were dipped in white chocolate. They were each decorated in the opposite color chocolate, in swirls. They looked too good to eat.
Well, I’d eat them anyway.
I picked up my phone to call Drake to thank him a million times over. He answered on the second ring, like he was surprised to hear from me.
“Baby! I’m so glad you called. I miss you so much,” he gushed without taking a breath.
“I miss you, too! Can’t wait to see you…and thank you for my amazing and delicious gift,” I said, moaning as I popped a strawberry in my mouth.
“I’m glad you approve,” he said in an obviously playful way. I wasn’t used to receiving gifts from a man, or from anyone, for that matter. Sometimes it was too much to accept, but I knew it was his way of making sure I knew he was thinking of me and loved me.
“When can I see you?” I asked, hoping he would come back sooner.
“I fly back tomorrow afternoon. I can be at your doorstep by 11pm sharp.”
“Perfect. I’ll have something special waiting for you,” I said cheerfully.
“Can’t wait, baby. I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
We hung up, and my heart raced with pure joy. It made me feel like a lovesick teenager again, knowing that even when we weren’t together, he was always thinking of me.
The next morning, Stella and I had a late breakfast and watched TV in our pajamas. It was days like these that I never wanted to take for granted. Stella would only be young once, and I wanted to take every opportunity to enjoy it while I could.
When Stella was two and a half years old, I took her to a bakery to get some cupcakes. She slipped from my view while I was paying. I stood in the middle of the shop, shaking and sweating at the realization that Stella was missing.
“Ma’am? Are you all right?” a woman’s voice echoed as I swung around, eyes frantically searching for her.
“Stella! She’s gone!” I shouted. “Stella!”
“Ma’am? She’s back here.” I ran to the back where the woman was pointing. Crouched in a ball under the counter, little Stella was laughing, playing a game of hide-n-seek. I about died. I exhaled in relief, but also in frustration. I realized this was part of raising Stella alone.
“Mommy, someone is at the door! He’s holding flowers,” Stella yelled as I was still in the kitchen cleaning up.
I walked over to where she was and noticed a beautiful flower arrangement in a short vase with little stones at the bottom. It had a combination of a few pink roses, white hydrangeas, and green flowers. It was absolutely breathtaking.
I smiled as I took the flowers into the kitchen and set them on the island so I could admire them. My heart filled with love and passion. Just when I already thought Drake was amazing, he goes and exceeds all my expectations.
I decided to call him again before he got on his plane to head back. Just as the phone was ringing, I noticed the card. Crap. I quickly hung up as I realized these flowers were not from Drake.
CHAPTER 12
That night I decided to wear nothing but my panties for Drake’s arrival, so I could give him his surprise thank you present right away. I couldn’t wait to see him. Two long days without him were torture. Pure torture.
He knocked, and I seductively answered the door. Without saying a word, he scooped me up and kissed me hard on my lips. He slammed the door shut, and kicked off his shoes. We laughed as he stumbled through the hallway to my bedroom.
Less than a minute later, he was completely undressed, lying on top of me. He wrapped his fingers around my lacy panties and pulled them off.
“I have missed you so incredibly much. Your touch. Your smell. Your smile. You intoxicate me, Molly. It was like holding my breath for two straight days. It was almost unbearable,” Drake confessed, kissing me tenderly down my neck and back up to my lips. I moaned as I tried to find air to speak.
“I felt lost without you. No more trips, okay?” I teased. I obviously knew he would have to go on business trips, but they felt like a lifetime when he was gone.
“I’m lost without you, too. Okay, no more trips,” he bantered back. I knew he was trying to humor me, but at that very moment, all that mattered was that he was here with me.
He caressed my arms, gently rubbing slowly up to my collarbone. The slower he went, the more I wanted it. Needed it. He rolled me to my side and gently pressed himself against me. Rubbing his hand up and down my body, teasing as much of me as he could, he tenderly kissed my shoulder as I pulled my neck back for him. He parted my legs and inserted two fingers inside me. I arched back, bursting from pleasure. I wanted to let him know how much I missed him and how much I desired him.
“Baby…you must have been waiting for me,” he said playfully into my ear.
“I have been waiting a long time for you… longer than you know.”
Suddenly, he rolled me over and landed back on top of me, pushing inside. He felt amazing. He made me feel amazing. Oh God…
He continued making sweet, passionate love to me as we rekindled our love. Afterward, I lay back in my bed, panting and out of breath. It was as if I had just worked out at the gym for hours. Drake kissed my forehead with a small smile as he saw how winded I was. He pulled his briefs back on and walked out the door.
I was frozen in my bed, unable to move. Drake reentered my room with a glass of water.
“Drink up, baby. I’m not done with you yet.” He sounded all too serious. More? Holy shit.
I sucked the water down, needing to rehydrate myself. I didn’t even bother getting dressed; I knew Drake all too well.
After giving me a few moments to rest, Drake lifted me off the bed and swung me around against the wall. My legs wrapped around his waist, holding on tight. He kissed me hard, letting me know he was in charge. Yes, he was. Take me any way you want me.
He entered me again, lifting my ass cheeks up to grasp me harder. I felt secure with Drake no matter what – even slammed up against a wall. He held me tightly, never loosening his grip, making sure I came, over and over again.
The next morning was another internship day in the kitchen. I was ready for whatever Blakely wanted to throw at me. I wasn’t going to take her shit anymore. Travis had my back, and with that, I felt confident.
“Morning, Trav.” I smiled, walking up to him. I had a bright smile on my face.
“Good morning, Mols. Nice to see you again.” He smiled back. “Did you receive our flowers?” Shit, I totally forgot
about that. After I hung up the phone on Drake, realizing the flowers weren’t from him, I saw the card.
To Molly & Stella –
Just wanted to say thank you for our wonderful double date yesterday. We had a blast! These flowers are as beautiful as you both are.
Love, Travis & Jacob
I was completely thrown off that I had forgotten to tell Drake about the flowers as well as thank Travis for his unnecessary gift.
“Yes! Yes we did,” I stumbled. “Thank you so much. I’m so sorry we didn’t call, we had a very busy day yesterday.” I tried to sound convincing. Truth was I had been thinking about Drake all day and was sidetracked.
“Good, I’m glad.” He smiled back, relieved.
The first half of the day, Travis and I worked in our group, casually preparing new menu items and learning new ways to sauté vegetables. By lunchtime, I was ready to go see Drake and surprise him. I decided to grab a couple coffees and artisan sandwiches for us.
I walked right past his secretary, smiling when she didn’t try to stop me this time. She recognized me, and knew I was allowed to just waltz into Drake’s office. I opened his office door and as I began to walk in, my jaw dropped and the tray of coffee spilled to the ground, all over my legs and the carpet.
There, sitting on his couch, was a beautiful, redheaded woman with long legs. She was flawless , in a white satin cocktail dress and white stilettos. Who the fuck was this…
Drake rushed to the door, seeing my surprised face as I dropped hot coffee everywhere. He acted more concerned about me being burnt than the attractive young woman in his office.
“Baby, are you all right?” he asked, panicked, grabbing the tray and coffee cups off the floor. He grabbed a few towels from his private bathroom and helped clean me up.
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