Beautiful Mistake (Mistake #1)

by Laiza Millan

  She could feel her face heating up, as her nose became plugged, causing her breathing to become even more of a complicated task.

  Ugh, this is so stupid!

  She doesn't even care that her stupid hot tears are ruining his shirt, nor does she care if she wrinkled his shirt.

  She then wrapped both of her arms around him and squeezed, almost as if she was afraid of something. Though what it is, she's not really sure. The only thing she does know is that this man is troubled, and she's just glad that he's still living and breathing at the moment.

  "Emma." Drake whispered again, taking one of his hands and using it to wipe the wetness from her face. "I'm sorry, but it's okay."

  She couldn't help but scoff, "It's not okay, you dumbass."

  Drake couldn't help but chuckle. "Emma, it's not mine."

  Emma swallowed hard, "What?"

  He brushed the runaway hair from her face and sighed, "Richard was here last night. He actually came unannounced just like you did."

  "So?" Emma couldn't help but ask.

  "So," Drake grinned, "I'm telling you it's not mine. It's his. And yes, he does have permission to use them because of his... Err, conditions."

  "Conditions?" Emma asked, confused. "What conditions?"

  However, Drake shook his head. "It's not my place to tell."

  She understood.

  But that still doesn't explain why he has it in his possession. It was as if Drake read her mind, because he answered that too. "He accidentally left it here last night. He actually kept calling me, probably telling me he's going to pick it up, so I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up in a few minutes."

  "Did he offer you any?" Emma asked, realizing he's still holding her.

  "Of course, not." Drake scoffed, "Even if he did, I'm not that stupid, I don't need that."

  It took Emma a few more minutes before she believed him. It was as if a huge amount of weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Despite her nose being all plugged and nasty, she could finally breathe with relief.

  She let go of her hold on him and awkwardly took a step back, trying to ignore the look of hurt on his face.

  "I'm sorry." Drake mumbled, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "I'm sorry I haven't been answering your calls, and I've -"

  She crossed her arms and interrupted him, "Your room is still messy."

  Drake blinked, confused.

  Really? She's still on about that?

  Rolling his eyes, he looked around his room and groaned, "Okay."

  He turned around and headed towards his drawer, grabbing an empty plastic bag. He spotted a couple of empty bottles and tossed them inside the bag, while Emma helped him.

  .

  .

  .

  "But you have been drinking." Emma stated a few minutes later, as she picked up the last beer can from the floor and tossing it in the trash.

  Drake was in the middle of wiping his table clean when he sighed, "Yes."

  Emma finished tying up the garbage bag and turned around, heading towards him. "And Richard too?"

  "A few, I think." Drake shrugged, heading towards his bed and roughly taking the sheets off. "I have new bed sheets on top of my closet, do you mind getting it?"

  "Not at all." Emma said, pleased. She opened the closet and grabbed the bundled bed sheets and blankets, before turning back around to place them on top of a chair.

  She took one bed sheet and spread them apart, while Drake took the other ends of it. Together, they worked together, smoothing the creases of the sheet as they placed it on top of his bed.

  "Thank you, by the way." Drake murmured, as they moved towards the blanket.

  "For what?" Emma asked, straightening up.

  "For not giving up on me." Drake shrugged, "I mean, what I said to you few days ago and today... I'm sorry."

  Emma couldn't help but bite her bottom lip, suddenly feeling shy. "It's alright, Drake."

  "It's not," Drake insisted, after they continue with the pillow cases. "Don't you see? I don't want you to leave me alone. I don't want you to give up on me, despite all the times I end up screwing everything up. I'm sorry I didn't realize it until now, but -"

  "Oh stop it, Drake." Emma interrupted him, her face heating up. "Seriously, you -"

  "I'm serious, Emma." He continued on, "You don't seem to understand how much I actually need you. You and Aidan."

  Emma blushed, trying to appear busier. "Really -"

  Drake bluntly let it out. "I love you both."

  Seriously, he is now starting to realize that life is too fucking short, so might as well just let her know, right?

  Emma stopped her work completely. Her head shot up as she stared at him with her eyes so big, it was as if it was going to pop out.

  "Close your mouth." Drake smirked, "Before I do something about it."

  She closed her mouth. Though, she continued to stare at him. Drake dropped his work and walked around the bed to stand next to her.

  He placed a hand on her cheek and gently stroked her skin with his thumb. "I love you."

  Emma was still speechless. It's like everything he said just went over her head, leaving her in a confused and dazed state.

  "You don't have to say it back." He assured her with a smile, "It's okay."

  However, Emma shook her head. "Drake... You know I deeply care about you."

  "I know." Drake shrugged, acting completely blasé.

  Something must have happened that caused this strange change in him. Emma couldn't help but wonder what, but she doesn't want to ask him.

  Knowing he'll eventually tell her when he's ready, she wrapped her arms around him and placed her forehead on his chin.

  After a few seconds of their blissful embrace, Drake gently took a step back and sighed.

  "My father died." He said softly, taking a seat on his bed.

  So there it is; The reason why he was being such an idiot the other day. Emma let out a gasp, bending down across from him.

  "Oh my goodness!" She cried out, taking his face with her hands. "Drake, I'm so sorry."

  Drake merely shrugged. "He was a dick, anyway."

  However, Emma only shook her head. "He was your father. Drake, I'm so sorry, I remember meeting him a few times in school... does your mother know?"

  Drake shook his head. "Ignorance is bliss, they say."

  She leaned upward and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Drake -"

  "He was the reason why I broke up with you in school, did you know that?" Drake blurted out, pulling her so she could sit next to him.

  "What?" Emma asked, frowning. "I don't think I understand."

  "Remember when I broke up with you?" Drake softly asked, turning to her.

  "Yes." Something she didn't want to remember.

  "I was involved in a gang at the time." Drake said, wrapping his arms around her again. As if he was afraid she was going to leave. "I broke up with you because of that. I didn't want them to know about you so father told me to end it."

  "Wait, your father?" Emma asked, confused. "He was part of it?"

  Drake looked away.

  "He knew I was involved, yes. This whole time, I blamed him for my involvement. But the truth? It was all me. The city was being run by the help of my father, and then it was going to pass down to me. How horrible would it be if the city found out a criminal was going to help run this stupid city? Eventually, someone must have tipped the media, because they found out."

  He paused, seeing she was still listening.

  "I lied to myself, saying he was all part of it, just so I can feel less horrible about everything. There were times when I caught him talking on the phone to one of members, telling them that he doesn't want his family involved - so in my mind, I kind of just blamed him for everything, even though it didn't make sense."

  Emma continued to massage his neck, noticing his hands shaking. "It's alright, Drake".

  "But did he ever face me?" He continued on, "Did he actually do anything to keep his only s
on away from it all? No. The only advice he ever gave me was to end my relationship with you. I agreed because I didn't want you to get hurt."

  He looked at her, before continuing. "But I ended up doing it anyway, so for that, I am sorry. After you, I didn't know what else to do... My father never spoke to me, you no longer spoke to me, but the only people who actually tried to talk to me were them."

  Emma continued to soothe him as she placed a hand on the back of his neck, gently massaging the muscles.

  "So, I turned all my attention to these stupid so-called friends of mine, and I don't know what happened." Drake groaned, shaking his head. "I became completely horrible. My father noticed my 'delinquent' public behavior, and pretty much shunned me out for the rest of his years because I was ruining our families' reputation."

  "He didn't know what you were going through." Emma said, running her hand on the soft strands of his hair. "And you're not the person anymore, Drake. You're redeeming yourself."

  "No, I'm not." Drake snorted. "But I will, soon. Ian and Rich were talking the other day about them, though. It got me thinking. What if they're still here? What if they haven't left and -"

  However, Emma heard enough and didn't care anymore. She placed one hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her. She gave him a reassuring smile and placed her lips against his.

  "I'm not going anywhere." She murmured, squeezing his cheek after she leaned back.

  Drake stared at her for a few seconds before grinning back. "I love you."

  Emma beamed back, "I don't think I'll ever grow tired of hearing you say that. But can you promise me something?"

  "Anything." He agreed with no hesitation.

  Her face dropped all the happiness, masking it with a look of seriousness. "Don't ever shun me out like that ever again, do you understand?"

  Drake scowled, "Are you telling me what to do?"

  "I said, do you understand?" Emma pressed on, raising an eyebrow.

  Drake glared for a few more seconds until he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes. I understand."

  .

  Chapter 23

  .

  Emma was in a state of calmness.

  The soft fluffy feeling of her pillow was so comfortable against her skin; she couldn't help but lightly dig her cheek in.

  What time is it, anyway?

  Oh, never mind.

  Who cares, when her bed is so damn comfy, keeping her from even getting up.

  Yawning, she lifted her hands and squeezed her pillow tight, a rush of peace and contentment clouding her thoughts as she continued to close her eyes, not caring that it's already morning.

  Suddenly, this random feeling of gentle tickling slowly showered her skin with little sensations; she couldn't help but giggle before letting out a lazy sigh. The tickling feeling started from her upper thigh, and then slowly moved to her waist, and her arm; back and forth as if it was just caressing the feeling of her skin against its own.

  Mmm, this feels so damn relaxing...

  The tip of Emma's lips lifted up, feeling that familiar pair of lips touching her upper neck.

  "Wake up, love." A low but gentle voice whispered against her ear.

  Emma ignored it, burying her face against the pillow once more.

  She could feel the vibration of his chuckles against her back, as the tiny sensations continued its journey from her waist.

  "Wake up."

  Again, she ignored it as she focused on the sensations moving to her arms, caressing her skin in such a matter that caused her to shiver only a little. The soft feeling of lips continued to gaze against her ears and then back to her neck, making her moan lightly.

  Oh yeah, that feels so - Ouch!

  Finally, Emma's eyes flew open.

  She rounded at Drake, who had let out a snicker as he rubbed the stinging in her arm.

  "You pinched me!" She complained, pushing his hand away.

  Drake merely smirked, "I told you to wake up, didn't I?"

  She gave him another glare before turning back around, letting her head fall back on top of the pillow, "You didn't have to pinch my skin. That hurt."

  "Poor baby." Drake playfully cooed against her ear, wrapping his arm around her and bringing her closer against his body. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of her head and sighed, "At least I got you to wake up."

  Emma didn't answer, only letting her body relax. Drake couldn't help but inwardly smile, as his own arm tightened around her.

  "Good morning." He whispered after a few blissful seconds, placing his chin on top of her shoulder.

  She turned her head to face him and couldn't help but smile back, "Good morning."

  Drake continued to stare at her before shaking his head with a heavy sigh, causing Emma to frown.

  "What is it?" She asked, lifting one hand to tuck his loose hair behind his ear.

  He flashed a half smile, before shrugging. "Nothing."

  Emma glared; raising an eyebrow as she fully turned her whole body so she was facing him. "What did I tell you yesterday?"

  Right. No more keeping secrets or shunning her out. Drake fought the urge to roll his eyes before glancing back at her.

  The sight of her, staring at him with that look on her face as if she cared, did something to him. He couldn't help but still question why he, a selfish arrogant young man, was blessed with having such a beautiful, headstrong, brave woman as his partner, while gifting him with an adorable young little boy.

  He placed a hand on her cheek while leaning down to give her a tiny kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Love you."

  He felt Emma's breathing increase as his hands continued to explore her body with such care; taking his sweet time as he enjoyed the feeling of his skin rubbing against her own, his lips tasting every part of her, while enjoying the way her hands raked against his hair. She was making that sweet gentle sound he secretly adored, every time he kissed her throat.

  Oh damn, he was even driving himself insane.

  Beep! Beep! Beep!

  Drake groaned, pushing himself off of her as he turned around to turn off the alarm. "Stupid fu-"

  "You put an alarm at ten in the morning?" Emma asked, giving him an amused smile as she sat up.

  He gave her another one his lazy grins before chuckling, "I'm not a morning person."

  "Is that so?" Emma asked, challengingly. "Is that why you kept demanding me to wake up early today?"

  She pushed the blankets away from her and shifted away so she can stand up. However, when her foot was about to hit the floor, the feeling of a hand grabbed her wrist, preventing her from escaping.

  "Drake!" She yelped, as he pulled her back into bed and safely back to his side.

  "I changed my mind." He said, wrapping his arms around her again. "Stay with me."

  Emma continued to struggle as she tried escape from his clutches. "Drake, for goodness sake, it's already ten. We need to get up!"

  "No." Drake simply said, tightening his hold and ignoring her annoyed sounds.

  After a few more seconds, she finally gave up; leaning her head against his. She turned her head towards him and smirked. "You can be so irritating sometimes."

  He scowled, "And so?"

  Emma rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she smacked his arms. "Seriously Drake, let go!"

  "No." Drake smirked, irritating her even more.

  "Drake," She growled, "Poor Aidan, I left him alone with Jenna and Jason. They might not have gotten any sleep if Aidan kept waking up in the middle of the night -"

  "I called them for you." Drake interrupted, letting go of her. "So don't worry your pretty little head."

  Emma stopped abruptly, "Wait what? You called them?"

  "Yes, ma'am." Drake nodded, looking so proud of himself.

  Emma continued to stare at him, "Really? You called them?"

  The smug look on Drake's face vanishes, replacing it with a scowl. "Yes, I bloody called them. What's the big deal?"

  "I'm joking." Emma snickered, shaking
her head. "However, you can't deny how new it is to hear that you willingly called my friends. Who did you spoke to?"

  Drake shrugged, and yawned exaggeratingly. "The female... What's her face? Ginny, Jennifer, or wait was it Jensen? Whatever her boring name is -"

  "Seriously?" Emma interrupted him with a look, "Don't be such a jerk, Drake."

  He dropped the phony-confused look with a smug grin. He peered down at her annoyed expression and chuckled, lifting his fingers to relax the tense lines forming on her forehead.

  "Jenna." He clarified, after kissing her forehead. "I spoke to Jenna while you were asleep and told her not to worry about you, because you fell asleep. Being the lovely friend that she is, gave me quite the earful, you know?"

  Emma made a face, her head tucking under his chin. "I'm sorry. What did she say?"

  Drake casually shrugged, "Mmm, you know... The usual overprotective best friend lines such as, telling me that I am not to take advantage of you, or to hurt you, or whatever. Your friends still don't trust me, huh?"

  She lifted her head to gaze at him, wanting to apologize on behalf of her best friend's behavior. However, the soft look on Drake's face as he stared back at her, literally made her mind go blank. She loves it whenever he looks at her like that; such a tender and soft look. It's not every day a woman gets to see a man look at her in a way as if he adored her.

  She couldn't help but blush, realizing she was merely watching him.

  "What?" Drake asked, looking very smug.

  Prick. Obviously he knows how attractive he is. Emma didn't want to answer him, fearing his oversized ego might explode.

  Instead, she gave him a wink and leaned down to place a chaste kiss on his cheek, before getting up again. Drake groaned loudly, as he watched her stand.

  "You're leaving me?" Drake complained, shifting to his side as he watched her right her clothes.

  Emma glanced at him and grinned, "You're welcome to come with me, you know. I do have to go home. And besides, don't you want to see our son?"

  Drake blinked.

  He couldn't help but feel so proud and happy whenever she mentions that it's their son. He let out a deep sigh, his mind reverting back to the thought of how incredibly lucky he is to have this new family; despite all the shit he put them through in the beginning.