by Melody Anne
“I can’t stay in this place, it would drive me insane, so you can either move into the large house with me, where you’ll be waited on and completely pampered, or I’ll move in and you’ll have to go back to the hospital because the doctor said you weren’t to be alone,” he told her with too much confidence.
She glared at him for several minutes, trying to break him down but she knew he was well aware of how badly she hated that hospital. He was blackmailing her, plain and simple. She’d much rather be anywhere other than the sterile hospital room. She was considering it though, just so he couldn’t have his way but then she’d only be punishing herself and that didn’t make either of them winners.
“Okay Drew, I guess I’ll move in with you but when I’m better we’ll talk about this again,” she told him with reluctance. He threw his arms around her with excitement and grabbed the laptop so she could see the house. She was definitely impressed. It was beautiful and larger than anything she was used to. It would be hard to leave there once she’d lived in it. She’d try not to get attached.
The weeks went by far too slowly in the cramped apartment. Trinity was actually excited to get out of there because the space was far too small for her and Drew. He was everywhere and the more she was around him; the more difficult it was to remember her reasons for not being romantically involved with him. She was also incredibly edgy, not being allowed outside. He promised her he’d set up a lounge outside at the new place so she could get some fresh air.
She sat on the couch while he packed all her possessions. She felt a bit self-conscious as he went through everything she owned but he approached it like she was sure he approached business. He was methodical as he packed up her things, labeling each box before moving on to the next.
“I’m actually glad to have this to do because I’ve got to tell you, being locked in this closet of an apartment is starting to drive me crazy,” he said as he finished another box.
“You can leave any time you want,” she snapped, a little irritable herself.
“I’m dealing with it and it’s only for one more day,” he said, choosing to ignore her bad attitude. “I called the Salvation Army and they will be here early in the morning to pick up the furniture we aren’t keeping,” he finished.
“I think it’s perfectly fine furniture and I don’t see why we can’t use it,” she snapped at him. Her feet were swollen once again and the place didn’t have air conditioning and she was ready to bite someone’s head off. Poor Drew happened to be the only person around.
“I’m not trying to put your furniture down Trinity and you know that but come on, nothing matches and a few of these pieces have duct tape holding them together,” he said to her, with far more patience than she deserved.
She wasn’t going to fight him too hard on the matter because she had bought the furniture second hand, at an excellent price and was sure she could pick up more if she needed it but she didn’t like him putting her things down. It was simply a matter of her pride.
“You know I’m not going to be a kept woman don’t you? Just because we made a child together, doesn’t mean you’re going to take over my life,” she snapped. He grinned at her. He found her ill temper amusing. He also loved how independent she was and that she wasn’t afraid to call him on his arrogance. There were too many people afraid to talk back to him. He wouldn’t be falling in love with her if she was like the masses of other people in his life.
“I’d never think of you as a kept woman,” he finally managed to say without laughing. She could still see the smile in his eyes and glared all the more at him for it. He turned away and started on another box. He heard her grumble something but chose to ignore it. She had been trying to pick a fight with him for two days and instead of it angering him, it was incredibly amusing. He knew they would both feel better when they got into the new place and had a bit more space. He knew it would be helpful to have Jasmine visit with her so the women could do the girl talk thing he simply didn’t understand.
“I think it’s time to start packing up your clothes,” he said. He was looking forward to that. Her cheeks turned pink at the thought of him going through her intimate clothing.
“I can do that on my own,” she grumbled.
“The doctor said complete bed rest, so you can lay in bed and direct me,” he told her with a wicked grin and a waggle of his brows. That caused her to turn even more scarlet.
“You can help me with my closet but I’ll take care of the dresser,” she finally said with a glare. There was no way she was going to have him go through her panty drawer. He looked like he was going to argue some more but he finally seemed to realize she wasn’t backing down. He shrugged his shoulders and they headed into the bedroom.
She laid on the bed and her eyes started to get heavy and before long she fell asleep, with him quietly moving around the room. Drew tucked the light blanket around her and gently kissed her on the forehead, then headed out to let her rest.
The moving company was coming in the morning and most of the house was already packed up, so Drew headed into town for a while. He had to get out of the apartment. He called his cousins and the three of them met at their favorite furniture store. He found he was enjoying himself as he picked out furniture. He normally left all decorating for his resorts up to his decorators and rarely picked his own pieces out but he’d wanted to furnish his home, himself.
He grabbed some catalogs, so Trinity could pick out the drapes and decorative type stuff. He was mainly focused on getting furniture so they had a place to eat and sit.
They walked into the children’s section and he stared around at all the baby furniture, completely clueless. He had no idea what to buy for his new daughter. Derek got on the phone and called Jasmine. She rushed down there, more than happy to help. Within an hour of her arrival they had a fully stocked nursery.
He stared down at the crib, picturing his tiny daughter asleep in it and had to fight the emotions welling up inside him. He couldn’t believe in a short amount of time he was going to be a father. It was coming so fast. The doctor didn’t think she’d make the full forty weeks. He was hoping for her to make it to at least thirty six.
He stopped for some take-out and headed back to the apartment. Trinity was just starting to wake when he walked in the door. She came out to the living room, groggily rubbing her eyes.
“Something smells heavenly,” she said, as her stomach rumbled with pleasure. Drew laughed as her cheeks turned pink. He loved how easy she was to read.
“I can’t wait for this child to be born so I can go back to eating like a normal human being. I’m hungry all the time,” she said a bit sheepishly. She may have been embarrassed but she still grabbed an egg roll and started eating it hungrily.
“According to the doctor, you’re not eating enough,” he said, as he piled her plate with food. She shook her head at him and began to eat from the plate. She didn’t see how she wasn’t getting enough food, when it seemed to her she was eating all the time. The baby was taking up all the room in her stomach though, so she couldn’t put as much in there. When she had only finished about a quarter of the plate, she pushed it away, causing Drew to look at her with disapproving eyes. He pushed it back closer to her and she decided to just ignore him. She couldn’t force feed herself and besides, she knew she’d be hungry again in about an hour.
Drew crawled in bed with her that night, as he tended to do every night and she fell into a restful sleep. He hadn’t tried making love to her again but he’d convinced her the couch was too small for him to sleep on. She felt badly for him, since he was putting everything else in his life on hold to take care of her. Besides she slept better with him holding her. It felt great to be in his arms and he was great support for her back.
They both woke up late the next morning and had to rush around before the movers showed up. She had her last minute items that needed packed and she wanted to do a final search of her cupboards and drawers. She was just finishing up when the Salv
ation Army arrived for her furniture. She was a little sad to see the items hauled away.
The men thanked her for her donation. The apartment seemed too empty, with not much left except a bunch of boxes. The moving company showed up within minutes of the other men leaving and her apartment was cleared out within an hour. Drew sent the men ahead of them. He’d already hired some staff members who’d let them into the new home.
She wandered around the empty apartment, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. It was completely empty. There was a knock on the door and a couple of women came in, carrying cleaning supplies. She kept the place spotless but there was a final cleaning that had to be done. Drew hadn’t wanted her around the chemicals and had insisted on hiring a company to do it for her.
As much as her back was hurting, she hadn’t argued with him and was relieved to have someone else doing the hard work. She turned her keys over to the manager and walked out of the place she had called home for the past couple of years.
Drew gently helped her into his car and they were off to the new house. She’d only seen pictures of it online and was looking forward to going through it. From the pictures, it was certainly impressive.
They entered the locked gate and drove down the driveway. The moving van was backed into the garage and there was another furniture company van backed up as well. He told her he’d ordered their furniture. He’d also brought her a lot of catalogs and asked her to decorate. She’d been too tired the night before but had to admit she was looking forward to going through them.
She’d never had the money to decorate the way she wanted to. She figured even if she wasn’t there a long time, it would be her gift to him, to decorate the place beautifully. She knew she had a great eye, which was why she’d chosen to be a florist. It was a form of art to create a bouquet for someone’s special day.
Trinity was wide eyed, as she walked through the huge front doors. The place was enormous and stunning. It was more like one of his resorts, than a home. She wandered from room to room, gasping in delight. There was even a library, similar to the one at Jasmine’s house. Drew said it wasn’t as large as Derek’s place but she was thinking he was wrong. She didn’t understand why anyone needed so much space.
She stepped through the French doors and was delighted to find an outdoor kitchen. She’d always wanted one. She could imagine her daughter playing in the swimming pool, while she barbequed dinner and then they’d eat beneath the stars. It was perfect in so many ways. It wouldn’t be easy to go back to living in an apartment after residing in this home.
The movers kept bringing in the furniture and she was impressed with everything he picked out. He had excellent taste and she couldn’t imagine she would’ve picked anything different.
“I want to show you something and remember if you don’t like any of it, we can return it and get what you want. But I wanted to help you since you’re on bed rest,” he told her, as they slowly made their way up the beautiful staircase.
He opened a door and she felt tears fall, as she stepped into the room. It was fully stocked with baby furniture. He’d thought of everything. She walked over to the gorgeous canopied bed and looked inside, excited for the day her daughter would lay her little head in there.
“I didn’t pick out any of the bedding or anything because Jasmine said you’d want to choose your own theme but she said you should like this cherry wood,” he said with some apprehension. He couldn’t tell by her tears if she liked it or hated it. He stood there waiting for the verdict.
She walked up to him and wrapped him in her arms, as much as her large belly would allow. “Thank you Drew, it’s all perfect,” she said with a sniffle. The more things he did, the more she realized how hard it was going to be to let him go.
There was a gorgeous changing table and matching dresser and the room even had a walk in closet. She didn’t understand the need for a walk-in closet in a baby room but she was sure he’d want to fill the shelves full. He’d definitely be the type of guy to spoil his daughter. Even when they were no longer together, he’d pamper and love his daughter. Trinity felt too much pain thinking of them not being together so she decided not to think about it.
There was an incredibly inviting rocking chair, not far from the crib. She walked over and sat down and sighed as she sunk down deep into it. It was luxurious and glided smoothly and silently back and forth. She could feel the heaviness of her eyes, as she rocked lightly and looked over the room.
He pushed a button and a step came up to cushion her swollen feet and the back laid down slightly. She could feel herself drifting off to sleep and decided not to fight it. She was tired from the busy day. She had a feeling she’d sleep often in the wonderful chair.
Drew watched Trinity, as she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep. She was so unbelievably beautiful it was hard for him to take his eyes off her. He knew they still had a ways to go but he also knew he couldn’t give her up. They were a family and he’d do anything to keep them together.
She’d come to realize how important it was for them to stay together. He’d bought her the home and as she decorated it and settled in more, he knew she wouldn’t want to leave. It was really hard for him not to demand she bend to his will but he’d figured out quickly that didn’t work so well with her. It was much better for him to coerce her than to force. He’d just make her life too appealing for her to want to leave.
He knew his largest hurdle was convincing her he was nothing like the business men she’d dated in the past. He’d lied to her in the beginning but she had to realize why. Maybe she’d trust him more when she realized he’d put the house in her name and he wanted nothing more out of her than her love.
He tucked a blanket around her, glad she was resting and went back down the stairs to get things put away. His cousins would be there anytime to help him. He had a lot to do and wanted the house to be set up and not full of boxes. The sooner she saw the home as permanent, the better off they’d be.
Chapter Ten
“This place is beautiful, Trinity,” Jasmine said with enthusiasm, as they walked from the front door together. “I’m at your beck and call to fill up that library,” she added.
“It’s pretty great but this is only temporary so I don’t want to add too much right now,” Trinity said with some caution. Jasmine chose to ignore the comment.
“I’d love to go through those catalogs with you if you need any help. We need to get you tucked up on the couch before your warden finds you’re on your feet,” she said with a laugh. Trinity knew she was joking but she wasn’t far off. Drew seemed to have a radar go off anytime she got up for longer than a few seconds. She was thinking this bed rest stuff was going to raise her blood pressure far worse than taking a simple walk around would.
“I’d really appreciate it. It’s all a bit overwhelming but since I can’t really go anywhere, or do anything physical right now, it’s kind of nice to have something to do,” Trinity told her. The two women sat down and soon had racked up the credit card with purchases. Trinity wouldn’t have ordered half the items but Jasmine insisted. Plus, she was irritated with Drew for being such a prison guard and was hoping to irritate him a bit with the spending, even if it was on his own home.
“These boys have far too much money and it needs spent,” Jasmine said with a laugh. Trinity had the feeling he wasn’t going to even notice the dent she’d made to his bank account. It kind of took the pleasure out of her little tantrum. She was enjoying ordering the baby things. She couldn’t wait for the items to be delivered. It was going to be so exciting to see the nursery all finished.
The cook brought them some lunch and they ate while going through the many catalogs. Once they were finished with the decoration items, Jasmine pulled out a bag with a bunch of other catalogs.
“Ryan is halfway finished with the remodel work on our shop, so now comes the fun part. We can start ordering some supplies. I think I brought everything over you’ll need to set up your floral department.
This company will bring the coolers out and set them all up. It’s a bigger space so you’ll have more display area. I also found this great company for gift items. I know my portion is supposed to be the café but I’d love to help with the gift section too. I love this type of stuff,” Jasmine said, with enthusiasm.
“I’ve always wanted to have a bigger shop but I’m in the dark with what needs to be done, so I’m more than happy you want to be a part of it,” Trinity said.
The two women looked over the magazines and got more and more excited as they looked at everything. Drew and Derek came in a couple times and then decided to leave again, instead of getting suckered into looking at the myriad of items the women thought were so great. They were used to dealing with mergers and buildings; they always left decorating to other people. They just agreed with the women the items were to die for and snuck back out.
Jasmine had been right about him not caring about the purchased items, though. He hadn’t even blinked when she’d shown him the huge order. She couldn’t possibly think of what she could do to get under his skin.
Once the women were finished purchasing half the items in the catalogs, it was getting late. Trinity was a little worried as the costs kept going up and up but Jasmine reassured her their location was phenomenal and they’d sell out in no time and need to place even more orders. Trinity was thinking they could be really successful with this shop. She was beyond excited.
By the time the baby came everything would be ready to go and she’d be able to enjoy working in her shop. The great thing about being a business owner was she could take her daughter with her because there was no way she wanted a stranger to raise her child, while she worked all day.
The two girls would be very close, growing up together. She was grateful they’d have each other to play with. Ryan was even building a play area, which would benefit their daughters and their clients children as well. It was something she wouldn’t have even thought about.