Chapter 19
KIMBERLY
"I promise I’ll make it up to you. I don't know how, but I’ll think of something good."
Drake was so funny. Little did he know he was doing me a favor. Did I mention I loved babies?
“I'll take that," I teased. He texted his sister to let her know I was tagging along. We drove there in his Mercedes SUV. I loved the leg room in this thing.
"Where does she live?" I asked as we left our neighborhood.
"She's got a house in Lake Shore."
"That's a very nice area."
"Yeah. She was thrilled when she and her good-for-nothing husband moved there. It’s a good school district, blah, blah, blah."
I had to laugh at his reply. Once he had kids, he’d realize how important schools were. Which made me wonder if he wanted kids.
We talked a little on the ride over, but I could see him starting to stress the closer we got to Lake Shore. I covered his hand with mine. “You’re tense.”
“Yeah. I hate that my sister is going through so much shit. I don’t want Suze to see me like this. She’s on edge already.”
“Maybe you’ll calm down by the time we arrive.”
Unfortunately, he was still wound up when we got there. He came to open my door after parking the car in front of a gorgeous house.
I climbed out and held up my finger. “Hang on a second.”
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
I put my arms on his shoulders, rose on my tiptoes, and pressed my lips to his, taking him by complete surprise. He kissed me back with fervor, pinning me against the car and exploring me until I was a mess. I still had my hands on his shoulders and felt him relax beneath my touch.
“Mission accomplished!” I smiled against his mouth.
He pulled back, and I could see his features unwind even in the semidarkness of the streets. We’d parked between two lampposts, which were bright enough to illuminate Drake’s smile.
God, he's handsome.
“Better?” I asked.
“Fuck yes.” He took my hand, kissing the back of it. “Come on, let’s go.”
The neighborhood was eerily quiet, even though it was only dinnertime. He rang the bell, and the door opened a couple of seconds later. A beautiful brunette with a baby in her arms stood in front of it.
“Suze, this is Kimberly,” he introduced us.
“Hi, Kimberly. So great to meet you. And thank you so much for advising Drake on my gift! It’s lovely." She looked between the two of us. "Oh my God, I interrupted a date? Why didn't you say anything, Drake? I would have found another solution."
"We weren't on a date yet," I said, not wanting her to feel guilty, but then confessed, "We were about to go," because I didn't like lying.
“You two, go on your date, and I'll figure something out."
"We’re here. We’re not leaving," Drake insisted.
"Fine. Kimberly, this is Michael," she said, shifting so I could get a better view.
"He’s adorable." The little boy snuggled into his mother’s arms. He was so cute, and I could see a bit of Drake in him—their family genes were strong.
"Are you sure you two want to spend the night babysitting my son?"
"Yes, of course. I love babies," I said.
Suze looked at me with a strange expression but then smiled. "All right, I'm going to leave the house before I change my mind. Drake?"
"I'll take Michael," he said.
Michael was asleep. He was tiny and adorable, and my ovaries were jumping up and down in joy. When Drake took him from Suze, Michael gave a little sigh as he nestled his head against Drake’s enormous bicep.
Oh my God. My ovaries weren't just jumping up and down anymore. They wanted to jump Drake.
"Kimberly, I’ll take you out for coffee as a thank-you whenever I get my shit together, which will be sometime in the next ten years, okay? I owe you."
I waved her off. "No, you don't. Go kick ass. Do whatever you have to do."
"Thank you." She kissed Michael's head and then Drake's cheek before heading out the door, closing it behind her.
I couldn't take my eyes off Drake. He was a mountain of a man, and I couldn't believe how much tenderness there was in the way he held Michael. He looked at Michael like the baby was his prince.
When I took off my coat, Drake asked, "Can you hold him for a bit so I can take off mine?"
"Sure."
"You really like babies."
"Why do you sound so surprised? I told you I’m a baby hugger at our family gatherings."
As carefully as possible, he deposited Michael in my arms. He looked every bit as regretful as I felt whenever I had to hand over my nieces. What was it about babies that made it so hard to give them away?
"Careful with his head."
"I know." I gently held him to me. He gave another one of those delicious baby sighs.
As Drake took off his coat, I looked at him and said, "Don't think I'm going to give him back."
He laughed, then smiled widely. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I want to hold him for a while longer."
"We can eventually put him down, you know? He has a bassinet next to the couch."
"Yeah, but why should he go in that when there are two adults here who are willing to carry him all the time?"
He chuckled and led me to the living room. The house was very cute, decorated after my own heart. It was all in neutral colors but looked cozy, not cold.
As I sat down on the cream leather couch, Drake said, "You know what? Since I couldn't take you out on a date, I can cook for you."
I blinked up at him. "What? Now?"
"Yeah, it's dinnertime. Why not?"
I smiled, holding baby Michael tightly to me. He snuggled his head over my cleavage. I could feel his tiny breaths directly on my skin. I loved it. "I won't say no to that."
The kitchen was huge. It was situated in one corner of the room, with a generous island too.
Drake went directly there, rolling the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows.
I followed him, holding Michael in the same position.
Drake was right—Michael was not a light sleeper.
He wasn't fussing at all. I remembered when Rose was his age, she used to fuss all the time. In the beginning, I always thought she’d wake up any second before realizing that was just how she slept.
Drake looked in the fridge, taking out what seemed like half the contents before closing the door.
Setting those items on the counter, he bent down to a cabinet, and I got a good look at his perfect round ass.
Two seconds later, he came up with two pans.
Moving to the counter, he opened a drawer, taking out a couple of spatulas.
"You're very proficient in your sister's kitchen."
"Yeah. I came by every few days after I moved here and looked after them. Made sure they had plenty of food."
I was so surprised, I took a step backward. "When would you even do that? After work?" Holy shit, I’d seriously misjudged Drake. I knew he'd moved here to help his sister, but I assumed it would be more like moral support or hiring people to do stuff for her.
He looked at me. "Cat got your tongue?" He sounded amused. "Let me guess. You can't picture me doing that."
"I can now because you’re in front of me, cooking. And looking mighty sexy, I must say." I sat down on one of the island chairs. "I just assumed you’d get her takeout or something."
"Sometimes we do, but not often. I suggested once that I could hire someone to take care of the household, but she wasn't very thrilled at the idea. I didn't bring it up again."
"What are you making?" I asked.
"I found chicken and bell peppers and an assortment of vegetables, so I'm going to whip up a stir-fry."
"Oh, I love that."
"I'd offer you a drink, but she doesn't have any alcohol around. I did see orange juice in the fridge.”
"Orange juice is fine," I said.
He immediately poured us two glasses, and we clinked them. He winked at me as he took a swig, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He seemed even sexier than usual—something to do with him carrying a baby and cooking.
I held Michael tightly while Drake prepared dinner, and I couldn't help wondering how it would be if this were indeed my life. My man was cooking while I held our son.
Kimberly, this is taking it too far. You've only slept with the guy a couple of times.
Still, I was surprised that I didn't have the usual pang of panic at the thought of having a family.
"Dinner’s ready," Drake said. His voice took me out of my daydreams.
He filled two plates, sliding one in front of me. Then he rolled the bassinet from next to the couch to the counter.
I hesitated, debating if I could eat with one hand or not. Probably, but I risked waking Michael up if I kept leaning forward and backward.
Drake cleared his throat. "Put him down, Kimberly. It's just for a few minutes."
"You're right. I'm ridiculous," I said.
"No," he murmured. "You're adorable."
I was caught off guard by the vulnerability in his eyes. I lowered Michael into the bassinet, and although he fussed around a bit, he ended up falling into an even deeper sleep.
"Oh, I like him. He's a great baby," I said as Drake sat next to me at the kitchen island. I took a forkful of veggies; they were cooked perfectly. "Yum, this is good. It's a bit sweet. What is that, sugar?"
"No. Honey. You didn’t see that?”
“Nope.”
“You were too busy looking at Michael," he said with a wink, taking a few bites.
I felt myself blush. "I like kids."
"Do you want any?" he asked.
I swallowed hard. "Yes, I think so."
He didn't say anything, then frowned. "What do you mean, you think?"
“I've always liked children, but I never could picture myself as a mom. I can't even remember my mom, and it pains my heart. I’m sorry if it sounds cold.”
"Kimberly, you don't have to apologize. You're entitled to whatever you feel.
" He gently touched my face, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "You’re a strong woman, and you’re full of affection.
It's normal to be reticent, given your family situation growing up.
Things like that do leave scars, or at least leave us with fears. "
I tilted my head, leaning into his touch. "What are your fears?"
"A good question. I never thought about that." He caressed my cheek with his thumb. God, I loved him touching me, and I wanted him to touch me even more.
Down, girl. There's a baby near you. Behave. You can't be shameless.
Once we finished, I decided to leave Michael in his bassinet for a while longer. The guy cooked, so it wasn't fair for him to also clean up all by himself.
Drake
The second we moved to the couch, Michael started fussing even though Suze gave him a bottle before we arrived.
"Maybe we should put him to sleep in his bed," Kimberly suggested.
"Good idea." I still couldn't believe that she'd offered to come here.
She took Michael up in her arms. It was endearing to see her with my nephew.
"Can you show me his room?" she asked.
"Sure."
My sister had set up the nursery right next to the master bedroom. There was also a single bed next to the crib. Kimberly lowered Michael into the bed, and he immediately started moving around. "Oh, now that he’s in his bed, he starts to be fussy, huh?"
"He does that sometimes. I'll take care of him now and just stay here for a bit. I think he's going to calm down."
She gave Michael a finger, and he squeezed it with both of his tiny hands. The sight stirred something deep inside me.
Kimberly would be an amazing mother.
The thought popped up out of nowhere.
I heard the front door open. "My sister's here.”
“It took her no time at all." Kimberly sounded regretful. Her sincere emotions were taking hold of me.
"I'm going to tell her we’re in here."
I headed out of Michael’s room as Suze came into the living room, throwing her coat on the couch.
"How's it going?" she asked.
"Michael is asleep. Kimberly's with him."
Suze smiled sheepishly. "I like your girl. I only met her for, like, five minutes, but I have a good feeling about her."
"I'm glad you think so. Emergency over?"
She nodded. "For now. I can’t believe they wanted me at the office for that. I’m a software engineer. I can do everything from home.”
Kimberly joined us just then, and Suze smiled gratefully at her, then me. "Thank you. You two are lifesavers, really. I can't believe I've got to go and pretend to be a businesswoman when I'm all over the place. I look like shit. I haven't had time to get a haircut in months."
"You know," Kimberly said, "I sometimes go with my sister and my cousins' wives and fiancées on spa days. I can tell you when we're having the next one, and you're welcome to join us."
"Yeah, absolutely," I said before my sister could say no. “Suze, you should do that.”
She narrowed her eyes. "Did you put her up to this?"
Kimberly shook her head. "No, he didn't. I'm doing this of my own accord."
"You know what? I think I’ll take you up on that," Suze said.
I was stunned. I honestly thought it would be more of a fight. Alarm bells rang in my mind. It meant my sister was definitely at her wit's end. I’d have to do something about that and be clever about it.
"Okay, now, you two, go," Suze continued. "I've taken enough of your time tonight."
"Don't worry. Drake fed me. He raided your kitchen and made a fabulous stir-fry vegetable dish."
My sister's eyebrows rose to her hairline. "You cooked for Kimberly? Oh, brother. You truly are a charmer."
"He is," Kimberly confirmed.
"There's plenty left over for you as well, Suze," I informed her.
"Go, go, go. Enjoy the rest of your evening. It's still early." She sent us both out the door.
We said our goodbyes, then walked to the car.
"She's right," I said. "It is early."
"Hmm, but we've already had that delicious dinner," Kimberly said.
"It wasn't what I’d planned."
Though, with dinner out of the way, there's plenty of time for dessert….