Chapter 26
KIMBERLY
“We’re a dream team, aren't we?" Reese asked just as our grandmother came out modeling a gorgeous dark blue dress for us.
"I don't know if this is appropriate," Gran said.
Reese and I had divided wedding tasks. I'd found the perfect location for the wedding, and Gran was beside herself when I showed her pictures.
It had been a miracle that we found a day this June that was available.
We'd had to choose a weekday, of course, but Gran said she only wanted her family and close friends and John's.
Everyone who cared about them would make time.
Reese was in charge of finding stores with appropriate dresses. This one had a wide variety of evening wear. I loved it. I’d been shopping on Oak Street often but had never come here.
"I like it," Reese said.
"Ha!" Gran exclaimed. "Like it but don't love it?"
"Well, no," Reese admitted.
"But you still have a few options in there," I added. This one looked stiff somehow. It was all organza, but it wasn't Gran—it was too pompous.
Gran frowned. "I'll go back and change."
The sales assistant nodded and disappeared in the back with Gran.
"I still think she'd look good in white," Reese said.
I chuckled. "Don't start that conversation again."
Gran had insisted she didn’t care about bridal shops. “Wearing white at my age would look ridiculous,” she’d said.
Reese shook her head. "No, don't worry, I won't. I'm so happy for her."
"So am I."
This was a dream I didn't even know I had—to come dress shopping with my grandmother for her wedding. For as long as I'd lived, she'd been on her own. I remembered as a kid thinking she deserved love as much as anyone else, but somehow I never thought it might happen for her. Yet it did.
I checked my phone for the fifteenth time.
"Any news?" Reese asked.
I shook my head. Drake and Suze were with Declan. It was their second meeting. Suze had been sold on him after the first one, and now they were making a solid plan.
"Girls, oh, I think I really like this one," Gran exclaimed, stepping out of the changing room.
I sighed, and Reese jumped to her feet, giggling. "This is the one, Gran."
She looked absolutely beautiful. The dress was dark red with a delicate mix of fabrics—velvet, silk, and organza. The sleeves were long and slightly transparent. They looked wonderful on Gran. She was very slim, and the dress fit her figure perfectly.
"You can pair it with these shoes," the sales associate said, showing her a pair of flats.
I pressed my lips together.
Gran frowned. "I'll wear those when I'm a hundred. Bring me some heels, please. Nothing too obnoxious, but I won't wear flats to a wedding."
Reese started to laugh when the poor sales associate scurried away as if Gran had yelled at her.
"Gran!" I said.
"What? I want to look good on my wedding day. Those shoes were terrible."
She wasn't wrong.
The sales associate came back with black silk shoes. The heel was small, but it made all the difference in the world. Gran happily put them on, then glanced in all four mirrors that were strategically placed throughout the room so customers could see themselves from more angles.
"John will love this," Gran said.
It made my heart happy to hear her talk about him with so much ease and love in her voice.
"I think so too," I replied.
My phone vibrated as Gran asked Reese to take some pictures of her.
“Oh, I have a message from Drake.”
Drake: We’re done. Are you still at the shop with your grandmother?
Kimberly: Yes. Want to come pick me up?
Drake: Sure. I'll be there in twenty minutes.
I wanted to ask how it went with Declan, but I’d wait until I was face-to-face with him and focus on Gran now. The dress still needed a few modifications, so the store seamstress came with her pincushion and immediately started tucking it in. The length especially had to be adjusted.
"Gran, you’ll look gorgeous on your wedding day," I said.
Reese nodded. "I think so too."
"What did Drake say?" Gran asked.
"He’s going to pick me up in maybe twenty minutes, if that's okay with you?" I looked at Reese.
"Sure. I'll drop Gran off at Tate's and get some cuddles from our nieces."
I pouted. I wanted some of those cuddles too. Maybe I could drive by my cousin's home later today as well.
While the seamstress worked her magic, Gran told us how she met John. He’d come into The Happy Place one day, looking for a cookbook. One thing led to another, and he asked her out for coffee.
“I figured I’d give him some cooking tips, but we ended up talking about everything under the sun. Then at the end, he said he’d like to take me out on a date. Can you believe it?” Gran asked.
“Actually, I can,” I replied with a smile. John was smart.
Then Reese and I entertained her with plans for the wedding. I suggested a few color schemes, and she’d agreed with ivory.
"Kimberly." Drake's voice came from behind me as the seamstress finished with Gran’s dress.
I looked over my shoulder. He'd come inside the store, and I hadn't realized it. "Hey, you should have texted me. I could have come outside."
"Hi, Reese, Beatrice," he greeted.
"Hello, Drake," my sister replied.
"Am I interrupting?"
"No, we’re done here," Gran explained. "By the looks of you, it went well with Declan and your sister."
"As good as it could go," Drake said. "Declan is very competent, and he seems to be very well prepared for a lot of scenarios."
Gran nodded. "That's Declan to a T. Sometimes he's prepared for far too many scenarios. But I think when it comes to law, the more the better.”
“Let’s help you out of the dress,” the seamstress offered. “We need to be extra careful with the pins.”
“I’ll come with you,” Reese added.
As Reese and Gran disappeared into the changing room, Drake stepped behind me, pushing my hair to one side, and kissed my neck.
"Drake!" I warned.
"I missed you," he said.
And just like that, I didn't have it in me to chastise him. Besides, why should I? We were alone in the room.
He moved his lips up and down on the side of my neck. “I want to do so many things to you." He spoke against my skin, and I shimmied my hips, licking my lips.
The second I heard the curtain of the changing room being pulled, I jumped to one side.
Drake chuckled, and Reese pressed her lips together, looking between the two of us.
“You two don’t have to wait around,” Gran said. “Reese and I are fine.”
“That’s right,” Reese added.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
Gran nodded. “Yes. The dress will be ready in two weeks. I’m going to buy the shoes now, so you two go on.”
“Okay. Call me if you need anything.”
After bidding them goodbye, we stepped out of the shop. Drake pulled me to the side of the building right away.
He smiled, drawing his thumb over the contour of my lips. "I've been waiting to do this all damn day."
Before I got the chance to ask him how it went with Declan, he leaned forward, capturing my mouth.
I rocked back and forth on my feet, giving in to the kiss and deepening it.
I was just as starved for him. He kissed me like he needed me on a deep and primal level.
I wanted him to take whatever he needed because I was here for him.
I was his, body and soul. I cared about him more than I’d ever cared about a man.
"What a kiss," I murmured as we paused to breathe.
“I like to see you like this. Lips red from my kiss.” He brought his mouth to my ear. "Panties wet."
I gasped. "You don't know that."
He tugged at my earlobe with his teeth. “Want me to check?”
"I can't believe you said that."
He just grinned wickedly.
"Want to go to my place?" My heart was in my throat. I hadn't asked anyone over since I returned from Paris.
"Sure," he said. "Can't wait to see it."
We'd met at his apartment until now, even though my place was bigger.
"I'm finally allowed in your cave?" he teased.
I blushed. "Yep. Come on, let's go."
The drive didn't take long, but finding a parking spot did. There were three restaurants down the street, and it was always hard to find spots during lunch hour.
Drake glanced around. "This isn't far from Tate."
"I wanted to be close so I could drop by and check on my nieces from time to time."
He looked at me in surprise. "You chose your neighborhood based on how close it was to your nieces?"
I nodded eagerly. "Why not? So, tell me how it went," I asked as I led him up to the front step.
"Good. Declan will arrange a meeting between Suze and Lawrence, her husband, next week."
"Wow, that’s fast."
"My sister is beside herself, but it's a good thing. She wants to meet him face-to-face.”
“I can’t imagine how tough that must be. Is she taking Michael with her?"
"No, I'm going to watch him."
I grinned. "Hey, we can babysit together, if you want."
"You want to?"
"Yes. I had fun last time.”
He laughed, sounding more relaxed than he had since picking me up. "You’re amazing, Kimberly.”
“I love my newborn snuggles,” I said when we stepped inside. "Welcome to my kingdom."
As we took off our coat and shoes, Drake looked at me intently. He was wearing the Henley shirt that I liked very much. "Kimberly, does me being here make you nervous?"
I shook my head. It did, but not in the way he thought.
He stepped closer, tilting up my chin. "If you want me to leave, tell me. "
"No, it's not that," I whispered. "You're not making me nervous. I am just nervous."
"Same thing."
"It's not," I insisted, shaking my head. "You're the first guy I've invited here.” On a grin, I added, “The first one who's gotten past my threshold."
He flashed a big smile that lit up his whole face. "Oh really? The first one, huh?" His tone changed, becoming possessive.
I wiggled my eyebrows. "That seems to tickle your neanderthal bone."
"Hell yes, it does. It's an honor, Kimberly." He brushed his lips against mine. "You're my strength."
I softened in his arms, then placed both hands on his chest. "I’m everything you need me to be.”
He dug his hands into my waist. It was his telltale sign that it was all he could do not to rip off my clothes. I liked how close to the edge I could bring him.
The sound of his stomach rumbling interrupted this perfect moment.
I laughed. "Just on time, reminding us it’s lunch. I'd offer to cook for you, but my skills are nothing to brag about. But I'm very proficient at ordering. What do you want?”
“What’s your favorite?”
"Oh, there's an excellent Peruvian restaurant that delivers. How hungry are you? Because they take about fifty minutes."
"Sounds great." His grin was wolfish. "And in the meantime, I can have my fill of you."