Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy) (6 page)

“When mommy wa
s sleeping one night, someone called a baby fairy, sprinkled mommy with special baby dust then a baby started to grow.” I paused, waiting for her reaction, but continued before she could respond. “Actually, she sprinkled too much dust, making mommy get two babies instead.”

They both giggled.

Whew…operation completed.

“Will I be able to watch as the doctor unlocks your belly button?”

“Um…probably not, honey. They only allow the mommy’s and daddy’s to watch, but I promise you, as soon as they’re out, you and Liam will get to see them.”

“I can’t wait, Mommy. I’m going to sing to them. And rock them to sleep. And play with them. Oh, and feed them their milk.” She smiled, looking beyond proud of herself. She was the sweetest little girl I could ever ask for. “Oh, but mommy?”

“Yes, sweetie?” I rubbed her cheek softly.

“I won’t change the poopy diapers,” she said in a very serious tone, her eyes wide.

And sweet little girl gone.
I couldn’t contain the laughter that escaped my mouth. “That’s fine, sweetie. You don’t have to do that.” I turned and noticed Michael standing in the doorway. “That’s why we have Michael.” I smirked.

“I did not agree to this,” he snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Sure you did.” I grinned.

“Unless it’s poop made from gold and Chai Tea Lattes, I’m not going near it.” He waved a finger at me.

“Okay, enough poop talk,” Drake interrupted, walking past Michael. He had a worried expression on his face, and I could tell something was wrong.

“What is it?” I asked eagerly, locking my eyes with his.

“The doctor just called with some test results from your ultrasound.” His face deadpanned. I walked eagerly up to him and clenched his hands.

“What’s wrong?” I spat out quickly.

“Baby B isn’t growing on track and is much smaller than Baby A.”

Heart meet throat.

“What does that mean exactly?” I asked in a panic voice.

“It means you need to get off your feet right away. He wants to do weekly check ups with you, but he’ll be coming to the house instead.”

“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?” I cringed at the thought of permanently being on bed rest. It wasn’t that I wasn’t taking the situation serious, but how long did he expect me to just lie in bed and do nothing?

He sprang toward me and grasped my arms with his hands, looked straight into my eyes.

“Nothing I do for you is extreme. Protecting you is what I do. Protecting our babies. Protecting your health. Do you understand?’

“Yes, of course I understand, I’m not an idiot.”

“I’m—just gonna take Stella and Liam up to my room while you two talk,” Michael stuttered, grabbing both their hands and rushing her out of the kitchen.

“Molly, listen; this little game of yours is over now. I let you work because you insisted, and I didn’t want to take that freedom away from you, but now, now I’m taking control.”

I lowered by brows at him.
Taking control?

“You are stubborn,” he said with gritted teeth.

“Yes, I know.”

“So please, just listen to me. You need to stay on bed rest until the babies are here. The doctor is concerned enough to keep you on bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy. In fact, he doesn’t even want you coming in for check ups anymore. He’ll be coming to the house instead.”

“Okay, now that’s extreme,” I pouted. I could at least get one day to get out, even if it was to the hospital.

“I don’t care if you think it’s extreme,” he replied sternly. I could tell there was no room to negotiate.

“Fine. But I promise you, I’m going to go crazy.”

“I’m counting on it,” he said, trying to hide his
I-got-my-way
grin.

Drake agreed to let me take a bubble bath before sending me off to the bed for the evening. He made sure the water wasn’t too hot before pouring some soothing bath oil in.

“I’m going to tuck Stella in and come back to check on you, okay?” he said quietly as I sunk deeper into the tub.

I nodded weakly, eyes closed, enjoying this little bit of Heaven. I rubbed my hands over my stomach, trying to will the fear away. As upset as I was about being put on permanent bed rest, inside I was a complete wreck. I couldn’t help but fear the worst. One of my babies wasn’t developing on track, which could mean a hundred different things. I didn’t want to be ignorant; I knew it meant I could go into preterm labor, but I was still going to hold on to as much hope and faith as I could.

“Doing okay?” I heard Drake whisper in my ear. I hadn’t even heard him come back in I was so lost in my thoughts.

“No,” I whimpered, keeping my eyes closed as I leaned my head back against the tub.

“Let me help,” he demanded. I heard him wrestle out of his clothes before making his way into the tub behind me. I leaned forward, letting him in. He wrapped his arms around me, pushing me against his chest.

I leaned my head back against as he rubbed his hands over me, soothing the pain right out. It wasn’t physical pain this time, but rather emotional pain. I was blessed with a near-perfect pregnancy with Stella. I wasn’t sure I was mentally prepared for
this. So much has already happened to me in the last few years that I feared this would be my breaking point.

Drake’s lips grazed over my ear and just below the lobe. He placed light kisses down my neck as he massaged my shoulders. It felt amazing to be touched like that, to let the stress and anger be rubbed right out of me.

“How does that feel, baby?” he whispered against my ear.

“Amazing. Perfect,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes closed. I wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as possible. I kept my hands on my belly, making similar soothing motions with my fingertips that Drake was making on me.

We soaked in silence as Drake caressed my body, rubbing the soreness and fear out of me. It felt great to have Drake take care of me when I needed it. I knew he must be feeling scared and worried as well, but he was always attentive to my needs first.

“I’m scared,” I admitted, breaking the silence.

“I know.”

“What if…what if something awful happens?” I asked guarded.

“I’ll be right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll do this together.”

I could feel him tighten up around me as he said his brave words. I knew he only wanted to comfort me, but I didn’t feel confident that I could get through this if something horrible happened.

“We haven’t thought of names yet,” I said, changing the subject. If I were going to get through this, I had to pretend as if everything was just fine. I didn’t want to psych myself up to the point where I overstressed about it. I knew I had to take care of myself and remain healthy for the babies’ sake.

“Have anything in mind?” His voice sounded lighter now, as if he happier.

“Well, since we don’t know the genders, I guess we have to come up with at least two for each—two boy names and two girl names.”

Drake’s lips make their way to my neck, suckling and kissing the water off. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy the moment and forget everything. Drake could easily make me forget the pain, the fear, and anxiety that usually overcame me. His lips were like magic, erasing all the bad and replacing it with an incredible, happy feeling.

“You’re making it very hard to think when you do that,” I muttered, arching my neck to give him easier access.

“I was thinking, Henry if it’s a boy.”

“Are you trying to seduce me into agreeing with you on names?”

“I might.”

“Henry sounds like a royal name.”

“Which he will be, of course.” I could hear the amusement in his voice.

“You know, just because you’re the boss of an empire and all, doesn’t mean our children are going to be automatically entitled.” I didn’t want to raise our children like that. They would never go without anything, I knew that much, but I wanted them to know appreciation, to know that we were blessed.

“I can’t promise anything,” he mumbled, moving his lips to the other side of my neck, so he could completely devour the rest.

“You are not going to raise our kids like they are royals,” I ordered.

He chuckled under his breath as he made his way to my jawline, tilting my face up to meet his.

“I treat my lady as a Queen. It only fits, don’t you think?” I could see the amusement in his eyes and the way he curled his lips up was so damn irresistible. He was good at getting what he wanted just by flashing those perfect dark eyes and smirking at me.

Drake and I were raised completely different. He could have anything handed to him on a silver platter if he requested. It wasn’t that I thought he didn’t work hard to get where he was, but it was definitely his last name that helped him get to where he is now.

“I will never downplay your success, babe, but you can’t tell me being a Stagliano didn’t have anything to do with being where you are.”

“Nah, I won’t deny it. I embraced it though, as will our kids.”

“As long as you agree that they need to learn life’s lessons just like everyone else does,” I responded, still mildly hypnotized by his lips.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” I could hear the enjoyment in his voice. He wasn’t one to dispute about things he knew he’d get his way on, especially when he could charm his way into whatever he wanted.

“You can’t seduce your way into this one, buddy. Our children won’t grow up to be one of those rich snobs.”

“Are you insinuating I was a rich snob?” He pretends to be offended.

“More like….a rich hottie. But, yes.” I grinned.

“If you weren’t ordered to bed rest, I’d so tickle you right now,” he threatened in my ear.

“Hmm…that doesn’t mean I can’t tickle you though!” I squealed, grabbing right behind his knees, his most ticklish spot.

“Molly,” he warned. “Stop,” he begged through laughter.

“Say it.”

“Molly, seriously, stop!” he pleaded, trying to wiggle out of grasp.

“Say it!” I repeated.

“Fine! Our kids won’t grow up to be rich snobs!” he screamed out.

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it’s done.” I smirked, smiling of pride.

“You are a cheater.” He pressed his lips into my ear forcefully.

“All is fair in love and war,” I quipped. “Plus, I never said I played fair.”

We giggled together, holding and caressing one another. I knew our parenting styles were different, but I honestly had no worries when it came to Drake. He would love our children unconditionally and would always be there for us, being the very best father he could.

-----<>-----

Drake

This weekend was the surprise engagement party. I had secretly been planning it, not giving Molly any idea it was coming up. Two weekends ago was Stanley and Dan’s business party, which went smoothly. Michael stayed home with Molly as I spent the evening playing host and making sure everything went sufficiently.

I surprisingly had a good time at the event. I could tell Stanley and Dan got along great, always cracking jokes with each other and making it very easy to get to know the both of them. Dan and I even had a few minutes to bullshit with each other. He had experience in the financial industry as well, giving me a little background as to why Stanley chose him.

But this weekend would be all about Molly. I wanted to give her something—make her feel special. She’d been lying around the house the past few weeks, going stir crazy. She was over 5 months pregnant now. The doctor was just hoping she’d make it to 8 months, so the babies could be delivered at a healthy weight.

Baby B was still developing behind Baby A, but the doctor was coming by weekly, keeping a close eye on the progress of the babies and Molly.

Since Molly couldn’t leave, I planned to have the whole party at the house. Liam, Stella, and Michael all knew about it, and they had been helping me prepare for it. I didn’t want to overwhelm Molly, so I made sure to only invite our close friends. I was able to contact Molly’s parents as well, getting them a flight out here in time.

“Michael, how are the arrangements going?” I asked quietly as I entered the kitchen. Michael was pouring himself a cup of coffee, looking like he hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

“Good. Molly’s mom and dad are both flying out Friday. Stella and I are going to pick them up and bring them back here, but their rooms are on separate sides of the penthouse. I don’t need to hear old people gettin’ it on.”

I cringed as I said, “Her parents are divorced. I doubt there’ll be any ‘getting it on.’”

“Hey, you never know with old flames and such. It could totally happen.” He brought the mug up to his mouth and blew on it before inhaling it.

“You confuse me, Michael. But whatever.” I chuckled. “As long as the arrangements for them are made, because I want her parents to be here for this, considering I haven’t spent hardly any time with them.”

“Well, her mom is beyond thrilled. Beware.” His eyes went wide, which told me she would be hounding me for details and wedding plans.
Great.
We didn’t have any.

“Well, my family will be here, so I might need your help in introducing them. My parents can be kind of…”

“Intimidating? Direct? Scary as shit?” Michael finished for me.

I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, something like that.” I grabbed a mug and poured myself a cup of coffee, leaving just enough room for creamer. Molly was allowed one small cup a day, so I made sure she got it in the mornings before she laid back down for her nap.

“You mind if I invite Trey?” he asked as I poured the vanilla flavored creamer into the mug.

“Of course. I need to get to know him better anyway. Get his motive for being with my roommate and all.” I winked at him, grinning.

“Yeah, you do that, and you wake up the next day with two broken legs.”

“I’d like to see you try,” I teased back.

“What’s all this violent talk I hear before breakfast?” Molly’s voice stunned me, jerking my attention away from Michael.

“Sweetheart, what are you doing down here?” I instantly went to her side.

“I think I can walk to the kitchen,” she snapped.

“I was going to bring you breakfast and coffee.”

“I need out of that room, Drake. The walls…there closing in,” she breathed out.

“You want to move to another room? I can do that. I can arrange anything you want,” I said eagerly.

“No,” she replied sternly. “I just want ten minutes. Can I have ten-fricken-minutes?”

Yeah, so Molly wasn’t taking this whole thing very well. In fact, she wasn’t taking it well at all. She had to spend hours in bed. She developed insomnia and was staying up late every night reading until her eyelids could no longer stay open. She was crabby, irritable, and pregnant.

“Of course, sweetheart. I just want you to be careful, is all.” I tiptoed around her, not wanting to anger her anymore.

“I can grab breakfast. I’ll be fine. The babies are fine. I’m fine,” she rambled, not making eye contact. I knew Molly was
strong. I knew she could handle this, but I also knew everyone had a breaking point. On top of not being able to work, she couldn’t leave the house. She said continuously how she felt she was failing Stella at not being there for her or playing with her, but Stella knew better.

Michael stood on guard, knowing better than to open his mouth. We watched in silence as Molly grabbed a bowl of cereal, an apple, and her mug of coffee. She sat quietly at the breakfast bar, eating in silence.

“Well, I have to go to the office for just a couple hours, but then I’ll be right back.” I kissed the top of her head.

“You can stay at work, you know. I know you have to work.”

I had been sneaking out of work almost every day, making sure to get home before Molly snapped for good.

“It’s fine, I don’t have much to do.” I squeezed her arm lightly before exiting the kitchen. I snuck in a quick wink toward Michael, telling him
good luck
.

Once I got to the office, I scrambled to get last minute details together. My party coordinator was rushing to get everything moved to the penthouse, decorations, and all.

I ordered some of Molly’s favorite food for the party, hoping she’d see all the effort that went into planning it for her. I knew she could definitely use this. I’d keep a close eye on her, not letting her overdo it. Her doctor agreed to it, knowing she’d be at home, but she wasn’t allowed to stand up for too long at once.

“Carla, I’m leaving for the rest of the week.” It was Wednesday, and typically, I had at least two days left of work, but I could handle the rest from home. I just wanted to be close to Molly.

“Okay, I’ll see you Saturday! Good luck with everything!” She smiled. Carla had been my little helper with this whole thing, so I knew she’d want to see the finished product. I invited her and her husband along with a few other colleagues from work.

As I was walking out of the elevator to the lower level, I bumped into Dan. He was dressed in a suit and held a briefcase in one hand.

“Hey, man. Sorry about that.” I patted his shoulder, greeting him.

“Hey, no worries. I should be the one apologizing for bumping into you. I mean, you kind of own the place.” He chuckled. There was something off about him today compared to before. Normally he was easy going, but for some reason he seemed tense.

I laughed along with him, but it came out more as a nervous laugh. I wasn’t sure what he was doing here in the first place, but it wasn’t uncommon for business meetings to take pace in the Riverside.

“Sorry I can’t stay, I’m just running home actually,” I said apologetically.

We said goodbye, and as I walked away, I briefly glanced over my shoulder. I watched as Dan got on the elevator, riding up to the 38
th
floor.
Where the hell is he going?

I didn’t have time to think about it as I arrived back home. Molly was in bed, resting. Her belly was growing more and more each day, making it uncomfortable for her to sleep. She shoved several pillows around her body, trying to take the pressure off.

I had a few more hours before Stella and Liam would get home from school. I made sure to have dinner ready by five, so Molly wouldn’t feel the need to get up and cook. I knew it was something she was missing, but I wasn’t going to risk anything when it came to her health and keeping our babies inside as long as possible.

I slipped into the closet, changing out of my suit for the night. I dug around the closet, looking for something else to wear when I found something odd.

It was a box.

It was a picture box, decorated in sweet little hearts and musical notes. To be respectful of Molly’s privacy, I decided not to open it. As much as I was dying to look, I gently placed it back down.

As I dressed, my eyes kept looking back to the box. I hadn’t noticed it before, making me wonder if it was something new.

I decided to brush it off, not wanting to upset her by snooping into her things. I figured if she wanted me to know about it, she’d tell me.

I tiptoed back downstairs, not wanting to wake her just yet. I still had a few phone calls I wanted to make before the kids got home. Making sure everything was perfect for Saturday was starting to make me anxious. I never get anxious before a big event, but this one was special to me. It felt like we would be officially engaged or something—officially announcing it to the world that Molly was mine.

“You’re home early,” Michael stated, plopping his ass on the barstool.

“You’re observant.” I grinned. I lay my fat planner on the table opening up to the phone numbers that I needed.

“So smartass, do you need me to help yet?”

“Well, I want to get Molly a gift. Any ideas?”

“That five carat diamond you gave her wasn’t enough?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Okay for starters, it wasn’t five carats. Secondly, you live here rent free, so limit the smartass comments, and thirdly, you smell funny.”

He laughed. “I smell funny? It’s called working out. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?” He lifted his arm up and kissed his bicep.

“We are so not having this conversation.” I laughed. “Okay, enough muscle talk. I need ideas.”

“Alright fine. What kind of gift do you want to give her?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking
you
for help,” I scoffed.

“Not
what
you want to get her, dumbass, but what
kind
? Like…what do you want the gift to mean or say by giving it to her?”

I let that one slide, but scowled at him anyway.

“I want it to say that this finalizes it. This means us forever. That we’re meant for each other.” He lifted one side of his lip in a
not impressed
look and crossed his arms. “What?” I snapped.

“I didn’t know you were such a girl,” he teased.

“Ugh, forget it. I don’t want your help.” I closed my planner and pushed myself against the table to stand up.

“Okay, okay, you big baby. I’ll help you.”

“No smartass remarks?”

“Promise.”

“Fine,” I growled. Michael was a good guy, but he sure loved to give me shit. I still thought, even after all this time, he was having a hard time letting Molly and Stella go completely. I mean, they’d always be within arms reach of each other, but I think us getting married just made it more concrete that Molly was moving on and starting a life with another man.

“She loves charm bracelets.”

“Bracelets? I’ve never seen her wear one.”

“She got one from Liam. She used to wear it every single day, even after he passed away. It was like her little memory holder. As long as she wore it, it was as if Liam was still with her,” he replied sincerely, all joking aside.

“Why doesn’t she wear it anymore?” I asked, wondering why I had never seen it before.

“Honestly, I don’t know. She stopped wearing it a while ago. I haven’t seen it.”

“So you think a charm bracelet is a good idea then? You don’t think it’ll bring up the memory of Liam?”

“I think she’ll love it if it’s from you,” he responded sincerely. “And add some of that sappy shit to it, and she’ll go crazy over it.” He grinned, trying to hide his smile.

“Thanks, man. Appreciate the help. Even if you’re a pain the ass.” I patted him on the back before I left the room.

“That’s what I’m here for. Day or night!” he called out.

*   *   *

It was finally Saturday. Molly had no idea what was about to happen. I found the perfect Tiffany charm bracelet for her. I wanted it to represent everything we’ve been through, everything that brought us together, and everything that we shared together. I wanted to give her something special and meaningful, but for it to represent that no matter what I wasn’t going anywhere. I knew since getting engaged that she’s been
having a lot of dreams about Liam and about her past, being engaged to Liam and planning a future with him. I knew she had been feeling guilty for being happy and moving on after Liam passed away. I wanted to reassure her and give her closure that it was all right to feel that way, but also, that it was all right to move on.

I have never felt the way I feel for Molly for anyone. No ex-girlfriend has ever come close. She was it for me. She was my present, future, and forever. No matter what.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” I whispered quietly as I walked into our bedroom. She was lying peacefully, sleeping soundly. “I brought breakfast.”

“You’re spoiling me, you know.” She opened her eyes and smiled back at me. “I’m going to be expecting this kind of treatment forever now.” She grinned, happily taking the tray of food I prepared for her.