Chapter Seven
Drake
The hard part was over. She was going to give me the do-over I was so desperate for, but, fuck, she’d nearly had me on my knees when she’d first thought I was asking for something different. Hell. I’d butchered my explanation and had nearly changed my mind. But I knew I wouldn’t survive the following year when this shit invaded my sanity and tried to pull me down into that empty abyss that haunted my dreams.
My nervousness had started to fade, the shaking in my hands had stopped except for the occasional tremor. I rushed Angel through saying goodbye to the girls and practically had to drag her away from Lucy as the limo pulled up in front of the house. With Emmie and Lucy’s help I’d planned every last detail out. I was going to make this day something neither one of us ever forgot. We weren’t going anywhere exotic or even out of state. The whole point was to revisit our past and recreate something special.
The driver already had the back door open and I helped my wife inside before waving at Lucy and the girls standing in the doorway watching us. When I got in beside her, she already had the bouquet of flowers in her hands, her face alight with pleasure. There were white roses mixed with a slew of tie-dyed ones that were a soft blue and purple. She ran a finger over the soft petals and gave me a beaming smile.
“These are beautiful.” She gave me a quick kiss as I settled in next to her and the driver closed the door. “Remember the bouquet for our wedding? I loved those red roses with the black edges that the florist mixed in with the white ones. I still have a few petals in our wedding album.”
“You took my breath away in your wedding dress, Angel.” I’d been scared out of my mind that she was going to change her mind at the last minute and not marry me. That she would remember all the shit I’d put her through during that year and realize she was better off without me. When I’d seen her at the end of the aisle, smiling like she was the happiest woman in the world, looking like the angel she was, I’d nearly fallen at her feet.
She smelled the roses again, then leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder as the driver pulled away from the house. “I love you.”
Like it always did when I heard those three little words leave her lips, my heart stopped for two beats and I thanked all of Emmie’s gods for sending me this woman. “I love you, too.”
Our first stop didn’t take us far. The driver pulled to a stop in the park where I’d taken Angel after our first date. Back then she’d only been seventeen, so I’d refused to call it a date. But it had been the first of many nights out together. That night we’d gone to a little Greek place and then we’d driven out here and sat on the swings, just talking. I hadn’t wanted that night to end.
The park was deserted except for the occasional jogger since it was Sunday morning. By that afternoon the playground would be crawling with families out playing with their kids. The driver opened my door and I got out. I offered her my hand and she took it, a happy smile on her face as she glanced over at the swings.
Entwining our fingers, we walked across the playground and sat in the swings just like we did all those years ago. The air was chilly and we’d dressed for that, but I doubted I would have felt it even if I’d been in nothing more than a pair of basketball shorts. My eyes were locked on Angel as she rocked back and forth in the swing, our hands still linked. She threw her head back, her long dark hair falling past her waist as she laughed up at the cloudless sky.
“That night, I knew I loved you,” she said with another happy laugh. “I’d only known you a week, but time didn’t matter.” She straightened and turned her head, giving me that mysteriously beautiful smile I ached to perfect on paper. “I knew in that moment I would love you to the end of time. I never dreamed that you’d love me back.”
I lifted our joined hands and kissed her fingers. “Always, Angel. Always. That night was perfect.”
She pulled her hair over her shoulder with her free hand before leaning her head against the cold chains of the swing. A sly grin caressed her lips. “We had our first fight the next day.”
I snorted. “You can still be a stubborn little bitch at times.”
Her grin turned wicked. “Would you want it any other way, babe?”
Leaning forward, I brushed a soft kiss over her cheek. “No. Life would be too boring. I love you just the way you are.”
We sat there for a long while, just laughing and enjoying the alone time. This visit down memory lane was reminding me just how much fun we’d had together in the beginning. It was still like that. No matter how crazy life got, we still made time for moments like this.
It was only when parents started showing up with their kids that we left. I wrapped my arm around Angel’s waist as we walked back to the waiting limo. Back in the vehicle, she cuddled close, her head once again going to my chest. Our next stop was more of a drive, but neither one of us noticed the distance or the time that went by as we savored every second of just holding on to each other.
We didn’t kiss, didn’t touch each other in any sexual way, yet our time in the back seat of that limo was intimate and had my heart racing double time. No words were spoken, but we didn’t need them right then. Our minds were on each other; on the good times we’d shared together.
The limo stopped outside a little Italian restaurant. The parking lot was empty except for the owner’s car. This place wasn’t normally open on Sundays, but Emmie had given them a little incentive to let me use it for an hour or so today. As we stepped into the little place, the scents of tomato sauce and garlic filled our noses and Angel gave a hungry sigh.
The owner came out of the kitchen as the door shut behind us, a welcoming smile on his face. “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson. Your table is already set for you.”
My angel gave me a questioning look but I only grinned. Taking her hand, I pulled her with me as we followed the man to the back of the restaurant, right to the table we’d used the first time we’d eaten here. The man left after promising to bring our food right out.
“Is this the place we had dinner with Shane after Layla’s car broke down on me that first time?” I nodded and her face softened. “I’d almost forgotten about this place. They make the best chicken parmesan.”
Moments later the man appeared with our food. The chicken parmesan for her and a triple trio for me. Tears filled Angel’s eyes and the owner quickly made himself scarce. I reached for her hands. “Why are you crying?” I asked around the lump that had filled my throat at the first sign of those tears that were like acid on my heart.
She laughed, shaking her head as a few more tears escaped her whiskey-colored eyes. “I’m sorry. This is just so sweet. I love it, Dray. Thank you for remembering.”
My fingers contracted around her hands. “I remember everything about our life together. Everything from how you blushed the first time I laid eyes on you to the sweat dripping down your forehead when you pushed our daughters into this world. The only thing I don’t remember we’re creating new memories for us both to share. That’s what this day is about.”
She pulled one hand free to wipe her eyes. “They’re beautiful memories, babe.”
I tugged on her hand and she came out of her chair then, down onto my lap. I cupped her face, tilting it up so I could brush a soft kiss over her lips. “This is only the beginning.”
The tears quickly dried up as we ate our lunch. We talked about random things. As if by silent agreement we didn’t bring up the girls or anything else that would normally happen in our day-to-day lives. Her laughter was infectious. Every time I heard it my heart lifted and all the shit that had been rolling around in my head lately disappeared.
The day wasn’t close to being over yet, but I was already feeling better. It wasn’t so much about sex, but simply creating good memories, just like I’d told her. Having this day with Angel was calming my demons, bringing me the peace that she—and only she—had ever given me.
After lunch we went to our hotel. The Mondrian was in West Hollywood and supposedly one of the most romantic hotels in L.A. I had to take Emmie’s word on that because I didn’t know shit about those kind of things. It only took a few minutes to check in, and we went straight up to our room.
The penthouse was fifteen-hundred square feet and perfect for what I had planned for tonight. The room was laid out with a dining room, living room and then the bedroom with a connecting bathroom that had a spa bathtub big enough for six and a huge walk-in shower. The balcony overlooked the city, which would be all lit up come nightfall, as well as a heated pool. I was going to take advantage of every amenity provided by this room and give my wife a night neither one of us would ever forget.
As soon as the bellman left, Lana jumped into my arms, kissing every inch of my face but avoiding my mouth. I grasped her ass, holding her in place as her legs wrapped tightly around my waist. “You’re my favorite person in the world—you know that, right?”
“Back at you, Angel.” I walked out onto the balcony with her still in my arms.
Below us, other guests were sitting or lying around on the terrace, laughing and drinking. Others were playing around in the pool. It wasn’t an annoying sound, but it made me glad we had our own private pool to do our own playing. I dropped down into one of the loungers on the balcony, arranging Angel so we were both comfortable.
Like this, even through her jeans and mine, I could feel her heat. It made my dick throb and dig into the zipper of my jeans. My hardness flexed against her softness, making her moan. My fingers bit into her ass to keep from stripping her right then and there. I wasn’t going to fuck my wife on the balcony in the middle of the day when anyone could see us. That was my little brother’s M.O., not mine.
She buried her face in my neck, our hair tangling together as it shielded our faces from the sun. “You realize we haven’t made love in over a week?”
“Trust me, I know.” I gritted my teeth when she nibbled on my ear, making the pain in my dick a kind of excruciating ecstasy. “It’s been hell trying to keep my hands off you.”
Her head lifted, those golden-brown eyes narrowed on me. “Why have you?”
I forced my hands to relax on her ass. “Because I thought it would make tonight even more special. Maybe it won’t be our first time together, but I’m going to make you feel like it is.”