Chapter Thirty-Eight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I woke up to the sun shining through the blinds the next morning. I blinked slowly as my brain woke up and the memories of the night before hit me all at once. I panicked suddenly, afraid that I’d dreamt it all, but a warm body shifting next to me stole my attention.

I twisted my head and warm lips pressed to my cheek as strong arms tightened around me.

“Morning, babe.”

“Good morning.” I turned in his hold and didn’t stop until I was face to face with Drew. “Good. Last night really did happen.”

He flashed me a tired, yet somehow still cocky, grin. “Many times.”

I laughed softly but he wasn’t kidding. Drew and I made good on our plans when we got back to the house. I don’t think we slept more than a couple of hours and I was sure I had at least four new hickeys to show for it. Some things never changed.

“I love waking up with you,” I murmured, running my nose along the short hair on his chin. “We should do it more often.”

I squealed in surprise when he rolled us so he was hovering over me with a mischievous grin on his face. “I agree.”

My eyes drank him in like I’d never get my fill while my hands ran along his shoulders and upper chest. My fingers were exploring slowly when I noticed a fresh tattoo over his heart. I pushed up on him gently and he obliged instantly, pulling back so I could get a better look.

I inhaled a sharp breath. In black ink was an infinity symbol about three inches long. In soft script below it were the words ‘For Infinity’.

“When did you get this?” I whispered, tracing it with my finger slowly. Drew shifted above me so he could kiss my forehead.

“About two months ago when I decided you were done for good. I just needed the woman I loved and the girl who’d been my best friend close to me.”

I didn’t reply with words. I couldn’t have even if I wanted to. Encouraging him to roll over, I straddled his body and used my own to show him my love and appreciation.

Forty-five minutes later, we made breakfast together in the Holcomb’s huge kitchen and didn’t stop talking once as we ate. There weren’t any specific topics we stuck to and we managed to talk about a little of everything.

The conversation only stopped briefly in the shower when our mouths were otherwise occupied, but we picked it right back up as we got dressed and ready to go.

“They were having sex in the chair?”

I shuddered and dug around in my suitcase, which Drew had moved into his guest room the night before when he insisted that we weren’t sleeping apart. “Yup. Mom completely naked in Dad’s equally naked lap. The noises still haunt my dreams, Drew.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I bet that was quite a scene when they realized you were there.”

“Mom screamed, Dad yelled, and I ran back out to my car. We never spoke of it.”

Drew burst into laughter and I couldn’t contain my own either, despite my disgust. I located the sweatshirt I’d been searching for and saw his hand reach out to grab something that had been underneath it.

“This isn’t yours, you thief.” He held up his Dodgers cap and raised his eyebrows playfully, keeping it out of reach when I grabbed for it.

It had been a last second decision the morning I left to bring it with me. Even at that moment, I still wasn’t sure what had possessed me to do it. I think the hat had just made me feel closer to him.

“Finders keepers.”

He chuckled and placed it on top of his head. “You didn’t find it, you stole it. I thought maybe you’d set it on fire.”

“Nope. It’s been on my nightstand for the past three months, next to this.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keychain, offering it to him. He had repaired the clasp on my necklace in the middle of the night, in between orgasms, and it was back around my neck where it belonged. “Thank you for letting me use this when I needed it.”

“Of course.” He pocketed it and adjusted his hat. “You can have this back when you get me something to replace it with. I’ve been wearing a UCLA hat and it sucks.”

I tilted my head as I examined him with a smile. “I think you’ll look really good in Sedona Red.”

“Diamondbacks,” he replied with a groan as I pulled my sweatshirt over my head. “You’d really make me wear a hat from that mediocre team?”

“Yup.” I placed a quick kiss on his lips and he just laughed as we walked out the door to May’s SUV.

That light atmosphere followed us all of the way to the hospital and Howard’s room even felt less oppressive with the tension gone between the two of us. The man himself looked much better than he had the day before. He was smiling when we entered the room and his smile only increased when he noticed that our hands were entwined.

May’s smile brightened as well and I could tell she wanted to comment on it. She managed to hold herself back, though, and just informed us that Keaton would be arriving soon. My parents, too.

Mom had insisted that Thanksgiving be moved to the Holcomb household and she was already looking up the best recipe ideas for Howard. Apparently the words ‘tofurkey’ and ‘kale casserole’ had been thrown around and Howard wasn’t too pleased.

“When do you think you’ll be released?” I asked as I took a seat on the foot of his bed. Drew stood next to me with his hand on my shoulder. Howard sighed and sat back against his reclined bed.

“They said three or four days. Are you sure you kids can stay until Thanksgiving? I don’t want either of you in trouble with work or school.”

“We’re sure,” Drew insisted while I nodded my agreement.

“It’s a short week anyway. Everything is taken care of.”

That was all it took to placate Howard and he let the subject drop. As a Cheshire-cat like grin filled his face, I knew we were about to broach a new subject. His wife, however, beat him to the inquisition.

“You two worked it out, then? You’re together?”

Drew squeezed my shoulder and smiled at May. “We did. Shay’s agreed to just remember that I’m usually right from here on out. I think that will give us smooth sailing relationship-wise.”

Both Howard and May laughed but it was him who replied. “Sure, sure. Take it from me, son- You can hold onto that mantra for as long as you’d like but the secret to a healthy relationship is definitely the opposite. Take my marriage for example: May is always right even when she’s wrong.”

“That’s right,” May agreed with a nod. “Better you learn that now.”

We hung out in his room for more than three hours and only left when Howard was basically falling asleep mid-conversation. The look on May’s face said she wanted to kick us out but didn’t want to at the same time. Drew made that decision for her when he told her we needed to eat lunch before we picked up my parents from the airport.

After quite a few hugs and promises that we’d be back later, the two of us left. We parked along the ocean and walked around downtown. The air was freezing and we both ended up buying coats from a local boutique. The owner was hilarious and loved teasing us the second she found out we were from the west coast.

We found a nice little restaurant to eat at and visited the science center afterwards. They had a neat pirate exhibition that we both enjoyed exploring. Once we’d had our fill, we walked along the cold beach and soaked up each other’s company.

When we picked up Mom and Dad from the airport, they both had hugged me immediately. Without pausing, Mom had done the same to Drew while Dad had offered him a friendly hand. They didn’t seem like strangers meeting for the first time but more like old friends who had been waiting for that moment.

The next few days were a blur. Keaton arrived and I was happy to see how easy things were between all of us. We spent time at the lake doing absolutely nothing but spending time together and all of the other time at the hospital. Howard was released on Tuesday morning, four days after his heart attack, and we all celebrated his homecoming.

The Holcomb household was bursting at the seams with everyone filling the bedrooms but it was perfection in every single way.

Drew and I were inseparable, soaking in as much of each other as we could. I knew my Dad had originally been unhappy with the fact that I was sharing a room with him but he got over it fast. It probably helped that Drew was the idyllic guy for your daughter. Not only did he treat me perfectly but he went out of his way to make genuine conversation with other people around us.

Thanksgiving was amazing. Besides the seven of us, the year-round employees of Camp Holcomb joined us, including Ted from the stables.

The usual fixings had been on the table, including good old fashioned turkey, along with some healthy choices. May had basically tackled Howard when he’d attempted to load up on extra mac ‘n cheese and mashed potatoes with gravy. He grumbled but if the small twitch at the corners of his lips said anything, it was all done in good nature.

The days flew by too fast. Mom and Dad went back home Friday and Drew and I both booked flights for Saturday. It took some searching but we finally found flights for each of us that had the same layover in Chicago.

After hugging both May and Howard several times and promising to be back for the summer, Keaton took both of us to the airport early Saturday morning. He had been great the entire time we were there and he and Drew both seemed to get along really well. He updated us on how Christy was since he talked to her often, although the two of them weren’t in an exclusive relationship.

“See you both next summer,” he told us as he dropped us off at the curb. I gave him a swift hug and stepped back.

“Thanks, Keaton. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help with your parents.”

He and Drew exchanged their own goodbyes and then we headed inside, going straight through security with our carry-ons. We found our gate and settled into some seats off to the side, not saying much.

The announcement that they were going to begin boarding sounded over the intercom and I sighed. I would have preferred to sit in the airport with him for hours versus having to leave him eventually. I knew he felt the same way because he lifted his cap and ran a frustrated hand through his messy hair. The action reminded me of something and I grabbed my backpack so I could dig around in it.

“I almost forgot,” I told him, finally locating the item I was after. “I asked Dad to pick me up something in Arizona right before they flew out and he brought it with him last weekend so I could give it to you.”

Drew raised his eyebrows. “Yeah? Is it all of your stuff so you can just move to L.A. with me?”

“Close but not quite.” I pulled my hand from the backpack and flourished dramatically. “Tada!”

A laugh immediately fell from his lips and he reached out to take the maroon-colored hat from me. It had a red and black A on the front, a logo I knew he was familiar with since they were one of the Dodger’s hottest rivals.

“A D-back’s hat. Awesome.” His voice was sarcastic but the look in his eyes was playful. He lifted his cap from his head and dropped it onto mine before replacing it with the new one. “How do I look?”

I spun it backwards so it was in his usual style. “Perfect. It doesn’t bring out your eyes as much but that’s okay. You don’t need to be super sexy Drew when you’re three-hundred miles from me.”

“Super sexy Drew,” he repeated with a roll of those gorgeous eyes. “I’m yours, babe. Never doubt that.” His face got serious all of the sudden. “This will work, Shaylee. I love you and that won’t ever change. We just need to make sure we communicate. If you’re ever feeling down or doubtful, you need to voice that. Just know that you can trust me. I will never do anything to hurt you.”

“I know.” I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. “It’s a two way street. You’re the only one I need. I want that future between us. I know these next six months are going to be hard but we can do it. We will do it.”

He hugged me to his side tight and I couldn’t even care that the arm rest between us was digging into my side. “We will, Shay. We’ve got a bright future ahead of us and I won’t accept anything less.”

Drew was right and I wouldn’t accept anything less, either.