CHAPTER 28

Delia

“Delia, you’re pregnant with my child. You're not leaving my side. I’m going to take care of you,” Drake said.

“Right now you need to be taking care of yourself,” I said.

“I’ve got it in check. You don’t see me pounding anything back right now, do ya?”

“You’ve also only been out, what? A few days? A week, maybe?”

“I’m okay. You gotta trust me on that,” he said.

“Drake, your sobriety is much too new to know that yet. In fact, they encourage you not to get involved with anyone during your entire first year.”

Drake was silent as anger flew behind his eyes.

“Oh honey, I think we’re past ‘involved’, don’t you?” he snapped.

I sighed. “That’s not what I mean. Yes, we are having a baby, but that doesn’t mean we are automatically together. And it doesn’t mean you need to take care of me like I’m an invalid. Let me do my part, and you do yours. Stay sober, do your meetings, do your counseling, do your tour if you feel up to it.”

“It sounds like you have more experience with this than just what you learned in school,” Drake said.

I carefully avoided his comment. “The point is, I don’t think you’re ready to do this. And I’m not staying here, so take me home,” I said.

“If you really want to go home, then that’s fine. But I’m packing a bag and coming with you.”

“No, you’re not. You can’t trap me here and you can’t trap me in my own home.”

“I’m not trapping you, Delia. But you’re pregnant and you’re weak. You just got out of the hospital and the only way the doctor let you leave was because she thought she was releasing you to someone. I’m not leaving you alone, even if it pisses you off.”

I closed my eyes as my body grew weak at his words. There was anger in his voice, but genuine concern in the things he was saying. He had points I couldn’t battle, even though I wanted to. I could still feel the aching in my hips and the pain that robbed me of my breath. My eyes were drooping, my body exhausted from the day’s activities.

“We can talk more tomorrow,” Drake said, as he led me to a bedroom with a large four poster bed. I was simply too exhausted in that moment to fight about it anymore.

I slipped in and out of sleep, waking up long enough to catch a few voices murmuring outside my door.

“Her car’s at work. Anything else?”

“Gotta run into town for some more feed. She need anything?”

“Can I watch the videos again? Of her graduating?”

I slept harder than I ever had in my life. As the bright sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the dust floating around in the air, I stretched my arms and sighed. My back popped, aligning itself after a twisted night of sleep. I had contorted myself into positions that had my arms and legs aching.

But when I rolled over, I was met with a pair of wide eyes and a crooked smile.

I jumped back in surprise as I screamed.

Elsie began screaming as well as my eyes raked over her body. She was terrified, her body rocking and her fingers fidgeting. I stopped my screaming and reached out for her, trying to comfort her and apologize for starling her.

But Tammy and Drake busted through my bedroom door before I could.

Tammy quickly went to Elsie who pressed deeply into her caretaker. Drake sat on the bed next to me, smoothing my hair back as I tried to get my bearings. Elsie was crying, and I felt terrible. Tears were streaming down my own face as Tammy tried to get the poor girl to redirect her focus.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scream,” I said.

“Are you all right?” Drake asked. “What happened? Are you having pain?”

“It’s okay. No. I just rolled over and Elsie was there, and it startled me. Tammy, please tell her I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. She knows. You scared her, too, but we’ve talked about this,” Tammy said. “She was very excited to see you again.”

“Elsie?” I asked.

The woman who seemed so small in the protection of her caretaker looked over at me as she sniffled.

“I’m excited to see you, too,” I said, with a smile.

I watched as Tammy calmed her down as Drake rubbed my back.

“You hungry?” he asked. “Ya slept through dinner last night.”

“Yeah. Yeah I uh—actually am,” I said.

“You usually not hungry?” he asked.

“I’m usually too tired to eat.”

“That go for drinking as well? Because you were pretty dehydrated in the hospital.”

I shot him a look as he nodded his head.

“Well, come on downstairs. No need to clean yourself up. I’ll get ya some breakfast, then we can continue whatever fight you wanna have.”

I threw another smile toward Elsie before they all left my room. I slid out of bed, making my way to the bathroom attached to the room I had slept in. I splashed some water in my face and used the hand soap to wash up a bit. I didn’t have the energy to take a shower just yet. I looked around the bathroom sink and saw a new toothbrush and a travel size container of toothpaste sitting there for me.

With a sigh, I picked them both up and began the daunting task of cleaning up.

I knew Drake was trying to do what he thought was right. He wanted to protect and care for me and our baby, but I knew what I was talking about, he just wasn’t ready for all of this. No matter how confident he had been in his ability to stay sober, it was just too new, which meant, I couldn’t stay here.

I didn’t care what I had to do to get out. I was leaving today, and no one could stop me.

There was a hair tie lying on the counter, so I threw my hair up in a bun. I looked like hell, but it was the best it was going to get right now.

I knew if I could reason with Drake, he’d let me go.

He was stubborn, but he wasn’t a kidnapper.

As I came out of the bedroom, I saw him propped against the wall. I jumped at his presence, taking stock of his body while he grinned. He was in a pair of old worn jeans and some boots. They were muddy, which meant he’d already been out on the farm today. But his chest was bare and his muscles were sculpted. He looked to be chiseled from the marble of the gods, and I stared at him before I made my way down the hallway.

I felt my nipples puckering under my bra. As I made my way downstairs, Drake was hot on my heels. He followed me into the kitchen, his body heat radiating against my back.

I made the grave mistake of leaning into him, and he took the opportunity to press a kiss to my cheek.

“Mornin’ sunshine,” he said. “Figured you’d want something easy for breakfast.”

He slid a bowl of cereal onto the table before he grabbed a banana.

I stared at my breakfast as the banana he was holding slid into view.

Drake sighed as I sat down, walking toward the kitchen counter and leaning against it.

He folded his arms over his chest once again, his eyes staring out the window. His muscles were flexed and my body was falling for his trap. I could feel my nipples standing at attention. I could feel my pelvis churning. I could feel a heat rising up the back of my neck. It had been a long time since I’d been in his arms. Those arms that kept flexing for me as he lost himself in thought.

My body wanted him badly.

“How’d ya sleep?” Drake asked.

“Fine,” I said.

“The bed comfortable?”

“Not as comfortable as mine. But it served the purpose.”

“Got anything you wanna do today?” he asked.

“Yep. I have to clean my bathroom at home and check in on some loose end P.A. clients I’m still working for.”

“You’re working two jobs?” he asked.

“I am. Which is why I need to get home. I got people waiting for me.”

“I can have Hank get your laptop for you.”

“Or you can take me to it.”

“I probably have better internet here than you do at your apartment.”

“Drake, I’ve already told you I’m not staying here. I want to go.”

Before he could say anything, Paul stepped through the back door. His eyes darted between Drake and I, watching our silent standoff as he stood at the back door.

Then he knocked off his boots and stepped his way into the kitchen.

“Got whatcha asked for,” Paul said.

“Thanks. It’ll make my run into town easier,” Drake said.

“Make sure you get exactly what’s on the list. Don’t go improvisin’ on me,” Paul said.

“When have I ever done that to you?” Drake asked.

“Every damn time you go into town,” Paul said.

I snickered at the comment as I continued to eat my breakfast. Drake shot me another heated look as I peeled my banana, shoving it into my face just to make a show of things. A grin slid across Paul’s cheeks as he turned his kind eyes my way, and immediately I felt a bit of relief. He tipped his hat to me, smiling broadly before he turned and left the house.

I finished my breakfast as Drake studied the paper in front of him. He was flipping things over, his eyes scanning whatever document Paul had just handed him. I stood and took my bowl to the sink as I caught Drake’s stare again.

“I’m ready to go home whenever you’re ready to take me,” I said.

“Well, I’m not ready to take you.”

“Then I’ll walk home.”

“No, you won’t. We still have a lot of talkin’ to do, about how we’re gonna go about doing all this together,” Drake said.

“I don’t have to stay here in order for us to talk. You can call. Or come over yourself.”

“Thought you didn’t want me there.”

“I don’t want you living there, no. But you can come visit.”

“Like you expect me to just come visit my child whenever it’s convenient for you?” he asked.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I’m this baby’s father and you aren’t going to push me away. Not now, not ever.”

“I’m not going to keep you from this child,” I said. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

“The type of person to not tell me you're having my child, maybe?”

His words were like a blow to my gut. He pressed by me, his body heat gracing me one last time as tears filled my eyes. Was that what this was all about? He thought if I left, I’d keep his fucking child from him? I whipped around on my feet, watching him as he pulled a shirt from the closet. He pulled it over his head, then grabbed a baseball cap and started for the front door.

“Don’t you leave, Delia. We still have a lot we gotta sort out. But first, I gotta go get feed and see about getting a new damn tractor,” Drake said.

He threw his front door open and slammed through the screen door, his legs boasting of a swagger that still didn’t mesh with his ranch life. I had no idea how he did it. How that cocky swagger of his got set aside, for the rough and tumble ranch life. None of it fit together. They were two separate worlds, yet somehow, he managed to make it work.

How he managed both lives was beyond me.

But if he could make two seemingly opposite lives work, then maybe he could make us work.

Maybe we could make us work.