Page 45 of Wrapped in Winter
“Yes! Drake says he can cook, can he cook us dinner? Momma, please, can he?”
The customer makes a humming noise and says under her breath, “I’d say yes if I were you, Momma.”
She smiles as I look at her, and again I try to calm myself with the deep breathing.
“Only if Pretty Lily helps me.”
She jumps up and down. “I wanna help!”
“You’re making it pretty hard to say no, Drake,” I say.
“That's the point, January,” he retorts.
Lily throws herself around his leg, leaning back and laughing while looking at me upside down. The scene grips my heart.
“She’s never done this with anyone. Not even Lief,” I say with wonder.
His lips twist and he winks. “She’s like her momma—knows a good thing when she sees it.” He tickles her sides and grabs her, throwing her up in his hold. “We’re going to the store to get dinner, and we’ll meet at your house.” He holds out his hand expectantly, and I look at it. “I’m not looking for a high five, I’m looking for keys, January.”
Of course, he needs keys to get into my house. This is fine. Keys are fine. “They’re on the counter; a picture of Lily is on one of the keyring. That’s the one to the front door.”
Oh my god, he needs a key.Before I can think twice, he’s walking out the front door.
“Whew. Girl, you better hold onto that one.” The customer walks to the other side of the table, looking at the items. My armsdrop to my sides and I lean my head back, looking up.What in the world was that?
I let myself imagine, for just a moment, what it would be like to have Drake as ours. To have someone I could depend on, to have an extra set of hands. I’ve done everything myself, and I’m tired. The new year has just started, the cold is solidly upon us, and the words my Dad always said to us as kids seem so much more accurate now.“Embrace the emptiness, wrap yourself in winter, and don't ever fight the quiet, knowing once it thaws, a new day is upon us.”
I walk into my house and the smell of dinner is amazing. There’s normally no time to prepare anything great for myself. Lily is very picky, so it’s usually chicken nuggets with a side of green beans. I’m surprised I get her to have the beans, but a win is a win. I hear music playing and recognize Kidz Bop is on the stereo and Miley is singing about a party in the USA.
“I’m home!” I call out over the music, and they both answer, “In here!” My heart races, but with excitement and not anxiety this time, and I find myself smiling as I walk into the kitchen.
Lily is standing on a chair at the counter, shaking her little bottom to the music. She has an oversized apron on, and her hands are covered in flour.
“What in the world is happening here?”
Drake turns around with a boyish smile and a look of embarrassment. “We got a little carried away.” He uses the back of his hand to brush his hair from his forehead.
“I see that.”
“Momma! Look! We take the chicken and dip it in the eggs, then we put it in the lily and then the pan!”
Drake laughs. “She means in the flour.”
I smile. “Well, technically lily is a flower, so I see the confusion.”
“And Drake colored on his arm!”
I step further into the mess of my kitchen and glance at his arms. Those strong forearms that I want to hold onto once more. Then I focus on the one with a long stem and writing.
“She means my tattoo.”
“Boy, you guys seem to know a lot about each other, huh?”
“We’ve been having a great time today. Right, Pretty Lily?”
“Right, Drake!” Lily giggles, and it’s hard not to understand how she’s so enamored with him.
Because I sure am.