Page 47 of Wrapped in Winter
Anxiety begins to race through me. “Rules. I need rules, Drake. I don’t understand what’s happening. Everything I swore off is now staring me dead in the face.”
And instead of me comforting him, he comforts me as I plead for understanding. “Hey, it’s okay.” He moves closer to me on the couch, placing his hands on my face and forcing me to look at him. “I wasn’t expecting any of this either. I saw a hot girl I wanted to fuck, and I had no idea I’d be sitting in her home, cooking her dinner, and then putting her daughter to bed. But here we are.”
I shake my head. “So simply put.”
“And anything but, right?”
I nod. “Right.”
“January, I want to be here. Your moods and fears won’t scare me off. I don’t know what it is to be a dad, and I’m not trying to step in as one. But I have to tell you, I’m falling for this amazing little girl, and her mom isn’t so bad either.”
I close my eyes and let out a breath. “I don’t see what you see.”
“Then let me tell you. Her mom is actually the hottest woman I've ever laid eyes on. She’s a badass who’s gone through some shit but is still standing. She’s running a business, caring for her family, and raising a badass little girl. But she deserves love too.”
“You throw around the L word quite often, don’t you?”
“Remember what I said. If I think about it, I say it. And I’m not saying I'm in love, but I’m saying I can get there.”
“I need you to be patient with me.”
“Patient is my middle name!”
I laugh at his outburst, and he throws his arm around me, pulling me in close to his chest.
“You're a good man, Drake, and I don’t know what I did to deserve meeting you.”
“If it makes you feel better, the things I want to do to you right now don't make me a good man.”
I giggle and turn my face into his neck. “You always know what to say to lighten the mood.”
“It’s a gift.”
Chapter 20
January
Ihad to cancel on Drake tonight. I know he thinks it’s because I’m running. I’m not, not really. I do have to be at the store. We just got a huge shipment in, and I need to get things organized. I need to do inventory, and I need this lot to sell in order to bring us into a comfortable position. But after making us dinner the other night, and tucking Lily into bed, my anxiety is running high with hope and fear.
We met with Jack and his attorney and signed all the paperwork. Dress Me Up boutique is officially out of the red, but we’re in so much deeper than that now. Jack Fristoni is a silent partner, and though he sat at the table and didn’t say a word while Lief and I went through the remaining open stock, he was listening to every bit. At the end, he offered to travel with Lief to surrounding towns in the spring and get ideas on their items. It wasn’t bossy, but it felt like he was very comfortable moving into this position.
So all I can do now is push our marketing aspect and open a website. Anything I can do to get this loan paid quicker and keep us in the black, I’m going to do.
But for now, that meant canceling on Drake and enlisting my mom to keep Lily overnight. It's good for Mom to not be alone, but I don't want to take advantage of her either.
It’s after ten at night, and I look at the remaining four boxes I have to unpack. The items are gorgeous though so I’m excited to open up the rest. With each new box, the items are better and better. The lingerie is exquisite, and the dresses that have come in rival ball gowns. The resort has black-tie events sometimes, and now that we have updated items, I'm hoping they sell out as fast as they came in.
My text alert goes off and I almost ignore it, trying to stay focused on the job at hand, but then I remember Lily and know if something happened, Mom would check in.
Drake: I hope the rumors are false.
Me: I didn’t leak the stamina rumors.
Drake: Oh, baby, you’re asking for trouble. But we know those are definitely false.
Me: Are they?
Drake: Do you need reminding? But that’s not what I’m talking about. Tell me you’re not alone at the shop at ten at night.