Ever After Drake (10 page)

I’m honestly not sure.

“
How long are you going to
be gone on this trip?” I ask, finally breaking the
silence.

“
Uh,” she says, wiping her
mouth with a napkin. “About two weeks again. This is a big client
in Chicago.”

I nod, chewing on my lower lip. “Does
Dick have any help with Skyler while you’re gone?”

“
He seems to be doing okay
lately,” Mom says, not quite meeting my eyes. She reaches for her
glass. Her hand shakes as she brings it to her lips. “And he has
you to help him out.”

The temperature of my blood starts to
rise. My hands curl into fists. “And you don’t feel any guilt
walking away from your son for fourteen days at a time?”

“
Kaylee,” Mom says,
narrowing her eyes at me and her brows furrowing. “I have to work.
I have to earn money to help support your brother.”

“
But you have to work a
job that takes you away from him for weeks at a time? Why can’t you
find something that you can be around?” My voice is slowly rising
and my insides grow harder.

“
I’m finally making good
money,” she says, her voice hard. “I have a real career now. Surely
you can understand that.”

“
No,” I say, shaking my
head. “I can’t. You’ve all but abandoned Skyler. And that would be
fine if you just cut and dry walked away from him, but he never
knows when you’ll waltz back into his life and pretend like you
care. He’s always hoping that maybe you’ll be around for a little
longer this time. He hopes maybe you’ll come to his t-ball game, or
his soccer matches. What do you think it’s doing to
him?”

“
I’m making it so he can
have a good life,” my mother says. Her eyes lock on the
table.

“
I know you were too young
when you had me and you never got the chance to be a real grown up
and get a good job when you wanted. You had me to deal with. And
you dealt,” I say. My jaw is set hard and my stomach churns. “And I
know you’re proud of yourself for getting this job and finally
figuring stuff out. But you’re still a mother. You still have a
seven year old little boy who needs a mom to tell him bedtime
stories and sing him silly songs about brushing his teeth and doing
his homework. He doesn’t need an absent money maker. What is that
ever supposed to mean to him?”

I sit back in my chair, suddenly
feeling out of breath and exhausted. Tears sting the back of my
eyes and my hands feel shaky.

“
You know,” I say,
crossing my arms over my chest. “I have met someone. Someone I
can’t imagine not being in my life. Someone I’m pretty damn sure I
want to spend the rest of my life with. Someone I want to raise my
own kids with. And if we do, I’m going to make sure I’m there for
them. Every second. Because you’re supposed to love your kids that
much. Skyler loves you, but I’m not so sure you love him
back.”

I can’t take another second. I stand
and drop a twenty dollar bill on the table. Because it’s all I have
on me. And I walk swiftly toward the door. I pull my phone out and
dial Drake. I’m not watching where I’m going, so when I step off
the curb, I bump right into Mom’s lime green Beetle, which is
parked right in front of the doors.

“
Hey,” Drake answers
cheerily.

“
Can you meet me at the
school?” I say as I right myself. My voice shakes and betrays the
tears that threaten to break onto my cheeks. My limbs tremble as I
make my way down the street to my own car. “Now?”

“
I’ll be there in five
minutes.”

I am ten minutes away, further than he
is from the school, and Drake’s car is in the middle of the parking
lot when I get there. When he sees my car, he climbs out, closes
his door, and leans against it.

And the second I see him, those tears
I’ve been holding back spring out like a waterspout. I bite my
lower lip and erupt from my car the second it is in
park.

I sprint the small distance between us
and my arms lock around his neck and I crush my lips to his. The
tears continue to roll down my face.

“
Hey,” he whispers against
my lips. “What’s wrong?”

I squeeze my eyes closed harder,
pushing more tears down my face. I shake my head and press my
forehead to his chin, because it’s as high as I can
reach.

“
She’s screwing it up so
bad,” I say, shaking my head still. “This isn’t what a family is
supposed to be like.”

“
What happened?” he says,
rubbing a hand over my back. The other holds me to him
tightly.

I shake my head again and my trembling
eases slightly. “Nothing. That’s exactly it. Mom’s exactly the same
as she’s been all along.”

Drake brings his hands up to the sides
of my face and forces me to look up at him. “I don’t know exactly
what’s going on, but I know you’re strong enough to get through it.
Humans make stupid decisions. Nobody’s perfect.”

“
You are,” I say, looking
up into those hazel eyes. The storm inside me begins to calm and is
replaced with that sense of comfort and ease.

“
No,” he says with a
breathy chuckle. “Not even close.”

“
Pretty close,” I say as a
smile slowly begins to form on my face. “You’re kind, and caring.
You always want to make things better.”

Drake presses a soft kiss to my
forehead, proving my point. His arms once again wrap around my
body, promising safe harbor.

I relax into him, taking a deep
breath.

“
I love you,” he
breathes.

And everything that has ever been
wrong in my world is righted with those words.

I look up into his eyes and there I
see the truth of what he’s just confessed.

“
I love you too,” I say.
“More than anything.”

He brings his forehead down to mine
and his lips hover a millimeter from mine.

“
All I want to do is give
you a happily ever after,” he whispers.

“
You’re already giving it
to me.” I let my lips brush his as I speak. My eyes slide closed
and I let myself live in this moment. This moment that is perfect
and untouchable to the real world.

“
Drake, I don’t ever want
to let you go,” I say, feeling the back of my eyes sting again. Not
out of frustration or anger or abandonment this time. Out of pure
happiness. “I want to create a life with you. I want to make a
family and a home and a forever with you someday.”

Drake stills for just a moment. And
then he shifts, dropping down on one knee. He takes one of my hands
in his and stares up at me intensely. That smile that only Drake
can put on my face forms on my lips.

“
Kaylee, I promise that I
will do everything in my power to give you that forever,” he says
as a smile starts forming on his own face. “I don’t know that I’m
any kind of a prince, but I’ll do everything I can to give you a
happily ever after. Will you let me give you that?”

One more tear springs onto my cheek
and I nod my head furiously. “Yes.”

Drake stands and once again brings his
hands to either side of my face and his lips move in sync with
mine.

It wasn’t a marriage proposal. It’s
too soon for that. We still have so much to learn about each
other.

But sometimes you just know when
you’re standing beside the one you’re meant to be with. Sometimes
you know exactly when you’ve found your prince.

CHAPTER
TEN

“
You know that awesome
black sesame chicken we had a few weeks ago?” I ask as Drake and I
walk toward the doors Tuesday night.

“
Yeah,” he says as he
slips his hand into mine. I hope we’re safe, school got out two
hours ago. There’s no lingering students around that I can
see.

“
I found this recipe last
night that looks exactly like it. I was thinking I could make it
for dinner tomorrow if you want to come over?”

“
That sounds perfect,” he
says, leaning over and kissing the top of my head. Sometimes I wish
I was taller and those kisses could be on my cheek instead of my
head, like a child.

“
I’ve got to pick up
Skyler now and then I’m going grocery shopping,” I say as we walk
out into the bright sunshine. The ground is soggy and wet from the
rain we’ve gotten the past two days, but at the moment it’s warm
and bright. “You want to come?”

“
Sure,” he says. “I think
it’s time I finally meet at least one member of your
family.”

We climb into my car and fifteen
minutes later Skyler runs out of Dick’s house and piles into the
back seat.

“
Hey,” he says. His voice
sounds surprised. “Who are you?”

“
Hey there,” Drake greets
him as Skyler buckles and then just gives him a large-eyed
expression. “My name’s Drake. I’m Kaylee’s boyfriend.”

“
Does that mean you’re a
boy who is her friend, or does that mean you two kiss?” he asks,
sounding absolutely grossed out.

“
Uh,” Drake says, glancing
at me, not entirely sure how to handle this awkward situation. I
just smile and shake my head as I head toward the store. At the
same time, I hear Drake’s phone ding with a text. “Well, me and
Kaylee are friends, but I also happen to really, really like
kissing her.”

“
Disgusting,” I hear
Skyler say.

Drake and I both break into
laughter.

And I have absolutely no fears that
Drake with be an inadequate father. The very thought sends a
thousand butterflies through my insides.

____

The morning is quiet and peaceful and
I have exactly twelve and a half minutes until the warning bell is
going to ring for first period. I’ve finally caught up with all the
homework I have to grade and I am just finishing up next week’s
lesson plans.

The door to my room opens and closes.
I finish my last few notes, glancing over them once more before
standing to head for the whiteboard.

And stop when I realize the person
who’s come in is not a student.

“
Hi,” I say to the fairly
tall brunette who’s looking at me with a slightly confused
expression. She looks around my age, clearly too old to be a high
school student. “Can I help you?”

“
Uh, yeah,” she says
uncomfortably. She looks around my classroom confused. “Sorry, I
thought this was Drake McCain’s classroom.”

“
Oh,” I respond with a
smile. “This was his room last year. He’s in three-oh-five
now.”

“
Okay,” she says.
“Thanks.”

And without another word she walks out
and lets the door close behind her.

The warning bell rings and students
start pouring through the doors over the next few
minutes.

“
Morning Miss Ray,” a
voice says. I turn to see Lake walking through the door, backpack
slung over one shoulder. He’s got one hand in a pocket and ease on
his shoulders. He’s going to be a heart breaker someday. Probably
already is. “How you doing today?”

“
Just fine, Lake,” I say
with a smirk and a shake of the head. “You know, you should really
stop flirting with me. I am dating your brother.” I add this last
part quietly.

“
No need to whisper,” he
taunts with a whisper of his own. “The entire school already knows
about you two. When two teachers hook up, it tends to spread
quickly.”

I’m sure my face flushes red and
suddenly I can’t look at my class who is settling in. “Well, that’s
embarrassing.”

Lake chuckles and looks at the class
too. “Hey, I’m supposed to tell you that my mom wants you and Drake
to come over for dinner again on Sunday. Something about her
wanting to get to know you better.”

“
Oh,” I say, taken off
guard. “Yeah, tell her I’ll be there.”

Lake gives me a smirk and finally
makes his way to his seat.

“
Okay,” I say when the
tardy bell has rung and I’ve taken attendance. “We’ve been talking
about Ramesses the second. Today I want to talk a bit about his
wife, Nefertari.”

The students take out their notebooks
and pencils start scratching across paper.

I pace in front of the class with a
whiteboard marker in hand. I’ve got notes written all over it, only
half way up the board since I can’t reach any more of it. “We don’t
really know much about the relationships between the pharaoh’s and
their wives, but we can glean some idea from these two.

“
Nefertari was featured
quite prominently on her husband’s temples and monuments. He wrote
love poetry on the walls of her burial chambers. This is unusual.
So, do you think maybe they were in love?” The class just stares
back at me with tired eyes.

“
I think so,” I continue.
“But…did you know that the royal succession line ran through the
females? Unlike most of the cultures we see in history. This is why
we see situations that get kind of weird sometimes; things like
marriages with brothers and sisters, fathers and
daughters.”

This finally gets a reaction from the
class. There’s grunts of disgust and several declarations of
“gross.”