Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy)
Read Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy) Online
Authors: Brooke Cumberland
Book 3
From Bestselling Author
Brooke Cumberland
Nothing ever comes easy for Molly Woods.
Faced with past fears, heartache, & limits…
Can she make promises to the one man she can’t get enough of? Can she promise him forever…?
With new obstacles, Molly must make a decision.
***
Drake Stagliano always gets what he wants.
But with a new threat, how far will he go to make sure Molly is his forever?
When new secrets are revealed, Drake must take matters into his own hands.
Can they make forever happen? Or will promises be made that can’t be kept…?
***
Kitchen Promises
, the final book in the Riverside Trilogy.
Copyright © 2013
Brooke Cumberland
The Riverside Trilogy
Book 3
Cover design by
Steph’s Cover Design
Literary Editor @
Rogena Mitchell-Jones
All rights reserved. No parts of the book may be used or reproduced in any matter without written permission from the author, except for inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to another person except when loaned out per Amazon’s lending program. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then it was pirated illegally. Please purchase a copy of your own and respect the hard work of this author.
I am dedicating this book to all the stepparents out there!
It isn’t easy co-parenting someone else’s child—
emotionally, mentally, or physically. Being a stepparent means
that you chose to love someone else’s child as your own, and that is the true meaning of love. As a stepmother to two boys, I understand the struggles of a blended family. So, this book is for all of you out there!
* * *
It's not the blood you share that makes you a mother...It's the heart you share with one another.
—Patty Rase Hopson
A healthy stepmother knows that some days she's a stagehand, some days she’s the leading lady, and some days she's the audience, and she plays each role with grace and style.
—
Unknown
Molly
My mother used to tell me that there
was no such thing as coincidences. Rather, everything happens for a reason…like some set up plan already made for us from the beginning. My mom wasn’t overly religious or anything, but she believed in God, and that he had a plan for each and every one of us. No matter how much you try to fight destiny, fate always comes back to bite us in the ass.
Always
.
I never once thought much about it until it knocked me right in the face. Or until
he
knocked on my door.
Stanley Webber.
The moment I saw Denny’s face…after seventeen years, I knew my mother was right. The so-called plan that was set up from the beginning…this could not be a coincidence. Rather, a smack across the face. My past stood right in front of me, waiting for me to deal with it after all this time. But I couldn’t. And I wouldn’t. I wasn’t going to give him the time of day.
Let’s not forget he just shoulder
-patted my biological father…this was
way
beyond coincidences. This was someone way up somewhere having a good laugh at how unbelievably awkward this was. Fate, destiny, coincidence—whatever it was, could fuck off.
Given the circumstances, I wasn’t going to give Denny the pleasure of rattling me. Although
, I originally believed he was behind the notes and paying Ms. Hernandez in the beginning, I would never trust him.
As I stood in front of them completely beside myself, I took Stella’s hand in mine and made way to the restroom. There was no way I would ever come clean to Mr. Webber either. My best option was to stay as far away as possible—from both of them.
Oh god
—Drake. How would he handle the news? I’ve already learned what keeping secrets between us can do, so it’s not as if I wanted to go that route again. Drake meant too much to me, too much to Stella, and now—the father of our twins.
-----<>-----
Molly
“Travis…why? Why did you pull the trigger? Why?” I stood in front of him, pleading for answers.
“I had to, Molly.” His voice is firm, his eyes dark.
“No…
no, you didn’t. You were my friend.” I reach out to him, but my hand goes right through his transparent body.
“And I loved you, Molly. You didn’t love me.” I
reach for him again, moving closer.
“No, I didn’t. But what about Jacob?” He
walks backwards…reaching for the gun that’s tucked in the back of his pants.
“Travis, don’t!” I screamed, but it was too late. The gun went off and everything went dark.
Dark…
“Travis! No!” I
scream.
“Molly!” Drake shook me until my eyes opened.
I looked around and saw I was in bed—sweating and crying. “Are you okay?” he asked, turning the bedside lamp on.
“Yeah, just another nightmare.” I rubbed my belly, soothing myself from the trauma I
seemed to be reliving.
“I’ll get you some juice, baby.” Drake pecked me on the forehead, pulling the sheets back. I nodded, thankful f
or how attentive he had been the last four months. Being that some women show faster in their second pregnancies, and I just happen to be one of them, and the fact that I’m expecting twins, made me look six months pregnant already.
“Thanks
, baby.”
As I watched him leave the room, I remembered the nightmare that I was having. They started two months ago out of nowhere. At first, I pegged them as part of being pregnant, but now it was just getting ridiculous. I thought after hearing how sick Travis was
, it would give me closure—that it wasn’t my fault, and that I couldn’t have saved him—but it hadn’t. I still felt guilty…sad…and that I failed him as a friend.
How did I not notice?
How did I let him fall for me so hard that I never saw it coming? I knew the burning questions in my head were making me insane, but add the hormones, mood-swings, and body aches—
total hot mess.
I overanalyzed everything between Travis and me over the past year. We kept meeting in the oddest of places before he showed up at my internship. Then, in a heated moment, I gave in and kissed him. I
hated myself for doing that, but I was curious. I hadn’t realized how bad I would hurt everyone—I should’ve known, but I was dumb, naïve, and made a bad choice—that now continues to haunt me in my sleep. Part of me knows why I kissed Travis that day. I was torn—I was in love with Drake, but there was chemistry between Travis and me. Before Drake, I hadn’t dated, or even kissed a man, in four years…then out of nowhere, two men fall for me. I was confused…
“Here you go, sweetie. I brought juice and cookies.” He smiled, handing me the glass.
“Oh my god, Oreos! Are you trying to make me fatter? I can’t eat that crap!”
“Baby, I’m sorry. I thought you’d like a midnight snack to help you fall back asleep.” He jerked the bag of cookies back, looking like a scared puppy.
“No, the only thing that will help me sleep is getting Travis out of my damn head!” I snapped unwillingly.
I told Drake about the dreams since the first night I woke up screaming. Didn’t happen very often in the beginning, but now they
seemed to be happening every few nights. It’s quite exhausting.
“Oh god,” I cried. “I’m so sorry I yelled like that.” I covered my face with my hands, letting the tears fall out.
Ugh, I hated this part of pregnancy.
“It’s okay. Whatever you want, Molly. I’ll get it…or won’t get it…or whatever you need!”
“You’re going to get sick of me, I just know it.”
If I weren’t a blubbering mess, even I’d want to laugh at myself. God, I
couldn’t even control my damn emotions anymore.
I eventually fel
l back asleep in Drake’s comforting arms. No matter how many outbursts I had, he never left my side. If I thought Drake was overprotective before—I really hadn’t known how he would be when he found out I was carrying his child.
* * *
You know that moment when life feels frozen in time and nothing seems real? Or rather, you have an out of body experience, and it’s as if you were watching the moment happen from above?
That was exactly how I felt the moment my life changed. It was as if I
were watching the whole thing instead of experiencing it first hand. It was as if it were in slow motion—happening right in front of me.
That was exactly how I felt the moment Drake kneeled in front of me.
I hadn’t been prepared for this. One minute I’m peeing on a stick, finding out I’m pregnant, and the next—Drake’s proposing.
“Molly?” Drake smirked, still waiting for my answer. God, he looked so damn handsome. The way his hair rustled in the wind and his dark eyes looking hopeful up at me; he was breathtaking. I still wondered why a man like him chased after a girl like me.
He had no idea how happy he was making me in
that moment. The fact that he wanted to marry me—for me. He didn’t even know I was expecting yet, unlike the last time a man knelt in front of me. I knew Liam loved me, but we were young. We never would’ve been engaged had I not been pregnant with Stella.
My hand covered my mouth in shock, unable to answer him. The moment brought so many memories back
, so many unwanted memories of Liam and then the pain rushed in—the pain of losing him—the pain of thinking I had lost Drake when he was shot.
Perhaps it was the news of finding out I was expecting, or the hormones, but I started crying uncontrollably. I was so embarrassed
that I spun around so Drake wouldn’t see me.
I felt him come behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled his nose into my neck.
“Baby, I’m sorry if I rushed—” His hands stopped on my stomach, feeling the bloat that was making my stomach swell already. I froze in place as his warm hands touched me, rubbing over my barely-there bump. His lips softly kissed under my ear and down my neck.
“I love you,” he whispered in my ear.
I slowly spun around and faced him. His expression was a mix of worry and lust. I smiled at him as I rubbed a hand on his cheek.
“Yes. I want to marry you.”
His eyes lit up as they searched mine.
“Are you sure? I mean—”
I hated that I made him feel doubt with my mental breakdown. “I am so sure.” And I was. I had never wanted anything more. “I—I was just not expecting that.”
He nodded as if he understood and cupped my face with both hands. He leaned down and softly pecked my lips, bringing our foreheads together.
“I will do anything to make you happy, Future Mrs. Stagliano.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that.”
“I’m glad.” He smiled with his hands still on my cheeks.
“I do have a confession,” I said softly. Before I could continue, a loud bang sounded in the sky, jerking my attention away from Drake. I glued my eyes above and saw three fireworks blasting in the air.
“Oh my god, what did you do?”
“Did you really think I’d propose to my girl without a dramatic grand finale?” Yeah, I should’ve figured.
“You never cease to amaze me.” I blushed, looking into his bright brown eyes that were no longer dark and intense like the first time I met him.
“Now you can have a lifetime of amazing.” He grinned, lowering his lips down to kiss me once more.
“There is something you should know, though.” I broke the kiss, chewing my bottom lip as the nerves overcame me. I planted my hand back on my stomach and looked down, hoping he’d see where I was leading the conversation.
“Getting cold feet already?” he teased nervously. I shook my head at him, moving back as I gave him a better view of what I was rubbing.
“No, never. But…it looks like you’re getting a new title soon besides ‘husband.’” His eyes widened, finally getting what I was trying to tell him. “I’m pregnant.”
“What? Really?” he gasped. “Oh my god, that’s amazing!” His smile reached his eyes as he engulfed me in a hug.
I was pleasantly surprised at his reaction. We hadn’t talked about having kids together, and honestly, I didn’t even know if he wanted any of his own. I was prepared for at least a little shock—maybe even a little anger. Given that I was on the pill, I was worried he would’ve thought I did it on purpose.
“Yes, really!” He pulled back and covered my face in his hands, burying me in his kisses. As more fireworks blasted in the night sky, he continued kissing and worshiping my mouth.
Besides the birth of Stella, that was the best moment of my life. Knowing we were becoming a family and building our future together was something I never thought possible. When Liam died, I thought that was it—that I’d never have a family or a happily ever after, but now I was convinced otherwise.
“Stella!” I yelled from my bed, already needing assistance.
“Yes, mommy?” She wore a bright smile as she skipped to my side.
“Can you help mommy up? I’m stuck.” I made a pouty face at her,
making her laugh. It had been so long since I had been pregnant that I forgot what it felt like to feel like a million pounds. Not only was I carrying two babies, but it was as if the swelling showed up out of nowhere. I was bloated, swelled up like a penguin, and achy—
oh, the joys of pregnancy.
She grabbed my hand with both of hers and yanked me as hard as she could
and gave me just enough lift to help me off the bed.
“Thanks
, baby.”
“Are you going to have those babies soon,
Mom?” She looked up at me in sweet innocence. We had the baby talk about two months ago when we started telling people, explaining to her that we were having a baby, and that she and Liam would be a big brother and a big sister.
“I knew it.” She folded her hands across her chest, not acting surprised at all.
“What do you mean you ‘knew it?’” I asked, stunned that my five-year-old acted like a thirty-year-old woman.
“I told you I wished for one.”
“Yeah, me too,” Liam chimed in.
“You think I’m having a baby because you both wished for one?”
I asked, humoring myself. “Well…what if I told you I’m having twins?”
Stella and Liam’s faces lit up as they slapped high fives. Part of me—the curious part—actually wanted to believe it was their wishes that made this come true—but the skeptical part knew better. No, it was just a coincidence. But I don’t believe in coincidences…so, what? Was this all part of my life plan
, after all?
“Mommy, how are you getting those babies out of there?” she asked as I waddled my way to the closet. My eyes
grew big, knowing that I’d have to have this talk with her soon, but I wasn’t prepared to do it now—I hadn’t figured out how I would explain the whole birthing cycle yet.
“Well…” I choked, trying to stall as long as possible. I grabbed a shirt from the hanger, buying me more time as I slid it on.
“Did you eat watermelon seeds? Is that how they got in there? Mackenzie said that’s how her mommy had her brother.”
Oh, yes…great and informative Mackenzie
.
Not wanting to have this talk before my morning coffee, I lied
. “Yes, that’s exactly how they got in there. And then when they’re nice and ripe, they’ll come right out of mommy’s tummy.”
The smile on her face told me she was satisfied as she skipped out of the room and down the hall.
I was only four and a half months along, but I was huge already. I didn’t start to show this early with Stella, but carrying two, I knew this pregnancy would be completely different.
I had been super tired lately. I was hoping the second trimester energy boost would’ve taken
effect already, but if anything, it had gotten worse. I couldn’t sleep at night without nightmares of Travis, I couldn’t get comfortable, and I couldn’t get the image of seeing Stanley with Denny out of my mind.
“Lay down, Mama,” Michael chimed in, waltzing into my room with a tray. “I made breakfast.” I watched as he placed the tray on the bed—set with eggs, toast, orange juice, and a banana.
I waddled from the closet back down to the bed. “This is so sweet, thank you.” I started crying uncontrollably out of nowhere.
“Baby girl?” Michael asked, raising his eyebrow.
“I’m sorry,” I cried out. “These damn pregnancy hormones make me cry over everything.”
“Over breakfast?” He chuckled, amused.
“No, you big jerk!” I laughed. “The gesture. The way you always take care of me. It’s just…so sweet.”
“I love you, baby girl. I’ll always take care of you.” He kissed me on the forehead and stroked my hair. “However, pregnant Molly is a bit dramatic,” he teased.
I sniffed and got myself together. “Thank you,” I said softly, taking the tray over my lap.
“You’re welcome. Now get some rest. I’ll take the kids to school.”
“You know, I can still
do
things!” I yelled out sarcastically.