My pride was only slightly bruised. After all, I’d denied her this exact thing for the first six years of her life, so it wasn’t my place to keep it from her anymore.
I owed her this—him. She deserved Drew and all that he could provide, mostly the love and adoration he gave easily and without measure.
Drew sat down next to me. “Hey.”
His hair was a little longer and falling forward on his face. I couldn’t help myself; I reached up and ran my hand through it.
“This is for you.” He handed me a glass of wine.
“How’s Dar? Did she want me to hobble in there? Say good night?” I started to push up from my resting place, wineglass in hand. It wasn’t pretty.
“Whoa, hold your horses, Italian stallion. She was out before I finished the chapter, and no. She said to give you this.” He kissed me on the cheek, letting his lips linger a bit longer, prickling my skin and making my heart beat faster.
“I guess I’ve officially been ousted between you and the foot. Did you just use aRockyreference? Because I could beat you over the head with my crutch.”
“You’re beautiful like his wife, but tough like Rocky. That’s my Hurricane Jules.”
I rolled my eyes and sipped my wine. “You don’t have to seduce me anymore. You’ve got me all locked up in your castle, and our daughter is so smitten with you, she’s forgotten all about me.”
“Nah, I’m just the bright new shiny object, babe. You’re her whole world. She’s always telling meMommy thisandMommy says that. You brought her into this world; you’ll always be number one.”
“Tell that to her when she gets her first period.”
“Shhh, I can’t even think about that shit right now. God, no boyfriends, by the way. None.”
I took another sip of my wine and let it course through my system, calming my frazzled nerves. Drew’s mom was coming to visit soon, and Darla’s teacher kept asking when we were getting married.
Between all of that and not working, my emotions were fried. I needed something more, but I wasn’t sure what.
“Hey, you’re zoning out. What’s that smile for?” Drew asked me while running his hand up and down my thigh.
“I was just thinking how bored I was, but also how lucky I am because I have the luxury of picking what I want to do with my life now.” Tears pricked at the back of my eyes.
“I wish you’d been able to do that from day one. I hate that you had to do what you did for so long, but the result was outstanding. Look what a fabulous young girl you raised. Our daughter.”
“I hope that one day she gets to do whatever she wants.”
His hand stilled on my leg, and he said, “Take a drink.”
So I did. He seemed pretty determined and bossy.
“What was that ... take a drink ... all about?”
“We were drinking to Darla doing whatever she wants. I know she will. I can see it in her eyes. Her determination.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. I didn’t want my life for my daughter. I wanted better, and somehow Drew inherently knew this.
“Also this. I got you something.”
He slipped his hand into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a shiny bauble. When he straightened it out, a very largeJhung from a sparkling chain.
“Lean forward,” he said softly.
He slid his hands around my neck and placed a diamondJon my chest. Of course, the chain sparkled because it was studded with black and white diamonds in tiny bezels.
“This is too much. What do I need this for? All I’m doing is lying in bed.”
“Be quiet, Jules, and let me look at how beautiful you are.”
