A week flew by and I still hadn't heard anything from my father yet. He went completely radio silent. No phone calls, no texts. Nothing. I couldn't appreciate his silence at all. I still had this irking feeling in me, telling me that something bad was going to happen.
When it came to my father, bad things seemed to follow him and someone always got hurt.
***
I was busy baking in the kitchen of Lexi's coffee shop when I heard a familiar voice. Each day his voice seemed to soothe my heart even more. I popped my head out of the kitchen and saw Drew standing by the counter talking with his sister. My eyes flicked over his black fitted shirt, jeans and dark brown cowboy boots as I took him in. Not only did Drew have good looks ,but a good heart as well. It only made me like him more.
We haven't told anybody about our relationship yet, we weren't ready yet. We just wanted to savour it for a while, just the two of us. If anyone knew the whole town would know it as well by sunset. Small towns are known for their gossip after all.
I haven't been in a committed relationship in a while and Drew, well Drew hasn't been in a committed relationship ever. So we decided to take things slow.
Almost as if sensing my eyes on him Drew abruptly looked my way. His eyes caught mine. I saw a glimmer of longing in them. He said goodbye to Lexi and sauntered over to me. We stepped into the kitchen where no one could see us. "Hey." He grinned. "Hi, hotshot." I greeted him. I heard him chuckle. My stomach filled with butterflies. He leaned in for a kiss. I pressed one finger to his lips. "Not here." I looked around and reminded him with a sly smile. "But I haven't seen you all day. You left at the crack of dawn to make these damn cupcakes." He grunted. "It's for a big event and we could use all the business we can get," I said to him as I continued icing the red velvet cupcakes.
"Speaking of events, we're having a family dinner at my parent's house tonight. My mother invited you. Do you want to come?" Drew said from behind me. He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed over his muscular chest. "I'll be there." I smiled and looked over my shoulder at him. "Good." He smiled. Gosh, his smile made me weak in the knees. His eyes shifted from me to the clock on the wall above my head. "I have to get back to work but before I do..." He said while dipping his finger in the bowl of white cream cheese icing. He moved so fast and I didn't see it coming as he smeared a bit of icing on my cheek. I stared at him in shock and burst out laughing. He left the room with a smirk before I could retort. I smiled. He really was something.
Drew picked me up after work at our house and we drove to his parent's house together in his truck. We had just opened the front door of Drew's parent's inn when I heard Drew's mother shout from the kitchen.
"The food will be ready in 20 minutes!"
A delicious smell filled the air that made my mouth water.
Drew and I looked around and noticed that no one else had shown up yet. We were early. Drew then looked at me with a mischievous grin. "Guess we'll have to find a way to pass the time." He whispered into my hair. It caused tingles all up my spine. I looked around just to make sure that no one was around.
"I can think of a few ways." I muttered to him.
"Care to indulge me in those ways?" Drew smirked. I grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs. We passed the room we had gotten stuck in a few weeks ago. The same room where my feelings started to grow for him. I smiled at the thought. "There is no way we're going in that room again." I teased as I pointed at the room and laughed. Drew gave a husky laugh behind me.
Drew pulled me into a bathroom in the middle of the hall. This bathroom was a room on its own and didn't have a bedroom with it. The bathroom had a dark brown interior that matched with the whole interior of the inn. It had a small bath, toilet and a beige sink. Drew placed his hands on my waist, lifted me up and sat me down on the space next to bathroom sink. A second later his lips were on mine. His lips pressed against mine longingly. I revelled in the thought that he was waiting for this kiss. Aching for me. I tangled my hands in his wavy brown hair and pressed my lips harder against his. I tugged softly at his hair. Drew let out a small moan in response. The sound made my toes curl. Our kissing became more frantic and we kissed each other harder.
We were still kissing when the door unexpectedly flew open.
"Drew, the food is-" Nash said as he opened the door. Nash's mouth hung open slightly. Nash looked at me and Drew then back at me and back at Drew again. His lips lifted a bit in a sly smile when he suddenly remembered something. His eyes had a mischievous glint in them. That couldn't be good.
"I knew it! Lexi, you have to see this!" Nash shouted down the hall.
"What are you yapping on about?" Lexi said as she came to stand in the doorway. She took in my and Drew's dishevelled appearance. Our swollen lips and messed up hair didn't make it hard for her to guess what we were up to mere moments ago. Her mouth opened slightly and her brows rose in shock.
Nash looked pleased with himself as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You owe me 10 bucks." He said to Lexi with a sly smile and held out his hand to Lexi in question.
"You guys couldn't wait one more week?" Lexi sighed as she reluctantly handed Nash a 10-dollar bill. I blushed and Drew had a light pink tint on his cheeks. It was really cute seeing him embarrassed. Drew stepped a bit back and Drew lifted me off of the bathroom sink.
"Mom and Dad are going to freak out when they find out about this!" Nash said as he rushed out the door and made his way downstairs. "Nash!" Drew shouted as he ran after him. Lexi and I were alone and we burst out laughing. "Men." I laughed. "Yeah." Lexi said and I noticed a small tone of sadness in her voice. Did she have a bad past with a man? That tone of sadness was gone as she spoke up again. "I think everyone is hungry by now. Let's head on downstairs." She smiled.
As we made our way downstairs I heard bits of conversation between Nash and his mother. Drew stood with Nash and his mother. "Mom, Drew is no longer a free man! Can you believe it?! Who would've thought." Nash said as he clapped his hand against Drew's back. Nash was going on as if Drew being in a relationship was the most surprising thing in the world, which I suppose for him it was, since Drew hasn't been in a serious relationship at all.
"Nash, honey, we already know." She said sweetly. His eyes widened as his father came to stand behind his mother. "Nash, we might be old, but we are not blind." Drew's father chuckled as he looked at me with a smile as I stood by the stairs. My cheeks heated up. I guess we weren't as subtle as we thought.
The inn's door opened and Blake stepped into the house. He took in all of our faces. His brows scrunched in confusion. "Did I miss something?" He said as his eyes moved over everyone in the room. "No!" Drew and I said at the same time. Everyone else burst out laughing. Blake looked even more confused now. Nora stepped closer to Blake and took his arm. "We've got a new addition to the family." Drew's mother started as she told Blake about Drew and me.
Well, I guess that was one way for everyone to find out. I moved from the stairs to stand next to Drew. "Welcome to the family I guess." Drew chuckled as he pressed a kiss into my hair.
The rest of the night went by smoothly. I was so happy that Drew's family accepted me and liked me. It felt nice to be part of a family again. I went to bed with a warm feeling in my heart that night.
***
I woke up from the best night of sleep that I've ever had. Everything was out in the open now.
Or so I thought.
I heard a loud knocking on our front door as I was making some scrambled eggs for breakfast. It was a Saturday so Drew slept in and I woke up early to suprise him with breakfast.
I turned off the heat of the stove and walked to the front door. Who could be here so early? My mind raced with possibilities. It was too early for Lexi to show up for our shopping outing. I looked down at my clothes. I wore short denim overalls with a white shirt underneath. Comfy and stylish. I at least had the peace of mind to change out of my pyjamas before I started cooking breakfast. Thank goodness for that.
I slowly opened the door with a small welcoming smile. That smile fell when I saw who was standing on our porch. I suddenly felt sick. He wasn't supposed to be here. What the heck was he doing here of all places? I cringed when I remembered that I told him where I was a few nights ago over the phone. Damn it! I never should've answered his call. I just wanted him to leave me alone.
Standing on our porch looking at me with a smug smile was my father.
I already wanted to wipe that smug smile off of his face.
"What are you doing here?" I said to my father as I crossed my arms over my chest. If he thought that he'd ever get a warm welcome from me after he left us, he was mistaken.
"What? Am I not allowed to visit my daughter?" He said with a smug smile.
"No, not when she doesn't want anything to do with you." I scowled. I turned around to walk back into the house when his words stopped me in my tracks.
"I've changed. I just want to talk."
"Like hell you have. You aren't capable of change." I snapped at him as I turned around to face him again. I couldn't take it anymore. He was probably only here because he wanted something.
"I don't want you here. Please leave." I stood my ground as his eyes pierced into mine.
I heard footsteps from behind me and a sandalwood scent filled the air. I breathed in the familiar scent and instantly felt safe.
"You'll regret this." He snarled. He stepped closer to me. I took a step back on the porch and bumped into a hard familiar chest.
"I think she wants you to leave. I'd suggest taking a step back because if you lay even one hand on her you might not be able to use it ever again." Drew spoke from behind me as he laid his hands on my waist protectively. "Eloise asked you nicely. I won't be so nice."
I looked up at Drew. I could almost see the rage pouring off of him. He knew how badly my father treated me and he wasn't about to put up with it again. I guess the other night had created this sense of disgust towards my father. Which I didn't mind since I didn't want anything to do with my father.
My father's eyes widened as he took in Drew. He quickly scurried back to his car and drove off.
I had a feeling that it wouldn't be the last we'd see of him.
"You okay?" Drew said gently as he rubbed my shoulder.
"No." I uttered uneasily. My father said that I would regret ignoring him. I didn't even want to think about what that meant and what he was capable of doing when he was so angry.
I felt cold in my bones and I had a feeling that it wasn't because of the chill in the air.