Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy) (22 page)

Five Years Later

*   *   *

Michael

Being in my new house, I could actually enjoy the freedom it gave me. I walked around with just a towel wrapped around me, letting the feeling surround me.

Molly was my roommate for nine years before I finally decided it was time. I had been in Stella’s life every single day since she was a baby and now—she was ten years old.

River and Miracle woke up to me almost every day since they came home from the hospital. Even when Molly was home, I would rush in there every morning to see them. They had the best giggles and smiles, making it a great start to each day. They were now four.

Liam was now nine, just a year younger than Stella, but they were still inseparable—always getting into trouble together.

I’d miss them all. I’d miss waking up to the chaos that once echoed the walls every morning. Stella was never a morning person, and once the twins began walking, there just wasn’t enough hands to grab everyone. But it was perfect. Life with Molly and Drake was perfect.

The sound of my buzzer grabbed my attention back. I quickly looked in the peephole before opening it.

“Hey, babe.” Trey’s eyes lit up as he roamed his eyes up and down, noticing I was just about naked.

“Hi, baby,” I greeted, excited to finally see him. He froze as he continued staring me down. “Well…come in.” I backed up just enough to let him slide through the door.

Trey and I had been apart for two months while I made the move. I was offered a high paying job in San Francisco a few months ago. It was for a fashion magazine, and it was everything I had ever dreamed. I was really torn on the decision—I had to leave my whole life behind just to venture out into a new one, but in the end, Molly and Trey both supported me. Molly cried the last week before I left, and Trey dropped everything to follow me. He wasn’t able to move until he found a job and rented out his old place, but now he was here. We were here together.

“Oh my god…I love this!” he squealed as he walked in. It wasn’t a huge place, but it was filled with history and detailed wood architecture.

“I know. Isn’t it incredible?” I gushed with him. I was pretty proud of my new house. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his neck. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Me, too,” he whispered. “I’m really happy.”

He turned around and grabbed my face with both hands as he forced his mouth over mine. Just as I was reaching to release my towel, he stopped me.

“Hold on,” he panted, grabbing the towel to keep it in place. “I have something for you first.”

“Okay?”

He leaned back, grabbed something from his pants pocket and knelt down in front of me.

“Oh my god. Oh my god! What are you doing?”

“Michael, my love. I want to spend the rest of our lives together.” Both hands covered my mouth as I watched over his perfect body in front of me. “Will you please marry me?”

“Really?” I squealed.

He giggled lightly. “Yes, really. You know I don’t kneel down in my favorite pair of pants.” I laughed as I remembered how much wrinkled pants bothered him. “Answer me.”

“Yes! Of course! Oh my god, yes!”

I leaned down before he could rise and kissed him hard on the lips. I was never expecting him to want to marry me, nevertheless, propose to me. I was in complete shock.

“Wait, there’s more,” he said, breaking the kiss. He grabbed my hand and led me back to the door. He opened it with six sets of eyeballs looking back at us.

“No way! No freaking way!” I gushed. Stella ran up to me, wrapping her little arms around my waist. “What are you guys doing here?”

“You think we’d miss
your
special day?” Molly smiled as she pushed through to hug me. “Congrats, bestie. I’m so happy for you guys.”

“Um, I’d hug you. But…I don’t hug dudes in towels,” Drake snipped, looking extremely uncomfortable.

“Sorry man. Wasn’t expecting company.” I grinned. “I’ll go change. You guys go and take a look around.”

Trey escorted them in. I went and changed quickly, too excited to get back to them all. Stella and Liam were going through all my cabinets in the kitchen as the twins both ran around freely around the dining table.

“I still can’t believe you guys are here!” I squealed as I walked down the stairs to where they were. “So…how long has this been planned?” I turned my head to Trey.

“About a month or so. We all flew out here together. Molly, Drake, and the kids just stayed behind while I came in. And I knew they would be impatient, so I had to be quick before they barged in.” He grinned.

“Yeah, patience doesn’t really run in their family.”

“Neither does being ignored,” Molly fired back.

“I wasn’t
ignoring
you. I was working.”

“Hey, I run a full-time charity, take care of three, sometimes four kids full time, and manage Stella’s classroom. And I make time for you,” she sassed. The day Stella came home and told me Molly was her classroom’s ‘Room Mom,’ I about died. Molly was always good at overbooking herself.

“Okay fine.” I held my hand up in surrender. “Point taken.”

“Good.” She smiled in victory.

“So, now that you two are engaged, I want all the details. Date, wedding colors, groomsmen, location, flowers…” she rambled on.

“Whoa,” Trey muttered.

“Yeah, and she said
I
was bad.” I rolled my eyes.

“Hey, you started it. I was just returning the favor,” she teased.

“Uncle Michael, guess what?” Stella interrupted. Liam was standing next to her, flashing the same wide smile.

“What, baby girl?”

“Mommy has a baby in her belly.” She smiled. I turned to Molly who was practically choking as Stella revealed her secret.

“Do I get to be in your wedding, Uncle Michael?” she asked, completely oblivious to the huge bomb she just announced.

Drake had a deer in headlights look, Stella was smiling proud, Liam was jumping with excitement, and the twins were jumping from one sofa to the next…

I busted out laughing.

“Please tell me she’s joking.” I continued laughing as Molly froze on the sofa. “All I can say is…congrats and
good luck!
”

Trey noticed the awkward silence and finally stood up. “Can I offer anyone something to drink? Juice? Water?” He paused, waiting for someone to respond. “Vodka?”

“Whiskey,” Drake finally answered. “Anything with whiskey, please.”

Trey winked as he walked through the maze of people and into the kitchen.

“I take it this was a surprise?” I crossed my legs, giving her my full support.

“Yeah…you could say that,” she muttered.

“Have you guys
heard
of birth control? I mean, I hear it’s pretty cheap,” I said sarcastically.

She sucker punched me in the shoulder. “Yes, thank you. And I was, for your information.”

“So…what happened? One of his swimmers barged through the brick wall?” I laughed.

“I was on some antibiotics for strep throat I had a month ago. Apparently, it knocked out my birth control. And apparently, being sick turns him on,” she snorted, nodding her head in Drake’s direction.

“Drinks! I brought a mixture of everything—juice, iced tea, spritzer,” Trey announced, shimmying his body back to the sofa. “So what did I miss?”

“We’re having another baby!” I called out. “Well, they are. Isn’t that great?” I coaxed, hoping he’d show some enthusiasm as Molly and Drake looked shocked and worn out.

“That’s terrific.” He smiled.

“So back to wedding talk,” Molly interrupted. “Let’s get planning.”

*   *   *

-Seven months later-

“Did I make it in time? Is the baby here?” I asked, running down the hall.

“It’s a girl! She’s a girl!” I heard Drake announce.

A round of congratulations sounded off in the waiting area as friends and family gathered around.

“Michael!” Drake called out. “You just made it, man. She just asked about you.”

“Oh, thank god.” I wiped off my tux jacket and folded in over my arm as Drake walked me to her room.

“She’s doing great. They both are,” he reassured me.

I walked in to an exhausted looking Molly and one tiny baby girl. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her sweaty forehead. I looked down and was amazed at a brand new baby girl.

“Isn’t she perfect?”

“She’s beautiful.” I kissed Molly’s cheek as we stared at her. “She sure knows how to make a grand entrance.”

“She sure does.” She laughed. “Apparently, we didn’t plan your wedding around the possibility of her being early.”

“So what’s the little misses’ name?” I asked, rubbing a finger over her soft cheeks.

“Lilia Gwyneth.” She paused, taking another good look at her. “After Drake’s grandmother.”

“It’s beautiful. Matches her perfectly.”

“I know you’re already the godfather to all the kids, but I want to know if you and Trey want to be her godparents? If anything happens to us, we want you to have the kids.”

“Really? You want me to take your kids?”

“Well, not take them.” She laughed. “Just that if anything happens to Drake and me, I want to die knowing they are in good hands.”

“Of course. You know I will.”

*   *   *

-10 Hours Earlier-

Getting married in Chicago felt right, natural. I had lived here a long time, meeting new friends and having Molly and Drake as my family. Fortunately, Illinois legalized gay marriage, and we were going to do it loud and proud.

We planned it two months before Molly was due, hoping to have just enough time. But as per Molly’s usual, she went early.

Everything was set for the wedding. It was a gorgeous day out. Trey and I were getting married outside underneath white tents. Everything was going perfectly.

Until Molly started having contractions. First, I insisted she go in and get checked out, but she insisted they were just Braxton hicks and would eventually stop. She continued getting herself and the kids ready, as they were all walking down before me. The twins were little flower girl and ring bear duo, Drake was my best man, Liam was ‘little’ best man, Stella was the miniature bride, and of course, Molly, was my maid of honor.

I went to check out the venue, making sure everything was set up right and the flowers were delivered on time. Trey caught me and pushed me out, making me relax before the ceremony began.

“I’m fine. I’m not nervous. Are you nervous?” I rambled off quickly.

“No…I’m not nervous at all. But I will be if you aren’t relaxed and ready to go in a half hour.”

I obeyed and went back. I checked up on Molly who seemed to be feeling better. She and the kids were all ready, giving me just enough time to panic.

“Uncle Michael?” Miracle asked.

“Yes, baby girl?”

“Are you and Uncle Trey going to make babies, too?”

Well, that wasn’t a question I was prepared for.

“I hope so, sweetie. Some day, maybe.” Trey and I had talked about it once, but it wasn’t something we planned on doing until the future.

“How will the baby come out?” she asked sweetly.

“There’s a magic key that the doctor uses to get the babies out,” Stella chimed in. “That’s how you and River came out of mommy!” She smiled proudly.

“Shit,” I heard Molly mumble. She leaned in to my ear so only I would hear. “I’ve been meaning to have that talk with her again.”

“Well, it better be soon.” I smirked as I eyed her growing belly.

“Drake’s up this time,” she snapped. “I’m the one pushing, he should be the one explaining.”

I laughed. “Can I just say how
happy I am to
not
be around pregnant Molly this time?”

She pouted, sticking her lower lip out at me. “Was I that bad last time?”

“Molly, you were like a tornado in a tsunami. I didn’t know whether to seek shelter or run away from the catastrophe.”

I heard the kids giggle behind her.

“Hey, when you push a baby out of your vagina, then we’ll talk, until then, zip it, mister,” she scowled.

“Oh, how I missed hormonal Molly,” I quipped.

Before she could retaliate, Drake walked in. “Alright, time to go. Driver is here to take us.”

“Ow!” Molly screamed just before walking out the door.

“Are you alright?” Drake asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“Yes, I’m fine. The baby just kicked, that’s all.” I could tell she was lying, but I didn’t say anything. I knew she was hanging on for my sake.

Both of my parents walked me down the aisle, and as I met up with Trey, I kissed both my parents and grabbed Trey’s hand.