The Beats in Rift (17 page)

I stare at her, dumbfounded. “From everything I just told you about him leaving, then coming in and out of my life when he pleased, then taking me to that place where his girlfriend woke me up by screaming at me while his friends propositioned me. And me trying and failing to find him when I found out I was pregnant… you think we’re soul mates?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m a romantic and a realist. He’s super-hot and it seems to me his brother is an ass, always trying to intervene, stopping you two being together.”

I rub my hands down my face. “I can’t believe I let him take me to that place. God, I was going to have a good time, maybe make out with your brother, and Jared was there. It’s like life’s playing a joke on me.”

“Ew, I don’t need to hear anything about you making out with Micky. But I will warn you, he has been phoning and texting me all day, going crazy that you left with some biker dude.”

I let out a small whine.

“Meds, your phone is ringing in here, sweetheart,” Crystal’s Mom calls.

I kiss Jules on the temple and slide her into Crystal’s lap to go retrieve my phone.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Beats. Did you get the flowers?”

A smile touches my lips at the familiar voice.

“Hey Drake. Yes, I did, thank you. They’re beautiful.”

“I want you to come home for a few days, we need to discuss business.”

I look to Crystal’s Mom who is playing with Jasmine. “I can’t just up and leave, Drake. I have the girls to think of.”

“Bring them with you. I have a nice bonus check here for you, plus I want to talk to you about you writing some new material for our tour.”

“A tour?”

“Yeah. This song is going all the way to number one. Our manager is talking about a huge tour.”

“Oh my God, Drake!”

He laughs. “Say you’ll come. Please. You and the girls can stay here.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, this is huge. I’m so happy for you and the band.”

“When will you get here?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

I can hear the smile in his tone. “Can’t wait.”

I end the call and approach my curious best friend who has Jules planted on her hip. “Drake wants me to come into town. The song is doing well and he wants to talk about me writing some more for them.”

She jumps up and down with Jules, giggling. “That’s awesome! Can I come?”

“He wants me to take the girls. What if I bump into Mom, or worse - Justin?” I ask, staring into Jules’ beautiful face.

“You said he left there.”

“He did. When I went to tell him I was pregnant he wasn’t there. He didn’t go back to Florida either. I don’t know, maybe he came back.”

She lowers Jules to the floor, her feet hitting the ground and taking off, walking to Jasmine on her unsteady legs.

“You need to decide if you’re ever going to tell them, Meds. Why don’t you accept his friend request and look up his info on his profile to see where he’s living?” My eyes grow wide as I gape at her. “That’s such a good idea. I’ve had that request for over two months.” Going to her backpack and pulling out her laptop, Crystal places it on the dining table and flicks it open. The browser is still open from when I slammed it shut earlier. It prompts me to re-sign in. Once I do, I bring up the request and hit accept. “There’s nothing on there.”

She states the obvious over my shoulder. There’s nothing, just his picture. No details, and no other friends.

“Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t notice it straight away, Meds. The girls look like him.” She pats my shoulder. “Or the brother.”

I give her a
duh
look. “Of course they look like the brother, they’re twins!”

“That’s a weird profile. Maybe he set it up just to request you?”

Butterflies stir in my stomach and not in a good way. I close the browser. “Let’s go pack the girls a bag.”

DRAKE’S MOM IS sitting on her wraparound porch as we pull up, her bright smile beams at me. She calls out to Drake as she approaches the car, then swings the back door open and coos at Jasmine while unbuckling her seatbelt and lifting her into her arms. “Who’s my beautiful girl?” she says.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the car door as Drake comes outside, his smile solely for me. He jogs down the front steps and takes the couple of strides to where I’m standing, wrapping me in his strong arms and inhaling my hair as he holds me tight to his body. “Hey, beautiful.”

Returning his gesture, my arms wrap around his waist. “Hey, handsome.”

“I see you brought your roommate.”

I crane my neck to see Crystal standing next to the bonnet, Jules in her arms and a huge smile on her face. “Yeah, she kind of has a thing for the band.”

His body shakes with a chuckle. “Well, they are coming over tomorrow for Mom’s barbeque, so she can get her fill.”

A small giggle escapes me. Drake’s arm rests on my shoulder as he guides me into the house. “So, Mom’s going to watch the girls while I take you on a celebration dinner.”

“Oh, can Crystal join us?”

His smile falters but he tries to camouflage it. “Yeah, sure. I’ll have to call and change the reservation.”

“No, don’t.” Crystal smiles. “You two go, I’ll stay and help with the girls.”

Drake’s grin grows. “Okay.”

I give her a warning glare. Drake has made it abundantly clear that he would like more from me than friendship. He loves both my girls, but I haven’t been ready for a relationship. I need to concentrate on earning money to raise my daughters and give them a good life, better than the one I had.

I WALK DOWN the stairs dressed in a knee-length black fitted dress, my hair pulled into a messy up-do, and some curled strands hanging loose around my face. Reaching the bottom step, my four-inch heels click against the hardwood floor bringing everyone’s attention to me.

“Wow, you look stunning,” Drake says, holding his hand out for me to clasp. He’s wearing black slacks and a steel-colored shirt.

“You look good, too,” I reply, taking his offered hand.

I let him pull me to the front door and we wave over our shoulders to Crystal who has just settled the girls down for the night.

Drake guides me to his BMW convertible, opening the door for me. Lowering myself in and buckling the seat belt I inhale the smell of new leather.

“You like? It’s a perk.”

I look at him, surprised. “The car is a perk from your manager?”

He laughs. “They were gifts for our success.”

“They? As in you all got one?”

His smile grows into a huge beam. “Yep, and I have a bonus check for you too.” My mouth is gaping. I quickly close it and try to avoid his eyes as he keeps stealing glances at me.

He weaves us through the traffic effortlessly. “From one song?” I manage to ask once my shock fades and the silence eats at my nerves.

“We only needed one song to catapult us, Beats. We had some interest from our other few singles but this one has climbed the charts so fast. Now we have people interested in interviewing us, and marketing our products. We have a tour from this, Beats. We’re going to be number one. Do you realize how huge that is?”

I let it all sink in and nod. “Huge,” I whisper.

He chuckles, reaching a hand over to squeeze my thigh.

We pull up outside the restaurant. My door opens and I step out, thanking the valet boy. Drake hands over the keys and guides me inside with his hand on my lower back.

He gives his name to the hostess and receives a warm smile. She guides us to a table in the back next to a window overlooking a balcony. The atmosphere is relaxed; the diners are all dressed in suits and elegant dresses. This is the fanciest restaurant I have ever been in and it makes me a little nervous. I would have been happy grabbing a pizza and eating it at home with the girls.

The air is thick with the aromas emanating from the kitchen, making me realize how hungry I actually am.

Drake orders a bottle of champagne and two specials, not even looking at the menu.

I sip from the water in front of me, hoping to give myself a few seconds to calm my nerves. I feel a little uncomfortable here. It’s a romantic setting; everyone around us is in pairs on dates.

“So, we want you.”

I raise an eyebrow, nearly choking on the water. “We?”

“I mean the band and the label would like you to come on board writing with us for our tour and next album.”

I’m flattered, and my heart beats faster at the prospect. I work as a receptionist at a small label. It’s on the ladder, but nowhere near where I want to be. However, it’s a regular income and at least it’s in the music industry, even if it’s only answering the phones to musicians or their agents.

“I know you need to be with the girls, and you have a job which won’t interfere with you working with us. We can carve our time around you.”

He’s so thoughtful of my situation. He knows how important my girls are and he never pressures me.

“I would love to write more with you, Drake. You know that’s my passion and where I want to be in the future.”

He stands, cupping my face and kissing my forehead. “The future’s here, Beats. The song you wrote is a hit.”

He takes his seat, his eyes still on me.

My eyes dampen. “That’s huge,” I sniffle, still coming to terms with how well the song is doing. His answering smirk and head nod makes me giggle a little at my emotional moment.

The waitress appears with a bottle of champagne, opening it with a pop, startling me and making me giggle more. She pours some into our glasses, leaving the bottle and disappearing.

“To our success.” Drake beams, raising his glass, possibilities gleaming in his eyes.

Clinking my glass with his I say, “To us.”

Excusing himself, he leaves the table, returning a few minutes later holding a stack of papers. “I left this in the car. It’s your check, and this is a contract to say you agreed to write with us.”

I take the papers from him, a little surprised he has them on hand.

“I had this drawn up since we put your song on the album. I really want you to write more for us.” He hands me a pen.

“Do I need to have my lawyer look this over?” I tease, squinting my eyes at him.

He fakes offence, dropping his jaw and placing a hand to his heart. “It’s for you, to make sure you get all your royalties. You can trust me,” he assures with a wink.

I jot my name on the line he points to and hand the contract back to him.

The food arrives. I relax and actually enjoy the rest of the evening. The main course was delicious; a steak so tender it fell to pieces on my tongue. Dessert was even better, actually gaining a moan of delight when it exploded on my taste buds. Red velvet cake, my new best friend.

We talk about the Jules and Jasmine, and how I had found us a new house. I explain that Crystal is going to live with us instead of keeping the apartment we share. I want a house with a garden for when the twins get bigger. I managed to secure a mortgage and Crystal is going to look after the girls while I work.

Drake tells me about all the celebrities he’s met, and how different they are in real life. We laugh and reminisce about our school years. It’s nice, easy, with no complications, which is what I need.

Pulling up outside Drake’s Mom’s house and turning off the engine, he stops me from opening my door by reaching for my hand. I turn to find he has leaned into my space. My heartbeat picks up speed and before I can object, his lips press to mine. His kiss is nice, his hands cupping my cheek, his tongue probing at my lips for entry. I open them and meet his tongue stroke for stroke; he groans into my mouth and I smile against his lips.

Pulling away he breathes heavily. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he whispers.

“Okay,” is all I can say in reply. He chuckles, leaning back into his own seat to gauge my reaction. I’m confused, unsure if I’ll ever be ready to be with another man.

“You have amazing lips. That kiss was better than I imagined it would be. You know I’ve always wanted you, Beats. I always stepped back for various reasons, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to kiss you and spoil you and be with you. I want us to be together.”