The UnKnown (A Novel) (19 page)

I rang the doorbell and that was when I heard her sweet voice. “Who is it?” Should I tell her it is me? Or should I just let her answer the door? I was aching to see her.

“Drake,” was all I said. The door swung open and there she stood: the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on.

“Drake, what are you doing here?” The look of surprise on her face nearly killed me. She didn’t want to see me.

“Your aunt invited me to dinner. These are for you.” My heart was about to pound out of my chest. I was hoping she wouldn’t slam the door in my face. She looked at me for a second and then took the flowers from my hand. Her hand brushed mine and my body ached for her touch; for anything she was willing to give me. This was a good sign that maybe we could work things out.

Chapter 23

Misty

The week that passed without Drake had been miserable. I was avoiding him in every way possible. He kept coming to my job and I would hide in the back and ask Carla to tell him I wasn’t there. I was having nightmares almost every night and the lack of sleep was wearing on me.  I needed him more than I could ever imagine. I just couldn’t face him after what happened in the diner. I wasn’t a part of his world. And now here he stood at my door with flowers and looking so handsome. What was Silvia thinking about when she invited him to dinner? When my hand brushed against his I wanted to jump into his arms and have him tell me everything was going to be ok. I refrained; I had to stand my ground. I wasn’t sure that we belonged together.

“Misty, don’t be rude. Let him in,” Silvia said, breaking my concentration.

I opened the door wide and let the love of my life in. He looked so handsome in his three-piece suit. I wondered if he started his internship. Did he enjoy it? I missed him so much it hurt. I still hadn’t said more than five words to him.

“Thank you for the flowers, they are lovely,” I said as I sniffed the freshness of the lilies.

“I didn’t know what type of flowers you liked so I got the best ones in the shop.”

“They’re beautiful. I’m going to find something to put these in.” I walked into the kitchen where Silvia was slaving away at the stove. I wanted to strangle her for inviting Drake over here and trapping me into talking to him.

“Before you get angry, he sounded so pathetic on the phone. I had no choice but to help him. You have been so miserable, Misty. You obviously miss him as much as he misses you. Hear him out and if you still decide you don’t want to see him then you won’t regret the what-if’s.” She was right. I needed to talk to him. I couldn’t go on forever avoiding him. The town was small and I would eventually run into him.

“Yeah you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I am not pissed about this.” I handed her the flowers and turned to walk back into the living room. I pressed my back against the wall and watched him for a few seconds. It was a rarity that I could sit back and watch him. He was sitting on the oversized blue striped sofa that made him look so small. He was playing some type of game on his phone and had a nervous expression on this face. What was he thinking about?

“Can I get you something to drink? Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.” He shook his head no as I walked over and sat on the opposite couch.

“Misty, I ….,” his voice trailed off. “I am sorry for everything. I miss you so much it hurts. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. I am barely functioning. Please give us a chance. I love you more than words can say. I will spend the rest of my days making this up to you.”

“Drake, I won’t lie. I have been miserable without you. I just don’t see how this can work. We are too different.”

“We want the same things in life: a house, a family, a good job, and each other. We can have those things. Don’t let me being rich stop us from doing that.” I had spoken to Lucy about what happened between me and Drake. She said she and Tristan had several similar experiences and that it was so hard for them. It was hard for the people around them to accept them. Tristan’s parents even threatened to cut him off if he continued to see her. He didn’t care and continued anyway. Gabby was the only saving grace in that whole mess that brought his parents and the rest of them around. She said she still had to prove every day that she didn’t marry Tristan for his money.

“Drake, you are just now getting your life back with your family and friends. I don’t want to get in the way of that. All I want is for you to be happy. Sara is a better fit for you.” As much as it pained me to say it, it was the truth. It was what I had been feeling the past week.

“NO! NO MISTY! You fit me, you complete me. My family will love you, I promise you. And if they don’t, then screw them. Kyle has been apologizing since what happened in the diner. I will cut them all off. I can’t live this mundane life without you. You make me feel alive and want more in life. Just give us a chance and you will see that you are my Eve. You were created just for me.” He walked over and lifted my head so that I was looking up at him.

“If I take another breath without you, I might as well burn in Hell. Because that is how it will be for the rest of my life.” I grabbed his head and pressed my lips against his. The fire and burn I had for him intensified. I wanted him then and there, but we were at my aunt’s house.

I broke our kiss and said breathless, “If we try this, I will break your balls if you hurt me again. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Drake pulled me close to him and kissed me again. His hand eased up my thigh and slipped under my dress. I was still in my work uniform.

“God, I have missed you so freaking much.” The clearing of a throat broke us from each other. We both looked over and Lizzy was standing there.

“Momma said to tell you it’s time for dinner.” She giggled and skipped off in the direction of the dining room.

“We’ve been caught in action,” Drake said.

“Come on lover boy. Let’s get this over and done with. I want you to myself.” I grabbed his hand and took him into the dining room. From the look on Silvia’s face, I was sure Lizzy had filled her in on what happened between Drake and me. She was smiling though because she knew we had made up. As I looked around the table at my family, I couldn’t help but smile.

The dinner with the family was comfortable. Drake fit into my family so perfectly. He even got Lee to speak to him. I had yet been able to accomplish that very task. He talked to him about the Power Rangers and Drake had a new best friend. Russ was a little late for dinner but greeted him kindly. Russ was a peculiar man. He didn’t say much until something needed to be said. I was glad that Aunt Silvia found him. She needed the stability from what she had told me. When we finally finished eating I asked Silvia if it was ok for Drake to stay awhile in my room.

“Can we come play too,” Lee was beaming from ear to ear. I couldn’t deny the chance to get to interact with him.

“Sure guys. Why don’t you run and get some toys and I will meet you in my room. You can only stay a little bit because you both have school tomorrow.” Lizzy and Lee jetted in front of Drake and me up to their rooms. By the time we made it up they were both bouncing on my bed. Lizzy had brought in some Barbie’s, while Lee brought in some of his Power Ranger action figures.

“Wow, you two are excited. What shall we play?”

“Let’s play shoot the Barbies,” Lee said. Lizzy frowned at him and covered up her Barbies to protect them.

“How about we play house? The Barbies can be the wives and the Power Rangers can be the husbands,” Lizzy beamed.

“Boring,” Lee pouted.

“Okay you two. Let’s play nice. We can play half the time house and the other half war.” They both nodded.

After about an hour or so of playing Aunt Silvia came to get the twins to get them ready for bed. They both pouted and didn’t want to go. I had a wonderful time with them and wanted to make more play dates.

“Drake, next time you come, I am going to show you my room. We can play video games without the girls.” He stuck his tongue out at Lizzy.

“And Misty and I can play house without the boys,” Lizzy counter-acted.

“We can all play together the next time Drake comes. Now off to bed you two.” I was ready to have Drake to myself. It had been a week and my body yearned for his touch.

Once the two were out of the room, I closed the door and switched it to lock. “What are you up to?” Drake looked devilish.

“I need you right here and now.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Drake stormed across the room and scooped me up in his arms. He set me down in the middle of the bed softly. He began to undress me and my body ached with desire.

“Peaches, I have missed you so much. We are going to take this soft and slow.” I said nothing. He did exactly what he intended to do without hesitation.

Drake ended up spending the night and for the first time in a week I didn’t have a nightmare. I slept so comfortably with him and felt completely safe. I was never ever going to let anything else come between us. I loved him and that was all we needed to survive our two different worlds.

Chapter 24

Drake

It was nice to have Misty back. She was the light in my day. Over the next several weeks we fell into a comfortable routine. I was preparing for her to meet my parents and then a nice trip to the beach. Misty had never been to the beach and I wanted to show her the ocean. She was so excited. It was cute. I had to beg Judy to let her off that weekend because it was short notice. I reserved a suite right on Coco Beach. I wanted this weekend to be special. I wanted to show her that I could take care of  her and
she didn't have to worry about anything
.

Misty was the love of my life and I needed her more than the air to breathe. We had been spending most of our time over at her house. I would spend the night over at her place and sneak out before the twins could see me. We got ready for work together. They had put Misty on the morning shift, so most of the time we rode into town together. It was so natural, the two of us. She was no longer having nightmares. She began seeing a therapist and he put her on some antidepressants that seemed to be helping. She was happy and that made my heart swell. I pulled into her driveway and made my way over to the door. I rang it and Lee answered.

“Are you here for us to play video games?” He looked so enthused for my answer. I hated to disappoint him.

“Not today buddy, but soon. I promise.” His shoulders slumped and he nodded.

“I’ll go get Misty.” I walked into the entryway to wait and then saw my beautiful angel descend from the stairs.

“I’m ready. Let me go tell Aunt Silvia and Russ we are leaving.” She dropped her bag in front of me. She looked so cute in her jean shorts and tank top. I told her dinner was very casual and we would make it short since it was a three-hour drive to Coco Beach. She came out skipping in front of me and stopped. She planted a kiss on me that shocked me.

“What was that for?”

“Because I love you, and for taking me away this weekend. We need a quiet trip away. We have been through a lot the past month. It’s nice to be able to get away with you. I am really nervous about meeting your family. Are you sure I am not under dressed?”

“You look beautiful, Peaches. They will love you as much as I do. Look at what I have on.” I leaned back and pointed to my t-shirt and jeans with flip flops.

“I hadn’t even noticed. I was so focused on the trip and meeting your family.” She giggled and tried to grab the bag, but I beat her to the punch.

“Let’s go. I want you to myself.” We hopped into my truck and headed to my parents’ house, or my house. When we arrived, I could tell by the expression on her face that she was impressed.

“I have never seen a house so big.”

“It really isn’t that big. There are definitely bigger houses in the area.” I grabbed her hand and guided her to the front door.

“Two of my houses could fit in this one.” She was right but I didn’t care and there was no competition.

“You ready for this?” Her trembling clearly told me she wasn’t. “It will be okay. I will be here with you the entire time.” I stuck the key into the lock and opened the door. There was commotion coming from the kitchen area. I guessed that was where my mother was. I heard scrambling and pots and pans being tossed around the kitchen.

I peeked around the corner to see my mother in her apron, kneading some hamburger meat with her hands. “Hi, Mom.” She looked up and smiled at us both.

“Hi baby. I am making hamburgers. I thought it would be quick and easy since I know you two want to hit the road soon. So this must be the lovely Misty I have been hearing so much about. She is very beautiful.” I smiled at her because my mother had always been a charmer, part of where I got it from.

“Misty, this is my mother, Theresa Harris. Mom, this is Misty.” Misty extended her hand to greet her. My mother wiped her hands off on her apron and pulled Misty into an embrace.

“We don’t shake hands with family dear. It is so lovely to meet you. Drake has told me so much about you. Take a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Water would be great. Can I help with anything?”

“Sure. Would you mind cutting up some veggies to go on the hamburgers? I have some home fries baking in the oven. Drake, go get your father. He is asleep in the study. Unfortunately Sean won’t be joining us. He had an emergency at work.” I hesitated for a moment. I wasn’t sure it was safe to leave her. “She’ll be fine. Just go get your father.” This was no request. I gave Misty a nod indicating she would be ok. She winked at me, telling me she would be fine. I set off to find my father asleep in his recliner watching the football game. He looked so peaceful that I hated to wake him. I shook him a bit and he shot straight up in the chair.

“Where, what, who...”

“Dad, it’s me. Mom told me to come get you because dinner is ready.” He rubbed his eyes and set the beer down on the side table that he had been holding in his lap.

“Sorry, you startled me. Is the mystery girl here?” I laughed at him.