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I set my coffee cup down and turned around to straddle his lap. The blanket was discarded behind me. “Well, I feel like I may need a bath now. I’m suddenly feeling dirty. Very, very dirty.”
In a flash, Drake stood and held me to his chest, his arms under my legs. My mouth found his as he walked us back to the bathroom. “I’m going to make sure you’re squeaky clean before I leave.”
His words held promise of what was to come.
* * *
“I’m going to miss you so much.”
A light wind blew as Drake held me in his arms in the circle drive next to his truck. I pulled my jacket more tightly around me.
“Me, too, baby.” His nose grazed mine. “Why don’t we go away somewhere next weekend? After Hollis’s welcome party. Just the two of us.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
Another truck pulled into the driveway. I recognized Jim and waved. It was wrong, I knew, but I dreaded seeing him. Seeing him reminded me of the loss of my dad.
With a white cardboard box in his hands, Jim got out of the truck. “Afternoon. I was in the area and thought I’d drop off your dad’s stuff. I hope it’s okay. I thought it might be easier.”
My chest tightened as I took the box, knowing this was Dad’s. “Thanks, I appreciate it. It is easier. Thanks for thinking of me.”
Jim was a good man. He took a few steps back, probably knowing this was hard for me. “I hate to cut this short, but I’m meeting Ike for lunch.”
Nodding, Drake responded, “Dad mentioned that last night. Have a good one.”
“Tell Mallory we said hello,” I added. His wife was sweet.
“Will do.”
As fast as he’d come in, he left. I was relieved. Maybe next time it wouldn’t be so hard. I realized I’d forgotten to tell Drake about my conversation with Jim from the night before. “This is dad’s stuff. Apparently, Mom never picked it up.”
From his locked jaw, I knew Drake was refraining from saying anything. “You okay?”
“I will be. Promise. If I need company, I’ll call Hollis or your mom. Maybe try to stir up some trouble.”
I could tell Drake didn’t want to leave, but he needed to go. And he knew this. I set the box down and stood on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Call me when you get to Juneau. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
His phone vibrated, and he winced as he looked at it. “Hayden’s threatening to leave without me.”
“Go. I promise I’ll be fine. You’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. We’ll hang out before you meet the guys at the bar.”
I sensed he was ready to cancel his meeting. But it was important that we continued moving forward with our lives. I wanted to avoid being stagnant. That was how I’d lived for the last two years. It was something I needed to work on. “No canceling, Drake Foster.”
“You win.” Drake gave me another kiss. “Next weekend, you’re mine.”
“Absolutely.”
He kissed me again. Hard. Then he gave me the gorgeous smile that made me weak at the knees, and he made his way to the truck.
Drake rolled down his window and waved as he pulled out of the driveway. My heart was full. I saw his brake lights, and not two seconds later, I received a text.
Drake: Miss you. Love you, baby.
Me: Miss you, too. Love you lots. Be careful.
At that, I headed back inside with the box and placed it on the table before closing the door and leaning against it. What’s in there? It was full of Dad’s things. Probably some of the last things he’d ever touched. All in all, there wasn’t much of his stuff left other than the few things I’d taken after the funeral and the furniture Drake had managed to save. It felt like I was given a treasure, and a part of me wanted to open it immediately while the other part thought I should savor it—wait for a special time to reveal what was inside.
