AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Exactly. I think it's called the Socratic Method."
I leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips and he smiled.
On the baby monitor, Sophie let out a call, her pacifier still clenched between her teeth. I glanced over at the tiny screen and saw that she was standing up, holding onto the crib railing.
Next, she'd start bouncing.
"We're lucky she wakes up happy," I said and rolled off the bed, pulling on my robe and slippers against the chill of the floor.
"We are."
I turned back and took in Drake as he lay on the bed, his arms folded behind his head, his chest bare, the sheet covering his ample package. He looked so desirable that I would have liked it if we could have a shower together and then a nice leisurely fuck before breakfast. Those days were gone unless we woke up extra early before Sophie did. Given how much work she was and how we enjoyed our evenings together once she fell asleep, that wasn't often an option. Both of us needed our sleep.
"I'll go get her. Do you want to have a shower?" I asked, for it was my day to get up with Sophie and get her ready. Drake and I alternated days.
"I do. I'll be out in about fifteen."
I smiled and left the bedroom, taking the hallway to Sophie's room. When I opened the door, there she was, standing at the side of her crib, her hands on the rails. She smiled widely when she saw me and her pacifier fell out of her mouth to reveal her front teeth.
"Good morning, baby," I said and went over to her. She babbled in response and picked up her pacifier, which was attached to her onesie with a safety pin and popped it back into her mouth. Then, she held her arms out wide, asking for me to pick her up.
Which I did, giving her a big hug and kiss.
I carried her to her change table and changed her diaper, then dressed her in a playsuit for the day. It was bright blue and designed like a worker's overalls. The fabric was soft and stretchy, and she could run around or crawl on the floor without worry. The color of the overalls brought out her blue eyes -- her inheritance from her father. She also got his thick dark eyelashes. I knew one day that the boys would all get weak-kneed when they looked into them the way I did when I looked into Drake's eyes. I hoped I could be a good mother to her and make sure that one day, she would be a strong and happy woman.
When I was finished, I took her downstairs to the kitchen and placed her in her high chair that stood next to the kitchen island. Drake was already finished with his shower and was standing in a pair of faded jeans, white sweater and slippers. He came right over and gave Sophie a big kiss.
"How's my girl?" he asked, brushing her soft brown curls off her forehead. "Did you have a good sleep?"
She smiled up at him and played with the Cheerios I placed on the highchair tray. Finally, she popped her pacifier out of her mouth and began munching on the cereal, picking up each piece with her fingers. I loved watching her feed herself. It was so enlightening to watch a little human master new skills. She'd crawled and walked early despite being a preemie. She was saying two words together now and naming everything. I'd been around Heath's kids only rarely since he and Christie were always traveling to and from various locations in Central and South America doing their charity work, so I'd missed a lot of their development.
Now, I got to watch it all first hand.
I thought that I'd be bored with being a mother, but it was never boring. It was sometimes tiring, but Sophie kept me on my toes, watching her walk around, exploring. Plus, her verbal development was fascinating.
Pointing was her big thing. She seemed to love her pointer and was always poking everything with it, looking up at Drake or me to see if we were as fascinated with whatever it was she was pointing at as she was and naming it.
"What's on the agenda for today?" Drake asked as he poured fresh water into the coffee maker. "I'm going to meet with Lara, but I'll be home all morning. Do you want to go to Central Park and walk for a while? It might clear our heads to get some fresh air and exercise."
"Exercise is the last thing I feel like, but you're right," I replied, mixing up Sophie's dish with some oatmeal, sprinkling some brown sugar on top. I placed it in front of her and she immediately reached for her spoon. She loved trying to feed herself and generally got more of it on her face and bib than in her mouth, but she was learning.
"Go have a shower," Drake said and pushed me out of the way with his hip. "I'll take over here. When you're finished, the bacon and eggs will be cooked and the coffee will be ready."
I kissed him quickly, giving him a smile, and did just that.
* * *
Our walk through Central Park was pleasant, except for the knowledge I had that my bodyguard Mike was walking about twenty paces behind us, watching the environment for any sign of threat. It changed my day from happy go lucky to suddenly potentially dangerous.
While Lisa was in jail, Drake didn't feel like we knew everything about her and her machinations. She'd orchestrated an attempted murder, an actual murder and had coached her submissive Jones into committing suicide. She had family ties to the NYPD and while I trusted the police to be on our side, given all the evidence, there was no telling what her family might do.
Drake worried that an angry brother or former boyfriend might be convinced that Drake was evil incarnate and try to take him -- or me -- out.
It was unlikely, but after seeing me come in on a stretcher, almost bleeding out in the trauma room, changed Drake's sense of invincibility. We would have bodyguards for the rest of our time in Manhattan.
The rain had stopped and clouds were thinning, bringing us a bit of much-needed sunshine. The air was cool enough that we could see our breaths, but it was invigorating and just what Drake and I needed to recover from our night of alcohol excess. I pushed the baby stroller while Drake walked beside me and together, we enjoyed the trees and views from the park. Drake had put on the baby carrier, which he would put Sophie in once we got into the park. He liked to carry her in it, because he said I got to carry her for almost nine months and now he wanted to do the same while he still could.
We passed by the bridge that we used for our wedding pictures and took Sophie over it so she could look down at the water below. Drake took her out of her stroller and held her up, standing her on the railing. She laughed and bounced and I worried that he'd accidentally lose his grip on her and drop her into the water, but it was just my anxiety. Drake had a firm grip on her and would never let go so I took in a deep breath and
