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“Mom, Drake,” Jameson called from our suite.
Drake did one more sweep before releasing me from his heavenly grasp. He took a moment to peer into my eyes while gently brushing back my bangs. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Giving me a son.”
He couldn’t have said anything sexier to me. I was so choked up about it, I couldn’t respond.
“He’s a great kid.”
“He is.”
“Mom, Drake!” Jameson called again, this time louder.
Drake grinned. “It’s weird—normally I would be irritated at the interruption, but with him it’s different.”
I leaned my forehead against his, so very happy. “For that, I’m going to read to you extra-long tonight.”
“Hmmm. I can’t wait.” He kissed my lips before standing and helping me up.
As we walked toward Jameson’s room hand in hand, there was an undeniable rightness to it all. All of us together in this place. That feeling only intensified as I sat on Jameson’s bed with Drake, watching Jameson snuggle into his side while Drake read to him. With every turn of the page, Drake would take a moment to stare in amazement at our little boy. I recognized the look, as I had gazed at Jameson so many times that same way—like, how could I have created something so perfect? It was all the more special, knowing Drake was the only other person on earth who could even come close to understanding how I felt about Jameson.
I continued to watch in wonder as I witnessed a father coming to love his son and his son realizing he wanted a dad. It was then I decided to do whatever I had to, to overcome my own insecurities. I couldn’t and wouldn’t stand in the way of the bond forming right in front of my eyes—even if that meant having my life play out for the press and having to own my mistake in a very public way. And dealing with Hollywood sirens.
By the time Drake said, “The end,” Jameson was half-asleep. He’d had a full, active day.
I leaned in and kissed my son’s cheek. “Good night, honey. I love you.”
“Good night, Mommy, love you.” His little voice filled with sleep as he snuggled farther into Drake. “Good night,” he slurred.
“Good night.” Drake instinctively kissed his head.
My heart melted into a big puddle of goo.
Drake gently extricated himself from a sleeping Jameson, but before he could stand, Jameson’s eyes opened halfway. “I think you’re going to be a good dad,” he said, before drifting back to sleep.
Drake blinked a dozen times, stunned.
I leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I think you’re going to be a good dad too. Now it’s time for your bedtime story.” My lips brushed his ear, making goose bumps rise on his skin.
“I think I’m going to like the ending,” he crooned.
That was the plan. A happy ending for all of us.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Your favorite reporter says good morning.” I oozed sarcasm as I unhooked Fiona’s leash from her collar. Fiona, the mixed Lab we’d gotten from the local animal shelter a few days ago, shook the snow off her, making a wet mess in the foyer. It was a good thing she was sweeter than sugar and had come already house trained. Unfortunately, that meant giving the media—still parked in an empty lot across the street—more access to us than I liked every time she needed to go out. But at this point I was more annoyed than anxious about it. I’d taken to wearing my bright-purple puffy coat and obnoxious furry boots so they would at least have something fun to write about. I’d even brought hot chocolate out to them, just for kicks and giggles.
“How is Leland?” Drake asked with a smirk. Apparently, Leland was known for following Drake around the globe.
“Great. He says to tell you that you owe him fifty bucks since the Bulls beat the Lakers.” I set Fiona free.
She ran straight back to our suite to look for Jameson, even though he was already at school. Jameson was in love with her and insisted she sleep on his bed every night. How could I refuse after lying to him?
“I can’t believe the Bulls made that last-second shot,” he grumbled. Drake had introduced the wonders of basketball to Jameson last night, and of course promised to take him to a game and introduce him to some of the players. Our lives were never going to be the same.
I just hoped one day we wouldn’t need security to follow us around 24-7. Or that my mom would quit sending me pictures from the internet featuring me taking Fiona for walks or buying tampons at the grocery store. Though she was loving my ridiculous outfits. But honestly, what was wrong with people? The good news was that if this kept up, once the inn opened, we would be booked for life. We’d had a lot of calls from people wanting to stay here all of a sudden. I was sure they all hoped to catch a glimpse of Drake. And I’m pretty sure the entire town had now RSVP’d to the Valentine’s Day ball. Little did they know, Drake wouldn’t be there. He was still planning on leaving at the end of next week. He would be gone for a long while. Not only did he have to attend the BAFTAs, but he was set to be on location in Toronto. I wasn’t looking forward to the separation. Neither was Jameson.
