She toed the dirt below her and hooked her arms around the swing chains. “I guess I panicked. Sydney came into the hospital, thinking that she was pregnant.” The results of Syd’s test had already come back positive. Love had called her friend personally to deliver the news.
“Good. I’m sure Morgan is happy.”
Syd had cried uncontrollably on the phone after she gave her the results. Initially, Love didn’t know how to react, whether they were tears of joy or not. Eventually, after the tears subsided, Syd exclaimed that she was happy and couldn’t wait to meet her new bundle of joy.
“He is,” Love told him. “The whole situation got me thinking. We haven’t really discussed sex. We just keep having it.”
Drake laughed then, a low, husky chuckle. “Actually, I don’t think we’ve had enough,” he said with a wink.
Love pushed him away from her. “Ha ha. I’m trying to be serious here.”
He tapped his beer bottle against his thigh. “Fine. I’m being serious with you.”
She twisted in the swing until she was facing him. “You should know that I am on birth control.”
“I figured you were.”
Love had thought about how to broach the subject of the marriage and what they were ultimately going to do about it. But the selfish part of her wanted to enjoy him for a little while longer, before they had to start thinking about lawyers and court dates.
“Do you think we’re past the point of no return?”
His eyes flashed to hers, locked on them. Love sucked in a deep breath, waiting for him to say something. Words didn’t come, though. Only silence, for what seemed like an eternity. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t force herself to break the trance.
“Drake,” she finally croaked, clutching her throat. “Are we—”
Before she could finish her sentence, he grabbed the plastic-coated chain of her swing, pulled her to him and took her lips in a searing kiss. She gripped the chains, held on for dear life as he kissed her hard, parting her lips with his tongue.
He broke the kiss first, leaned his forehead against her shoulder. “Love, I want to be honest with you. At this point, I’m not sure I want to let this go.”
Her heart soared at his admission. She’d been thinking the same thing. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to spend with him. Thoughts of late dinners, weekend getaways, Top of the Park in the summer, with her resting between his legs while they watched a movie on the big screen…she envisioned it all in her mind. She found herself thinking about him, even when she should have been studying or listening at lectures. It had been only a few weeks, but he’d branded her.
“I’m glad you said that,” she said. “I feel the same way.”
He closed his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. “Good.”
“Good.”
Drake stood up and tossed their empty bottles into a nearby recycling bin. He walked over to her, ran the back of his finger over the tip of her nose. “You’re cold. Let’s go in. I’ll warm you up.”
“Not yet. We have to race.”
He grinned. “You’re silly. We may have done that when we were kids, but I’m too old for that now.”
“You act like you’re ready for Geritol. Sit down.”
“Okay.” He sat on the swing. “Ready, set, go.”
Just as she did when she was a kid, Love pumped her legs, propelling the swing higher. The brisk air against her cheeks and the sheer happiness she felt from doing something so simple and free with Drake made her feel giddy. As their swings moved higher, she screamed with glee. He was going to beat her to the top, as he always did, but her dismount would clinch the score.
“You ready?” he asked, from way above her.
“Go ahead.”
Without warning, he jumped, soaring through the air to land on the dirt. He stumbled, but remained standing.
“Yes, you suck,” she teased.
“Just jump, woman.”
At the apex of her next swing Love kicked forward, flying up, then down. When she hit the ground, it was a perfectly stuck landing. She did a fist pump and took a bow. “Yay! I still got it.”
Catching her breath, she beamed up at him. He rubbed her shoulders. “I can admit when I fall short. You did good, baby.”
She wasn’t sure when she’d started being his “baby,” but she’d take the endearment gladly. She rose up on the tips of her toes and brushed her lips against his. “Race you home,” she murmured against his mouth before taking off.
* * *
Drake turned off the lights in the kitchen and started up the stairs. They’d spent the evening watching a movie with Gloria and eating popcorn. Since Gloria had insisted they all spend “family” time together, Drake hadn’t had a chance to cozy up with Love the way he wanted. It was his turn now.