“He hurt me. He manipulated me and my marriage.”
“I know. There’s no excuse for his behavior, but I do believe he’s sincere in his apology.”
“I love Drake, Mom. I want him to be happy, have everything he wants. Marriage and kids were never on his must-have list. It was stupid to even get involved, but we went in at full speed instead of being cautious. Now look at us. Barely speaking, barely friends. I hurt him.”
She’d heard the tears in his voice as he’d begged her to open the door for him that morning it all fell apart. And she’d stubbornly refused, thinking she was doing what was best for both of them.
Gloria squeezed her hand, pulled her into a tight hug. “I know you. I know Drake. You’ll always be friends. It’s awkward and hurts now, but it won’t be like this always. All is not lost.”
Love wasn’t so sure. She wanted to believe their friendship could survive. They were stupid to try and change the dynamic so fast. They hadn’t thought it through, and they would suffer for the rest of their lives.
“Listen.” Gloria pulled Love to her feet, patted her crunchy hair. “You need to get out of this bed and take a shower. You are ripe, daughter.”
Love laughed. “I bet you’ve been waiting to say that since yesterday.”
“I have, but I figured I’d give you some time before I pulled rank.” Her mother held her face in her hands. “You and Drake need to talk before he leaves the state. I spoke with him yesterday and he’s flying to Baltimore today to look for a place. His flight leaves at three o’clock. Now, if you want this friendship that you care about so much, go get him before he leaves.”
Her mother was right. She couldn’t let Drake leave without telling him she loved him. He had been so much of her world, a huge part of her life. They’d done everything together, been with each other through every life moment that mattered. And one thing stayed constant. They never gave up on each other. She had to get to him.
Love picked up her phone and dialed his number. No answer. Muttering a curse, she hung up and dialed again. It went straight to voice mail. Damn.
“Mother.” Love ran into the bathroom and started the shower. “Want to ride with me? I have to get to Drake.”
Gloria grinned and clapped. “I’m so glad you actually listened to me for once.”
Love hugged her. “I love you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.”
“Lovely, I’ll always be here for you. Can I plan that reception now? I’ve been itching to get started on it.”
Love laughed and shook her head at her persistence. “Fine, Mother. If Drake takes me back, you can plan anything you want. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
But it was only nine minutes later that Love was speeding toward Drake’s apartment, cutting through traffic like a madwoman. He lived in a huge apartment by Interstate 94, far from the hospital, which was why he was at her house, eating up her food, more often than not.
She arrived at the apartment and let out a huge sigh of relief that his car was still parked in his spot under the carport.
Love parked haphazardly in one of the visitor’s parking spots outside his place.
Wasting no time, she jumped out of her vehicle. “I’ll be back, Mom.”
“I’ll wait here,” Gloria said.
Love ran to the private outdoor entrance to his unit. But when she raised her hand to knock, the door swung open and she tumbled inside.
Drake grabbed her waist, steadying her. Just that contact made her stomach tighten and goose bumps spread up her arms.
“Love?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
El stepped out from behind him. “Well, well, well. You came. I thought I was going to have to go over and coordinate an intervention.” She quickly realized that El was the “big guns” Lana had referred to.
Love winced, her gaze darting back and forth between the two men. Her husband was a sight for sore eyes, dressed in dark jeans and a pale blue button-down shirt. He looked good. She leaned in to catch a whiff of his cologne.
“Did you just smell him?” El asked, amusement flickering in his eyes.
Drake shot him a sideways glance. “Can you leave us alone?”
“Not before I say this. You two need to get it together.” He turned from Drake to Love. “You made it here first. We were on our way to your place.”
She drew in a sharp breath, meeting Drake’s gaze. “You were?”
He nodded.
El slipped out and joined her mother, who was now standing outside Love’s car watching everything unfold. “Fix it,” he yelled over his shoulder as he crossed to Gloria.