Something More (21 page)

“Promise?” he asks,
sounding like a little boy waiting for his mother to agree to buy him a toy.

I smile back at him. “Promise.”
Our lips touch, then I continue, “Although, if you want to get technical, you
didn't
ask
me anything.” I wink at him and take another sip of my soda.
He huffs and takes a bite of his sandwich, getting back to his normal demeanor.

“Correct you are, my
love. Correct. You. Are.” With a mouth full of food, he's still freaking
gorgeous and back to his challenging ways. It also shows me that he is, in
fact, somewhat of a normal male. His lack of manners makes me giggle and roll
my eyes.

During the rest of our
lunch, I tell Drew the story Charlie told me about what had happened to cause
her accident. He gets that very protective look again and I can tell the wheels
are turning in his head. In his protective state of mind, he's down right
fuckable. His jaw clenching and unclenching is particularly attractive.

After we finish up our
lunch, Drew and I head back to Charlie's room to check on her. Marcus is in
there when we walk in. He looks up and shoots me a nasty look, then turns it on
Drew.

Charlie is awake and
perks up when we show up. “How was your nap, pumpkin?” I ask, walking over to
the side of her bed, opposite Marcus. I lean over and give Charlie a kiss on
top of her head and take her hand in mine.

“It was okay, I guess.
You smell like salad dressing.”

Smiling down at her, I
say, “That's because I had a salad, silly. How are you feeling?”

“Well, you were only
gone about, what? Thirty minutes? Maybe forty-five? I woke up just before you
walked in.” It feels like I've been gone longer, but I guess she's right.

“That's not much of a
nap, sweetheart. You need your rest. We can all leave you alone so you can
sleep.”

She shakes her head in
protest. “I don't want to be alone and I don't want to sleep. It will get me
off schedule if I sleep all day,” she still whispers, but you can hear the
stubbornness in her voice.

“I think you've earned
the right to be off schedule for a little while. Resting is part of healing. If
you are tired, sleep,” I advise her.

Marcus chimes in, “Your
mama's right. You need your rest.”

“Besides, pumpkin, they
will be in here soon to move you to a regular room. Hopefully tomorrow, we can
get you out of here,” I add, cheerfully.

“Ugh,” she whispers. “Am
I going to have to share a room with a stranger? Because that's just weird.” We
all chuckle. Leave it to Charlie to think of the negative part of getting out
of the ICU, instead of focusing on being well enough to
get out
of the
ICU.

Drew speaks up, “Nope.
Already taken care of.” He gives her a wink and a smile. “I got you the
penthouse of hospital rooms.” We all look at Drew with open mouths, in complete
shock…even Marcus.

Marcus finally closes
his mouth only to open it again.
This should be good.
“Hey, now, we
don't need you throwing your money around for us. We can handle
our
daughter just fine.”

“Good thing I didn't do
it for you then,” Drew snaps back at him, some of his earlier frustration
seeping into his words. “I did it for Charlie, and for Rebecca.
And
I
did it because…I…can.” This is going to turn into a pissing match pretty soon.

 I look up at Drew,
pleading with my eyes for him not to go there, but Charlie squashes my plea
when she speaks up. “Oh, shut up, Dad. He's just trying to be nice.” Marcus
looks at Charlie, then at me. He huffs, then stands up, leans over and kisses
Charlie on the cheek, and heads for the door.

“I'll be back later,”
Marcus says as he exits.

Not able to hold it
back, a chuckle escapes. “I guess he's even more pissed at me now,” I say,
brushing it off as typical Marcus. Drew rubs my back, and I turn and look up at
him. He still shows a little anger, but is managing it well. Of course, he's
still sexy as all hell. “I don't think he likes you very much.” He looks down
at me and smiles briefly.

“The feeling is mutual,”
he says. I see his jaw clench and then release.

“What happened now, Mom?”
Charlie asks, wondering what the hell she missed while she was asleep.

“Your father is just
being…your father. Same ol’, same ol’.” Charlie rolls her eyes and lets out a soft
sigh. “I know. Some people just never grow up, or change for the better,” I
respond to her obvious frustration.

Charlie and I talk
about everything. Now that she's an adult and more aware of what's going on, I
see no reason to hide things from her. She knows how her dad acts towards me
and she thinks he's pretty pathetic when he does it. With Drew now in the
picture, it's just that much worse. The jealousy and arrogance Marcus shows,
even after all these years, is quite pitiful.

Drew walks over to grab
a chair for me to sit in and then gets one for himself. We sit and talk with
Charlie when she manages to stay awake. When she drifts off to sleep, Drew and
I lean our heads on one another, just content on being with each other.
You
know, it's quite nice when you can be blissfully happy and not have to utter a
word.

*
* * * *

A few hours later, the
hospital staff has come in to get Charlie ready to be moved to her private room.
I can't help but smile at the thought of Marcus' little rant. He's so juvenile.
I tell Charlie that while they are getting her moved and settled in, Drew and I
are going to go outside for some fresh air. The nurse tells us the room number
that Charlie will be taken to so we don't have to stop and ask.

On our way out of the
hospital, we see Marcus heading back inside. When he gets closer, I inform him
that they are moving Charlie to her other room right now and give him the room
number. He rolls his eyes at me and continues to walk. Just as he passes us he
says, “Thanks.” Then I hear a muffled, “Bitch.”

Drew must have heard it,
too, because he stops dead in his tracks and turns around. I turn to see what
Drew will do now that we are still on hospital property, but outside.

“What did you just call
her?” Drew's voice is seething. Marcus keeps walking and Drew starts walking
after him.
Oh, shit! This isn't going to be good. Maybe it's good we are
already at a hospital?
Drew picks up his pace and catches up quickly. I
speed up so I can hear them. Drew taps Marcus on the shoulder. “I asked you a
fucking question! What the fuck did you call her?”

Marcus finally stops
and turns around quickly, swinging a right hook that connects with Drew's jaw.
I gasp. Leave it to the coward to sucker punch.
What an asshole!
“I
called her a bitch, moneybags!” That's all it took for Drew to snap. He cocks
his arm and punches Marcus right in the temple, sending him to the ground,
knocking him the fuck out.
Damn! He can hit!
Drew flexes his punching
hand and then shakes it, stretching it out. Now he rubs his cheek and moves his
tongue around his mouth.
Checking for missing teeth? I have no clue.

I appreciate Drew
defending me, but maybe this was a bit too far. At least he didn't throw the first
punch. Honestly, it feels good to see Marcus get what he deserves. If I
could've knocked him out years ago, I would have.

It only takes a few
seconds before Marcus is alert again. I'm hoping he doesn't try to come after
Drew a second time. Obviously, that wouldn't be a wise decision, but this is
Marcus we are talking about. He’s not the brightest crayon in the box.

Marcus makes his way to
his feet and steps up to Drew, bowing his chest up to Drew's, who stands quite
a few inches taller. “Isn't that sweet? You're standing up for your woman,” he
says in a sarcastic tone.

Drew pushes Marcus back
with his chest then takes a step back, to gain some space between them. “I
would do it for any woman who is disrespected in my presence, but when you do
it to
my
woman, it's a whole different ball game.”

Marcus looks at me as I
struggle to maintain my composure, trying not to add fuel to the fire, but it's
really hard to keep a straight face when he just got his ass kicked with one
punch.
By the hottest man on the planet.

Grabbing Drew by the
arm and pulling him away from the situation, I can't fight the smile that takes
up residence on my face. “C'mon, Drew. Let’s go for a walk.” I place my hand
into his and he starts backing up slowly, never taking his eyes off of Marcus.

“Yeah, listen to the
little...” Marcus stops talking when Drew stops walking and takes a step toward
him. I don't think he wants to kiss the ground again. Marcus raises his hands
up, as if to say he didn't want any more trouble, and finishes his sentence, “…woman.”

Drew and I continue on
our retreat and get a safe distance away. When we see Marcus turn around and go
inside, we turn around and walk away. There's a little pond next to the
hospital with a sidewalk that leads all the way around, with park benches
scattered. It's very serene.

As we start on the
path, I look up at Drew. “How's the face?”

He smiles. “I'm not
broken. He got a good shot in, I'll give him that.”

“Did you know what you
were doing when you punched him?”

Drew looks at me. “I
have trained in boxing for fun in the past. It's come in handy a time or two.”
This bit of information doesn't surprise me; he looked like he knew what he was
doing.

Drew leads us off of
the sidewalk to a big oak tree that is just a few feet away from the path. He
walks us around to the other side of it, and gently places me up against it. He
puts his hands flat on the tree on either side of my face.

Leaning in a little
closer to me and hovering his lips just over mine, he speaks in a low, sultry
voice, “Rebecca, it took a lot of self-control not to pummel that guy. I
thought knocking him for a loop would be my best bet and it would be effective
in shutting him the fuck up, without doing any real damage. I just want you to
know that I tried my best and think I was quite successful.”

He looks at me with his
smoldering blue eyes, which always melts my heart and moistens my panties. My
thoughts automatically go to the naughty side. Now that Charlie is in the
clear, a little romp in the hospital somewhere might not be such a bad idea.
Oh,
Jesus. What is wrong with me? But it could be nice...
He snaps me away from
my dirty thoughts with a quick kiss on the lips.

“Drew, I don't care
that you hit Marcus. He deserved it and I am glad you didn't beat him to a pulp.
I just wish it was me that had done it. I have wanted to do that for a very
long time.” He smiles and gives me another kiss, my reward for not being mad.

“Rebecca, there's
something else I want to tell you.” He's still hovering in my face, close
enough for me to lick that beautiful dent in his chin. I don't do it, but I
want to
.
I can feel his breath every time he exhales or talks and it
just makes me want to drop my pants right here.

“What is it?” I say, a
little breathy with want from his close proximity and the lack of sex in the
past...
Shit. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet. How can I be this hard up
for him ALL THE TIME?

I look at his lips
while licking mine, then I bite my bottom lip and my eyes wander back up to his
eyes.

He smirks at the lust
that must be written all over my face. “Don't look at me like that, Rebecca.
Don't think I won't take you right here and now for all to see and hear.” My
arms wind around his waist and pull him in closer to me. I'm not surprised when
I feel his erection pressed up against my belly. I snake one of my hands back
around to the middle of his abdomen, finding my prize just after my hand starts
its trek downward.

“Rebecca, I mean it. We
will be arrested and all over the news.” His fair warning finally makes me stop
and think about it. It would not be a good thing to be plastered all over the
news, probably nationwide, not to mention embarrass Charlie and be very bad for
Drew and his company.

“Okay, fine. I'll wait,”
I say, pouting like a spoiled child. Drew smiles and kisses me again. Another
reward.

“Good. Now, back to
what I was going to tell you before you tried to seduce me out in public.” I
roll my eyes at him and he chuckles.

“You liked it.” I stick
my tongue out at him. He snickers again.

“I did and always will.
I was going to tell you that when I heard Marcus actually say those words to
you, I have never had such an intense reaction to someone calling a woman a
bitch. I mean, I don't like hearing any woman disrespected, but when it
happened to you...” Anger starts showing in Drew's eyes.

Starting to rub his
back to relax him, I lean up and give him a kiss.
His
reward. “I get it,
Drew. You don't have to explain it.”

“I think I do, Rebecca.”
This strange look crosses his features. One I have never seen before. He pulls
his head away a little and looks down at his feet.
Is he nervous? Uh oh.
Drew doesn't get nervous. This is going to be big.
He looks back up to me
and I'm a little scared now. I know he's not going to break up with me. I'm
confident in that.
Shit. What can it be?

“Rebecca, I just wanted
to say...” He pauses, just looking into my dull brown eyes with his radiant
blue ones. “I just wanted to say that...I love you.”
Yes!
I visibly see
him exhale. I can't believe he was nervous to tell me he loves me. I'm
seriously not going to have a heart left with this man treating me how he does
and saying the things he says.

I reach my hands up to
cradle his face and hold his gaze to mine, my eyes welling up with tears. “I've
been dying to tell you that I love you, too!” I crush my lips to his, excited
to finally be able to tell him I love him anytime I want. He drops his hands
from the tree and picks me up and spins me around.
You'd think he won the
lottery, not like he needs the money. Oh, that reminds me...

I break our kiss and
pull back to where I can fully see his face.
I want to see his reaction when
I tell him.
“Drew, there
is
something else I've been meaning to tell
you, but I've always been interrupted and then Charlie...”

 His look grows very
concerned. I move one hand and use my thumb to smooth over the crease between
his eyebrows. “Don't worry. It's good news.” He relaxes and looks eager.

“Well, spit it out
already,” he says impatiently. I almost want to prolong it some more out of
spite for that outburst, but I might get interrupted at any moment.

“I've been trying to
tell you that I want to live with you.” My smile is so big when I see his mouth
drop open. Thinking it's only fitting that I close it for him as he usually does
for me, I drop one hand from his face and move the other one to lift his chin
up.

After a minute or so, he
finds his voice, “Are you serious?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.
I'm ready to spend every minute I can with you. I'm done trying to take it
slow. Life is too short to miss out on something so wonderful. I love you and
can't wait to see what life has in store for us.”

He bends down, wraps
his arms around my thighs just under my butt, picks me up in his excitement,
and nearly bangs my head into the tree branch above. “Oh, shit!” I yell out. He
looks up, not realizing what he's almost done, and lets me slide down his body
until I'm right where I want to be…legs wrapped around his waist, arms around
his neck, and certain body parts lined up.

“Sorry about that,
baby. I was just so excited. I can't believe you've agreed to live with me.
Finally coming around to see things my way, are you?” We both can't help but
giggle.

“Yes, Mr. Chambers. I
believe I've seen the light.” Planting a kiss on his lips, he moves us back
over against the tree. It's not as comfortable as a wall…not that a wall is
comfortable, but at least it's smooth and not jagged like the tree bark.

“It's not so bad in the
light,” he says with a wink. “Not to rush you, but I'm very curious now. Does
this mean the next step might also be in order?” Running my fingers through his
hair at the nape of his neck, I ponder his question. I don't really see why I
would hold off on that. I just told him that life was too short and that I
basically didn't want to waste any time without him.
Does that really hold
true?

Looking at Drew so
happy and excited makes me happy and excited. “Yes, I believe it does. But...”

He rolls his eyes at me
this time. “Of course there's a ‘but’ with you.”

“Rude! I was just going
to say that I don't have a ring or anything so this doesn't count as an
official ‘yes’.”

“Oh. Well, that's a
good ‘but’. I can handle that and will take care of that situation when we get
home, as well as find us a place to live and hire a new decorator. Unless you
want to do the decorating?”

“Nope. I don't
decorate, but I would like to have some say in the choices.”

“Perfect. All approval
goes through you for everything.”
Jesus! He moves fast and thinks even
faster.

“I don't think all that
is necessary.”

“Nonsense. I want you
to be happy in our home. You get final approval on everything.”

“Um, okay. Can we go
back to the excitement of it all and forget the technicalities right now? I
want to celebrate.” We look at our surroundings. Hospitals are not great places
for celebrations. “Alright. I guess we will have to wait to celebrate, but
let's go tell Charlie.”

“Good idea. She will be
okay with it, won't she?”

“She'll be great with
it.”
I hope
.

Charlie is awake when
we return and Marcus isn't in her room, thank goodness. She takes the news as
expected, but requests to talk to him alone. While they talk, I go out to the
new nurse's station to ask for an update on her.

The staff on her new
floor aren’t too familiar with her chart. “Can you please page the doctor she's
seen the most and have him come and talk to me before I leave for the night?” I
don't want to leave here without knowing that she will be alright.

Drew comes out to get
me moments later with a silly smirk on his face. Walking up to him and wrapping
my arms around his waist, I say, “What did she say to you?” I'm very curious.

“I'll tell you later.
You should go in there and spend some quality time with her before we head to
the hotel.”
Mmmm, Drew and me in the hotel
.

“I just asked a nurse
to send the doctor to talk to me before we go. I want to make sure all is still
well and that she will be fine.”

“Okay. I will keep an
eye out for him. You go in and be with Charlie.”

“You don't have to stay
out here, Drew. The nurse will get the doctor to me.”

“I know, baby. I think
you should have some alone time with her. I will have my time with you very
soon,” he says with a wink, rubbing my back.

Stretching up on my tiptoes,
I give him a kiss. “Thank you,” I whisper.