Nip it in the Bud (Bunch-A-Blooms) Read online

  I smile up at him and realize I’m screwed. I’m in more than like. I’m smitten. When he trails the backs of his knuckles down my face, I shudder.

  He licks his lips. “You taste even better than I imagined you would.”

  I whimper. “Drew …”

  “Yes, beautiful?”

  I shake my head, unable to handle his intensity. He makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world.

  He brushes his thumb over my lip, sending warmth throughout my body. I’m shocked I haven’t melted into a puddle on the floor yet.

  “You look so pretty with your lips swollen from my kisses.”

  His words shock me. My mouth forms an O. He chuckles. “Believe me, Willow, I’ve noticed you. I’d have to be dead not to. I wanted to make sure we were on the same page before I made a move.”

  “And now?”

  Tilting his head, he takes a step into my space. “Now I’m going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself.” He clears his throat. “Which is why we should go.”

  I glance down to hide my smirk. I like knowing I affect him as profoundly as he does me. He’s reminding me how devastating a simple caress can be.

  “No tour?” I ask with a pout. I like pushing his buttons.

  “You want to show me your home?”

  I nod my head.

  “Then, by all means, lead the way. But let’s skip the bedroom for now.”

  My eyebrow quirks. “For now?”

  “There’s many ways to bring pleasure. Eventually, I’ll show you all of them.”

  “So sure?” I whisper.

  “I knew the minute I first saw you that you were going to be someone special.”

  “How can you say that?” I ask with a roll of my eyes.

  “Because I’m the type of man who makes things happen, and you took my breath away. I’m not the type to hit on a woman in a bar, but you were calling me like some sort of siren of the sea. What else could I do, but come and speak with the lovely mermaid I was intent on capturing.”

  “And have you?” I ask.

  “Not yet.” He wraps an arm around my waist. “How about that tour now?”

  “Afraid I’ll learn more of your secrets?”

  “They’re yours to know when the time is right.” He kisses my temple, and I guide him to the kitchen, lost in thought as I absentmindedly give him the tour, skipping the bedroom as he suggested. His rich laughter makes me giggle. It’s like I’m flying with him. As we step out into the evening my excitement rises. Western Bowl is the perfect blend of old and new with vintage bones in the design and a pool hall with great drink prices and decent food. It also has pool and tables. “Since you’re not telling me where we’re going, are you going to be my driver?” he asks as we slip into the evening and he walks me to his car. He opens the passenger door, and I climb in.

  His manners are old-school, but I appreciate it. I like feeling cherished and well-cared for.

  “Sure. I’m good at directions.”

  He puts on an XM hip-hop station, and I feed him directions until we’re pulling into the parking lot with the red neon sign beneath a large bowling pin and bowling ball.

  “Western Bowl? I don’t think I’ve ever been here before.”

  “You’ll love it.”

  “You’re adorable when you’re excited.”

  “You won’t be saying that when I wipe the floor with you. Have you read the back of my T-shirt?”

  I turn away from him, and he laughs.

  “You came to win, huh?”

  “Oh, yeah. All’s fair in bowling.”

  “Game on then, my bloodthirsty lady.”

  He twines our fingers as we make our way through the parking lot. We step inside, and he laughs.

  “Glow bowling?” he asks.

  “Hell yes! I made our reservations. We got a lane all night. Wait.” I pause.

  “What?”

  “I want to remember you like this, so sweet and happy before I decimate you.”

  His jaw drops and I laugh.

  “I’m kidding. But bowling is kind of my thing. I used to do it all the time growing up.”

  “Okay, Bowlinator. You ready to put your money where your mouth is and make a wager?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “Loser cooks for the winner,” he says.

  “You’re on,” I reply as the competitive virus infects me.

  ***

  Two games later he’s bowing to me in an impression of Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World. “We’re not worthy. We’re not worthy.”

  I give a curtsy. “Thank you for this. It’s been ages since I bowled.”

  “You could’ve fooled me,” he mumbled.

  “Awww, don’t be sour. Let me get you a consolidation beer.”

  “You’re rubbing the salt right in the wound, aren’t you?”

  I walk over and hug him. “No. I’m done.”

  “Are you sure?” he asks skeptically.

  I nod.

  “What do you want for dinner, sweetheart?”

  I shove him playfully. “You couldn’t care less about me winning.”

  “Like I mind you coming over my house for dinner. Maybe I threw the games on purpose.”

  Just like that, he pokes holes in my victory.

  “What? Did you?”

  He smirks. “Did I?”

  “Andrew.”

  He wiggles his eyebrows. “How about that drink now?”

  I trail behind him amused and impressed. He’s so much more than I ever imagined.

  ***

  “Are you still seeing, Drew?” Petunia asks as we work on the centerpieces for the Cusack wedding.

  “I am.”

  “You’ve been quiet about it.”

  “Well, we’ve all been like three ships passing in the night. Olive isn’t even settled in from her vacation. You’re adjusting to being three instead of two, and per usual, the work here is insane thanks to summer weddings.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have time for you.”

  “I never thought that, Petunia. I just wanted to see where things were headed before I started talking him up. Especially after the Ross fiasco.”

  “How was that on you? Ross was sending mixed signals.”

  “Or I was reading into what wasn’t there. Either way, I’m over it.”

  “So, are the two of you getting serious?”

  I nod my head. “Yeah, I’d say we are. He has children.”

  “What?” She pauses in mid-snip.

  “Yeah, I know. Twin girls who’re ten.”

  “Wow. How old was he when they were born?”

  “Twenty-one.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Yeah, he’s had a … colorful life.”

  “Rappers usually do,” she says sarcastically.

  “Christian rapper and he really walks the part. He … um, he doesn’t believe in sex before marriage.”

  Petunia laughs.

  I glance down.

  “Oh my God. You’re serious.”

  “As a heart attack.”

  “And you’re okay with this?” Petunia whispers.

  “I wasn’t sure at first. It’s unusual for people our age, and there’s so much emphasis placed on sex. I started to turn him down based on that alone.”

  “And then what happened?”

  “I asked myself what mattered most in a relationship. Trust, respect, humor, common ground, and a million other things popped up first. We might not be sleeping together, but there’s plenty of intimacy.”

  “How?”

  “Holding hands, snogging like teenagers on the couch, cuddling, and sharing things with one another. It’s so much more than joining our bodies.”

  “Wow.”

  “We’re doing something I’m not sure I’ve ever done,” I admit.

  “What’s that?”

  “Dating with the intention of finding the person I want to be with for the rest of my life.”


  “Jesus, Willow. What did this guy do to you?”

  “He showed me what a relationship could be and I’ll never go back now.” Thoughts of him bring a smile to my face.

  “You don’t think he’s coming with a lot of rules, regulation, and baggage? Where’s the kids’ mother?”

  “Ilana and Neomi’s mother has a habit that landed her behind bars.”

  “It just keeps getting better.”

  “Petunia, you were encouraging me to give him a try, what’s with the hostility now?”

  “I don’t want you to get hurt again, and he’s got a lot going on. I mean, how often is he even home? Who watches his children? Does he even have time for you? What happens if you decide to get married? What if the sex sucks? Are you ready to be an instant mom?”

  I blink. “Whoa. First of all, marriage is a long way off. I don’t know if I’m ready for that, I haven’t met the girls, so the jury is still out. His mother watches them now, but previously there was a nanny while he was on the road touring. Yes, he has a hectic schedule, but he always makes time for me. I never worry about my importance to Drew, because he makes it clear by showing me in everything he does. From the random facts about me, he remembers, to the way I make my coffee or the texts during the day. I know this is different, but I’m happy. Can’t you support me for that reason alone?”

  Petunia sighs. “If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But I’m watching this guy like a hawk. I want to see the two of you together.”

  I nod my head. And this is the other reason I kept it to myself. “I’ll set something up soon.”

  “Good.” She nods, satisfied.

  “How’s morning sickness?”

  “Better thank God. Though the whole morning part is false advertisement.”

  I snicker. “How much do you bet Olive isn’t far behind you in the baby boom category?”

  “The way Luc looks at her, I’m surprised she hasn’t been spontaneously impregnated.”

  “He’s so into her it’s almost sickening, isn’t it?” I ask with a laugh.

  “She deserves that type of devotion. She loves hard.”

  “This is true,” I agree.

  “I know someone else who used to be the same way. I thought maybe that had changed, but I see stars in your eyes again. It’s a look I like.”

  I shrug. “I just needed a bit of magic to help me remember.”

  “Magic?”

  “Yeah, magic. That feeling in your belly and your soul when it’s more than lust, but less than love. When the infinite realm of possibilities stretches before you.” I twist the flower into place, pinning it to the foam block as I allow myself to ask what if. It’s scarily easy to imagine life with Drew. It should scare the hell out of me. Yet it doesn’t. I’ve waited a long time to find the right man. Maybe I finally got it right. The thought makes me smile.

  “Holy shit, someone finally cracked that shell you put up around yourself.”

  “Yeah, he did. I should’ve known the second I saw his dimpled smile I was a goner.” It felt good purging to my best friend. It made things feel more official.

  We continue to play catch up as we work on the order and I can’t help but marvel at the contentment that has settled over my life.

  ***

  Drew

  “Are we ever going to meet this mystery woman taking up your time?” Amanda asks.

  I glance down at my little sister and shake my head. With her curly, dirty blonde locks and bright blue eyes, she favors my mother in more than looks. I knew it was a matter of time before the women in my life started getting invasive. Willow and I have been figuring things out for a couple months now, and our conversations and dates haven’t gone unnoticed. The important people in our life are growing curious.

  “Don’t ease into the question or anything,” Chris says sarcastically.

  “What? Like we weren’t all thinking it.” Amanda elbows my younger brother, Chris, and I chuckle.

  “Soon,” I promise.

  “Is this the chick from the bar?” Chris asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Wait, you met her?” Amanda huffs.

  “Calm down. I saw her from across the room when they first met. No introductions were made.”

  “Good. I thought you might’ve been holding out on me.” Amanda glares.

  Chris rolls his eyes. Twenty-nine and thirty, the two remain as thick as thieves despite their bickering. Just nine months apart, they’ve always had a special bond. The connection reminds me of the one that exists between Ilana and Neomi.

  “I’m shocked Mom isn’t riding you for information,” Amanda mumbles.

  I glance through the sliding glass doors to the kitchen where the girls are setting the table while Mom finishes dinner. “She drops hints. I think she’s just glad I’m getting back out there.”

  “It’s long overdue,” Chris agrees.

  “Between the twins, touring, and recording I didn’t have much time to meet a woman, let alone get to know them properly. It seemed like every woman I came into contact with was after me for what they thought I could give them.” I shake my headed thinking of the failed attempts at dating.

  “But not this girl?” Amanda arches an eyebrow.

  “It helps that she had no clue who I was before we dated, and she has her own thing going.”

  “Please do enlighten us,” Chris says.

  “She co-runs a floral shop with her best friend, Petunia. It keeps her pretty busy, and she loves it.” I shrug.

  “So she makes decent money, then?” Amanda says.

  I smile. “Yes. So you can put the claws away, baby sister.”

  “I’m just looking out for you,” she mutters.

  “I know, and I appreciate it, but Willow is different.” Ever since Amanda set me up with her friend, Casey, who tried to take me for all I was worth, she was skeptical of women. She’d known the bubbly blonde since college. On the surface, we made a good pair. She was fun-loving and sweet at first. Then I realized it was all an act. Not getting her way lead to tantrums and manipulations.

  I broke it off, but it made my wary. Seeing her try to play me ruined a lengthy friendship and bred mistrust in all of us. It was the first taste of the trappings of fame. I’m a small fish in a big pond. I can’t even imagine what mega-stars deal with. Fame was never my goal. I’m good making a decent living and getting to pursue my passion. I know in my heart music is what I was put on this earth to do.

  “How’s the new album coming along?” Chris asks, shifting the topic.

  “Good?”

  Chris snickers. “You don’t sound sure.”

  “It feels a little bipolar at the moment. The songs aren’t gelling into a fluid concept. I’m going to have to decide on a direction soon. I thought I had one, but when I set down to write it’s not how it came out. I’m being pulled in so many different directions. It’s hard to focus in on a theme.”

  “Don’t dick with the process, you know that always makes everything dry up,” Chris cautions. He knows the drill by now. Writer’s block is a death sentence that led to many a sleepless night.

  “Believe me, I know. It’s why I’m letting it come to me organically. It’s always better to have too much material versus not enough. I can go back, narrow it down, and tighten things up later.”

  “What’s going on with the Monica situation?” Amanda inquires.

  I sigh. “We’re going to file for involuntary removal of parental rights. We have the grounds for it. I gave her the chance to sign off on her own. I don’t like the limbo we’re in now. Especially with the way Kathy can be so spiteful.”

  My never-in-law chooses to blame me for the path her daughter choose. It didn’t matter that Monica had been troubled since her early teen when her parents went through a nasty divorce. Daddy’s girl, she’d never gotten over the split or the abandonment that followed when her father decided to find himself and got selfish and distance. Child
support became the only steady thing Monica got from him. She continued to act out in hopes of gaining his attention, but all it did was wear Kathy down.

  I felt for her once, but her denial and mean-spirited nature ended that.

  “Did she say something?” Amanda narrows her eyes.

  “Not directly, but there was something in the way she said the girls should be with their real family that made me uncomfortable.”

  “She needs to get over that crap. The girls are ten years old, and you’re the only father they’ve ever known. Not sharing DNA doesn’t take away from that.”

  “I know, Mandy,” I say softly. “She’s a lonely old woman who’s bitter about the way her life turned out. I’m sure it was just talk.” I try to soothe her with my words, but I’m lying through my teeth. There was a vindictive glint in Kathy’s eyes when I picked the girls up from their visit last month. It prompted me to get the lawyer on locking down my custody.

  I’ve been put through the paces with Monica and her family. From partial custody to shared, and supervised, but I’ve never kept Ilana and Neomi from the Charlestons. It’s important for them to know both sides of their family. The hostility has ramped since Monica got her sentence. Fifteen year is a lot different than the six month and year long sentences. Even with good behavior, she’s not coming out anytime soon.

  “How long until everything is ironclad?” Chris asks.

  “Next week the order will go out.”

  Ilana opens the sliding door, and we stop our conversation abruptly. “The food’s almost ready. Grandma says it’s time to come in and get cleaned up.”

  “We’ll be in a minute, pumpkin,” I say as she disappears back into the house.

  “Do the girls know about her, about Willow?” Amanda asks.

  “Not yet, but the time is fast approaching.”

  “Whoa. You sound pretty certain where you want this thing to go,” Chris whispers.

  “I’m not getting any younger, little brother.” I pat his shoulder and wink at Amanda as I stroll toward the house. I’ve learned how to deliver a line and get ghost in the silence that follows.

  ***

  “You failed to mention we were going to a barbecue at Daddy Warbuck’s house,” I say as we pull into the circular drive.