Loving Lily Read online

  As I waited for her to talk, I could hear her loud breaths hitting the phone’s receiver, sounding as if she was hyperventilating. Since she had some serious temper problems, wouldn’t they have given her some sort of medication for such things?

  A guy I roomed with back in college who had a serious bi-polar disorder was meticulous about taking his medication. I respected him for the fact that he was keen on making sure he didn’t go bonkers while around people. In this day and age, self-denial could be very deadly. With all the shootings and killings going on in our society, it was safer to make sure the people who needed extra care and attention got it before they snapped. Because, if they didn’t, horrific things could happen.

  In the back of my mind, I somehow felt responsible—obligated even—to make sure Shannon was properly diagnosed. If she had any illnesses, I needed them to be attended to properly. I would even pay the bills, just as long as she kept herself safe. By doing so, it would make the people around her safe, too … most especially Lily.

  “Shannon, are you still there?” I broke the eerie silence that was stretching too far to be comfortable.

  Her panting accelerated, making me think something was going on with her. Was she using street drugs? I hadn’t considered that. Being around Hollywood, there was a lot of that going around.

  “Why?” she asked in a mere whisper. “Why do you do this to me?” Her voice was a little shaky, alarming me even further.

  Clearing my throat, I gripped the wheel as I tried my damnedest to focus on the traffic ahead. “What did I do?” I asked as gently as I could, knowing very well what she was so upset about.

  “Why did you choose her? She’s not even that pretty; she’s too plain for you. I deserve the position as your wife because I’m way prettier and could offer you so much more than she ever could. Don’t you see that, Drake? I was hoping that giving you space would make you see that, but it doesn’t look like you have.”

  Women, why did they think it all came down to looks?

  Fuck! She was talking like a mad loony, and I wasn’t sure what to say to her anymore. I knew I shouldn’t let her get to me, but the things that came out of her mouth were vile. How had I ever imagined marrying the horrid person? Thank God for Lily, or I would be stuck with this mad bitch for life.

  “Shannon, honestly, I don’t think you deserve an answer for such a stupid question. Take a deep breath and relax. If you like, I can send you to the favorite spa that you adore in Palm Springs. It’s on me. Take a week of just taking care of yourself. It might be for the best.” Women always jumped at a week’s paid, five-star spa get away that came with free Botox and whatever “mild” alterations that didn’t require surgery.

  “Oh.” She paused. “You’d do that for me?” she asked sweetly, touched by my random gesture. “I know you care about me a lot still. I know that, baby. You don’t even have to tell me that you do because I know, deep down, you will always love me. But with her in the picture—she makes it harder, doesn’t she?” She dramatically sighed. “Well, I would love to go to that spa, but you have to promise me that, after a week or two, you’ll see me for drinks. It’s the only way I’ll go.”

  The woman drove a hard bargain. Here was to hoping she would forget in two weeks’ time. Hopefully.

  “Call me when you’re back. We’ll talk then.” Hanging up the phone, I blew out my lungs, thanking God I had dodged the bullet on that one. Well, I supposed I didn’t all the way dodge it since she was still bent on pestering my life. However, once I got everything situated, I would speak to the doctors that evaluated her. Hopefully, then I could breathe easy. I could only be grateful for God inventing vain women because, without that lot, it would be hard to get rid of certain past lovers who didn’t understand what it meant when a relationship was over.

  Hollywood was infested with these sort of ladies. Those types tend to be full of themselves. So when a guy decides to end the relationship, they simply brush it off, go to the bar and meet a new guy to replace us.

  “Dad, you better be up for this piece of news,” I grumbled as I drifted towards the Cedar Sinai parking lot, hoping my old man was up and awake, barking out orders for what needed to be done at work. It was how he operated, and I wouldn’t have him any other way.

  Chapter 3

  Drake

  Much to my disappointment, my old man wasn’t awake when I reached his room. The good news, though, was that he had woken up earlier and had smiled at Mom, mumbling how he hated hospitals. Though I was saddened to not get to see that for myself, the heaviness in my heart lifted at the knowledge that he was progressing well, at least from what the doctors had previously told my mother.

  I stayed for another ten minutes or so, catching up with my mother without having to confide about the random call from Shannon, since she was already in an emotional state. Not to mention the fact that Lily’s mother, Hannah, was there to keep my mother company. Besides, I had to meet Paul Fullerton and his daughter Katie, so it was best I got to work.

  Upon arrival at the office, I barely had warmed my seat when Mindy announced Paul’s arrival. Licking my lips as I straightened my tie, I immediately stood up, striding towards the lounge area of my office where soft Italian leather sofas sat close to the glass, overlooking the traffic below.

  I wasn’t one to usually deal with interns since we had HR, but since this was a special request from an influential man who could very well be a potential investor, I couldn’t very well reject it.

  I had met Katie a few times, and she seemed a pretty likeable individual with vivid ideas about where the next big investment should be. It was refreshing to engage in an intellectual conversation with someone close to my age, which was a feat in this day and age since most people absorbed their attention in what the media fed them. Like Lily, I appreciated women that weren’t too focused on Hollywood and couldn’t be easily star struck. In my kind of business, I mingled with them all, so having a wife that wasn’t easily in awe with a new up-and-coming actor made my life easier. Same went with Katie, and since she would shadow me, she would most likely be accompanying me to some important key business dinners.

  Paul was his usual upbeat self, dressed in navy slacks and a ready smile in place. Katie, on the other hand, was dressed in a white pantsuit, seeming more business-like with her formal demeanor compared to her father.

  Greeting them with much enthusiasm before asking them to take a seat, I then ordered Mindy to send in some refreshments. We all took different seats on the sofas, a good way to directly look at everyone and, at the same time, read their body language.

  The informal meeting took about an hour’s time, with Paul mainly asking questions about the movie and all the technicalities behind it. His daughter listened and gave her input when her father seemed to be pensive about the production’s timeframe and budget. Since he wasn’t all that convinced yet, he promised he would call me in a day or two after he gave it some thought. It wasn’t bad, though it wasn’t all that great, either. These things took time, with a lot of cajoling and persuasion on my part.

  After he left, I had Mindy give Katie a tour of the building, giving her the rundown on her tasks and job description.

  This was my day—full of meeting clients from different sectors of the business. I also had to take on my father’s work, seeing what accounts needed restructuring and what impending projects he had. The added workload was rigorously demanding.

  After barely sifting through his paperwork and folders, I was considering having someone come onboard to help out. Lily came to mind. Since her father co-founded this company, it was fitting as well as convenient because I could see her whenever I wanted. Then again, that would be wishful thinking, since she would never leave Masie and the cupcake shop hanging out to dry. My wife was that way. Once she committed herself to something, she gave it her all.

  Halfway through my workday, I decided to text my lovely wife, wondering what she had been up to all day.

  Hey, how’s your day
going? I hope it’s better than mine. Just thought to check on you and also tell you how much you’ve been missed.

  I was a sappy, lovesick fool, but oh, well. I was a married man. Surely, married men were allowed to be sappy and sentimental without seeming to be abnormal? God, I hoped so.

  Breathing a sigh of relief as I heard my phone beep, I was grinning like an idiot when I saw her reply.

  Miss you, too, Drake. I’m kinda tired already, and since you’re being so nice to me today, wanna make me some dinner tonight?

  Dinner. Right. And so much more, I wickedly thought as I conjured a nice, cozy romantic dinner for us.

  Be home by 7 p.m. Don’t be late.

  She replied with a heart so I need not bothered to keep on pestering her, knowing how much detail, accuracy, and focus those sweet cupcakes needed. I wouldn’t have thought how much time they consumed by making those little pieces of heavenly pleasure. And as for tonight, dinner and a night in just to catch up with Lily was what I needed after a stress-filled week.

  *

  Dashing towards the grocery store immediately after work took about forty-five minutes and another twenty-five to get back to the house. PCH highway was hell around rush hour. Not even the beautiful sunset cast on the beach eased the stress that was pounding inside me after taking my Lily’s call a mere five minutes ago. It had begun right after she told me Shannon had made another visit.

  “Another?” I had screeched into the phone, wondering if there was more to it. “What do you mean by another? When was the first time exactly?”

  “The other night, when your father had a stroke and I went straight to be with you and your mom,” she said, sounding regretful that she hadn’t told me beforehand. “You looked shaken, Drake. I just couldn’t do that to you. And being surrounded by those white walls … It just brought so many bad memories up that I didn’t want to deal with Shannon then.”

  I sighed loudly, feeling awful for yelling at her. It wasn’t her fault. I should have taken measures to ensure she didn’t come see Lily. Ever. Maybe Shannon was right about that “talk” she had been referring to. If playing nice wasn’t going to cut it with her, then maybe it was time to play rough and dirty.

  “You’re mad, aren’t you?”

  I wasn’t particularly mad—furious, most definitely, but not at her, at Shannon and myself.

  “I’m not mad, Lil. I just wish you had told me.”

  “I know, I know. And I’m sorry for that.”

  “Don’t be sorry, just—just tell me when these things happen. The last time was bad …” I trailed off, recalling the past incident with Shannon. “Promise me you won’t keep stuff like this from me, not even for a day or an hour. You have to tell me instantly.”

  “I will. I won’t keep these things from you, Drake. Not anymore.”

  “Good. Well, I should be home soon,” I said as I checked the dashboard clock. “Be sure to be home in an hour for dinner, yeah?”

  “See you soon, babe,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. “Love you.”

  “I love you, Lil.”

  What were Shannon’s motives? And, for fuck’s sake, why would she keep hounding Lily when it was me she wanted to see? Was this her technique of intimidation just to shake things up a bit? It wasn’t as if she had gone to see my wife to apologize for what she had done. No, it certainly didn’t seem that way. In fact, the whole thing made me feel worried, so fucking worried I couldn’t think of anything else. There had to be some machinations behind her actions of visiting Lily twice, though those two random occasions were both only through verbal altercations, nothing physical like when she had attacked Lily the first time. Therefore, if she wasn’t planning to bring down her warped claws, what was she up to?

  Not knowing what could happen with her semi-lucid mentality, I decided to call first thing in the morning to have Mindy look for a company that could install some cameras around our home and in Lily’s shop. If things escalated from there, God help me, I would kill her before she ever touched Lily again.

  Chapter 4

  Lily

  “I’m home!” I yelled out the second I stepped foot inside the house to the delicious smell of whatever concoction Drake was making.

  Smiling, I wondered what he was preparing. It smelled so yummy I was practically drooling from it. The guy wasn’t the greatest of cook, but at least he tried. As he had confessed previously, he limited himself to grilling and pastas because it was the easiest. Hey, I couldn’t complain. I was simply lucky enough that he was willing to cook, a trait that was hard to find these days.

  “Drake?” I called out, strolling inside the house, heading towards the kitchen where I could hear Frank Sinatra’s amazing vocals.

  Well, well, well. The man was aiming for romance. I couldn’t resist feeling completely gushy about how in love I was with him. I always had been and always would. Moments like these made confrontations with Shannon much more bearable.

  I had been on guard since she visited the day before, but with Masie around, giving her the evil-eye, I knew she wouldn’t dare do anything drastic that would easily land her back in handcuffs. She seemed harmless, yet you could never tell with those types. Anything could easily make them go off. Like her visit the first time around, she resorted to petty taunts and threats, saying Drake would eventually leave me, that I was too much of an ugly bitch to hold down a man of Drake’s caliber. This time, though, instead of biting the bait she was dangling before me, I remained emotionless and silent, unwilling to converse with her whatsoever. After Masie threatened to call the cops since new customers had arrived and having Shannon’s toxic self around was bad for business, it was Shannon’s cue to leave.

  “Drake?” I couldn’t help hiding my laugh when I saw my husband cooking with nothing except jeans on and a black kitchen towel hanging around his neck. No sight had ever been this downright sexy. God, even after all these months, seeing him after a long day’s work still managed to give me the butterflies. “Baby …” I huskily greeted him as I slowly approached, my eyes devouring his luxurious display of skin and abs. “I wasn’t all that hungry before, but I suppose I am now.” Was it normal to be this horny? I was to a point where I just wanted to have him go at it with me bent over the kitchen countertop.

  “Ah, wife’s finally here,” he greeted, grinning as he took the spatula to scoop a portion of what he was making before bringing it to me. “Try this. Tell me if it’s too spicy or too salty. My taste buds are a little messed up after drinking some wine and nibbling on some chocolates you left on the counter.”

  I paused, giving him a skeptical look. “You ate chocolates?” I glanced at the massive Trader Joes brick of chocolate yet only found the wrapper. I had barely eaten two tiny pieces. “But you don’t like chocolates that much.”

  He shrugged before taking another go with his wine. “Hell if I know. I only eat chocolate when I want to lick it off your body. Other than that, the last time I ate this much cocoa was when you were pregnant.”

  “Huh.” Well, I didn’t think I was, not really. The last time, there was nothing that stood out to me that indicated I was pregnant. Besides, though I had been slack with taking my birth control pills, it had been months without any signs of pregnancy.

  He gave me a quizzical look. “If you are, you’d tell me right away, right, babe?”

  “Huh?”

  “Huh?” he repeated, giving me a stern look. “Don’t tell me you’re going to put me through hell like last time. That wasn’t nice. I swear, I’ll be on my best behavior, even my aggressive potty mouth. I’ll be tame, just play nice with me.” He was trying to bargain after I had shut him out the first time I was pregnant.

  “It wasn’t as if I did that on purpose. You were the one accusing me of sleeping with other guys, so in my book, you deserved every torturous minute.” Winking at him, I strode over to the nearby counter to set down my purse and such, taking off my scarf last before going over to the cabinets to pull out some plates.
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br />   Typically, Drake was instantly right behind me, hugging me from behind with his chin resting on my shoulder. “You haven’t greeted me with a kiss, wife. That’s not very wifely of you.”

  I could smell the musky, manly scent of his skin, invigorating my tired senses. “I knew you’d come anyway, so I was just waiting for you,” I murmured before spinning to face his loveliness. In a heartbeat, I was captivated by his mercurial silver eyes, making the butterflies in my tummy all the more profound.

  “How are you feeling? I mean, after today… If anything happens to you again—” He instantly stopped mid-sentence, looking like he was tortured.

  “Don’t think like that, okay?” I urged, forcing myself to smile, hoping it would ease the frown settling on his face. “I have Masie with me in there all the time. Besides, I’ll have the Santa Monica police on speed dial. Will that alleviate some of the worry?”

  He nodded before holding me close. “For now, I guess it would.”

  His uncertainties weren’t baseless, but there was no point in trying to ruin our night with Shannon’s antics. From where I was standing, that wench wasn’t going to get under my skin, not by saying hurtful things, targeting my insecurities like a truly scorned bitch.

  After our talk, he and I busied ourselves with prepping for dinner. While he was finishing off grilling the steaks on the nearby stone grill, I cleaned the patio table that overlooked the gorgeous Malibu beach then set out to get the plates I had specifically set aside along with placemats and utensils. After I lit up the candles, only then did I divulge in a glass of chilled white wine, sighing as I took off my shoes before softly strolling towards the canopy, needing some relaxation time. The soles of my feet were achy and swollen. They were so numb I could barely feel the pain along my legs.

  “What a day,” I wistfully exclaimed while I watched Drake flip the steaks, admiring his well-honed back and that gorgeous dip before the arch of his ass. “Did you get to see your parents today? I called Patricia earlier and apologized that I couldn’t get away during lunch to come visit her and Hugh. From what she told me, Hugh’s progress is stable. That’s good news, right?”