“What?” A weight settled in her gut at his admission. “How could he?”
“Trust me, I’ve asked myself that same question many times since then.” Drake explained that the argument started when Dr. Law broke the news of Drake’s mother’s death. It had spiraled from there, with the two men almost coming to blows. “The worst part was he didn’t see where he was wrong. Still doesn’t.”
Drakes eyes watered, and her heart broke for him. She thought back to that time. Drake had been angry, withdrawn. She’d assumed it was grief over never knowing his mother and hadn’t pushed him to open up to her. “I’m so sorry.”
“There is nothing for you to be sorry for.”
She felt the anguish radiating off of him, the despair at finding out that his mother had been in touch with his father but had never reached out to Drake. “I blame her, too. She could have demanded to see you. All those years, she had access to you and didn’t take it.”
Love climbed on top of him and hugged him. When his arms wrapped around her tightly, she closed her eyes. Love wasn’t sure what she’d say to Dr. Law when she saw him again. She just knew that she wouldn’t let him make Drake feel bad for being himself.
“It hurt,” he confessed, his voice cracking. “I hated him for it. I lived in that house feeling like I was his dirty little secret, that I would never be good enough for him. He’d told me all these horror stories about my mother, and I accepted what he’d said because I didn’t know her. He lied to me over and over, didn’t even think he owed me the truth.” Drake kissed Love’s her forehead.
“Well, that’s on him. He did owe you the truth, Drake. And you are good enough.”
She looked at him then. Tears welled in her eyes and their gazes held. He brushed a tear from her cheek. “You know why I believe that now?”
“Why?”
“Because of you. You have always seen the best in me, been my biggest cheerleader. The support you’ve given me is invaluable. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Another tear fell. “That’s why we can’t let whatever this is get between us.”
“We won’t,” he vowed. “We can’t.”
* * *
An hour later, Drake sat in the living room drinking another cup of coffee. Love had left only a few minutes earlier, after he’d bared his soul to her and made love to her again.
They’d turned another corner that morning, lying in each other’s arms. He’d shared something with her that he’d never told another person, and it felt good to be honest with someone about his mother and father.
Drake had never been an insecure person, except when his father was involved. It had taken him a lot of years to get over the revelation that his mother just never wanted him. The fact that she could willingly sleep with a married man while ignoring her own kid made him grateful that he’d never gotten to know her. He was certain she would have destroyed his life if she’d been a part of it.
“Hey, Drake,” Gloria said, entering the room. He smiled at his surrogate mother. Gloria was beautiful, full of life. He remembered how fast she used to move when they were children. She’d never stop moving, always picking up extra jobs and making sure she was in the right places.
The Gloria of old was in stark contrast to the woman in front of him. Her gray hair was neat and she still had that gleam in her eyes, but her steps were slower. She wasn’t moving as fast, due to her limp. Love had explained what was going on, and he’d agreed to drive Gloria to the hospital that morning for her appointment.
Diabetes was controllable, but it could be debilitating. He prayed that Gloria wouldn’t have to lose a limb.
“Hey, Mom.” He stood and helped her to the couch. “How are you feeling?”
“Well, I’ve seen better days, son.”
“I figured we’d stop and get breakfast on the way to the hospital. Is that okay with you?”
The older woman smiled. “You don’t have to put yourself out. Besides, I don’t have much of an appetite. They’ve got me on a new medicine, and it’s making me queasy.”
Concerned, Drake asked, “Did you tell your doctor?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. I plan to mention it today. We have a call scheduled for after my appointment with the surgeon.”
Drake wondered if Gloria would consider moving to Michigan. He knew Love would feel better if she was closer. But he suspected Gloria would rather walk over hot coals than move here, especially since her business was thriving. She’d had to trust her shop to her employees for once. Knowing Gloria, that had to be hard on her. He couldn’t say he blamed her for not wanting to move, though. It wasn’t his ideal place, and definitely not somewhere he’d planned on staying.