Drew Ch. 11

Really sorry about the long wait but I do have reasons for that:) 1. I was busy growing up. 2. I really thought I had finished this but I kept getting emails to update....so I finally continued what I thought was a complete story. As usual, let me know what you think. I'll post the follow up to Attempted break up by Tues next week. Thanks for reading and good karma!

Nefatiri

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Marci had been aware of Drew from the moment he had walked into the large garden at the back of her parents' house. It was that time again in the little town of Malindi and her parents were throwing some sort of party. She had been careful to avoid him so the last two hours had been a cat and mouse game with her as the unwitting mouse. Catching a glimpse of his profile not too far from where she stood, she made a hasty beeline for the opposite end of the garden and sat next to Mila who was busy trying to reason with her two year old daughter. The little girl wanted to go play with the big boys but her mother wouldn't let her until she finished her food.

"Food first, then you can play Hun." Mila said. One could tell her patience was wearing thin on the matter. Marci had to laugh.

"Here, let me try. The novelty of Aunt Marci may help?" she told her friend reaching out for the young girl who readily came into her arms probably thinking she was off the hook. The young girl, Laila, didn't eat much even after the women switched tasks and they soon gave up. They let her ran off to a group of children playing within their vicinity.

"She's really helping me with the weight loss. It takes almost three hours sometimes to feed her and this is accompanied by running all around the house."Mila sighed in exasperation but Marci could see the love in her eyes as she looked over at her daughter who was now rolling around in the grass oblivious to the damage that kind of frolicking was wrecking on her little white tee. Marci laughed as Mila choked down a look of absolute horror.

"Don't worry, you'll throw away very many clothes in the years to come, trust me. You are lucky she's a girl cause she'll start avoiding dirt soon enough. Kayden is still giving me headaches whenever he comes home from play or school. He's like dirt radar; if there's dirt, he'll find it and try to get some into his hair as well as on his clothes."

Mila laughed and the two mothers sat in companionable silence watching people at the party. Marci's thoughts were trained on her son who was by now nowhere to be seen. She wasn't worried though, he was among family and friends so she knew wherever he was he'd be fine. She was lucky her family and friends had been very supportive of her with regards to raising Kayden. He was quite a handful especially when she had to juggle work with being a good mother. It sometimes took its toll and her family had been wonderful about giving her a break every now and then. Just then the subject of her thoughts ran right into her giving her a hug. Such an affectionate little boy; she loved him dearly.

"I found Daddy!" he announced proudly as released her and went to hold his father's hand looking up at him so adoringly it almost broke Marci's heart.

"You're looking gorgeous Marci, everything going well?" Drew drawled to her with an eyebrow cocked up and an evil Joker-like grin. She had spent the better part of two hours avoiding him and he knew it.

"Not looking bad yourself Drew. I'm fine, you?" she replied warily and smiled slightly.

She hadn't seen him for a couple of months and had avoided being around when he came to pick Kayden for their father-son outings. Their split hadn't been entirely amicable and she had been avoiding him since. On his part Drew had given her space and kept his contact with his son as unobtrusive as possible. She had to give him that because the Drew she had been in a relationship with was anything but unobtrusive.

"Hey Sweetheart. " She heard behind her as large arms engulfed her in a hug and a quick kiss was planted on top of her head. She didn't need to turn to know it was Damian, her fiancé. This was a game he played all the time. Not entirely sure that Drew was over her, he gave them nary a moment alone. It worked for Marci because honestly she wasn't up to conversation with Drew just yet. Drew sniggered audibly and only Kayden didn't seem to notice the tension that had suddenly enveloped the adults around him. Mila excused herself and went to rescue a wailing Laila who had fallen. Kayden ran off with her as well. He was terribly fond of Laila and took his role as cousin very seriously. At five years Kayden reminded Marci so much of his father with his take charge attitude. He was a good kid and many a night she fervently prayed that her split from his father wouldn't screw him up too much.

"Kayden told me about the fishing trip. He really liked that." Damien offered conversationally to Drew as he placed a quick kiss on Marci's lips. He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She wanted to remove it but thought better of it as it would probably lead to a fight with Damian later and/or an annoying smirk from Drew. Neither was worth it so she left it there. Drew issued forth another audible snigger nonetheless and put his arms across his chest while he regarded them without any real expression on his face. Dr. Carl Lightman(Lie To Me - google it) would have called his stance aggressive with just a little defensiveness thrown in to spice the look.

"He loves fishing." Drew stated like he was talking to a child then turned to her, "Marci, I was wondering if I could have him for the long weekend. We're going to Kilifi to check out the boat and we'll be staying there for the duration of the weekend. Mila and Natalie will be there so you don't have to worry that someone is giving him beer." He completely ignored Damian.

"Sure, why not. I don't even need my girls there to keep a reign on things; as long as he's with you I am easy Hun." She turned to Damian who had been watching their exchange quietly, "now we can do that Lamu thing you wanted?"

"That's great!" he said enthusiastically and directed the rest of his statement to Drew, "I've been dying to take her on a retreat because she works too hard. Thanks man."

Marci wasn't sure if he was being sincere or just trying to goad Drew. Drew nodded, tipped his head at them and walked off in the direction of his son who was now walking aimlessly around holding Laila's hand.

"He seems happy." Damian remarked under his breath and Marci playfully punched him.

Damian was good for her. After her split with Drew about a year ago, he'd become a friend and finally more. They were now engaged and her father for one thing was very happy. Damian was a friend from childhood she hadn't been really close to until he permanently moved back to Malindi. He had started hanging out with Brian and Nathan which meant she saw a lot of him. While in Malindi Kayden spent a couple of hours every day with his uncles because in their words, "we don't want you sissying him up." Damian was almost invariably with them when they came to get Kayden and so they had started up a friendship of sorts. This hadn't gone down well with the younger Montague boys and it had taken Marci a while to convince them that her and Drew were truly over this time.

Damian was kind, funny and more importantly, wasn't as pushy and unpredictable as Drew had been towards the end of their relationship. He was also gorgeous and Marci found herself staring at him, familiarizing herself with his face all over again. He had striking gray eyes and wore his hair in a simple ponytail at his nape. He reminded her of something out of a vampire flick and just staring at him made her want to kiss him. She did.

"What was that for?" he asked returning the kiss a lot more enthusiastically than she'd offered.

"Cause you're so damn cute!" she said giving him another quick kiss and giggling. It had been so long since she'd giggled with a man and this felt good. Damian hugged her and they just sat there watching people mill around. She could see Drew on one knee trying to reason with a now sulking Kayden about something and clearly not making any headway. She thought about going to step in but dismissed the urge. Drew was a good father and he could handle Kayden any day.

"Want to go meet a few people?"Damian asked her as he held out his hand and motioned her out of the chair. She didn't really want to but she agreed to it anyway. They walked around her parents' garden being sociable. Brian and Carl were seated around the outside bar with a couple of other people Marci knew. She tugged Damian towards them.

"My, you are looking fine today!" Carl exclaimed the moment he saw her and got up to give up his seat. She tried to tell him she wasn't really going to be seated long and preferred to stand but he wouldn't have any of that. It was easy to pretend this was five years ago when the group had been younger and spent tons of time together. Brian and Carl had had their commitment ceremony and since settled in their own house further away from the old neighbourhood. Nate had married Mila and they were the proud parents of Laila. Marci was glad that relationship was working. It hadn't been easy in the beginning. Mila's earlier abortion had thrown Nate for a loop and it was ages before he could even look at her without exploding. Mila's parents had also hit the roof when they found out not only about the pregnancy but the subsequent abortion. She had gone off to stay with relatives in Bulgaria for a while. It was during this time that she and Nate had developed some sort of rapport online and started to like each other somewhat.

When Mila had come back to Kenya, Nate had been at the airport to pick her up. From what little she had told Marci about the two of them at the time, it had been a healing time. He'd gotten around his anger and he wanted to be there for her because no one else seemed to be. Mila had been through a deep depression after the whole affair and everyone was pretty much treating her like a pariah. Nate had stepped up and that's when they really got to know each other. Nate was good for Mila, she had mellowed out somewhat in the past few years and her friendship with Marci while tentative, was definitely much better than it was a couple years back. Nate had proposed and two years later they had a beautiful girl to show for it.

Notably absent at the bar was Natalie. She was still drop dead gorgeous and confusing men around town. With Marci's help she had adopted eight year old twins and when she wasn't partying, she was at home being the dutiful mother. She had been through a wild relationship with some guy and when it had ended she hadn't wanted to talk about it so Marci was in the dark about her love life. Marci made a mental note to grill her the next time she saw her.

"So, when's the wedding?" Nate asked her with a smile. He was slugging a beer right out of the bottle and keeping a keen eye on his women who were currently involved in another standoff. Laila was a very willful 2 year old.

"I am hoping for December. Good weather and most of our friends and family will be here anyway." Marci answered and Damian squeezed her shoulders behind her. She knew he was glad she'd finally picked a month. Over the last few weeks all their arguments had been about her reluctance to pick a date. Picking out a month was a good start; it showed some level of commitment to actually having a wedding.

"Do you have any ideas of what you want to do?" Carl asked and Marci guessed he wanted to cater it. That was a foregone conclusion to her however. Ever since she'd become pregnant with Kayden, she'd gotten hooked to Carl's cooking. Even after the birth, she had continued to adore his culinary prowess.

"You are definitely cooking. I was thinking something small, intimate, maybe the beach? I know it's a cliché but I like the idea."

"Uhm, sweetheart, we'll need to discuss that. My mother has been planning my wedding ever since she knew for sure I wasn't gay; no offence guys." Damian stated behind her directing the last part of his comment to Carl and Brian. They shrugged it off and Marci turned to look at Damian quizzically. He hadn't told her that his mother had plans of her own. She had a difficult relationship with his mother. She was one of those high society matrons that wanted her son to marry some blue eyed blond. She'd been aloof with Marci from the get go. Marci couldn't even begin to imagine letting her run her wedding. Hmmm, she sighed to herself, there's a fight just waiting to become nasty! She spied Kayden and his father coming towards them.

They looked so alike and clearly adored each other. Kayden was crying though and Marci furrowed her brow in concern. She resisted the urge to fly out of her seat and go to him. She had learnt not to do that after Drew pointed out it made it seem like he was incapable of caring for his own son.

"I want Mommy!" he pouted when they were close to the bar. Removing his little hand from Drew's, he walked quickly towards her and hugged her legs. She was seated on a bar stool and that was as far as he could get. She slid of the seat and bent down to pick him up. He was getting heavier every day and soon she wasn't going to be able to pick him up at all.

"I want pillow pillow." he continued to put and rub his eyes.

"Don't we all." Drew remarked and Marci shot him a glare. Kayden had stopped suckling way back but his preferred method of falling asleep was when she held him against her chest. He referred to her breasts as "pillow pillow". The poor child was tired so she excused herself to find a place to lay him down. She figured she'd take him to his room. He had a room at his grandparents because he spent every other fortnight with them. That way he was close to both sets of his grandparents as well as his uncles.

"Hun?" she called out to Damian, "I'll just put him in his room and then I'll be back out. Love you!"

"Mommy?" a sleepy Kayden said tentatively.

"Yes Kade?"

"Can I sleep here today? I don't want to miss the party." He asked in his cutest baby boy voice while his hands fiddled gently on her neck. How could she say no when he turned on all the cute buttons like that. She didn't quite understand his logic but still, it was definitely more convenient than driving back to her place.

"Of course sweetie. Just remember to behave, ok?" she told him as she opened the door to his room. It was a little boy's room for sure. Her parents weren't nearly as strict with him about neatness and it showed. His packed bag from the fishing trip with his father was set in a corner with everything pretty much pulled out. His bed was full of action figures and all his closet doors were open, drawers too. He must have had a hard time deciding what to wear to the party! She placed him in a huge sofa next to the bed and went about clearing the room a little while he tiredly told her about his day. He was an amusing boy and she found herself laughing out loud at some of his expressions.

"Ok Kade, all ready. Come, let me put you to bed?" she said reaching out for him and helping him out of his clothes. Leaving him in his undies, she pulled back the light cover of the bed and helped him get in. She followed him and they cuddled as they talked about the day. He was soon snoring softly against her breasts so she gently laid him on the bed and covered him up. Putting on the bedside lamp to low, she watched him for a few minutes not believing the amount of love she could have for this little boy. She was probably biased but he really was the cutest, smartest and most affectionate child in the world. And he was her son. The thought made her eyes tear.

She kissed him and walked towards the door. Putting off the main lights, she took one last look at him and turned to head back downstairs. She walked right into Drew when she turned. He held out his hands to catch her and prevent her from falling as she reeled back. Looking up at him, Marci felt her throat constrict. He was so goddamn good looking and intense. Damian was a beautiful man, something you'd probably find on the cover of a historical romance. Drew reminded her of Max Martini but with dark brown hair. There was something lethal about him and right now he'd trained all that lethality at her. She swallowed and stepped back not sure whether to open a conversation or just flee.

"Is he ok now?" Drew asked quietly, still pinning her to the spot with that intense stare. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Chances are she would have squeaked considering how dry her throat was at the moment. Why the hell was she so skittish around the man? They had been apart for almost a year. She made a mental note to talk about that with Natalie when she next saw her. Her friend had a good ear and she'd been there through all the drama that had been Marci and Drew.

"He was tired and got cranky so I figured he wanted to sleep. Plus he kept asking for "pillow pillow". I hope he outgrows that soon." Drew remarked wryly causing Marci to smile. She shrugged. It didn't bother her much.

"Come here, I want to discuss something." Drew told her as he turned suddenly and led her to the nearest empty room. She wasn't so sure this was a good idea when he prodded her into the room and shut the door behind him. They were in her old room. It had been changed into a guest room after she moved her personal stuff into her own house. Definitely not a good idea.

Drew leaned against the door and regarded her quietly for the longest ten seconds in the world. When she raised her eye brows in silent question he crossed his arms with deliberate slowness in front of his chest and walked towards her. She instinctively took a step back and the subtle action made him stop for a moment in his tracks before smirking and continuing towards her.

"Look at you squirm! It's quite cute actually. I should do this more often. , I like you squirming. Preferably under me but this will do just as well," he drawled slowly when he was within kissing distance of her. She took another step back and frowned at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Talking. Did you want to do something else?" he asked with one of his wicked smiles and approached her further.

"First Nate, now Damian. You are going to get quite the reputation at this rate Drew. What do you want?" she asked sharply. She had taken another step away from him when she felt the edge of the bed behind her knees.

"Technically you were never Nate's; even he said he knew I was coming back for you." Drew told her calmly, his eyes shifting to the bed and then back to her.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. So, what is it that you want?" she repeated, feeling distinctly uncomfortable as he closed what remaining little space was between them making their chests touch. She could feel him and even through the layers of clothing, her body responded immediately.

"As for Damian," he continued as if she hadn't spoken, "what's this I hear of a December wedding? When were you going to tell me? Are you moving?" he asked in quick succession.

"Do you mind giving me a little space here Drew? Does the concept of personal space not exist to you?" she told him mildly as she reached to his chest to push him away. He captured her hands in both his and pulled her even closer to him so that her breasts were meshed onto his chest.

"Never between us." He muttered just low enough for her to hear before he lowered his head and kissed her. She was too stunned for a moment to react and he took advantage of her shock to pry her lips open and deepen the kiss. Marci moaned as the memories of those lips flooded back. She had always said Drew kissed like a dream; it was not a lie. He expertly coaxed her lips apart and drew her into his wickedly sexy magic. A glass breaking downstairs brought Marci out of the spell. Drew knew the moment was over and to his credit he stepped back. Subjecting her to another one of his intense looks, he waited for her to say something.