20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lacy

After Drake left the bar, I sat with the girls a while longer. Axel, Blaze, Storm, and Ryder tried to settle everyone down, but there was no use. We were all terrified of Josh and his actions.

The guys wouldn’t let on to what plans they may have, but knowing them all, they were thinking up something.

I had watched Axel nearly kill a man to stop Chuck once. Ryder had risked his own life to stop another man from hurting the Raven’s reputation, and Storm and Aspen nearly ended their relationship because of Chuck’s influence. Now, his cousin, Josh wanted his own turn to try and take the Raven’s down.

Would this ever end?

I waited for Drake to return to the bar, but he never did.

“He will calm down, eventually,” Axel said, offering me a sympathetic nod.

“I know,” I said, trying to offer a smile.

As the hours passed, everyone began to grow tired and went home. I stumbled up the steps to our apartment and paused when I reached our door. I stood, listening intently for any signs of sound on the other side. But, it was silent.

Turning the knob, I peeked inside and it was dark, save for a single light left on in the hall. Drake always did that when I was out later. He said it was so I didn’t bump into things on my way to bed. My heart swelled as I thought about something so simple that held so much meaning. It was his strange way of showing he cared.

I followed the light and made my way to our room. Walking in our bedroom, I spotted Drake laying in bed. He was fast asleep and I stood in the doorway for a few minutes, just taking him in. Everything about Drake Raven screamed outcast, hardcore, and tough guy. But on the inside, he was the most caring and loving man I have ever met. He may not say the fluffy words most girls love to hear, but his actions screamed louder than anything any other man could say.

I finally pushed myself into the room and I snuggled into bed next to Drake. Feeling me enter the bed, Drake opened up his arms for me to crawl into. Maybe he was half-awake, or maybe it was just habit-- but I loved it when he did that. In his arms is where I was meant to be and that was exactly where I went.

***

The next morning, I rolled over and felt an empty bed. My eyes shot open as I looked around for any sign of Drake.

“Calm down, I’m right here,” Drake chuckled, as he sat in a chair in the corner of the room.

Sitting up, I held the covers close to me. Drake was already dressed in a gray shirt and loose-fitting jeans. His black boots were shined and his scent of cologne filled the air.

“You are up early,” I say.

There is an unspoken tension filling the air and I don’t like it.

Drake nods and settles back against the chair. I know he can feel the shift between us too. “Lacy, I really need you to listen to me. I love you so much for wanting to step up and help me out, but this problem is something I need to handle by myself,” Drake says seriously.

I scoot myself out of bed with the blankets still wrapped around me. I shuffled over to him and placed myself on his lap. Instinctively, his hands wrap around my waist as I sit. I can feel him growing hard beneath me, but he is trying to remain serious. I nuzzled into him and sighed, as his scent engulfed me.

“Drake, I know you can handle the weight of the world on your shoulders, but it doesn’t mean you need to,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. I want him to believe what I am saying.

He rubs his hands along my thighs and sparks fly through me. “And, I love you for that, but I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you,” he said. I could hear a hint of sadness in his voice and it almost broke my heart.

Feeling a bit defeated, I see that by trying to show my strength, I am just breaking Drake’s.

“Baby, I will stop. I see that you need to do this your way,” I say, defeat lacing my own voice. Drake hears it too, but he just accepts my words for what they are. He knows this is hard for me too.

“Soon, all of this will be over and we can start our life together. I want you, Lacy. All of you. Forever,” Drake breathes, as he hugs me tightly against his rock-hard chest.

I hold onto Drake as my lifeline and know that without a shadow of a doubt, we will get that future together.