Loving Lily(37)

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll remember your advice.”

I wasn’t sure what troubled me the most: the fact that my mother sensed a rift between us or that Lily and I didn’t look at each other the same. What did that mean?

My father patted my back. “Trust me, son, men shouldn’t mess with pregnant ladies. I learned the hard way.”

I was sure he had. Stubborn prick that he was back in the day, I could only imagine how difficult he had probably been.

Looking at them now, it was obvious they still loved and were devoted to each other like they had been when I was growing up. I was lucky I had exemplary parents who didn’t easily give up on me.

I was shameless growing up, and those two had to put up with a lot of craziness. The day I had gotten married was probably the day they let out a sigh of relief, hoping it was the end of my shenanigans. They had been right on that score, of course.

The second they left, I headed straight to the bar, grabbing a bottle of brandy before strolling towards the veranda and heading to the beach. The fresh night was settling in with the stars slowly showing in the cloudless, luminescent sky. It was one of those beautiful moments where the last shadows of light were being blanketed by the midnight blue darkness. The sea was calm, barely whispering its waves as it hit the shore.

I decided to dig my toes deep into the warm sand, seeking its barely wet coolness as I stared above, feeling no more than a mortal, feeling so little and so fucking helpless at the same time.

“Fuck it!” I muttered before twisting the bottle cap open and guzzling a few gulps of the amber liquid into my mouth. I decided to take a walk along the coast, needing some much needed air to clear my head.

Misery was wretched company.

The moment I felt like I couldn’t go on any longer, I thought it a great idea to rest underneath a coconut tree. Sitting with my ass cushioned by the sand and with half my body resting against the trunk, I shut my eyes and let the alcohol sink into my psyche, losing any sense of time. I could feel the brandy making my veins throb as it sped up my heart rate. I could also sense the fact that my mind was muddied from all the heavy pondering I had done before the alcohol had truly hit me.

What was the crux of our problem? Shannon? Or was it because married couples normally disengaged from each other as time went on? The spark could only last for so long, and maybe this was the result of that. Maybe it was simply the outcome of normalcy, that she and I weren’t an exception from the “stagnant” part of marriage.

“Drake?” I could hear Lily’s faint voice coming from somewhere. “Drake, is that you?”

“The one and only,” I replied, thinking maybe I didn’t go far enough if she had found me so quickly.

With her movements slowly approaching, I heard her say, “I knew I’d find you here.”

Gradually opening one eye to look at her, I threw her a quizzical brow. “Is that so?”

She made a shy nod before looking towards the sea and taking a seat a foot away from me. “You always find your way to this coconut tree whenever you’re drunk. I used to follow you around back in the day, remember?”

Yes, I did remember. Sad to say that the woman who used to adore and worship the ground I walked on had stopped months ago.

“Come here, Lily.” I gestured by tapping the sand next to me, wanting her close. If I could get a whiff of her scent, I would be happy enough. I just wanted her next to me.

“It’s late. Come on. Your parents came back, and when they couldn’t find you, I offered to look, telling them I knew where you were. I don’t want them to worry if we take our time heading back to the villa.”

She was full of excuses. She could say it outright if she didn’t want to spend another second with me; there was no need to circle around it.

“You go on right back. I’ll stay in this sweet spot, thank you.” Disconnecting from her gaze, I let my eyes drop to my lap, toying with the bottle and its dwindling contents on the sand, making shapes and letters, feeling at a loss to where my life was going. To the shitter, most likely.

“I don’t want to leave you out here. Come on, get up. You’re drunk. Maybe you need to sleep this off, and then you’ll be as good as new tomorrow when you wake up.”

The thought of sleep made me want to pull my hair out. Fuck it. Best I give it a go, or I wouldn’t ever know.

“I’ll go back to the house and sleep if you promise to let me hold you in bed.”

“Are you serious?” she spat back. “You want to have sex? Hell no, Drake!”

Wow. That was harsh, even for her.

“Damn. Thanks for letting me know. I’m sure the people around, if they’re out there, could easily tell how much you want me, sweet wife of mine.” Lifting the bottle of brandy, I saluted her. “Good night, Lily Alexander.” Fuck the Tatum. She hated me. There was no denying it anymore.