Sweet Heat at Bayside(47)

"A doughnut?" Drake wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.         

     



 

"Just listen, Drake," Serena said.

"It's yeast-style, which means it's puffy and light," Abby explained. "I  filled it with creamy Belgian chocolate pudding, which is sweet and  rich like the beginning of a relationship. I topped it with Taza  chocolate frosting, which is a little coarse but truly delicious, and  made right in Somerville, Mass, which also reminded me of you two,  because you've known each other forever. It dawned on me that coarse and  delicious is like the ups and downs of relationships. You know, after  the blissful beginning, when real life peeks its ugly head in. And then I  topped it with dark and white chocolate pearls, which are shiny and  beautiful. They're rich and scrumptious outside, but when you bite into  them, they have a tiny cookie center and pack a little crunch. Like  yours and Serena's relationship, it's heavenly, but the distance-real  life-adds a bit of crunch to it. I call the doughnut Perpetual Bliss,  named for you and Serena, because at the end of the day, it's the love  between you that puts that smile on her face. I hope that's okay."

Drake couldn't believe what he was hearing. His girl had talked about  their relationship in such a way that she'd inspired a doughnut? Was  there anything she couldn't do? "Okay? It's amazing, Abby. Thank you. I  can't wait to try them."

"They're delicious!" Serena said loudly, and he imagined her radiant  smile and that luminous spark in her eyes. "Hold on one sec, Drake."

He heard her thanking Abby.

She took him off speakerphone and said, "I'm leaving her shop now. I  just love her! Isn't that just the coolest thing you've ever heard? A  doughnut named after us."

"Yes. Beyond cool." Just like you.

"Sorry I didn't call earlier," she said. "The meeting took forever. My  client's husband was more than an hour late. Can you believe that? After  she told me not to be late? Anyway, when we finally finished, I was  starved, so I went to eat at that place we got sandwiches by the  doughnut shop. And then, well, Kane's Donuts. You know … "

He chuckled. "Yeah, I do."

"I'm on my way home now. I'm just going to change and then drive down.  How was the tasting? Did the girls have fun? Are you out on the water?"

"The tasting was good, but everyone missed you, and yeah, we're on the water. I miss you, babe. Call me when you take off."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you more." He ended the call and turned to their friends. "We've got to move fast. She's walking home."

He started the engine on the boat and sped toward the overpass on Seaport Boulevard.

"There she is!" Rick pointed toward the road.

Serena was walking toward the overpass, looking hot in a sexy red dress,  high heels, and the sunglasses they'd bought together. She had on the  bracelet he'd given her. Her hair was pinned up, and she wore a happy  expression. Drake imagined she could still taste that doughnut. Their  doughnut.

He turned on the boat's PA system and spoke into the mic. "Attention, Supergirl! Serena Supergirl Mallery!"

Serena's head whipped in their direction, and she ran toward the  overpass, grinning and waving. Her hair tumbled out of its tethers and  over her shoulders.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please clear the way," he announced. "My girl's coming through."

The people on the overpass cheered and clapped as Serena ran to the  railing. She grabbed it with both hands and hung over, yelling, "You're  here!"

Desiree, Emery, Rick, Dean, Matt, Mira, and Hagen waved from the deck.

Serena squealed as a crowd formed around her. "You're all here!"

"Hey there, beautiful," Drake said into the mic. "We missed you. Head on down to the boardwalk. We'll pick you up there."

She took off running in her heels like they were sneakers. Their  friends, and people on the overpass, whooped, cheering her on and  waving. Drake's heart was so full of her, his chest ached.

Hagen jumped up and down. "I can't see her!"

Matt lifted him up so he could see better.

Drake put the mic in front of Hagen, and the little cutie said, "Go, Auntie Serena. Go!"

A few minutes later Drake climbed over the railing by the boardwalk, and  she leapt into his arms, pressing her smiling lips to his. Mira  captured the whole thing on video.

"You're crazy! I love you!" Serena said between kisses, her happy, salty tears slipping between their lips.

"Crazy in love with you, baby. Did you think I could go tubing without my girl? My sun goddess? Not a chance."         

     



 

"Hurry up!" Mira urged. "Before we get in trouble for stopping here."

"Come on." Drake knelt and removed Serena's heels and handed them and  her bag over the railing to Emery. With Dean and Rick's help, they  lifted Serena over the railing and onto the boat, where all the girls  hugged her at once.

Hagen wiggled from Matt's arms and hugged Serena's legs. His bright-blue  life preserver made it difficult for him to get close. "We brought you  cake!"

"Cake! I love cake!" Serena said, hugging him back.

Desiree pointed to a box with several pieces of cake in it. "We brought the tasting to you!"

"You're the best friends ever!" Serena said, hugging everyone again. "The best! I can't believe you're all here!"

When she finally landed in Drake's arms again, she wrapped her arms  around his neck and opened her mouth to speak, then crushed herself to  him, hugging him so tightly, he didn't know how she could breathe.

"Thank you," she said against his chest. "I might have to strip down to my bra and undies, though. I have no bathing suit."

"I brought one. Shorts, sandals, even your hair stuff to pin it up, just in case."

She gazed up at him, her hazel eyes brimming with love. "Just when I  don't think I can stand another minute away from you, you make  everything feel possible. If I'm your Supergirl, you're definitely my  Superman."

"I like Superman!" Hagen piped in. "Can I call you Superman, Uncle Drake?"

Everyone laughed.

Gazing into Serena's eyes, Drake said, "You can call me anything you  want, buddy." He leaned closer to Serena and whispered, "As long as you  call me yours."

"I love you, Drake Savage," she said as she pressed her lips to his. "You are my perpetual bliss."

"Guess what, Serena? We're sleeping in a hotel tonight!" Hagen said  excitedly, pulling them from their reverie. "But you're sleeping on the  boat with Uncle Drake and everyone else. I wanted to sleep on the boat,  but Mommy said it's too uncomfortable for her with her baby belly. But  that's okay. I love hotels, too. We're going to order room service."

Serena and Mira shared a laugh. Mira patted her belly and said, "I need my creature comforts."

"We're sleeping on the boat? All of us?" Serena bounced on her toes.  "Mira, you guys can stay in my place if you want. I don't have room  service, but there are stores on the ground floor of my building,  including BJ's ice cream." She waggled her brows at Hagen. "And Insomnia  Cookies delivers all night!"

Hagen's eyes brightened. "I love cookies! Please, Mom? Please can we stay at Auntie Serena's and get cookies?"

As Mira bent to talk to Hagen, Serena leaned closer to Drake and said, "This is the best day ever!"

"You seem to say that a lot." And he couldn't love hearing it more.

She wrapped her arms around Drake's neck and said, "Must be because you make me so happy."

"Look at them. Where is Vi when we need her?" Mira grabbed Serena's hand  and lowered her voice. "Before you two get all handsy in front of my  boy, let's get you changed into a bathing suit."

"Oh yeah, that'll help," Dean said sarcastically, making all the guys laugh.

"Where is Vi, by the way?" Serena asked.

"At the inn," Desiree answered. "She said she'd never survive overnight on a boat full of lovebirds."

"What did she really say?" Serena asked Mira.

Mira glanced at Hagen and said, "Pretty much that, but a little more descriptive and inclusive of the F-bomb."

"Aw, Mom cussed!" Hagen said.

Serena and the girls went belowdecks so she could change into her bathing suit, and Drake drove the boat out into the harbor.

"Look at me, Superman!" Hagen hollered into the wind. He was sitting on  his knees on a cushion, eyes closed, the wind blowing his hair away from  his face and plastering his shirt against his little chest.

He reminded Drake of Rick as a kid, always wanting everyone to see what he was doing. "This is pretty cool, huh, buddy?"

"I love it!" Hagen grinned into the wind.

"No more fake girlfriend for you," Dean said as he sidled up to him with Rick and Matt.

"Darn right." No more fake anything.

He'd been thinking a lot these last few weeks about what he wanted, and  at the top of that list was a life with Serena. Everything else could  fall into place around that.