"I'm sure he's great but I've sworn off all business men. I haven't had good experiences with them. I won't try and keep the baby from him but I just can't get into a relationship with the man," Trinity said and hoped Jasmine would understand.
"I'm sure it will all work out," Jasmine told her. The bell rung again and in walked the man in question. It didn't take him long to spot the two women.
"There's my beautiful girl," Drew said as he approached. Trinity was starting to blush and then he plucked the baby out of her arms, who immediately started to giggle. Trinity felt a little embarrassed, thinking the comment had been for her and hoped he hadn't noticed.
"Uncle missed you, Precious," he cuddled Britney and continued to talk to her. She looked up at him like she could understand everything he was saying. She reached her small hand up and was patting his cheek. Trinity was impressed with how well he handled the baby. If he was half as affectionate with his own daughter, she'd always know her father loved her.
"You have a lot to make up for Drew," Jasmine said as she glared at him.
"What?" he said and looked from one to the other. They both looked at him like he was dumb, so he shrugged his shoulder and continued to talk to his niece, who adored him. "At least you don't look at Uncle that way," he said to her.
"I can't believe what a moron you were at the resort. Seriously, you bonked her in the head and then had the gall to lie to her. No wonder she's giving you a hard time," Jasmine continued. "It was so great to meet you, Trinity. Please come have lunch with me on your next day off. I want to get to know you more and I really want the kids to grow up together," she said.
"I think that sounds wonderful. I'll be off on Sunday and Monday, if either of those work for you," Trinity responded.
"Sunday will work perfectly. Come any time after ten, here's my address and my phone number. I can't wait to see you," she finished. She then gathered the baby up and headed out. Trinity looked at the clock and was relieved it was closing time. She counted out her till and started shutting things down.
"Can I take you to dinner, please?" Drew asked her. She knew she should probably say no because it sounded great. She found she really wanted to spend time with him, which was scary. She was trying to get the words to come out of her mouth and was a bit surprised by her own answer.
"That sounds fine," she replied. They walked out of the shop and he immediately grabbed her hand. She fought for a moment to pull free but he was holding firm, so she gave it up. It was much easier to let go of the smaller battles, so she had the energy for the bigger arguments.
Chapter Seven
Sunday came quickly and Trinity found she was really excited to see Jasmine, again. She'd always had a hard time making friends because she was so busy all the time and she was painfully shy. She was also always the practical one. When other kids had been out partying, she had been the one studying.
It had all been worth it, though because she now owned her shop and was on her way to her goals being accomplished. She was about ready to leave, when there was a knock on her door. She knew who it was before she opened it up.
"Good morning," Drew said and she could smell the warm scent of muffins wafting through the bag he was holding. He felt a compulsive need to feed her all the time.
"I can take care of myself, you know?" she told him, although she grabbed the bag and started munching on the delicious pastry. She didn't know where he bought his pastries but they were heavenly tasting and she soon found herself half-way through a second one.
"I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself but I enjoy feeding you and checking up on you. I've never been a father before and I feel a need to make sure my daughter is getting all she needs," he explained. Trinity rolled her eyes but allowed him to walk with her down the stairs.
"I'm visiting Derek today so we can ride together," Drew said as he steered her towards his car. She decided to let it go; at least she wouldn't have to struggle to fit behind the wheel, which was becoming harder with each day.
They rode to the home, chatting a bit. As they made their way through the gate and started up the driveway, Trinity was awed into silence. When the home came into view she gasped out loud.
"This is their house?" she asked him in amazement. It looked more like a resort than someone's home. Her eyes were drawn to the huge front door and the seemingly endless walls. She didn't know how they managed to find their way to different areas of the home.
"I know it's very large. I gave Derek a heck of a time when I first saw it but Jasmine has made it really homey," he told her. She didn't see how it was possible to make the mansion look homey, it was simply too massive.