As we lingered over dessert—some kind of incredible Tiramisu that made me moan on the first bite—I found that I didn’t want the evening to end. The day in general had sucked, but the evening couldn’t have been more perfect if I had tried. I tried to make every bite of dessert last a little longer.

“Don’t you like it?” Shane asked as he took his last bite.

“It’s delicious,” I assured him.

“Got a text from Jesse,” Drake said as he dropped down in his chair after having come back from the bathroom. “We aren’t going into the studio tomorrow or the rest of the week. Emmie had to go to the doctor this morning and she has to rest.” His brow was wrinkled in concern. “The doctor is still talking about a C-section.”

“Well she is kind of tiny, Dray.” Shane tossed back the rest of his wine. “And if that kid is anything like Nik, she’s going to have a huge head. This will probably be better for Em.”

“I guess,” Drake muttered, swallowing the last of his coffee. “I guess I’m just terrified of the unknown.”

“She’s in the best hands, bro. You know Nik wouldn’t let her be in anything but.” His words were to offer comfort, but I wondered if he was trying to comfort himself too.

I knew that Emmie was special to the four members of Demon’s Wings. She was the sun that they all seemed to revolve around. I loved that they could feel so deeply for her. It showed me that beneath the badass rocker persona they were good guys. Up until I met them I had thought that all rockers were the same. Douche bags and assholes. Mom’s life had shown me that side of the rocker world, and I had hated every second of it. Drake and his band brothers had proved to me that there were some good guys floating around in the rock world after all.

“Do you have homework?” Drake surprised me by changing the subject.

I shook my head. “I finished my Calculus while I waited for you two to show up.”

“Think Layla would get mad if we didn’t go straight home?” He was pulling his wallet out and tossing a few large bills on the table.

Had he read my mind? I wasn’t ready to go home either. “She texted me and told me that she was having dinner with Jesse. They’re taking Lucy out for mac and cheese.”

Shane laughed. “He loves his mac and cheese. Now he has an excuse to get it as often as possible.”

“Let’s go to a movie,” Drake suggested. “I haven’t been to a movie in forever.”

Shane snorted. “No thanks.” He stood. “Since we aren’t going into the studio tomorrow. I’m going to find something a little more X-rated to keep me occupied.” Drake muttered something under his breath, causing Shane to laugh. “You got it, bro.”

“Don’t make Emmie worry. Come home tonight.”

“I’ll do my best.” But Shane was still grinning. He placed a kiss on top of my head. “Have fun. See you later.”

“Bye, Shane.” I watched him go and then turned back to the big man seated across from me. “Still want to see a movie?”

“If you feel up to it.” But I could tell he was really looking forward to going to see one. The idea of being in a dark theater with Drake sitting beside me was too appealing to turn down.

“Anything scary out?” I loved scary movies. The way the suspense made your heart race was incredible. Usually, I was the girl screaming, but I never covered my eyes to hide from the monster on the screen.

His eyes sparkled. “I’m sure we could find something scary.”

Paranormal Activity 2 had me clutching Drake’s arm throughout the movie. I screamed a few times, but I wasn’t the only one. I felt safe with the big man seated next to me, his arm resting along the back of my chair and the popcorn sitting between us. It felt so good, so normal.

--

The weeks passed so quickly I didn’t have time to really look at what was going on outside in the real world. Jesse and my sister were getting serious. Emmie’s belly was getting even bigger. School was the same old shit over and over again.

What I had labeled as a crush was turning into something deeper, and it scared the hell out of me. Drake was becoming very important to me, and I didn’t know how to handle it. All I did know was that I couldn’t go two minutes without thinking about him. I felt like if I didn’t see him every day, or get a dozen texts from him, I would go insane with this all-consuming love inside my heart. As hard as I tried to keep reminding myself that we were just friends, my heart refused to listen.

Layla threw Emmie a surprise baby shower, and it was a big success. Emmie, the hard-ass that normally took care of everyone else, was getting taken care of for a change, and she cried like the hormonal pregnant woman she was. It was a great day.

The next day Jesse loaded us up and took us to SeaWorld. The four of us felt like a family that day, and I felt like I could get used to it. Jesse was constantly holding Layla’s hand and even carried Lucy on his shoulders when her feet got tired. The only thing that could have made the day better was if Drake had come with us.

But he had still been in bed when we left that morning. I wasn’t blind to Drake’s flaws. I knew that he was a heavy drinker. I wished he would find a way to give up his addiction. I wanted to be more important to him, special enough for him to give up the liquor for me, but I knew that that wasn’t going to happen. I was just his friend—okay, I was likely his best friend—and it wasn’t going to change.

The next weekend I got the surprise of my life when Drake pulled out all the stops and threw me a surprise birthday party. I was officially eighteen now, and there was no one I wanted to celebrate adulthood more with than Drake… His present on the other hand caused a mammoth fight.

The white Audi A6 was a dream car. It was also pretty expensive in my book. I didn’t want to take it. Hadn’t the stupid man realized that I didn’t want him to buy me things like this? I almost refused it, but Emmie stepped in and made me feel like the biggest bitch that walked the earth. “It’s yours. Your name is on the paper work. Take the car and stop tormenting him!”

I hadn’t realized that I was tormenting him, but once she had said that I knew it was true. He only wanted the best for me. Layla’s car had broken down more than once in the last three weeks. One of those times I had nearly been in an accident because the car had stalled in the middle of an intersection. The car was his way of keeping me safe.