Drake ✔️

Chapter 38

Shay

I hug Bernie back when she wraps her arms around me for the seven millionth time since I got here yesterday. It's late now and Drake and I are flying back to Maryland in the morning. There's not a doubt in my mind that Bernie and Wilson (and probably the rest of the Daniels clan, for that matter) will assemble in the kitchen tomorrow morning to see us off before we leave, but she's saying goodbye and thanking me for coming through tonight, to save rushing through it in the morning I guess.

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon. You'll never know how much this weekend has meant to me." Drake's mom gushes as she pulls back from me, but she keeps her hands firmly wrapped around my forearms as her glassy eyes rake over me like she thinks she's never gonna see me again. "All I want is for my boys to be happy, all of them. And I know happiness is love and family. I never thought he'd find you, but he has! It just makes everything so perfect."

Happiness is love and family? Wow, maybe that explains why I've probably never experienced true happiness.

I offer her a tight smile, unsure how to respond as tears start streaming down her cheeks. She backs away from me at last, laughing and dabbing at her face with a tissue. Drake's dad is standing just behind her, smiling as he watches the two of us.

"Alright you two, leave her alone. We're beat." Drake grumbles from behind me. I feel his hand on my elbow and I smile small, turning to face him and looking forward to our final night together in his childhood bedroom.

A weird thing to look forward to, right? But hell, I am.

"Goodnight. Remember to set your alarms, you need to get that Raptor back to the airport in plenty time for your flight." Wilson says, raising an unimpressed eyebrow on Drake. I'm surprised he's even letting him drive the Raptor back to the airport, but it was his wedding anniversary today and tomorrow is Valentine's. He's in an awesome mood, feeling the love.

"Will do, pops." Drake says jokingly, then he's leading me out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Today was good." He murmurs low from behind me as I climb the stairs ahead of him. "You officially did it. You totally won them over."

"I guess I did." I agree quietly, smiling to myself as I head for his room. Everyone has been awesome this weekend, and I can't even deny how much I've enjoyed myself. Doing regular things with a normal family (if a chilli eating competition can be classed as regular) has been totally fucking refreshing, and I hate to admit it, but... I could get used to this.

No drama around criminal offences and court dates. No one glaring at me because they think I'm a snake, a gun yielding maniac and a deceitful bitch. No prison visits, no head fucks about trusting boys and no issues around being able to open up with boys. No need here, because here I have a boyfriend.

Even though I don't.

I gotta remember that. This whole thing has been fake, and I'm an expert at faking it.

So why do I actually feel disappointed to be getting back to reality tomorrow?

"The girls were cool with you before dinner, right?" Drake asks as we enter his room. He closes the door as I sit down on the bed, tucking my hair behind my ears and clearing my throat uncomfortably. The girls were super cool with me when they insisted on breaking off from the guys for some girl talk. They asked me questions, they told me a little about themselves, they complimented my hair and my nails and all the superficial bullshit I don't tend to give much thought to when I meet someone new. But most interestingly of all, they showed me their Daniels charms. They're all identical, save for the individual name of their other half engraved on the reverse. That shit made me feel mega awkward, because I knew what they were all thinking. They mentioned it even; how excited they are for the day Wilson decides to present me with my Drake charm.