Free Kitchen Promises (Riverside Trilogy, #3) (The Riverside Trilogy) by Brooke Cumberland Page B

No matter what.
    “Good morning, sweetheart,” I whispered quietly as I walked into our bedroom. She was lying peacefully, sleeping soundly. “I brought breakfast.”
    “You’re spoiling me, you know.” She opened her eyes and smiled back at me. “I’m going to be expecting this kind of treatment forever now.” She grinned, happily taking the tray of food I prepared for her.
    “And I’ll gladly do it for you. Forever.” I kissed her forehead lightly. “I have a surprise for you,” I announced. I bent down on my knees in front of the bed so I could be eye level with her.
    “Are you proposing again?” she teased, taking a bite of her toast.
    I smirked. “Not exactly. But I do have a gift for you.” Her face went soft as I grabbed the blue Tiffany & Co. box out of my pocket. “It’s something I wanted you to have as a reminder.”
    Her eyebrows narrowed.
    “I want you to remember that no matter what, I will always love you, Molly. The journey, the fight, the fear—everything we’ve been through to be together—has always been worth it for me. It’ll always be worth it.”
    “You’re scaring me, Drake,” she muttered. She had a look of fear on her face.
    I slowly opened the box, displaying the charm bracelet, decorated with charms already. “This is for you. It’s a reminder. It’s our life, our journey. And I don’t ever want you to be without it. It’s us.”
    She nose-dived into the box and grabbed it with both hands. “Oh my god! It’s stunning!”
    “It holds memories of us together. Memories that made us and that make our future, memories that I want you to hold onto no matter how hard things get.”
    “It’s so perfect,” she gushed. “But, why? Is something wrong? Are you sick?” she rambled off in a panic.
    “No, no. Nothing like that. I just wanted to get you something special, baby, something that you can wear and remember all the good times.”
    And it was the truth. I only wanted her to focus on the good memories. The nightmares of Travis and the memories of Liam, I knew she’d never forget or get over, but I didn’t want her to feel guilty about being happy now.
    “I—I absolutely love it!” She squeezed the bracelet in her hands, holding it close to her heart.
    “I’m glad.” I grabbed her face in my hands and leaned in to kiss her lips.
    “Want me to show them to you?” I asked, breaking the kiss. I knew if I kissed her too long, I’d want to keep kissing her, and that would lead to more, and she wasn’t allowed to have more right now.
    “Yes, definitely.” She smiled, opening her hand back out.
    “Okay, this one—” I pointed to the anchor, “is the most important one. Not only does it match our tattoos, but also it represents our relationship, being together and never sinking.” I paused, watching her reaction. “This one—” I pointed to a spatula, “is the first kitchen utensil we used while getting… caught .” I chuckled lightly, knowing that was the first time we’d done it in a very public place—in my restaurant at the very least.
    “Oh, I didn’t realize this was a dirty bracelet.” She giggled.
    “Well…I tried to mix it up a little, ya know. Keep it interesting and all.” I grinned.
    She laughed. “Is this a bathtub ?” she asked, holding the charm up.
    “That represents our first anniversary.” I smiled wide at the memory. “We pretty much spent the whole day in the tub.”
    “I do love that tub.”
    I laughed and pointed out another one. “This—” grabbing the 3 joined hearts charm, “represents you, Stella, and me. Not only did I have to win you over, but I had to win her over as well. And you both let me weasel my way into your lives.”
    “Well, I don’t know about weasel , more like forced …” She giggled, unable to finish the sentence. “No, you were just what Stella and I needed.” She grasped the bracelet and clenched it close to her heart.
    I continued explaining the other charms, the chef hat—the