Bending the Rules: Breaking the Rules #2 (20 page)

Chapter 19

Morgan

In the cab on the way to the airport I stare out of the
window and think about the past few days and how my life has taken such an
amazing turn. I still cannot believe my New Year’s getaway has returned my love
to me, and also opened my eyes about Adrian. His intentions to get me back may
have been pure, but lies and manipulation are not the way to win my heart.
Especially when it already belongs to someone else. It was kind of fun packing
Drake’s apartment with him. He really didn’t have a lot of stuff there, because
he packed so hastily to come here and he really didn’t do much besides work
while he was there. I saw a little embarrassment in Drake’s face when I noticed
some of my things that he brought with him. I thought it was sweet though that
he wanted a piece of me with him.

We shipped the majority of Drake’s things back to the States
and Drake printed our boarding passes last night, so with only one carry-on
each we were able to make our way through security and head towards our gate
with ease.

Drake doesn’t seem to notice when we walk right past our
gate. “Uh, babe, I think we just walked past our gate.”

“No we didn’t,” Drake says as he grabs my hand and lifts it
to his lips to give it a tender kiss as we keep walking.

“But the gate said JFK,” I say.

“I know,” he says, while giving me a mischievous smile and a
wink.

“I’m confused. I thought we are going home.”

“We are.”

“So….what’s going on then?” I ask, absolutely loving the
fact that Drake is clearly up to something.

“We have a little stop to make first,” he says.

“A little stop? We’re in the international terminal. Where
are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Drake says as he lets go of my hand to wrap
that arm around me and kiss the top of my head. We walk a little further until
we are almost at the end of the terminal and Drake casually guides us to our
gate. I read the departure sign and am overcome with joy. I stop walking and
look into his face, noticing the shit eating grin he’s wearing. Clearly the man
is happy with himself.

“PARIS?” I squeal so loudly that most of the heads at our
gate turn to look.

“I thought we could re-create the scene at the baggage claim
a few months ago where I watch you get your bag and sadly yet with hope still
in your eyes grab a cab. Only this time, we’ll simply just depart from the
airport carry-ons in hand and grab a cab together.”

I throw my arms around Drake, tears spilling down my cheeks,
and sob into his chest. “I wanted so badly for you to be there. I searched and
searched for you, Drake. It broke my heart when I couldn’t find you.”

“I was there. I’m so sorry I couldn’t go to you. It was
nearly impossible not to, but Morgan, we wouldn’t be standing here right now if
I had. You found me, baby. When you met me on your first day at Baylor what
seems like a lifetime ago you found me. Only this time I’m not letting you go.”

“I’m not letting you go either. Whatever the future holds
for us, Drake, we will figure it out together.”

****

As we leave through the departures exit Drake stops for a
moment and takes a cleansing breath as he stares into my eyes. “You are the
most beautiful person in the entire world. I’ve said before that I will make
mistakes but I learn quickly. I’ve made mistakes with our relationship in the
past and I’ve learned from every single one of them. I’m excited to step into
our future together here and use what I’ve learned to be a better man for you
and our baby. There’s no one else in the world I’d rather be here with than
you.”

“Drake, you are the perfect man for me and our baby. You
love us so much. That’s all we need,” I say as I reach a hand to his face and
draw him down for a kiss. We hail a cab and make our way to our hotel.

We arrive at the Hotel Banke which is located in the opera
district, and as our concierge Meredith (an American now living in Paris)
points out, is within walking distance to most of the Paris attractions. She
also explains that the hotel used to be an actual bank and still maintains a
lot of its original architectural charm. She escorts us to the La Fayette suite
and goes on to say that she has always had a love for Paris and when she and
her husband honeymooned at this very hotel they fell in love with the culture
and their surroundings so much that they never left. They simply hired a
service to pack their apartment and ship their belongings, including their dog,
and have been here ever since.

“You must be exhausted, my love. This has been a long trip
for you already. Should I call down and have some tea and something to eat sent
up?” Drake asks as he brushes the hair off my face and leans down to gently
kiss my cheek.

“I’m okay, I’d rather take a long bath with you.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll go fill the tub.”

Drake

I never feel so complete and at peace as when Morgan is in
my arms. She has a calming presence about her that is so grounding. Sitting in
this old claw-foot tub surrounded by aromatic bubbles with my arms wrapped
around her makes everything I went through these past few months so worth it.
It’s amazing how easy it was for me to leave my apartment and Zurich. Being
with Morgan makes sense so I never questioned whether or not it was the right
thing to do. My father may have fired me yesterday, but he will quickly learn
that he needs me at Baylor. I most likely should have stayed for a few more
days to tie up some loose ends, but that would have meant leaving Morgan for a
few hours a day and right now that’s not something I’m willing to do. I can
always fly back for a few days should the need arise.

“How should we tell your family?” I ask Morgan, pulling us
both out of our serene silence.

“I’m not quite sure. I’ve been thinking about it and haven’t
come up with a lot. It’ll be a little shocking I think. ‘Hi Mom, Hi Dad, you
remember Drake? The one I searched the globe for? Well, while on vacation with
Adrian, I ran into him and we are back together. Oh yeah! By the way, I’m four
months pregnant with his baby.’ I don’t think there’s a card for that. Maybe I
should contact Hallmark?” She giggles a little nervously.

“Yeah, I don’t think there is an easy way to break this kind
of news. I sort of blurted it out on the phone with my dad,” I say.

“You told your dad?”

“Yeah, don’t worry though, he won’t tell your parents. I
don’t think he’s going to be a boastful grandfather. He didn’t really have
anything to do with me as a kid, so I doubt he’ll be interested in spending any
time with our baby.”

“Oh Drake, I’m sorry, that’s awful. My parents will be
thrilled once they wrap their heads around the idea. Our baby is going to be
surrounded by so much love, he won’t miss out on spending time with anyone who
doesn’t want time with him.”

“Him?” I ask.

“Or her, I guess it doesn’t matter really as long as they
are healthy. Maybe we should just stay here and never return like Meredith and
her husband did,” Morgan says, and I actually spend a moment entertaining the
idea.

“That’s an amazing idea, baby, but I just want to get you
back home and start putting our roots down as a family,” I say.

“I like the sound of that, mister,” she says as a yawn
escapes her mouth. Morgan lets her head rock to one side exposing her neck, so
I lean down and give it a few soft kisses.

“You’re exhausted,baby, let’s get you to bed now. We have a
fun day ahead of us tomorrow so I want you to get your rest,” I say. I help
Morgan to stand then wrap her in a towel and carry her to bed. I watch Morgan
fall asleep in what seems to be our new position with me spooning Morgan’s bare
body snuggled close to my chest, my hand gently caressing her baby bump. I wait
a few moments longer after I’m sure she’s sound asleep and gently kiss her
shoulder before I slip out of bed to make a very important call.

“Good evening, Drake, I’ve been expecting your call,” Jim
Lane says when he picks up my call on the first ring.

“Hello, Sir. If you’ve been expecting my call I can only
assume you’ve spoken with my father,” I answer, hoping to hell this
conversation goes as smoothly as I’m hoping it will. It’s not every day you ask
a man permission to marry his daughter, especially after you’ve already knocked
her up.

“Yes, Sr. called me shortly after your phone conversation
the other day. He wanted to warn me that my only child, the person that means
the most to me in this world, has been knocked up by a worthless, unemployable
asshole.”

“Mr. Lane, if I can just say-”  I try to explain
myself, but am cut off by Jim.

“Drake, I told your father to go to hell. Twenty-five years
of friendship doesn’t give him the right to talk about my daughter or the
father of my grandchild that way.”

I sit there for a moment completely shocked and speechless
that Jim has defended my honor. I don’t think anyone has ever done something
like that before. After a moment I snap out of it, realizing I haven’t said
anything in response. “Thank you, Sir, I appreciate that,” I manage to say.

“Not at all, and please…call me Jim. Now, I’m assuming there
is a reason for your phone call,” he continues.

“Yes, Jim, there is. First of all, I’d like to personally
apologize to you for what Morgan went through in my absence these last few
months. In a million years, I would have never wished that heartache and
despair on her and will spend the rest of my life making it up to her,” I
begin.

“I appreciate that, Drake, but it isn’t me you need to
apologize to, it’s Morgan.”

“I’ve apologized to her already, many times. I do owe you an
apology for putting your daughter through that, and wish to also offer my
heartfelt thanks for being there for her. I know Morgan has a different
relationship with her mother and does everything to meet her expectations, but
she always talks about the special relationship she has with you. You have been
a great friend and confidant to her and I hope to be that for our child
someday.

“I love your daughter, Jim, more than life itself. My
absence from her these past few months was the only option I had to assure a
future with Morgan, and nothing more. I want you to know that I’ve put many
measures in place so I never find myself in the same position again.

“I want to marry your daughter, Jim, and I’m calling to ask
your permission for Morgan’s hand in marriage. We’ve talked about marriage and
children ever since we started dating and I’m so happy that we are achieving
some of our dreams so early in our lives together. It just gives us longer to
reach the rest of our dreams as well. I promise to take care of your daughter.
I will love her and protect her, and provide for her the life she could only dream
of. I promise to do that for your grandchild as well. If you give me permission
to marry Morgan, not only will I give her a lifetime of happiness but protect
her from as much pain and sorrow as possible as well,” I say, taking a pause to
let Jim process everything I’ve said before he responds.

“It’s no secret that you’ve made mistakes in the past,
Drake. I’ve been privy to a lot of the bad decisions and trouble you’ve caused
your father over the years. I’ve also had the privilege to see you evolve into
the bright, hardworking man you are today. I appreciate how you understand
Morgan’s needs for independence as well. That is not something a lot of men can
honor in a woman very easily. Morgan has told me about your dreams before. I’ve
seen the way she lights up when talking about you and I’ve known that in her
heart you are the man for her. You both tried to hide it on the golf course
that day but it’s impossible to hide true love. Why the hell do you think I
sent you off to the next tee? You were about to blow it in front of your old
man,” Jim says with a chuckle into the phone.

“Look, Drake, I appreciate how much you love my daughter and
I know you will make an excellent father. It's not up to me whether or not you
marry Morgan, it’s up to her. I will give you my blessing and offer to you that
if you ever find yourself at a crossroads in life, business, or even your
marriage that I’m always here to help you as well. Your dad is not a father. He
never has been and I think you know that. I’ll always be there for Morgan, and
my grandchild…but I’ll always be there for you too. You deserve someone in your
corner. I knew your mother and how much she loved you and how proud of you she
was. I just wish your father would have told you.”

“Thank you, Jim,” I barely get out, tears streaming from my
eyes. “That means the world to me. Your blessing means the world to me.”

“Good. I should also warn you that Lana will not be an easy
sell. I’m sorry to say she’s always been on Adrian’s side, and now you’ve
gotten our daughter pregnant out of wedlock. I haven’t told her about the baby
yet. I think Morgan should at least let her know about the engagement before
you bring up the baby news. But you know, do what you want,” he laughs, knowing
his wife will be a tough shell to crack.

“Thanks for the advice. I’m sure I’ll need it for years to
come. I’m sure Morgan will want to share the good news with you as soon as we
get home in a few days, so I look forward to seeing you soon.”

“You too, Son,” Jim says, and once again I lose it.

“Have a good night, thanks again,” I say and then hang up. I
sit on the couch in our suite quietly sobbing as I release many years of pent
up hurt and anger at the loss of both my parents really at such a young age.
Jim was absolutely right, my dad has always been in my life, but he has never
really been a father, which is exactly what I need. I’ve taken responsibility
for my mistakes, and I’ve moved on from them and made a life for myself and now
Morgan. My dad is the only one now that seems to keep me down. He is supposed
to be my rock, my support, as Jim is for Morgan. I’m just so happy Jim has
accepted my mistakes and offered me a place in his family.

I regroup for a bit and then splash some cold water on my
face before crawling into bed with Morgan, pulling her close to me and placing
my hand over her baby bump. I told Morgan that we have a fun filled day ahead
of us tomorrow; I just left out the fact that it will hopefully be life
changing as well.