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

Chapter 3

Morgan

“Hi, sweetie!” my mom answers the phone cheerfully. She
obviously has put the “happy” in “happy hour” today.

“Hi, Mom.” I do my best to hold back my sniffle and speak in
a clear voice, but fail miserably.

“Morgan, what’s wrong?” I never cry in front of my parents,
so hearing a sob of any kind is cause for concern for my mother.

“Oh, Mom. It’s all screwed up,” I sob into the phone, while
racing around my apartment trying to get packed for a trip with no real
destination or timeframe.

“Okay, Morgan, slow down and take a deep breath,” my mom
says as I envision her closing her eyes and doing her deep yoga breathing,
while touching her thumbs to middle fingers and chanting “om” as she’s done so
many times during my life. “Now tell me, darling, what is ‘all screwed up’?”

“Everything!” I continue to sob. “Everything is screwed up.
I’ve lost Drake, I quit my job, and now I’m packing for a flight to God knows
where, to search for the love of my life and bring him back, only I don’t have
a clue where to start, and I can’t reach him.”

“You quit your job, Morgan? What happened? And who is Drake?
Not Drake Baylor… Morgan, please tell me you haven’t fallen for a married man.
That’s completely distasteful and unladylike.”

“Drake Baylor Jr., Mom. Not Sr. We’ve been dating for a few
months now, only he isn’t allowed to have a relationship if he wants to take
over his father’s company, so we have been dating in secret. We are head over heels
in love, Mom. We went to Vegas last weekend and he told me he hoped to take
over Baylor Industries soon, and as soon as that happens he plans on marrying
me. Now he’s gone and I can’t get ahold of him. I know something has happened
and I’m worried about him. I have a feeling his father has shipped him off
somewhere, or he was fired and needed to clear his head and figure out his next
move, but either way I have to find him. He needs me and I need him. God, I’ve
never needed anything so badly in my entire life. Anyway, I thought you would
like to know I’m going to the airport tonight, and will call you when I land,
wherever that may be.”

“Morgan, sweetie, I think you might be overreacting just a
bit. Why don’t you just come home for a few days, regroup, and figure things
out. I’ll take you shopping, what do you say?” My mom obviously wasn’t
listening to anything but what she wanted to hear.

“I’m not overreacting, Mom. I’m simply reacting. My life has
taken a sudden turn and for once in my life I’m grabbing the reins and taking
control. I made the decision to break the rules with Drake just as much as he
did. He’s out there somewhere fighting for me, and I need to step up and do the
same.”

“While I can appreciate that you feel that way, Morgan, do I
need to remind you that A: he might be off somewhere and doesn’t want to be
found, and B: you are the one that insisted on going to grad school, starting a
career and becoming an independent adult? You’ve worked really hard to achieve
those dreams and now you want to search the globe for a man so he can come home
and marry you? Isn’t that the opposite of what you’ve worked for? What if you
find him and he runs again? This might not be about his father, Morgan. I think
you need to put your big girl pants back on and get back to work. After all,
that’s what you’ve wanted all along, not to become a housewife. Your father and
I have always supported you, Morgan, but this is not something we will
support.”

My mom had a good point but that is the opposite of what I
want to hear right now. Frustrated, tired, and not ready to continue this
argument, I still say what I should’ve said a long time ago. “This is what I
have to do right now and if you can’t get behind me on it then get out of my
way. You have always said you give me freedom to do what I want, yet you still
control me every step of the way. For once in my life I’m taking complete
control over my destiny. I love you, Mom, and even though you might not support
this decision, at least trust in the fact that I’m doing what I believe is
right for me at the moment. I’ve gotta go, Mom. I’ll call you when I land,” I
say, hanging up before my mom can say anything else that will more than likely
just end up pissing me off.

I feel even more frazzled when I get off the phone with my
mom so I decide where to go first and book my ticket, then call the only person
besides Drake who really understands me and will support my decision to search
the globe until I bring my love back to me. I know what I’m doing is the best
thing for me at this time, but after the phone call with my mom I really just
need some reassurance. God, I really hate that I’m feeling so needy and
unassured. That is so not me. I’m the confident girl with her head on her
shoulders and her sights on a bright future. Drake’s leaving has brought me to
my knees and now he isn’t even here to help me up. This is exactly why I need
to take this trip.

“Hey,” Amanda answers with less enthusiasm than normal. I
can practically feel her apprehension through the phone line. I love that she
knows me so well that her normal perky behavior will just set me off even more.
Like the perfect BFF that she is, she’s always ready to listen, help, and
support, just like I’d do for her.

“Hey, my flight is booked. I’m headed to Vegas first.”

“Why Vegas?”

“We were just there a few days ago and I feel like that is
the most logical place Drake would go first to re-establish a connection to me.
I know that sounds silly but just as people often retrace their steps to find
their lost car keys, I think he might be retracing his steps to feel connected
to me again, and I can retrace our steps to hopefully find him. Plus, there are
millions of people around so he can feel anonymous and not be bothered, which
will put him more at ease and help him clear his mind.”

“Sounds logical to me, Morgie. Can I do anything to help?”

“Wanna give me a ride to the airport? My flight leaves in
about four hours.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen,” Amanda says before she hangs up.
I love that I can always count on her to be there for me. I may not have a lot
of people in my life that I keep close to me, but Amanda is not only my very
best friend, she’s like a sister to me. I don’t know what I’d do without her.

I finish packing my bag, making sure to grab my passport and
the Euros I have left over from my trip to the C
ô
te
d’Azur this summer with my parents, as well as the other cash I keep in my
apartment for emergencies. Before I leave, I do one last scan of my apartment,
making sure my appliances are unplugged, my windows are locked, and other
“going out of town safety checks”. I glance around my bathroom then my bedroom,
making sure I haven’t forgotten anything important. I’m just about to walk out
of my bedroom when I spot the picture Drake took of me sleeping on his chest
while he smiles the most beautiful, contentedly happy smile into the camera.
It’s the picture Drake put in a file and gave to me in the elevator what seems
like a lifetime ago. It’s not the best picture since it was taken with his
phone, but the way it depicts the love he has for me is crystal clear. I grab
the picture, and tuck it into my purse. Locking my apartment door behind me, I
take a big deep breath and center myself. I can do this. I have to do this. Drake
is my life, and until I find him and bring him home with me, my focus and
attention will be centered solely on fighting for the life and future I have
with him.

Drake

Waking up in Zurich reminds me of my childhood. I’m in the
company apartment surrounded by luxury and affluence, but I feel poor,
homeless, and helpless. I once read somewhere that a man is poor at heart
without the feeling of love and support, and right now I couldn’t agree with
that statement more. My heart hurts without Morgan at my side, and the idea of
living this way for the next nine months is unfathomable right now.

A driver was waiting for me last night when I exited the
airport. I should have known my father would make sure I actually boarded my
flight and made it to the apartment. I’m not sure why he did it, but upon my
arrival, I found the apartment has been opened up, freshly cleaned with the bed
turned down in the master suite, and the kitchen fully stocked. I did notice
that while there was a six pack of beer in the fridge, the liquor cabinet in
the butler’s pantry remained empty. Now that I think about it this has Grace
written all over it, not my father. Even before my mother’s death, Grace always
stepped in to make sure my needs were met, and that special things were done
for me every once in a while to remind me that someone still cares.

After a quick shower, I decide to spend the day
familiarizing myself with the area. Luckily, I’ll have a car and driver while
I’m here so I don’t have to worry about getting lost. I find a department store
and make the sales girl’s day as I outfit myself with a new wardrobe, complete
with both business and everyday attire. I can see her calculating her
commission in her head as she rings up my sale and arranges for everything to
be delivered to the apartment later this afternoon. Next, I stop by an Apple
store and replace my computer, iPad, iPod, and phone. On my way home, I spot a
gym that is within running distance from the apartment, so I ask my driver to
drop me off there so I can sign up for a membership, and then plan a good route
to and from home. I’m almost back to the apartment when my burner phone rings.

“Hey, Garrett. How’s it going?” I answer.

“Hey, man. Are you getting settled in?”

“Yeah, I just spent the day picking up a few things I
needed, now I’m headed home. What’s up? Is everything alright?” I ask.

“Everything’s fine, I just wanted to call and let you know
Morgan stopped by the bowling alley looking for you yesterday,” Garrett says as
my heart skips a beat.

“She did? Is she okay? What did she say?” I start to panic.

“She’s fine, man. She was looking for you. She’s worried.
She said she stopped by your house, and she’s been calling you, and she can’t
get ahold of you so she was hoping I would know where you are.”

“What did you tell her?” I ask as my heart shatters a little
more. God, I feel awful for just leaving Morgan. She must be a wreck not
knowing what’s going on. If I could have left some sort of message for her
without any chance of my father finding out I would have.

“I didn’t say much, just that you stopped by and asked me to
watch your place and store your car for a while until you get back. I told
Morgan you were pretty vague and didn’t tell me where you going or for how
long.”

“Was she okay? How did she take it?”

“She was crushed, man. She left pretty quickly. I don’t
think she wanted me to see her cry,” Garrett says.

“Holy shit, this sucks. I hate what this is doing to her. I
just hope she knows that I’m doing this for her.”

“She loves you, Drake, I have no doubt about that. I get
that you are doing what you think is right, but can’t you just tell your father
to fuck off? Can’t you and Morgan figure out something else to do with your
careers?”

“I can’t, Garrett. For once in my life I have to finish
something I’ve started, the right way. I have to play by the rules, and make
everything right. That’s the only way I can come home to Morgan.”

“I get that, but you are both bright people. I know Morgan
is headstrong about having her career, but can’t she just find something else
to do? I just don’t understand how this is the only way.”

“Morgan has dreamt her whole life of doing this. She left
her boyfriend of almost four years before they graduated from college so she
could concentrate on grad school and make something of herself. We almost
didn’t get together because the idea of her screwing up her career by being
with me scared her so much. I’m just lucky enough that she chose me over the
possibility of her losing out on her career because she knew we belong
together. Now her career is potentially over. I have no idea if my father fired
her or not. I’m hoping my sacrifice in leaving was enough for him to keep her
on at Baylor. I have to do this so that when I get home, I’ll be able to give
her an amazing life.”

“I know, buddy. I’ll keep an eye on her for you until you
get home. Nine months will be over before you know it.”

“Thanks, man. Keep me posted, okay? Remind her that I love
her.”

“Will do. Talk to you soon,” Garrett says before I hang up
and tuck my phone into my pants pocket and continue my walk home. She went
looking for me at the bowling alley. She knows something’s up and she’s worried
about me which means she still cares. I’ve completely dropped out of her life
and she’s still trying to find me. It warms my heart to know she still loves
me. This isn’t over, she’s fighting too. A few blocks later I reach my
apartment door. I go to bed that night thinking of Morgan, ready to take on
these next few months and return to the woman I love.

Morgan

The first thing I do when arriving in Vegas is go to the
Bellagio to check in. I took the red-eye flight out here but with the time
change it’s only about 10:30 which is like noon in Vegas. I know hotels can’t
divulge who is staying in their rooms so instead of asking if Drake has checked
in to a room I simply walk to the front desk and ask for a key to his room like
I belong there.

The front desk clerk smiles at me as I approach and I raise
my chin slightly, smile back with as much confidence as I can muster and say,
“Hello, I’m joining Drake Baylor Jr. in his room, he said he added my name and
that a key would be waiting for me. I believe he is staying in one of your
Tower Suites.”

The front desk clerk looks at me speculatively for a minute
and I can tell she’s trying to figure out if I’m a girlfriend, scorned wife, or
hooker. Clearly I would know the suite number if I was actually supposed to be
joining him.

After a few moments of clicking away on her keyboard with
her uber-long French-tipped acrylics with the words Good Luck painted on them
omitting the thumbs. She looks up from her screen and asks, “And your name is?”

My heart stops. Drake is here like I knew he would be. Maybe
he actually put my name on his room hoping I’d come find him. I can’t believe
he’s here… the first place I’ve looked. I thought I’d have to travel the world
looking for him and he’s exactly where I thought he’d be, some place brilliant.

My excitement is halted when another thought creeps through
my brain… what if it’s a different girl’s name on his room? What if his father
was right and he really is off some place warm licking his wounds in the arms
of another woman? What if he came here to Vegas with the best intentions but
then found someone else, someone with a better body and a killer tan and great
fake tits? I’m well put together and have a nice figure and a pretty face, but
in a place like Las Vegas I’m not exactly a head turner. I don’t know what I’d
do if another woman’s name is on Drake’s room and not mine. It’s only been a
few days and he might have already moved on. No. I can’t go there. I’ve come to
fight for my man and that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’m not a scrapper, I was
raised with more class than that, but for Drake, I’d definitely pull hair and
girl slap a bitch to make sure he’s mine.

“Uh…Miss?” I’m pulled out of my own crazy thoughts by the
front desk clerk. I was standing there in a daze like an idiot.

“Oh, sorry…It was a long flight I think I’m a little tired.
My name is Morgan Lane,” I say, hoping I can just get the key to Drake’s room
and put this incredibly awkward moment behind me.

“I’m sorry, Miss Lane. Mr. Baylor isn’t in our system. I
don’t believe he’s a guest with us.”

“Are you sure? He told me the tower suite,” I lie.

“I’m sorry, Miss Lane. We don’t have any guests in our Tower
Suites this evening and Mr. Baylor is not in our system.”

My eyes brim with tears and the woman helping me gets a
worried look on her face like I’m going to lose it at any moment. She quickly
responds by handing me a tissue and offering to book the Tower Suite tonight
for me this evening and adds Drake’s name to my room in case he arrives looking
for me. She explains that although the Tower Suites normally require a two
night minimum stay, she would allow me to book for just one night, explaining
things like this have happened to her before as well. I smile and thank her for
her kindness knowing she really has no clue what is happening to me exactly.

I unlock the door to the suite and walk into the foyer,
taking in the room. This is a different Tower Suite than I stayed in with Drake
which is probably a good thing, but the opulent décor is the same. I didn’t eat
anything before catching my flight and I’m absolutely starving. I ring room
service and ask for a salad, extra dirty gin martini, and the largest piece of
chocolate cake the kitchen could find, then go to the bathroom to fill the tub
while I wait for my dinner to arrive.

The tub has just finished filling and warm exotic scents of
jasmine and patchouli fill the room when the doorbell sounds with my dinner. I
thank the room service attendant as he pushes the cart next to the bed as I’ve
requested, then show him to the door. I grab the martini and head right to the
bathroom and crawl into the tub after removing my clothes. The rest of my
dinner can wait, I need a cocktail and a warm bath to soothe my worn, emotional
body first.

****

Then next morning I wake feeling better rested, but anxious.
I may be surrounded by 1400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets but I have to remember
that I’m on a journey, not a vacation. I’m retracing the steps I took last time
I was here to find my lost valuable, Drake.

After coffee, water and a berry bowl from room service I
decide to face the desert heat and go for a run outside. Drake did this in an
attempt to feel closer to me when we were here last weekend so I guess I’ll
give it a try, it couldn’t hurt at this point.

On my way out of the building in my running clothes I get a
few odd stares from people and I assume they must think I’m crazy for wanting
to run in the heat but I just smile and head for the door. Drake wasn’t kidding
when he told me how unbearable it is to run in such high temps. I brought a
Nalgene with me but downed those 32oz of water pretty quickly so I decide to
make my usual five mile run only three. The desert heat isn’t so bad, it’s just
very dry and I don’t want to get too dehydrated and feel ill all afternoon. My
muscles burn as I set my pace and a sheet of sweat coats my body it vasodilates
to cool down.

I usually tune my thoughts out and listen to music as I run,
but today I let my thoughts drift to Drake. I think about where he might be.
What are all of the brilliant, logical and stupid places in the world where he
might be? Why isn’t he with
me
? I try to remove my emotions from the
situation and think logically. What are the logical reasons he left without
saying goodbye? As I run I consider everything from a relapse of his past
alcohol and drug abuse, to Drake being so embarrassed by being caught that he
couldn’t possibly face me, but nothing really makes sense. The only thing that
truly makes sense is that his father is responsible for his whereabouts. He
told me to forget about Drake and move on, but for someone that cares so little
about his son, there has to be a reason why he wants us to be apart so badly. I
continue to let my thoughts of Drake flow as I finish my run and try to cool
down a bit as I walk back to the Bellagio.

I reach my suite door and cross through the threshold red
faced, panting, and covered with sweat. I catch a glimpse of myself in the
mirror and start to laugh at the thought that Drake looked exactly the same way
when he returned from his run in the desert. He may not be here, but retracing
the steps we took not long ago has definitely left me feeling closer to Drake.
With the first smile on my face in days, I walk into the shower, and start
planning my next move.

****

Me: Vegas was a bust, onto the next place.

Amanda: Sorry Morgie, where to next?

Me: London

Amanda: Really? Why there?

Me: It’s logical. He loves to see new things but has a
hard time learning foreign languages. Lots to do, see and learn in London while
still speaking English. Plus it gets me to Europe.

Amanda: Makes sense to me. BE CAREFUL!

Me: K. Luv U

Amanda: Luv U 2

I land at Heathrow mid-day and am not surprised to find the
weather mostly mild with a bit of a chill. Most people think fog and rain when
they think of London, especially in the fall, but this has always been my
favorite time of year to come here.

I check in at the Metropolitan Hotel, which is one of my
favorite places to stay in London. It’s centrally located and practically
kisses Hyde Park, which is my favorite park in the city as well. I’ve chosen to
come to London to search for Drake because like I told Amanda Drake is terrible
with foreign languages yet most of his traveling has been done in Europe so
it’s someplace he would find comforting.

Drake isn’t an obvious traveler. From the stories he’s told
me about his wanders around the world, he falls in love with a place he’s never
been by assimilating himself into the culture. He talks to locals and goes to
their favorite places to eat, drink, relax, and celebrate their cultures and
heritage. In London, there are a lot of obvious places Drake could be if he
wanted to be a tourist. Knowing how he likes to travel, and the fact that he’s
most likely trying to get away from it all, I’m going to spend my time looking
for him in places that would speak to him, not provide the perfect photo-op.

After a quick nap to recharge I grab my jacket and head out
to spend the afternoon in Hyde Park. I haven’t spent a whole lot of time in
London, but when I do, I always go to Hyde Park and do some of the less
touristy things. I people watch, rent one of the green and white striped chairs
that are all over the place and curl up for a few hours with a good book
instead of touring Kensington Palace. Knowing Drake, he’d be doing the same
thing so I find myself wandering around the huge park for the whole afternoon
searching for a tall, broad figure with brown hair and those gorgeous brown
eyes that I miss so much.

Around dinner time I realize that my day is practically gone
and I’ve not even covered the entire park. I see a few men around Drake’s age
that come very close to being his doppelganger, but as my stomach growls
reminding me that I’ve not yet eaten today I resign myself to the fact he’s
most likely not here in the park like I hoped he might be. I decide to go over
to the East End and grab some curry on Brick Lane. With many curry houses to
choose from I simply walk into the first one I see and as I’m seated at my
table I breathe in the exotic spices filling the air and think back to the
night that Drake and I decided to detour from our normal chick food cuisine and
try some sort of Thai peanut veggie drunken noodle bowl concoction that I saw
on Pinterest.

Drake came over that evening after his workout to find me
dancing around my kitchen and singing at the top of my lungs to Taylor Swift’s
“I knew you were trouble” while chopping broccoli and carrots. I didn’t hear
him come in so I jumped when he slid his arms around my waist and started
nibbling my earlobe.

“So I’m trouble now, huh?” Drake teased into my ear.

I spun around in his embrace and with my most seductive
voice I said, “Mister, you’re all kinds of trouble.”

“Well don’t worry, my love, I’d never leave you lying on the
cold hard ground.”

“Oh my God, you’re so cheesy, I love you. Hey have you heard
the version of this song with the goats singing?....” And just like that our
typical night spent together had begun. Thinking back on nights like that one
fills me with pain. Drake isn’t just someone I love, he’s the one I love the
most in this world. He’s my best friend, my breath, my everything. I realize in
this moment that the true reason I’m on this journey to find Drake is not just
because I miss him and want him back, I’m also missing a huge part of me. Until
we’re together again, my life isn’t complete. Without him I’m not whole.

For Drake and me, our attraction was instantaneous. We share
a complete inability to stay away from each other and that is why I think it’s
killing me that he’s been gone so long. I completely understand the reasons for
his past actions and indiscretions, but part of me wishes he hadn’t burnt so
many bridges in his past. If something really did happen between him and his
dad and that is the reason he’s gone now, perhaps Drake would have felt like he
had more options. I know I would at least have more people I could reach out to
for help in tracking him down.

I spend another few days in London, and after searching for
him in some more of the “off the beaten path” locales, I also look in the
obvious more touristy spots just in case, before moving on to the next place. I
check in with my parents from time to time and find that although my mother is
still completely unsupportive of this journey, my father subtly hints that he
agrees with me that perhaps Drake
is
the one I need and that I should
continue to take my time to find him. I text almost daily with Amanda, letting
her know what I’ve been up to and where I’m going next. She gives me the
support and encouragement I need, letting me know that I’m doing the right
thing and telling me not to lose hope that I’ll find him.