Bending the Rules by L.K. Lewis
Publication date: April 1st 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
“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.”-Morgan
“… 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.”-Drake
Struggling to get her life back on track after being left suddenly and inexplicably by (secret) boyfriend –not- boyfriend and boss Drake Baylor Jr., Morgan Lane searches the globe to find Drake knowing that the only way to truly live the life she’s worked so hard for is with him by her side.
Banished to Zurich, Switzerland by his father after being caught Breaking the Rules, Drake has nine months to get the European Division of Baylor Industries back on track. Again, he must obey the rules so that he can hopefully return to his life with Morgan and take the helm of Baylor Industries.
Everything is going according to plan as usual for Adrian Thompson who has just gotten Drake banished to Switzerland as part of his plan to get Morgan (his college sweetheart and hopefully future trophy wife) back in his life for good. With a little help from Lana Lane, Morgan’s mother, Adrian is hoping to have Morgan wearing his ring by New Year’s Eve.
After a few months of being wooed by old flame and now boss Adrian, and without so much as a word from Drake, Morgan hesitantly accepts Adrian’s invitation to join him for New Year’s Eve in St.Moritz Switzerland. Foiling Adrian’s plan, a “chance encounter” finds Morgan back in Drake’s arms.
Will Drake and Morgan be able to overcome the distance and time that is now between them along with a few of the hurdles that life has thrown their way? Morgan and Drake are once again faced with figuring out how to start their new future together- this time not Breaking the Rules, only Bending them.
“… 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.”-Drake
Struggling to get her life back on track after being left suddenly and inexplicably by (secret) boyfriend –not- boyfriend and boss Drake Baylor Jr., Morgan Lane searches the globe to find Drake knowing that the only way to truly live the life she’s worked so hard for is with him by her side.
Banished to Zurich, Switzerland by his father after being caught Breaking the Rules, Drake has nine months to get the European Division of Baylor Industries back on track. Again, he must obey the rules so that he can hopefully return to his life with Morgan and take the helm of Baylor Industries.
Everything is going according to plan as usual for Adrian Thompson who has just gotten Drake banished to Switzerland as part of his plan to get Morgan (his college sweetheart and hopefully future trophy wife) back in his life for good. With a little help from Lana Lane, Morgan’s mother, Adrian is hoping to have Morgan wearing his ring by New Year’s Eve.
After a few months of being wooed by old flame and now boss Adrian, and without so much as a word from Drake, Morgan hesitantly accepts Adrian’s invitation to join him for New Year’s Eve in St.Moritz Switzerland. Foiling Adrian’s plan, a “chance encounter” finds Morgan back in Drake’s arms.
Will Drake and Morgan be able to overcome the distance and time that is now between them along with a few of the hurdles that life has thrown their way? Morgan and Drake are once again faced with figuring out how to start their new future together- this time not Breaking the Rules, only Bending them.
EXCERPT
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.”
Interviewing Drake
and Morgan
I recently sat down with Drake Baylor Jr. and the love of
his life, Morgan Lane for a candid interview discussing love, loss, and the
risks they’ve taken while bending or sometimes even breaking the rules.
Morgan, after his departure
you searched the globe for Drake, hoping to find him and bring him home. What
made you so determined that you would find him?
From the moment we met, Drake and I have had a connection;
as cliché as that sounds. We tried to stay away from each other knowing what
would happen if we were caught breaking the stupid rules Drake’s dad set for
him. We were careless and we got caught by Adrian in Vegas. Within a matter of
days my world had crumbled around me. I no longer had the job and career I had
worked so hard for. Drake had dropped out of my life and I felt hopeless. Drake
Sr.’s words tore right through me as he said Drake would already be off in the
arms of someone else, but even as I heard them, I knew something wasn’t right.
Drake Sr. tried to tell me that he had dissolved his son’s position and that
Drake wanted nothing to do with me, but I still felt our connection. I knew he
had been sent somewhere as a punishment, I just had to figure out where. Having
nothing but time on my hands, I set out to find Drake and bring him home. It
wasn’t so much that I was determined I’d be able to find him, more like I
didn’t know how to move on with my life without him.
But you weren’t able
to find him…
Sadly no. And I was able to find a way to continue living my
life without him in it but I was devastated. I never gave up on him though, and
now that I have Drake back, I never have to.
Drake, you were
understandably miserable in Zurich. What kept you going during that time, and
how did you manage not to repeat past behavior with women, drugs, and alcohol?
It’s not what kept me going, but who…this beautiful woman
sitting right next to me. I made the selfish mistake of flying Morgan out to
Vegas for the weekend. I missed her, and wanted her out there with me. If I would
have kept my head down, and returned home to her when the weekend was over we
wouldn’t have missed that time together. I am a big believer that what happens
always happens for a reason though. Perhaps the time we spent apart reaffirmed
what we already knew, which was that we wanted to be together forever. Knowing
that if I stayed the course and did my job in Zurich I could be together with
Morgan again kept me together and focused. Being with Morgan was all I needed
to push through every day. As far as past behavior, I don’t need anything or
anyone to make me feel complete. Using drugs and women in the past was my way
of filling the hole in my heart left by my mother’s death and my father’s
absence. Morgan makes me feel whole. She’s the only one I see. The way I dealt
with things in the past is no longer on my radar.
Morgan, do you ever
worry that the mistakes Drake has made in his past will come back to hurt him?
No, I’ve never worried about that. Drake has been completely
open and honest with me about his past. There isn’t anything that could surface
about him that I’m not already aware of. We’ve all made mistakes before and I’m
so proud of Drake for turning his life around and not repeating that cycle of
behavior. He lives his life determined to make each day better than the last.
If any part of his past should try hurt his future I’ll be right by his side
supporting him.
Drake, how did it
feel reading Morgan’s emails, knowing you couldn’t answer them?
Morgan’s emails were heartbreaking. Knowing I was the one
causing the pain and with just a quick email or phone call I could explain
everything and put us back on the right path was soul crushing. Morgan knows
what she means to me, and to see her so heartbroken that she was questioning
whether or not I would come back to her was really hard to read. I appreciated
her honesty though. Each email she wrote me, however hard it was to read, still
renewed my focus to return to her without further breaking any rules because by
writing to me, it meant she still cared.
Drake, how hard was
it not to turn around when you heard Morgan calling your name in the airport in
Paris?
I took that trip to Paris to get away from Zurich for the
weekend and clear my head. I was missing my girl and needed to feel close to
her without screwing up in any way. That is why I chose to go to Paris. Morgan
loves it there and we’ve talked about spending time there together so many
times that I thought a weekend in Paris would renew my focus in doing my job so
I could go home to her. When I saw Morgan in the airport I felt completely
gutted. I was twenty feet away from her as she walked around that mom tying her
kid’s shoes. I wanted so badly to call her name, or run up to her and throw my
arms around her and just hold on forever but I knew I couldn’t. Morgan knows I
trust her completely. I knew she wouldn’t have told a soul that we saw each
other, but even so, I couldn’t risk it. My dad was a very connected man, and it
would have only taken one person to recognize me with Morgan and report back to
him and it would have been over. I think it was even harder for me not to turn
around that day when Morgan called my name than it was to leave for Zurich in
the first place. I could hear the excitement and the sadness in her voice as
she called to me. Watching her collecting her bag then hailing a cab completely
defeated and heartbroken is a feeling I never want to have again.
Morgan, how did it
feel to learn that Adrian lied to you and really was responsible for Drake
being sent to Zurich?
Because of our history, it was a really crappy to learn
Adrian had lied to me. I knew in my heart that we would never be together and
that Drake has always been the one for me, but knowing that all of Adrian’s
motives to get me back weren’t pure was disappointing because he’s always been
a better person than that. I could go on and on about how Adrian is responsible
for my separation from Drake, and how that makes him such an a-hole, but the
truth is, Drake and I broke the rules. We knew the risks and we took them
anyway because we love each other so much that any risk is worth it if it means
we are together. Drake didn’t have to fly me out there and take such a risk,
and I didn’t have to go. If we hadn’t broken the rules, we wouldn’t have been
caught and it was our penance to pay. It was the worst time I’ve ever had in my
life, but it brought us here today, so it was worth it in the end.
Drake, what is it
that you love so much about Morgan?
You’ve been in this room the past twenty minutes right?
(laughing) First of all, my girl here is
a complete knockout. I get lost in her eyes daily. I have to ask her to repeat
herself all the time and she thinks I’m not listening to her but the truth is,
I’m so mesmorized by her beauty I completely zone out. Besides her undeniable
beauty, Morgan is so bright, and determined, and she loves so fiercely. She
doesn’t judge me and my faults, she loves me despite them. She has a smart
mouth the fires me up like no other too. She’s the total package and I thank my
lucky stars every day that she loves me just as much as I love her.
Morgan, now that you
and Drake can be together as a couple out in the open, what are you looking
forward to?
I’m just ready to start our life together. I’m excited to go
on double dates with Amanda and Garrett, and to start crossing things off our
bucket list. Drake and I both dream big, and have already started to see some
of our dreams coming true and I can’t wait to live the rest of our lives as we
want to. The only rules we want to live by are the ones we make for ourselves.
Drake, any final
thoughts?
No, I think my girl summed it up pretty well. We have the
world at our finger tips, and couldn’t be more excited to go explore. (Turns to
Morgan,) By the way Babe, speaking of Amanda and Garrett, we have lunch plans
with them…something tells me ours isn’t the only one we’ll be planning in the
near future…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LK Lewis lives in Northern Michigan with her Husband and 3 year old son.Born and raised in Michigan, LK spent her early twenties chasing the man of her dreams (now husband of 8 years) around the country, residing in both New York, and Portland, Oregon. While living in Portland, LK attended East West College of the Healing Arts, and is now a Massage Therapist, Makeup Artist, and Spa/ Boutique Owner.
When LK isn’t working, writing, or chasing her son around, she enjoys boat days, playing in the sunshine, and giggling with her husband. You may also find her on twitter most days, especially live tweeting when The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Sons of Anarchy or The Walking Dead is on. Check her out, you may enjoy her colorful commentary!
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