by S. E. Lund
"She can paint here. There are great nurseries for children Sophie's age. The school system is first rate if Liam comes. Really, I think you'll love it here."
"I'm sure we will."
I hung up after establishing a start date for my position, and then I left my office to find Kate with Sophie. They were on the sofa and were reading a book, with Sophie pointing at each page and saying words.
"Well, it's confirmed. I start January 14th. We'll spend the rest of the month getting everything set up and then start rotations once everything's in place."
I walked over to them and leaned over to kiss Sophie and then gave Kate a warm kiss. I stroked her cheek and held her eyes.
"Thank you so much," I said, emotion filling me. "January can't come soon enough. We should find a house as soon as possible. I've been looking at some online and found one I like."
I sat beside her and pulled my iPad off the coffee table. I opened a browser to a tab with a beautiful old home. Two story, red brick with black and white trim, it was an eight-bedroom mansion that was more than just a house. It was a real home.
"That's amazing," she said as we scrolled through the pictures of the rooms. "Fit for a prince and princess rather than plain old us."
"Plain old us deserves it, after all we've both been through. It has a pasture, a stable for horses and a huge garden. It's only a block away from the ocean on top of it."
"How far from the hospital would it be? I don't want you driving too far."
"It's no big deal. I want this house, if you think it would do."
"Would it do? My God, Drake. It's a mansion."
"It is, kind of. But it would be big enough for Liam and we could have dad and Elaine come and stay, plus there would be rooms for Heath and Christie and the kids if they did as well."
Kate smiled at me and stroked my cheek. "You have it all figured out."
"I do," I said and kissed her and then kissed Sophie's head. "I keep imagining Sophie and Liam riding horses in the pasture and spending time outdoors instead of on the streets of Manhattan.
Sophie was busy swiping the screen between pictures, stabbing the photos with her pinkie.
"You like the house, Sophie? That's going to be your new home, if I can swing it." I glanced at Kate. "Gotta find something of value to spend all that money from the sale of the corporation. That home is worth it."
"It's beautiful."
We spent the rest of the morning examining the house and then we spoke with a real estate agent and agreed to move forward with the offer. We'd know by the end of the week if the owners accepted it.
"I can't thank you enough for agreeing to this," I said, pulling Kate closer after Sophie climbed down and went over to her toy box to play with her toys. "I feel almost giddy with happiness at starting from ground zero with the robotic surgery unit. I get to plan everything, get all the equipment and staff and then set up the schedule. It's a dream come true."
Kate turned to me, her eyes warm. "You deserve it."
We kissed.
"I love you," I said, emotion filling me. "More than anything."
"I love you more than anything."
"You're not going to be upset leaving Manhattan behind?"
Kate sighed. "At first I was, but since Dad and Elaine are coming for a couple of months to get away from the winter, I know I won't be lonely while we get settled in. So no. I'm not at all upset to be leaving Manhattan behind. I'm actually excited. I can't wait to shop for furniture in Southampton. And I want to use one of the reception rooms as my studio." She rubbed her hands together. "With all that natural light, it'll be fantastic."
"Good," I said and squeezed her.
Together, we turned and watched Sophie play.
For the next two months, we'd have to pack and ship our things to Southampton, and get ready for the move to England. Plus, we had a trip to Nassau in the works at Christmas and had to plan for that.
It would be more than enough to keep us both busy. I knew that in no time at all, the three of us would be in our house in Southampton, starting our new life together there.
I was the luckiest man in the world and I knew it.
In two months, all this would be behind us -- the trial, the threats, the publicity -- all of it in the rearview mirror. I'd be starting my new position and starting the robotic surgery unit from the ground up.
I couldn't be happier and for once, I truly believed that Kate couldn't be happier either.
And that was everything.
Epilogue
Drake was the happiest I had ever seen him.
That made everything worthwhile -- leaving Manhattan, saying goodbye to my father and Elaine for a while, and going somewhere new. After the turmoil of the last few years, with the attack on me and then the murder of Derek Richardson, the trials and the threat to Drake's safety and my own, I was glad to be starting over. I hoped we'd be happy enough in England with Drake doing what he loved best so that we could stay for a few years.
Drake was in his element -- he was back doing surgery and seeing patients, teaching and running the robotic surgery unit. The bad news of the trial was behind us, and seemed more like an extended bad dream from which we had just awoken rather than anything real.
Drake had the chance to start fresh in England with Michael as his mentor and boss and a robotic surgery unit to set up. For the first month, he was hard at work making sure all the proper equipment was on hand for when the unit would become operational.
When he'd accepted the position with Michael, they had started work, purchasing the equipment they'd need for the unit, doing a search for talented surgeons and OR nurses, and setting a grand opening date when they would start accepting patients. By the time we arrived in January after a nice vacation in Nassau, the only thing left to do was get everything in place for the February opening.
Our home in the Southampton area was beyond anything I could imagine. Drake really went all out to purchase a dream home with everything we might need to raise Sophie, Liam when he eventually (and hopefully) came to live with us. It was big enough for my father and Elaine, who planned on staying there with us during the winter. With eight bedrooms and as many bathrooms, and three sitting rooms, there was more than enough space for all of us. I even had to hire a local housekeeper and groundskeeper to come by and keep the place clean. There was no way I could do it myself -- not and raise Sophie and keep up with my art. Besides all the bedrooms and sitting rooms, the house had a great room with a kitchen fit for a chef and a solarium so we could sit out during the sunny days and enjoy the scenery.
While Drake worked at the children's hospital getting the robotic surgery unit set up, I spent the first weeks organizing the house for my father's and Elaine's arrival. Liam had spent the Christmas and New Year's holidays with his mother and was going back to Manhattan for the rest of the school year. Drake's hopes that Maureen would relent and let Liam come live with us instead of his grandmother were crushed, but he wasn't willing to give up just yet. He'd try for joint custody in a year when there was no more publicity around Lisa Monroe.
It was on a sunny February day that I decided to finally go to the hospital to check out the unit. Michael had been pestering me to come by and watch Drake operate, and I had yet to accept. We'd been in Southampton for a full month and so I decided it was time for me to venture out beyond our home and go to the hospital to watch Drake in his OR theatre using his new state-of-the-art surgical suite. Sophia was at her daycare for the afternoon. The woman who ran the small home-based daycare was a former teacher and had dual degrees in psychology and education, so I felt safe leaving Sophie with her. There were three other children under the age of five, so she'd get some socialization.
Until my father and Elaine arrived later in the week, I was alone and free to do what I felt like.
"Come tomorrow," Michael said on the phone. "Drake's teaching a class and you can sit in the audience and watch while he operates. It's the last surgery of the day and so Drake
will be finished afterwards."
"I have to pick up Sophie from her daycare but how about you coming over for supper with us?"
"Sounds perfect," Michael said. "Don't let Drake know. It'll be a surprise. I'll pick up some Indian take-away and we can make an evening of it."
"Sounds perfect."
So, I took the second car and drove to the Southampton Children's Hospital and made my way to Michael's office. From there, he'd take me to the OR theatre and get me set up in the observation room so I could watch with Drake's new students.
Michael hugged me when I arrived, kissing both my cheeks as was his custom.
"There you are, Miss Katherine," he said and ushered me down the hall to the surgical suite. "The surgery is in progress, so I'll sneak you into the observation room. There are a half-dozen students watching."
"Will they mind if I watch?"
"Not at all," Michael replied. "They'll be too busy watching the surgery to care. Besides, when they see me, they'll all be on their best behavior."
We went to a door and inside I saw a bank of seats like you would see in a movie theatre. About seven students were seated in the front two rows, watching through a huge window. Below was the OR suite, with a large robotic arm poised over a reclining patient. Off to the side was a portable CT. Drake in a surgical cap and gown, with special optical glasses on, stood by the patient's head and several of his staff surrounded the surgical gurney. A small boy lay there, tubes and wires attached to his tiny body.
They were watching a screen where the patient's skull and brain were imaged as a thin wire entered and threaded into the interior.
Drake spoke as he did his work, explaining what each action was intended to accomplish. I didn't follow most of it, but I did understand that they were implanting an electrode that would stimulate a particular part of the child's brain and control his epilepsy.
It was something to watch. Drake sounded calm, and in command as he explained the procedure and what each motion did for the patient.
After about fifteen minutes, he was finished and then the resident closed up the wound. Drake thanked everyone and left the OR theatre, and so did Michael and I, returning to Michael's office to wait for Drake to finish his work for the day. He still had to speak with the family and then he would have a quick shower in the staff facilities and go to his office.
Michael had sent him a message asking him to come to Michael's office before he left for the day, not telling him that I was there so it was a surprise.
"What did you think?" Michael asked as we sat in his office waiting.
"He looked like he was perfectly happy. I remember the first time I saw him operate and thought how calm he was. He's had a hard two and a half years since the attack. I'm so happy you offered him the position."
"I'm so happy he accepted," Michael replied. "He said no at first, out of concern for you."
I nodded. "I feel bad that he thought he had to turn you down because of me. Honestly, I didn't really want to leave Manhattan, but it was the only choice, given all the publicity from the trial. Drake lost pretty much everything he had built in Manhattan -- the foundation was closed, he pulled back from the corporation and he lost his privileges at NYP. So he only had us. I couldn't make him turn down your offer. It was his dream come true."
"It is," Michael said with a nod. "He should be busy operating. It's his calling, Kate."
"It is. I'm just happy to be along for the ride."
"You complete him," Michael said. "I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Because he has you and Sophia, and now the unit, he is complete. A very happy man."
Drake stuck his head in the door and saw me, his eyes widening. "Who's a very happy man?"
He smiled and came over to me. "I'm assuming my ears should be burning and that you meant me."
He kissed me, his hands on my shoulders from behind.
"We did," I replied, squeezing one of his hands. "Michael invited me to come watch you do your last surgery of the day. He's going to come by for supper."
"That's great," Drake said. "So this is why you wanted me to stop by before I left."
"It is."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Drake said, waving his arm to the door.
And so we did.
* * *
Later, after we had dinner and Michael had said goodbye, Drake and I stood on the patio outside the living room and watched the stars in the night sky. His arms were around me, and he rested his chin on my shoulder so we could watch the sky together. I felt a profound sense of peace at that moment.
Everything seemed to be falling into place.
In the house, Sophie was fast asleep in her room on the second floor, her bedroom next to ours. The western corner of the main floor had been set aside for my father and Elaine. They had a sitting room with patio doors out to a nice space for when they both wanted some fresh air and to watch the ocean. Their bedroom came equipped with a full bathroom with accessible shower and bath. We converted one of the sitting rooms into a bedroom for that purpose and so they would have their own place to retreat when they needed some peace and quiet.
They'd be arriving the following week and I was excited to see them and get them settled in.
"Did you check out the studio space in town?" Drake asked, squeezing me, pulling me closer. "Will it do?"
"It'll do perfectly," I said and smiled, thinking of the small studio in an old building in downtown. "When Sophie goes to her daycare, I can zip into town and spend the afternoon painting."
I turned around and faced him, my arms slipping around his shoulders. "You looked so happy in the OR this afternoon."
"I was so happy," he said and bent down to kiss me softly. "Thank you for agreeing to come to England."
"How could I say no after everything that's happened? You should be working. Michael said it's your calling and he's right. I'd be a selfish bitch to insist on staying in Manhattan given the fallout from the trials. I'm happy here. I'm happy that you're happy."
We kissed again and then I turned around, Drake's arms still around me, squeezing my waist, pulling me against his body. In the distance, the surf roared against the beach and above us, the stars sparkled in the night sky.
They say that home is where the heart is, and it was true. As long as I had Drake and Sophia with me, I would be home, no matter where in the world we were.
* * *
THE END
About the Author
S. E. Lund writes erotic, contemporary, new adult and paranormal romance. She lives in a century-old house on a quiet tree-lined street in a small Western Canadian city with her family of humans and animals. She dreams of living in a warm climate where snow is just a word in a dictionary.
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Also by S. E. Lund
THE UNRESTRAINED SERIES
THE AGREEMENT: Book 1
THE COMMITMENT: Book 2
UNRESTRAINED: Book 3
UNBREAKABLE: Book 4
FOREVER AFTER: Book 5
EVERLASTING: Book 6
DRAKE FOREVER: Book 7
* * *
THE DRAKE SERIES:
DRAKE RESTRAINED: Book 1
DRAKE UNWOUND: Book 2
DRAKE UNBOUND: Book 3
THE DRAKE SERIES COLLECTION
THE BAD BOY SERIES:
BAD BOY SAINT: Book 1 in the Bad Boy Series
BAD BOY SINNER: Book 2 in the Bad Boy Series
BAD BOY SOLDIER: Book 3 in the Bad Boy Series
BAD BOY SAVIOR: Book 4 in the Bad Boy Series
THE BAD BOY SERIES COLLECTION
THE BRIMSTONE SERIES
IF YOU FALL: A Brimstone Series Novel (standalone)
STANDALONE NOVELS
MR BIG SHOT
MATCHED