Secrets (Lords of the City)

by Alice Ward

  “They might,” Dad said, his voice low and soothing. “But it won’t matter, because we’re prepared for it. Now that I’m your attorney of record, the IRS and the SEC will have to keep me apprised of their investigations. I’ll have a better idea of how quickly their cases are progressing sometime tomorrow. Matt and Larry will start researching case precedents. Parker would like to look through your accounting records himself. The sooner you send them over, the better. Lindsey is going to research every detail of this stock you supposedly traded illegally.”

  “Thank you all so much for your help,” Drake said to the table. “I know this is an uphill battle and I’m grateful for all of your efforts. And I promise I won’t hold you at fault if I end up in jail.”

  “It won’t come to that, Son,” Dad assured him as the waiter arrived with our appetizers. “I know it’s hard, but try to relax and keep your mind off of all of this. You’re in good hands. Let us worry about the details.”

  “Thank you, Jake.”

  Dad lifted a cheese-covered breadstick from the platter and passed it to me, his eyes demanding that I eat something. I took it and he turned back to Drake.

  “You’re more than welcome,” he said warmly. “And please, if you’re comfortable with it, call me Dad.”

  CHAPTER 2

  e

  Knock. Knock.

  Dad tapped the open door as we stepped into Stacey’s hospital room. Oliver perched on the bed while Stacey packed her suitcase.

  “Hey guys. I’ve officially been kicked out,” Stacey said as Oliver and Dad embraced. She stuffed a t-shirt into a duffle bag and then took her turn hugging Dad hello.

  “It’s so good to see you,” Dad told them, planting a soft kiss on Stacey’s forehead. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner.”

  “We completely understand,” Oliver assured him. “I knew Mom wouldn’t stay retired long. And I know it’s next to impossible for adjunct professors to get their classes covered, especially toward the end of the semester.”

  Dad nodded. “The summer term ended on Monday and she finished grading finals last night. You’re all stuck with us for the time being.”

  “Nothing could make me happier,” Stacey said with a smile. “Now, why don’t you go down to the NICU and officially meet your granddaughter? I’ll finish up here and then meet up with you.”

  “I can’t wait to meet Emma. But I’m not sure I’ll be able to get her away from Nana,” Dad replied, his face dripping with happiness. “Stacey dear, will you be coming home with us tonight?”

  Stacey shook her head. “I can’t bear the thought of leaving Emma all alone up here. I’m basically just moving in to the NICU for the time being. The hospital is allowing the whole family to visit Emma, but there’s not enough space in the NICU for them to wave the one visitor per patient rule. I’ll go home to shower and sleep while Ollie’s here during the day.”

  “I understand. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to be away from Emma for so long,” Dad said, his voice dripping with sympathy. “Could I persuade you to leave long enough to have dinner with us tonight?”

  “I can do that,” Stacey agreed. “Piper asked if she could visit tonight. Emma will be in good hands.”

  Shit… Piper.

  The morning after Drake and I got back together, I called Piper and calmly explained everything that had happened. She agreed that Drake had gone to amazing lengths for Emma. But she disagreed with my decision to take him back. We hadn’t spoken since that tense conversation.

  I have to find a way to make her understand before Drake loses the penthouse. It’s her apartment too… I can’t let him move in with us if it makes Piper uncomfortable.

  Drake seemed to sense my nerves. He cleared his throat and turned to Stacey. “I have some things to take care of back at home. If it’s okay with everyone else, I think Chelsea and I are going to head back to the penthouse for a while. Let us know where you’d like to have dinner and we’ll meet you there.”

  “That’s fine,” Oliver quickly replied.

  Stacey nodded. “Piper will be here at seven. I don’t want anything fancy. How about we meet at the Fifth Street Deli at seven-fifteen?”

  “Works for us,” I replied, squeezing her in a quick hug. “Tell Piper we said hello. We’ll stop by the NICU and wave to Mom before we head out,” I added, dragging Drake toward the door.

  “See you soon,” Stacey called after us.

  We stepped into the hallway and I closed the door behind us. I turned to Drake and took his hand in mine. It was the first moment alone we’d had since we left the penthouse and I wondered where his mind was.

  “Is it okay?” I asked nervously. “That my dad is taking over your case, I mean. I’m sorry I just sprung him on you. I was afraid you wouldn’t like the idea…”

  “It’s more than okay, Chelsea,” Drake said, lifting a soft finger to my lips to silence me. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. If I’d known we were meeting with your father, I’d have been a nervous wreck. I wouldn’t blame him if he never wanted to see me again. The fact he’s agreed to defend me, after everything I’ve done…”

  It was my turn to silence him. I stood on my tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. “You’re a sum of all of your actions, baby, not just your mistakes. How many times do I have to remind you that your good more than outweighs your bad? Everyone else can see it. I wish you could.”

  Drake squeezed my hand and stared down into my eyes, his gaze full of love. “Before we met, no one in my life cared enough to see the good in me. This is going to take some getting used to.”

  “Don’t worry,” I replied with a grin. “I’m happy to reassure you as often as needed.”

  ***

  “Oh my God, this was just what I needed,” Stacey said after swallowing a bite of her Reuben. She washed it down with a long drink of soda and then bit into the sandwich again.

  “I can’t wait to get back to Emma, but it’s nice to be outside of the hospital together,” Oliver confessed as he draped an arm around her.

  Drake lifted his ice tea. “Pretty soon, Emma will be home where she belongs and the hospital will be a distant memory.”

  “Here, here,” Dad agreed.

  We all lifted our glasses and toasted the future. My mother caught my eye from across the table and gave me a quick, approving nod. I smiled at her, knowing that she, like the rest of the family, had forgiven Drake for his past.

  “Speaking of outside of the hospital, what’s been going on in the real world?” Stacey asked, her eyes pointed at Drake. Her face dripped with empathy and a flash of realization crossed his. He looked from Stacey to me and then cleared his throat.

  “I have a feeling you know more than I thought you did,” he said with a sheepish blush. Stacey reached across the table and laid a hand on his arm.

  “I’m so sorry, Drake,” she said, her voice low and maternal. “Please don’t be upset with Chelsea for telling us.”

  He covered her hand with his. “I’m not upset. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself,” he said, his eyes darting back and forth between Stacey and Oliver. “I felt that the two of you had enough on your plate.”

  “We’re family now, Drake,” Oliver insisted. “We want to know about your problems. You certainly didn’t hesitate to take on ours. Is there anything at all we can do to help?”

  “There might be,” Drake confessed. He explained everything Dad and the lawyers had said at the meeting.

  “I already have a storage unit,” Oliver chimed in. “I leased one a few months ago when I planned to keep our penthouse a secret. It’s almost completely empty. You’re welcome to stash anything there you’d like.”

  “It will help that you’ve had the unit for a while,” Dad observed.

  Drake stirred his soup, pushing a Matzo ball around the broth with his spoon. He shifted his weight nervously and then met Oliver’s eye.

  “I’m so sorry, Oliver. With my accounts frozen…”

&nbs
p; Oliver held up his hands, silencing Drake. “Everyone’s out of work. I get it, buddy. Stacey and I have some money put back and with the penthouse finished, we’ll be able to list our apartment. Real estate is going to be the last thing on my mind for a while. I’m sure Dad will get all of this sorted out before I’m even ready to go back to work.”

  Stacey cleared her throat. “Drake, have you heard from Rebecca at all since your accounts were frozen?”

  Drake’s jaw tensed. “She sent me an email a few days ago. She said she’d help me out of my mess if I agreed to play by her rules.”

  Mom let out a huff, her nose pointed in the air. “How kind, she offered to help you out of the mess she created. Drake, I don’t mind telling you that I don’t think much of that woman. She has no right to call herself a mother. I can’t imagine what it was like to grow up with her.”

  “It certainly wasn’t easy,” Drake agreed, taking my hand. “To be honest, Mrs. Tyler, I never really understood what a normal, loving family was like. Not until I met Chelsea, and she introduced me to all of you. The way you’ve all welcomed me, and forgiven me… and stood by me. It’s been humbling.”

  Mom reached across the table and folded her hand around ours. “Drake, I owe you an apology. I judged you for your past before I understood it. As a mother, I can’t comprehend what Rebecca’s put you through. I may not be able to defend you in court like Jake or help with your business affairs like Ollie. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m pretty good at listening.”

  Drake cleared his throat. “Thank you, Mrs. Tyler.”

  “Please,” she said, her eyes glistening with sincerity. “Call me Mom.”

  ***

  “Baby…? Baby, are you okay?” I asked Drake as he crossed the living room and poured himself a double shot of Scotch. He’d been quiet but clingy during our walk home and it was clear that something had upset him. He tossed back his drink and then turned to me.

  “I’m fine,” he said with a sigh. He held out a hand and I crossed the room to join him. He folded his fingers through mine and pulled me onto a barstool. He lowered his head to mine and took in a deep breath of my hair.

  “Do you have any idea how much I love you, Chelsea?” he whispered into my ear. His breath tickled my neck and sent waves of desire coursing through my body. I longed for his kiss, but Drake raised his head and held mine to his shoulder.

  “If it’s half as much as I love you, I’m a lucky woman,” I purred into his neck.

  He kissed the top of my forehead and then abruptly rose to his feet. He carried me to the sofa and we curled up together, Drake’s back resting on the arm.

  “When I think back to the man I was before I met you, I can’t believe what a fool I was,” he confessed.

  “Drake,” I began to protest. He’d apologized more than enough for his past and I longed for him to forgive himself. He brushed my lip with his thumb, interrupting me.

  “Chelsea please, just let me say this. I thought I was happy back then. I was a cocky, arrogant bastard and deep down, I found a sick satisfaction in my wild lifestyle. I pictured myself designing buildings and having affair after meaningless affair until I was old and grey. With my money and power, I thought I had everything anyone could ever want. But then you blew into my life and showed me everything I’d been missing. I didn’t know I was capable of feeling love like this, Chelsea.”

  Drake paused and wiped a tear from his cheek.

  “I love you too, baby,” I said, dropping my lips to his neck.

  “I didn’t mean just you,” he replied, chuckling through his tears. He kissed the top of my head and took a deep breath.

  “I love you more than anything. What’s come as a surprise to me is how much I love your family. You haven’t just given me your heart, Chels. You’ve made it possible for me to be a part of something real and wholesome. I’ve never had that before. My best friend is going to be my brother. Your parents asked me to call them Mom and Dad and are defending me as if I’m one of their own. I have people who care about the person I am instead of the family I came from. I will never be able to give you anything close to what you’ve given me. But I will spend the rest of my life trying.”

  I shifted my legs in Drake’s lap, straddling his hips. I lowered my lips to his cheek and kissed him softly. “You deserve a family that loves you, Drake. You shouldn’t feel like you have to repay me for it.” I rested my cheek against his and he gently stroked my hair.

  “Chelsea, I want to ask you something,” he said, reluctance slowing his words.

  “You can ask me anything.”

  He traced long, tender lines across my back while his other hand massaged my shoulder.

  “I know this sounds crazy. And if you think it’s a bad idea, just say so and I’ll drop it. But I’ve been wondering… you didn’t keep up with your birth control pills while we were apart. What if we just threw them out completely?”

  I was completely caught off guard by his suggestion. I put a hand on his shoulder, pushed myself upright, and stared into his eyes.

  “You want to have a baby? Now? Wouldn’t this be the worst possible time to start a family?” The questions flew out of my mouth at rapid speed as my brain tried to comprehend his motivation.

  Drake shifted me out of his lap and rose to his feet.

  “I know it’s crazy,” he repeated as he walked back to the bar. He took the scotch decanter in one hand, two empty glasses in the other, and returned to the couch.

  “Of course I want to have your baby, Drake,” I assured him as he poured us each a shot. I tossed mine back, waited for the fire to leave my throat, and continued.

  “And to be honest, since Emma’s arrived I’ve started to think I’d like one sooner rather than later. Finishing grad school first seems insignificant compared to the idea of starting our family. But we have so much going on. You need to focus on clearing your name. Not to mention the fact that you’re still technically married to Alex.”

  “I know,” Drake agreed, setting his empty glass on the coffee table. “This is the worst possible timing. For all I know, I could be in prison this time next year. It’s selfish of me to ask you to do this when our future hinges on so many things that may not happen. But being with you, spending time with your family… I want to spend my life with you, Chelsea. I want to create life with you. And I don’t want Rebecca, or Alex, or anyone else to get in the way of that.”

  Drake looked at me with pleading eyes and I considered his request.

  There’s no question that I want to have his baby. But if Rebecca gets her way and he’s convicted of the charges, he could go to prison for decades. Do I really want to risk raising a child by myself?

  I looked at Drake’s warm, patient face and realized I didn’t care about the risk. The idea of starting our family, of creating a life that was half Drake and half me, was too rewarding to pass up. I looped my fingers through his and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

  “I won’t take another pill,” I promised.

  He kissed me hard on the mouth and pulled away with a smile. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice racing with excitement. “I know there are plenty of things that could go wrong. If I’m convicted…”

  “You won’t be,” I insisted. “I don’t want to live in fear of Rebecca ruining our lives. I want to live our dreams in spite of her.”

  Drake pulled me close, his heart pounding into my shoulder. “You’ve made me so happy, Chelsea. I want my children to have you as their mother. I want your family to be their family. I want to build a life together, a future.”

  Drake put one hand on the small of my back and used the other to push my hair over my shoulder. His brushed his lips up my neck and closed them over my earlobe. I ran my fingers through his hair and pushed my hips into his.

  “Take me to bed,” I whispered into his ear.

  He slipped one arm behind my knees and rose to his feet, lifting me with him and stumbling into the bedroom.

  “You make me
so happy, baby,” he whispered, lowering me to the bed. “I’m going to make you just as happy.”

  Drake climbed onto the bed beside me and ever so softly, slipped off my shoes, kissing the soles of my feet before raising his hands to my waistband. He quickly stripped me out of my jeans and panties and the musky scent of my desire swam in the air.

  “Oh, baby,” Drake groaned, dropping his head to my thigh. He held it there, his hot breath rushing over my clit as he exhaled. My legs fell open instinctively and Drake plunged his tongue into my depths.

  “Oh, God,” I cried out just as he pulled away. Drake raised his head to mine and kissed me softly behind the ear.

  “Don’t stop,” I moaned, eager to be filled again. “Please don’t stop.”

  “I don’t intend to,” he assured me. “I’m going to make you come harder than you’ve ever come in your life. But I’m going to take my time.”

  He licked and sucked at my neck as he dropped his hands to the hem of my blouse. He pulled it over my head, fumbled with my bra, and tossed all of my clothes to the floor. Then, he stood and stripped out of his own clothes while I laid before him, naked and vulnerable.

  “I want to feel my skin against your skin,” he whispered as he climbed back on top of me. He planted his arms on either side of my shoulders, balancing his weight as the soft skin of his chest brushed against my firm nipples. He hovered there for a moment before lowering himself and returning his lips to my neck. He licked and teased me with his tongue before gently nibbling at my collarbone.

  “Baby,” I cried out as the quick jolt of pain sent passion coursing through my body. “I want you so bad.”

  “You have me, baby,” he whispered back, moving his head lower. He sucked my breasts in turn and continued down, his lips enveloping my sweetest spot. His tongue danced across my clit as he pushed two fingers inside me.

  I gave myself over to the sensations overwhelming my body. I writhed against Drake’s face and he increased the speed of his tongue and the pressure of his fingers, sending me over the edge.

  “Oh my God, Chels,” Drake groaned as he lapped the juices of my ecstasy. “I want you so bad.”