***
We rode out to the far corner of the island in his Porsche, a red speedster that zoomed up the coast with the top down. The wind whipped past me as the scent of the salty sea invaded my nostrils. The stars twinkled above us, bright and pure in a way that you’d never see in L.A., and I curled into the arm he wrapped around me. Strength coiled through his muscles even then, and I could feel the power of the soldier he’d been always just coiled underneath the surface.
When he pulled up at a small, squat warehouse, I frowned. This wasn’t exactly what I imagined.
“Wait, is this when you murder me and dispose of the body?”
He laughed. “So, you’ve figured out my secret plan, Ms. Fontaine.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes but didn’t move from his arm. “I’m serious. This isn’t exactly what I was expecting, not that it’s not great to drive out here, but this either looks like a warehouse of doom or a top-secret lab.”
He turned off the ignition and pulled away from me. Then he sauntered with slow, easy movements to my side of the car and opened the door for me. “Well, you do have the lab part right. It’s not exactly top secret.”
“What?”
He crooked his elbow for me, and I caught sight of that delicious sleeve of tattoos that ran up his arm. My eyes were drawn to the anchor with the “Semper Fi” wrapped around it. “I told you I was setting up a surprise. Welcome to the Belle Fontaine Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Any injured animals or recaptured illegal pets come here for care and training to be safely released back into the wild.”
“You set this up in three weeks?” I asked, my voice filled with awe.
“A little less than that. I was hoping I could get it done in a week, but it just wasn’t possible. Sorry, it’s late.”
I hopped up into his arms and squealed when he spun me around. “You’re serious? All these animals are getting saved because of me?”
“You told me that the environment and going green was your passion before you ended up trying to save the family business. That was true, right? Or else there are going to be a ton of disappointed fish in there.”
I giggled and kissed his cheek. “You did all this because of me?”
He set me down and stroked my cheek. “I did it because I had to say I was sorry. I don’t care if I have PTSD. I don’t care how things can affect me. I still scared you and then I stormed off on you.”
“You saved me from those jerks!”
“You were right that night. You never would have run if I hadn’t been an asshole. This can’t possibly make it all better, but I want you to know I’m truly sorry, and I’m glad you put up with me.”
I stared into those chocolate brown eyes that were still so wounded, that seemed eternally shadowed with deep secrets and regrets. “I don’t ‘put up’ with anything. I care about you, and I mean it. I just… no one’s ever done anything like this for me. I’m always taking care of everyone else.”
“Then you deserve to be taken care of, too,” he said, wrapping an arm around me and leading me to the doors of the center.
When we first passed through, I was so surprised by the bright splashes of colors of all the coral, the clown fish, even the glowing jellyfish all swimming in their respective tanks. As we walked deeper, we came to an enclosure with seals being fed by a few techs in khakis and polo shirts.
A woman with a high blond ponytail came over to us and beamed up at Drake. “Mr. McManus. We’re so glad you could make it. You’ll be happy to see that Leo and Theo are doing so much better. I think Theo’s left flipper is really on the mend.”
I grinned at her, too; the woman’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Theo and Leo?”
“We try and do naming themes for the animals. It helps keep them straight in the keepers’ minds. You must be Ms. Fontaine. It’s an honor to meet you,” she said, taking my hand and shaking it feverishly.
I was overwhelmed by all this. I’d put so many of my own desires aside when Dad’s company crashed and Mom got sick. I knew that helping my family mattered, but there wasn’t anything world-saving about helping starlets with bad reputations clean up their Twitter feeds or put out the right press release. But I’d never been able to really help the world the way I wanted, and at least now some injured animals would have a new lease on life because I’d inspired Drake.
Tears prickled at the corner of my eyes and I sniffled. “This is amazing.”
“Are you okay?” the blonde asked, a frown marring her features. “Really, their flippers are looking pretty good. It won’t be long before they’re released back to a better location. We rescued them from some celebrity who had some exotic pets he shouldn’t have.”
“No, I just… all these animals are safe because of me.”
Drake nodded. “What can I say? You’re definitely a great beauty who inspires me, but this isn’t the end of the surprise.”
“What? You bought me my own pet whale?” I joked.
“Not exactly, but you will need a wetsuit.”