One week after their arrival in Montana, Zoe’s passport was finally ready and it was time to book their flights to Bermuda. The last few days seemed to have zoomed by as Rachel and Vanessa bonded on filming fresh content for their YouTube channels. Thanks to Rachel’s insight, Vanessa has now realized that the farm and ranch and even their home were enough to create multiple contents for her channel.Derek and Jonah fostered their lifelong bromance over their shared passion for horseback riding on the ranch. They’d pretend to be cowboys and chase the cows around, while hee-hawing theatrically. In the evenings, they played chess on the patio in the back while the children played at their feet and the women sat by the pond chit-chatting.The girls have also formed a sisterly bond with Zoe who follows them around like a curious puppy. She had started taking riding lessons on Fifi who happened to be the most docile pony in the world, and she has developed a fondness for Michelle’s playful
When they landed in Bermuda nearly six hours later, Zoe was awake and in a chirpy mood. At the airport, two vehicles were waiting to take them to the villa that Derek has rented for their one-week stay. The place was so beautiful that Rachel was immediately blown away by the sights as soon as they landed. “This place is amazing!” She said as they entered the waiting car. “Wait until you get into the heart of the city, you’d think you are in paradise,” said Derek. “The place I rented for us is a bit on the outskirts of the city. It’s more serene and private.” “Sounds cozy,” she laughed. “It is, and I’ve got plans for you in there,” he said suggestively. “Not in front of the child!” Rachel said with mock surprise. “What did I say?” Derek asked with a laugh. “I want a burger!” Zoe announced. “Uh-oh, someone is hungry,” said Rachel. “You’ll have one when we get home.” True to Derek’s prediction, Rachel was in awe as they drove through the picturesque city of Hamilton. “Oh, this p
“Is the weather always perfect in Bermuda?” Rachel wondered aloud while lounging in the pool with Derek and Zoe, who was splashing around with a ducky floater. It was their second day in the beautiful country and the sun was shining from a clear sky.“Not always, but we came here at the right time,” said Derek. He took a sip of his chilled drink and sighed with satisfaction. “This is the life. I don’t know why I never liked the idea of taking vacations before. It just seemed like a waste of time to me because every minute that passed was a lost opportunity to make another kill in the business world.”“You’re the wealthiest workaholic I know,” said Rachel. “Why do you like working so much? It can’t be for the money because you’ve always had that.”“Yeah, it was never about the money for me,” he admitted. “I guess work helped me to suppress all my emotional baggage. It drowns out all the noise and keeps my mind constantly busy.”Rachel was surprised by this unexpected display of vulnera
The masseuse arrived an hour after they got home and by then, Zoe was taking a nap while the bodyguards had returned to their quarters in the other compound. The lady was biracial with her afro curls piled up in a big bun on her head. Her caramel skin glowed like polished brass and her pretty face reminded Rachel of a porcelain doll. She was dressed in a grey-colored uniform showing the name of the company she worked for above the breast pocket.“Hi, my name is Kira from Fantasy Spa. I’m here for your massage appointment,” she said.“Welcome, I’m Rachel. Please, come in. Follow me, I’ll take you to the indoor spa.”When they got to the massage room, Derek was already there with a white towel tied loosely around his waist. “Ah, there she is!” He said excitedly. “Who goes first?”“You’re already dressed for the occasion, so you might as well go first,” said Rachel. “I’ll go check on Zoe and come back to join you guys.”She knew Zoe would still be knocked out from that hyperactive beach
Two days later, Elaine Martin, joined them in Bermuda from the U.S. She was the middle-aged, highly-recommended nanny that Vanessa had chosen for Zoe. Both Derek and Rachel had interviewed Elaine over Skype the day before and they were relieved when she’d said she was ready to travel immediately to resume work.When the woman arrived, Rachel was instantly taken with the nanny’s warm nature and friendliness. It was even more satisfying to see that Zoe liked her too.She and Derek spent the first few hours of Elaine’s arrival bringing her up to speed with Zoe’s routines and their expectations going forward. Once all of that was sorted out, the nanny was shown to her room in the villa to settle in and join the family for dinner later on.Derek had hired a team of caterers led by a renowned chef in town to prepare their meal for the evening. He was in the mood for some fine dining but he didn’t feel like going out, so he decided to bring the experience to the villa instead.“I think I sho
“That’s impossible!” Derek exclaimed for the hundredth time since they’d left the resort mall where he’d come face-to-face with the woman who claimed to be his dead mother.They were back in their suite after Derek bolted away from the mall like an escaping fugitive, with Rachel and the bodyguards chasing after him. It was as if he had seen a ghost and he had been badly shaken ever since.“There has to be a logical explanation for what just happened,” said Rachel. “How is it possible that she has been alive for nearly nine years and nobody found out about it. Has she been in Bermuda the whole time or does she come here from time to time to commemorate her death?”“How would I know?” Derek snapped. “I’m just as confused as you are. This is insane! My mother is supposed to be dead, not alive, and walking around in Bermuda looking like Ariel the little mermaid!”“I agree. She does look hot for a dead woman,” Rachel joked, trying to ease the tension in the air.Derek chuckled. “Sounds lik
His vulnerability touched her and Rachel returned to sit beside him on the bed. “I know, but we have to. I know this is very difficult for you and I can’t even imagine just how distressed you are feeling inside right now,” she said softly. “What can I do to make you feel better?”He leaned forward and rested his forehead on her shoulder. “I feel as if my world has been flipped upside down. What else am I going to discover to be a lie about my life?”“I don’t know, but I do know that Zoe and I are real, and I am here for you.”He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. “Thank you,” he said quietly.“For what?”“For being you. You’re amazing, Rachel.”She smiled. “So are you, Derek. Now, let’s get dressed and solve this mystery once and for all.”“I didn’t bring any change of clothes,” he said. “I didn’t envisage that we would be meeting a mystery hostess for lunch. There goes our romantic getaway!”“Stop whining,” she laughed. “We’ll have many other opportunities to have romantic get
Yasmin was quiet for a few seconds, trying to compose herself before continuing her story. It was clear to Rachel that even after all these years, the woman was still affected by her past.“I was so upset, my mother was livid, and my father was ashamed and remorseful. He just couldn’t see a way out and Jeremy wouldn’t help him unless I married him. I made my father set up a meeting between Jeremy and me with hopes of convincing him to let me off the hook. When I met him at his office and told him that I wasn’t interested in marrying him, he threatened to pull out his money from my father’s company and that when it finally collapsed, he would buy it and I would not have an inheritance or a dime to my name. It was cruel, but that was Jeremy Fraser for you. He was a cruel, manipulative, and heartless man.”“That does not sound like my father,” said Derek.“Of course, not,” said Yasmin with a sad smile. “You never go to see that side of him, did you? Anyway, I married him five days after
“This can’t be happening,” Derek muttered incredulously after a frightened Elaine came to announce to him that Rachel had been abducted at knife-point by Sam. “Oh, God! What have I done?” Yasmin wailed. “Calm down, Mom. I’ll call the security guys at the gate right away,” said Derek briskly. “He can’t have gone very far with her, so we can still find them.” “We should call the police too,” Elaine suggested. “What’s their emergency number here?” “Where the heck is that ambulance?” Yasmin demanded irritably. “Javier has slipped into unconsciousness. He needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.” As they scrambled around the house to make phone calls from different phones, Zoe who was now awake, walked across the room and placed her favorite stuffed toy, Binky, on Javier’s chest. “Don’t be scared, Binky is going to help you,” she whispered to the unconscious chef. Just then, they heard the wails of an ambulance siren as it sped through the driveway. “Finally!” Said Yasmin, thr
A loud crash woke Rachel up and her eyes flew open with alarm. She could tell instantly that something was wrong.“What was that?” Derek asked groggily.“You heard it too? It sounded like something breaking,” she said and began to get out of bed.“No, you stay here and I’ll go and check it out,” said Derek, getting out of bed.“You go to the kitchen and I’ll go and check on Zoe and Elaine.”They quickly put on their dressing robes and ran out of the room to investigate the strange noise and make sure that the other occupants of the house were ok.Rachel was relieved when she was that both Elaine and Zoe were still asleep in their room and they hadn’t been disturbed by the crash that woke her up. She quietly closed their bedroom door and moved to Yasmin’s door, but as she raised her hand to knock on it, Derek showed up with a barely conscious Javier leaning on him. The chef’s head was bloody and he looked dazed.“Oh, my God! What happened to him?” Rachel asked, hurrying over to the hal
Once they were done with lunch, there was unanimous agreement that everyone should take a stroll to the beach to walk off that hefty meal.“I don’t think I’m going to eat anything else today because that was a loaded lunch,” said Rachel, suppressing a belch.“Yeah, maybe,” said Derek with a smile.They were walking hand-in-hand past the tall palm trees that lined the property and went all the way to the beach. There were some large rocks on the other end of the beach and it looked like a nice hideout where they could get a little bit of intimacy away from the rest of the group.“How about we go over there and check out what’s behind that rock?” She asked, pointing toward the distance. “Just you and me.”“Sure, why not?”“We’re going back inside,” Elaine announced. “Zoe is long overdue for her nap and she’s getting restless.”“Aww, poor baby,” said Rachel, bending down to stroke Zoe’s blonde curls.“No nap,” she said drowsily while yawning and rubbing her eyes. However, she didn’t resi
“There you are!” She exclaimed when she found him standing by the pool, staring off into the distance. “Are you ok?”“Yes,” he said and smiled at her. “I have never felt this much peace in my life.”“Aww, I’m glad you feel that way,” she said, embracing him.“Come on, let’s go inside and see what Elaine and Zoe are up to. The island manager will be sending in our private chef later today. In the meantime, I’m sure we can make do with whatever is in the kitchen for now.”“I don’t think anyone is hungry yet. This place is too good for you to think about eating.”“Zoe may not agree with you,” he said with a grin. “My daughter is a certified foodie.”“She got it from her momma,” said Rachel.“I’m not going to argue with that,” said Derek and he received an elbow jab in the ribs from his wife.They found Zoe and her nanny in the cinema room watching Moana. Derek and Rachel were immediately captivated by the exciting animation movie, and they too sat down to watch it. When it was over, they
One month later, Rachel walked down the aisle created in front of Alfred’s gloriously beautiful flower garden, holding a bouquet of white irises that looked like a cluster of clouds over green stems. Her ivory Vera Wang wedding dress was an off-shoulder creation that featured lots of tulles, crystals, and a full skirt that made her look like a Disney princess. Rob struggled not to cry as he walked his little sister down the aisle in his spotless three-piece suit.“I almost can’t believe this is happening,” Rachel whispered excitedly to him.“It’s happening, darling,” he replied in a whisper too. “Your fairy tale happy ending is finally happening and I cannot even begin to tell you just how happy I am for you.”“You’ve told me a gazillion times already and that’s enough,” she said with a chuckle.When they reached where Derek was waiting in front of the minister, Rob hugged his sister tightly and whispered, “I love you.”“I love you more,” Rachel whispered back with misty eyes.After R
Just as Derek had predicted, Alfred was beyond ecstatic when they informed him of Rachel’s wish to be married at Rickman Manor.“What an honor!” He exclaimed happily. “What joy!”“Stop being so dramatic, Uncle Alfred. It’s just a wedding,” said Derek.“Uh-huh, Derek. It’s not a wedding, it’s the wedding,” said Taylor and he got a high five from Rob who yelled, “Dang right, it is!”Everyone laughed. They were sitting at a long dining table that had been set up by the hotel in the banquet hall where they’d had Derek’s birthday party last night. It was the only place that could contain the large family consisting of Rachel’s folks, Jonah and his family, and Uncle Alfred. Diane and the other guests had checked out of the hotel earlier after having breakfast in their rooms.This late breakfast was for family only and that included Elaine who was sitting beside Zoe and making sure the toddler was cared for while the adults joked and chatted playfully.“I am so happy for you two,” said Rosem
Derek went down on one knee in front of Rachel and opened the ring box. Inside it was a dazzling 24 karat gold ring with a large princess-cut white diamond in the middle and tiny crystals encircling the band. It was gloriously beautiful!“Rachel Lane, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Derek asked her with stars in his eyes. “Will you marry me?”“Yes!” She replied instantly without hesitation, sinking to her knees and hugging him fiercely. “Yes, yes, and yes!”The room erupted in a joyous cheer, applauding the touching scene.“That’s not how it’s done,” Derek laughed through his happy tears. “You’re supposed to stick out your hand and let me put the ring on your finger.”“Who cares about how it’s done? This is how we do it,” she replied happily. “Now put that ginormous ring where it belongs.”She stretched out her left hand and he slipped the ring on her finger, sending their guests into another round of celebration.“I wish Zoe was here to witness this,” he said.“Bedtime
Yasmin chuckled. “Rachel is a genius,” she said. “She’s the real deal, Derek. She’s a keeper.”“I still can’t believe that you’re here,” he said in wonder. “I feel as if I am dreaming.”“So do I,” she admitted. “Derek, I am so sorry for everything. I am sorry I didn’t give you a chance to get to know me but instead allowed your father to drive a wedge between us. I am not trying to paint your father as the bad guy because if I’m being honest, I also share in the blame. I am so sorry for abandoning you and letting you mourn my fake death while I lived my best life somewhere else.”“I didn’t have time to mourn you,” he confessed. “I was so angry at you and I drowned myself in work.”“I am so sorry,” she said again, crying openly. “I am so, so sorry, Derek. Can you ever forgive me?”Seeing his mother cry and express so much remorse broke something inside of him. It was as if she had smashed the block of ice that had held his heart in a death grip for years, into tiny pieces. Tears rolled
“No, what’s the point? I know why she has been doing it and I’m not sure she’ll have anything new to share with Yasmin anymore.”“Today’s episode is definitely something worth sharing.”Derek chuckled. “Maybe.”“Have you thought about reaching out to Yasmin?”“What for?”“I don’t know, just for the sake of it. Alfred already confirmed everything she told us, so that means she wasn’t lying.”He sighed.“Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive her?” Rachel asked softly.Derek lifted an eyebrow. “For what?”“For abandoning you,” she replied.He sighed again and looked away. When the elevator reached the first floor and swung open, he took her hand in his and led her out of it. Cheryl was beaming like the sun when she saw them together and she waved at Rachel as they left.“I think Cheryl is my number one fan here,” she remarked as Frank and Mark escorted them to the parking lot.“Nope. She’s number two,” said Derek.“Who’s number one?” She asked.“Me,” he said with a grin and follo