Chapter 14

“Please, I need to see Rachel,” said Derek with forced patience.

The door opened wider and Rachel appeared, dressed in an oversized T-shirt, with her hair piled up on her head in a messy bun. Derek was surprised at how his body instantly reacted to the sight of her. Man, she was beautiful!

“What are you doing here, Derek?” She asked in a very unfriendly tone.

“Hi, Rachel,” he said with a warm smile. “I wanted a do-over of yesterday’s meeting. I know I took you by surprise and that was probably why you didn’t want to talk to me.”

“I didn’t want to talk to you because both of us have nothing to say to each other. Please, stop showing up at my doorstep unannounced. I don’t find it funny or cute.”

“I bought some gifts for Zoe,” he said quickly as she attempted to close the door.

Rachel paused, surprised. “How did you know her name?”

Derek sighed. “Well, it’s a long story, but the summary is that I came across your YouTube channel and watched some of your recent videos. That was where I saw Zoe.”

“And that’s why you came here?” Rachel asked coldly.

“Yes, Rachel. I came here for you and Zoe,” said Derek, softly. “Please, let me see her.”

Rachel scoffed. “You are unbelievable, Derek. You denied me when I needed you the most, and now you waltz back into my life and expect me to just forget what you did and welcome you? Seriously?”

“Rachel, I am deeply sorry for how I treated you back then. I have realized my mistakes and I am ready to make amends.”

The door opened wider and Rob showed up at the entrance. “Wait, who is this guy?” He asked. He’d been eavesdropping on the exchange between his sister and this man and the story was starting to confuse him.

“His identity doesn’t matter,” said Rachel, dismissively. “You have to leave now, Derek, and I mean it this time, don’t ever come back here. Zoe and I are doing just fine and we don’t need you interrupting our lives with your nonsense. Please, leave now.”

“For real, Rachel. Who’s this guy?” Asked Taylor. He wanted this mystery to be solved once and for all.

“I am Zoe’s father,” Derek announced. “And I am here to see my daughter.”

********

“Wait, let me get this straight,” said Taylor. “Derek Fraser, I mean ‘the Derek Fraser’ a.k.a tech billionaire and New York’s most eligible bachelor is your baby daddy? You mean he is literally Zoe’s father?”

“Shush!” Rachel said sharply, before glancing in Zoe’s direction. The toddler was awake from her nap and was now watching her favorite cartoon show on the TV in the den.

“This is mind-blowing,” said Rob. “Why didn’t you want us to know that he was responsible for your pregnancy? Why all the secrecy?”

“Because of this reaction both of you are having now,” said Rachel. “Did you hear how Taylor just describe him?”

“So?” Asked Rob, not getting her point.

“So, I already knew that you all would have stars in your eyes as soon as you knew who got me pregnant and then expect me to go with the flow and do what he wants, assuming he was even interested in being involved in my life or my child’s life.”

“Come on, Rachel. You know I would never make you do anything you don’t want to do,” said Rob. “I just didn’t think keeping Derek’s identity a secret was necessary at all.”

“Fine. Now that you all know, what next?” She asked bitingly, unable to hide her annoyance. She didn’t like how Rob and Taylor were making light of her reasons for not announcing who her baby daddy was.

“Well, that’s up to you, Rachel,” said Rob. “What do you want to do?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing to do. Zoe and I are ok and we are happy just the way we are. There’s no need to add a third party to our relationship.”

Taylor sighed. “I know this is none of my business and you might get really pissed off by what I am about to say, but you are coming off a bit selfish to me and that’s weird because that’s not who you are.”

Rachel was dumbfounded. “What?”

“I am inclined to agree with Taylor on this, Raych. You are talking as if you got yourself pregnant and therefore you get to decide who can be in Zoe’s life or not, based on that fact, but you know that isn’t right.”

“Wait a minute. Is this a gang up against me? Shouldn’t you two be on my side?”

“We are on your side,” Rob assured her.

“Have you forgotten what I told you about how Derek threw me out of his office and insulted me?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” said Rob, somberly.

“And yet, you expect me to just forgive him and forget all that and just let him butt into my life like some schoolyard bully?”

“Listen, Rachel. I know you are hurt, and you have every reason to be, but please don’t let Zoe suffer for something that doesn’t concern her. Don’t deprive her of the opportunity to have a relationship with her father just because you are angry with him.”

“I can’t believe you, Rob,” said Rachel, disappointed. “Zoe deserves to have a relationship with a father that wanted her, not the one that rejected her even before she was born.”

“But what if he has changed? What if he has realized his mistake and that’s why he came searching for you. Did you see those bags he was carrying? They were filled with toys for Zoe.”

“Zoe has enough toys, thank you,” said Rachel, stubbornly.

“Come on, Rachel, give the guy a chance,” Taylor appealed to her. “We understand that he was a jerk before, but he seems to be making an effort to show you how remorseful he is now.”

Rachel looked from Rob to Taylor and shook her head in disbelief. “I should have known that you two would support that bum. I thought the guy code didn’t extend to gay men?”

“This isn’t about guy code, Rachel. This is about Zoe,” said Rob. “I don’t want whatever is going on with you and Derek to affect her negatively. And I don’t want you to look back on this time in the future and regret your decision to cut Derek off. Besides, I feel that he will keep showing up wherever you go until you let him apologize and say his piece. You know he has the resources to track you down even if you move to the end of the earth, wherever that may be, so why don’t you just hear him out and give him a piece of your mind too while he’s at it?”

As much as she hated Rob’s advice, she couldn’t deny that her brother was right. Zoe deserves to have her father in her life if he is willing to be involved, which it seems like Derek is. She on the other hand didn’t have to entertain him in her life because he doesn’t deserve her. He may think his money made him desirable, but Rachel wasn’t interested in getting emotionally entangled with a guy who does not know how to handle rejection as an adult but instead lashes out rudely as a way to hide his pain.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Asked Rob.

Rachel shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”