Chapter 16
“Of course, I’ll always be here for her whenever she needs me.”
“You don’t get it, do you? If you tell Zoe that you are her daddy, she’s going to expect you to be around all the time just like other daddies. Do you understand?”
Derek nodded. “I know what you mean, Rachel, and I meant it when I said that I am ready to make up for the lost time. If that means moving to Atlanta to be close to Zoe and you, then so be it.”
“What about your work?”
“I own my ‘work,’ Rachel. I can oversee my business from anywhere in the world, so don’t worry about it.”
“Wait, so you mean you are ready to relocate to Atlanta for Zoe?”
“Yes, Rachel. It might sound unbelievable to you, but I mean it. I will come and live here so that I can be a real dad to our daughter.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow in question.
“No, I don’t mean living in here, I mean like I would get a place in town and live close to you two,” he explained quickly.
“Look, Derek, I don’t want you to rearrange your life because of Zoe. I’m sure she’ll be fine with seeing you once in a while, eventually.”
“No, she won’t see me once in a while. She will see me every day, and yes, I will rearrange my life for her because she is worth it. I am ready to be a dad, Rachel. I am ready to be Zoe’s dad for real.”
Rachel was surprised. This was a brand new Derek – not the one that got sulky when he was rejected, or the same one that lashed out at her when she’d told him she was carrying his baby. This was a repentant and determined Derek and it seemed as if she was meeting him for the first time.
“So, what do you say?” He asked her hopefully. “Am I in?”
********
Zoe’s birthday party was everything Rachel hoped for and more because Rob and Taylor had outdone themselves with setting up the event. Her backyard had been transformed into an Alice in Wonderland tea party scene with tiny blush pink furniture that was the perfect size for the celebrant and her little friends. The tea sets on the table matched the furniture perfectly, and so did the balloon arch at the entryway to the backyard.
There was a snack table filled with pastries and candies, a cotton candy stand was erected nearby and a strawberry milk fountain dispensed delicious pink liquid that was accessible to everyone.
“This is amazing, Rob,” Rachel whispered excitedly to her brother. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, kiddo,” said Rob with a smile. “Is Derek coming?”
Rachel shrugged. “I don’t know, but I invited him yesterday, so…”
“Speak of the devil,” said Rob with a nod towards the balloon archway where Taylor was ushering Derek into the party. “Here comes your baby daddy.”
“Don’t call him that,” Rachel scoffed.
“And you are his baby mama,” Rob continued, playfully goading his sister.
“Shut up, Rob.”
“Daddy!” Zoe screamed when she spotted Derek. “Come, Daddy. Come here!”
A hush suddenly descended on the party as all the adult guests zeroed their attention on the newcomer. Nobody knew who Zoe’s father was and they’d never asked about his identity out of respect for Rachel, but here they were hearing the child calling this unfamiliar guy her daddy and they could see that the child might be right because of her resemblance to the man was uncanny.
“Hey, baby girl,” said Derek, who dropped the bags of gifts he was carrying to make room for his daughter. Zoe ran into his arms and they two embraced each other tightly.
“Wow,” breathed Reese Donovan, Rachel’s aunt. “This is what I call an epic reveal,” she said with a shaky laugh.
The others were too stunned to say anything, they all watched silently as Derek presented Zoe with the gifts he’d brought for her. “Happy birthday, Zoe. These are for you.”
“Yay!” Zoe exclaimed in delight.
“Zoe, say thank you,” Rachel prompted her daughter.
“Thank you,” said Zoe, shyly.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
Rachel cleared her throat loudly to get everyone’s attention. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the awkward silence that had descended on the party.
“Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Zoe’s father,” she began tentatively. She didn’t know why she felt weird about making this introduction, but there was something about the way everyone’s eyes were now centered on her, that made her nervous. “His name is Derek Fraser and he, um, recently came to Atlanta to see us.”
“Hi, everyone,” said Derek, rising to his full height. He knew some of them were already judging him and they were probably full of questions right now.
“Where have you been all this while?” Asked Reese’s husband, Douglas. He wasn’t the type to pretend and he couldn’t hide his dislike for this man that abandoned Rachel all through her pregnancy and then conveniently showed up now that the child was born and being well-taken care of.
Reese nudged her husband in the rib with her elbow. “Shush, Doug. Don’t be rude.”
“I’m just asking a question,” said an unrepentant Doug.
“I have been in New York running my businesses and living my life,” replied Derek, unflinchingly. “I had no idea of Zoe’s existence until a couple of days ago.”
“Is that right?” Asked Doug, unconvinced. “Rachel here told us that the father of her child rejected the baby when she told him about it. Was she lying about that?”
“No, she wasn’t,” said Derek confidently. “When she told me she was pregnant, I didn’t believe her.”
“Why?” Asked Reese. Her niece was one of the most honest people she knew, so she was curious to know why Derek didn’t believe her when she told him that she was pregnant with his baby.
“Because she wasn’t the first woman to show up at my doorstep, claiming to be pregnant for me, and all the others before her had turned out to be liars.”
“So, you are in the habit of sleeping with anything in skirts and – “
“Uncle Doug…” Rachel protested.
“You’re right, sir,” Derek said, looking straight into Doug’s eyes. “I a man who enjoys hanging out with any lady I fancy, but I was always careful until I met Rachel. I was wrong to accuse her of lying even when I knew that there was a possibility that her claim could be true. I was a coward and I apologize for not being there for Rachel as I should have. That is one mistake that I’ll regret for the rest of my life.”
Everyone was quiet again except for Zoe and her little friends who were running around and laughing, completely oblivious to the encounter going on with the adults.
“Has anyone ever told you that you look like that billionaire called Fraser?” Asked Hunter, Doug’s oldest son. “Are you guys related?”
“Yes, we are,” said Derek with a straight face and Rob laughed.
“What?” Hunter asked.
“He is the billionaire Fraser you are talking about, Hunter,” said Rachel.
Hunter’s jaw dropped and there was a collective gasp of surprise amongst the other guests.
“I don’t care if you are the President, but I will not have you bouncing in and out of Zoe’s life as if she’s some random kid that you’ve suddenly taken an interest in,” said Doug, unimpressed. “Zoe is a sweet child and I don’t want you messing with her feelings as you did with Rachel.”
“Doug,” said Reese with a warning tone.
“You are right sir,” said Derek seriously. He was not offended by Doug’s accusatory tone because he knew he would feel the same if their roles were reversed. “I promise to do right by Zoe and Rachel. Believe me when I say that I have learned from my mistakes and I am ready to make up for the lost time.”
“Good,” said Doug, with a stern face. “Well, let’s get on with the party then.”
“Thank you,” said Derek. He turned toward Rachel and smiled at her. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Sure,” she said. Now that the cat was out of the bag, Rachel didn’t know what else to say or how to act. “Want a drink? We’ve got strawberry milk, lemonade, apple juice, and fruit punch.”
“I’ll go for the fruit punch,” he said.
“It’s PG,” she warned him playfully.
“That’s fine,” he grinned.
She went to the drink stand to get his beverage and Rob came to join her there.
“Uncle Doug is an OG for setting Derek straight like that in front of everyone,” said Rob in a low voice. “I was beaming with pride behind you.”
Rachel chuckled. “Yeah, he’s a real one for that.”
Their aunt’s husband has been a substitute dad to them since their father died nearly two decades ago. He and his wife have always been there for them and their mom whenever they needed help, and that was why they didn’t hesitate to take Rachel in when she was pregnant with Zoe and needed a place to stay and have a fresh start at life.
“Well, now that everyone knows who Zoe’s daddy is, what next?” Asked Rob.