Chapter 65

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 Rosemary, beaming at the newly engaged couple. “Your love story has finally come full circle.”

Rachel smiled. “I guess you could say that,” she said.

“Can we talk about planning the wedding now?” Asked Vanessa, Jonah’s wife. “If you’re having a spring wedding, then that means we only have a few weeks to plan it.”

“Maybe we should do it in the summer,” said Rachel uncertainly. “I don’t want to do this under pressure.”

“What pressure?” Asked Alfred. “Just tell us what you want and Giselle will make it happen. All you have to do is show up at Rickman Manor with your groom and get married.”

“Who’s Giselle?” Taylor asked with a playful sneer.

“Alfred’s party planner,” replied Rachel.

“You can work with her if you want,” Derek suggested. “Imagine what would happen when two great minds work together.”

“Magic!” Said Jonah.

“Are we invited?” Asked Douglas, Reese’s husband. He got a jab in the ribs from his wife who thought his question was rude.

“Are you kidding?” Laughed, Rachel. “Everyone at this table is invited!”

There was a collective cheer across the long dining table to this announcement.

“I’ve always wanted to visit the English countryside,” said Reese, wistfully.

“Well, aren’t you glad now that I asked,” her husband chuckled.

“Hush, you,” she replied to him. To Rachel, she asked, “Have you picked a date?”

“Nope,” she and Derek replied in unison.

“You know what? Enough of the talking, it’s time to pick a date and plan this wedding,” said Alfred, whipping out his mobile phone from his pocket. “Let’s check the calendar and agree on a date, shall we?”

Everyone else followed suit, bringing out their phones and opening the calendar app. Before long, they were comparing dates, checking the weather forecasts, and trying to decide whether to choose a weekday or weekend for the wedding.

Rachel and Derek linked their fingers on the table and smiled at each other at intervals as they watched the most important people in their lives attempt to plan their wedding which has been dubbed the ‘wedding of the century’ by Taylor.

**********

Knowing that she was only playing a supervisory role in the wedding gave Rachel peace of mind and she focused her attention on her daughter and fiancé instead. They’d returned to the penthouse and for the first time in weeks, Rachel didn’t feel like a guest there anymore. The place felt more like a home now, although she would be more comfortable if it looked less like a bachelor pad, which it is.

Her mother had recently moved back to her home which had been fully renovated and was as good as new. Reese and her family had since returned to Atlanta while Alfred had also gone back to his manor in England. Yasmin was now staying in Rosemary’s former apartment in Derek’s building for now until the wedding to which she’d been invited. They haven’t yet figured out how to pull that off without exposing her identity, but they knew that they wanted her there regardless. Elaine was more like a full member of the family now and had a room beside Zoe’s. Life was back to normal and they were simply counting down to the big day.

She and Derek were lounging in the den one evening in front of the TV after Zoe had gone to bed. It was their favorite way to pass the time before going to bed and continuing the cuddling there.

Rachel changed the channel to an entertainment show where the host gets to interview celebrities and a bunch of folks who are famous on social media. Tonight’s guest was an influencer that she recognized instantly because she’d checked out the lady’s online profile before after seeing some ads that she promoted.

“That’s Gwen Asher,” she said and increased the TV volume. “She’s pretty and I don’t mean to judge her, but she sounds like an airhead most times.”

Derek was silent and he immediately stiffened when he recognized the woman on the TV screen. “Huh,” he muttered.

Rachel looked at him. “What? Do you know her?”

Before he could respond, the host of the show was saying, “Have you called your ex to congratulate him? You’re aware that he’s getting married soon, don’t you?”

Gwen tossed her long auburn curls over her shoulder and giggled. “You’re so messy, Presh. I don’t even know who you’re talking about.”

“Aw, come on, Gwenny!” Presh complained playfully. “Don’t string me along on my own show. Come on, give us the juice ‘cause I know you got it.”

Gwen laughed. “You’re gonna need to be more specific, darling. Who are you talking about?”

Presh sighed. “Ok, Gwen. I’ll play your game. Derek Fraser!”

Rachel stiffened on the couch beside Derek. “What the – “

Meanwhile, on the TV, the studio audience erupted in a cheer and their applause rang out like jangling tambourines.

“I don’t kiss and tell, Presh,” said Gwen, enjoying all the attention on her at the moment. “I’m a real lady.”

“Seriously? You’re not going to give us anything? This show is about spilling the juice, honey. Gimme something,” Presh pressed her with a catty grin.

“Ok, fine. All I’m going to say is this, Derek is not the marrying type,” said Gwen, getting an ooh… from the audience. “Uh-huh. I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing with that woman but believe me when I tell you that he’s a real freaky freak, you know what I mean? He’s not a family guy but I guess people change. Who knows?
Maybe he has changed. I mean, playboys can change too, right?”

“Girl…” Said Presh and the audience laughed. “Playboys will change when pigs fly. Mark my words!”

The audience’s laughter was almost deafening. Rachel flipped the power button on the remote control and the TV went off.

“Please, tell me how many more of these vipers have you been with?” She asked him with a hard stare. “How many more are going to come out of the woodwork to either try to seduce you or simply insult me publicly? How many more?”

Derek sighed. “I’m sorry about that, Rachel. I can’t control how those women react to the news of me getting married.”

He was right and Rachel felt silly for flaring up at him like that over something his ex said. He was a handsome, rich dude, so it was expected that he might have a string of bitter exes who will be too happy to throw jabs at him whenever the opportunity presented itself. She should have expected this, so there was no point getting angry with him for something he couldn’t control.

“I’m sorry for going off on you like that,” she apologized soberly. “I should know better.”

He smiled at her. “I would be pissed off too if any of your exes showed up on a TV show to trash-talk you like that.”

“But your annoyance wouldn’t be directed at me, it would be directed at the offending ex. I should be mad at Gwen, not you.”

“I know this might sound kind of scary to you but you are going to need to grow a tough skin from now on,” he said. “People are going to say a lot nasty, false things about you just to get clicks and views on their platforms. To them, it’s just a way to make money, but to us, it’s going to be a constant battle to keep our sanity intact by ignoring them as much as possible and making a scapegoat out of a few of them when their lies become problematic. Are you ready for that?”

Rachel smiled too. “Are you going to be by my side the whole time?”

“Of course,” he said confidently. “Where else would I be?”

“Then it’s ok. If I have you with me, I can face anything!”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said and kissed her.