Rachel was so sure that last night’s intense lovemaking with Derek had been a dream, so when she woke up in the early hours of the morning, she did not bother to get up or open her eyes. A wide smile spread across her face as she remembered vivid details of what had taken place in the most erotic dream she’s ever had in her entire adult life.“Hmm… That’s something you don’t see every day,” Derek said beside her.Her eyes flew open in surprise. “Derek? What are you – wait! That wasn’t a dream?”Derek laughed. “Now I know for a fact that last night was just as amazing for you as it was for me. First, you wake up with a smile and now you think it was a dream? I’m scoring myself an A for effort.”Rachel laughed. “Oh my god, I feel so silly right now.”“Don’t,” he said and kissed the tip of her nose. “I understand how you feel. Last night was almost too good to be true.”She giggled. “And I have been so selfish, I haven’t checked on Zoe to see how she’s doing.”“She’s still asleep. I chec
“I think it is safe to say that Rachel has gotten her happily ever after, yeah?” Said Leticia. She was having a conference video call hosted by Rachel and featuring Brittany and Fiona as well. It was Saturday and Derek had taken Zoe to the neighborhood park for a fun day in the sun while she opted to stay back home and film a product review video for her YouTube channel. She’d finished filming and then decided to check in with her friends through video call so that she could fill them in on what has been going on with her and Derek. “I wish it was that simple,” she said in response to Leticia’s comment. “Maybe I’m all in my head and overthinking everything, but I kind of feel as if things are moving too fast between me and Derek. I haven’t even had time to process how quickly our relationship has transformed within the space of one month. It’s a lot to digest.” “Girl, I thought you’d be happy,” said Fiona. “Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted with him?” “Yeah, I guess so,” said Ra
“What now?” Rachel asked with wide eyes.“I don’t know, but I think the first thing to do is to leave Atlanta,” said Derek. He had taken off his cap and glasses and was now drinking lemonade with Zoe who was completely oblivious to her parents’ distress.“Leave Atlanta? Where would we go?”“Definitely not New York because that’s where they would expect us to go to next and I’m sure the paparazzi over there are already aware that I’ve been found, and with a child too. I don’t want Zoe’s face to be all over the internet or on TV. We need to protect her identity for her safety.”Rachel felt her stomach roll. “What are you talking about? Is Zoe in danger?”“Not right now, no, but I would be more comfortable if she is largely unknown to the public,” said Derek vaguely.“You’re scaring me, Derek. Why do we need to hide our child? Are you some kind of a mafia boss or what? Do you have enemies who may want to harm my daughter?”“Please, calm down, Rachel. I didn’t mean to alarm you,” said Der
Derek’s security team showed up very early the following morning looking like some crossbreeds of titans and commandos. They were all nearly 7 feet tall with huge bulging muscles. There was Ed; who would serve as the chauffeur, Mark; who was Derek’s personal guard, and then Frank and Shane, who were Rachel’s and Zoe’s personal guards respectively.There was barely enough space for them to fit into the apartment that now looked like a doll house because of their presence there.“We can’t leave the country right away because Zoe doesn’t have a passport yet, so I’ll suggest that we go to Jonah’s place in Montana for a few days while we have it arranged, and then from there, we can travel to Bermuda. How does that sound?” Said Derek.“Sounds like a good plan if Jonah and his family do not mind,” said Rachel.“They don’t,” Derek said confidently. “I’ve already spoken to him and his wife, Vanessa and they can’t wait to meet you and Zoe.”Rachel couldn’t put a name to the feeling she was hav
Reese, Hunter, and Francine showed up at Rachel’s apartment at the crack of dawn. They’d had to enter through the backyard to avoid being seen by any pap who might be hiding outside the house. As they came in, Derek introduced them to the bodyguards before Ed left and jogged down to Derek’s house to retrieve valuable items that he couldn’t leave town without.“Thanks for agreeing to do this, Aunt Reese,” said Rachel. “I don’t know what we would have done if we didn’t have anyone nearby to help us out at a time like this.”“Oh, stop it,” said Reese, graciously. “What’s family for? Besides, this whole thing seems so exciting, I can’t wait to live like a celebrity for once and enjoy my five minutes of fame.”“We’re not going outside to pose for pictures, Mom,” said Hunter. “We’re supposed to be leaving in disguise.”“Still, I shall enjoy having a bunch of photographers chase me around to take my photos,” said Reese stubbornly. “Are you all packed?”“Yes. We’re waiting for Ed to come back
When they arrived at Jonah’s ranch home in Montana, Zoe was fully awake and full of questions.“What is this?” She asked as they got out of their rental vehicle.“Do you mean where is this?” Rachel asked her with an understanding smile.“Mm-hmm,” replied Zoe with a nod.“This is where my friend and his family live,” Derek answered. “Let’s go inside and say hello to them, shall we?”“Ok,” said Zoe.Derek scooped her up into his arms and they approached the front door. The bodyguards were to remain in the cars until proper arrangements can be made for their accommodation.The front door swung open and a tall, dark-haired man with an Asian woman came out of the country home that was built on a large expanse of land that seemed to go on forever. There was a ranch on the left side of the land, and Rachel could see some horses grazing in the field. On the right side, there was a huge vegetable farm and an orchard on the far end of it. The place was absolutely blissful!“Welcome!” Jason gree
“She’s a knock-out!” Said Jonah, when they reached the stable. “She looks way more beautiful in person than she does in her YouTube videos.”“Stop gushing over my woman, Jonah. You’re a married man, remember?” Derek laughed. “Any yes, you are right, she is beautiful.”“Jeez, I never thought that the day would come when you will refer to any woman as your woman. My dear friend, I think you are smitten!”Derek smiled. “Maybe I am,” he said. “To be honest, I have never felt this possessive with any woman before. Rachel is simply different.”“I can tell,” said Jonah with a grin. “And I can also tell that she’s in love with you.”Derek sighed. “Yeah, I know. She told me two days ago.”Jonah gasped dramatically. “And what did you say?”“That it was the most beautiful thing ever,” said Derek, embarrassed. “I know that’s a lame response, but I didn’t want to lie to her.”“What do you mean? It wouldn’t have been a lie if you’d told her that you loved her too, man. Look at you, you’re beaming l
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