Falling For Her Billionaire Baby Daddy

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," said Derek.

"So, I'll suggest that we go to Jonah's place in Montana for a few days while we have it arranged," he continued, "and then from there, we can travel to Bermuda. How does that sound?" "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 having from this revelation. Derek had once told her that Jonah was the closest thing he had to a family since he lost his parents many years ago. So, now that he was taking her and Zoe to see this guy who was like a brother to him. It seemed to her that that was his way of letting her know that he was ready to make this thing between them official. "That sounds great," she said levelly, not wanting to see how low key excited she was just yet. "But there's still a problem though."

"What?"

"How do we get out of this apartment without those nosey paparazzi outside following us around?"

He thought about her question for a while before responding. "Would your aunt and her family be willing to help us out? We could use them as a decoy to draw the pap's attention away from us while we escape." She giggled. "OMG! That sounds like something out of a movie. Aunt Reese would love that so much. She's a great sport but I can't say the same for her husband. Uncle Doug is way too serious to play grownup tag with us."

"Their son and granddaughter would do just fine," said Derek. "You bear such an uncanny resemblance to your mom and aunt, so it would be easy to deceive the paps into thinking that you are her. Your cousin, Hunter, will be me, and his little daughter, Francine, will be Zoe."

"I'm glad you have all of that figured out," laughed Rachel. "Have you done something like this before?"

"Yeah, a few times in New York. After that Forbes article came out with my face on the cover, I became an instant celebrity because many people didn't know about me before then."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Going out on a regular day became a challenge because there was always someone out there waiting to take a picture of me or asking silly questions. I had to start using some of my staff as decoys. How do you think I was able to get to The Black Hat that night without being followed?"

Rachel laughed. "Aren't you a genius!"

Derek grinned. "Well, I try. Those paparazzi are a bunch of sneaky douchebags, so you have to be very clever to outsmart them. Trying to avoid them is just as tiring as avoiding them but I prefer the latter."

"I better go call my aunt and find out if she and her son will be down for this adventure," said Rachel, getting up.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about you guys!" She exclaimed when she remembered that the bodyguards were there with them. "I'll go to the kitchen right away and rustle up some breakfast for you guys." "I'll join you," Derek offered.

"Thanks," said the bodyguards in unison.

A few minutes later, she and Derek were elbow-deep in pancakes, fried eggs and bacon, and a large pot of freshly brewed coffee. It was as if they were having a breakfast party and all of her previous anxiety about being followed around by bodyguards quickly melted away.

This was not a typical morning in her life and that was ok because there was nothing typical about her relationship with Derek.

Zoe joined in the breakfast fun and entertained the bodyguards by singing her favorite nursery rhymes while dancing with her precious stuffed bunny tucked under her arm as usual.

When breakfast was over, Rachel called her aunty to discuss their escape plan from Atlanta. As she'd expected, Aunt Reese and Cousin Hunter were happy to help them out.

Rachel and Derek then sat together to hatch the perfect plan. The rest of the day was spent watching TV, swapping jokes with the guys, and cooking large meals that were enough to feed an army.

When it was time to retire for the night, the men tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible in the available space in the den.

Meanwhile, Rachel, Derek, and Zoe shared the only bedroom in the apartment. Zoe slept in her little princess bed, while her parents shared Rachel's bed.

It felt so good to sleep in Derek's arms and although she was turned on just as he was, they agreed not to get intimate while sleeping in the same room with their daughter. She might wake up and catch them in the act. Still, it felt comforting to be wrapped up in each other's arms like this. It felt so natural, so right.

"I can't wait to get out of here tomorrow and travel the world with you and Zoe," said Derek softly.

"Travel the world? I thought we were only traveling to Bermuda after we leave Montana?" Rachel asked with a smile.

Derek shrugged. "We could extend our vacation and make it a world tour instead."

"That sounds incredibly exciting, but it also sounds like you're trying to run away."

He chuckled. "You might be right. All these years, the only thing that has brought me joy was running my businesses and tripling my wealth. But since you let me back in your life and allowed me to get to know Zoe, I have realized that my life before now was empty."

"That's interesting," said Rachel. "I used to assume that rich people didn't have any problems."

"They do. I don't want to go back to being the way I used to be, Rachel," Derek said softly. "I have made enough money to allow me to take a one-year break just to travel around the world with my family if I want."

The word, family, tugged at Rachel's heart because that was what she wanted them to be. She didn't just want to be his girlfriend/baby mama. She wanted to be his life partner - his wife, and then create a proper home for Zoe. Rachel wanted them to be a real family in every sense of the word but was Derek simply satisfied with how they were like this? Was she asking for too much?

"If you could travel around the world for a year, which places would you love to visit?" he asked her.

Rachel sighed wistfully. "Cancun in Mexico, St. Barth's island in the Caribbean, Paris, Rome, the wildlife safari in Kenya, Istanbul, I'd like to see the giant sphinx and pyramids in Egypt, the Bob Marley museum in Jamaica, and the Buckingham Palace."

"OK..."

"I've been to the UK once with Rob, but we didn't go to the palace. I'd like to see where the queen lives and feel a bit queenly for a day."

"I've been to a few of those places," said Derek, "but I would like to see them again with you beside me. What plans do you have for the rest of the year?"

"Wait, are you seriously considering taking one year off from work to travel the world?"

"Yes, Rachel, I mean it. We both deserve this break, don't you think?"

"I-I guess so," she said uncertainly.

The thought of spending the next one year traveling across the globe and just having fun seemed too wild for her to digest.

"You would have an endless supply of content for your YouTube channel," Derek added as if he was trying to convince her to buy into the extravagant idea. "Gosh, that would be phenomenal!" Rachel exclaimed happily.

"I agree. So, are you on board?" Derek asked her expectantly.

Rachel grinned. Her friends would kill her if she turned down this opportunity of a lifetime.

Besides, this was a dream come true being offered to her on a platter of gold, so why not? What did she have to lose?

"You bet your fine ass, I am. Let's get this show on the road, buddy."

"Yes!" Said Derek, happily. "Thank you, Rachel."

"No, Derek. Thank you for bringing so much color back into my life."

"You and Zoe deserve the best and that is all you two are going to get from now on," he promised and kissed her.

They held onto each other tightly and fell asleep with happy smiles on their faces.