Falling For Her Billionaire Baby Daddy

"Well, just ask," said Alfred when Derek drifted off and didn't continue what he was saying. "What do you want to know about them?"

"Their marriage," Derek said slowly.

His voice sounded strained and he had to clear his throat before speaking again. "How did my father meet my mother?"

Alfred sighed and stroked his stubble thoughtfully. Zoe was playing with a piece of bread crust and making driving sounds as she ran the bread across Alfred's knee.

"I wonder why you are asking about that now," Alfred pondered.

Derek shrugged. "Curiosity. They didn't tell me much about their relationship. I've just realized now that I don't have any fun stories about my parents to share with Zoe when she grows old enough to ask me about her grandparents." "Hmm... Listen, son. You gotta understand that back in the day, things were much different than they are nowadays, you know?"

"I know."

"Your father was doing his best to create generational wealth for you and the children you may have in the future," Alfred continued. "He was driven by his passion to succeed especially because he came from a humble background. That sort of... hardened him."

Rachel could see that Alfred was choosing his words carefully. He was searching for a diplomatic way to tell this story without hurting Derek's feelings.

"Now, back to your question... Did either of your parents ever tell you how they met?"

"Well, Dad told me that they met in Yale when Mom was still studying there," Derek explained, "and he'd gone there to visit a professor friend of his. He said he ran into her at the campus library and he was instantly smitten. The rest was history from there."

"Oh..." said Alfred thoughtfully. "Sounds quite romantic."

He became silent and the only sound in the room was Zoe's voice as she switched her play from driving to neighing like a horse. She was bouncing a half-eaten sausage on the edge of the dining table.

"Listen, Derek," Alfred finally spoke again. "The truth about your parent's relationship is not as romantic as you may have been led to believe but then again, what does it matter?"

Derek nodded slowly, understanding what Alfred was getting at.

"They've been dead for years, none of that matters anymore," Alfred continued dismissively. "Let's leave the past in the past and simply focus on the present, ok?"

"Was it that bad?" Derek asked in a low voice.

Alfred exhaled sadly. "I don't want to break your heart, son. Your dad was a different person in his younger years and your mom... well, life wasn't so kind to her but everyone judged her harshly without knowing what she was going through." Rachel's stomach clenched with this piece of information. Had Yasmin James been telling them the truth then?

"You gotta remember that your parents were humans too and that means they weren't perfect people," Alfred was saying. "They made mistakes just like the rest of us do, you know."

"So, are you going to tell me the truth, or do I have to drag it out of you?" Derek asked him quietly.

Alfred saw the determination in Derek's eyes and he knew he couldn't continue to refuse his request to know the truth. There was nothing to lose by telling the young man about the bedlam that was his parents' marriage.

Derek was simply trying to understand his background and he was now a father too. It was time for him to know the true story of how his parents' relationship died on arrival.

"The truth is not pretty, Derek," Alfred warned him, "but if you insist on knowing it, who am I not to tell it?"

"I'm listening," said Derek confidently.

"You know what? How about we take a walk in the garden?" Alfred suggested. "That breakfast is sitting in my belly like a boulder. I need to dissolve it."

"Zoe and I will go and join Elaine in the library," Rachel offered. It was a subtle way of giving the men some privacy.

"I would like for you to come with us," said Derek, begging her with his eyes. Having her with him when the hammer fell would probably soften the blow. "Sure, if you insist," she said with a reassuring smile.

"Great! Let's get going then," said Alfred, rising to his feet.

They followed Alfred as he led them through the back door toward the garden. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was already shining brightly in the sky.

"What's that?" Rachel asked, pointing at a wall of perfectly manicured hedges that seemed to have grown in circles.

"That's a maze,” replied Alfred with a lopsided smile. "It leads to a lovely cottage on the other side of the property."

"Wow..." Rachel was impressed. She'd never seen a real-life maze before.

"It's pretty secluded and even has a swimming pool and some modern conveniences that the manor doesn't have," Alfred explained. "I had it built as a guest quarter away from the main house but I never have people over for more than a day, so it's barely in use."

"Rich people's problems, as Rachel would say," Derek said and they all laughed except Zoe. She was too busy admiring the outdoors.

"I even toyed with the idea of letting your bodyguards stay there but I don't trust those big guys," Alfred admitted. "My cottage is too delicate to accommodate four giants who walk like elephants, no offense to you, Derek." "None taken," said Derek with a laugh.

"Has anyone ever gotten lost in the maze before?" Rachel wanted to know.

"Yeah, me," said Alfred. "Twice. By the third time, I had to go with a map of the maze because I was tired of getting lost in the middle of my own creation."

Rachel laughed, thoroughly enjoying Alfred's hilarious self-deprecating tale. When they reached the flower garden which was adjacent to the maze, Zoe asked Alfred to put her down. As soon as her little legs hit the ground, she ran into the garden, touching the flowers and giggling happily.

Alfred gestured to Rachel and Derek to sit on any of the granite benches that were artfully placed at different points in the garden.

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"My mom would be totally at home in this place," said Rachel with a wistful smile. "She loves flowers so much. She even has a small garden in her backyard but it is nothing close to this haven of flowers here."

"I think I'm going to get along just fine with your mom if I ever meet her," said Alfred.

"She's a kind lady," said Derek. "I'm sure you'll like her."

There was a brief silence after that little icebreaker conversation. The only sounds around them were Zoe's excited giggles and the chirping of birds that were either perching on or hovering over the pretty flowers. "So... back to the main issue," Alfred began hesitantly. "Some of the things I am going to say may be hard to hear. But remember, as I said before, life hardened your father and pushed him to become obsessed with success." "OK," Derek said, listening intently.

"He wasn't a bad guy but he made certain decisions based on how he viewed life," Alfred continued. "With that said, let me start from the beginning."

"I was hoping you would," Derek said with a short nervous laugh.

"I met your father at Yale and his friendly yet reserved manner drew me to him. Truth is, my original intention was to woo him and make him my boyfriend." "Ew... TMI!" Derek said, scrunching up his face and making Rachel laugh.

"Sorry," Alfred chuckled. "But that was my initial plan. However, the more I got to know him, the more I realized that he was someone I wanted to have in my life for a long time. That longevity wouldn't guaranteed if we became lovers." Rachel nodded slowly as she allowed herself to be sucked into Alfred's tale. She kept one eye on Zoe too, as the mother hen that she was.

"Besides," Alfred was saying, "Jeremy was as straight as they came, so my fantasy wasn't going to happen anyway. We became very close buddies and our different backgrounds didn't matter at all. I was from a comfortable family, while he was practically putting himself through school by doing odd jobs to augment the stipends he got from his folks."

"I thought his parents owned a fortune..." Derek said in wonder.

"Listen, kid. Your father reinvented himself after he became wealthy," Alfred told him. "He was able to get away with it because by then, his parents had died and not many people knew him before he became the billionaire, Jeremy Fraser." "Oh... OK."

"I was the only person who knew the truth," said Alfred, "but what purpose would it serve for me to expose his past and embarrass him? So, I kept my mouth shut about it." "Wow."

"Anyway, he met your mother through her father, James Harriton. Unfortunately, old James was a terrible gambler who was on the verge of losing the jewelry business that had been in his family for generations. Also, it was supposed to be your mother's inheritance."

Rachel noticed how Derek clenched his jaw after hearing that revelation. He'd called Yasmin a liar but maybe she wasn't after all.

"James was desperate and needed an investor to pump some money into the business to revive it," Alfred continued. "That was when he met Jeremy, a man who was not swayed by sentiments but by profit. Your father saw the potential of the business and he knew he could take it to the next level. Be that as it may, he didn't want to be a mere investor, he wanted to own it."

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Derek swallowed hard. He hated this story but he couldn't stop listening to it.

"Initially, James was livid and he even stormed out of a meeting with Jeremy," said Alfred, "but after running around for months, looking for alternatives and finding none, James returned to the only person who had offered to save his business."

"My dad," said Derek quietly.

"Yes, your dad," Alfred echoed. "But when James returned to finally accept Jeremy's offer, your father had added a new clause to the terms of the contract."

"Hello," said Elaine, coming to join them. "I am so sorry to interrupt but I was wondering why I haven't been called to take Zoe in. She's due for her nap now."

"Oh, is it noon already?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"Yes, fifteen minutes passed," replied Elaine.

"Oh my!" Rachel laughed. "Zoe darling, come here."

Zoe came running and when she saw Elaine, she squealed and ran into her nanny's open arms. "Na!"

"Hey, you," said Elaine, ruffling Zoe's hair. "It's time to go inside. Say bye-bye to everyone."

"Bye-bye!" Zoe said in a singsong tone, waving her little hand vigorously.

"Bye, Sweet Cheeks," said Derek, waving back.

"See you later," said Rachel, waving too.

"Bye, Zoe boo," said Alfred before blowing her a kiss.

Elaine took the child away while singing a nursery rhyme to her as she went.

"What a sweet child," said Alfred lovingly. "It's a good thing she likes her nanny very much. Some children would kick and fuss if they had to leave their parents."

"Elaine is a godsend," Rachel admitted. "I almost can't remember what it was like before she showed up in our lives. I love my baby, but it's a relief to have someone to look after her for me sometimes."

"I told ya," Derek laughed.

"Yes, you did," she laughed too. "Thank you."

"You're always welcome."

"Can we get back to the story now?" Alfred asked and everyone laughed. "Where did I stop?"

"You said that my father added a new clause to his contract with my grandfather," Derek said promptly. He was eager to get to the meaty part of the story.