A confession? Rachel wondered, a little panicked. Why would he want to make a confession during his birthday party?
Did it have something to do with Yasmin? Was he going to expose her? Was that why he had brought her into the hall?
Had she made a terrible mistake by flying his mother into the country and bringing her to this party?
Rachel was a bunch of nerves and she tried to catch Derek’s eyes to signal to him to cut out whatever he was about to say because there may be no coming back from it.
“What are you doing?” She whispered from the side of her mouth while still smiling widely at him.
“You’ll see,” he whispered back with a grin, repeating what she had said to him earlier when she’d led him into this hall to a roomful of surprise guests.
Returning his attention to the crowd, he raised his voice and said, “Around two years ago, I met a remarkable lady at the bar of a nightclub that I frequented back then. She caught my eye and her sense of humor won me over within seconds.
“What started as harmless flirting between strangers soon led to something too beautiful for words to describe, but guess what? I messed everything up big time because of my ego and stupid pride.
“I let down that amazing woman and I let myself down too. I broke her heart and mine, but the following year, I showed up at her doorstep, apologetic and ready to take the blame for the mess I caused.
“To my surprise and relief, she forgave me and let me back into her life. I have never experienced such grace before and I fell in love with her right then but I didn’t even realize it.
“You would think that I had learned my lesson, but I still messed up again because I thought I had everything figured out and didn’t need help. It took almost losing this phenomenal woman for me to realize just how empty my life would always be without her and the priceless gift she has given to me – our daughter, Zoe.”
Rachel and everyone in the room were stunned into silence. Who would have thought that Derek was capable of being so vulnerable in front of everyone and opening his heart to them like this? It was a beautiful, touching moment.
He turned to her and said, “Thank you for showing me what love is, Rachel. You made me a believer and now I can’t see my future without you in it. You and Zoe have made me the happiest, most fulfilled man on earth and I am thankful for your patience with me.
“I fell in love with you when you overlooked my flaws and gave me a second chance for the sake of our child. But I was so afraid to feel what I didn’t understand and instead, tried my best not to acknowledge it.
“I am sorry for all the times I hurt you with my words and actions, Rachel. Can you forgive me for that?”
She tried to laugh but choked on it instead because her throat was tight with emotions and her eyes were brimming with tears.
“Of course, Derek. Would I do all of this if I was still mad at you? I love you, Derek.”
His eyes glazed over with tears and he didn’t bother to blink them away, so they ran down his face. “I love you so much, that it terrifies me sometimes but I’m not going to let that stop me from loving you anyway because my life would be meaningless otherwise.”
It was a lot for Rachel to take in but she tried her best not to fall apart right there and cry her eyes out because everything Derek had just said was the most mind-blowing thing she had ever heard. His honesty warmed her heart greatly and she fell in love with him even more.
“That was beautiful, Derek. Beautiful,” she said softly.
“I’m glad you think so,” he said and put his hand into his pocket and brought out a purple velvet ring box. There was a collective gasp in the crowd at that point, reminding the lovebirds that they were not alone.
Derek went down on one knee in front of Rachel and opened the ring box. Inside it was a dazzling 24 karat gold ring with a large princess-cut white diamond in the middle and tiny crystals encircling the band. It was gloriously beautiful!
“Rachel Lane, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Derek asked her with stars in his eyes. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She replied instantly without hesitation, sinking to her knees and hugging him fiercely. “Yes, yes, and yes!”
The room erupted in a joyous cheer, applauding the touching scene.
“That’s not how it’s done,” Derek laughed through his happy tears. “You’re supposed to stick out your hand and let me put the ring on your finger.”
“Who cares about how it’s done? This is how we do it,” she replied happily. “Now put that ginormous ring where it belongs.”
She stretched out her left hand and he slipped the ring on her finger, sending their guests into another round of celebration.
“I wish Zoe was here to witness this,” he said.
“Bedtime trumps late-night partying for an almost two-year-old,” she replied with a laugh. “She’s going to love this ring, by the way. It’s so sparkly!”
“Just like you,” he grinned and kissed her.
When they got back on their feet, their guests were all over them with congratulatory wishes and then Alfred gave a toast and the champagne started to flow again.
It was as if the party was starting all over again. They celebrated until the early hours of the morning before everyone retired to their pre-booked suites in the hotel.
“Tonight was beyond magical,” Derek said when they finally got into bed. “I have never been so happy in my life.”
“That makes two of us,” replied Rachel with a satisfied smile. She couldn’t stop admiring her ring. “Go big or go home, huh?”
He grinned. “This ring shows exactly how I see you; radiantly beautiful both inside and out, and all around. Every part of you is beautiful, warm, and comforting. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Rachel.”
“Don’t make me cry again,” she said and giggled. “You saved the best for last.”
“I guess so.”
“I saw Yasmin joining the party later on. Was that your idea?”
“Yeah,” he said and sighed. “You gave me a second chance, so I gave her a second chance too. Everyone makes mistakes, nobody’s perfect. Besides, staying angry requires too much energy. I’d rather forgive, forget and move on. That’s better for my health and peace of mind.”
“Who are you?” She laughed. “Where is my Derek Fraser?”
He laughed. “He’s right here, baby. This is the real Derek Fraser. The one you knew before was trapped in a prison of fear and self-loathing until your unconditional love set him free.”
“Aww… you make me sound like a saint.”
“Aren’t you?”
She smiled sweetly. “I don’t know about that,” she chuckled.
They snuggled closer in each other’s arms, exhausted after a night of partying but incredibly happy.
“Are you going to enlist the help of Taylor to plan our wedding?” He asked sleepily.
Her eyebrows lifted. “You’re talking about a wedding already?”
He shrugged. “Isn’t that what happens after an engagement?”
“I thought you’d want to wait for a couple of months before talking about that.”
“Why wait? I want to make you Mrs. Fraser as soon as possible,” he admitted. “Besides, we still have a year-long worldwide vacation to complete, remember?”
“Ah, yes. Our pending globe-trotting adventure. How could I forget that?”
“Great. Now, let’s talk about the wedding. When and where do you think it should happen?”
“I’m glad you asked. I was thinking perhaps a spring wedding in front of that divine flower garden at Rickman Manor. How about that?”
“Oh, boy! Uncle Alfred would be beside himself with joy when you tell him. As for me, I’m happy if you’re happy.”
“It’s settled then!” She replied excitedly. “We’ll tell him later today.”
“Awesome,” he said and yawned.
“All right, buddy. It’s time to catch some zees.”
Derek was already asleep before she finished speaking and his light snores amused her. With a sigh of satisfaction, she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
She was happy that everything had finally fallen in place and that her labor of love had not been in vain.
The love of her life, Derek, finally found closure regarding his estranged mother and opened the doors to rekindling their relationship.
He conquered his fears of falling in love at last and here he was already talking about wedding planning. Everything had worked out better than Rachel could have anticipated.
She opened one eye and peeked at her new ring, and she smiled when the jewelry sparkled in the dim light in the room. She wondered if she would ever get over the beauty of this extravagant ring. She wiggled her fingers and giggled as the jewel dazzled and winked at her.
Derek stirred and mumbled, “Go to sleep, Rachel. The ring will still be on your finger when you wake up.”
“Sorry,” she laughed. “I just can’t get over how exquisite it is. How did you figure out my ring size, by the way?”
He chuckled sleepily. “I checked with your favorite cocktail ring. The one with the purple butterfly on it.”
“Ah… you sneaky bear. You’ve been plotting all this behind my back,” she said playfully. “Did you originally plan to propose to me at your birthday party or was that a spur-of-the-moment thing?”
He smiled. “What if I told you that I’ve had that ring with me for a month now?”
She gasped dramatically. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“When did you buy it?”
“Right after you were discharged from the hospital after that freak fire outbreak at your mother’s house. You know what they say about how some people see their whole life flash before their eyes as they die… that was what happened to me when I got the news that you were in a coma in the hospital.
“I was devastated and it finally struck me that if I lost you, my life would be over. I agonized over how I had wasted precious time playing the hard guy when all I wanted to do was to melt in your arms and stay there while you love me as you’ve always done.”
“Wow,” she said, mesmerized by his confession.
“When you woke up, I felt as if the universe was giving me another shot at correcting my mistakes and doing right by you by giving you the love, respect, and care that you deserved.
“As soon as I had the chance, I went into our jewelry division at the company and purchased the most expensive ring we had in stock.”
“I don’t know what to say, Derek,” she whispered, overwhelmed by his love for her.”
“Say you love me,” he whispered back.
“I love you, Derek,” she said, smiling.
“I love you, Rachel. Thank you for agreeing to do this thing called life with a knucklehead like me.”
“There’s no other knucklehead I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.”
He gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply. “Now let’s catch some sleep, shall we? Today is going to be a circus once the press gets wind of our engagement.”
“Yikes!” She laughed.
“Don’t worry. We just might carry out another disappearing act like the one we did in Atlanta.”
She grinned. “Good idea.”
They clung to each other and fell asleep with their arms intertwined. Rachel’s ring continued to sparkle brightly as her hand slowly moved up and down on Derek’s chest to the rhythm of his breathing.