CHAPTER ELEVEN

After Derek and Chloe actually showered, they followed their noses out to the dining room where there was a huge spread of fruits, bagels, muffins and eggs. There was also a bouquet of roses and a cluster of balloons to wish her a happy birthday. Trevor got up from the table as soon as he saw her and came around to give her a big hug. He kissed her on the cheek then and holding her back so he could see her face he said,

“You know that we never thought this day would come. For the last twenty-five years, we wished for the chance to celebrate your birthday with you just once. This day and every day since Derek brought you to us has been an answer to our prayers. Happy birthday, darling Chloe.”

Chloe smiled through her tears. “Thank you so much. Everything is so beautiful.”

Samantha came over then and took her into her arms. She didn’t say anything; she just held the daughter that she thought she would never know. Chloe still marveled at how safe and warm she always felt in the petite little woman’s arms. Samantha kissed her cheek too and when she reluctantly let her go, she said, “Happy birthday love.”

“Thank you.” Chloe looked around at all of the food and said, “You’ve outdone yourself again. I’m going to gain fifty pounds by the time this baby is born.”

Samantha waved a hand at her. “I don’t think you have to worry about it. Besides, it’s all healthy food. You’re not nauseated this morning, are you?”

Chloe thought about making love to Derek in the shower. Right before they had gotten in, she had felt a quick wave of nausea. Once they were naked together in the shower, she forgot all about it. Maybe she had found the cure for morning sickness…making love to a beautiful man.

“No, not at all,” she told her mother. They all sat down to eat and for the most part conversation was light. Derek said, “Your parents and I would like to take you out for dinner if that’s okay with you?”

“That sounds great,” she said. “But you don’t really have to do all of that. This breakfast and just being here with all of you is enough.”

“Oh brace yourself, honey,” Trevor said, “Your mother doesn’t know how to do “good enough.” Your day will be completely overwhelming, but she’ll make it so much fun that you’ll want to do it all over again as soon as it’s over.”

Chloe laughed. “Okay, well since this is my first real birthday celebration.” she heard Samantha suck in a breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up the past. I was just going to say that I will definitely let myself enjoy this.”

“They didn’t celebrate your birthday?” Samantha asked with a sad face.

“I don’t think she wants to talk about it, Sam,” Trevor told her. Derek reached over and put his hand on her leg and squeezed.

Chloe smiled softly at her mother and said, “You do know that whatever they did or didn’t do, wasn’t any more your fault than it was mine, right?”

Samantha nodded. “I know that rationally, but in my heart, I still feel so guilty for not finding you.”

“You didn’t know. Please don’t feel guilty. You’ve already done more for me than anyone else ever has— all of you. I’m so happy and I know that this is going to be the best birthday ever. That’s what I want to concentrate on today.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Trevor said.

“Here, here!” Derek said, holding up his orange juice glass. “To Chloe, happy birthday and a hundred more.”

Trevor and Samantha held theirs up to and said, “To Chloe.” After they toasted her the conversation returned to light, everyday things. Unfortunately, Chloe had let her mind go into the past and once she did that, she sometimes had a hard time pulling it back to the present. In this case, she was thinking of the last birthday she “celebrated” with Jesse. She couldn’t really say that her birthday wasn’t “celebrated” when she was him, but it never ended well. She shuddered and pushed the thoughts of Jesse back where they belonged in the far recesses of her brain. Today was going to be a good day.

They all cleaned up together and Chloe and Derek took their morning walk. While they were out walking, she told him, “I’m not sure how you feel about it, but I think if it’s not too inconvenient for you with work, that I would like to live in a place like this.” Chloe hadn’t gotten used to asking for things yet. Her entire life it had been dangerous to ask for things because the person she asked usually wanted something from her in return.

Derek smiled brightly and said, “I would love to live out here. I would love it if we could find something close and then Sam and Trevor could see the baby as often as they wanted to. I want to buy him or her a pony too, so this would be perfect.”

Chloe laughed. “A pony?”

“Every kid needs a pony,” Derek said.

“Every spoiled child,” she said with a grin. “This child is going to be a tad bit over-indulged, I think.”

“Maybe,” he said. He looked at Chloe’s face and said, “Okay, probably but what’s having money good for if you can’t use it to make the people you love happy and comfortable? They will have us and the Whitemore’s and Dad and Jake as examples so, in spite of the spoiling, I’ve no doubt that our child will be a good person.”

“I don’t doubt it either. I love to think about taking this same walk with our little one running ahead, picking flowers. It’s funny too because I would have never even considered that before. I used to be afraid of bringing a child into the relationship between me and Jesse even though I didn’t think I could get pregnant. It’s one thing to be abused yourself and take it. It’s quite another to bring a child into it.”

Derek put his arm around her as they headed back to the house. “This,” he said, putting his hand softly against her abdomen, “This is our miracle and I know without a doubt that you are going to be the best mother in the world.”

She smiled and said, “I’ll have to be to save face. After all, the kid will already have the best father in the world.”

As they walked back to the house, Derek talked to her about some ideas he had for houses in the area. When they got back to the house, he said, “I’m going to go into the kitchen and call my junior agent. I’ll have her put a list of houses together for us to look at on Monday.”

Chloe sat with Samantha while she knit and Trevor pretended to be watching a news program but was actually napping in the recliner next to them.

“Are you okay?” Chloe asked her mother. Sam’s mood was subdued…she’s was usually so positive and bubbly.

“I’m fine,” she said with a smile. She put the knitting down and said, “For twenty-four years I celebrated this day without you and it was always filled with a mixture of joy…for Sarah and sadness for you. Today it is the opposite and I’m just trying to put my head around everything that’s happened.”

Chloe put her hand on her mother’s arm. “I don’t know why someone as kind hearted and giving as you had to go through so much. You’re a perfect example of what a mother should be. You shouldn’t have had to endure so much pain.”

Samantha smiled at her daughter. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she said, “Pain is an unfortunate side effect of living. Some people like you, for example, have had to endure more than their fair share. I wish that I knew the explanation for that. I don’t, but what I do know and you do to is that it doesn’t last forever. You might have the same kind of pain again, or a different kind that hurts more or less…but in between it goes away, as long as you endure it. Then sometimes you endure it for years, the way your father and I did when we thought you were dead, only to be rewarded with a miracle.” Samantha gently placed her hand on her daughter’s still flat belly and said, “You had more than your fair share, but now you have your miracle. No one alive can explain why but somehow that pain led you to here because somewhere inside of you, you never stopped believing that it would get better.”

Chloe put her arms around her and hugged her tight. “I didn’t think of it like that before. But the truth be told if I had to repeat my life in order to get back here…I don’t think I would hesitate to do it all over again.”

“There would be things that I would definitely like to change,” Samantha said with a sad smile. Chloe knew she had to be thinking about Sarah. “But, if the path we took brought us back to you, there’s no way that I could sit here and say I wouldn’t take that same path again. We’re complete with you here now. Even with Sarah gone, we have so much of her in our hearts and now inside of you…that we’re finally complete.”

Their conversation was interrupted when the doorbell rang and Trevor was startled awake. It was close to four o’clock and Chloe had just been thinking about getting ready for dinner. Derek answered the door like he had been expecting someone, and curious, Chloe saw him usher several people inside. They had all kinds of things, one of them was pushing something that looked like a wardrobe on wheels and one of them was pulling what looked like a mini make-up cabinet. The drawers were clear plastic and she could see the make-up stacked inside. There was a lady holding a case in her hand and a man dressed in a very sharp-looking suit. There were men who looked like movers with folded tables in their hands. Chloe couldn’t imagine who they all were, but she did notice that they all seemed to be staring at her.

Derek smiled at her and said, “Unfortunately for you, Samantha is not the only one who goes a little overboard.”

Samantha laughed, but Chloe was still looking at him, confused.

“Chloe this is Micah Gulati and his staff. Micah is a stylist and they are here to help you get ready for your birthday dinner…that is if you’re okay with it. Oh and let it be put on the record here that I do not think you need a stylist. I just wasn’t sure what to get you for your birthday and Samantha and Roxi and Lexi, all three suggested a spa or something like that, so I brought it all to you.”

Chloe counted the people. There were two men and three women. She couldn’t remember a time when she had even one person help her get ready not even when she was dancing. She had a hard time imagining what they were going to do, but Derek looked so excited, she couldn’t say no.

“Of course it’s okay. Thank you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chloe,” Micah said. “Is there a room we can set up in?”

“Derek, take them to the game room. We can push the pool table aside. They’ll have more room in there and there’s a bathroom in there too,” Trevor told him. Derek led Micah and his entourage down the hall. Chloe looked at her parents and said, “Did you know about this?”

“I need to go help Derek,” Trevor said.

Chloe shook her head and looked at her mother. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yes, we knew,” Samantha said. “I hope we’re not all going overboard. We just want you to have a great birthday, and we want to try and make up for all of the things you did without in your life I suppose. Is that really bad?”

Chloe smiled and kissed her mother’s cheek. “No, it’s not bad at all. I’m just not used to any of it. It shocks me a little bit.”

“Well, Trevor and I do well, but you do know that Derek is on the top ten Forbes list of wealthy Americans?”

“Wow. No, I didn’t know that.”

“My point is that he wants to make you feel good and he can afford it, so you needn’t worry about it. Worrying is not going to stop him anyways. He is over the moon in love with you and he’s going to try and show you how much he loves you every day for the rest of your life.”

“For his sake, I will try to get used to it. I hope that he knows I don’t care about his money though. I think he does. I would have just as easily fallen in love with him if he was poor. The things he does for me are unbelievably generous, but without the things, I would still have him and he’s enough.”

“He knows that. This sort of thing just makes him feel good. I say let him do it. There’s no harm in a little bit of pampering and having a good man who arranges that for you.”

Chloe nodded. “You know, although I am not impressed with money, I am very impressed with Derek. He’s accomplished so much in his lifetime at such a young age and yet he’s so grounded and still so generous. I’m in awe of him.”

“I think the awe is mutual. You will come to realize your own self-worth someday Chloe, but until you do, we will always be here to remind you that you deserve having good things happen to you.”

Derek came out a few minutes later and took her back to the room. She was shocked at the transformation. There was a massage table set up with a curtain that could be drawn around it, and not far from that, another chair used for giving facials, then there was a manicure and pedicure table and wardrobe.

“Welcome Chloe,” A thin blonde woman said as she came through the door. “I’m Leah. I’ll be your masseuse.”

Chloe looked at Derek and back at the woman. “My masseuse?”

“Yes, Derek tells me that today is your birthday and that you’re expecting. Congratulations on both. A massage is good medicine for an expectant mother. It will ease any neck and back pain you have and help give you good posture and more flexibility to your birthing muscles. It makes the blood flow more smoothly because it opens up your veins and arteries, and stimulates different glands in the body, causing them to secrete certain hormones that can reduce tension.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks.”

“Derek, if you wouldn’t mind stepping out.”

Derek kissed her lips softly and said, “You okay with this?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I’m just giving you the opportunity.”

“Opportunity to do what, exactly?”

“Opportunity to break one of the last chains he has on you— the fear of those scars.”

“I’m not afraid of them.”

“You’re afraid for people to see them.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I’m going to let you get your session started. Remember what I said about not doing anything you aren’t comfortable with…but also remember that in order to succeed you have to push outside of your comfort zone every so often.” He gave her another peck and said, “Have fun.”

“Uh.Yeah, thanks.” Once he was gone, Leah said,

“You look nervous, Chloe. Have you ever had a massage before?”

“No…”

“It doesn’t hurt. You’ll feel so relaxed afterwards.”

Chloe looked around at all of the other people in the room. They were all hustling about setting things up for her. It was so surreal. Her issue with the massage was her scars though and she had a feeling that was one of Derek’s goals here to help her deal with them more directly now that Jesse was gone and her step-father forever out of her life. She wasn’t sure if she was ready.

Leah handed her a robe and said, “You can change behind the curtain and you’re welcome to leave on your underwear if you like.”

“Um…there’s something…”

Leah leaned in close and said, “Derek told me about the scars, Chloe. Please don’t worry; he didn’t share anything with me beyond that. Let me just say that he was right. You are gorgeous and you shouldn’t have to be afraid to do the things that the rest of the population indulges in. This will just be you and me behind the curtain and I’m hoping that for you it will be freeing.”

So many things had happened in the past few months that Chloe could have never guessed would happen. Maybe this woman was right. She took the robe and said, “Okay, let’s do this.”

**

As it turned out, Leah was a consummate professional and Chloe’s body had never felt as good as it did after her massage. The massage oils also softened her skin and gave it a soft, floral scent. From Leah’s station, she went to the manicure table. She was given a mani-pedi to end all mani-pedis. She almost fell asleep when the manicurist massaged her hands…it felt that good. Her finger and toenails were painted a soft, shimmery silver color. She loved it.

She was moved on through to the hair station next. They asked her how she liked it and if there was anything she wanted to change. Chloe considered going back to her natural blonde hair but there was a part of her that needed to hold onto something that made her different from her sister. She’d had them go with a soft, golden brown on top with darker pieces underneath. The end result was stunning. The make-up artist talked to her about colors and what she normally used and what she would like to try. They spent almost an hour with her make-up and again when that was all finished, even Chloe found herself beautiful.

Still, in the robe, she was sent to Micah. He was the most colorful of the staff and although they had all been very nice and professional, Micah had an energetic personality that Chloe really liked. He reminded her of a male Roxi. He had brought ten different dresses with shoes to match each one and any accessory she might need like purses, jewelry, etc. He made her try on each one and then he would ask her what she liked or didn’t like about it and then he would give her his opinion. In the end, they settled on a soft, satiny silver dress with sequins on the bodice and a pleated skirt that ended just above her knees. The straps were rope braided and if her hair moved aside down her back, people would be able to see her scars. With her new found courage and need to “shed that old skin” so to speak, she decided to take the risk.

Micah gave her a pair of strappy silver sandals with four inch heels to wear with it. Chloe loved them and when she slipped them on and the picture was complete, she felt like Cinderella.