Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

"Are you complaining about marrying Andrew?" Michael raised his brows. "Does he not treat you well?"

"No no…" Rachael widened her eyes in shock. "He treats me very well and I am very happy with him."

Thinking that her father wasn't convinced, she continued defending her husband. "No seriously dad, Andrew treats me very well. He is always very sweet and considerate, he always opens the car door for me, pulls the chair when we eat at a restaurant or any cafe and whenever we are eating, he always placed food on my place and—"

"Alright—" Michael sighed and helplessly shook his head. "I asked you one simple thing but look at you being all defensive for your husband. I guess my daughter loves her husband more than her father now."

"Hey, that's not true," She frowned and gave him a tight hug. "I will always love you more."

"I know." He smiled and gently patted her back. "Rachael, you have no idea how happy I am these days. Seeing you getting along with Andrew so well gives me so much satisfaction."

"I don't think I have ever told you this but—" She looked at him and smiled brightly. "Thank you for bringing Andrew into my life. If not for you, I would have never even considered a relationship let alone a marriage."

"See, I told you he is the best choice."

"Yes," she nodded enthusiastically. "He is the best choice."

"Hmm what about his family members? Have you met anyone yet?" he inquired.

"I have already met grandma," she answered.

"Any one from his maternal family apart from Owen and Elsa?"

"No, not yet." Contemplating for a while, Rachael said, "Andrew doesn't want me to meet them."

"Then you should listen to him." When she gave him a confused look, Michael explained, "I don't know the exact thing but when Andrew's father, Federick was still alive, he told me that his in-laws were not ordinary people, they were different and dangerous. This is why he had always kept his wife and little Andrew away from them."

"If that's the case then how did Andrew end up with them?" Rachael curiously inquired. If his parents had purposely cut all ties with them, Andrew leaving the country with them didn't make any sense.

"I really don't know." Keeping quiet for a while, he added, "I never understood this too. Since Federick and Lisa got married, I had never once seen any one of them. But during their funeral, every one of them were present. And they took Andrew away the very next day."

"What about his paternal family? If they weren't good people, why did they let them take him away?" She never understood why he did not stay with his grandparents with whom he shared a close relationship, after his parents death. Andrew leaving with his maternal family whom he had never once met did not make any sense to her.

"From what I know, his paternal grandfather did fly back to Russia to bring him back but—" Michael frowned. "He came back without him and after that he never mentioned bringing Andrew home. I don't know what happened."

Rachael pursed her lips and frowned. She wasn't getting a good feeling after hearing everything. From how Andrew was so determined to never let her meet his maternal family, she had thought he didn't share a good relationship with him. But maybe things weren't as simple as she had assumed.

"Listen Rachael, we don't know who they are and what exactly happened after Federick and Lisa's death. We can just speculate and make assumptions," Michael remarked. "But you must always be careful. Since Andrew doesn't want you to meet them, you should listen to him. Even if they try to approach you, you should avoid them. Did you understand?"

Rachael nodded. "Yes dad."

…..

When Andrew arrived home, Rachael was waiting for him in the living room.

Tossing his jacket on the couch, he sat next to her, placed his head on her lap and sighed before snuggling closer.

"Did you meet Justin and Owen?"

"Hmmm—" He grabbed her hand and placed it on his head.

Rachael chuckled and started running her finger through his hair. "Did you eat?" When he shook his head, she said, "Get up then, let's eat dinner."

He frowned and quickly opened his eyes. "You haven't eaten yet?"

"No, I was waiting for you."

"Rach—" He glanced at his watch. "It's already ten and you haven't eaten yet?"

"Shouldn't you be happy that your wife is waiting for you to come home so that she can have dinner with you?"

"I would be more happy if you would eat your meals on time." Without waiting for her reply, he got up and grabbed her hand. "Let's go and eat quickly."

"Wait—" She wrapped her hands around his waist and buried her face on his chest. "Let me hug you for a while."

Her unusual act of affection made his heart skip a beat. Though they always hugged and kissed each other, this was the first time she had initiated a hug so openly. This made him feel happy and loved.

Without wasting any time, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Why didn't you call me?" He wouldn't have wasted his time chatting with his two stupid friends if he had known his wife was waiting for him for dinner.

"I wasn't that hungry." She looked at him. "We ate snacks at the mall, remember?"

"You took two bites of the cupcake," he frowned. "Two bites—"

"Seriously Andrew, even my parents don't nag me like you do," she pouted her lips and slapped his chest.

"Oh my God—" Joshua scoffed and covered his eyes. "I need to sprinkle some holy water inside my eyes."

Rachael chuckled and continued hugging Andrew, ignoring Joshua's presence.

"Seriously, get a room," he sighed. "What if uncle and aunt see you both?"

"So what if they see us? I am hugging my husband, not some random man," Rachael stated.

…..