The rest of the drive passed with Derek visibly more at ease, thanks to Evelyn's words. When they finally pulled into the driveway of his parents' home, the sight before them brought an instant smile to both their faces. Samantha, clad in overalls and wielding a tiny watering can, was enthusiastically helping Derek's mother in the garden.

The moment Samantha spotted the car, she squealed with delight and abandoned her task, sprinting toward them. "Mommy! Daddy!" she yelled, her arms outstretched.

"Samantha, wait—" Evelyn began, but it was too late. Samantha barreled into her, wrapping her small arms tightly around Evelyn's waist. The damp soil from Samantha's hands smeared across Evelyn's pristine white pants.

Evelyn groaned playfully, looking down at the brown stains. "Oh, Samantha"

Derek chuckled as he stepped closer, lifting Samantha into his arms. "Guess what? I don't mind a little dirt," he said, touching a tiny smear of soil on the tip of Samantha's nose with his finger.

She giggled. "I was helping Grandma! We planted flowers!" Samantha announced proudly, pointing toward the garden.

"I see you've been busy," Derek said as he set Samantha down. She hurried over to greet Maya, who laughed softly, brushing a stray curl from Samantha's face as they chatted.

"She's been such a delightful companion," Derek's mother said, wiping her hands on her apron as she approached them.

"She's always full of energy," Derek said with a grin. "I'm not sure you've met Maya. This is Maya, Samantha's" Derek trailed off, unable to refer to her as the nanny.

"Aunt. She is Samantha's aunt. She has been with me for years and has practically raised Samantha as her own daughter," Evelyn interjected, and Derek's mother smiled at Maya.

"It's good to meet you, Maya. Let's head inside and cool off with my freshly prepared lemonade," Derek's mother suggested, gesturing toward the house.

Once inside, they settled in the cozy living room, sipping the chilled drinks the housekeeper brought.

"Your father is inside. I'll quickly clean Samantha, and then we will join you after I freshen up," Derek's mother said, starting to leave, but Derek held up a hand.

"Actually, Mom, could that wait a moment? I need to talk to you and Dad. We don't have much time—we need to take Samantha to visit Evelyn's mother afterward."

His mother looked curious but nodded. "Speaking of Evelyn's mother, how is she? I was going to call you, but when you called earlier to say you were both coming, I decided to wait. Rumors of her dying and coming back to life have been all over social media," she said, and Evelyn nodded. "It's true. What happened was a miracle," Evelyn said, and they proceeded to give her the details.

"I'm glad she's alive. It would have been a great loss," Derek's mother said, and they all agreed.

"Let me get your father now," she said, and as she disappeared down the hall, Evelyn leaned toward Derek. "I'll help Samantha clean up and keep her busy while you talk to them," she whispered. Derek glanced at her; gratitude was evident in his eyes. Leaning in, he gave her a quick kiss. "Thank you."

Evelyn smiled, holding out her hand for Samantha. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you cleaned up."

When Derek's parents returned, Derek introduced Maya to his father. Then, they left her in the living room and headed to the study to speak privately.

Once comfortably seated, his father looked at him curiously. "What did you want to talk to us about?"

Derek hesitated, then cleared his throat. "Yesterday, I stopped by the police station and spoke briefly with Michael," he began. His father nodded, gesturing for him to continue. "Michael told me somethingunexpected," Derek added.

"What did he say?" his mother asked, sensing its importance.

"He looked into the details of my adoption and tried to find compromising information on my biological family," Derek said, and his mother's eyes widened.

"Is that boy even my nephew?" she asked, incredulous at Michael's actions.

"That's not all," Derek said, his voice wavering slightly as he explained Michael's revelation about a younger sister and how he'd confirmed it using the flash drive.

His parents exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. Finally, his mother spoke calmly but firmly. "Are you sure this isn't another one of his attempts to steal from us?"

"I understand Michael can't be trusted. But it's not like he brought someone to Derek, claiming her to be his sister. It is we who will search for the girl. We can always confirm with a DNA test when we find her," Derek's father said reasonably, and Derek nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense. Well, if you have a sister, we should find her," his mother said firmly.

Derek blinked, surprised. "You think so?"

"Of course," she said, reaching for his hand. "Why wouldn't we? If she's your family, she's ours too. Did you think I'd try to stop you from finding her?"

"II wasn't sure how you'd feel about it. I didn't want you to think I'm not content with having you or that finding her would change things between us," Derek admitted.

His mother's grip tightened. "You will always be my son, Derek. Nothing will change that. Finding your sister doesn't take away from our family; it adds to it. And you should know that we would have tried to find her ourselves had we been told about it during your adoption."

His father nodded. "We'll need to be careful, though. If word gets out, there'll be no shortage of people trying to take advantage of our family."

Derek exhaled. "I understand. Thank you—for understanding."

"You don't have to thank us. Do you think you can handle this yourself, or do you want us to?" his mother asked, and Derek shook his head.

"I can take care of it. I only wanted your permission," he said, and she smiled.

"You're such a good son, Derek. Thank you for respecting our feelings," she said, touching his cheeks fondly.

A moment later, they returned to the living room to find Maya, Evelyn, and a cleaned-up Samantha. Evelyn's questioning gaze met Derek's, and when he gave her a reassuring nod, she smiled, clearly relieved.

As they prepared to leave, Samantha hopped into the car, chatting excitedly about her adventures with her grandparents while Maya indulged her.

Derek glanced at Evelyn as they drove away. "That went better than I thought it would."

Evelyn smiled, resting her hand on his arm. "Sometimes, you just have to take the leap. People can surprise you."

"Says the one who refused to take the leap for six years," he said dryly, and she laughed, hitting his arm.

"That's exactly why you should listen to me. I'm speaking from experience," she retorted.

He chuckled. "You're right, as always. Could you call the people you mentioned? Have them look into this discreetly?"

"I thought you didn't want me interfering?" she asked, and he nodded.

"My dad raised a valid point. I'd rather no one knows I'm involved," he explained.

"Of course. I'm happy to help," Evelyn replied warmly.

When they arrived at the hospital, Samantha's cheerful chatter filled the hallways until they entered Claire's room. Samantha froze, her wide eyes fixed on her grandmother, who was lying in bed with a bandage on her head.

"Grandma, what happened to your head?" Samantha asked, her voice small and tears gathering in her eyes as she rushed to the bedside.

Claire smiled, her hand outstretched. "I had a little accident, sweetheart, but I'm fine now. I missed you so much."

Samantha climbed onto the bed, cupping Claire's cheek. "I'll kiss your boo-boo and make it all better." Claire laughed as Samantha kissed her forehead. "Thank you, darling. That already feels much better." Evelyn stood by, her eyes bright with emotion. "You're looking much better than yesterday."

"I feel better, too," Claire admitted. "And I'm ready to go home," she said, giving her husband a pointed look.

"Not happening. Not until I'm sure you're completely okay," Eric said firmly, crossing his arms.

"You're fussing over nothing," Claire argued lightly, her smile unwavering.

Eric's expression softened. "I'm not taking any risks."

"Maya," Claire said softly, meeting Maya's gaze. "It's good to see you again," her voice warm.

Maya returned the smile, stepping closer. "I'm sorry I came empty-handed. I only found out about this today. And I'm glad to see you looking well."

"Thank you, Maya," Claire said sincerely.

Samantha beamed, still perched next to Claire. "I helped Grandma Stone with the flowers today!" she chimed, her mood brightening.

"You did, my little gardener," Claire said, gently brushing Samantha's hair. "And I can't wait to see them bloom. Maybe you'll bring me some flowers when they do?"

"Yes!" Samantha nodded enthusiastically, her worry forgotten.

As a lighthearted moment settled over the room, Evelyn approached the bed, her expression soft. "Mom, there's something I wanted to ask you."

Claire tilted her head, curious. "Of course, dear. What's on your mind?"

Evelyn hesitated. "When you're well enough, I'd like to take you to our home for a while. I think it'd be good for you to have a change of scenery."

Claire's eyes widened, then she smiled. "That's a lovely offer, Evie. But are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"No trouble at all," Evelyn assured her. "It'll be good for all of us. Besides, Samantha would love to have you close. I would, too."

At the mention of her name, Samantha lit up. "Yes, Grandma! Come stay with us!"

Eric, arms still crossed, raised a brow. "And what about me?"

"You're welcome to stay, too," Derek said, stepping forward.

Eric smiled. "If my darling is up for it, let's do that."

Claire chuckled, reaching for Eric's hand. "I think I'd like that very much."

Evelyn smiled warmly. "Then it's settled. Once the doctor gives the all-clear, we'll make arrangements."

The conversation shifted to lighter topics, and Samantha's bubbly energy kept the atmosphere warm. After some time, Derek and Evelyn decided it was time to see Ethan, leaving Maya and Samantha with her parents.

As they walked out, Derek slid an arm around Evelyn's shoulders. "She seems to be making a speedy recovery," he noted.

"Yeah," Evelyn said with a happy smile.

"I think she'll be as good as new in a week or two," he said, and she nodded. "Yeah. I'm glad the head injury wasn't severe," she said, and Derek grinned.

"Me too. It would be nice to have your parents in the house," he said. Evelyn looked at him suspiciously, sensing his excitement.

"Yeah?"

"Would make the wedding preparations faster. So, maybe we can get married in a month. What do you think?" he asked, and she laughed softly.

"I should have known that's what you were thinking," she said, teasingly.

"You haven't answered my question yet," he said, and she grinned.

"I will when you ask the right way," she said with a giggle and walked away quickly, leaving Derek to laugh as he tried to catch up with her.