“Definitely a good-looking storefront,” Dad says, walking over to Derek, where he clamps his hand on his shoulder. Derek gives them broad smiles, and I can see a sense of something calming him, maybe relief that my parents were here, showing support.
Maybe I’m not the only one who’s been afraid of things not quite working out. Maybe he’s been in the same boat as me this entire time.
“Rora.” Mom snags her attention. “Can you show Grandma and Grandpa where the restroom is?”
I frown and watch as my happy girl takes her grandma’s hand happily and skips her inside. Dad follows and leaves Derek and me to our own devices.
I straighten out the string of leaves I hold in my hand and let out a deep breath. Derek takes the moment, though, like he’s known to do, and sidles up next to me.
“Thank you for this.” He nods at the storefront and says, “It always looks like home again when you two bring your magic here.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s magic,” I murmur quietly, keeping my gaze down.
I try to psych myself up, telling myself what I want to be doing because I know what that is. I know I want to kiss this man again, to let go of the hurt that I don’t even care about anymore. He apologized, he knows he messed up, and frankly, I’m not even mad anymore. Not now that I know the truth.
“I—”
“Okay, I’m sorry in advance, but I can’t take it.”
Our words clash together just as his hand wraps around the back of my neck and pulls me closer, pressing his lips to mine. I sigh into the kiss and drop the leaves, my hands making their way around his shoulders and holding him tighter to me.
Just like that, all those fears of mine wash away as Derek wraps me into his embrace, pulling me tighter like he can’t get enough of me.
For several long seconds, we kiss, not even concerning ourselves with the outside world, and I feel like I’ve finally been welcomed home.
“I’m sorry,” he says, pulling only far enough away that he can speak, but even then, his lips brush mine when he does. “I know you probably want to move slow—”
“I don’t,” I reply, shaking my head. “I love you. I’m sorry for boxing you out. I was just scared.”
Derek’s eyes look me over, and he tilts his head. “Scared of what? And also, please don’t apologize for protecting yourself, you hear me? That’s more important to me than anything else.”
I lick my lips and take a breath, nodding in agreement and answering his question. “I’ve been so scared that I’d come back, and you wouldn’t be here waiting for me.”
His expression changes from soft and sincere and loving to absolute shock. “What?” He lets out a humorless chuckle and runs a hand through his hair. “Birdie. I’m not sure there is anything you could do that would make me not be standing right here, waiting for you to come back to me.”
I quirk my lips. “I’m sure I could.”
He lifts a brow in humor and wraps his arms around my waist, like he doesn’t want to wait a moment longer to hold me. “Oh yeah? What?”
“I could… flood the store.”
“I have insurance.”
“I could crash your car.”
He lifts a brow. “I still have insurance.”
“I could… ugh, I don’t know! You understand where I’m coming from, though, right? I don’t want to leave. I want to be here for you; I want to be the one that sticks.”
Those words, if you took a magnifying glass and looked real close, are some seriously committed ones.
Derek smiles, wider than before and happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. “I want you to be the one that sticks. Which is why I’m pretty sure there’s not a thing you could do that would make me ever leave you. I love you, Birdie. I love your daughter, I love our life together, and I think together, we make a damn good team.”
I let the smile that’s been threatening to let loose creep up slightly. “You want to be a team?”
“Always, baby.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
