Two weeks later, Derek found himself walking into R.I.S.C.’s conference room with a wide smile and an extra zip in his boots.
“Never fear, the D is here.”
Derek gave his teammates a toothy grin as he took his seat at the long conference table. Sitting across from him, Mac smiled back.
“Wow. Someone’s extra happy this morning.”
“What can I say, Mac?” He leaned back in his chair. “Life is good.”
She chuckled. “I don’t suppose that has anything to do with a certain brunette, does it?”
Derek pictured the way Charlie had looked when he left this morning. Naked and asleep with her hair spread across his pillow in that gorgeous, haphazard way.
She’d looked stunning as dawn’s golden rays illuminated her through his bedroom window.
“She has everything to do with it,” he answered truthfully.
Since coming back from his parents’ beach house a couple of weeks ago, he and Charlie had spent as much time together as they could.
At first, she’d stayed with him out of necessity. Derek would have been perfectly content with her living with him on a permanent basis, but she had insisted on finding her own place.
Because he understood her need for independence after being at the mercy of that jackass for so long, he hadn’t fought it. Instead, he’d actively participated in the search for her apartment.
That didn’t mean Derek wasn’t still planning ahead. Unbeknownst to her, he’d already been looking at rings, and when the time was right, he was going to share with her what he’d been thinking in regards to their future together.
It wasn’t easy, but he was trying not to rush things. After all, the ink on her divorce papers was barely dry. So, before he acted on his desires, Derek wanted to be certain they were on the same page, first.
Until then, he was more than happy to support her in any way he could. Even if that meant spending a few nights apart throughout the week so she could have some much-needed alone time to reflect on everything.
“So, when do I get to meet this mystery woman of yours?” Coop asked from the seat beside Mac.
“Charlie’s no mystery woman.” Mac looked at her sniper partner. “Grant and I have met her.”
“You have?”
Sitting two chairs down on Derek’s right, Grant tipped his head. “Yep.”
Coop glanced down at the big guy then back to Mac. Sounding genuinely hurt, he said, “You never told me that.”
Mac simply shrugged. “You never asked. Besides, it’s not like I share every little detail about my life with you.”
“Yeah.” Coop sat back in his seat. “I know.”
Derek watched the odd exchange, wondering what had crawled up Coop’s ass. Seemed like he and Mac were bickering even more than normal, lately.
“Well, I guess I should tell you Lex and I have met Charlie, too.” Trevor joined in. “In fact,” he looked to Derek. “I believe our gals are meeting for lunch today to finalize Lexi’s part in Charlie’s business plan.”
“Yeah,” Derek confirmed. “Charlie’s really excited that Lexi’s on board with it all.”
Coop sat up straighter, looking confused. “Wait. What business plan?”
This time, Jake spoke up from the seat at the front of the room. “Charlie’s opening an event planning business. Lexi’s signing The Gardens on to be her caterer.” He gave Coop a shrug. “Olivia filled me in after she and Charlie met for coffee the other day.”
Looking around the room, Coop held out his hands. “So, am I seriously the only one here who hasn’t met this woman?”
“Don’t get your panties in a wad.” Mac rolled her eyes. “I’m sure Derek hasn’t kept you out of the loop on purpose.”
“Sure feels like it.” The young sniper pretended to sulk. He narrowed his eyes at Derek. “Thanks a lot, asshole.”
