The next day, Derrick awoke to Elizabeth’s messy hair tossed across his chest. He smiled and stroked her hair. She stirred and squinted at him with sleepy eyes. He kissed her forehead, “Good morning.”
“Morning.” His eyes seemed brighter today. She nestled back into his chest and let out a deep, fulfilling sigh.
“We have to get up.”
“No.” She shook her head and help on to him tighter.
Derrick chuckled. His fingers trailed along her exposed shoulder. “Yes.”
Grumbling, she got up. The dress she had worn was in a rumpled pile on the floor. She slipped it on and searched around for her shoes. Her mind kept replaying all the kisses and caresses from the night before. Even the memory was intoxicating.
“Make sure you’re at work on time today.” Derrick pulled out a set of clean clothes. Elizabeth couldn’t help but stare at him. His body was distracting. “Lizzie?” He glanced over his shoulder at her.
“Hmm? Did you say something?”
“Don’t be late.”
“Right. Work. Don’t be late.” She pulled her eyes away from him and located her missing shoe.
Derrick left for the office as soon as he was dressed. Elizabeth plodded across the wet grass. Her heels sank into the soft dirt. Once she was back in her own home, she dug out some fresh clothes and swept her messy hair up into an acceptable bun. She groaned. She still didn’t have her furniture. Something kept coming up every time she was going to have it delivered. She made a mental note to make time for it as she headed out the door.
The office was quiet when she got there. Miranda was waiting in the hall for her. “Come on!”
“What’s going on?” Elizabeth looked at her friend in confusion.
“Mr. Page thought you might be a little late today, so he asked me to wait for you. There’s an emergency meeting in the auditorium.”
“Emergency meeting? About what?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
The two of them squeezed into some empty seats in the middle section. Derrick was waiting patiently in front of the room. Once he saw Elizabeth sit down, he started speaking. “Page Industries is built off of certain principles. We build one another up. That is one of the things that sets us apart from the competition. There is also a clause in each of your contracts stating that if you choose to collaborate with other companies without my permission, you will be terminated. I thought now would be an appropriate time to remind you all of this. I will not tolerate someone on my team that cannot abide by these principles. If you think that you are unable to acquiesce to these standards, then please leave now.” He paused. No one moved. “Alright. That will be all.”
The room started to empty. Elizabeth wove her way through her colleagues to where Derrick was still standing. “What was that all about?”
“Come with me.” He held open a side door for her and led her to his office.
“I don’t understand. What’s going on?”
“Have a seat, Lizzie.” He picked up his phone and called someone. “Could you come to my office, please?”
Elizabeth’s palms were starting to sweat. Had she messed up again? A knock on the door made her jump. Adeline poked her head inside. “You wanted to see me, sir?” Her face grew pale when she saw Elizabeth.
“Adeline, have a seat.” Derrick’s tone was cold. He pulled a folder from his desk and handed it to her. “Do you know what this is?”
She shook her head and flipped the folder open. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned red. “Sir, I can explain.”
“No. You can’t. There is no excuse for this. You were the only one who handled our submission to the auction. Instead of sending the vase that was supposed to be donated, you took matters into your own hands. Do you think that I don’t know when you alter schedules and rearrange meetings to make others look bad? I have over looked your previous offences as harmless pranks, but this time you went too far. You embarrassed one of your colleagues out of pettiness, and in doing so you embarrassed the company. You conspired with Hartman and Craft—our biggest competition—because you were jealous of another employee. That is something I cannot forgive.”
“I’m sorry.” Adeline looked down at the ground. Her hands clenched around the folder in her lap.
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” He arched one of his eyebrows.
Adeline turned towards Elizabeth. The words balled up in her throat. “I’m sorry, Elizabeth.” Elizabeth nodded to indicate she had heard her.
“Please, clean out your desk.” Derrick kept his tone firm.
Adeline stood up shakily and left the room. The door clicked shut behind her. Elizabeth’s shoulders slumped. “I feel terrible.”
“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yeah, but someone still got fired over me.”
Derrick leaned forward and folded his hands together on his desk. “Elizabeth, she was fired because she crossed a line. It was her choice to work with another company and defy my instructions. You had nothing to do with her actions.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I still feel bad.”
“Well, I have something that might cheer you up.”
“What’s that?”
Derrick leaned back with a smirk on his face. “Charlie gets out of the hospital today. He was wondering if you would like to go to the zoo with us.”
“Really?! Are you sure that’s okay?” Her heart leapt.
“I’ve thought about it a lot. This is a big decision for me, and I hope you appreciate the time I spent deliberating on this. In the last four years, you are the only woman I have even considered letting Charlie spend time with. I’m not making this decision lightly, so I need to know something. Are you committed to this relationship? I’m not just asking as a boyfriend. I’m asking as a father. If you don’t think you will be here long term, I need to know before we go any further.”
Elizabeth searched her heart. She wasn’t sure what the future held for her, but she knew she wanted Derrick to be a part of it. She smiled with an inner confidence she hadn’t known before. “When are we going to the zoo?”
Derrick stood up and took her hand. He pulled her to her feet and leaned her chin up towards him. Their lips met gently before he pulled away to look into her eyes. “Let’s go now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Your boss said it was fine.” He winked at her and led her outside to his car.
Derrick drove them to the hospital. A nurse met them at the door with Charlie in a wheelchair. Derrick jogged over to them and signed some papers the nurse had. He ruffled Charlie’s hair and opened the back door for him. The boy climbed in carefully. He was still a little stiff from not being allowed out of bed much since his surgery.
“Elizabeth!” He called out her name in excitement.
“Hey!” She turned around in her seat to look at him. “You look like you’re feeling much better than the last time I saw you.”
Charlie nodded, “Mhmm! Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Not a problem.” His smile was contagious. Elizabeth couldn’t help but be in a better mood with him around.
“Where are we going?”
Derrick climbed in behind the wheel. “Well, since you’re out of the hospital, you must be well enough to go back to school, right?” He watched his son’s reaction in the rearview mirror.
“No!” Charlie slumped over in defeat. He pouted and looked out the window.
“Or, I guess we could go to the zoo maybe.”
“Yeah!” The little boy clapped his hands and wiggled in his seat.
“Since it’s your first day out, I thought we would go do something fun. You’ll have to go back to school though soon.”
“As long as it’s not today.” Charlie leaned up so he could see Elizabeth better. “Are you coming with us?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good. Dad doesn’t have many friends. Plus, you’re really pretty.”
“I guess you got my taste in women, then.” Derrick chuckled.
The zoo was fairly empty since it was still before noon on a work day. Derrick payed for parking and took Charlie’s hand. As they walked towards the ticket booth, Charlie slipped his other hand into Elizabeth’s. His tiny fingers made her heart melt.
“Alright, where do you want to go first?” Derrick held a map of the exhibits up for them to examine.
“Monkeys!”
“Oh wait, I think I see one!” Elizabeth’s eyes twinkled.
“Where?!” Charlie looked around trying to see what she was looking at.
“Right there!” She pointed at Derrick.
Charlie erupted in laughter. “You’re a monkey, Dad!”
Derrick shook his head. He should have expected them to team up on him. “I think the real monkeys are this way.” He led them down a path.
Balloons and cotton candy vendors were parked on the side of the walkway. Elephants trumpeted in the distance. Elizabeth realized that of all the things she and Derrick had done together so far, this was by far the best one in her mind. She kept glancing at him. He was so gentle and loving with his son. It was touching to see him so invested in his child. It was no wonder he wanted to protect Charlie from the harsh realities of grown-up relationships. She had only met the boy a few times, and she already felt the need to keep him safe and happy as well. Derrick caught her looking at them and chuckled.
When they reached the monkey exhibit, Charlie stood on his tiptoes to see better. “We learned in school that some new baby monkeys were just born. I want to be the first one in my class to see them!”
Derrick knelt down beside him. “Hey, buddy, can I ask you a question?” He was more nervous talking to his son than he had been when he initially asked Elizabeth out in front of the company.
“Yup!” Charlie swayed on the fence. It was clear he was more focused on the animals than his father.
“How would you feel if we started spending more time with Elizabeth?”
Charlie stopped swaying. He turned to look as his dad and then at Elizabeth. She felt her heart pounding as he looked at her. His dark curls shone in the sunlight, and she couldn’t help but see Derrick in his face as she studied her. “Elizabeth is more than a friend, huh, Dad?”
“Yes. She is.”
“Can we still do stuff with just me and you, too?”
“Yeah, buddy. Of course.”
Charlie tilted his head to the side, “I guess that’s okay then.” He smiled at them and then turned his attention back to the monkeys in the exhibit.
Derrick stepped over beside Elizabeth and took her hand in his. Even though they hadn’t been dating long, Elizabeth felt like she fit with them. To anyone passing by, they would look like a normal family. Happiness settled in her heart. She felt content just standing there were them.
They managed to make it to a few more exhibits before the sun grew too hot and Charlie got tired. A lot of walking was still hard for him to manage. Derrick had to carry him on his shoulders when they were heading back to the car. Charlie only came willingly when his dad promised to bring him back another time to finish looking around. His eyes drifted shut on the car ride home even though he wouldn’t admit he was tired.
“Why don’t you stay for lunch?” Derrick whispered as he drove them home. Sharing his time with both made him feel whole again. He wasn’t quite ready to give that up just yet.
“Okay.” She smiled at him and took his hand in hers. His thumb traced along the inside of her palm. Even his smallest touch made her feel giddy.
Derrick woke Charlie up gently when they got back to his house. Charlie grumbled softly about having to wake up before he climbed out of the car. He tottered off to find the toys he had left behind before he ended up in the hospital while Derrick and Elizabeth decided what to cook for lunch.
Holding the refrigerator door open, Derrick tutted to himself, “I really need to go shopping.”
Elizabeth slipped up beside him and glanced at what he had. “How about a grilled cheese?”
“I guess that would work.” He pulled out the butter and cheese. He found a skillet and turned on the stove while Elizabeth buttered the bread. He hadn’t asked her to help. She had just done it instinctively. Derrick watched her lovingly. It was nice to have a woman around the house again for more than just a night. He had forgotten what it was like to not have to do everything himself.
“What are you looking at?” She wrinkled her nose at him.
“Just admiring you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re beautiful.” Derrick brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
She twisted her face into the most hideous pose she could manage. “How about now?”
Derrick laughed, “Still beautiful.”
She passed him a plate with buttered bread and slices of cheese on it. He placed them in the skillet and waited until the sizzling had almost stopped before he lifted the skillet and flipped the sandwich in the air. Elizabeth looked at him in awe. “Holy cow!”
“What?”
“I’ve never seen someone do that in person before.”
“Would you like to learn?”
Nodding excitedly, she stepped closer. He wrapped his arms around her and placed his hands over hers on the handle of the skillet. When the sizzling had stopped for the second time, Derrick guided her hands in a jerking motion to flip and catch the grilled cheese in the air. Elizabeth was so excited that she jumped up and down. Derrick cried out in pain.
“Are you okay?! What happened?”
Derrick gritted his teeth. “You jumped on my foot.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” She swung around to check on him, but the skillet was still in her hand. The metal brushed against his arm, and he yelled out again. Elizabeth dropped the skillet with a clatter back onto the stove. “I’m so, so, sorry!”
Derrick took a step away from her. “You are a catastrophe waiting to happen.”
“I really didn’t mean to.”
“I know you didn’t.” He shook his head. “I knew you would be trouble when I had to come turn off your alarm system the first night you moved in.” A smiled crept back on his face, “But what I didn’t know then was that you would be worth it.” He rested his hand on her cheek.
Charlie walked back into the kitchen and sniffed the air, “What’s burning?”
“Shoot!” Elizabeth pulled away from Derrick and spun back around to move the skillet away from the burner. It was crispy black on the bottom.
“That one’s yours.” Charlie peered at the damage and then went back to playing.
“Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll finish cooking dinner.” Derrick guided her to a chair as he took over in the kitchen again.
“I feel like I should be helping.” She pouted.
“No. You’re banished from the kitchen.” Derrick smirked and put the burnt grilled cheese on a plate. “This is your penance.”
“Well, jokes on you because I like them burnt.”
“Really?” He looked at knowingly. “Go ahead then. Eat it.”
Elizabeth pinched off a corner and popped it in her mouth. Her tongue recoiled from the taste, but she chewed it anyway. “Mmm. Yummy.” She grimaced as she swallowed.
Derrick shook his head and chuckled. “Alright, alright. That’s enough.” He picked up her plate and tossed the burnt sandwich in the trash. “I’ll make you a new one.”
“Thank you.” She smiled weakly.
“How did you survive on your own?”
“Well, pretty much microwavable dinners and ramen noodles.”
“Sounds about right.” He finished cooking and called out for Charlie to join them.
Derrick watched as Elizabeth and Charlie made small talk while they ate. A sense of thankfulness and fulfillment washed over him. The anxiety he had experienced over whether or not he should let them get close was almost completely gone now. Having so much happiness in front of him scared him. It had been years since he had been notably happy. Derrick’s smile faltered. The worry that he might someday lose this feeling again haunted his thoughts. Now that he found her, he couldn’t bear the thought of being without her.
After dinner, they watched a movie in the living room. Charlie and Elizabeth fell asleep halfway through it. They both looked so innocent when they were asleep. He waited until the movie was over before waking them up. He scooped Charlie up in his arms and carried him to his room. Pulling the covers up around him, Derrick tucked his son into bed and kissed his forehead. When he entered the living room again, Elizabeth was hugging a pillow to her chest. Sleep still clung to her eyes.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She smiled and squeezed the pillow tighter to her, “Yeah, I am actually.”
“What do you think so far?”
“What do you mean? About Charlie?”
Derrick sat close to her so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. “Charlie. Us. Everything.”
“I was really nervous at first. I wasn’t sure how things were going to go, but after spending more time with him, it just feels like we fit together. It’s odd, but he seems more like an adult than a kid.”
“He’s fairly observant for his age. There are still times when he is challenging, but for the most part, he’s a good kid.”
“As for us,” she nuzzled into his neck, “I’ve never been happier. You ground me and make me want to be a better person. I’m still pretty ditzy, but I think I’m making progress.”
“Well, try not to change too much. One of us has to be less serious or we’ll be all work and no play.”
“That’s no fun.” She wrinkled her nose at the thought.
“I agree.” Derrick quickly grabbed her waist and flipped her around so that she was on her back. He body was poised on top of her. The smoothness of his movements took her breath away. Elizabeth stared up at him. His lips hovered above her. She waited for the sensation of his touch, but instead he placed one, light kiss on the tip of her nose.
Elizabeth cried out in disappointment. “You’re such a tease!”
Derrick winked at her. “I have to keep you interested somehow.” He pushed himself away from her and sat up. “Besides, Charlie is here.”
She nodded and sighed, “You’re right. I should probably be heading home anyway.”
“Thank you for today.” He offered his hand to her, and she took it. Derrick led her to the front door.
“I feel like I should be thanking you. I know it took a lot for you to let me spend time with your son. I won’t take that trust for granted.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave her a chaste goodnight kiss.
She bit her lip and turned to leave, still wanting more. The night air seemed sweeter now, and the sky was a deeper ebony blue. She was too high on excitement to sleep. The house was empty when she walked in. It didn’t feel like a home without Derrick here with her. She made her way to the pile of blankets she was still sleeping on.
Being back in her own house made her feel like she was still a child wandering lost in the world. She had an excellent job and a home, but inside she still felt like she wasn’t grown up yet. The unpacked boxes next to her were a testament to that. If she wanted to be a worthy partner to Derrick, she needed to make more of an effort on her end of things. She could still maintain the carefree side of herself even if she exhibited more responsibility.
Elizabeth channeled her restless energy into finally getting her things in order. Box after box was emptied. The items were stowed in proper places. Taking control of her surroundings gave her a confidence boost. She needed to be a more reliable person, not just for Derrick, but for Charlie, too. Keeping her stuff boxed up was a poor example to set for him. Derrick had trusted her enough to let her spend time with his son, and she wanted to prove she was worthy of that. Once all the boxes were unpacked, Elizabeth looked around her surroundings. A sense of accomplishment radiated from her. Until now, she had dreaded coming home even if she hadn’t realized it before. The boxes made her feel claustrophobic and overwhelmed her. That was why she had put it off for so long. On larger projects, it was hard to know where to start, but spending time with Derrick and Charlie gave her the motivation to tackle anything.
Satisfied with the outcome, Elizabeth curled up in the pile of blankets on the floor. She fell asleep with a smile on her face. She had come so far since first moving in. Finally, the stars were aligning in her favor.
It felt as though she had only been asleep for a few minutes before there was a loud knocking on her door. Elizabeth jolted out of the blankets and plodded over to the door. Sunshine streamed through the doorway as she opened it. A lady with a clipboard handed her a slip of paper to sign.
“What’s going on?” Elizabeth glanced around her to see a moving van parked in the driveway.
“We’re here to deliver your furniture.”
Shielding her eyes with her hand, Elizabeth squinted at the woman. “I never made an appointment.”
Derrick stepped out of the shadows with two cups of coffee in his hand. He passed one to Elizabeth. “I called them. I’ve had you running around so much at work that you haven’t had time to set it up yourself. I didn’t want to have to worry about you sleeping on the floor anymore, so I just set up the delivery myself. All you have to do is tell them where you want it.”
“Really?!” She was moved by his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.” She sipped her coffee as the moving crew prepared to unload her things. “Where’s Charlie this morning?”
“His mom already picked him up.”
Two men hefted a large sofa towards the door. “Where do you want us to put this?”
“Just put it in the living room.” Elizabeth pointed out the way to them.
After about an hour, all her furniture was in the house. She waved goodbye to the moving company as they pulled out of her driveway. Derrick followed her inside. The empty echo that had been there earlier was gone now that the furniture was in place.
“I see you finally unpacked.”
“Yeah. Finally made myself do it last night. I had no idea how much stuff I had until I had to pack and unpack it all.”
“It feels more like a home now.” He smiled in approval.
“It only feels like a home because you’re here.” Her heart pounded as the words slipped out of her mouth. She quickly averted her eyes in embarrassment.
“Maybe I should come over more often then.” He smirked and turned her head back to face him. She was cute when she got flustered. “Oh, I almost forgot. I got you a housewarming present.”
“Really? You didn’t have to do that.” Derrick handed her a package wrapped in plain brown paper. A piece of twine was tied in a bow around it. “What is it?”
“Open it and find out.”
Slowly, she pulled the twine. The package unwrapped itself. Underneath the parchment was a picture frame with two portraits inside. On one side, the picture from the photoshoot stared up at her. The other side had a candid photo of Derrick, Charlie, and herself at the zoo. “How did you get this?” She stared up at him in amazement.
“There was a newspaper there taking pictures for a story about the new baby monkeys. They contacted me and asked for permission to use it. I said they could on one condition. They sent me that late last night after you left.”
“Thank you.” She traced her finger across the images.
“Elizabeth, it’ll not always be this easy to be with me and to be involved in Charlie’s life. I want you to keep this picture as a reminder of something good when things get more difficult.”
“What do you mean? Are you expecting something bad to happen?”
Derrick chuckled, “No. I’m just being realistic. At some point, I will have business setbacks. I want you to know that even if I get upset, I will do my best not to take those worries out on you. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to confide in you.” He sighed, remembering the past. “During my marriage with Catherine, I kept my personal and business relationships separated. I thought I was protecting her from worrying, but in the end, it pushed her away. I don’t want to make that mistake with you. If you’re willing to be with me, I would like to include you in all parts of my life. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us, and sometimes that might mean I put too much pressure on you. If there ever comes a time when you need a break, or you feel overburdened, I need you to tell me. Elizabeth, I don’t want to have any regrets this time around.”
She took his hand in hers. “I want you to tell me whatever you need to tell me. I don’t care if it’s work problems, or family problems. I’m here for you. I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes, but if you’re patient with me, I think we can work out any issues we might face. I don’t expect this to be all sunshine and roses, Derrick. I know I come across as a little flighty sometimes, but I understand that real life isn’t a fairytale. I’m here for the tough times, too. Whatever you need. I’m here.”
Derrick smiled and cupped her face in his hands. Elizabeth placed the pictures on the counter and tilted her head up. He leaned his forehead against hers, taking in the smell of her perfume. It was a scent he had started to associate with happiness. Her fingertips wound into his dark curls. They shared a smile. Their breath and the beating of their hearts fell into the same rhythm. When Derrick closed his eyes, it wasn’t darkness or a hole that he found but hope. Elizabeth felt her walls melt away at his touch. She felt more vulnerable and yet somehow brazen at the same time. Their personalities meshed into one another like pieces of a puzzle. For the first times in their lives, home was less of a place and more a sense of belonging brought out by being close to each other.
THE END