Page 32 of Always Right

All I knew was that the man in my home was the man that could make me feel safe, even when the world around me was falling apart. I loved him, try as I might to forget him...I couldn’t. I never would.

And I was sure he loved me, too.

We’d opened up to each other, seen the other’s darkness and still...that feeling persisted.

It had to be love, right?

Being there despite seeing the worst parts of someone. Loving them despite it. Feeling light with him even though there was a heaviness in my heart that wouldn’t disappear.

My stomach growled, and Derek raised an eyebrow. He held out a bowl as I sat next to him, and the smell invaded my senses.

The chicken soup smelled delicious.

“You should eat.”

I had forgotten what a great cook he was. “It smells delicious.”

Derek chuckled, handing me a napkin with a twinkle of amusement shining in his eyes. I finished the soup in silence, every now and then glancing at him as he typed something into his phone. Our girls giggled, and I smiled despite the trauma I'd faced the night before. With a sigh, Derek set his phone down next to him, his green eyes lingering on the bruise on my face.

“My mother wasn’t much of the caring type but I remember one time Dylan got really sick. He couldn’t even get out of bed. I was around four...maybe five, and she asked me to help her cook a chicken soup for him. She chopped everything up like a pro and I helped her, handing her ingredients as if I knew what the hell I was doing. She told me it was something that should never be eaten out of those ‘goddamn Campbell cans.’” Derek shrugged; his gaze distant with the memory. “Maybe it’s because it was one of the few times I remember her being clean...but I remember it clearly.”

My chest tightened.

Derek rarely talked about his mother, and hearing one of the good memories he had with her made my stomach flutter. He loved her. I didn’t have a doubt. Sadly, she’d hurt him too much.

“Dylan called me yesterday morning.”

My eyes widened. “He did? What did he say?”

“He said he’s ready to meet Evie.” He sighed, running a hand over his face.

“Are you okay?”

His forehead creased, as if surprised that I cared.

But of course I did.

I always would.

I could fight it and rebel against it all I wanted, but Derek and his happiness were more important to me than I cared to admit. Evie and he had waited for that moment for a long time.

“Dylan isn’t too bad.” He nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. “And Evie is strong. Maybe it won’t be easy and there will be many difficult conversations, but she’s gotten to know you. She deserves to know him, too. And if he decides to walk away then it’s on him. Evie won’t push him away.”

Thoughtful, Derek nodded. “Look at you, being the voice of reason.”

I gasped, shoving him slightly with my hand. “You know I can be perfectly logical when my emotions aren’t involved.”

It was easier to breathe talking to him this way...as if nothing had ever happened between us. As if there were no scars, no damage. It was why I had fallen for him in the first place.

I missed it.

More than the man I loved, Derek had been my best friend.

I trusted him with my secrets, my desires...everything I didn’t dare to say out loud. He never judged me, never pointed a finger at me despite knowing I was making countless mistakes.

“Thank you for being here.” He reached out, brushing his knuckles against my cheek and for once, I didn’t pull away. “I don’t think I would have been able to sleep had you not been with me.”

I didn’t give him a chance to respond, instead standing and taking my plate to the kitchen. I set it down in the sink and turned around only to find him standing behind me. I let out a quiet gasp when I saw the expression on his face.

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