Page 88 of Always Right

“Ah, good. You started small.”

I gasped, but didn’t deny it. Cooking was not my forte and he knew that.

“Are you hungry?”

Derek sat at the table next to our girls and nodded, watching me as I served spaghetti for all of us. He watched me intently, a hint of playful amusement in his expression. I placed a plate in front of him and then sat next to him, waiting for him to taste it.

Few things had given me as much joy as this moment. As simple as it was, having him with me, sharing something as small as a meal made everything right.

He took the first bite out of the dinner I prepared, and I waited for his reaction. He stifled a smile, one that shone through his eyes.

I loved seeing his happiness.

“So? How is it?”

“It’s great, baby. You should try it.”

I did.

I winced when saltiness hit my taste buds, so much I had to very quickly spit it out. Derek chuckled as he stood up, looking at the mess I’d left behind in the kitchen until he found what he was looking for. He picked up a tablespoon, holding it up as he leaned against the counter.

“What did you use? A recipe?”

“Yes.”

“It said teaspoon, not tablespoon, baby.”

My brows furrowed until he opened the drawer and showed me the smaller item.

He held it in as long as he could, I could see it in his expression, but in the end, he let out a small chuckle that quickly turned into full blown laughter. It was so free, so genuine, that I couldn’t bring myself to care that I had screwed up something as simple as spaghetti.

Feigning frustration, I walked past him and picked up my phone, and dialed a number I should have memorized by then.

“Hello, I’d like to order a pizza.”

We ended up eating on the living room floor, the girls enjoying a breadstick that would probably have me placed on the list of worst mothers on earth, but who the hell cared. One time wouldn’t cause any harm, especially with how much they giggled. Derek took a bite out of his slice of pizza and draped his arm over my shoulders, holding me close to him despite the craziness of the day.

“Stick to the recipe next time.” I nudged him slightly, embracing his chuckle once again.

He’d laughed a lot in the last hour, and the sound made me fall in love with him all over again.

My eyes followed his movements as he took the empty pizza box to the kitchen and threw it away.

Life wasn’t perfect, far from it...but with him it was worth it. He smiled from the kitchen, one that told me he felt the same way and deep down I knew, I felt it in every cell of my soul, everything would be okay.

It had to be.

Chapter 32

Derek

God, she was fucking beautiful. And maybe those words weren’t meant to be used in the same sentence, but Hannah was, in fact, the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. Full of flaws, full of insecurities, but that was what made her all the more special. She didn’t see herself like I did, didn’t realize exactly how perfect she was.

A few days had passed since we found out about her stalker and by then we’d settled into a routine. Nathan would pick her up for work or she would work from home, and I was only gone a couple of hours in the morning or afternoon hoping that if our schedule was unpredictable, whoever the hell was stalking her, wouldn’t try to harm her. She still wasn’t talking to Evie, but had promised she wasn’t mad...only disappointed.

The last days had brought upon our lives a whole bout of insanity and yet, I could see her taking strength from the situation. I could see her finding peace in the midst of it all.

She would say it was thanks to me, but it was all her.

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