Page 131 of All In Good Time

She opened the door and froze.

Nothing had felt real for the past week, but this may have taken the cake. Maybe she was dreaming—a very, very good dream. One she didn’t want to wake up from.

“Hey, sweetheart.” His voice bloomed a warmth in her heart and sent a lightning strike through her whole body.

“Derek,” she said, and his name was barely more than a breeze, but it solidified it for her. He was there. He wasactually there.

He stood in his leather jacket with that curly hair and sweet smile. His face was mostly healed, though some small, bandaged scratches remained, but he was okay. He wasreal.

She blinked—once, twice.

And then she fell forward and threw herself around him.

Her arms circled around his neck, and she buried herself into him. He caught her, his arms holding her with such familiar strength and security that the tears began to fall.

The other half of her heart was found, and the emptiness filled. She hadn’t believed it was possible to miss someone this much until he held her against him so tight she could melt into him.

She cried out, and he pulled her closer. His face buried into her neck and he inhaled. He lifted her, so only the very tips of her toes brushed the ground. She felt weightless.

Gently, he backed her up until they were inside the house and then kicked the door shut behind them with his foot.

She let go of his neck, and he released her enough that her feet were back on the ground, but he didn’t let go of her. Shining tears flowed down as she blinked, and her hands rose to his face, pulling him down to her, capturing his lips with hers.

She kissed him again and again and again, murmuring between the movements. “I missed you. I love you.”

The urgent pull of their lips slowed, and then, when it was barely a brush, they pulled away. He was glowing, his smile beaming and his eyes shining. There was a healthiness in his face she’d never seen before.

She held his cheek and cried. “I didn’t know where you were,” she said.

“I know. They put us somewhere safe. We couldn’t go anywhere while things were being processed. Apparently, we’ll be moved somewhere soon and who knows after that. They’ll kick me out as soon as I’m eighteen, but Mal will be stuck wherever they put her.”

When she’d first met Derek, he couldn’t stand Mal. They were at each other’s throats constantly, throwing names and insults around.

How could this be the same person? This vibrant, loving, radiant person.

“But you guys can come and visit, right? That’s why you’re here?”

He shook his head, and her smile faltered a bit. “Mal agreed to cover for me for the night.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I can’t stay long, but I needed to see you.”

God. She was so in love with him.

An idea sparked in her head, and she pulled away. “Come live here.”

Derek paused, and his brow knit. “What?”

“You and Mal can come live here. We can foster you. You can stay together even after you’re eighteen.”

He didn’t look convinced. “I’m not sure your mom would like that.”

“My mom is one of the kindest people I know. She loves you both, and she knows I love you. She would care for you like you were her own children.”

He looked away and worried at his lip. She could see he didn’t think it could be so easy—that it sounded too good to be true. But it was true. They could make it true.

“I want it. I want you both somewhere safe. I know there’s nowhere safer than here—stay here through school. Mal can share a room with me. You can have your room.”

He stared at her, searching her face for some sort of lie. There was none, of course. She meant every word.

Slowly, his uncertainty gave way to a grin, and he looked down at her lips. “Or Mal could stay in her own room, and I share with you,” he suggested, huskily.

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