Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
And it led me here. To King Vineyards. To Derek. I had to be able to see the good in that. Now, I was finding myself not only having a man who I loved, but a baby too, and my brother at my side.
I tried to focus on that. I tried to make that my only thought. That it worked out. How it worked out so much for the better than I ever could have imagined.
But as soon as I was through the door and back in the kitchen, it all came out.
I collapsed into Derek’s arms almost before the door shut behind me. He held me tight, kissing the top of my head as the tears streamed. I was supposed to be going back there to grab some drinks for me and him, a couple of sodas since I obviously wasn’t going to drink alcohol. Derek was making his way back to work the dinner shift, insisting on us taking the time off to hang out. Yet, he wasn’t rushed, wasn’t upset with me, and instead pulled me to the side where he could take me into the office and sit me down.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, shutting the door behind us. “It’s alright. I know. It’s a lot.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I hope this isn’t how pregnancy is for me, because I’m already a crier.”
It got a short laugh from Derek, and I smiled through the tears. I knew it was reacting to so many things all at once that there was no one singular emotion, but I was trying to hold on to that relief more than anything else.
“You will be fine,” he said. “Go on, go enjoy the rest of the evening with Jack.”
“He said he has to go back to his hotel,” I said. “Right after you left to come back here, he said he was going to head out in about a half hour.”
“Oh,” Derek said. “Well, then you can go on home.”
“No,” I said. “I want to work. It will help.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said. “Thank you. I just needed a moment. I’ll be okay.”
He smiled warily and waited with me while I cleaned up. Then, I made it back out, hugged Jack, who said he was going to be back the next day and for a few days yet, and then went right into work. I settled into the rhythm well, and when the shift was over, I was feeling much better. Better enough that when I saw Cam walking through the kitchen from his office over to the one that Alex was primarily using these days, I caught him by the elbow.
“Hey,” I said. “You can go ahead and put me on payroll now.”
He grinned widely. “I heard. Good thing I have the paperwork right here. And your back pay.”
“You didn’t need…” I began.
He held up a hand to stop me.
“You have a baby coming. Don’t turn down money you earned,” he said.
“Right,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem,” Cam said, grinning. “I am very happy for you both, by the way.”
It was my turn to grin. As he left, I turned around and looked for Ally. Usually, she was still in the kitchen, but it seemed she had already cut for the night. Derek was in the kitchen cleaning up, and I ran outside, catching Ally before she left for the night. We hugged and chatted for a moment before I asked her for her advice on finding a good doctor. She pulled up her doctor’s information on her phone and sent it to me, and when I walked back into the restaurant, I had a plan to call them in the morning.
Ally had been so happy for me and so excited that it added to the good mood that had been building since I got back on the floor, and when we got home that night, I all but tackled Derek. It was our home now, not his with me as a guest. We were a couple, officially, and I could strip him down without any guilt at all. As I ran and jumped into his arms, I knew he would catch me, like he always would.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, our lips sinking into one another as he carried me to the bedroom. Laughter bubbled up between us, relief and excitement mixing together as we both realized this would be the first time there would be no questions afterward. No worries. We were together, and there was no reason for guilt or concern.
The door stood open, as usual, and Derek carried me to the bed, sitting me down gently before removing his lips from mine. He pulled on his shirt, yanking it up over his head while I kissed his stomach and chest, my own hands yanking on his belt and flailing at his zipper. With his shirt off, he helped me unbutton his pants, and they fell to the floor, leaving him in his boxer briefs, his thick cock stretching the fabric.