Chapter 24 More Than a Friend
MORE THAN A FRIEND
PAIGE
I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.
I walked down the hallway, looking for Charlotte to ask where she had put Lily’s bottle. But as I approached the small sitting room, I heard Derek’s voice, low and full of emotion, and something made me pause.
“I can’t tell her.”
“Why the hell not?”
That was Charlotte.
“Because…”
“You’ve been in love with that girl since you were a child. Everyone knows it. I’m shocked the birds outside aren’t gossiping about it.”
The floor felt unsteady beneath my feet. What? He is in love with me? Since we were kids?
“I know you stopped eating for days after you saw her get engaged,” Charlotte continued. “I know you started smoking when she got married because you didn’t know what to do with yourself. And I also know you quit the next day because she didn’t like it.”
I covered my mouth and leaned back against the wall for support. He had stopped eating because I said yes to Jack.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I made it to the room. I held Lily in my arms, and before my legs gave out, I sank onto the edge of the bed, clutching my daughter to my chest.
Since we were kids. He had loved me since we were kids. Oh my God.
All those years and all the dates he had gone on, all the women he cycled through, that broken engagement with Kelly. Had it all been because of me? Because he couldn’t have what he really wanted?
Lily fussed, and I forced myself to breathe, to rock her gently, to paste on a smile as footsteps approached.
“There you are!” Charlotte appeared in the doorway, Derek behind her. “Are you alright, dear? You look a bit pale.”
“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just needed a moment.”
Derek’s concerned eyes searched my face as he said, “We can leave early if you want.”
“No, no,” I said, standing up and adjusting Lily in my arms. “I’m fine.”
We made small talk as we walked back. As Charlotte chattered on, I felt Derek’s gaze on me, questioning and worried, but I couldn’t meet his eyes.
Before we left, Charlotte pulled me into another hug. “Promise me you’ll come for lunch soon with this sweetheart.” She tickled Lily’s chin, making her giggle.
“I promise,” I said, meaning it despite everything swirling in my head.
Charlotte held me at arm’s length. Her eyes, so much like Derek’s, were warm. “I haven’t seen my son this happy in years, Paige. Maybe ever,” she smiled, squeezing my hands. “And this little bundle of joy is just perfect. You both are perfect for him.”
My throat tightened.
If only she knew. If only any of this were real.
But the worst part? I desperately wanted it to be in a way that terrified me.
Charlotte kissed my cheek, then Derek’s before leaving us. We stood there in silence, and I felt the weight of everything I had learned pressing down on me.
Derek loved me. He had loved me for decades. And his mother wanted us together. For real. Not fake. Not pretend. Real.
Four days later, I sat across from Jennifer in her sleek downtown office.
“And that’s where things get interesting,” Jennifer said, sliding a folder across her desk. “Jack’s claiming you’re unstable. That living with your boss is inappropriate, that you’re unfit for custody.”
My stomach dropped. “He’s really going to fight for Lily?”
“He is posturing, but here’s the good news,” she said, tapping the folder with one manicured nail. “Derek Peterson did this.”
I blinked. “Derek... what?”
Jennifer opened the folder, revealing what looked like hundreds of pages of documentation like bank statements, text message transcripts and medical records.
“This is months of work, Paige. Phone records showing calls between Jack and Olivia dating back to your second trimester of pregnancy. Financial statements proving Jack drained your joint account—over forty thousand dollars moved to a separate account you had no access to. Testimony from your OBGYN about every appointment Jack missed.” She looked up at me with something like admiration. “He built you an airtight case.”
My hands trembled as I reached for the folder. Month after month of evidence, meticulously organized, each document tagged and cross-referenced.
You’ve been in love with that girl since you were a child.
I blocked out Charlotte’s words.
“Why wouldn’t he tell me?” I asked, but my voice was barely audible.
“Maybe because he cares about you more than just as a friend? Just a thought,” Jennifer said with a small smile.
She handed me a flash drive. “Everything’s on here. It’s all encrypted since Derek was very specific about protecting your privacy.” She paused. “He has been protecting you for a long time, Paige. Longer than you probably realize.”
I left her office in a daze, the flash drive burning a hole in my purse. By the time I made it back to the office, anger and gratitude and something akin to love were all tangled together in my chest.
I found him sitting in his office chair, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up, looking exhausted yet beautiful in the lamplight. He glanced up when I entered, and his expression immediately shifted to concern.
“How did it go with Jennifer?”
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. “She showed me what you’ve been doing. The evidence you collected.”
He set down his pen and said, “It’s my job, Paige.”
“No, it’s not,” I said, moving closer. “I’m not your client, Derek. I’m your fake girlfriend, remember? That’s what we agreed to.”
“You needed help.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, stopping in front of his desk, close enough to see the shadows under his eyes, the tension in his jaw. “Really. Why?”
For a long moment, he didn’t answer. Then he finally looked at me, and the raw emotion in his eyes stole my breath.
“Because you deserve someone in your corner, Paige. Someone who will fight for you when you’re too tired to fight for yourself,” he said, his voice firm. “And if Jack’s going to fight dirty, someone needs to fight back. Someone needs to protect you and Lily.”
“Derek, but you don’t have—”
“I-I can’t—” he said, dragging a hand through his hair. “I can’t stand by and watch him hurt you. I won’t. Not again.”
Not again. Like he had stood by once before and regretted it.
I moved around the desk before I could second-guess myself. Derek’s eyes widened as I stepped into his space and sat on his lap. I could feel the heat radiating from his body when he wrapped his arms around me.
“Thank you,” I whispered, pressing my lips to his cheek.
It was meant to be quick but I let my lips rest against his skin long enough to feel his sharp intake of breath, to smell his cologne, to feel the rapid beat of his pulse. When I started to pull back, his hand came up, cupping my face with a gentleness that made my chest ache.
“Paige,” he said, tightening his hand on my waist. “I need to tell you—”
I kissed him.
Because I’m a coward.
Derek made a sound low in his throat and pulled me closer, deeper, his hands sliding into my hair as he kissed me back with an intensity that stole my breath. This wasn’t the careful, controlled Derek from that first practice kiss. This was a raw need that was barely restrained.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, he rested his forehead against mine.
“What does this mean?” he whispered, mostly to himself.
I didn’t have an answer.
“That I’m extremely grateful,” I said, licking my lips and pushing my hips into his with a needy sigh. “And horny.”