22. Derek
Blake, Jace, and Ryan give me odd looks as the four of us shop for brunch today. Jace huffs, filling his cheeks with air as I place all of my things in our shared shopping cart.
“What?”
The blonde groans. “You’re going to make us look like chumps when we show up with flowers and teddy bears…”
Looking down at the cart, I chuckle before my eyes slide over to Blake and Ryan’s.
“Sucks to suck.”
Jace mimics me, pushing the cart as we continue down the aisles of the grocery store.
Today’s Valentine’s Day, as well as Denver’s twenty-second birthday.
We’re all going to do a big morning brunch at my place—unbeknownst to Denver—then the guys and I will play our game tonight.
After the game, I’m going home to my girls and cooking dinner.
We have an early game today, which is great as it gives me time to hang out with Delilah and Georgia before Delilah has to go to bed tonight. Even though it’s Friday, I like to keep her sleep schedule the same all year, just to keep her regulated while she’s young.
“It’s not fair. I mean, I’m fucking hot—I know I am, but Mama Bear is hot, can cook, and is a dad. It’s like we can’t win.” Blake huffs, riding in the shopping cart as Ryan pushes him up to us, rolling his eyes.
“I can cook!” Ryan chides with a pout.
Jace scoffs, “No, you can’t.”
Ryan points a finger at Jace’s chest. “Watch it, Heart.”
I chuckle as I watch the two. Jace has been on a menace-kink lately, taunting any and everyone other than Sienna.
The blonde holds both hands in the air, pretending to be scared as he says, “Shiver me timbers!”
That earns a small laugh and a punch to the shoulder from Ryan as we make our way to the pasta aisle. After Georgia and I spent our “time” in the fabric store together, I thought that it would be awkward to see or hang out with Ryan again, but it’s been the opposite.
When Georgia and I got back home, she explained to me how she liked the idea of Ryan Jones—star athlete and her best friend’s brother.
She knew they would only ever be friends, but she enjoyed the idea of them being together when they were younger.
Now that she knows of Denver and Ryan’s situationship, she wants nothing to do with him in a romantic sense—or at least that’s what she says.
“What are you cooking for the girls tonight?” Ryan asks, standing next to me in front of the various boxed pastas.
From this side-by-side angle, I can look down at him slightly, but that doesn’t mean much, seeing as I tower over everyone at six-foot-six. I smirk, standing a bit straighter.
“I think I’ll make chicken scampi. Georgia seems to like pasta a lot, and I know Deli would eat it…” I say, looking for the box of angel-hair noodles as Ryan chuckles.
“Oh my goodness, she does! Bake some cupcakes too; she’ll die if you bake,” he adds with a chuckle, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
I don’t feel jealous or even threatened that he knows this information; instead, I’m happy as fuck that someone else knows her well so I can get more information about her.
“Strawberry, right?”
Ryan nods, pointing to a specific boxed cake mix. “Has to be that one.”
Boxed cake mix? Has he lost his mind?
I raise a brow as Jace’s voice chimes in.
“Trust him. He’s had to make her those specific cupcakes every year for three years after losing a bet in middle school.”
And so, I do—reluctantly. I listen to Ryan and grab everything that he and Jace believe will make the perfect dinner and snack for Georgia. I make sure to grab extra snacks for Delilah and a small toy.
By the time the four of us are done shopping, it’s ten a.m., and we’ve bought half of the store for our girls.
We all head back to my place, I hide my gifts for the girls and immediately begin cooking brunch with the guys.
To say that I hate having these idiots in my kitchen would be an understatement.
Jace insists on reading directions loudly from a recipe he found on Sienna’s Pinterest—we’re not even cooking that dish.
Ryan and Blake seem to think that my kitchen is where they’ll be recording the next episode of Food Wars, throwing flour at one another, and no one has decorated for Denver’s birthday.
We could’ve held everything at the guys’ townhouse a few minutes away, but Ryan and Georgia both believed that my place would be better, seeing as I owned a real dining table that could seat everyone.
I still don’t understand why neither Blake, Alec, nor Jace has bought a table for their place, but I digress. They’re fucking idiots.
“Heart, I swear to God if you don’t shut the fuck up, you’re going to learn what it feels like to have a spatula shoved down your throat,” I warn, turning from the stove where my pancakes are cooking to look back at the smiling idiot.
Jace makes a gesture with his hands and grins brightly at me, successfully saying “fuck you” in American Sign Language as Blake connects his phone to my surround speaker.
The song “Night Changes” by One Direction begins playing, and both Ryan and Jace groan.
“What’s wrong with ‘Night Changes’?” I ask from the kitchen as the rest of them file out.
“It’s their song,” Ryan and Jace say in unison, the two of them pulling out the supplies for Denver’s birthday as Blake dances around my living room singing.
He and our coach’s daughter, Cleo, began dating a few months ago, and he’s been a lovesick puppy ever since.
Seeing as his rhythmless ass is dancing around my living room like a fairytale princess, I’d say the relationship’s doing fine.
Everything goes smoothly as we finish up our tasks.
The house is decorated in an array of red and gold decorations as Blake’s party playlist plays via the surround sound.
When there’s a small knock on the front door—Georgia’s signal that she’s home with Denver and the girls—all of us guys rush to form a line in front of the door.
“This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever done,” Jace mumbles, fixing his bow tie as a smack resounds throughout the space, and he groans.
Stifling a chuckle, I run a hand through my hair and look the guys over down the line.
Blake’s standing with his chest puffed out as if he’d actually done work around here.
The brown of Ryan’s skin is reddening around his cheeks and neck, highlighting the sheen of sweat coating it. And Jace is well, Jace.
I feel like an idiot wearing the matching uniform, but when the door opens and the girls’ laughter rings throughout the apartment, I know that we’ve all made the right decision.
“Happy birthday, Denver!” we all shout. The sound of champagne being popped open and kazoos being whistled filters through the room as Denver’s radiant smile lights up the room.
She casts what may be the warmest look she’s ever given any of us around the room before striding over to Ryan and pulling him in for a hug.
They rock side to side with Ry whispering sweet nothings to her, completely ignoring us, and we all take that as our cue to ready up for brunch.
When Georgia steps into the kitchen with Delilah in her arms, something in my chest moves. Both girls are dressed similarly in pink and red sweaters, their hair in half ponytails with the rest of it down.
A small smile tugs across my face as Delilah rests her head on Georgia’s shoulder, putting a finger to her lips, silencing us.
Georgia grins at the girl in her arms before turning to me. “This little lady is all shopped out.”
I chuckle softly, rubbing my knuckle down my sleepy child’s cheek as she smiles, trying to hide her face. The girls all went to the nail salon and a few boutiques at Denver’s request.
“Oh girl, let me see those pretty nails!” I exclaim, holding out my palm for Delilah’s hand.
Deli giggles, holding her nails out to me. I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face at her little yellow nails.
She’s always been obsessed with the color, so to see her rocking it for her first-ever manicure does something to me.
Georgia grins at Delilah before holding up her left hand, and the emerald dazzling her finger sparkles as she shows off her golden nails as well.
“Gorgeous.”
Georgia’s cheeks and ears flush as she looks away. Her smile is contagious as she looks down at Delilah in her arms.
When our friends make their way over to the kitchen and dining room, I lean in close to her ear, careful of my volume as I whisper, “Leave Delilah out here for a minute, I’ve got something to show you…”
She gives me a curious glance and purses her lips. “And if I don’t?”
Pausing for dramatic effect, a slow smirk creeps across my face as I lean in closer, my lips a breath away from her ear. I feel giddy as the smell of perfume hits me. She smells like the warmest of hugs, the coziest of clouds.
What the hell am I thinking?
Reel it in, Dere…
“There’s only one way to find out, Blondie,” I say, and in that moment, our eyes lock.
The space between us is minimal; we’re so close that it’d feel more illegal to back away from one another than to step further into one another’s space. In Georgia’s eyes, the world resides. They’re vibrant and earthy like a fairy grotto that you can’t help but get lost in.
Without words, she slowly lets Delilah down, who runs straight for her uncles in the living room. A soft grin plays at her lips as she takes a step toward the bedroom—the skin on the back of my neck rises from nerves.
When Georgia’s feet land on the polished hardwood floor of our bedroom, a gasp escapes her lips, and I tense up immediately.
Does she hate it?
Fuck, I knew she’d be upset—
“Derek… you didn’t.” She whines, her voice soft as she twirls around the lit-up room.
Pink and red hearts swirl around the room from the small projector on the bed. I hold my breath as Georgia takes a step toward the rose petals and presents laid out for her. Her shoulders deflate as she sucks in a breath of air before turning to me.
“I, uh… I wanted to say thank you for everything. I know it’s only been a month, but you turned your entire life upside down to help me—”
She takes a step toward me, her cold fingers clutching my cheeks as her eyes meet mine. There’s a softness to them that I’ve never seen before. I want to fall into them—lose myself in her.
She gives me the softest of smiles, while her gaze flickers between my lips and eyes.
“It’s perfect. I mean, you decorated the entire room in rose petals and candles, only to put the corniest, cutest things on the bed.
Two microphones and cupcakes? I think the only thing that would make this better is if we had a real TV,” she jokes, her eyes straying to the blank wall behind us as I chuckle.
“Who says we don’t?”
Georgia’s eyes nearly bug out of her head as she turns to face me, “You got us a TV?”
I try to play it cool by shrugging, but with her being so close to me, her hands still on me—I’m anything but cool. I gesture my head back and grin as her eyes widen. Her loud gasp causes me to laugh, and our eyes lock once again.
“We’re having a karaoke night tonight! After your game, prepare to be fucking amazed.” She giggles, giving me a huge hug as she jumps. I can’t contain my amusement as I laugh along with her.
“I know it isn’t a lot, but—”
“It’s everything.” She stops me, wrapping her arms around my waist as she looks up at me.
I feel newfound movement in my chest, something faint yet exhilarating as she smiles at me.
“This whole marriage thing has been chaotic—I literally just moved in three weeks ago, and now we have weekly dinners with your mother when we barely know one another still… But I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else, Derek.”
It’s her “everything” in that moment that makes me fall for her.
The way she speaks and looks at me has me feeling like I’m falling off a cliff—if I’m being honest, I’ll jump if she’s the person who greets me at the bottom.
I don’t know what this says about me—I don’t know if what I’m thinking is crazy, or maybe these feelings have been here for a while, but… I think I just may be falling for my wife.