The Release

Chapter 20

Meredith stood at the stairs, looking in the mirror hanging in the foyer. She felt overdressed for their little date. She actually let her natural waves prominent with a little extra product, her body was covered in a little black dress. It was one of the few dresses she owned that didn't look like she was going to a funeral. The spaghetti straps fit just over her shoulders and held up her breast in a way that made them seem a lot bigger than they actually were. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous, she had met Grace plenty of times but this time was different. This would be the first time she seen her as her dad's girlfriend and not just one of the people he works with.

"This is good, this is how you move on Meredith," she murmured to herself as she finally got the courage to grab her keys and handbag and walk to her car. She opened the door, climbing into her car as she drove down the rainy Seattle streets. She couldn't shake the butterfly feeling in her stomach as she pulled into his driveway. She slowly walked to the front door, reaching out to knock as the door swung open.

"Hi Meredith," the girl said with a smile. It had been 6 weeks since her surgery and she was doing amazing. Her energy had came back completely and she was constantly on the move according to Derek.

"Hi Grace, I'm glad to see you are doing so good," Meredith said with a smile as she walked in with her.

"Yeah, daddy said as soon as I'm cleared by Dr. Altman, I can start soccer again," she said happily.

"Wow, I can't wait to see you play. I bet you're the best," Meredith nodded.

"I am, before my surgery the coaches barely let me play because I would get put of breath too fast but I've been practicing. You wanna see how long I can dribble for?" She asked with excitement.

"Sure," Meredith chuckled as she watched her scurry around to find her ball.

"Grace, you need to take a break. You've been practicing all day," Derek said with a smile as he walked from the stairwell over to the girl and lifted her into his arms.

"Daddy, you always say that practice makes perfect," she huffed.

"Yes I know, but you are going to tire yourself out. Now I need to find out where your aunt Amelia is," he furrowed his brows as he sat her down on to her feet. He shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

Meredith stood awkwardly, watching him fumble with the cell phone with a frustrated look on his face. She felt her stomach flip and twist, waiting for him to even notice her presence. She felt a sigh of relief when he finally looked up at her. His face quickly turned into a bright sunny sky as he looked into her eyes, the corners of his mouth turning into a smile.

"Hey," he said in a low breath, taking all of her in as his smile widened further than he'd ever felt.

"Hey," she felt her lips curve into a smile as she looked at him, really taking in him. He had a button down red shirt, a small pocket on the left breast. He paired the shirt with a casual pair of dark washed jeans and a brown belt to hold the pants on their place. Their little moment was interrupted by the front door swinging open as Amelia came waltzing in, her hair damp from the rain that had yet to stop.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. Surgery ran late," she said with a huff as she came to an abrupt stop as she looked at the two of them.

"Snazzy, I like it," Amelia said as she patted her brothers shirt.

"Amy," he groaned, sliding his hands down his shirt to pull the non-existent wrinkles from the shirt.

"Hush, now you two go have fun. We are going to have a girls night," Amelia smiled as she looked over at the girl.