Can't Help Falling in Love

85

"Okay, girls, we're all bathed and into pajamas," Derek smiled down at his daughters in the playpen. "Now let's have a little talk, okay? Mommy and Daddy are going to go out and have a special night, just the two of us. We both love you a lot, but we have to have some time for the two of us as well. But we're not leaving you with a stranger, we're leaving you with Grandma. And you'll probably spend a lot of time with her because she loves you a lot, and she lives really close. A really long time from now when Mommy goes back to being a teacher, you'll probably stay with her all day, so you should get used to her taking care of you. Mommy and Daddy are only going to be gone for a couple of hours, and if you're good for Grandma, we'll have some extra special family time tomorrow. How's that sound?"

Melanie smiled up at him with wide eyes and Becky giggled as she rolled over to reach for the teddy bear in the corner of the playpen.

"Good," Derek smiled, reaching for a book that sat on the coffee table. "How about a book?" he asked. "I know you love when Daddy reads to you."

Before he could open the cover, however, the doorbell rang and Meredith's voice rang out from the top of the stairs. "Derek, can you let your mom in?"

"Sure!" he called back sighing as he looked down at his daughters. "Sorry princesses, I'll be right back and then Grandma will read to you."

He made his way to the front door, smiling as he let his mom in and kissed her cheek quickly. "Hi Mom."

"Hi sweetheart," she smiled. "Are you excited for a night out with Meredith?"

"I am," Derek smiled. "It's been too long."

"I'm glad you're doing this now," Emma smiled as she followed Derek into the living room. "There are my beautiful granddaughters."

"Here they are," Derek smiled as Emma leaned down to pick Becky up. Before he could say anything else, he paused as Meredith walked into the room, suddenly forgetting to breath.

His wife, the woman who over the past two months had been dubbed the most amazing mother alive, had somewhat forgotten what it meant to get dressed up. Not that he ever would have asked her to in her exhausted state, but when they'd decided to go out to a nice dinner together, he had expected a pair of nice jeans and a sweater, maybe a pair of heels. But now she stood before them in a short black dress that showed off her new breasts the perfect amount. The soft material clung to her hips, and her long legs ended in a pair of black heels he knew she knew he loved. Her hair curled around her face that was done up with just a hint of make up, and she was smiling nervously at Emma.

"Wow," he heard himself saying.

"Wow?" Meredith raised an eyebrow.

"You look...amazing."

"Thanks," she said, blushing as she looked down at her feet for a moment before moving to the play pen as Emma set Becky back down. "Okay," she sighed, pulling a blanket up over both girls. "They ate about an hour ago, and Derek just bathed them and put them in their PJs. Bed time is in about a half an hour, which means you should probably start now. We usually each read them a book with them in our laps, but you can keep them in the playpen if you don't want to hold them both at the same time. Their diapers should be changed once more before bed, and make sure you cuddle with them before putting them down. Melanie likes to sleep with her teddy bear beside her, and Becky will scream bloody murder if she's put on her stomach. She's almost got the rolling over thing down, but not quite, so be sure to put her on her back. They probably won't wake up again until midnight, so we should be home, but let me show you where the bottles are..."

"Meredith," Emma said, reaching for her daughter in law's hand. "I know you're nervous about this, but I have cared for babies before."

"I know," Meredith sighed as she knelt in front of the play pen. "I just...I've never left them before, and I'm sure that I'm forgetting something important."