How Sweet It Is

26

She had to sneak in. It was almost time for the sun to come up and there was no way Mrs. Shepherd would be up willingly so she had to sneak in. Maybe if she was really quiet, she could get upstairs and back in bed without Mrs. Shepherd catching her. So she just had to be quiet, very quiet.

"Meredith Dear, is that you?" Mrs. Shepherd said from the living room as she heard the door quietly close.

"Shit...." Meredith stumbled, catching a hand on the banister. "No...it's not."

"I know what sneaking in sounds like. Come in here."

"I'm really tired." She called back, biting her lip as she waited for Derek's mother's consent to go upstairs. She had to let her go back to bed.

"I know. I am too. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes, Dear." Mrs. Shepherd replied, coming to the living room doorway.

"Crap."

"Why don't we go sit down in the kitchen?"

"I um....well...."

"I'll make us some tea."

"Oh." Meredith frowned as the older woman took her hand, leading her into the kitchen of the older house.

"Herbal or regular?" Mrs. Shepherd asked, as she put some water in the kettle.

"Oh um....regular."

"It will be ready in a minute." She sighed, taking a seat next to Meredith .

"Right...." Meredith clasped her hands together.

"You went running out of here pretty fast earlier."

"Oh I um...I had forgotten a thing and I had to go....fix...get...there was a thing."

"What kind of thing?"

"An important thing...."

"At four in the morning?"

"You don't believe me." Meredith whispered.

"This is about me finding about you and Derek." Mrs. Shepherd said gently.

"No...."

"Are you sure?"

"No." Meredith whispered, her eyes meeting his mother's.

"I apologize for butting in like that tonight." Mrs. Shepherd smiled softly.

"You didn't we were being too....we were...you weren't butting in...we should have been quiet when we were talking..."

"I was awake anyways. Don't give it a second thought. It's me that should be apologizing."

"You?"

"I was way too pushy up there...I shouldn't have made you two tell me something you weren't ready for."

"I don't know why I didn't lie." She whispered. "It would have been easy to lie and to not storm out but I said something and it was big."

"And you really mean it?" Mrs. Shepherd asked.

"Mean what?"

"That you're in love with my son."

"Yes." She admitted, her heart skipping a beat that she never knew it could. "I really do love him."

"That's..." Mrs. Shepherd began, only to be interrupted by the tea kettle. "Do you still want tea?"

"Sure."