I Will Follow You Into the Dark

CHAPTER 75

That's why Derek was so surprised when Trent put his hand on his shoulder. Derek looked up to see his son standing. Meredith's gaze shifted there as well, the spell was finally broken.

Goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near


Once he had everyone's attention, Trent started by thanking his parents and Allison's for their love and support.

"We are lucky to have such terrific families. Graduation is a big step, but it seems less scary because we have all of you and each other." There were awww's all around the table and Allison smiled up sweetly at him.

"We have college and grad school and jobs to look forward to finding. I know we're young, and I know life has only begun to throw its curve balls at us, but I know we'll both be fine. Because we have each other. The murmurs of appreciation for his heartfelt speech came to an abrupt halt when Trent got down on one knee. "Allison, I want you there beside me at every milestone. I've been in love with you forever, and that will never change. You make me want to be a better man." Trent turned to look at Allison's father. "Mr.Baker, I know I should have asked your permission first, and I hope I have it. Because I want your beautiful, smart, caring daughter to be my wife." Turning back to his love, Trent smiled a smile his father could have invented and said, "Allison, I love you. Please say you'll marry me."

Allison looked at Trent lovingly. Then she surveyed the shocked faces around the table. Sensing that someone was likely to blow a fuse if she didn't do something, she looked back at Trent, "Trent, what we have is the real thing. I love you so much. I think we should wait at least a year so that we can prove to ourselves and to our parents that we can handle college." She received a smile and a nod from her mother and mustered the courage to answer without talking this over with her parents. "But in a year, I'd love nothing more than to be your wife." They embraced and kissed in celebration. They were so happy that their youthful energy and hormones overpowered them and the kiss became heated. This time it was Derek who tapped his son on the shoulder to get his attention. As he moved over to shake Mr. Baker's hand, he whispered to his son, "Her dad is going to kill you if you don't stop."

Embarrassed, Trent and Allison pulled back and turned to hug their families. Derek shook hands with John and hugged Gayle. They hugged their daughter and Trent, too. Mr. Baker let Trent know that he needed to talk with him. Trent paled at the thought but agreed and thanked him for his support.

In all the happiness and celebration, nobody had noticed that Meredith was still sitting in her chair. When it finally hit Derek who was missing from the joyous celebration, he glanced her way only to receive a flicker of a quiet icy glare. All too aware what had prompted her change in attitude, Derek cursed silently and wondered what—if anything—he could do to return the mood to the one they'd experienced earlier.

Goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near

Like father, like son, Trent realized that his mother's silence spoke very loudly. He rushed over to her, "Mom, are you OK? Are you upset?"

Meredith smiled as best she could and stood to embrace him. "No," she said, "I love you. I only want your happiness."

"She makes me happy, Mom."

"I know," Meredith replied. "Let me go hug her, too."

Not much later, Trent ran around the table to talk to his father. "Hey, Alli and I need to get to the party. Give mom and the brats a ride home, OK?"

Derek started to say no, but Trent was already leaving with Allison. He didn't want to be rude. Gulping a bit, he looked over toward Meredith and was met with a blank expression. So much for anticipating time to talk with her. He felt more like a kid who was being sent to the principal's office. He knew she blamed him for this engagement—it was written all over her face.

The drive back to Meredith's house was quiet. The girls chatted and kept exchanging looks as they sensed an icy silence from the front seat. Derek's only hope was that the kids would help diffuse the situation. They could help save him from the fight he saw brewing in Meredith's eyes.

He walked them to the door and turned to leave as the girls ran in to answer the ringing telephone, not knowing what else to do. "No," Meredith said flatly, "Come in. We should talk." He was not amused by the irony of her actually asking him to stay and talk. He knew full well this was not the invitation he had hoped for earlier at dinner. To make matters worse, Jenna and Ariella came bounding into the room with news, "Mom! Colleen wants us to come over and spend the night. Please!!!"

Meredith shrugged and hugged the girls tightly, "Go," she said as the girls hugged her and Derek and ran to pack their bags. They were back downstairs in a flash, and they literally ran outside to jog down the street to their friend's house.

Silence echoed where their laughter and banter had been only moments earlier. Meredith and Derek were alone. Meredith sat on the sofa and stared. Derek was nervous. He couldn't just sit. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers, opening them and discarding the caps. Staring at the door that led to the family room, he opted to stay and drain one beer completely before moving. Returning to the fridge to grab a replacement, he opened it and decided it was time to go out and face Meredith's anger.