All You Need is Love

Twenty-Five

Sitting at the dinner table looking directly at Carolyn Shepherd isn't too terrible, I'll admit. She's very sweet, caring, and clearly a wonderful mom.

She asks me about my work, how I like it, what I want to do, which specialty I'd like to go into. She doesn't ask personal questions which I appreciate. She asks of how Derek and I met. Of course Derek tells the story and I look at him in amusement as he tells her. The smile on his face is contagious.

Carolyn listens closely, clearly amazed too. "So Meredith, you weren't originally an intern?" She turns and looks at me.

"Um, no I wasn't actually. I went to med school and had been accepted into the program but, things happen and I ended up working for a publishing incorporation and I was an editor." I explain. I can feel myself slowly tensing up because I know what her next question will be. What happened, Why didn't you initially go into the program.

She looks at me, as if she's scrutinizing me and under her stare I feel a little uncomfortable. Derek grabs my hand, his thumb caressing it and then Carolyn's glance falls into him. I don't see what he looks like but Carolyn's stare turns light.

"Did you enjoy editing and deciding if a book should be published?" She asks. I let out a deep breath.

"Sometimes, other times I wish I had stuck to going to the program. But the way I look at it is if I did, I may have never met Derek. Things align the way the do for a reason and in a terrible way, I guess I'm thankful that I ended up publishing first instead of the internship." I cringe inwardly thinking of my past events and I feel Derek's soft lips press against my temple softly and I smile.

Our food arrives minutes later and I look at the huge course before me. Chicken piccata, my favorite.

Time passes as we eat, conversation at a vault from the delicious food. I can't finish all of mine but that's okay because I can bring it to work tomorrow instead of having that terrible cafeteria food.

Derek sets down his fork and knife and brings his napkin to his mouth before placing it back in his lap. I watch him carefully as he does so and I feel his hand slide up my thigh and I get chills from the small action. I swat his hand away quickly and glare at him, I'm returned with a smile.

I can feel eyes on me and I know that Carolyn is watching us. I don't really mind, she isn't as intimidating as I thought she would be.

"How long have you two been together?" She asks.

I turn back and look at her and clear my throat. "Well a little over nine months, not very long at all really. We were friends before we admitted we had feelings for each other."

Derek looks at me and I roll my eyes and sigh, "Alright before I realized I had feelings for him." I blush.

"So you're telling me, you met my son and didn't think he was the most amazing man in the world?" She jokes and I laugh, she seems to understand his ego quite well.

"He was a very good friend. One I wasn't expecting, and wouldn't usually find myself accepting of. He told me upfront his feelings for me. He did. I didn't really, I guess you could say understand why he did. And along the way his actions, how he held himself, how he cared about me and loved me without admitting it yet really um, it made me believe it and I felt that way too. I have to be honest though, I tried really hard not to feel the same way." I laugh at myself.

"Well Derek, how'd it feel being rejected?" Carolyn rubs in his face. I turn and look at him and he's smiling.

"You know what's amazing, mom? She rejected me before we were friends. And one day, she let me buy her coffee. We were acquaintances and then I saw it, the way she looked at me changed over time. She trusted me more, opened up to me, opened herself up as a person. I'll say it until I'm blue in the face but I really fell in love with her right away. Her not rejecting me because of... situations, I'm always going to be grateful." He turns and looks at me and I know I'm probably going to start crying but I hold myself together under Carolyn's gaze.

Later that night as I take off my makeup in the bathroom, Derek stands behind me, his hands on my hips. He's just watching me and every so often I look at him through the mirror. I scoff, "You're a stalker." I roll my eyes and go back to removing my makeup.

"I guess so, considering I'm in love with you and convinced you feel the same way." He wiggles his eyebrows and I roll my eyes again.

"You're ridiculous... and delusional." I bite back.

He flips me around with my hips and I'm pinned to the counter, looking up at him. "I love you."

I bite my lip and blush, I never get tired of hearing it. "You know, it's adorable how every time I tell you 'I love you,' you automatically blush and bite your lip as if you're hiding your joy.

I dispose the makeup wipe and cross my arms looking up at him. He kneels down slowly. "I love you." And before I can bite my lip he's biting it for me and I let out a gasp as I feel my heart skip a beat.

"I love you." He mumbles against my lips. I involuntarily wrap my arms around his neck.

His lips move from my lips to my cheek and slowly to my ear. "I love you." He whispers into it again. I blush involuntarily.

His lips trail down my ear to my neck, "I love you." He says before he bites my skin and I let out a moan.

His lips vanish too soon and I open my eyes to find him looking directly into mine. "I'm in love with you." My breath hitches in my throat and I smile.

"I'm in love with you." I tell him. He wisps me away in his arms and he lays me down softly on the bed.

"Can I just say something Der?" I say softly as he leans over me.

"Of course." He props himself up on his shoulder and looks down at me intently.

"You're my best friend. I'm always going to see you as that. But being in love with my best friend is something I've always wanted, being able to say that makes me so happy and grateful. And one day, far away," I emphasize, " I'll walk down the aisle or the beach or wherever we get married and I'll be looking at my best friend. When Im in twenty two hours of labor, I know that my best friend will let me ruin his two million dollar hand so that we can welcome our child into the world." I look up at him and he's clearly affected by my words. "I'm so in love with you it scares me sometimes. But then I remember I have my best friend by my side and he's not going anywhere, and neither is the love of my life."

I expect him to say something, something that'll make me more emotional. Instead he rests his head on my chest. His arms is around my waist and my fingers find his curls easily.

He doesn't say anything and I know he won't because he's probably at a loss for words. And that's okay. I know what it's like.

"You wanna know something?" He mumbles against my boob.

"Hmm?" I respond.

"My mom, she adores you. She says you're good for me. That I need someone like you in my life, we don't always see things at the same level, I need that balance in my life she says. She hopes to see you soon, maybe during a holiday to meet the rest of the family. They already know about you, she told them. They want to meet you, all of them. Whenever you're ready... tell me and I'll take you home with me." His last twelve words stay with me and my throat tightens, not in nerves but because of how much he loves me without even having to say those words.

"And Mer?" He adds.

"Uh huh?"

"You're my best friend too. And I love you so much. And I really can't wait to be able to call you my wife and mother of our children someday."

I continue running my fingers through his coarse curls and he nuzzles my chest every once and a while. This begins to feel normal. Laying here with Derek, not talking.. just being. Breathing, together. It becomes normal. At some point I can tell he's fallen asleep on me and I don't care, I watch him breathe in and out peacefully before me and it lulls me to sleep too. He's everything I never thought I wanted, but I couldn't imagine not having him. He's home.

A/N: Depending on my time leniency today I may post another chapter. This one was kind of short considering it was the second part to my last one, hope you enjoyed! Comment, vote and spread the word❤️- Em