My Husband Is My Savior (ON HOLD)

Chapter 7 (Get Away) Part 2

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We arrive to my parent's house and my mother greets each of us with a tight hug. Derek only hesitates for just a moment before hugging her back. It's nice to see his reaction time is getting faster.

"Thank you for letting john stay over." She says. "He's been dying to go over there."

"It was nothing." I shrug. "He and Derek hung out for most of the time and they got along great."

"Really?" My mom's eyes grow wide as she looks at Derek. "That's great. He's really wanted to spend time with you for a while now. I'm so happy the two of you got along."

"Well he's a great kid." Derek smiles as he ruffles John's hair. "Smart, kind, and funny. Honestly, both of your kids turned out great. I'm lucky to have them both in my life." I smile as I take his hand and lean against his arm.

"Oh, you're too kind." My mom says with a smile. "You've really turned into a nice young man. I know it isn't much coming from me, but I'm proud of you. You've really turned over a new leaf."

"Thank you." His smile grows. "It does mean a lot to me that you see me differently. I mean, I'm dating your daughter, so of course your approval matters to me." He laughs nervously as he rubs the back of his neck and I nearly die from how cute he is.

My mom overlooks his awkwardness and thankfully changes the subject. "Would you like to stay for breakfast? It won't take long to make."

"Actually, we already ate. We're kind of in a rush today." I explain. "Derek and I are going camping, so we still need to buy some gear before going."

"Oh, well we still have our old tents and sleeping bags in the garage if you'd like to take them."

"Really?" I thought dad threw them out years ago."

"Of course not. Your father always thought we'd go again once John was older, but unfortunately it hasn't happened yet. You're free to take whatever you want or need."

"Thanks mom." I take Derek's hand and pull him to the garage.

We search for anything camping related and I soon find a box labeled camping and ask Derek to reach the top shelf and grab it.

"Wow, it has to suck being bite-sized." He says as he easily reaches the box and takes it down.

"Bite-sized?"

"Yeah." He smiles. "Your short, therefore you're bite-sized. But don't worry, it's part of the reason you're so cute." He ruffles my hair and I swat his hand away. He chuckles as he reaches out and pinches my cheek. I swat his hand away again, but he doesn't stop as he tickles me under my chin.

"Would you stop it." I snap, swatting his hand away for the last time. "I'll let you know, I'm very happy with my height. What's with you today? First you called me annoying this morning, granted I was waking you up, but you also called me slow and challenged me to a bet. Now you're making fun of my height."

"Can't I just enjoy having you around?" He gives me a crooked smile as he stares into my eyes. I stare back at him, his eyes captivating me as usual. "I get my girl all to myself for an entire weekend." He reaches over and wraps an arm around my waist before pulling me to him and closing the gap between us. His other arm slowly wraps around me as he holds me tighter. My head rests against his chest as he holds me in a tight hug. I feel his chin rest on top my head. "I don't have to share you with anyone. I just want to enjoy this while I can."