A/N: Alrighty! So a new chapter, I've had this on my computer the entire time but I just graduated and we had this play etc etc. AND I thought a date would get me more than three reviews. But, it didn't. So thanks to those who have reviewed! You rock! Now, how about we make a new rule? No update unless there's 10 reviews? I like that one :-p
Addeklover: Thanks! And this chapter would be dedicated to you since you reminded me that I hadn't updated this. There will be more Gracie in the next chapter (a whole lot actually) and in the following ones. I think if I ever have a kid she has to be just like Grace!
aiketi: I'm sorry to disappoint you with this chapter but they won't have sex. Not yet at least. And I'm also glad you enjoyed my date :-p
Team McOrton: There will be loads of Addek and Gracie soon and Zebras! But not in this chapter, the next one. Nancy will call some more, Kathleen will too (I love his sisters :-p) Derek totally needs to be supportive because... I want him to be sooo sweet that it'll make you guys sick ;-)
Thanks to you for always reviewing to each chapter, I really appreciate it (:
Now to the RULE! 10 reviews=update :-p we'll see how that'll work...
Connecting
"Mommy!" Grace squealed as soon as Addison walked through the door, making her smile.
"Hey sweetie!" She lifted her up in her arms. "How was your day?"
"Awesome! I can't wait for the zoo tomorrow." Her eyes were big and filled with excitement. "He didn't forget, did he?"
"I'm sure he didn't." Addison walked into the living room to greet Richard and Adele as well.
"Good, because I really wanna go."
"I know you do, honey." She had to smile at her daughter's excitement. "Hey guys, thanks for watching her today."
"You're welcome and Addison, you really don't need to hurry finding your own place." Richard told her, he had enjoyed having her around.
"Are you being sarcastic?" She chuckled, not sure whether he was or wasn't.
"I am not being sarcastic, it's been nice having the both of you around." The older man rested a hand on her shoulder briefly.
"Thanks, Richard, but we do need to move out at some point, I mean I'm thirty-six years old and living in a house with other people is something I'm way too old for..."
"You're thirty-six?" Gracie looked up at her mother. "You're old!"
"Thank you for that..." Addison sighed, knowing her daughter was right. She was old, especially to be starting a new life.
"Just take your time with things." Adele gave her a soft smile, not only talking about the house and Addison knew that.
"Thanks. Both of you have been amazing."
"Mommy, I'm tired." Grace rested her head on her mother's shoulder, her eyes slipping closed immediately.
"Let's get you to bed." She whispered, walking up the stairs to put her daughter in bed. "Goodnight, Gracie." Addison said softly, tugging Grace in.
"Night mommy, I love you."
"I love you too."
"I miss daddy, why won't he come back?"
"Honey..." Tears filled Addison's eyes, she had tried to explain why Christopher wasn't coming back anymore but she knew how hard this must be on a six year old. "Daddy won't come back, because he's in heaven now." She kissed the little girl's temple, feeling her heart clench when she saw the sad expression in Gracie's face.
"But I want him to come back."
"I know, me too, darling." She began to get up, when her daughter stopped her. "Mommy, can you stay?" Addison nodded and lay down next to Grace, wrapping her arms around her. "I love you." She whispered as she watched Gracie drift off to sleep slowly.
Xxx
Derek was sitting on his deckchair, looking into the darkness from his porch when he saw headlights and a car approaching. He smiled when he watched her get out of her car and walk over towards him.
"Good evening, Dr. Montgomery. What brings you here at ten in the evening?"
"Hmm, you invited me." Addison motioned him to scoot over, which he did so she could sit down next to him.
"Are you alright?" Derek was still a little worried considering her earlier reaction.
"I'm fine." She snuggled up to him, sighing in content. "Grace misses her dad. And so do I... I can't believe it's almost been a year."
"I'm so sorry, Addie." He really was, it must be terrible losing the one you love most of all.
"Don't be... These things happen."
"But it's always different if it happens to you." He felt her nod against his chest.
"I'm sorry that I brought this up." Addison looked up at him.
"Don't be. We can talk about whatever you want to talk about." He told her softly, looking into her eyes. Derek remembered how he had felt when his dad had died and how his mother cried every night, which she still did frequently now, especially when she looked at him for he looked a whole lot like his father.
"Grace asked if you were still taking her to the zoo tomorrow." She signalized him she didn't want to talk about this right now, or maybe never wanted to.
"Of course, I had a resident cover my surgeries."
"You know you didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did, I promised her." Derek shrugged his shoulders, giving her the smile that made her heart flutter. "Are you coming with us?"
"Hmhm, this zoo better be as good as the one in New York." She chuckled, now lying back on the deckchair.
"I have never been to the zoo here. But I assure you it will be great." He lay down next to her, pulling her a little closer.
Somehow over the next hour the topic of their conversation was set on high school.
"Oh my god, you seriously had an afro?" Addison laughed, thinking she may choke.
"Yeah, it's funny now, but back then the ladies loved it."
"Seriously?" She furrowed her eyebrows together.
"No." He stated, laughing as well, he had been in band and had definitely not discovered the wonders of hair products. "You probably were the cheerleader dating the quarterback."
"Hmm, yes." Addison had to laugh, this sounded so cliché. "But I wasn't dating the quarterback until college. And I wasn't a cheerleader then anymore."
"That doesn't make it any better." He chuckled, rolling his eyes. "So, you seriously dated a college quarterback?"
"I also married him."
"That really does sound cliché." He kissed her temple softly.
"Hmhm, I have a question though, how come you have never been married?"
"I don't know... I never met someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Plus the job really limits most relationships. Right and my sisters also act like hyenas whenever I introduce anyone to them." Derek chuckled, yes; his sisters were pretty hard on any women he had ever brought home.
"Have you ever called your sister back?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Nope, not her or the other three who all left messages on my answering machine, asking I better have a good reason to hang up on Nancy and dodge their calls." Addison laughed softly, it was cute how close he was to his family.
"So you have never dated a cheerleader before?"
"Not once. They were always so stuck up in high school and slept with every guy who had an IQ below 10. No offence."
"Ha ha. I wasn't like that. Well, I may have been stuck up. But I wasn't easy."
"Uhuh, sure." He joked, looking at her he realized she wasn't taking the joke so well.
"I bet I have slept with less people than you have."
"I bet not."
"One." Addison simply stated, seeing the look on his face. "Yes, I am serious." She reached over and took a sip of his beer.
"Okay, you do win."
"I know." She laughed when his cell phone rang again. "Really, Derek?"
"I'm sorry." He answered it. "What do you want Kathleen?" Of course his sisters would start calling his cell phone. "I was going to call you back but I'm busy right now." Derek groaned. "With no one!" Addison laughed, loud enough for Kathleen to hear. "Kath, that's private... Fine." He sighed, handing his phone to Addison. "She wants to talk to you. You can just hang up on her, please just do me that favor."
"I won't hang up on her, there has to be a reason you're not." She gave him a look, still amused when she took the phone. "Hi, my name is Addison... Mhm, it's nice to sort of meet you too." She chuckled at something Kathleen had said. "No, he's actually really sweet... Oh, I'm sure he was going to call you as soon as he found the time."
"Hang up." Derek told her but she sushed him.
"I'm sure I'm way better looking than all his other girlfriends." She laughed right before Derek snatched the phone from her hand. "Kathleen, goodbye." He hung up, giving Addison a look.
"What? She was nice." She moved onto her side, her leg now draped over his.
"She's not nice, none of them is, and they're the reincarnation of Satan."
"Then I would really like them." Snuggling closer she looked into his eyes with a smile on her face. "So how was it to grow up with four sisters?"
"Just wonderful." He stated sarcastically. "Especially with a best friend who hits on everything with a pulse."
"Oh my..." She laughed. "That sounds like he got more action in your house than you did."
"That. Was. Cheap." Derek gave her a dramatic look.
"I'm sorry." Addison pecked his lips softly. "But we both know that I'm right."
"Yeah, I guess." He rolled his eyes before kissing her for a little longer. His fingers tangled in her auburn hair as he pulled her closer, causing her to end up on top of him. She pulled back and looked at him, eyebrows raised and an amused expression on her face.
"So not on purpose." Derek defended himself.
"Uhuh, I bet." She grinned, bringing her lips down to his, kissing him more passionately than before, and catching both of them by surprise. Her knees were on either side of him as her tongue was fused to his. Soon his hands had found their way underneath her shirt, running up her back. Addison moaned lowly into his mouth, his feathery light touch sending chills up and down her spine. She began moving her hips against his, breathing heavily against his lips. "Addie..." He moaned. "I think..." But before he could continue she had started placing kisses along his neck and he stopped thinking all together. Hungrily he pulled her lips to his again, pushing his tongue into her mouth, now it was her turn to moan. Her moan turned into a groan of annoyance when his phone rang again.
"Again, I'm very sorry." He sighed, looking up at her.
"It's fine." Addison quickly kissed him again before she moved off him, settling next to him again. "We shouldn't rush this anyway." She shrugged her shoulders, looking at his phone. "Are you gonna answer this?"
"Yeah..." He sighed. "Nancy, Kathleen already called, leave me alone... Yes, you are interrupting... No, I was not looking to score, Nancy!" Derek sounded rather offended.
"Yes, you were." Addison whispered to him and chuckled, she already started to like his sisters.
"Bye, Nancy." He rolled his eyes and hung up, taking the battery out again.
"So what are your other sisters' names?"
"Well there's Kathleen, Nancy, Lauren and Michelle... How about you, big family?"
"Hmm... Well not really. I'm an only child, well kind of, I have a half brother, maybe more than that, I'm not in touch with my father anymore. It's kind of complicated." She chuckled at how messed up this sounded.
"It does sound like that... I used to wish for being an only child every Christmas but it never happened."
"Well, I think your sisters sound great. What do they do for a living?"
"Nancy and Kathleen are doctors, Lauren is a lawyer and Michelle is... Right now I'm not so sure, last time she called she was moving back home from Cabo where she was waitressing... Or was that the place she worked as a fitness trainer..." Derek couldn't remmeber. "She went to college, graduated and worked as a manager for some pharmacy company but somehow that wasn't her thing."
"Wow."
"I know." He laughed, shaking his head.
"So you're seriously the only boy?"
"Yeah, I mean Mark is pretty much a family member, so I do have a brother. A manwhore brother who was the captain of the football team in high school."
"And he was friends with you?" She noticed her tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound the way it did."
"Nah, that sounded about right." Derek felt her moving closer to him, his arms wrapping around her waist. She looked up at him, a smile on her face. This was one of the best nights she had had in a while. It was great getting to know him better and spending with him outside of work.
Remember the 10 reviews? :-p
I hope you enjoyed! Next will be the trip to the zoo!
