I have an update for you guys at last. I hope you will let me know what you think in a comment. I live for those. Thank you.

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Chapter 21

Derek was doing some serious thinking. He had been contemplating a change in the status quo for a while but hadn't acted on it because he wanted to be sure. There was no sense in doing it, only to find that he had made a mistake.

"Are you all right?" Addie asked him.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You seem distracted."

"I guess I am."

"Want to tell me what about?"

"I can't. Not right now."

"All right." Addison felt fear in her again. Had he changed his mind? Was he now going to leave her?"

Derek shook his head. "No, Addie, I'm not going to leave you."

She blushed. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

"I can read your expressions after all this time. I would like to think I have learned something about you after all this time."

He did have a point, she had to admit.

Still, she did feel a growing uneasiness that there was something on his mind that he was reluctant to talk to her about. Isn't that how they got into this situation in the first place? Wasn't a lack of clear communication at least a part of it, if not the whole part?

She decided to tell him that and did.

He nodded. "I hear what you're saying, Addie, I do. But this isn't something that I feel ready to discuss with you yet. I will but right now isn't the time and I don't want to hurt you by jumping the gun on anything."

Addison blinked. That she had not been expecting. She wasn't sure to be happy that he was being so careful of her feelings or scared about what the implications of whatever he was thinking about could be?

Apparently, he could read her mind, as his next words suggested. "I promise you this isn't anything bad and you will know as soon as I'm ready to tell you."

Addison sighed. "All right. I believe you. It's just hard."

"I know and I'm not doing this to hurt you any further. I just have to be sure."

"All right. Then I'll give you the time to be sure."

Which she did. It was hard but she did it.

About two weeks later Derek came to her as she was getting ready for bed. "Would you like to get ready for bed in the place you should be?"

Addison blinked. "Are you asking what I think you're asking?"

Derek nodded. "I'm asking you to move back into our bedroom."

"You really mean it?"

"I do."

Then it dawned on her. "This is what you were thinking about. What you wouldn't tell me."

He nodded again. "I've been thinking about it ever since we heard the baby's heartbeat. Yes, I know it isn't a heartbeat, not really, but you get what I mean."

"I do." Addison just stood there, trembling with tears in her eyes.

Derek was alarmed. "Addie, are you, all right?"

She nodded. "I'm just really overwhelmed. I had hoped to be able to be with you again, but I wasn't expecting it this soon."

"I want to be clear, though. I'm still not ready to have sex with you, yet."

Addison nodded again. "I get that. That's fair."

"I don't want to rush things and I think baby steps is the best way to go." They both couldn't help laughing at that phrase.

Then he went on. "But that is why I didn't want to say anything to you. I didn't want to get your hopes up if I had decided that I wasn't ready."

"I appreciate that, Derek. "

"So, are you going to come or not?" He teased her.

She smiled at him. "I'm coming."

She followed him to their bedroom but stopped in the door. "What?"

"It looks the same. I don't think it will feel the same."

He nodded. "Yeah, at first I thought about sleeping in another of the bedrooms."

"You didn't, though."

"No. I guess I decided to not let a feeling stop me. After all, I did stay after catching you in the act here."

"That's true. You did."

"Anything after that was going to be small potatoes in comparison."

"Yes. Anyway, are you sure? I mean, really sure."

"As sure as I can be. I told you I have been thinking about this for a while. I wanted to be as sure as I thought I could be before saying anything to you."

"I appreciate that, Derek."

"So, are you coming into our bedroom or what?"

"Yes." She entered and then got into bed.

"How are you?"

"Happy but nervous. I know we're just going to sleep and that's all but…"

"I get it. I feel the same way."

"Will it ever get any better?"

"I hope so. This is only the first night. It will probably take some time for us to get used to each other again."

"Yeah." She sounded sad.

"What's the matter, Addie?"

'You saying we have to get used to each other again. I know you're right, but we shouldn't have to and we wouldn't if I hadn't—" Her voice broke.

"That's enough. What's done is done and you and I are moving on from it. I want you here and I need you to want to be here."

"Of course, I want to be here. I've missed you and being with you in any capacity so much."

"I've missed you too."

"Really?"

"Yes. It wasn't easy for me to admit that obviously, but it is true."

"I understand, Derek."

"Yes. Anyway, here we are."

"Yes, and I'm really glad to be back here again. I don't want you to think I'm not."

"I don't think that."

"Good."

"I think we should probably stop talking, though and go to sleep. We do have work in the morning."

"True. Good night, Derek."

"Good night, Addison."