Take Two

Chapter 26

-xx-

"My bestie is a married woman," Whitney called out as she lifted her wine glass across the dining table. "It only took six years, but it finally happened! I'm so happy for you both!"

Piper grinned in the blonde's direction as she tapped her own wine glass against her best friend's. "Only six years," she repeated sarcastically. "He's spent about seventy-five percent of that time deployed."

"I think the military knew what he was getting in to," Whitney responded. "Every single time you booked a date, he'd get a new deployment date." The blonde could not contain her laugh. "It only took four tries."

The redhead nodded at her friend's words. "Well, it's finally legit," she said with a simple smile crossing her lips.

Whitney settled back in her seat and smiled as Derek's arm moved from the back of her chair to rest against her back. His hand rested just against the bare skin on her arm.

He could not get enough of her dress. He chuckled at the memory of Piper squealing when she saw them step off of the elevator. Derek was lucky enough to have a pair of dress pants and a clean dress shirt leftover from the case.

The red fabric accented her tan from their afternoon at the pool the day before. The top was fitted but seemed to flow due to the ruffles outlining her chest. She felt comfortable with how it flowed to her mid-thigh.

Matched with a pair of shorter heels than she wore the night before, and her hair in soft curls, Derek thought she was stunning. He knew he was biased, but he was convinced she looked better than the bride.

Piper's short and tight white dress was exactly what she wanted. Kristine had helped her with her hair; her red locks were tucked in to a neat, curly up-do. Whitney could not get enough of the smile on her best friend's face. She always said it was her best accessory, but it did not seem to be going anywhere tonight. And it would grow every time she looked at her new husband.

"Let's eat so we can go celebrate," Piper called across the rounded table.

There were several hollars around the table at her announcement. "I need to go show off my beautiful bride," Ryan added, much to the chagrin of the redhead.

-xx-

"She's so happy," Whitney commented from her seat at the hi-top table. She could not tear her eyes from her best friend as she watched her dance with Ryan.

Derek took a sip from his bottle of beer and released a content sigh. "You two are a handful," he added with a laugh. The blonde slowly turned towards him with a lifted eyebrow. "When you two get together, it gets crazy."

Whitney pursed her lips and thought about his words. They were at their third stop since dinner and Whitney was abiding by Piper's 'party rules' to a tee. They were doing shots at the first bar, and table dancing at the second.

"She's got an infectious personality," Whitney quipped. "She makes everyone around her want to enjoy themselves. All the time – even when she's struggling. I just want this trip to be perfect for her."

Derek nodded as he watched the blonde take a sip from her beer bottle. "She's lucky to have you."

Whitney shook her head. "I'd be lost without her," she responded softly. Her voice was almost drowned out by the music. "It's tough on her when Ryan is deployed, but when she found out what I was dealing with," she paused to sigh. "I know she still beats herself up over it sometimes."

Derek was thrilled to see their friendship in person. Whitney always spoke so highly of her best friend, but other than the night they met, he had not seen Piper. They were closer than most sisters he knew – his excluded.

"But look at her," the blonde exclaimed. "She hasn't stopped smiling all night."

Derek leant close to Whitney to whisper in her ear. "And neither have you," he pointed out.

The blonde could feel his breath on her cheek as she slowly turned back towards him. She placed a hand to his cheek before pecking him on his lips. "You're the main reason behind that," she admitted.

"I'm happy to hear that," he mumbled back to her.

"I don't know how you tolerate me," she said with a laugh.

Derek shrugged as he stayed as close to her as he could. "You're worth it, Whit," he said softly. "Whether you believe it or not, you are worth it to me."

She licked her lips as she replayed his words in her mind. "I am seriously falling for you, Derek Morgan," she whispered against his cheek. "I don't know how you did it, but you make me want to let my guard down."

"I'm not going anywhere," he muttered back. He braced himself with a hand to her thigh, though the pressure was not much. It seemed more of a move to let her know that he was there. "The more you let me in, the more I want you, Whitney."

The honesty in his voice caused her to take a deep breath. "You're too good for me," she mumbled before pulling her bottom lip in to her mouth. Their proximity and the alcohol flowing through her veins were causing her heart rate to increase. "I don't deserve you," she said softly before closing her eyes as she rested next to him.

"You deserve everything," he shot back. "I only hope that I can be the one to prove that to you."

Derek pulled back just a bit from her to place his forehead against hers. Her blue eyes slowly fluttered open to watch the man in front of her. "If you think I'm letting you go, you're crazy."

His lips curled in to a slight smile. "I have no intentions of going anywhere." He pressed his lips to her forehead before sitting up to take a sip of his beer. "Your friends probably think we're crazy."

The blonde shrugged. "Piper gets it – she just gets me," she said before sitting up straight in her seat. "Like you've said, it's not ideal, and trust me – I wish I wasn't married. I was young and naïve, and now I feel stuck."

Derek shook his head. "We'll handle this, and you'll be free of him. I promise you that, Whitney."

She pursed her lips; the justification in his voice was enough to cause the emotion to rise in her chest. "I wish he would just sign the damn papers," she said with a sigh. "When I left for Virginia, I left them on the counter."

"Due to the circumstances," he began softly, trying not to bring up what she went through, "the courts should be able to take care of it. Even if he doesn't sign them."

"I hope so," she said quietly. She shook her head and ran a hand through her soft curls. "Enough of this – can we go dance?"

"So much for the woman who says she doesn't dance," he said with a laugh. Whitney lifted her brow in his direction. "But when you're dressed like that, I will never say no to you."

-xx-