Take Two

Chapter 53

-xx-

"I am the luckiest man in the world," Derek stated as he shut Whitney's car door behind her.

She grinned and slipped her hand around his. "And why is that?" she asked with a soft laugh.

"Look at the beautiful woman on my arm tonight," he said before turning towards her. Whitney found herself blushing; partially due to the heat and their proximity between Derek's truck and the car parked next to them, but because of the sincerity dripping from his voice. It never ceased to amaze her how he viewed her.

His right hand slid his keys in to his pocket and moved to her side. He could not help the grin crossing his lips when his hand moved slowly towards her belly. Derek laughed as he felt her belly button ring first. "That'll be coming out soon," she said with a laugh.

"That's a damn shame," he said with a frown crossing his face. "It's just so sexy."

She giggled; Derek smirked at how easy it was to elicit that reaction from her. And he would admit that her giggle and laugh were like music to his ears. His hands ran over the burgundy maxi dress she wore. It was not skin tight but it seemed to have been made for her.

The spaghetti straps showed off her shoulder tattoo, and the v-neck gave Derek just enough of a view of her ample chest. He could never get enough of this woman's body.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble," she said with a wink, "but I'd prefer to take it out earlier than later. I've seen infections and it's not pretty."

Derek scoffed. "That's exactly what I wanted to talk about before we go have dinner," he said with a smirk crossing his lips. "So now I'll struggle to get that thought out of my head."

Whitney placed her hand to her hip and cocked her head to the side. "I'm sorry. The guy who deals with horrific and disgusting crime scenes can't talk about the icky things," she teased.

Derek nodded. "Whatever you choose to do, mama," he said softly before pressing a kiss to her forehead. She always smiled when he called her by the new name. "Just know that I'll miss it and I'll be hoping it goes back in after this little man come." He accented his words by rubbing the back of his hand against her still flat stomach.

"We'll see," she answered. "But for now, let's get inside. I'm starving."

"Some things never change," he joked. Derek dropped his hand from her stomach, but tightened his grip on her hand as they started across the parking lot.

Whitney glanced down and smiled. Their hands always fit perfectly; she felt safe and secure, but his grip was tender enough to show her love, too. Whitney offered a smile as he held the door to the restaurant open for her.

She loved watching him take charge. It may have just been checking in at the hostess stand, but he was proud to say 'two for Morgan'. The wink he sent in her direction caused her heart to skip a beat.

"Right this way," their hostess said before stepping out from behind the stand. Derek gestured for Whitney to go first, but held on to her hand to follow behind her. He smirked as he watched the burgundy fabric tighten on her back end with every step.

Whitney glanced over her shoulder as she could feel Derek's eyes on her. The smile he wore caused her to realize it was not worth the effort to say something and turned back just as they reached their table.

"What are we going to have tonight?" Derek asked as he slipped in to his seat across from Whitney. He picked up the menu and started to browse it, but would stop often to take quick peeks at the blonde.

Her lower lip was pulled between her sparkling white teeth as she surveyed the menu. "All of it," she said with a laugh.

Derek chuckled. "It's good to see that your appetite is back," he commented softly.

She nodded. "It worries me, though," she admitted. "Most people I know have had zero appetite through their entire first trimester. Some for their entire pregnancy," she stated. "A few weeks ago, I could barely look at food, and now I'm starving all the time."

The black man pursed his lips and laid his menu on the table. "He just eats like his old man," he said with a wink. "When you start craving buffalo wings, we'll know for sure that we're having a Derek Morgan Jr."

Whitney rolled her eyes. "That won't happen," she said with a shrug. "This baby can ask for them all they want, but I refuse to eat those."

Derek laughed at her response. "Give it a few more weeks," he said. He knew from their trip to Vegas that she was not a fan of spicy or hot food. She cringed when he ordered buffalo wings at the hotel bar during their trip. "He'll have you eating everything spicy."

Whitney shook her head. "Nope," she answered flatly. "Besides, I can't get enough pasta and cheese right now." Derek smirked at her confession. They were on a video chat while he was away during the week, and she was extremely satisfied with the grilled cheese sandwich she had made. He had been pleasantly surprised to come home from the road to homemade macaroni and cheese the night before.

"You've made that evident," he said with a laugh.

Their conversation slowed as their waitress came over to introduce herself and take their order. Derek had to laugh when she ordered a pasta dish. She shot him a look when the chuckle left his lips, but her eyes narrowed when he ordered a steak. "Per usual," Whitney muttered under her breath before taking a sip of her water.

"Thank you," Derek said to the waitress as she took their menus from him. "Am I getting predictable?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded. "Extremely," she answered with a smirk.

She pursed her lips as she watched the man across from her. She thanked her lucky stars for every moment she got to spend with him. He was off so frequently for work that being able to steal an entire day together was just what she needed.

"Still thinking about that call from earlier?" His words caught her off guard. She would be lying if she said no.

She could not get her brother's expression out of her mind. He looked so disappointed in her and that hurt the most. She was ecstatic about the pregnancy and her relationship, but Garrett thought it was all too quick.

She understood where he was coming from. He never really liked Mason. They were not the best of friends – barely acquaintances if you asked Garrett. Mason always had a quick tongue and most jokes he spouted off her about his sister. Garrett Buchanan did not spend his late teens and early twenties protecting that girl so she could be treated like someone's property.

"He's so mad at me," she mumbled. Her fingers shifted the silverware on the table back and forth.

Derek shrugged. "He's never met me, Whit," he reminded her. "I'll change his mind when I'm able to meet him in person."

Whitney pursed her lips in to a tight smile. "He's a tough one," she admitted. "I know he's making sure I found the right guy this time, but I know for a fact that I did." The smile that crossed Derek's lips at her confession made her happy.

"I take it he was not a fan of Mason?" Derek asked softly as he picked up his own glass of water.

She shook her head. "Hated him," she answered bluntly. "Said he didn't appreciate the way Mason would talk to me or about me. Told me I picked the wrong guy." Whitney shrugged her shoulders. "I see that now, but I was a twenty-four year old who was head over heels in love with the first guy to bat his eyelashes in her direction."

"He never knew what he had," Derek added. "I know how lucky I am that you even give me the time of day, Whit. That guy had you for ten years and completely blew it."

Whitney scoffed. "Take me off of that pedestal, Agent," she quipped. "I'm nothin' special."

Derek shook his head and leaned closer to the table. "That's where you're wrong," he offered. "You don't see how amazing you are, Whit, but I'll prove it to you."

Her cheeks flushed at the compliment. "So," she started, trying to change the subject away from her, "what was so important that we got all dolled up for dinner?" Whitney would never admit how handsome she thought he looked. It was a simple restaurant, but one that they both admitted they liked. Whitney's dress was nothing fancy, but it was comfortable. Derek stunned her in a pair of dark jeans and a black button up.

"We're celebrating," he said, before thanking their waitress as she placed their drinks on the table. Derek picked up his glass and held it up for her to cheers with. "Ten weeks down, thirty to go."

She grinned. "Thirty to go," she recited. The sigh that escaped her lips caused him to laugh. "You know a lot more about my crazy family. What about yours? What do your sisters do for work?"

"Sarah is a paralegal," he answered with a bright smile. "And Desiree is an interior designer." The way he spoke of his sisters made Whitney grin. He boasted with pride at their accomplishments.

"That explains it," Whitney said. She took a sip from her ginger ale before placing the glass back to the table. Derek's eyebrow rose. "I was trying to figure out how your house was so impeccable when it's just been you. No single, straight man cares that much about how their house looks."

Derek chuckled. "Desi did a lot of work when I bought that place," he admitted. "I was on the road for almost a month straight, but she killed it. I came home and the place was done."

Whitney smiled at his admission. "I was worried about the woman's touch I was picking up, but I like knowing that it was just your sister."

Derek pursed his lips as he watched her. The slight amount of jealousy he was picking up was attractive. It was good to know that he was not the only one in the relationship wanting to make sure there was no one else.

"Well," Derek said as he reached across the table. "I've been wanting to talk to you about the house."

-xx-