Savior

Chapter 44

-xx-

After treating the family to dinner at Mama's favorite restaurant, Derek was able to talk his sisters into joining him and Cate for a night on the town. He watched as his brunette girlfriend sat at the high-top table with Desiree, her fiancé Collin, and Sarah's husband Deshawn.

The two women were in such an animated conversation that he did not notice Sarah step up to him at the bar. Derek was patiently waiting for their drink order as he surveyed the bar.

"You are head over heels in love with her," Sarah stated.

Derek jolted at her voice, but turned to his sister with a grin. "If that's what you want to call it," he replied with a laugh. "She's pretty awesome."

Sarah nodded and leaned against the bar to watch the foursome at the table with her younger brother. "It's so good having you home." A silence fell over the two. "Mom wishes you would visit more often."

He pursed his lips as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket. "I'm home as much as I can be, Sarah," he replied as he handed the bartender cash to cover their round. "And I've been a little preoccupied recently," he said with a smirk as he shrugged back to the table, mentioning Cate without saying her name.

"Oh my god," the oldest Morgan sibling said as she covered her mouth in shock. "You're really settling down. Are you planning-"

Derek lifted his hand and cut her off. "Eventually, yes." He knew Sarah better than anyone else, and knew exactly where her train of thought was headed. "When the time is right, yes, that's the plan."

"Wow," she said with a grin as she helped him pick up some of the glasses. "She's really special, huh?"

Her brother could only beam at her statement. "She takes me for who I am, Sarah. She deserves better than me, but for some reason she wants to stick around."

"You don't give yourself nearly enough credit," his sister reminded. "You are an amazing guy with a crazy busy job. Any woman would be lucky enough to snag you, but you've found a great one."

Derek pursed his lips as he let his sister's words wash over him.

She continued, "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy. You look at her and your entire expression changes." Sarah took a sip of her wine as they started back towards their table. "It's a good thing, bro."

Derek grinned as he followed her through the crowd. He placed the beer bottles on the table, and then placed Cate's drink in front of her. Derek kept an arm wrapped around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

Cate twisted the best she could to kiss his cheek as a thank you. Derek caught Sarah and Desiree watching the twosome from across the table and grinned at his sisters. Desi flashed a grin back at him as she continued the story she was telling.

-xx-

"C'mon," Derek urged as he took her hand to help her off of her barstool. "This is the song you have as your ring tone, after all," he said with a smirk.

Cate laughed; he knew the song from the beginning strains of "Heaven" by Kane Brown. She had it set solely as Derek's ring tone; everyone else had the typical phone ring.

The song blasted from the speakers around the bar, and came from the jukebox. Cate lifted an eyebrow in his direction as she wondered who played the song. His grin gave him away.

Cate wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her close. "You're crazy," she mumbled as he spun her around the floor.

"Crazy for you," he replied. The seriousness in his voice caught her off guard. When he slowly broke into a smile and spun her once more, she laughed.

Derek could see out of the corner of his eye that Desi and Sarah both had their cell phones out to capture the moment. He shrugged them off, silently thanking them for recording it.

Maybe it was the liquor flowing between the siblings and their spouses, or maybe it was the sense of relaxation Derek had when he was in Chicago, but everything in his body made him want to be as close as possible to Cate. He was so proud to show off the woman he was madly in love with around his hometown.

Cate felt like she fit into the Morgan family perfectly. From spending the day with his mother and sister helping finalize decorations for the bridal shower, to dinner with his other sister, Cate felt like she had yet to stop smiling.

She made quick friends with Desiree as they chatted about their shoe collections, and all things fashion. Cate and Sarah bonded quickly over their love of wine and coffee; Cate made sure to add the newest Apothic wine label to her must try list in her cell phone as it combined her two favorite things.

Desiree's fiancé was quiet, but it was easy to tell he came from a wealthy family. She admitted that Desi definitely picked a good guy. Watching Collin and Derek argue over whom was going to pick up the dinner tab made everyone laugh at the dinner table. Cate could not control her laughter as he pulled the FBI card and handed his credit card to their waitress.

Cate settled herself after one last spin as Derek placed his lips on hers. The alcohol flowing between the two of them made them forget who else was in the room. Her arms tightened around his neck, and if it wasn't for the heels she wore, he would have pulled her off of the floor to deepen the kiss.

Derek's hands settled on the small of her back; the flowing fabric from her halter top covered his hand as his fingers slid under the bottom of her shirt.

Sarah coughed loudly to bring the two back to the room. "Hey, we're over here."

Derek shooed her away with his hand and focused on the brunette in his arms. He dealt with a lot growing up with two sisters; the least they could do for him right now was turn away from them and leave them alone.

Desiree laughed at her sister. "Leave them be, Sarah," she scolded jokingly.

"How do I leave them alone? They're right there," she accented her statement by pointing.

Deshawn laughed as he placed an arm around his wife's waist. He slowly turned her to face the opposite direction. "Better?" he asked with a chuckle.

Cate finally pulled back from Derek. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not jump him at that moment. She peeked at the table to her right and caught four sets of eyes watching their every move. "I'll be back," she mumbled and started off towards the bathroom.

Derek stepped to follow her, but was stopped by Desiree's hand on his forearm. "I've got her."

He nodded his thanks while the grin on his face only grew. "Ew," Sarah said with a laugh as Derek stepped towards the table. "Can you keep that at home?"

Derek shook his head as the laughter escaped his older sister's mouth. "Sorry," he muttered as he wiped at his lower lip.

Deshawn held a fist up for Derek, and the two bumped fists, much to the chagrin of Sarah. She laughed as she rolled her eyes; it was so good to see Derek truly happy. She was always the first to comment about his antics when they were in the clubs at a younger age. Most times, she had snuck him in with her.

-xx-

"Cate?" Desiree asked as she stepped into the women's bathroom. "Are you okay?"

She almost bumped into the brunette; Cate stood in front of the sink with her hands rested on either side of it. "Hey," she mumbled as she caught Desi's reflection in the mirror.

"What's up?" The youngest Morgan took the opportunity to step into a stall to use the restroom.

Cate fumbled with the bracelet on her wrist. She made sure to wear the lariat bracelet Derek had gotten her for the Gala. "I don't want to be viewed as trashy by your family."

Desiree flushed the toilet and stepped out of the stall to use the sink next to Cate. "Trashy? You?" She turned back to washing her hands. "Cate, making out with my brother in a bar does not make you trashy. A little PDA never killed anyone."

Cate turned to rest against the cold tile of the sink and waited for Desiree to finish drying her hands. "I'm not the type," Cate began and bit her lower lip.

"Let me put it this way," Desi started as she tossed her paper towel in the trash barrel. "Derek does not do trashy. Yes, he's had some questionable exes, but c'mon, we all have." Cate nodded and let out a deep breath. "You wouldn't be here right now if he wasn't proud to show you off.

"He has never brought anyone home with him. That in itself makes you special." Desiree looked into the mirror above her sink to fix her eyeliner. "Drinks are flowing right now, and you two got caught up in yourselves. I can't blame you and neither will they," she said and pointed towards the door.

"Being with Derek is the biggest change in my life." Cate licked her lips. "It was so engrained in my head that PDA is wrong."

Desiree furrowed her brows. "By who?"

"An ex," Cate replied and shook her head. She slowly turned to face the mirror and fixed the strands of her hair that seemed out of place.

"Well," Desi began as she turned to Cate, "he seems like an idiot. And as much of a moron that my brother can be, he is so in love with you, Cate. Being with you is the smartest thing he's ever done."

Cate grinned at her reflection. Hearing it over and over from his family about how good they were for each other definitely felt good.

"And now that you're smiling, we're going to do one more shot."

Before Cate could reply, Desiree had the bathroom door open and started pulling Cate out of the bathroom by the hand.

"Sarah Francine, to the bar!" The youngest woman in the group pointed towards the bar as she pulled Cate behind her. After Desi ordered the three shots, Cate slipped cash onto the bar from her back pocket. She winked at the bartender as she began to make their drinks.

The bartender placed the three shots on the bar in front of the women. "To the next chapter of Morgan women," Desiree started, "Though only one will have the Morgan last name."

Cate was caught like a deer in headlights. "I'm a Roberts, now," Sarah replied. "And come September, Desiree will be a Fletcher. Someone has to carry the last name for us."

The brunette grinned as the three lifted their shot glasses together. "To Desi's bridal shower," Cate countered, trying her best to change the subject. The two shrugged and clinked their glasses with Cate.

-xx-