Savior

Chapter 59

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Cate stepped into the living room with a bright smile on her face and two glasses of wine in her hands. She stepped around the couch and handed one to Derek before taking a seat next to him. "What's this for?"

"We have submitted our very first offer," she answered as they clinked their glasses together.

The smile that crossed Derek's face almost made her weak in the knees. It was pure happiness that reached his eyes completely. "How do you feel?" he asked as he watched her take a sip of her wine.

She exhaled as she swallowed. "I'm nervous, but really excited." No matter what she did, the smile could not leave her face. "It's the first time I've ever put in an offer for myself."

There had been several options for the twosome, but nothing felt right. Even through looking at the photos online, Derek dismissed several of them from a builder's point of view – he knew what upgrades Cate would want and figured them into their budget. Most would have put them well over the budget Cate was adamant about sticking to.

But when the two stepped into the house on Saturday afternoon, Cate felt peace as soon as she stepped through the front doors. The kitchen had been recently upgraded and fit Derek's needs. The small sitting area off of the kitchen that Cate boasted about lived up to her expectations when they toured the house.

Derek kept pointing out little things that he loved when they walked through; or things that made Cate nervous, such as 'knocking down this wall to open the room up more'. She loved seeing the builder side of him. He claimed it was just a hobby but she really appreciated everything he explained.

"Now I know how my clients feel," she said with a laugh. "I'm not getting too ahead of myself, but I hope this one works out."

"If it's meant to be," he reminded her with a smile. Derek placed his wine glass on the table and pulled Cate close to him. "It doesn't matter where we end up, baby. As long as we're together."

The smile crossing Cate's face grew quickly. "It's in my mom's hands now, so let's keep our fingers crossed." She put her glass down next to Derek and wrapped both arms around his neck, careful to not put pressure on his left shoulder. "I've never been on this side of a real estate transaction," she admitted.

"Never?" Derek asked.

She shook her head. "I rented from Antonio for over six years, and before that I bounced around apartment buildings. It was only me; there was no need to buy a house."

"Well," he began as his hand slid to the base of her neck, rubbing tenderly at the bare skin. "It's about time we change that." Derek's smile matched the one on his girlfriend's face. Those blue eyes he loved so much sparkled. "We're on to bigger and better things, Catie. And the best is yet to come," he said with a wink.

"That is very true," she countered. "We're half way to Aruba right now!"

Derek could only laugh and shake his head; he was sure she knew what he really meant, but was letting it slide for the time being. He gave her credit – she was busting her ass to get them the trip. He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited; he had already mentioned to Hotch that he would most likely be taking that week off of work. A week of fun in the sun with his lovely girlfriend was something the two of them were definitely looking forward to.

He had to remind her that they were looking at a house for them, and she wasn't selling it. He wanted to be sure that she felt comfortable and loved it just as much as he did. Any house would work for him, but he was determined to give her the best possible. Derek knew if their offer was accepted he'd be putting in overtime to make it Cate's dream house.

Cate's mother had a way of making a house a home when touring one. "This would be a perfect place for a Christmas tree" she remarked in the den off of the open foyer. "Maybe you can host Thanksgiving with the size of this kitchen," was his favorite line that she used.

It was if Cate had been dreaming of owning her own home; she took out her Pinterest app when the two made it back to the apartment after touring the house. She was explaining changes she would make based off of the pictures on her phone. Derek lost himself watching the excited brunette explain why she loved something.

Derek excused himself from the couch as he heard his cell phone ring in the kitchen. Cate rested back on the couch and let out a content sigh. "Mark your calendar for Friday night," Derek said as he stepped back into the living room. She looked up with an eyebrow raised as he sat back down next to her.

"For what?" she asked.

He grinned. "Date night," he replied simply. "That's all you need to know."

She rolled her eyes. "I need a little more information than that."

Derek pursed his lips and shook his head. "You're not getting more information than that. I may give you hints up until next week, but otherwise, you're on your own."

Cate crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. Derek could only laugh. "Please," she begged. "What am I supposed to wear? What time should I be ready? I need to know this stuff!"

"Be ready when I get home from work," he answered. "That means actually being ready." She grinned at how well he knew her and her lack of being on time. "And you can wear whatever is comfortable. It's nothing to get too dressed up for."

He continued his text message conversation on his phone and noticed Cate trying to peek across the couch. He turned the phone just out of her view. "That's not a lot to go on."

He shrugged. "That's all you're getting."

"You know I'm going to stress over it for the next five days, right?"

Derek nodded. "And it's going to be hilarious."

"Don't forget your day of golf on Saturday," she warned. "My father wants to be there first thing in the morning."

"I'm not the one who is terrible at getting somewhere on time."

She pursed her lips together into an over-exaggerated pout. "I'm not that bad! I made it to your work the other day before I even said I was going to be there!"

"One time," he joked. "Don't try to change the subject, Cate. I'll be on time Saturday. You need to be ready on time Friday night."

"You're really not going to tell me what we're doing, are you?"

Derek shook his head and smirked. "Not a chance, baby." She sulked further into the couch, much to Derek's chagrin. "Even though you look absolutely adorable, it's not happening."

She sighed and sat up straight on the couch, reaching for her glass of wine. "You're no fair." Derek laughed. "I can't believe it's almost August. I have so much work to do if we want that trip."

"You'll be fine," he reassured. "You've got all month to knock it out of the park. Just think of the huge open house you're hosting on Saturday while I'm golfing."

"Something seems so wrong about that," she said with a laugh. "You're barely a week into physical therapy and you're going to golf, all while I'm working?"

He chuckled. "Not everyone gets to sleep until 9 am during the week, princess." Cate shrugged. "And before you say anything, I know you work hard, but the weekend is your best place to make a sale. You've said it yourself."

"You totally ignored the physical therapy part, huh?"

Derek nodded. "Basically," he replied. "It's useless. I've been hitting the gym since I've been stuck in the office, and its feeling fine."

"Just don't overdo it," she warned as she stood from the couch to refill her wine glass. "I need you in top shape in case we move into a house soon."

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