Savior

Chapter 74

-xx-

"Feel better?" Cate turned to Derek as she slipped into his SUV.

She grinned. "You treat me like a queen," she said with a wink as she pulled on her seat belt. "Thank you."

He matched her grin as he started up the truck. "You look relaxed, so I'd say that did the trick."

Cate reached for her water bottle in her purse and laughed. "I just spent over three hours at the nail salon. I've very relaxed." She could grin; Derek spared no expense trying to get to feel comfortable and relax. An hour long facial topped off with a deluxe pedicure and manicure was just what she needed.

"Your mom called," he said quietly as he pulled out of the parking lot. "She wanted to know if you were up for dinner tonight."

Cate pursed her lips. "It's family dinner. I don't miss family dinner."

He nodded. "I just wanted to make sure, babe," he said as he reached across to take her hand in his. "I'm not pushing you to do anything."

She shrugged. "Thank you," she offered. "I'm finally starting to feel a little better." With her other hand, she ran her fresh dip manicure over the top of his hand. "I feel kind of normal again."

"There's no way you're normal – you picked me to spend the rest of your life with."

Her laugh echoed throughout the truck. "I'm definitely crazy," she answered with a chuckle. "Crazy in freaking love with you."

Derek lifted her hand to his lips. "Likewise, baby," he answered against the skin of her hand.

"And apparently every woman in that salon is jealous of you too," she added with a laugh.

"I guess they're not lucky enough to be taken care of like you are." He watched as she grinned against the water bottle she placed to her lips. "I'll do whatever it takes to help you feel better."

She placed the cap back on her bottle and slid it into the open cup holder. "You've got one thing right." She waited for him to turn towards her as he slowed the truck at a red light. "Nobody is as lucky as me. I have you."

He beamed at her admission. "We've got a few hours until we need to be at your parents. What did you want to do?"

"Take a nap?" she asked honestly. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still exhausted."

He nodded. "Then a nap it is," he announced.

-xx-

"No thank you, mama," Cate answered softly as her mother lifted a wine glass. "I have enough of a headache." Her mother laughed nervously before placing the glass back in the cabinet. Cate pursed her lips as she watched her mother.

They were sure to arrive first so Cate could talk with her parents alone with Derek. Helena tried her best to hold her emotions in when she pulled her youngest daughter in for a hug. Teddy remained his stoic self in front of his daughter and future son-in-law, but quickly found himself on the back deck with a glass of whiskey.

"I'm okay," she answered her mother's silent question. She could see the words across her mother's face without Helena needing to say them aloud. "I still don't feel good, but I'm okay. Derek has been taking great care of me," she said as she placed a hand on Derek's thigh under the counter.

"I know," Helena said quietly as she turned back to attend to dinner on the stove.

Cate focused on the glass of water in front of her on the island and sighed. "Can we just forget this ever happened?"

Helena shook her head from the stove. "How do I forget that, Catherine?" She placed the ladle in the spoon rest and turned back to her daughter. "I can't forget your sister calling us in the middle of the night to tell us you were in the hospital. Someone drugged you, Cate."

The brunette pursed her lips and nodded softly. "I know, mama," she answered as she stood from her seat at the island. "But whatever they were planning didn't happen." Cate placed a hand to either of her mom's shoulders. "Because of that amazing man over there," she said as the two women turned towards Derek. "I don't remember much but," she stopped to take a deep breath, "they knew Derek was there. They threw me out of the back door when he got there."

"Catie," Derek said softly. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

She shrugged. "Things come back in little snippits. I don't really remember a lot," she replied. Her mother wrapped her arms around her taller daughter's torso and pulled her close to her. Cate instinctively followed suit. "If you had gotten there ten minutes later," she paused and pursed her lips again.

"Well," Helena said as she swallowed back the emotion growing in her throat. "He got there when he did," she directed a small smile in Derek's direction. The matriarch stood back from her daughter, but held her at the waist. "My girl," she muttered. She held her hand out for Derek and grinned when he stood to take it. "And her husband in just over seven weeks."

"About that," Cate started. Her mother turned towards her daughter and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't you dare, Catherine Autumn," Helena warned.

"I was going to say I was taking your advice," she stated simply. "Grace – from work – her mother is going to make our bouquets and centerpieces. She mentioned a dusty rose would look really nice in them."

Helena smiled. "Good," she answered swiftly before stepped away from the couple to turn back to their dinner.

-xx-

"I thought you could use a refill," Cate announced from the doorway to the back deck as she showed off the whiskey glass in her hand.

Her father turned from his seat on the bench and smiled at the youngest child. "Catie girl," he answered as she walked towards the bench. When she took a seat, he wrapped his arm around her. She handed him the glass.

"I'm okay, daddy."

He nodded solemnly. "I know you are, Cate. You're the strongest woman I've ever met – next to your mother."

"Mama's so strong because she's dealt with all of us," Cate quipped causing a laugh to escape her father's lips.

"Why would you trust her?"

Cate shrugged and relaxed into her father's embrace. "She used to be my best friend," she answered. "She never acted like the rest of them." She turned her eyes to her manicure and sighed. "What's going to happen to her?"

Teddy squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry about that, Cate. They deserve every thing they're going to get."

Cate blinked away tears as her father kissed the side of her head. "Is it bad that even after everything they've done, I can't hate her?"

Her father sighed. "I know your mother raised you to not hate anyone, Cate." The brunette slowly nodded. "I can hate them enough for all of us, my girl."

"So you really like that dress, huh?" she asked with a smile as she tried to change the subject.

-xx-