Savior

Chapter 94

-xx-

Cate swirled the wine in her glass and sighed. She looked across the table to see her sister finishing up a text message and Jackie placed her cell phone face down on the table. "Mom is taking care of the rehearsal dinner," Jackie started as she picked up her own wine glass. "So that's one less thing to stress over."

The younger brunette smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Jack," she replied sincerely. "I mean it – without you and Mom, I'd be so lost right now."

"You're plate is overflowing," her sister pointed out. "I'm just happy you're letting us help."

Cate pursed her lips before taking a sip of her wine. After a final dress fitting at her aunt's shop, Jackie was able to talk her sister into going out for dinner. She could see the stress crossing her sister's face and went right to work taking care of the rest of the planning.

"I should be able to do it all without an issue," Cate said with a sigh.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You need to learn how to ask for help," her sister countered. "You've never been good at it, but it's time you learn." Cate chuckled before placing her glass back on the table. "Especially now – you're getting married. You can't be afraid to ask Derek for help."

"I do," she said quietly. "But with his work load, I don't want to seem like I can't handle it."

Her older sister placed her own glass down and tore a piece of her dinner roll apart. "If you ask for help, and it doesn't get done right away – especially because he was called away for work – it does not mean you need to do everything yourself. Sometimes, things can wait."

Cate let her shoulders sag. She hated when Jackie was right about things like this. Being in such a committed relationship was pretty new to Cate; with Cole, she never felt like they were a 'team', like she felt with Derek. They were never on the same page; Cole was always envious of Cate's success at work, and Cate shied away from telling him about it due to his jealousy.

"Besides, Mom loves planning things," Jackie said, trying her best to change the subject. "It'll keep her off of your back if she's able to plan the rehearsal dinner. Shelby is probably going to hate us though."

The two laughed; her mother could be a little over-bearing when it came time to plan a party or event, and she feared that Shelby would be overwhelmed with the Johnson matriarch. "She knows how to get what she wants," Cate pointed out.

Her sister nodded. "By any means necessary," Jackie responded. "Otherwise, I think every thing is all set. Grace's mom will be delivering the flowers the morning of the wedding, and you guys finalized the cake last week."

Cate picked at the salad in front of her. "That was probably Derek's favorite thing in the planning for this wedding," she said with a laugh. "That man was in chocolate heaven!"

"I'm a little jealous," Jackie admitted with a wink. "But you guys needed some time together." Cate nodded. "Does he usually get called away this often?"

She nodded once more. "It seems like it," she said softly. "This is their third trip in less than four weeks. It's crazy."

"Tell him to take Steve next time," Jackie said sarcastically. "I could use the break."

Cate shook her head as she laughed. "You're terrible," she pointed out.

Jackie shrugged. "We'll just have to plan another girl's weekend – can you tell Derek to not get shot this time?"

"I'll get right on that," Cate replied with a roll of her blue eyes. She sat back in her chair and let out a content sigh. "How are we just over two weeks away?"

"I told you it would fly by," Jackie reminded her.

"I'm ready for the next two weeks to fly by," Cate announced. "I've stopped taking on new clients right now, because between all of this and the trial, I'm already stretched pretty thin."

Jackie pursed her lips in to a tight line. "Are you worried about the trial?"

Cate nodded solemnly. "I don't know if I can face her," she admitted. "Seth came by last week, too."

"And you didn't tell me?" Jackie exclaimed. Cate thanked her lucky stars that the restaurant was pretty quiet and there were not too many people around them. "What the hell did he want?"

"To apologize," Cate answered. "On behalf of him and his mother."

Jackie huffed and she took another bite of her roll. "Do you believe him?"

Cate shrugged. "We never really got along great, but he wasn't a bad kid." Cate placed her fork down and sighed. "He said Cole and Fred had this plan to get me back," she scoffed at her own words. "Like that would have ever worked."

"Not if Alex or Nate knew about it," Jackie mentioned their brothers; a simple reminder of the 'conversation' they had with Cole to get him to leave Cate alone while she was in the hospital. "I'm sure Nate would have just loved to run in to him again."

Cate rolled her eyes. "It never would have happened, Jacks," she confirmed. "You guys did the best thing for me."

Jackie nodded. "I know," she said with a wink. "We saw what you couldn't and put a stop to it. You deserved better – and you found it."

Their waitress stopped by the table to drop off their entrees and pick up empty plates. "So much for a pre-wedding diet," Cate said with a chuckle as she looked down at her dinner.

"Oh please," Jackie scoffed. "You'll be fine."

Cate chuckled before starting on her meal.

-xx-

Cate pulled on the sleeves of her cardigan to cover her knuckles and sighed as she looked around the apartment. She caught sight of the package of moving boxes sitting next to the kitchen island. She had the sudden urge to start packing up the apartment, but knew she should wait for Derek to help since a majority of the apartment was his.

She glanced at the screen of her laptop as it sat open in front of her on the couch. Between scheduling deliveries at the new house and continuing her shopping spree for the house, she found a way to keep her mind at ease.

She was scheduled to meet with Jeff the next day to go over the walk in closets off of the master bedroom. Cate had several different 'pins' saved on Pinterest to show him the ideas she had.

The majority of the furniture for the main living area was scheduled to arrive in a few days. She hoped Derek would be home to help her re-arrange it to their liking. She just wanted him home. Period. With her head a scrambled mess, and her stress through the roof, she was eager to be back by his side.

But she knew his work came first. He had taken so much time off in the next few weeks that she knew she had to be patient. She'd get him to herself in Aruba.

Cate chuckled as she jotted down in the notebook next to her, Shop for Aruba. She had the majority of what she needed in her closet, but a trip to the mall with her niece was just what she needed.

She needed that little girl in her life more than ever before. Cate was just days away from facing Jade and her two accomplices in court, and her nerves were running heavy.

But the light was at the end of the tunnel. She could get herself through those few days in court; she prayed she only needed to go in once.

As soon as she was done reliving her hell, she was able to look towards her future.

-xx-