Savior

Chapter 103

-xx-

Cate jumped as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders; she turned and smiled in her brother's direction. "He's a good one, sis," Alex complimented.

She nodded. She had the perfect vantage point to watch Derek's dance with his mother. Cate grinned when he spun Fran around the dance floor. "How did I get so lucky?" she mused with a content sigh.

"Is this everything you ever wanted?" he asked softly. Cate turned her head just a bit to take in her brother's face as he spoke. "You're happy, right?"

Again, she nodded, this time with a grin crossing her lips. "I've never been happier, Alex," she admitted. "I just feel like he completes me, ya know?"

Her brother pursed his lips in to a smile. She laughed; Alex was not one to show too much emotion. She almost had to bribe him to smile when they were taking the professional photos in the vineyard. "I know exactly what you mean," he answered. "It's a great feeling, isn't it?"

"The best," she replied.

Cate reached for the glass of wine she had placed on the bridal party's table when she came over to chat with her sister and new sisters-in-law. "I'm really happy for you. And I wanted to thank you for including us in today."

Cate rested her head on her brother's shoulder and smiled softly. "I think today was perfect," she said. "Our closest family and friends was all we needed. And having the most important people in our lives standing up there with us was the perfect touch."

"Save a dance for me?" the man with the shaggy brown hair asked with a wink as he started off towards the bar.

Cate swirled the wine in her glass and sighed contently as she took in the atmosphere under the tent. It was lit just enough with all of the hanging chandeliers, but the shadows made it just that much more romantic. The DJ had the dance floor lit up to party.

"Catie girl," the brunette licked her lips and turned towards her father. "We're next."

She grinned as she thought about the father-daughter dance.

-xx-

Derek stretched out in his seat next to Brandon at the bridal party table. Jamie was off chatting with Derek's mother and sisters.

Morgan had a keen eye on his bride as she danced with her father to "I Loved Her First" by Heartland. He knew by the look on Cate's face that Ted was cracking jokes to his daughter; it was his coping mechanism to not cry while dancing with his youngest daughter.

"Have you stopped grinning like a fool yet?" Brandon asked as he turned towards Derek. Derek shrugged as he slowly tore his eyes from the dance floor. "She looks amazing," Brandon complimented.

"She does," Derek said as his grin crossed his lips once more. "We are two of the luckiest men in the world," he joked as he clapped his best friend on the shoulder. "Thank you for being here. I really appreciate it."

Brandon smirked. "I'd be pissed if you asked any one else," he answered honestly. "We're not blood, but we're brothers."

Derek nodded, "You've got that right," he replied.

"Besides, no one else will deal with you like I do," Brandon joked. "Does Cate know what she's in for with you?"

The two men laughed. "She has the patience of a saint." Derek reached for his glass of whiskey and sighed. "I don't know how she puts up with my shit, but she does it and she doesn't complain about it."

"It goes both ways," Brandon explained. "That's what make these things work. I know she's had some crazy shit happen in the last few months – and I wanted to come out this way to be here for both of you – but I know you're taking care of your girl."

Derek paused to contemplate his best friend's words. "It all finally seems to be going away," he answered quietly. He kept his eyes on the brunette on the dance floor, beaming as her father spun her around. "Jade's going away; Rossi confirmed that she was found guilty the other day."

"Cate doesn't know, does she?"

Derek ran a hand over his head. Brandon knew him better than anyone else; he could always read between the lines.

"She didn't want to know before the wedding," Derek replied. "It was tough enough for her to be in the courtroom with that nutcase." He sighed and took another sip from his glass. "She wanted to cancel all of this," he mentioned quietly.

"How bad was it?" Brandon knew he should not be bringing it up at the wedding, but Derek needed someone to bounce ideas off of. They were not down the street from each other like they had been growing up, and there were some things you could not talk about over the phone.

Derek pursed his lips. "Bad," he muttered. "She was lucky to walk away with a few cuts and a concussion." He flexed his hand around the whiskey glass. "If I didn't get there when I did…" he let the sentence linger in the air.

"Its behind you guys now," Brandon interrupted. "And she doesn't have to testify again, right?"

Derek shook his head. "They taped her testimony from Jade's case. But given the fact that she was found guilty, it should be fairly easy for the two that helped her. And don't even get me started on her piece of shit father."

"Sorry for bringing it up, D," Brandon offered softly.

Derek shrugged. "I've wanted to tell her since yesterday," he muttered. "But I didn't want to ruin this for her." He let out a deep breath, trying his best to muster up a smile again. "I needed to get it off of my chest, though."

Brandon nodded, "that's why I'm here."

-xx-

Cate beamed in the direction of Kristen's camera; her three bridesmaids flanked her on the stone bench. She grinned as they looked over the fire pit to take a few quick pictures before the ladies stepped out for Derek to sit next to her.

"I sat right here and decided this was where I wanted to get married," she said softly as she watched their friends and family help themselves to the s'mores bar that was set up outside of the tent by the fire pit.

Derek and Cate had just come back from taking a few more pictures; Cate had to admit that Kristin had an eye for photography. She would use the shadows and the limited light to her advantage as they toured the winery to take some late night photos.

Derek was happy to shed the jacket, but left on the tie and vest because Cate mentioned how sexy he looked in them. He looked no where near as amazing as the brunette who now shared his last name.

Cate did her best to keep the smile on her face as Kristin played with the members of the bridal party around the fire pit. She knew the pictures were going to be amazing, but she was ready for a break. Her lips were in dire need of a rest, and she could have sworn she heard the chocolate calling her name.

Kristin gave a thumbs up before turning to snap photos of their guests.

Cate rested her head on Derek's shoulder and sighed. "What's going on, baby?" he asked softly as he wrapped an arm around the brunette.

"I want a s'more," she said with a laugh. "And then we're going dancing. I'm showing your sisters that you picked the right woman."

Derek chuckled. "They're just kidding," he replied. "And I think you held your own for our first dance."

She rolled her eyes. "With all of the practice we've had, I would hope so."

"You're fine, Cate," he answered softly before kissing her cheek. "Let's go get you that s'more."

-xx-