The next morning Addison awoke to her phone ringing. She saw it was Amelia calling and picked it up.
"Hey Amelia."
"Hey Addie! So I spoke with mom and we arranged for everyone to come and visit this afternoon. So let Derek know and we'll see you both this afternoon. Everyone's really excited to see you and I've told mom to give you a chance."
"Thanks Amelia, I know you always have my back. I've come to accept that your mom doesn't really like me and although it hurts, I'm trying not to let it bother me anymore. It's not like I have to see her very often, especially now anyway. I'm glad that I can still see you, and Nancy, Kathleen, Lizzie and the kids. So that's all that matters."
"Well we love you Addie, and no matter what I'll always love and support you."
"I love you too Amelia, and I'll always be your sister."
"Always. Well I'm looking forward to seeing you later. Hopefully it won't get too crazy with everyone here. I know mom is excited to see Derek. So I guess we'll see you both around 1?"
"Yeah we'll be there. See you later Amelia."
"See you Addie."
Addison hangs up and makes her way to the bathroom before heading down to the kitchen where she sees Derek drinking a coffee and eating some toast. They'd bought some bread and a few supplies on the way back to the house the previous day.
"Morning Addison, do you want some toast?" Derek asks her.
"Yes please Derek, Amelia just called and she said your mom managed to arrange for everyone to come to her house today. So I told Amelia we'd be there for around 1 today."
"That's great. It gives us time to get ready and drive there. I guess we still have our old cars in the garage so I'll let you choose which one you want us to take."
"Sounds good. Do you mind driving on the way back and I'll drive us there? I have a feeling I'll need a few wines today."
"Sure. I guess I'll let you have that considering it's my fault that you have to deal with my mother today."
"It's ok Derek, I'm kind of used to it by now. I know that your mom never liked me and maybe now we're divorced and she has the chance to see you with someone she always pictured you with, maybe she won't be so bad. I'm sure she's delighted about our divorced. Only 11 years too late for her liking but she got what she wanted eventually."
"I'm so sorry Addie, I'll tell her the truth about everything. It's as much my fault what happened, if not more and if my mom can't see how amazing you are then it's her loss. All my sisters and their kids and husbands all think you're great and just focus on that today. Try not to let her get you down. I'm hoping that today will go well and maybe even mend some bridges between the two of you."
"Well I'll try my best to make that happen Derek, but I've tried that for a long time and nothing seemed to help. But maybe now we're divorced it won't be so bad."
"Ok well no matter what happens, just know that even now we're divorced. I'm here for you and I want our friendship to work more than anything. I need you in my life and I don't know what I would do without you. So no matter what my mom tries to say or do today just remember that."
"Oh Derek, thank you. You don't know how much that means to me, this year has been hard on me. But I'm getting through it and knowing that I still have you, even as a friend. It's really helping me get through it."
"It's time for us to make a fresh start Addie and try and get on with our lives and look forward to the future. I'm not saying it'll be easy but since everything is going well with us, I may even give Mark a chance in the future. I mean he's in Seattle now and he seems determined to stick around. He was my friend for so long and if I'm giving you a chance for what you did, then I guess he deserves one too."
"Thanks Derek, I know it won't be easy but I know that Mark really misses you. He doesn't have many friends and he thinks he's ruined the only friendships he ever really had with us. So I think if we can move on and be friends, then Mark deserves that chance too."
"Ok well when we go back to Seattle, I guess I could invite him out for a drink. I think it'll take time before it's ever the same and maybe it never will be, but if we agreed to move on then, I guess we've got to give it a chance."
"Thanks Derek, well I'll have this toast and go and get ready. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what clothes and shoes I still have in this house."
"You do love your huge walk in wardrobe. You always look fantastic no matter what you wear. You'd look amazing wearing a garbage bag."
Addison laughs and says. "Thanks Derek. You know I've missed my shoes and clothes though. I'm definitely getting them boxed up and sent to my new house even though I already bought a lot more clothes in Seattle. It's good to have more options on what to wear."
"You and your fashions." Derek grins. "I'm just happy in jeans and a shirt or when I have to dress well in a classic black suit and tie."
"You always looked amazing in a suit. But again you're so handsome that you can make anything look good."
"Thanks Addie. So I'm going to go and take a shower and I'll see you back down here when you're ready to leave."
An hour later Addison makes her way down the stairs and heads into the kitchen to see Derek drinking a coffee.
"Hey Derek, are you ready to go?" Addison asks.
"Yeah I'm ready." Derek tells her. "You look great Addie."
"Thanks Derek. So let's go." Addison tells him feeling slightly nervous for the day ahead but also excited to be seeing all her nieces and nephews who she hasn't seen for a while and had missed like crazy.
A while later they are on their way to Derek's mom's house in Addison's Porsche. She'd really missed this car but had bought another one in Seattle already.
"This car is a classic." Derek tells her.
"I know this was always one of my favourites to drive." Addison replies.
"You always looked so hot at the wheel of this car. Actually we had some pretty amazing times in this car."
"We did, though I don't really think that's appropriate to bring up anymore."
"No I guess you're right, but I just want to say that they were great times and even if it's awkward to bring them up now. We shouldn't regret them, they happened and they were some of the best times of my life."
"Thanks Derek, they were amazing times. Do you remember that time we pulled over on the way to the Hamptons and found a quiet spot somewhere cause you couldn't wait to have your wicked way with me."
"God Addison, I remember and it was so hot. One of the best experiences we had together in this car."
"It was amazing Derek, you can't deny we had some amazing sexual chemistry together and even though everything went wrong in the end, I think it's good for us to have some good memories of our lives together. There's so much history between us and it would be wrong to lose it all completely."
"Yeah you're right, even though it might be a bit awkward bringing it up now. We have so much history and amazing times we shared together and it's not wrong to remember it sometimes."
"Thanks Derek, A while ago I thought we'd never be like this again. But I'm so glad that we can talk like this again and just move on with our lives like adults. Even if it's not in the way I was hoping when I first came to Seattle."
"I'm glad too, Addison. So let's just focus on rebuilding our friendship and looking to the future." Derek tells her and they continue their drive toward his childhood home.