"And you cannot see the dress until Monday, understand? It is bad luck to see a bride in her dress before the big day. But we picked out something perfect. And this is the ring she fell in love with."
Penelope handed over the small box as Erin sank onto the couch, rubbing her tummy. He sat down next to her as he opened the box, revealing two bands, one wider and one thinner. There was a delicate scrollwork pattern on them and he smiled. "These are wonderful, Erin. Thank you." Leaning over, he kissed her cheek and felt the heat of her blush.
"Well, I'm going to go home now and get my outfit ready for Monday. This is going to be so much fun!" She went over and hugged Erin tightly before kissing his cheek and prancing from the room.
"I really want to take a nap right about now. She is exhausting."
"Welcome to the world of Garcia. I called Hotch, he's going to take Monday off as well and stand up for us. He's also drawing up paperwork that will dissolve Rossi's rights to the child. Oh, and our parents are coming home for Christmas."
She gasped and turned to look at him. "What? Momma and Daddy are coming here? For Christmas?"
"Yeah, she seemed really excited to meet me, too. This is a good thing, right?"
She shrugged. "I guess. It's just going to be a little overwhelming. So many changes happening at once, and I just want some balance back in my life." She started to cry and he wrapped his arms around her, murmuring sweet nothings as he stroked her hair. Soon, she was asleep and he got up, stretching her body out on the couch before covering her with a blanket.
"We'll get that balance back for you, Erin," he whispered as he kissed her forehead. Sighing, he stood and picked up the packages they had set on the floor and went into his bedroom, hanging the garment bag up in his closet.
As he went about opening the other bags, he smiled at the clothes she had picked out. While she hadn't gone overboard with his credit card, she had gotten some quality pieces. And then he got to the lingerie. It was tastefully risqué, and it looked like she had bought things that she hoped would please him. Clearing a space in his drawers, he put away the underclothes and pajamas before taking the bags of makeup to the bathroom and putting them away in the medicine cabinet before setting her brush and comb next to his on the sink.
And then there was nothing left to do but join her out in the living room. She was still sleeping peacefully and he sat on the floor next to her, watching her. In the stillness of the moment, she looked incredibly lovely and he reached out to smooth a piece of hair behind her ear. "Derek," she murmured as she opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Erin," he answered back, watching her smile.
"You're the only one who can do that to me, you know. Make me smile that quickly. So, where are we going to put our parents?"
"How about your house? You'll be here, after all, and there has to be enough room there for them. And that way, they can get to know each other, too. Oh, and your kids want to take us out to supper Monday evening."
"Wonderful." He laughed and leaned in to kiss her again. "You don't have to do that, you know."
"Why not? I like kissing you, you have the perfect lips for it." She blushed and looked away from him.
"And we both know the truth of this marriage. You don't need to try and make me feel so…lovely."
"Yes, I do." She glanced up at him, and he let his smile turn gentle. "If our child is going to feel loved, they have to know that their parents adore each other. To have that happen, I have to show you every day just how much you deserve to be loved. Even if I don't have those feelings yet."
The tears that clouded her eyes hurt his heart and he reached up and wiped them away. "I do not deserve you, Derek." Erin turned her face into his hand and kissed his palm. "So, were my children upset with me when you gave them the news?"
"Your son seemed a little defensive of you. I think he's another Penelope, since he said that he would be looking up everything about me that he could find."
"My sweet Bruce. He's always been my precious defender. Come to think of it, he didn't really take to David. I should have listened to that warning sign, I guess. I just thought that I was in love."
"Real love hurts sometimes, you know."
"I know. Nothing is ever perfect, you have to work at it." She smiled up at him before lifting her lips, pressing them to his in a gentle kiss. "Where are all the bags?"
"I put them away already. You were sleeping and I didn't want to disturb you."
She blushed, looking away from him. "I see." Erin sat up and hugged herself. "You didn't have to do that."
"No, but I wanted to." He joined her on the couch, resting his arm around her shoulders. She nestled in close and he rubbed her arm softly. "I hope your parents like me."
"And I hope your mom likes me. Did she say when she'd be here?"
"No. Desiree and Sarah have to get time off from work to come with her, though, so it could be right before Christmas. And your parents gave no indication as to when they'd arrive, either. I like your mom, though. She sounds thoroughly adorable, even if I couldn't really get a word in edgewise."
"Since meeting Penelope, I've often thought we were born into the wrong families. She's more like my mother than I am." He smiled at the statement, feeling more at ease with the new piece of knowledge he had about her family. "I don't want to get up from your arms, Derek. You make me feel safe."
His smile grew as he pulled her close to his chest, letting her snuggle in close. "Well, that's a good thing to hear. I should make you feel safe." She tenderly swatted at his chest, no real intent to hurt him behind the move. "You're becoming comfortable with me already."
"You make me feel at ease, what can I say?" She splayed her hand out on his chest and sighed lightly. "You know there are risks to having a child this late in life."
"I know. I looked up a little information while I ate lunch. No matter what happens, I will stay by your side, Erin. And I will try to keep you free from as much stress as possible so that it won't affect the baby's development."
"We'll have to talk to the Director about our marriage when we get into the office on Tuesday, and I can talk to him about maternity leave options. I'm about six years away from my twenty, so early retirement may not be an option for me."
He brought his hand up to her hair, twirling it around his fingers. "We'll cross that hurdle when it comes our way." Lowering his lips, he kissed the top of her head, listening to her soft sound of contentment. "If it comes our way."
"If it comes our way," she murmured in reply, rubbing her cheek against his chest. "Perhaps tomorrow we could go over to my house and I could pick up a few things. I'm in the middle of a really good book on my iPad."
He chuckled a little as he tugged at the curl he had made of her hair. "And heaven forbid I keep you from your book for too long." She nodded and he rested his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "So, to keep you happy, I buy you books. That's not much different from Penny and her need for new electronics. At least your obsession is rather cheap."
"That all depends on what edition of a book that I want. While I do download a lot on my tablet, there's still something about that feeling in your hands, the smell of paper and ink. The older the book, the better, in most cases." She pulled back to look at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "And I have had my eye on a copy of a first edition The Moving Finger."
Derek filed away that piece of information and smiled back at her. "Well, it shouldn't surprise me that you have expensive tastes," he said with a wink, enjoying the way her expression softened as she pulled away from him to cover her stomach with her hands. "Are you feeling all right?"
"My stomach just hurts. I think it's nerves, what with the whole situation I'm in. Derek, are you sure that you want to do this? I hate to push and prod like this, but I have to know that this is something you're doing for yourself and not because you think I need to have someone like you in our lives."
He placed his hand beneath her chin and looked deeply into her eyes. Her smiled wobbled a little the longer he looked at her and he rubbed his thumb back and forth as he spoke. "I am doing this for us. You need someone who will support you and I need…" He broke off, not really certain what it was about her that he needed besides the fact that he did. "I need you."
Her eyes filled with tears and he pulled out the ring box, taking out her band and slipping it on her ring finger. "Derek."
"Erin." She copied his motion and slid the wedding band home on his finger. The weight of it felt odd on his hand, the metal still cool and foreign. The phone rang, and he recognized the ringtone right away. "That's Jayje. I'll bet Penelope let our plans slip."
"She was excited, Derek. I can't really fault her, though. A wedding can be an exciting thing." She swiped the tears away from under her eyes. "Well, answer her."
He grinned and picked up the phone, holding it to his ear. "Hey, JJ."
"So, you're going to marry Strauss and didn't even bother telling any of us? How did that come about? She should still be with Rossi."
He reached out for Erin's hand. "And she would be, but his ego got in the way of that. She's going to need our support in the coming months, though, okay?"
"I guess. I'll see you Tuesday." She hung up and he knew that he would be coming into a very tense situation come Tuesday. "Well, that was interesting. I can only imagine what Blake's reaction is going to be."
Erin's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck, I didn't even think about her. Derek, I don't know what I'm going to say to her, or how to face her should she confront me. And I know she will. We still haven't settled the bad blood between us." She leaned into him once more, wrapping her arm around his waist and holding on to him tightly.
"I'll protect you. Don't worry." He turned his head and kissed the top of her head as he felt her tears dampen his shirtfront. "Shh, Erin. It's my job now to keep you safe and calm." Instinctively, he began to rock her back and forth and she kneaded her fingers into his chest as she struggled to get control of her emotions. "You know, when JJ was pregnant with Henry, she used to just fly off the handle at random moments. She blamed it on the hormones and told us we should be grateful that she didn't cry at the drop of a hat."
Erin laughed and then took a deep breath. "I'm a crier, unfortunately. Always have been, the hormones only make it worse." Her stomach grumbled loudly and she sat up, placing a hand on it. "And I think the baby wants a snack now. What else is in that fridge of yours?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. Find something to munch on and then we can go grocery shopping. I need to keep you healthy so the baby incubates well." She shook her head as she stood and went into the kitchen. Derek couldn't help but watch her move, taking in the way her hips swayed as she walked.
"At least you have a few apples," she said as she picked one up and washed it off in the sink. "I can eat this on the way to the store."
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Standing, he went over to her side and slung an arm around her waist. Before she could even protest, he led her out of the apartment, leaving her purse and cell phone behind.