90. Chapter 90

AN: Sorry about the delay in updating. If you're reading RTR, you're aware of my recent computer...issues. If you're not reading RTR, let me tell you now: I've had computer problems. LOL. Big computer problems that I'm sure approached epic at some points. I haven't been able to do much writing lately. But the good news is I have my shiny new computer and am getting back on track with my writing. I just want to address one review here, as I'm sure other readers have the same concerns.

May, I really want to thank you for your comments, and to say I completely agree. Keeping Meredith and Derek away from the hospital for so long is boring. I'm just tying up a few loose character development threads now for Derek, and want very much to get them back to Seattle as soon as possible. I think it's made worse by the computer induced writing delays the last couple months; if I could have gotten this section done quickly like I had planned it wouldn't feel so out of place. They are almost done in New York, though; this is the last chapter for that. There will be little time spent on their vacation, but some very important things have to happen. And then they'll be back to Seattle Grace in time for season four. (And I'll have to figure out some way of making the timeline make some kind of sense... Seriously.).

I really want to thank everyone who has stuck with this story for this long. My plan is the have season four completely done by the time season seven starts (and RTR and OIF and 'significant progress' on HWA). Now that I have my new computer, nothing can stop me, except, you know, work. Life. Sleeping...

Meredith felt her heart leap as the phone she had pressed to her ear stopped ringing after only three rings. She knew from experience it took six rings to get to voicemail. She had reached the voicemail more times than she could count.

"Hello?" Izzy's voice filtered through the phone.

"Finally! I've been calling you for days."

"Meredith! Hey! How's New York?"

Meredith sputtered slightly. "Do you not realize I've been leaving you messages for three days?"

"I tried to call you back."

"Once." Meredith had been trying to get a hold of Izzy and Cristina since the lay over between her second and third flight between Hawaii and New York. She was worried about her best friend. That morning, she had discovered a missed call from Izzy, but no message, on her cell phone.

"I'm on vacation; what do you expect?"

Meredith sighed. "Is she okay?"

"Cristina? She's fine."

"Really?" Meredith knew she had made the right decision to join Derek in New York, but she still felt guilty for abandoning her best friend. "Is she there? Can I talk to her?"

"She's out on the beach," Izzy responded. "I just came up because I forgot my sunglasses."

"Is she...mad at me?"

Izzy sighed, and there was a long delay before she responded, "No."

"Okay, I so don't believe you."

"She's not mad. At you. She's mad at Burke. And I...I mean, I'm her friend, but it's clear she'd rather you be here than me. But she gets it. And we can do...single stuff; that you wouldn't be interested in doing and wouldn't be fun with you moping around because you miss McDreamy."

Meredith sighed. "She told you to tell me that."

Izzy laughed. "Some of it. You're where you need to be right now. And we're where we need to be right now. Cristina is doing fine. She's pissed at Burke. And she's pissed at herself for letting it get to that. But she's not pissed at you."

"And she's okay?"

"She's okay. I promise. We're having a good time, actually. Lots of fruity drinks and cute boys to keep us amused."

Meredith sighed and lay back on the bed. The day was getting cooler, and the Shepherds were planning an outdoor barbeque for dinner. Meredith had headed upstairs to get a sweater for the evening when she had decided to try Izzy one more time. "Good."

"So, how's New York?"

"New York is...good."

"How happy was Derek to see you?"

"He was...happy." Meredith smiled at the memory. "Really happy. I was afraid he'd be mad, but he wasn't." She had never expected a negative reaction to her appearance, but maybe the cold shoulder for a day. Despite knowing just how good a man Derek was, she had still be surprised by the level of understanding she had received. He had been ecstatic to see her. They had talked through everything that had happened. He had admitted she had hurt him, but hadn't held a single thing against him.

"And how are you doing with his family?"

"Surprisingly well. It's...not what I expected. They're really nice. And I...I think they like me. They definitely don't hate me."

"Why would they hate you?"

"Because...families don't like me."

Izzy huffed. "Give yourself more credit."

Meredith smiled to herself. "I think I'm starting to." It hadn't even been forty-eight hours that she had been at the Shepherd's house, but she felt surprisingly at home. Derek's family was kind of wonderful. She had been scared the day before, when she had left Derek in the driveway and had gone to the backyard to his family without him, but the fear had quickly become simple nervousness. And the nervousness had quickly dissipated. The Shepherd's were nice. Friendly. Genuine. They didn't make Meredith feel like she wasn't good enough. They didn't make her feel judged. They simply wanted to know things about her because...

Meredith smiled at the realization. They wanted to know things because Derek loved her; because she was going to be family one day. Soon.

"Good," Izzy's response pulled her from her thoughts. "You deserve to be happy, Mer."

"We all do."

"We will be," Izzy said, with a surprising amount of optimism. "Cristina's okay. I'm okay. We're all going to be happy, Meredith. Hell, if you can be happy in the middle of a huge family, anything is possible."

Meredith furrowed her brow. "I think I take offense to that."

Izzy laughed. "Don't. I'm glad you're happy, Mer."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"I should get back to Cristina."

"Okay. But tell her...I say hi."

"I will."

Meredith ended the call and dropped her phone onto the mattress next to her. She was glad Cristina was okay. And she was glad her friends were having a good time. But she didn't regret leaving them there for a moment. She knew she was exactly where she belonged right now.

After a moment of quiet, Meredith sat up and tossed her cell phone onto the nightstand. She didn't need to have it with her anymore. Cristina and Izzy were okay. And Meredith was on vacation.

Digging through one of her shopping bags from the day before, Meredith pulled out a front-zip sweatshirt. She tore the tags off and then pulled the sweatshirt over her tee shirt.

The hallway outside the bedroom was quiet as she made her way down the stairs. Two of the older kids, around eleven or twelve, smiled at her as she passed them in the living room. They were sprawled on the couch watching a movie. Meredith smiled back. It was a nice, simple interaction; one that told her she was accepted in the household.

She pushed her way into the kitchen, only to find it almost empty.

"Oh, Meredith, good," Lauren called from the counter across the room. "Can you help me bring some of this stuff outside?" There were stacks of paper plates and cup, bags of plastic cutlery and a large tray of condiments.

"Sure," she said, walking over and reaching for the tray.

"Thanks. Some family, huh? There's work to be done and they all disappear. But when the food is ready, they'll be back."

Meredith laughed as she followed Lauren to the backyard.

"Is your family like this?"

"Oh," she stammered, caught off guard. "No. I mean, I don't really have a family. Never did the barbeque thing, or whatever."

Instead of pity, Lauren shot her a humorous glance. "Ah, that explains why you didn't know enough to disappear when there was work to be done."

Meredith smiled back. "I guess I learned my lesson."

They reached the back deck and Lauren motioned towards the picnic tables. "Just scatter the condiments around the tables."

"Okay."

"And Meredith?"

She paused and glanced back over her shoulder.

Lauren offered her a warm smile. "You were wrong, about not having a family."

Meredith sucked in a breath at the comment, but Lauren moved on before she had a chance to respond. "A family," she murmured under her breath as she continued towards the first picnic table.

She was at the fifth picnic table when a pair of arms snaked around her waist from behind. Meredith jumped in surprise, but relaxed as she was pulled back against a solid chest.

"You scared the crap out of me," she chastised.

Derek chuckled as his chin found her shoulder. "Sorry."

"You're so not sorry."

"Hmmm, I suppose you're right. I like the sweater, by the way. Are you wearing anything else from our shopping trip yesterday?"

"I don't know what you're referring to..." She said, playing dumb, even though she knew his mind was on the more private items from the shopping trip.

He huffed. "I think you do."

She giggled. "I told you; not here."

"What if I say please?"

Meredith set the tray down and turned in his arms, her hands snaking around the back of her neck. "No."

He smirked at her and raised an eyebrow.

She bit back her own smirk as she repeated, "No. We can't risk getting carried away. I need to be able to come back here."

Derek pretended to think about her words, and then leaned in to peck her lips. "Coming back here is good."

"It is." She nodded and offered him a small smile. "I...kind of like it here."

He smiled warmly at her. "I like you being here, not that I'm not looking forward to spending an entire week alone with you..."

Meredith bit down on her lower lip as she tried to quell the sudden flutter of butterflies in her stomach. Now that the stress of meeting Derek's family was over, she could just focus on looking forward to their trip. The closest she and Derek had ever been to being on vacation was spending time at the trailer. The whole getting on a plane and actually going away thing was new and exciting.

"Mmm, me too," she whispered.

Derek smiled tenderly and leaned in to kiss her, short and soft, before pressing his nose into the crook of her neck and hugging her tight. "I'm so glad you're here."

She hugged him back. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

OO

Derek smiled against the soft skin of her neck and inhaled deeply. He had been playing with the kids when he had spotted his fiancée navigating the picnic tables with a tray of condiments, having obviously been put to work by one of his sisters. She appeared at ease and comfortable in the backyard surroundings. It made him smile. Just two days had passed and already it was like she was part of the family.

"Good," he murmured.

She smiled at him, and he felt his heart flutter. "We have to add barbeque to the list," she said.

He felt his brow furrow. "What?"

"Our list."

He reached a hand to tuck a few stray strands of hair from her face. "You've never been to a barbeque before?"

She shrugged, her smile softening, not in a way that said she was feeling sorry for herself, but in a way that said she had accepted her past and was looking forward to her future. "Not really. Not like this. The whole family thing." She shook her head. "So, I'm putting it on the list."

"One of those things that get put on the list and immediately checked off?"

"Yep."

"Hmm, it seems our list is getting longer, but the 'to do' items are only getting shorter."

"I guess we need some new ideas."

He pecked her lips. "You know what I think we should put on the list?"

She shook her head.

Derek smiled warmly at her. "Getting married."

He watched as Meredith's eyes sparkled. "That should be high on the list."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Not first?"

"Well, the way I see it, tomorrow is our last day here before we fly to the Bahamas. And seeing as the whole tropical vacation thing is on our list, unless we get married tomorrow, it can't be first."

"You over think things."

She giggled.

He joined her in laughing. "So, we can put getting married high on the list, but not first. Second?"

Meredith shrugged. "Maybe third. Assuming you still want to swim with the fishes..."

"You mean go snorkelling?"

She nodded.

"I do. But only if you're up for it."

"We did the swimming thing," she reminded, "So that we could do the snorkelling thing."

"We only did the swimming thing twice. Are you sure you're ready?"

Meredith smiled up at him. "As long as you're there with me, I'm ready."

He smiled back at her, his heart fluttering at the trust he saw in her eyes. "I'll be there the whole time."

"Then I'm ready."

Derek couldn't help but lean in to kiss her again. "Did you try swimming at all in Hawaii?"

Her hands tightened across the back of his neck as she pulled herself closer for comfort. "I...not swimming. I did stand in the water while Izzy and Cristina swam."

"How deep?"

"Just to my knees. I...didn't want to go any further without you. It was...intimidating. Different from your pond. And different without you there."

The simple statement reached into his chest and clenched around his heart. "Oh, Mer..." He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. "We'll go in together. I promise."

She hummed softly and one of her hands left the back of his neck as her fingers travelled up into his hair. "Okay."

Derek held her tight, happy to have her so close and grateful at how open she was being with him. She was independent and strong; had survived more than he could imagine. And the fact that she loved and trusted him enough to confide in him made his heart swell. "We're going to have a great week," he whispered.

"Two weeks," she corrected. "Well, almost. Two weeks minus a couple days; which was my fault."

"Not your fault," he said quickly, kissing her forehead before releasing her. "And I'm glad this part is great, too."

She offered him a soft smile. "Me too."

"Derek!" Lauren called from two tables over. "Stop distracting the only member of this family who is willing to help me get dinner ready!"

"It's a barbeque, Lauren," he called back. "It's not like there's much that needs to be done."

"Oh, really," she retorted, quickly coming closer.

Derek flinched, knowing he had said the wrong thing.

"You've just volunteered yourself for barbeque duty."

"But I-"

"No buts, Derek," she stated, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and dragging him towards the barbeque, leaving a laughing Meredith behind him.

He lit the barbeque and was half way through the first set of hamburgers when he felt a presence beside him. He glanced to his side, and then laughed. "Did Lauren get you too?"

Shane shrugged. "Wrong place, wrong time. You?"

Derek nodded. "Told her it was 'just a barbeque.'"

Shane chortled. "Stupid move. That'll have you on barbeque duty for a year."

"Good thing I don't live close anymore."

"I'm sure she'll remember every single time you come home to visit. She's your sister, man. You should know better by now."

Derek laughed as he flipped the burgers. Shane had been the first brother-in-law. He and Nancy had gotten married after Derek's freshman year in college. After nearly twenty years, he knew the family almost as well as Derek. "I should know better. She caught me off guard."

"A little distracted, were you?" Shane asked, as he helped Derek lay a row of hotdogs on the barbeque.

"What?"

Shane shrugged. "Your little display with Meredith. Very PDA."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Are we back in high school?"

Shane laughed. "It's good to see you happy, man. It's been a long time."

Derek nodded. "Thanks." It had been a long time. When he was younger, he had been close to his family, including his brothers-in-law. He had done things with them; gone out, gone to games, stayed in touch. But as his marriage had slowly unravelled, he had pulled away. Maybe he hadn't wanted to admit defeat. Maybe he had been depressed. Maybe he had just clung to the one thing he was good at; being a surgeon.

But now that he had proven to himself that he was good at more things, that he could make a relationship work, he was enjoying spending time with his family.

"Nancy's missed you," Shane continued. "She wanted to fly out to Seattle before Christmas. I held her off for as long as I could, gave you as much time as I could."

"A warning phone call would have been nice, but thanks for the effort."

"You never gave me you new number."

"What?"

Shane shrugged. "You took off, man. No contact. Nothing. Nancy was worried. Everyone was worried."

Derek sighed and closed the barbeque as he turned, taking in the sight of his family all around him. Playing. Laughing. Setting up for dinner. "I guess I had to figure some things out," he said quietly. "And I'm sorry I made anyone worry."

"As long as you've got things sorted out now."

Derek's eyes fell on Meredith. She was standing with Meg and Kathleen, laughing as they watched some of the kids try – unsuccessfully – to make a human pyramid. He nodded and turned back to his brother-in-law. "I've got things sorted out," he confirmed. "And I'll make sure everyone has all of my numbers before I leave."

"Good."

He narrowed his eyes. "Nancy sent you with instructions, didn't she?"

Shane shrugged. "Like I said, they're your sisters."

Derek laughed. "Tell her I'm okay. I'm happy."

"She also wants me to make sure you're going to visit more often if you're planning on staying in Seattle."

He rolled his eyes. "I am staying in Seattle. But I will visit more often. We will visit more often."

"I like her. Meredith. She's good for you."

Derek nodded. "She is."

"There are a lot of changes this year."

Derek's gaze moved across his family until his eyes landed on Nathan and Lauren. "Yes, there are."

"I was concerned too," Shane said. He had been around for everything when Lauren's life had fallen apart. He had gone with Derek and Mark to threaten Emily's father to stay the hell away from Lauren and Emily. "But he's a good guy. You should give him a chance."

Derek sighed as he opened the barbeque and flipped the burgers and hotdogs, keeping an eye on his sister and her fiancé as he did so. "It's been over a year and she never told me."

"She was going to, but then you disappeared. And from what Nancy told me, she was mad at you for not telling her what was going on in your life. I don't think she ever meant to keep it from you."

"Just wanted to spite me?"

"Maybe a little."

"I guess I deserved it." Derek and Lauren had always been close. He had grown up feeling protective of his little sister, even before their father died. When she had gotten into trouble, he hadn't even hesitated before taking her home. He hadn't even asked Addison before doing so. She was his sister and he loved her. They didn't keep things from each other; not big things. He sighed. "I should have called her when I moved. Should have told her what happened. Should have told her about Meredith."

"Probably. Like I said; your sister."

"That's getting a little annoying."

Shane laughed as he held out a plate for Derek to stack the first set of burgers and hotdogs onto. "Now you sound like Nancy."

Derek laughed. "Hey, I got stuck with her. You chose her."

"I heard that," Nancy called as she suddenly appeared behind them.

"I was just about to tell your brother how very much I love you, dear."

Nancy huffed at her husband. "Sure you were."

Derek dropped the last of the cooked burgers onto the plate Shane was holding before turning back to the barbeque to start a new batch. "He was," he said, standing up for his brother-in-law. "He's already told me at least twice today alone."

"You two are pathetic." She shook her head. "Are the hotdogs done? The kids are getting hungry."

"Just off the grill," Shane said. "Walk with me, and I'll tell you how perfect you are."

Derek laughed to himself as he watched his sister and brother-in-law head to the 'head' picnic table with the first round of food. Never a dull moment at the Shepherd household. It surprised him now to realize how much he had missed this. It hadn't only been a year since he had been gone. For several years he had been avoiding family get-togethers. And if he had gone, he had been distant.

Distant. He closed the barbeque and stared around himself at his family again. He had an amazing family. And he had distanced himself from them in every way possible. Some of it had been unavoidable, he knew. Getting away, getting out of New York and finding himself, had been the right decision. He had needed to find out who he was. But he hadn't needed to cut ties, to cut communication. He loved his family. He missed his family. Yes, they could be overbearing, but he needed them too.

He wouldn't be distant again. Not ever.

"Hey," a cautious voiced sounded beside him. "Lauren asked me to bring you a fresh plate for the next batch of burgers."

Derek turned to see Nathan beside him, looking pensive. They hadn't spoken since their initial meeting the day before. Derek had watched him, but had avoided any actual interaction. "Thanks."

Nathan nodded.

"So," Derek started, clearing his throat. His sister loved this man, and he had promised to give him a chance. "Are you from New York?"

OO

After spending twenty minutes talking to his sister's surprisingly likeable fiancé, and another twenty minutes finishing the last batch of burgers, Derek collapsed beside Meredith at the picnic table she was sitting at with Meg and Scott, and his mother and Brian.

"Good barbequing, Derek," Meg stated.

"It would have been nice if someone could have relieved me so I could have eaten before everyone else was on their seconds, but thanks."

Meg laughed. "Lauren told us not to. Apparently you've got time to make up. Think of all the barbeques you've missed."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Great, so what you're saying is every time we visit from now on, I'll be stuck on cooking duty?"

Meg nodded. "Exactly."

He huffed and snaked an arm around Meredith's waist. "We're never coming back here."

Meredith giggled. "What do you mean 'we'? I like it here; they're not making me cook."

Derek rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that fluttered to his lips at just how comfortable Meredith was here.

"Well, maybe that's because they want to actually be able to eat what gets cooked," he quipped.

She tried to huff at him, but ended up laughing. "I am not that bad."

Derek laughed as well. "She is," he insisted to the rest of the table. "She almost burned down my trailer trying to make breakfast."

"He's making it up."

He shook his head. This was an argument they had all the time. "Mer, you were looking for the fire extinguisher. And I had to replace the oven mitts. That's usually a sign that there's a problem."

The rest of the table laughed.

Meredith glared at him. "I had everything under control."

He chuckled as he leaned in to his her cheek. "Sure you did."

"You know what? I don't really like you much right now..."

Derek kept chuckling to himself as he took a bite of his burger. Even if it wasn't obvious that she was joking, she was sitting comfortably beside him, at a table that held his mother, stepfather, sister and brother-in-law, surrounded by the rest of his family, and wearing his ring.

He had never been so certain that he could make her happy as he was right now.

"So, what are you kids planning on doing for your last day in New York?" Brian asked.

Derek shrugged. "Nothing much planned. Thought I'd take Mer on a tour of the area."

Meredith nodded. "I heard something about a famous ice cream store?"

"That's a good idea," Jane spoke up. "We should all go for ice cream tomorrow. The kids would love it."

Derek nodded. "Sounds good. Maybe after dinner?" The ice cream store they were referring to was a few blocks away. Family owned for generations. And for a man who didn't care much for desserts, Derek had to admit he loved the ice cream. It was where he had first tried coffee flavoured.

They quickly made plans to take the entire family to get ice cream the next night, and debated over how many cars they would need. Twenty six people were a lot to transport all at once. But it would be a nice, last thing to do with his family before he and Meredith left the next following morning.

This trip had never supposed to have been long. It had been planned to be a short first introduction for Meredith and his family. Derek hoped that now that Meredith was settled and comfortable, they could stay longer the next time.

When plans for the next night were finished, and the exact combination of vehicles decided, the conversation moved on to other topics, from the weather to family members' plans for the rest of the year. As the sun began to set, the kids started up a full scale game of flag football crossed with tag crossed with capture the flag. Derek wasn't too sure on the rules, as he suspected was the same for all of the adults, but he was still winded when he finally took himself out of the game for a breather.

Lauren was sitting alone along the side of the hill, watching the game, as she too took a break.

He sat beside her and bumped her shoulder. "That kid of yours is growing up." He couldn't get over how tall and mature Emily was getting.

Lauren smiled and nodded. "She sure is. She has all these interests and opinions now. It's kind of amazing."

"And she seems to like Nathan."

She turned to him, surprised. "He loves us, Derek. He's good to us."

He nodded. "I'm glad you're happy."

"You're being a very big person right now."

He chuckled. "Meredith said some things to me. And mom. And Shane. What happened to you was a long time ago. And I know that you know you can always call me if you're in trouble, no matter how much of an ass I've been or how distant."

"Derek..."

"And I know you would never put yourself in that kind of situation again. Not for yourself. And especially not for Emily."

"You're right."

He swung an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry I disappeared."

Lauren smiled at him before leaning against him. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"It's been a long year. But I think maybe it was for the best. You're a different person, Derek. I can't remember ever seeing you this happy."

"I can't remember ever being this happy," he said honestly. "But I'm not going to forget about my family anymore. I'll be coming home to visit regularly."

"Do you think you can make it here in the fall?"

"For what?"

She sat up and turned to him. "For my wedding?"

"Oh, Lauren..."

"I need you to be there, Derek. You're my big brother. And I was kind of hoping you'd walk me down the aisle."

He hugged her. "Of course I'll be there."

"And you'll walk me down the aisle?"

"Yes."

She sniffed as she hugged him back. "Thank you."

"Hey, you're my little sister. There's no way I wouldn't be there." He smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said again, her voice throaty in the way that told him she was about to cry.

"But don't think for a second this gets Nathan out of the 'if you hurt my sister, I'll kill you' speech."

Lauren laughed and pulled away from him. "Please don't tell me you're serious."

He nodded. "I've given it three times; I've got it down now."

"I don't believe you."

"It's true. It got more intimidating the more times I did it. The first time, with Shane...didn't go so well. I was just this scrawny freshman in college. And I don't really think Scott understood what I was saying, but to be fair we were drunk and at his bachelor party, so I guess that was my bad. But Tim was definitely a little bit worried."

Lauren laughed loudly now. "I can't believe you actually did that."

"It's my job."

"Does that mean I should have the same conversation with Meredith?"

"She would never hurt me."

"I believe that." Lauren smiled sadly. "I guess someone should have had the conversation with Addison."

Derek shrugged. "I doubt it would have made a difference. And it wasn't all her fault."

"Are you seriously taking some of the blame for her jumping into bed with Mark?"

"No. But our marriage at that point..." He trailed off and shook his head. "It wasn't a marriage anymore. We didn't talk. We didn't fight. We just...existed. Lived in the same house, but not together. That's not what marriage should be."

"Do you think you could have fixed things, had she not slept with Mark?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. For a while at least. But what would have been the point? We were too different. She wanted a certain lifestyle, and I don't. Not anymore."

"Did you love her?"

"I think so. I hope so. But not enough."

"Not as much as you love Meredith."

"Exactly. It's different."

"I'm glad you're happy, Derek."

He smiled. "I'm glad you're happy."

"What a difference a year makes, huh?"

"I was just thinking that."

She smiled at him before laying her head against his shoulder. "Nathan's going to adopt Emily," she said quietly. "Officially. Emily's really excited about it."

Derek returned his arm to his sister's shoulder and remained silent for a long moment. "That's good," he finally responded. "You and Emily deserve happiness."

"We come as a set," she said. "And he's never questioned that. I told him when I first met him that she was the most important thing in my life, and that she takes top priority, no matter what. Usually that scares guys away, but he looked me right in the eyes and told me he wouldn't be interest if I didn't think that way."

This made Derek smile. "Maybe I won't have to have the talk with him after all."

Lauren laughed. "Just give him a chance and you'll like him."

"I'll try my best."

"I like her," Lauren offered.

"Meredith?"

"Yeah. She's...not Addy."

"No, she's definitely not. She never stopped to question why I lived in a trailer. Or why I prefer my old Land Rover. And she's never pushed me to change." He paused as his eyes caught sight of his fiancée, running across the field after the kids, looking as if she had some concept of the game she was playing. "I feel like she's the only person in the world who really knows me. And she loves me for it."

"We love you, Derek," Lauren said quietly. "And we want to know the real you if you let us."

He nodded. "It's nice; to be able to be yourself."

"It is," she agreed.

Derek chuckled. "I'm kind of proud of us."

Lauren nodded. "We've grown up."

"We have."