I itched to be with him in that moment—to wrap my arms around him and hold him close. To remind him how loved he was.
“I’m sorry Derek.” I whispered, once again fighting back words from flying off my tongue.
He sucked in a big breath before letting it out slowly. “It’s going to be fine. Tell me about your day. Did you wallow in misery without me there?”
I laughed before telling him about my half shift at Bikini Beans and parts of my conversation with Bailey that morning. Derek seemed just as shocked as I’d been to learn Brooks was planning to move back to town. I made sure to tell him a few times how proud I was of him for coming out today, and making the decision to put himself first when it came to Cecilia.
By the time we ended the call, I’d made up my mind. When he came home on Sunday, I was going to show him just how much all this meant to me. And that I was all in with him.
“Holy shit, what is that? It smells amazing!” Derek asked, shutting the door behind him.
“Dinner!” I called back, still whisking quickly at the sauce that was thickening in the pan before me.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind and I took a moment to revel in how good it felt. His warm body pressing against me felt so right after being without it.
“What’s this?Youcooking forme?” He teased, pressing soft kisses into my temple as I continued to work to prevent the liquid from burning.
“Hey now, Icancook, you just do a much better job than I do. But, I wanted to celebrate you tonight, so I’m trying to pull out all the stops.”
Once I turned the burner off on the stove and moved the sauce to the side, I turned around in his hold, sporting a huge grin.
Derek lifted an eyebrow before leaning in to press a soft kiss against my lips.
“Welcome home.” I murmured against them.
“It’s good to be back. Do you need help with anything?” He asked, pulling back from me to glance suspiciously over my set-up.
I let out a lighthearted huff before shooing him off. “No, I got this. You can go unpack. Dinner will be ready here pretty soon.”
Derek gave me another dubious glance, a teasing smile giving away his real feelings, before he sauntered off towardour bedroom. I let out a slow sigh, trying to keep my heart and mind from racing away with me.
Part one of the night was going okay, despite me feeling like I bit off more than I could chew when I reviewed the instructions on the recipe I’d picked. The internet told me nothing screamed romance better than steak, so I figured it was the perfect meal to kick off an impromptu date night in.
Except, the recipe told me to sear the ‘presentation side down’ and get the butter ‘frothy’ and to use an ‘instant-read thermometer’ to ensure proper core temperature. Since when did making a steak require so many fancy gadgets and gizmos? Instead of letting my brain run away with me, I’d decided I was just going to do my best with a little bit of hope, maybe a few prayers, and a friendly Google here or there.
Our steaks were currently in the oven after having been seared and tossed around with garlic, butter—that did get kinda bubbly, so fingers crossed—and rosemary. I’d set a timer for what the recipe said it’d likely take for the steak to reach the right temperature, which was just about done. When the buzzer went off, I pulled the steaks out and set them on the cutting board to rest while I got our plates ready.
Once I’d plated mashed potatoes and some green beans for both of us, I sliced the steak and let out a small sigh of relief when it looked like it was done properly. Just as I was pouring the sauce over the whole ensemble, Derek came back into the room.
“Dang, I seriously cannot get over how good that smells. Is it ready?” He said, sliding into a chair at the table.
I nodded and placed both of our plates down before settling into the spot before him.
“Wow, babe, a steak dinner? While I love the effort, do I need to remind you I’m a sure thing?” He teased, sending me a wink, before digging into his meal.
The groan that came from him made all the effort and momentary worries worth it. My grin split my face as heimmediately went back in for another piece of meat smothered in sauce. “It’s good?”
“It’s incredible, Colton. Do I need to go on more trips so you’ll cook like this more often?”
I chuckled, looking down at my plate a bit shyly. “Tonight is special. I wanted to celebrate you and how courageous you were to come out to your family. I know you probably don’t feel like it was a big deal, but it really is, and I don’t want to discount any of it. I know you didn’t do it for me, but it still means a lot to me.”
I could feel Derek’s eyes on me as I loaded mashed potatoes and steak onto my fork. The flavor was pretty incredible and I took a moment to internally pat myself on the back. If the way things had gone so far were any indication on how the rest of the night would go, it might turn out alright.
“I appreciate that.” I looked up from my plate at Derek, whose eyes had gone soft. “But, I did come out for you, in a way. For myself, but also for a future with you in it.”
My throat tightened with emotion and I swallowed thickly to dislodge it. “You want that? A future with me?”
Derek nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
