Page 89 of Grasp The Moment

My breath catches as I look around the living room. The lights are completely off, and candles litter the living room. In the very center of the room, where the couch and coffee table should be, sits a small table with a white tablecloth and two chairs with flower petals scattered around the ground.

Derek comes into the living room from our bedroom, dressed head-to-toe in a Parisian waiter’s outfit. He bends at the waist, a small smile on his face as he says, “Bonjour, Mademoiselle. I am Ton Mari—your waiter, and I will be your confidant tonight.”

Covering my laugh, I smile at the man as he comes back up from his bow, and I almost burst out in full laughter at the sight of his face.

He’s wearing a red beret and a fake curly mustache over his own goatee. I snicker and take the seat he holds out for me. “I was supposed to be meeting a hot date tonight, Ton Mari…”

“Your date is a lucky guy, Mademoiselle,” he says in his horrible French accent, pushing the chair in for me. “Tonight’s dinner will consist of a sip and paint. The chef will be serving creamy Cajun pasta with breadsticks, your favorite, and another favorite of yours, strawberry cupcakes. If there is anything else that you would like to eat, please note that the kitchen is closed and I quit.”

My jaw drops as my “waiter” turns on his heels and skips—yes,skips—his way back to our bedroom.

Moments later, Derek appears in the bedroom doorway, the fake mustache still on his face as he poses for me. I roll my lips to suppress a laugh as he trips on his way back over to the table in the center of the room, taking a seat in front of me.

“Sorry I’m late, darlin’... I got held up in a meeting with myadvisor,” he says, taking a sip of his water, but it goes down the wrong way, and he ends up choking.

He takes off the mustache and the two of us sit in silence for a moment before the both of us burst out into laughter.

“What the hell are you doing?” I ask between laughs as Derek chuckles, running a hand over his face.

“I'm being romantic,” he says, grabbing my hand from across the table.

I give him a small smile, my skin heating as he rubs circles on my thumb.

“You’re doing great, sweetie.”

He chuckles softly, getting up from the table. In seconds, he’s made our plates, and we dig in. I moan as the savory flavors of the chicken and peppers pop on my tongue.

We eat in comfortable silence, the two of us finishing our food in minutes as soft R&B plays on the surround sound speaker.

“I never got the chance to say thank you,” Derek starts as he wipes the corner of his mouth, setting down his fork and napkins.

Raising my brows, I mimic him, putting my own fork down, and giving him my full attention.

“Thank you for everything, Georgia. You’ve helped Deli and me more than we’ll ever know. You’ve truly become the light in our darkness. Thank you for being yourself and helping us.”

The sincerity in his eyes, the warmth in his touch, it all makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside as he gives my hand a small squeeze.

“You mean that?”

He brings my hand up to his lips, his eyes locked on mine as he kisses the back of my hand. “More than you’ll ever know.”

Derek and I finish our food, laughing and talking about our upcoming trip to Texas in two days for spring break. It’s safe to say that I’ve become genuinely more excited to see where he grew up than he is to be back in his hometown.

Derek laughs quietly as he paints away on his canvas. I frown as he holds his painting closer to his chest, away from my line of sight.

Pouting, I add another line to his mustache. “What’s so funny?”

He gives me a wicked grin. “I can’t believe you actually bought those cowboy boots.”

My cheeks redden at the reminder of our time in the fitting room earlier.

“What’s surprising about that?”

He shakes his head, playfulness dazzling his eyes as he says, “Oh, nothing. I’m just wondering if I could take them off of you like promised…”

I bite my lip trying to hide my grin as he gets up from the table, placing down his painting and holding out his hand for me. “Three Little Birds” begins to play on the speaker, and my heart softens as Derek pulls me close, swaying us to the music.

My heart triples in rhythm as we sway to the low reggae. I rest my head on his chest and take in this moment for everything it’s worth as Derek moves us around the living room. At this moment, I know that there’s nowhere else that I’d rather be, because if Derek is also there, everything will be okay.