Chapter 85

I put in my papers to transfer bosses. I can stick with my department so long as Derek isn’t my current boss. It feels right with every step I take, though.

I can’t stop smiling.

We meet with HR the next day to alert them about our new relationship.

“And you haven’t had any past romantic history?”

I shake my head. “No. This is new. We just don’t want anyone to think we’re hiding anything from them.”

A little lie, considering there’s been an attraction for months now, but that’s not something we agreed to share outside of us.

“Esme will be transferred out of my department to work with a different boss and team,” Derek assures them. “We’re not looking to cause any disturbances.”

We wait a few days to tell the girls, however. Just so we can see how the dynamic is playing out. Bea and Tris deserve to know before anyone else in our lives.

“You think they’ll be happy?” I ask Derek on our way home from work on Friday.

He reaches over and takes my hand, his eyes focused on the road. “I think they’ll be delighted. Those two worship you.”

My cheeks turn pink. I squeeze Derek’s hand in excitement.

Once we get home, he takes me to his apartment. Bea and Tris have already been brought home by Sadie, who leaves as we walk in.

She gives me a slanted glare but says nothing as she goes past the both of us.

“Daddy!” Bea and Tris cheer as they come running into his arms.

“Miss Esme!” Their bright eyes are wide as they hug me, too.

“Girls, Miss Esme and I have some news for you.”

We all move to the couch, the girls sitting between us as Derek explains.

“Miss Esme and I are now dating. We’ve been working to figure out how to tell you both, because you’re both some of our favorite people.”

Bea starts to bounce on the couch as she looks between us both. “You’re dating? You’re together now?”

I smile at the eight-year-old. “Are you okay with this?”

Tris throws her arms in the air. “Dating!”

“Finally!” Bea squeals. “We’ve been waiting for this!”

I can’t stop the laugh. “You’ve been waiting for the two of us to start dating?”

“I knew you liked each other,” the eldest insists. “I’ve been telling Tris that Daddy was going to make you his girlfriend when he stopped being so scared.”

“Hey now,” Derek taunts. “Who said I was scared of anything?”

“Daddy, you look at Miss Esme with sparkly eyes!” Tris giggles.

“So, you’re okay with this, girls?” I check, wanting to be crystal clear.

“With you dating? Obviously,” Bea winks.

“Dating!” Tris giggles again, clapping her hands.

“Oh my God, I love you both so much!” Derek yells out, attacking his daughters with kisses and hugs, and laughter. The girls hug and kiss him back, laughing along with their father.

That’s when Bea, who’s sat next to me, hugs me tightly. It's as though she’s been waiting to do this for a long time.

I take her in my arms before Tris joins us, and I hug them while turning back and forth.

“You two are the best.” Derek strokes his youngest head.

“No, you are,” they reply in unison.

Then, the two faces look up at me. As though this entire time, they’ve been the daughters I’ve wanted to have. They smile, and my heart begins to pound erratically as I really take in what this all means.

“I love you girls,” I whisper. “No matter how things may go from now on, I care about you both so much that it hurts.”

“Me, too,” Bea whispers back.

“Me, three!” Tris giggles.

To celebrate, the four of us go out to dinner together. Derek takes us to a pizza place, making sure the young ones will eat the food on the menu.

“I want to order a bottle of wine, but obviously, that’s not the right thing to drink.”

I giggle. “You get what you want. I’ll just have a ginger ale, don’t worry about me.”

“I always worry about you, Esme.”

I can’t stop the sly smile I give him.

I shake my head and take his hand across the table and squeeze it. “And I worry about you more than I’ll ever care to admit.”

When our waitress walks by, Derek raises his hand. “Can I get a glass of merlot and a ginger ale for the beautiful woman?”

Once we all have our drinks, Derek asks if he can give a short toast. His daughters raise their child-sized cups.

“To the start of our adventure together. I’m glad to have my girls and the woman I care for so deeply surrounding me from now on.”

“Cheers to Miss Esme and Daddy,” Bea adds, clinking her cup to our glasses.

“Cheers!” Tris bounces.

The meal is calm, with each daughter telling us about what they’ve been doing in school. Bea’s excited that she can wear different earrings soon, telling me about some pretty dangling hoops Derek gave her.

“You’ll have to show them to me!” I gush. “And your ears have been healing well?”

“I make sure to clean them every day. It took a while to remember, but I love having earrings!”

Tris asks me if I like the jewelry she and Bea picked out for me the day I won my case.

“Oh my God, yes, I do! I’ve worn it many times. I think of you two every time I put it on.”

“Your friends at work think it’s nice?”

My eyes discreetly look at their father. “Many compliments from my friends. I didn’t know you two were such good shoppers with jewelry!”

Derek shrugs sheepishly. “I must admit, Bea has her mother’s eye with jewelry for sure.”

Thinking of Sadie makes my stomach a bit queasy, but I do my best to swallow the rising acid. “Well, maybe Bea and Tris can go shopping with me sometime. I need to start picking out more pregnancy clothes soon.”

The daughters perk up. “Shopping with Miss Esme?” Tris asks, wide-eyed.

“Yes, please!” Bea adds.

Derek and I don’t chat alone much, choosing to focus on his girls. But once we’re in the car and each daughter is in their car seats, each falls asleep within five minutes.

“They really are special girls,” I say to Derek happily. “I always wanted to have a daughter just like them.”

“And I know they look to you like another mom.”

“I’m not trying to replace her, just so I get that out there.”

His gaze meets with mine at a red light. “Esme. Of course, I don’t think you’re trying to replace Sadie. You treat them with such sweetest and compassion. Just because you’re in their lives doesn’t mean you’re taking their mother’s place.”

“I just needed to make sure you knew that.”

“Why?”

“Because the last thing I want to do is hurt anyone with expectations or fears.”

“You won’t hurt anyone that way,” he assures me. “You’re not built that way.”

I lean over and kiss his cheek before the light turns green.

“What was that?”

“For believing in me more than I do.”

A laugh leaves his lips so quietly, driving forward but winking in my direction. “Maybe someday you will.”