Loving Derek (River-Cove Series: Book 1) ✓

41// Derek

It's been four days since Tori was shot, she made it through surgery. The doctors are hopeful, that she will wake up soon. I haven't left her side, I can't leave not until she opens her eyes, she needs to know that I am here for her.

Her parents have been coming and go to sit with her and so has Grace, until Jack dragged her back to his place for a shower, food and some sleep.

Deacon is back at the house with Daisy, I still haven't seen my daughter but I'm a mess, until Tori wakes up and shows me her beautiful eyes, I need to be here.

The doctors said it's a miracle she survived with the amount of blood she lost, but Tori she's a fighter, the first time I saw her, I saw her strength, her courage.

"Any changed?" Snapping out of my thoughts as I look up at the voice, watching as Grace's makes her way into the room and takes a seat in the chair, on the other side of Tori's hospital bed.

"No not yet" I replied sadly, Grace's flickers her eyes to her best friend and then looks back to me.

"I owe you an apology....actually I owe you a lot of apologies" she says to me.

Keeping my stare on her a little weary, with where she's going with this.

"You don't Grace....Believe me I deserved everything you threw at me"

And it's the truth she came here, and she blamed me for not keeping Tori safe. Which I didn't, I couldn't keep her safe, she was taken right from her front door, and I didn't stop it, I didn't see all of the puzzle pieces in time and for that it almost costed Tori her life.

So yeah....everything Grace yelled at me, called me, and wanted to throw at me she was right too.

"No Derek you don't....I was scared that I was going to lose Tori. You see she's just not my best friend...she's basically the only family that I have in this world-;" Grace sadly explains to me.

I don't know much of her story, Tori she talks about Grace all the time, she's her family just as much Grace's says Tori is. But I don't know Grace myself.

"What I'm trying to say and bear with me, I'm not used to saying sorry"

That's makes my lips curl into a small smile, because she's definitely someone who always believes she is the one in the right all the time.

Grace is the type of person who always keeps a person at arms-length. I don't know her, like I said I don't know her story, but I see the pain that she carries in her eyes. I see the fear behind the headstrong attitude she throws at people, someone in her past has hurt her, made her not know how to trust people.

And that is her business, but she needs to understand that I'm not going anywhere. I respect that Tori is her family and she is Tori's, and Tori is the woman that I love and want to marry one day, I plan on spending the rest of my life with Tori if she will have me, so I can accept Grace, but she needs to learn to accept me, and maybe one day might even trust me.

"I am sorry, I shouldn't have blamed this on you. You did everything you could to protect her and then find her, and I'm not idiot I can see how much you love her. Damn it, you would probably have taken that bullet for her if you could"

"I would have....as crazy as it is I think she may be the love of my life"

"It's not crazy, honestly your Tori's too. Since you and she began, she's full of life again. She's so happy and so in love, I've never seen her like that. Thank you for being what she needed" Grace says.

"She's what I need too, I just didn't know it until she turned up in River-Cove" Grace looks at me and nods in understanding, rubbing my thumb over Tori's hand before looking back up to Grace.

"It's not any of my business but Jack is my friend, I see the demons around you. And I only say this Grace because sometimes the person who we need to anchor us, comes into our lives unexpectedly and knocks us on our ass, but if you take a chance maybe that person is just the right one who you need, to help carry you through whatever storm you are facing" I simply say to her.

She just stares at me for a moment, doesn't say a word in all honestly, I'm waiting for her to throw something at my head, for butting into her and Jack's business whatever they have going on, and believe me there's something there between them....a pull that's brings them together each time they see one another, and Tori sees it too.

"Your right it's not any of your business-;" she barked at me, but then narrowed her gaze on me.

"But I hear the meaning behind the words" She adds with a small smile.

Nodding my head and returned her smile, then moved my eyes back to Tori's beautiful face.

Now I just need my anchor to wake up and she will, her soul is connected to mine, I feel it.