The Boss's Love (33 page)

             
“I suppose.” He shrugged.

             
“Well, since I’m not that great of a cook, and neither are you,” she teased again and innocently batted her long eyelashes, “if we ever want to eat anything other than take out or restaurant food then we should look into it,” Courtney conceded. “Is it safe bringing a strange woman into the house right now?” 

             
“That's why we're vetting them closely,” Derrick assured her. “You don’t need to worry about a thing. By the time the background checks come in, and Jack and Carl have done their work, there won’t be anything we don’t know about these women.” 

             
She nodded.

             
“And how about the cleaning personnel?” He tried to correct his terminology. Which made her laugh aloud. His smile broadened. His devastatingly handsome features prominent.   

             
“I hate cleaning,” she mused.

             
“It’s settled then,” he said with finality as if he just negotiated a business deal. He pushed his cup of coffee to the side and leaned on the island. “I do want to speak to you about delivering the baby and afterwards.” 

             
That halted her, fork full of food in mid air. It wasn't a discussion she currently wanted to have. She'd felt a bit normal when she woke and didn't want to think. Too late. Tears formed in her eyes. Why the hell did everything have to be so hard? 

             
“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” Derrick soothed, stepping around the island and sitting beside to her. He pulled her against his side and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Sean, Ryan, and I have discussed it and we think it’s best if you deliver here at home. We're concerned about you and the baby’s safety. Your cousins are finding equipment to set up in one of the bedrooms to turn into a delivery room. They're taking care of everything.”

             
“Will that be safe?” Courtney asked, frightened that something might go wrong.

             
“Yes, your pregnancy is doing well. Sean and Ryan said everything would be fine,” he answered. His strong, confident tone reassured her. 

             
“Okay,” she said. “If you think that's the way we should go.”

             
He smiled, his eyes shining down upon her. “It is.” A sharp nod. “Now, there is the matter of a nanny.”

             
“No,” she bit out.

             
“But‒"

             
“No, I'm not bringing a stranger into my home to raise my baby,” she hissed, jumped off the stool to march out of the room. She stopped, wheeled around, and pegged him with her forefinger. “Unless you mean a six foot three, twenty-five year old strapping man who's willing to play the male nanny,” she sneered and stormed out. 

             
“Damn it!” She heard him slam his fist off the slate. God, she could be difficult when she wanted. Darren had the duty of handling her but now that role belonged to Derrick. She would keep him on his damn toes.

             
Her first instinct was to flee and clear her mind with a brisk walk. But that would be a wasted effort. Derrick's men surrounded her home. She wouldn't make it two feet out the door before her ass was dragged back inside. Instead, she stomped up the stairs like a three year old and slammed the bedroom door shut and locked him out. Nothing like a woman in her thirties throwing a tantrum.
Fucking Hormones.
Her emotional grid was off the charts.

             
A soft knock on the bedroom door interrupted her hardcore pout.

             
“Court, honey, please open the door,” Derrick said placidly. 

             
His utter perfect composure grated her. Reluctantly, she opened the door. 

             
“May I?” he asked, motioning to the bedroom.

             
He didn't need to ask, though she appreciated his respect.  

             
Stepping past her, Derrick took her hand into his and led her to the bed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulled her head to his, and gave her a small peck on the cheek.  

             
“I understand, Derrick,” she admitted before he explained his reasons for hiring a nanny.

             
“You do?” he asked. 

             
“Yes, you need me to attend functions with you. Finding a babysitter isn’t viable in our position. We need someone full time on staff we can trust,” she said.

             
“Exactly,” he said. “Which brings me to the next discussion. We need to get married. Today,” he said.  

             
She distinctly inhaled. "I thought you had changed your mind,” she admitted. 

             
“Are you serious?” he asked, pulling away to look at her.

             
She nodded again.

             
“Courtney Murphy, I cannot believe you don’t know me well enough by now to know that once my mind is made up, that’s it. Done,” he said determined.

             
“I know it's not the conventional way to obtain a wife and maybe I’m too difficult for you to handle now that Darren’s gone,” she said shamefully. “You aren’t the one who signed up for this‒”

             
Derrick placed his finger on her lips. “Stop. That’s enough. Courtney, I love you more than any woman I've ever loved in my life. I would be honored to be your husband. I’ll take care of your needs and wants, love you, and watch over you like nothing else in existence. It will only be you, sweetheart. I will never cheat and never have a wandering eye. You own me, body and soul, if you’ll have me. I know I can’t replace Darren, but I’ll be someone else for you to love and able to depend upon. I know I’m not the sappy man that Darren was but I'll never love anyone as much as I love you. I've loved you since Darren introduced you to us the first time at Sunday dinner. Do you remember?” 

             
“I do.” She smiled fondly. “I couldn’t believe how much you two looked alike. So handsome, intelligent, and ready to rip off Max’s face for trying to goad you into a fight.”

             
“And you were the one who calmed me. No one, and I mean no one, has ever been able to talk me down. Not Darren. Not my parents. No one. Only you,” Derrick said, almost as if admitting a flaw. “It’s as if you were put here for both Darren and me. So if you don’t mind, I'd like to make you my wife now, start to move forward by helping you grieve over our loss, and then start our family together. I’ll love Darren’s baby as if he or she is my own.” He placed a protective hand on her belly. “I love you, Courtney. Please marry me.” 

             
There was no choice in her answer. Unfortunately, for her safety, she had to say yes. She was carrying the heir to the Murphy Empire and held a majority of incomprehensible power. She wasn't "in love" with Derrick, but she did love him. She hoped she wasn't making a mistake, for both of their sakes.  

             
“I know you’ll love me one day as much as you love Darren. I’m patient. I’ll wait,” he said. 

             
Was she that transparent?

             
“Okay,” she whispered. 

             
"Good, I'll call Judge Waters and have him here this afternoon. I'll also call Mom and Dad and your parents, Sean and Ryan. We'll have a small family affair. If that's all right with you," he added. 

             
"That sounds good," she responded, finding herself sinking into stunned mode. 

             
"If you'd like something bigger down the road all you have to do is say the word and whatever you want you'll have," Derrick insisted. 

             
She smiled. "Thank you."

             
“You’re quite welcome,” he said, kissing her forehead, standing and leaving the room.

             
Once again Courtney felt herself on the whirlwind ride that's become her life.  

***

              Eight that evening, Derrick and Courtney sat on the back deck having just said goodbye to Sean and Ryan. They had discussed their plans with her giving birth at home. They were the last to leave after Derrick and Courtney's small, private wedding ceremony that was more somber than joyous.  Derrick's parents and sister attended, along with her parents, Jack and Carl, and her cousins. All remained unusually quiet. In fact, right after the ceremony they all left, not staying for the dinner Derrick had catered. Sean, Ryan, Jack, and Carl were the ones who struck up any form of conversation. They managed to keep the event from turning altogether uncomfortable.

             
"I'm sorry,” Derrick said, interrupting Courtney appreciating the serene horizon over the backyard.

             
"What for?" she asked confused.

             
"That it wasn't a more celebratory occasion.” 

She swore she heard a tone of sadness.

              "It's all right," she said reassuringly.

             
He frowned. "My parents and your parents weren't exactly bouncing up and down for joy." 

             
"It's hard for anyone except for us to understand,” she said. 

             
"Sean and Ryan did." 

             
"My cousins are extraordinary men,” she said wistfully.

             
"That they are," he agreed. His eyes crinkled as he smiled, showing the formation of tiny lines.

             
He was tired, she thought. And stressed. She needed to care for him. If Darren had those lines, she'd insist on making certain they were erased.

"It'll be fine, Derrick." She took his hand into hers and
squeezed.  

             
"We'll buy rings tomorrow," he insisted. 

             
She glanced down at their borrowed rings. They'd belonged to his grandparents. Plain gold bands represented her new marriage. On her right ring finger, the rings from Darren now donned that hand. She wasn't ready to part with them. Tears formed in her eyes. She knew Darren took his time picking out the perfect set for her. How could she possible take them off as if they meant nothing to her?

Derrick

              Derrick watched Courtney get lost in the expensive rings his brother had given her. At their ceremony, she'd hesitated a bit too long for his liking before taking them off and sliding the set onto her right hand. It was then he realized he was in for a long haul, fighting his brother's hold and memory over his new wife. 

             
Visibly composing herself, she straightened her shoulders and gave a small, tight smile. "You should move into the bedroom," she said.

             
The lack of sincerity behind her words did not go unnoticed. Now that they were husband and wife, he would move into her bedroom. Gladly he'd sleep next to her every night. Hell, she currently crawled into bed with him nightly. Consummating their marriage wouldn't happen until she was ready. Derrick wasn't sure if it was a win for him. To be that close to her and not able to have her body would frustrate the hell out of him. Cold showers might be a future he'd need to get used to.  

             
"I'll move in if that's what you truly want," he tested.

             
"It is. You're my husband," she said. "I also need your comfort. I can't sleep without you," she said honestly.   

             
That admission sealed the deal He kissed her, lingering, tilting her head upward for a better angle. Her lips were soft, like velvet, not wet but not dry, just...perfect. Derrick molded his lips to hers, both their mouths moving together. The kiss turned deeply romantic. A possessive husband showing his wife his love for her. A small moan escaped her mouth. He pulled away with a small, chaste kiss. Gazing deep into her eyes, he felt his body burn for his newlywed wife.  

Courtney

              Uneasy Courtney waited in bed for Derrick. It felt strange moving him into the sacred space of Darren's bed. Then there was the issue that she didn't know Derrick's expectations about intimacy. Certainly he understood she wasn't ready. Right?      

             
After about twenty minutes of waiting for her husband to join her, Courtney laid down the book she was reading and slid under the covers. Unable to keep her tired eyes open, she felt them drop heavily.

             
As if on cue, Derrick strolled into the bedroom holding a pair of lounge pants in hand. He shrugged out of his button down oxford shirt. Her eyes popped open, admiring his phenomenal physique. She wondered when he had time to work out? His broad shoulders, six pack abs, and muscled pecs created the perfect V-shape women drooled over. Darren had had the same muscular tone.