Dear Derek

Chapter 88 (Amelia)

"That's the last box." I smiled, shutting the trunk.

"I can't believe you're leaving us." Mer cried as she hugged Maggie.

"You guys are acting like I'm moving half way across the world." she rolled her eyes.

Maggie and Winston had decided due to lack of privacy and space, they would be a lot happier in their own apartment. I felt somewhat responsible for their impulse decision because if I had just knocked on the door and not barged in, I wouldn't have seen Winston naked in the shower.

The wind began to fiercely blow as the dark clouds occupied the sky. Maggie removed her sunglasses and walked over to me, opening her arms. She stood for a minute frozen. "Well aren't you going to give your favorite sister a hug?"

"Oh yes of course. Hey Meredith can you come here please?"

She rolled her eyes and without warning, gave me a tight hug. We laughed, trying to keep our tears in.

Maggie and Winston waved once more and got in the car. The rain began to fall as they headed out into the distance. I headed back into the house and sat on the couch next to Link. He was playing with Scout. "I can't believe they left." I sighed.

"We all knew it was coming. They are getting married and they want to start their own life together, without three crazy children and a baby whining all night." he laughed.

"I know," I smiled, "but it just feels so empty here."

He put his arm around my shoulder. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"After helping Winston and Maggie move out, it got me thinking. We are together, we have a kid, Derek is now back, and we are in a good place."

"Okay Link I get it... now can you get to the point?"

"Why don't we move in together?"

"Link we practically live together already." I laughed.

He grabbed my hands. He looked so serious. "No Amelia...I mean why don't we buy our own house. When I was apartment hunting with Winston, his realtor also started showing me houses."

I removed my hands from his. "Wait what?"

"I was trying to keep it a surprise, but look at this one she found about a week ago."

He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture. It was a cute suburban, red brick house. There was a small, but cute little walkway up to the front door.

Link continued to swipe through the pictures. The backyard was huge with a cute little swing set and a nice in ground pool. There was a gorgeous outdoor kitchen since Link knows how much "I love to cook". "The backyard is perfect for us. Plus at night the sun sets right over the trees. It's looks quite magical." he smiled.

He put his phone away and we locked eyes. I don't know if he sensed the tension or his hopes were too high to feel a single thing but pure joy. "So what do you think?"

"I-I...I don't know."

"Is it the price? I know it's a little high, but the realtor said it's a good deal for a house in this amazing condition."

He began to ramble, but I stopped him. "No it's not the price Link, it's the fact we are moving in together."

He laughed. "Amelia...like you said we have practically been living together for almost a year now. Wouldn't it be nice to have our own house, all to ourselves? Don't you want that?"

"I do want that. Scout deserves it."  I began.

"Oh my gosh." he said, his voice getting quieter.