Say you won't let go

Chapter 12

Meredith breathed outward, looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair she just worked so hard curling fell in beautiful waves down just past her shoulders. She wore a casual green dress that was form-fitting to show her curves that she gained from her children and It stopped just above her knee. Her shoes were a small heel, nothing to much because she barely could walk in anything besides converse.

"This is too much," she shook her head at herself. This was her first date in almost ten years. She never went on dates before she got married, always just sleeping around with anyone who looked decent when her blood was full of tequila. Tequila. That sounded like a good idea to her. She went down her stairs, just as she was on the last one a knock came to her front door. She sighed, looking at herself in the mirror just next to the stairs.

"Come in!" She yelled and she was fixing her hair, flipping from in front of her shoulders and around her face to all of it behind her shoulders.

"Wow," he remarked as he just turned the corner, choked up by how beautiful she was.

Her body did a quick turn and she was staring at him. She was more than speechless. His perfect hair was tousled gently, his deep blue eyes matched the red shirt that buttoned down and accompanied by khaki slacks that hugged his legs almost perfectly.

"Wow yourself," she giggled lightly. He smiled at her, shaking his head and walking to her. She was left breathless by the kiss he placed on her lips.

"Kids are out with Lexie then she's bringing them home at ten so we have plenty of time," she said with a smile.

"Shall we?" He raised his brow, walking backwards toward the front door.

"We shall," she giggled, quickly following him. She felt like a teenager again, butterflies filled her stomach as she grabbed his hand and he lead her to his car. He opened the door, allowing her to get in.

"Italian sound good?" He asked, getting into the driver seat.

"Amazing," she gazed at him, it felt like she was on cloud nine when she was with him. They had small talk on the way to the restaurant, his hand resting on her thigh. They arrived and parked a few blocks down the street from the restaurant.

"I love coming to the square when it's autumn," she admired as he took her hand and they walked at a slow pace toward the place.

"The trees turning are just so beautiful and the weather is not too hot or cold," She rambled as she looked around at the scenery, it was beautiful. The sun was slowly setting which made the red and orange tree leaves have a slight glow.

"Manhattan looked similar, Central Park was beautiful this time of year," he said as he also enjoyed the weather. It was the perfect time to be outdoors.

"I bet, in all the years I grew up in Boston and traveling the world, I never once visited New York," she said.

"Well I will have to take you sometime," he smiled, she giggled and nodded in agreement.

"Are you asking me to meet your family?" She said, taken aback.

"Eventually, but a nice getaway visiting a new city is always nice," he said. He opened the door to the restaurant and they were greeted by the smell of fresh oregano and other spices filling the air. He heard how she breathed a little deeper to inhale all the scents.

"Name please?" The hostess asked as they walked to the stand.

"Shepherd," he said. She looked for a moment before grabbing two menus and leading them to a table that was off to the side, but still was able to see every inch of the place.

"This place is so beautiful," she marveled as she slid into her seat, taking in her surroundings.

"It is. This is a first for the both of us then," he smiled at her, she returned the smile before lifting her menu and searching through the wine list. The waitress came and introduced herself before taking their orders. She came back right after with a bottle of Pinot noir and poured each a glass.

"So tell me about your childhood," Meredith intrigued, sipping on her wine.

"Not very interesting. Grew up in a town about two hours away from Manhattan, met my childhood best friend which turned into my brother Mark, helped my mom raise my little sister while my older sisters really raised us before they all went to college. Honor roll student through high school and college, I was also a band geek," he chuckled, sipping at his glass and twirling the red liquid around.

"I'm dating a nerd?" She giggled, shaking her head at him.

"Proud saxophone player, also played a little guitar in high school," he winked. She just kept shaking her head while giggling. He couldn't help but smile at her beautiful giggle. It was refreshing, after being in a busy hospital day in and day out. He use to enjoy the quiet of coming home but now he is willing to turn his world upside down for that giggle and her perfect smile.

"How crazy, this is crazy. I was the girl that dyed her hair pink as a stab at her own mother. I was never in school but made honor roll every year. That drove my mother insane," Meredith almost bragged about it. She didn't talk much about her childhood to anyone. He was different to her.

They both sat and chatted with small talk in between their meal. He learned about how her mother gave her a suture kit for her tenth birthday and her occasional visits from an aunt she didn't name. She talked while he listened carefully, holding on to every last word she was saying. She talked about her kids and each of their talents, how she just knew Scarlett was going to be an amazing surgeon one day and CJ would be the one to break the cycle but she was unsure with what he would do because he is the jack of all trades. They finished the meal, Derek paid and lead her to the car.

"Do you think I should get a dog? CJ is always talking about how much he wants a dog and since he did so well with his surgery, maybe I should get him one."

He looked at her, a look of slight confusion. He didn't know why she was asking him. It wasn't up to him, but he admired how much his opinion mattered to her.

"You should," he nodded.

"I should?" She questioned. He nodded again.

"A great teaching moment. He would learn how to feed the dog, he could join you while you walked the dog. He would love it."

"I am going to get a dog," she stated, then bursting into a giggle. He joined in, watching her watch him. They were stopped at a red light, their giggle faded to just a smile. He slowly leaned in to her, she leaned in. Just as their lips brushed, the car behind them honked the horn and they jumped backwards.

She was grateful for the darkness, it hid the crimson that came across her cheeks. She was almost positive she saw his cheeks blushed as well as they passed street lights. They pulled into her driveway, both getting out the car as he wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her to the front door.

"I had fun," Meredith smiled, looking into his dreamy eyes as they stepped into the entryway.

"Me too. Let's say we do it again next weekend," he proposed.

"Can't, I am on night shift next weekend because I traded Lexie this weekend for next," she frowned.

"We will figure out a day then," he smiled and leaned down to place a quick kiss on her lips. She looked at him, he looked back at her before leaning in for more. Their lips danced as their bodies connected. Her hands roamed from his back to his sides and back up to his neck. His hands were twirled between her hair. They separated quickly when little foot steps were coming down the stairs.

"Bye," she said as she planted ore shoving him out the door just in time for Cj to appear. He stood at the door for a second, listening to what she said to the boy before guiding him upstairs. He shook his head a little, pulling out his phone and sending her a quick goodnight text before he got into his car and drove home.