Sealed With A Vow

Chapter 5- Moments Like This

It was the Fourth of July and Derek had a barbecue set up in the backyard, grilling burgers and hot dogs. We both had invited a few of our closest friends over to celebrate, and then we'd all go see the fireworks at Harbor Island later tonight.

Ever since Derek and I had gotten into that huge argument over me going out, he didn't care what I did anymore or when I'd get home. It was the least he could do given his already rotten attitude.

The sun was glaring down on me as I sat by the pool, reading my favorite book. It was nearly ninety degrees today, but at least there was a slight breeze.

I looked up when I heard the sound of clacking heels rushing towards me, followed by a squeal.

Charlotte.

"Claire, I haven't seen you in ages!", she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her dark blue sundress, which also complemented her eyes.

"We just saw each other last week," I reminded her with a laugh.

"I know, but it felt so long ago," she said, pouting her lips.

"Hey, Claire," Elliot greeted me with a warm smile. He was tall and well-built, with dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes.

"Hi, Elliot. How have you been?", I asked.

"Great. Now, where should I set this watermelon? By the way, you've got a sick house. This backyard is incredible," he commented. I didn't even notice the giant watermelon in his hands until he'd mentioned it.

"You can leave it on the table. And thanks. I still think it's way too big for just two people, though."

"That's why you have kids," Elliot said with a wink before heading over to where Derek was.

Hell no.

A half hour later, everyone else showed up. We were all outside in the sun, eating and talking. It was nice getting to reunite with my old girlfriends from college.

I'd glance over at Derek every once in a while to see what he was doing. Around his friends, he acted like a normal human being, laughing and cracking jokes. It was just me he treated like trash.

For dessert, I brought out the giant chocolate cake that I had baked. There was red, white, and blue frosting on it to go with the Fourth of July theme, too.

"Oh my god, this tastes like heaven. Way to go, Claire," Stephen, one of Derek's friends, complimented.

"Thanks," I said with a smile.

"You're a lucky guy, Derek," he added, giving his friend a playful punch on the shoulder.

I looked towards my husband to see what his reaction was. His eyes came in direct contact with mine and just as I thought he was about to frown or something, a smile formed on his lips.

"I know," Derek said, taking a sip of his beer as he continued to stare at me.

I blinked twice to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. He was actually smiling. What was this madness?

"Hey, Derek, can we swim now?", his other friend, Landon, blurted.

"Huh? Oh yeah, go ahead," he spoke in a distracted tone.

All the guys immediately took off their shirts and jumped into the pool along with my friends, Hannah and Stacy, who both had bikinis on.

"Are you coming in?", Charlotte asked me, standing at the edge of the pool with my other friend, Lexi.

"In a little bit."

"Ok," she said before doing a perfect dive into the water.

I walked over to Derek, who was busy bringing the leftover food back into the house. I grabbed a slice of watermelon then followed him to the kitchen.