Grabbing Hold (The Motorcycle Kid #1)

58. To Old Times

Believe it or not, you guys got two chapters in the space of a week. Don't ask me where the inspiration came from, because I have no idea. 

In other news, thanks for 88,000 reads! We're almost at six figures, can you believe it? Also, on the cover art, this cool chick, EllahX, suggested holding a cover art contest for this novel and the two sequels, Holding On and Letting Go, and it sounds like a pretty solid idea to me. Maybe I'll give you guys some guidelines next chapter, but if you want to try your hand, be my guest. You guys are super creative, and I can't wait to see what you come up with. 

I'm off to go fight this headache and attempt to finish two group presentations on my own. Tata,

McKenzie :-)

P.S. This chapter is shamelessly filled with Derek x Charlotte material. Have fun!

It was close to midnight when Derek finally looked up from the contract documents he'd been poring over for the last few hours. OptiTec had been hit with about seven new offers of part ownership and subsidiary acquisition in the last few months, and though the corporation's lawyers had been over the details on several occasions, Derek liked to read the fine print for himself. He'd always been a very hands-on businessman, and honestly, he enjoyed what he did, and appreciated those he employed immensely.

His thoughts drifted to his ex-wife, whom he would have to discuss his findings with some time before the next upper-level management meeting in the next three weeks. Charlotte had been understandably absent from the last one in July, and Derek hated that he had been the cause of that, but the truth was, he needed her now.

Which meant he needed to fix things, and soon.

The sound of keys jingling and a door swinging open made Derek put the papers down, rising to head towards the foyer, where Charlotte, Emma and Emmett were making their way inside, laughing as they exchanged tales of the night. He smiled sadly in their direction, feeling a dull ache in his chest. He missed this, the ease with which the family interacted. He missed being a part of the squad, in on the joke. Gosh, he missed it. Regret swirled in his gut, but he pushed it down, instead choosing to clear his throat and make his presence known.

"Oh, hey, Dad," Emma acknowledged him with a smile. "We're back."

"I see," Derek commented. "How was the party?"

He listened to his daughter ramble off as he watched his ex-wife take her shoes off and hang the keys on the rack. They locked eyes silently, neither daring to speak until Charlotte gave him a tense, tight ghost of a smile and broke eye contact. The two were still keeping conversation to a minimum, especially after the emotional breakdown in the family living room. Derek was set to leave Misty Vale on Saturday, the same day Emmett would be heading off to university for the first time. He'd planned on staying longer, at least long enough to try to patch things up with Elliott (since any progress he'd made with Charlotte had been undone by the end of her rehash of her experience of post-divorce depression), but duty called. 

The decent part of Derek was nagging at him, reminding him he had a girlfriend (well, ex-fiancee) back home in Florida, whom he hadn't had a decent conversation with in weeks, and who was probably bouncing around a bunch of assumptions he wasn't in the mood to confirm or deny. Still, as much as he didn't look forward to it, Derek knew his place was in Miami, with Audrey. He had lost his right to be here, to want his family back, ten years ago. And as much as it hurt, his father had been right - he owed it to Charlotte to leave her alone.

"Dad, are you even listening?" asked Emma exasperatedly.

"Sorry, cupcake, I got a little caught up in my thoughts," Derek replied, opening his arms so his daughter could embrace him. "How are you, baby?"