Chapter 1545 Want to Be with You
Laura shot him a look, her face all red. "Watch your mouth."
"I did," Derek smirked, raising an eyebrow. "After tasting these dishes, I want to marry you even more. This food is so good, if I don't marry you, how will I get to eat it every year?"
Laura knew he wasn't completely serious and felt a bit helpless. "Maybe if you try a few more cooks, you'll think my mom's cooking is just average. Plus, I'm really lazy and didn't inherit my mom's domestic skills. I can't cook at all, and I'm pretty lazy in general. My mom always scolds me for that."
"Why would I need you to be domestic and hardworking? I'm not looking for a maid," Derek chuckled. "Have you ever seen my mom do housework?"
"Anyway, I can't argue with you," Laura pouted. "Men always say sweet things when they want to win over a woman."
"You're wrong. I just like you and want to be with you," Derek smiled at her.
Laura couldn't stand him looking at her like that. She blushed and looked down at her phone to check Facebook. Many colleagues and friends had sent her well-wishes tonight, so she took the opportunity to reply to them one by one.
Derek smiled and kept eating.
Even though Laura was busy replying to messages, she was also keeping an eye on him. When she saw that he had eaten two-thirds of the food, she couldn't help but move the bowl away. "Stop eating. You've had enough for three people. You'll feel uncomfortable if you eat too much."
Derek wiped his mouth with a napkin and blinked his thick eyelashes. "I am a bit full, but I'm worried that after this meal, you won't bring me such delicious food next year. Your mom's cooking is great, but I think the reason I can't stop eating is that it was you who brought it to me."
Laura tightened her grip on her phone.
She admitted she was too weak; she couldn't withstand even two rounds of Derek's sweet talk.
"I need to go home to be with Maeve." She stood up, but after taking two steps, a large hand grabbed her and pulled her back.
She spun around and fell into Derek's arms, sitting on his lap in an intimate embrace.
Laura's mind went blank. She quickly tried to get up, but Derek held her waist, not letting her go.
They silently wrestled for a while until Laura noticed a change in his body, and her face turned as red as a tomato.
"You jerk," she cursed.
Derek smiled wryly, "If you keep moving around on my body, and I don't have any reaction, either you'd doubt your own charm, or I'd have a problem with my reproductive organs."
"If you weren't holding me, would I be moving around?" Laura had been married; she knew she couldn't move anymore. She sat still, but his physical reaction was too obvious, making her feel a bit strange.
She suddenly regretted coming tonight.
"If I don't hold you, you'll leave." Derek rested his head on her shoulder and suddenly hugged her tightly. "Don't move. I really missed you. Actually, I wasn't supposed to come today. This is my dad's first year as President, and there's a ton to help with. I've been working overtime for a week straight just to make time to see you."
Laura gasped and then said, "Don't lie to me."
"Lie to you?" Derek turned her face to look at him. "Check out the bloodshot in my eyes. I've slept less than five hours in the past two days."
From the moment he walked in, Laura hadn't really looked at him so closely.
Now, seeing him up close, she knew he wasn't lying.
It was impossible for Laura to feel nothing.
"It's not me who made you work overtime," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze.
"Yeah, I chose to do it because I wanted to see you at Christmas. Even if I couldn't see you, I was determined to make it happen. I'm putting in the effort and being sincere."
Derek stroked her hair, his eyes unusually serious.
Laura lowered her head, completely unsure how to respond. She felt like a turtle retreating into its shell.
After a while, she whispered, "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
It had been a long time, and he was still aroused.
Derek was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"What's so funny?" Laura glared at him, her face red.
"I'm afraid that, if I go, I might not come out for a while," he said mischievously.
"Jerk," Laura scolded, blushing.
Derek let her go, stood up, and picked up a large bag.
Laura finally relaxed, but her eyes kept glancing at his pants, partly out of curiosity and instinct.
Until Derek handed her a delicate little box with a half-smile. "Laura, what have you been looking at?"
"You dare to flaunt it in front of me, and I can't look?" Laura said.
"Alright," Derek sighed, "This is a Christmas photo album I made for Maeve."
Laura finally focused on the gift. She opened it and saw that it was filled with photos of Maeve from birth to a few months old, capturing her smiling, crying, and even yawning.
As a mother, Laura was overjoyed. "When did you take so many pictures?"
Although Maeve had professional photos taken, they weren't as genuine as these, which captured the little moments of her life.
"When you weren't paying attention," Derek smiled, "Look, this one was taken right after Maeve was born in the hospital."
Laura saw it too. She remembered Derek had come on the first day after Maeve was born.
Laura remembered him standing silently by the crib. She thought he was just taking random pictures, but he had done it so thoughtfully and carefully.
Some feelings had been there all along; he had just been protecting her in his own way.
When she hadn't divorced, Derek had protected her family from behind. When Michael bullied her, Derek stood up for her and helped her get justice. After her divorce, Derek made her happy and helped her move on from the past misfortunes.
She blamed Derek for his scheming, but without him, she wouldn't be as free as she was now.
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