The Boxer and the Defender

"Uh, you sure you want someone on crutches in your kitchen?"

Short one here. Enjoy!

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Bailey's POV

I awake to the sound of birds chirping and the sun shining in my face. I squint and try to block out the light, but it's too bright. I grumble and roll over, snuggling up to Kelley. I nuzzle my face into her neck and take a deep breath, taking in her scent.

She stirs and looks at me, "Mmm, good morning."

"Morning, beautiful." I say as I give her a kiss.

"I love waking up next to you."

"I love waking up next to you too."

We just lay there in each other's arms, enjoying the moment. Kelley's hair is a mess and she's got morning breath, but she's never looked more beautiful to me.

Eventually we both get up and get ready for the day. We head downstairs and find Erin and Dan in the kitchen, drinking coffee. "Good morning." Erin says with a smile.

"Morning." We both say.

"Coffee?" Dan asks and we both nod. He hands us each a cup of coffee and we sit down.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Kelley asks.

"Well, we were thinking of maybe going out to breakfast, and then maybe doing a little shopping." Erin says.

Kelley nods, "That sounds good."

We all finish our coffee and then head out. "Hey, check this out," I say as I go and do a trick on my crutches.

Kelley giggles, "Nice."

We all head into the restaurant and are quickly seated. We all look at the menu and decide what we want. Once the waitress takes our orders, Erin looks at Kelley, "I heard you and the girls on the national team are taking the USSF to court over equal pay."

Kelley nods, "Yeah, we are. It's bullshit that we get paid less than the men, especially when we generate more revenue."

Erin nods, "I completely agree. I think you girls are going to win and finally get the pay you deserve."

"I hope so. We've been working hard on it and we have a strong case."

The waitress then brings our food and we all start to eat. We make small talk as we eat and I'm really enjoying myself. It's nice to see Kelley around her family and to see how close they all are.

Eventually we finish up and head out. Karen and I hung back a bit while Dan, Erin and Kelley went ahead. "So, Bailey. Kelley has told us a lot about you."

"Oh, has she now?" I say with a grin.

"Yes, she has. She really cares about you. A lot. I can see it in her eyes."

"I care about her a lot too. She's an amazing woman." I say with full honesty.

"She is. I'm glad she found someone new after her ex-girlfriend cheated on her. That really hurt her."

I look down at the ground, "Yeah. My ex-girlfriend cheated on me too, so I know how she feels."

"It's a hard thing to go through, but you two have found happiness."

"Yep. I'm just really happy to be with Kelley. She makes me so happy."

Karen smiles, "I can see that. Just be good to her. She's really special."

"I will. I promise."

We then catch up with the others and do some shopping. We all have a great time and I'm really enjoying myself. I can see why Kelley loves her family so much, "Whatcha getting?" Kelley asked me.

I look down at the shirt in my hand, "I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think it'll look great on you."

I chuckle, "Good enough for me."

We finish up our shopping and head back to the house. I get offered a beer by Dan, and we all sit down in the living room. We talk and laugh for a few hours, and eventually Kelley's dad says he's going to start on dinner. "Do you want to help me, Bailey?" He asks.

"Uh, you sure you want someone on crutches in your kitchen?" I say with a grin.

"I think I can manage." He says with a chuckle.

"Alright then." I say as I follow him into the kitchen.

We start cooking and chatting, and I'm really enjoying myself. "One thing I want to ask you, Bailey. And I want you to be honest with me."

"Okay......." I say, not knowing what he's going to ask.

"Do you love my daughter?"

I look at him and see the seriousness in his eyes. I know he's only asking because he cares about his daughter and wants her to be happy. "With all my heart." I say without hesitation.

He nods, "Good. I don't want her to get hurt again. I know she's only 31, but she's still my little girl."

"I would never hurt her, I promise."

"I know. I can see it in your eyes. You really do love her."

"I do. More than anything."

He nods and we continue to cook. We have a bit of a laugh as I try to make the chicken look nice and he tells me I'm never going to be a chef. 

"Ouch, that hurts." I say as I laugh.He smiles, "I'm just messing with you. You're doing a great job." 

I laugh again and we continue to chat and cook. We finish up and head into the dining room, where we all sit down and enjoy our meal. We all talk and laugh, and I'm really enjoying myself. Then the pain in my ankle starts to flare up and I start to wince.

"Are you okay?" Kelley asks with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say with a forced smile.

"No, you're not. What's wrong?"

"My ankle's just bothering me a little."

Kelley nods and we all finish up our dinner. We all help clean up and then head into the living room. I sit down and Kelley comes over, sitting on my lap. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asks with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say with a forced smile. She has a look of concern on her face and I can tell she doesn't believe me.

"Okay, Bailey." She says skeptically.

We all watch a movie and I do my best to ignore the pain in my ankle. My phone suddenly goes off and I see that I have a call from an unknown number. I quickly get up and go into the other room so I can answer it.

"Hello?"

"Bailey." My entire face falls when I hear the voice on the other end. No way. It can't be.

"Jenna?"

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Thank you all for reading! I appreciate it :)