The Boxer and the Defender

"Boom! And he goes down!"

Bailey's POV, Christmas day.

"Merry Christmas!" Kelley's older sister Erin, and younger brother Jerry, yelled as they ran into Kelley's room and jumped on us while we were sleeping.

"What the-?" I said as I was woken up by them.

"Merry Christmas, guys!" Erin said.

"Merry Christmas." I said as I sat up.

"Get up, lazy butts, breakfast is ready." Jerry said.

"Okay, okay, we're coming." Kelley said as she got out of bed. She threw me a hoodie and I put it on, then we followed Jerry and Erin downstairs.

"Merry Christmas, guys!" Both Kelley's parents, Dan and Karen, said.

Kelley and I were hugged by the both of them and we all sat at the table and ate breakfast. We made small talk and then we all went into the living room to open presents. "Right," Jerry says, taking a swig of his first beer of the day, "Kelley. This one's from Mom and Dad," he hands her a big box, "And this one's from Erin and I."

Kelley opens the box from her parents and pulls out a beautiful necklace with a heart pendant, "Oh my god, thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, sweetie." Karen says.

Kelley opens the other box and pulls out a pair of tickets, "What are these?"

"For you and Bailey, we got you tickets for a trip to Hawaii you two can take next summer." Jerry says.

"Oh my god, thank you so much!" Kelley says.

I smiled, "Thank you, that's really generous of you."

Kelley's parents had gotten me a gift card to a local restaurant and Erin and Jerry had gotten me a new pair of boxing gloves. We all sat around and talked and drank for a while, then all of Kelley's extended family came over for a big lunch. I'm glad they accepted me so easily, and I felt like I really belonged there. One of Kelley's cousins, Larry, who is considered the black sheep of the family, came over to me while I was on the couch taking a swig of my beer, "Hey, your muscles look good. Do you work out a lot?"

"Yeah, I try to." I said.

He nodded, "I bet you look good without that dress on."

I looked at him, "What did you say?"

"I bet you look good naked." He said with a grin.

I glared at him, "Say that again and you'll be picking your teeth up off the floor."

His eyes widened and he put his hands up, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

"You should be." I said.

Kelley came over and put her arm around me, "Lunch is ready, plus my grandparents want to meet you."

"Okay, let's go."

We went into the dining room and Kelley's grandparents were sitting at the head of the table. We all sat down and started eating, then Kelley's grandfather started talking, "So, Bailey, tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Well, I'm originally from a small town called Edna in Texas. Then I moved to San Antonio when I was 2 and my younger sister and I grew up there. Picked up boxing when I was 10 and I've been doing it ever since. Went pro 7 years ago and now I've finally got to break out into the big leagues." I tell him.

Kelley's grandmother nodded, "That's very impressive. What do you see yourself doing in the future?"

"I don't know, just taking it one day at a time, I guess." I say.

"That's a good attitude to have."

We all continued eating and talking, then after I went upstairs to the toilet and when I came back downstairs, I was stopped by Larry. "What?" I asked.

"How come you are dating Kelley when you could be with a man instead?" He asked.

"What's the issue with being gay?"

"I don't have a problem with it, I was just wondering why you chose to date a woman instead of a man." He said.

I was starting to get angry at him, and I balled up my fist, "How about you mind your own business?"

"Or what? You'll hit me?"

"Yeah, I'll hit you."

"I don't believe you."

That was the most stupid decision he made, I clocked him right in the nose and he dropped like a sack of potatoes, "Boom! And he goes down!" Jerry exclaimed while grinning.

"You hit him!" Erin said in disbelief.

"He had it coming."

"What did he say to you?" Kelley asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Dan and Karen came over, "What happened?" Dan asked.

"Larry was being a jerk and I hit him." I told him.

"He deserved it." Jerry said.

Dan and Karen looked at each other and then at Larry, "We're sorry about him, he's always been a bit of a black sheep." Dan said.

"It's okay, I can handle myself."

"I can see that." Karen said.

"I'm sorry about this." Dan says

"No, it's fine, really."

Kelley came over and put her arm around me, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I say

"Okay, good." She said.

We all went back into the living room and continued talking and drinking. Kelley's other family members were complimenting me for my punch, "You have to teach me how to throw a right hand like that," Her uncle said and I laughed.

Jerry came over and wrapped his arm around me, "Even though you're not engaged to my sister yet, I'm gonna call you my sister-in-law, cause I know you're gonna marry her."

I laughed and hugged him, "Thanks Jerry," I said, "That means a lot."

"No problem, now let's go drink!" He said as he pulled me into the kitchen.

I had a great time at Kelley's family's house on Christmas day, and I knew that I really belonged there. Later that night, Kelley and I went into her room and we were just about to get into bed, "I'm glad you hit Larry." She said.

"Yeah, he deserved it." I said.

"I know, but I'm also glad you stuck up for yourself."

"What do you expect? I'm a boxer, I can take care of myself." I said with a grin.

"I know you can, but it's still nice to see."

"I love you, Kelley." I say

"I love you too, Bailey." She responded.

We kissed each other and stared at the ceiling, lost in our own thoughts, "Today was fun. Your family is pretty cool." I said.

"Yeah, they're the best." She says.

"I'm glad they accepted me." I said.

"Of course they accept you, you're amazing.".

I smiled, "I'm glad I'm spending my first Christmas with you."

"Me too, I'm glad I'm spending it with you too."

"Wait until New Year's though with my family, you'll see what a crazy bunch we are." I said.

"I can't wait."