Last Chance

26 - All I Wanted

Chris and I had celebrated New Year's Eve with his family and then back at his place. I finally felt comfortable enough to go to his place and since he was leaving the third of January he had to get ready to go and be comfortable so I thought it was only fair.

I was sitting in my living room the day after Chris left going through an equipment catalog for the gym thinking of what I may want to order for the gym when I got a text on my phone.

Chris: Made it to New York. Going to be stopping to get the tattoo touched up then meet up with Seb and RDJ. We are heading to Atlanta together.

Aspen: Sounds good. Have fun and nothing new or your mother will kill her favorite etch-a-sketch of a son.

Chris: Using her words against me hurts.

Aspen: Only because I love you. So behave.

Chris: Always.

I smiled and put my phone beside me on the couch and looked at Bruno.

"Dad made it to New York." I said and then I realized what I said. "I mean Chris..." I corrected like Bruno understood. There was no way I needed to be doing this yet.

Yeah Chris and I had moved very far forward in our relationship and we were happy. But I never called Chris dad when it came to Bruno. I just sighed and shook my head getting the thought out of my head.

**Chris POV**

I walked into Eastside Ink and smiled at Josh when I walked in since he was working on someone else.

"Be right with you." Josh said and I nodded.

I walked over to the wall of photos noticing a few more were added and wondered who else got to grace these walls.

I looked beside my pictures and huffed a laugh in amazement. There she was smiling back at me in a Eastside Ink t-shirt she must have bought that day. I took a picture of our pictures side by side.

Chris: Excuse me ma'am do you have something you want to confess?

I sent it off and I saw the three edits quickly appear.

Aspen: Oh yeah...by the way I went to Eastside Ink when I got my tattoos. Josh did them for me.

I shook my head with a smile.

Chris: Stealing my tattoo guy, I'm hurt.

Aspen: I'll make it up to you when I see you Evans. But tell Josh hi.

I put my phone in my pocket when Josh walked up.

"Hey, how's it going?" Josh asked.

"Good, just admiring one of the new pictures." I said pointing to Aspen.

"Oh yeah! She is amazing! Got 3 tattoos in one day and barely flinched at the pain." Josh said. "Probably because of the old injury she sustained. She had some of the worst pain then." Josh continued and I half nodded.

Josh sensing, I didn't want to talk anymore so we headed back to his workstation.

I sat thinking about Aspen as Josh touched up two of my tattoos and I sighed. She had been through so much in her career and I was just a steppingstone for her but thankfully a steppingstone she came back to.

Aspen was what I wanted for the rest of my life. Not that I thought we were anywhere near getting married at this moment, but I knew it would be something we did in the future.

The true test for us would be me being gone filming for a year. Yes, she could come and visit as much as she wanted, and I would be accepting of this. Visits unfortunately would come to an end, but we can do this.

"Chris? You okay?" Josh asked pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry just thinking about being away for a year." I said.

"Well, that happens with filming. I mean it's not like you haven't before." Josh said.

"Right, things in my life have changed recently and now it's like being gone for a year isn't something I'm overly crazy about." I explained.

"Maybe something with a certain gold medal gymnast..." Josh joked and I nodded.

"Yeah, something like that." I huffed. "Aspen and I just got back together after the Olympics, and everything is going perfectly. I'm just worried about going away for a year." I said.

"Well, I don't know what you two have been through and I won't act like I do know but what I do know is...you love her I can tell by how much thought you are putting into this situation. I believe in this situation love will conquer all. You two will make it." Josh said and I smiled at him.

"Yeah, we will. We are it for each other. I'm sure of it." I said leaning my head back on the chair I was sitting in.

Aspen was all I wanted and was my happily ever after.