Riptide: A Christian Yelich Story

Eighteen

Amelia stared at the phone number in front of her with heartbreak.

Amelia please. Please let me explain. It wasn't what it looked like. Please.

The texts were nearly constant. Amelia didn't care. He let one of his whores hold her baby. It felt like her heart was gone. Not hurt. Not breaking. She felt numb. Breathing was a chore. Blinking felt like her eyelids were 500 pounds.

She just wanted to sleep forever. She didn't want to wake up until this nightmare was over.

He brought another woman into Nathaniel's life. Another woman was holding her son.

She was angry at first. That left so quickly.

He moved on.

He was happy and a stronger woman would be happy that he found happiness. But she was so incredibly weak.

She wanted to be his happiness. She thought that she was... now she couldn't help but wonder if she ever actually was.

He was her sun. His smile made her melt. His touch set her on fire.

Now she was frozen in time and a new woman was being set ablaze by the same touch she longed for. She was forgotten.

Her monologue was interrupted by the cries of her baby boy.

At least he still loved her...

Amelia went to his room and picked up the boy, seeing the exact image of the man who was probably proclaiming his love to another.

"Mama!" The 13-month-old sobbed, sensing the hurt in his mom's demeanor.

"Hi, sweet love. Mama's here," she said softly, rubbing his back and changing him.

Nathaniel was perfectly cooperative with the diaper change, and laid his head on his mom's shoulder with his thumb in his mouth when he was done.

Amelia felt nothing but love from the sweet babe, which just made her heart break more. She desperately yearned for when she shared this love. When strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Large hands clutching her hips as soft lips touched her temple on their way to Nathaniel's forehead.

Amelia took a sharp breath and tried to calm her shaking hands before going back to the living room. When she sat back on the couch, Nathaniel was back asleep and the card she spent the morning looking at was still glaring at her.

(414) 555-7439

Damien Alistair, Divorce Attorney.

Divorce.

It was such an angry word. Such a sad word. They may well have just flat out said the truth. She was a failure. She couldn't keep him happy. She didn't fulfill him. She was too fat. Too tall. Too flawed. She didn't have a sweet voice or bright green eyes.

She wasn't her. So now her son was going to grow up in a broken family. She knew the statistics. She knew that his life was going to be harder. His mom was weak and a failure, and his dad traveled for a living.

She not only failed in her marriage, but she failed her son too. Her inability to be a good wife took away his stability. She couldn't make Christian Yelich happy. So now her son was going to suffer.

That hurt more than being replaced. She only wanted happiness for Nathaniel. Not this.

Amelia closed her eyes and was assaulted with a nightmare.

"Mommy no! No! I want to stay with you and daddy!!" Nathaniel was about three, clinging to Christian's new wife.

Who he just called mommy.

Amelia's eyes snapped open. It felt like she was trying to breathe through a straw that was broken. Short and painful gasps left her. She was in pain and numb at the same time. Tears fell down her cheeks and she didn't even notice until they hit her thumb.

(414) 555-7439.

10 numbers. One button. 3 years.

***

She called the number. She printed the papers. And she stared. For hours. Reading every single word. Twice.

It was so final. Six signatures and 4 initials.

42 million would be hers. She didn't want a dime. She just wanted to feel the warmth of the sun again.

She would get the condo. Where he proposed. Where their son was conceived. Where they decided that they only wanted 50 people at their wedding.

Life was cruel.

She typed her name... then deleted it. Again.

She couldn't do it. She was weak.

***

Arizona was warm, even in February. But Christian felt constantly frozen, wading through feet of ice water.

He kicked Casey out immediately. Blocked her number. He texted Amelia all the time, begging for just one chance to explain.

It wasn't granted. He didn't blame her – he didn't deserve a chance.

"Yelich!" Christian was jolted out of his funk by Travis' call.

"Ye-yeah, sorry!" Christian jogged over and started to feel warm again. His heart started to melt.

"Amelia," he whispered, eyes wide as he looked up at his beautiful wife. In the back of his mind, he was sure that this would be the last time he got to think that.

"He asks for you. We're staying down here for the last week of Spring Training. You can have him at night," Amelia said quietly, setting Nathaniel down.

Christian's heart leapt at the news. He looked down at his son and nearly fell on his ass as his baby boy shakily toddled over to him.

"Daddy!" Nathaniel giggled and hugged Christian's leg, rubbing his head against the material.

"Look at you, such a big buggy," Christian said softly, hoisting Nataniel onto his hip and burying his head in Nathaniel's neck.

"Daddy s'kinky!!" the boy plugged his nose and let out the most beautiful noise – an elated giggle that left everyone with a smile.

Amelia knew in that moment that she made the right decision... even if it just meant that she was the weakest woman on the planet.

Her son needed a chance.