Riptide: A Christian Yelich Story

Twenty-Six

Amelia woke with a gasp and rushed to the bathroom, in too much of a rush to notice the room she was in.

She felt a gentle hand rub her back and hold back her hair. She relaxed into the strong chest around her and drank the cool water that was offered, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to calm the nausea.

"Are you okay?" Christian said softly, letting her guide the amount of contact there was.

"I'm okay," she nodded, getting up carefully and rinsing her mouth. "We should pick Nathaniel up from Travis and bring him home," Amelia smiled weakly.

"I can go pick him up and you can rest, my love," Christian smiled softly and brushed her hair back, heart dropping when Amelia slapped his hand away.

"No, I just need to shower," Amelia felt bad. She saw how badly Christian was trying, but she wasn't ready to be touched like that. Like he cared so deeply for her.

"Okay. I'll be in our room. Is there anything I can do for you?" Christian said softly, begging himself not to touch her.

Amelia's eyes widened and she looked around. "What? Why am I in here?" She frowned, looking so hurt and defeated.

"I... you fell asleep on me last night. I carried you to bed and made sure you were safe. Checked on you every two hours like the doctor said," Christian was so terrified that he did something wrong. He couldn't have already screwed up. He didn't even get 12 hours into his week and he already failed.

"I... I don't really sleep in here," she whispered. "It hurts too much," she said quietly. "But you didn't know. It's okay," she assured him. "I'm going to shower in the guest room. You're welcome to shower in here."

Christian watched her leave and cleaned up a bit, just sitting on the bed and staring at the gorgeous wedding photo hung on their wall.

He was going to fix this. He had to.

***

Amelia showered fairly quickly, looking down at her body. She was nurturing two beautiful babies... she was going to love them every second she got with them. She knew how fragile life was.

Her mind drifted to her last pregnancy. She was so nervous but happy and it was ripped away from her in an instant. That experience just taught her to hold every moment with her loves close. She just wanted to be their everything for as long as she had them.

She must've been in there for a while because she heard Christian gently knock on the bathroom door.

"I'm not coming in. I just need to know if you're okay," Christian said through the door. She wasn't blind. She saw the sadness behind his eyes and heard the longing in his voice. He was being so sweet and loving, and she would be a liar if she said she hated it.

"I'm okay. Getting out now... can you grab a pair of leggings and a T-shirt for me?" She asked, knowing that Christian needed to feel useful.

She could tell how much he was trying, and it filled her with so many emotions. Overwhelming happiness, coupled with a hint of anger... why did he wait a year? Why did he sleep with so many other women?

But he was trying and it was clear. And she wanted to help him, not hinder him. She knew she wanted him back; she wanted nothing more. But she also knew she had to move with trepidation - she couldn't move too quickly. She couldn't risk being hurt again.

"Of course I can, Mils," Christian said gently and Amelia could hear his smile through the door. That beautiful smile.

Amelia got out and looked at herself in the mirror, beaming with pride. No one else would see it - not even Christian. But there was a hint of a bump. Her babies.