Riptide: A Christian Yelich Story

Twenty-Nine

Things were going as well as Christian could have hoped. He and his perfect wife were settling back into their old routines, and Amelia seemed genuinely happy. All he wanted was for Amelia to be happy. He hated that he had taken that away from her for so long. She only deserved the best.

She had made him another late post-game dinner – steak and potatoes this time, an American classic. "Are you still hungry?" she asked as she picked up his plate, which he had practically licked clean, to bring it to the sink.

He wanted to make a joke. Something along the lines of, "Only for you, babe," but he wasn't sure if she wanted to hear that sort of sexy talk yet. He stopped himself just in time. "I'm ready for bed," he said with a small smile.

"That sounds perfect," she said, returning the smile. "You go get ready, and I'll finish the dishes and join you shortly."

"No, let me help, Mils." He stood up to join her at the sink. "It's the least I can do after you put all that effort into dinner."

"I'm already almost done."

"Okay, but if you need anything, just let me know." He kissed her on the cheek.

He was surprised when she turned the exchange into more than just a kiss on the cheek, moving her lips to his mouth. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, and he was flooded with relief and bliss when she didn't try to push him away. It had been so, so long since she kissed him this passionately. Sure, her blowjob was incredible, and a release he definitely needed, but it just wasn't as intimate as this. This was pure love.

He couldn't help but moan slightly and press her against the counter when her tongue battled for dominance with his. When they finally broke apart, they both were sporting shit-eating grins. "Wow," Christian said breathlessly.

"I missed that," Amelia said with a smirk. "Now go get ready for bed."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a gentle laugh before heading off to change and brush his teeth.

When Amelia joined him under the covers fifteen minutes later, Christian looked at her with adoration. "Can I hold you?" he asked – always wanting to get the clear.

"You can always hold me," Amelia said softly. "You don't need permission any longer."

Christian grinned and immediately wrapped his arms around her, his hands settling on her stomach. He could feel the growing bump, and he felt instant contentedness. "Can I kiss your neck?" he asked, unsure of where she drew the line.

"Yes," she whispered. "I'd like that."

He began to place tender kisses on her neck and shoulders, which were exposed by her tank top.

"Baby," she said lowly as Christian's hands began to wonder from her tummy upward.

"Is this okay?" he questioned, his large hands now firmly on her rib cage.

"Yes," she affirmed again. Christian moved his hands up a bit further and gently massaged her breasts while continuing to cover her neck in sweet, soft kisses. "I love you," he blew into her ear before gently tugging on the lobe with his teeth. "So. Much."

She turned around to face him. "I love you too. I'm sorry I'm being so slow with this . . ."

Christian shook his head. "Don't you dare apologize, Mils. You've already given me so much more than I deserve."

He wrapped her up in his arms again and fell asleep holding his love.

***

Amelia decided to be outgoing and join Christian on his last long road trip of the season. She usually happily stayed home with Nathaniel, but Christian really wanted her to come this time, so she booked a commercial flight for her and Nate out to Miami.

She also took the trip as an opportunity to see her best friend. Christian had an afternoon game and was able to stay at the hotel with Nathaniel while she grabbed dinner with Jonah. These sorts of nights were rare for her, so she was excited for a little bit of a break from the mom life. She was sure Jonah would have a lot to tell her. Outside of Christian and Nate, there was no one else she would rather spend time with.

"Are you pregnant?" Jonah asked with a raised brow and a concerned look on his face while looking her deep in the eyes.

This wasn't the way she thought he'd greet her. She didn't even realize it was that obvious yet.

Jonah shook his head before she could respond, knowing the answer was yes. "I can tell because you look tired . . . That's how you looked with Nathaniel." He still had a concerned, disappointed look on his face as they took a seat at their booth, and Amelia was afraid to ask why.

"It's Christian's, I presume?" he asked snarkily.

"I mean, yeah, of course. They're Christian's." Jonah had barely said any words to her, and she was already starting to feel like this meal was a bad idea.

"There are multiple Yelich spawn in your body?" Jonah asked, sounding practically appalled at the idea.

"Spawn?" Why was he acting like this? Why wasn't he happy for her? He knew she wanted a big family. And he loved Nathaniel with all his heart.

Jonah took a deep breath. "You shouldn't have taken him back. He doesn't deserve you. If you only took him back because of the babies, you're making a mistake."

"I love him, Jonah. You know I do. And he loves me." Amelia tried to sound confident, but she knew there was an inescapable hurt in her voice.

"How are you so sure? You should have seen him with that redhead, Amelia. He looked pretty fucking smug about it. Grinding up on her –"

Amelia cut him off. "I don't want to know the details." She was choking back tears at this point. "I think maybe I should go."

"Don't be like that, Milly. I just want what's best for you, and I don't know if that's Christian fucking Yelich."

"But you've always hated him. Even when he did most things right, you hated him."

"It's called intuition," Jonah snapped.

Amelia rolled her eyes and stood up. "We'll talk about this later. I don't want to say anything I'll regret. I don't want to lose you."

"Whatever," Jonah muttered under his breath. "I'm just watching out for you. Remember who will be there to pick up the pieces when he leaves you again. I'll get started on the chili."

The tears hit Amelia hard as she exited the restaurant and headed to her rental car.

She really could have used her best friend. It seemed like no one was on her side regarding her decision to stay with her husband. Her parents and her siblings were still furious. But they didn't know about the babies yet.

She could only hope that time would heal the wounds. Time and Christian's continued effort.