Riptide: A Christian Yelich Story

Epilogue

A/N: This is it, guys. Thank you for coming along on this journey with us! If you haven't already, go check out our other fic Can't Fall In Love Without You on  page!

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Amelia peaked up from her book and watched her husband and children play in the grass in their backyard. She smiled to herself as Nathaniel swung his bat and smacked a whiffle ball off a tee. Christian cheered, urging his son to run the imaginary bases, trotting behind him. Frankie chased after the ball while June played with a doll in "the outfield," occasionally pausing to pull out some grass and throw it in the air when something exciting happened.

Her family was so beautiful. She bit her lip and contemplated how difficult of a journey it had been to get to this point . . . a content family of five. Happy, healthy, thriving. How Christian's unfaithfulness had almost broke her . . . How badly she had wanted to give up on everything. How at one point, it would have probably been the right choice to do so. If it weren't for the twins, she probably would have left. It would have been the smart thing to do. He had made so many mistakes . . .

When they came back together, she was terrified during the first year. Terrified he would leave. Terrified she'd have to pick up the pieces again. Terrified she'd have to listen to her immediate family tell her "we told you so." Terrified she had made an enormous mistake . . .

She didn't. She knew that now. But it could have been a mistake. If Christian wouldn't have put in the effort to clean up the mess, it would have definitely been a mistake.

But he never stepped a toe out of line. He avoided clubs. He over-communicated, almost to the point of absurdity at times. He planned his life around Amelia and his babies. Family first. Then baseball. Then everything else. He always wanted Amelia and the kids to travel with him. He still had trouble sleeping when Amelia wasn't in his arms. Sometimes he'd call in the middle of the night – just to make sure she was okay. Just to make sure she hadn't changed her mind.

She made the right choice. The most difficult choice paid off. She knew the statistics. She knew the odds were against them – once a cheater always a cheater. But Christian wasn't going to let that happen. He refused.

"Come on, guys, it's time for lunch," she clapped her hands and exclaimed to the group after setting her book down on a table next to her.

"Nice homer, Nate!" she informed her son, as he gave her a big hug. Christian had gathered a sleepy June into his arms before rounding third base while Frankie opted to hang onto Christian's legs while he walked. "Such daddy's girls," Amelia joked before opening the door to the house for everyone.

Christian wrapped his arms around his wife while she made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids and a peanut butter sandwich for him. "Thanks, babe," he said sweetly, taking the sandwich and finishing it in four bites. "They never get old," he informed her before taking a seat at the table while the kids ate a bit more slowly than he did. Amelia joined them a moment later.

"So, I have a family announcement," Christian announced, piquing everyone's interest. "I'm going to retire from baseball after two more seasons. It's time, I think. When my contract is up, I'm done."

Amelia's eyes widened. "Are you sure, Chris?" she asked. "You're still hitting over .300 every year . . . I don't want you to give up what you love if you're still happy playing the game."

"I want to do this. I want to be as present with my family as I can be," he started. "I want to live a new dream with all of you."

The kids didn't fully understand the implication of Christian's words, but Amelia gave him a sweet smile. "We're all here for you no matter what you decide."

And they would be. And he would be there for them.

And he'd never invalidate her choice. He knew how hard it had been for her to stay. The gossip. The judgment. The pain.

He would spend his whole life making it up to her, and he would enjoy each moment.