Can't Fall in Love Without You (Christian Yelich)

54

Elizabeth grabbed a cart at the entrance of Whole Foods, a bit relieved to have a little time to herself. She hadn't had a moment of alone time since before Reilly was born. She loved her perfect little family, but a woman needed a breather. Just an hour or two without finding a mystery substance in her hair.

Her phone buzzed. She knew it was Christian.

We miss you already.

Enclosed with the message was a picture of a remote control in the toilet – courtesy of Ivy.

She smiled to herself as she started to load produce into the cart. Her phone buzzed again only a few moments later.

I love you. You should wear that bra and panties set I adore, so I can take it right off your stupidly hot bod.

She laughed and rolled her eyes as she continued on to protein. Christian had been an absolute freak in the sheets lately – his endurance knew no bounds. She was pretty sure they were having more sex than they were pre-pregnancy, and she didn't realize that was a possibility, especially with two little ones. In fact, she could still feel his hard, deep thrusts from the previous night as she walked through the aisles.

She liked it.

The sex was making her feel a little bit better – a little more confident. He genuinely wanted her non-stop, and that was validating. And he enjoyed it. A lot. Christian wasn't an actor, and there was no way he could fake that level of enthusiasm. She was also back to a regular fitness routine, and her daily interval training was making her feel less puffy. She was getting there – slowly but surely.

But she knew in order to feel completely like herself again she needed to return to her practice. Her job gave her so much self-assurance, and she had worked so hard to reach her goals. She missed the daily interaction with clients and coworkers, and she missed helping mommas stay healthy as they delivered  their sweet bundles of joy. She wouldn't be Elizabeth Reed without her work. Just like Christian needed baseball, she needed to be an OBGYN.

She just wasn't sure how she was going to break the news to Christian. He constantly dropped unsubtle hints about her being a stay-at-home-mom, and she mostly just let them roll of her rather than confront him and cause unnecessary conflict.

But now that she was cleared for work, she actually had to face him.

And she was so, so nervous.

***

Steak, potatoes, asparagus. A combination that always made Christian happy. She hoped the meal would help her break the news.

She could hear Christian talking to Reilly from the kitchen, and she couldn't help but smile. Whose daddy's little man? Who? He was such a wonderful, doting father, and she couldn't help but think she wasn't being completely fair to him.

But work was part of her, and she had to be flawless to get to where she was. Straight A's her entire life. Perfect ACTs. Demanding extracurriculars. Summa cum laude. Nothing but perfection.

She made her way to the living room and smiled at her fiancé. "Dinner's ready, Chris. Do you want to eat in here or in the kitchen?"

"Let's eat at the table. I think this little one is ready for his crib, and this other little one seems pretty content as well." Ivy was fast asleep against her daddy. Christian had fed her an early dinner of leftover Indian food . . . which she loved. French fries on the other hand? Not her thing.

Christian settled Reilly into his crib, and Elizabeth took Miss Ivy to her room and tucked her into her toddler bed. "Goodnight, sweet girl," she muttered, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

She met Christian at the table, where he had already started to dig into his steak. "Delicious, babe," he muttered, cutting off another piece of meat.

"Thanks," she said softly. She didn't know where to start . . . Maybe it was best to just rip off the band-aid.

"Your best steak yet," he muttered, giving her a bright smile. The smile didn't help.

"Hey, Chris . . ."

"Yeah?" he questioned.

"I'm . . . I'm going back to work on Monday," she informed him hesitantly. She still hadn't touched her food.

Christian didn't react at all at first. He just looked at her blankly. Then she saw the familiar brow furrow. Then she saw the anger and confusion hit his eyes. She knew this routine. "Why?" he asked coldly. "You know you don't need to work. I make more than enough to support all of us."

Elizabeth wanted to roll her eyes, but she kept herself composed. "I worked my whole life to become a doctor, and you just expect me to give it up? It's an integral part of my identity. I love it. Please don't be like this." Stay calm. Don't cry.

"Being a mom should be an integral part of your identity," he scoffed.

That stabbed her. "That's unfair," she said softly, still trying to keep her façade of cool, collected composure. "I would never ask you to give up baseball. It's too important to you."

"I make over twelve million dollars per year. You make what? Three hundred thousand?" He was on the verge of yelling at her. She knew what it sounded like when he was about to crack. "I think my job is a little more of a priority."

"You're kidding me, right? Your job is more important because you make more money? Let me make this clear for you, I deliver babies and keep women healthy. You play a stupid sport where drunk men fight over foul balls." So much for composure.

She got to her feet and went to their room, slamming the door behind her, immediately annoyed it didn't have a lock.

Christian was right behind her. "All the literature, even your fancy, hoity toity medical journals, says you should stay home for a year. You can go to work after a year." He sounded demanding, and Elizabeth hated it. This wasn't him.

"I'll lose my job. No," she said flatly. "I'm going back on Monday."

"You're being unreasonable," Christian muttered with a shrug. "You're going to get hurt. It's too soon."

Ellie could see the anger in his eyes slowly giving way to panic;  she refused to let that happen.

"Chris, I'm going to be fine. I'm going to start off light – twenty hours per week for a couple of weeks. I'll ease into it."

Christian shook his head. "I just think our family deserves better than you being this selfish," he said coldly.

"I just want to feel like myself again. Why can't you understand that? I need my work. I need it, Chris," she practically pleaded.

Christian's eyes softened a little, but the hurt was all still there. "We'll talk about this later," he muttered. "I'm going to finish eating."

She wanted him to reach out and touch her, but he turned his back on her instead.