Ship to Wreck

30

"That looks so good, Christian," Moose's wife, Stephanie, declared as Christian leveled a print of a baby cow next to a print of a lamb. The group consisting of Lorenzo, Moose, Stephanie, and Christian had been working on putting together Indigo's nursery for the past six hours. Christian knew they only had about two more hours remaining before Athena would get home, so they were rushing through the finishing touches.

"I think all we have left now is the crib," Christian said, nodding and taking a step back to admire his handiwork. The shades of green, gold, brown, and cream all looked great together, and he knew Athena would love the simplicity of the décor and the natural wood touches.

"You did great, buddy," Lo encouraged, patting his friend on the back after they finished assembling the crib in just under an hour. "She'll love it."

Christian was assaulted by nerves when he realized how soon Athena would be home. He hoped Lo was right and that she appreciated him taking initiative on this project, and that she wasn't upset that he didn't consult her on his plans. He had taken inspiration from photos she had shown him, so she was still part of the planning process . . . She just didn't know it.

Everyone hugged him goodbye, and Christian paced the living room while obsessively checking his phone for a sign from her. She got home about forty-five minutes after his friends left, a pizza box in her hands, slightly resting on her belly. The perfect shelf.

Christian immediately took the box from her and set it carefully on the counter. "I love you," he said with a smile, pulling his love into his arms and kissing the top of her head. He then got to her knees and kissed her stomach. "And I love you too, little girl," he said softly before getting back to his feet.

"We love you too, baby," Athena sighed happily, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. "My body is killing me, though. All the professional development activities left me on my feet all day, so do you mind if we just stay in tonight and eat pizza?" she pouted. Christian had mentioned going out for dinner before she left in the morning, but she brought the pizza home to prevent that from happening.

Christian laughed, so happy that "I love you too" was now a pivotal part of their relationship. "Whatever you want. You're in charge tonight," he said softly, holding her tighter. "I do have a surprise for you, though, if you wouldn't mind being on your feet one moment longer? Then we can eat all the pizza you want."

Athena's eyes lit up while she laughed. "It better not be anything major. You've already done so much for me."

Christian took her by the hand and led her down the hallway to the bedroom he used to sleep in while Athena slept in his. Now they shared a bed, and it made his heart so full. It took a long time to get where they were, but he had never felt this level of happiness – not even in baseball. Not even when he won MVP.

"Close your eyes?" he asked gently, and she followed his direction immediately. She trusted him so completely. He opened the door before standing in front of her and taking her hands – walking backward through the entry to the nursery so she could find her balance and walk forward.

"Okay, you can open them." Christian bit his lip as she fluttered her eyes open, and his heart skipped a beat when her mouth curled into an even bigger smile.

"Oh my God, Christian. Oh my God. This is perfect . . . This is exactly what I wanted," she said excitedly, taking in all the small details of the room. "You are incredible. I was feeling so anxious that we hadn't put this together yet . . . And you took care of everything despite your schedule. I love you. I'm so lucky," she couldn't stop gushing.

Her sore feet led her to the gliding chair in the corner of the room where she took a seat to test it out. "This is so comfortable!" she exclaimed.