Christian POV

Hearing the elevator ding, signaling that they'd arrived at his floor, Christian took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Roosevelt held his hand and squeezed. He wasn't sure what to expect. The two men had already given him a tongue lashing of the century. The sheer amount of names hurled blew Christian's mind. He was positive that some were exclusively known  in the South. He already hated himself, and it would be quite a long time before he could even begin to forgive himself.

As the trio entered, they were greeted by the other trio. Roosevelt immediately dropped his hand and ran to hug her brother who did his best to brace himself for her momentum. Mattie held her close, but his eyes darted to Christian. To Christian, he'd just been assassinated, meanwhile, his girl's twin seemed more contemplative. Rosie unwrapped herself from her brother and gave her brother from another mother a hug. 

It took all of Christian to not be jealous. He had to tell himself over and over again that they had a sibling relationship. As she pulled back, Chapman told her to "Stay still."

Christian found himself moving toward them only to feel a hand on his shoulder and  heard Braun whisper, "Easy, Yeli. Trust her like she trusts you."

It burned him to watch the third baseman gently  touch and inspect what was under the patch. Mattie's eyes were also trained on his older sister.  Every so often his dark eyes would dart over to the Brewer players. 

Normal POV

"You sure you're good? You can come back with us." Chapman quietly probed with searching eyes. Christian glared at the third baseman. Matt Olson noted the dark look  from the outfielder. 

"I'm going to be fine." She replied as her light brown eye turned to catch Christian's dark look. Rolling her exposed eye, she marched back to him and warned/poked him on the chest, "Knock it off, Mister. They have every right to be concerned." 

"Ro', why don't you go rest, hmm? Us guys need to talk." Mattie proposed with a small smile. The trainer looked between the two groups of men. Christian gave a slight nod. 

"Okay...." She conceded before turning to her brothers, "don't be too mean, okay?"

"I make no promises." Her younger brother replied but her pleading look caused him to relent, "Fine. I'll hear him out." She planted a kiss on his cheek and the same with Chapman. Returning to Christian who seemed to be frozen, she told the guys, "Before I feed him to the wolves. I actually need to borrow him." Tugging him haphazardly  into their room and shutting the door, she pushed him against the wall and kissed him hard. It took him a moment to process what was happening. His eyes were wide with surprise. Especially when she tugged his shirt down and off to the side, he felt her, bite, and then suck. He held in a groan. Pulling back, she whispered, "I told you that I only want to come home to you. You need to let your jealousy of Chapman go. The only bruises he's ever gotten from me was when I pegged him with a baseball. You are the only guy getting these, her hand hovered over the hickey. Get it?"

"When they're gone, I don't give a shit about the cast, I'm showing you how sorry and possessive I am." 

"I'll hold you to that. For now, just be honest and hear them out." 

"Will do." He kissed her forehead and left the room. Roosevelt realized her bags were still out there, so she was going to have to raid his closet. Trying to make the best of the situation, she found a pair of drawstring shorts that she was able to pull tight and snagged one of his many Brewer t-shirts. She caught sight of herself in the mirror. Ryan had been right, she looked like a pirate. Despite the rough day yesterday, she looked well. IVs were things of wonder. That's when she heard them. 

"Per our previous conversation, I was told to hang back. I hang back? My sister has a busted face, and she's making press statements that you didn't hit her."

"I didn't! I was busy listening to you bitch at me." Christian fired back. 

"No, you're right. One of your friends did." 

"Guys, that dude's no longer a friend to any of us." Ryan cut in, trying to keep the peace. 

"Oh, so before this whole thing, that motherfucker never showed any signs of being an aggressive pervert?" Mattie questioned venomously.

"Aside from normal locker room talk? No. I'd never knowingly associate myself with someone like that." Christian stated in a calm tone.

"But you did know. Roosevelt told you." Chapman reasoned. 

"Look, I went down there to fire his ass and report him, but the clever fucker was waiting with ammunition in hand to manipulate me. Okay? I fucked up. I let my insecurities get the best of me."

"What is there to be insecure about?" Rosie wasn't sure which Matt asked.

"Really?" Christian asked in disbelief. 

"I thought we covered this!" Chapman stated exasperatedly. 

"In Christian's defense, you're a good looking dude and single." Travis cut in. 

"I'll take the compliment, but that's about it. She's my sister from another mister. I guess I'll keep repeating that til my face turns blue." 

"No. This is the last time this is ever coming up. I believe you guys."

"Great. Now, we can get on to the way you treated her." Mattie sassed. 

"There's nothing you could say to make me feel any worse. Trust me."

"Oh yeah? I'm sure I could come up with---"

"Normally, I wouldn't interrupt you giving him shit, but trust me, he's already in the self loathing stage." Ryan interrupted, shooting Christian a worried expression. 

"Really. How would you know?"

"Because he tried to end his ability to play. Your sister stopped him." Ryan ground out. 

"You tried to make your injury worse?" Travis asked, surprised. The two A's players silently watched the Brewer's have a staring contest.

"Well, what else could I have done to myself to make me pay for how I treated her?" Christian asked in a pained tone. Roosevelt wanted nothing more than to go hug him. 

"Not that, Jesus. You'd choose her over the team?" The third baseman was beyond stunned, but he already knew the answer before he'd asked. 

"In a heartbeat." Christian declared. She could hear him shuffling about the kitchen, no doubt grabbing water. 

Matt Olson closely  watched Christian and contemplated what to say, but Chapman beat him to it. The gold glover quietly murmured to the room, "She's listening." He shook his head with a small smile. "We're all on the same side. Next time any of us hurts her, we take a fastball to the nuts." 

"That's agreeable." Christian returned with a nod. Travis and Ryan both let out low whistles causing the Oakland players to grin. The odds were against Christian, but he had agreed.

"Yo, sister dearest, cometh." Chapman sang, and the door swiftly revealed a timid Roosevelt. It took all of Christian's self control to not blatantly check her out. 

"Yes?" She quietly asked. 

"We have come to an understanding. Now, we depart! Back to Texas for our night game." 

"Aww, back to Satan's armpit." She teased as she hugged each of the Matts. "Win it for me, eh?"

"Pfft, of course. Also, Semien won't stop bitching about his back..." 

Roosevelt crossed her arms and shrugged, "He needs to stretch more." Christian snorted at her reply. That was her answer for everything.  

Tutting at him, she animatedly gestured at herself, Christian, the Matts, "I'm right. You know it. I know it. They know it." Pausing to point at Travis and Ryan, "...and they shall know it." 

"You're going to take it easy, right?" Mattie pestered with a knowing look. 

"Yeah, I'll nap, but we have a game to catch later." Her hand motioned to Christian and herself. 

"We really should rest babe." Christian commented. He wanted her to himself.

"And we really have damage control to do." She returned. 

"That's all our cues." Ryan commented. 

It wasn't long before the couple was left alone. Christian's eyes stared down her still packed bags, "Why don't we move you in? I'll clear part of my closet and drawers." 

"Sure." She moved to grab her bags while he made his way to the room. 

"Do you think you could help me shower later? This cast makes everything impossible."

"Of course. We need to figure how I can even shower. I'm sure the hospital discharge instructions have it." She returned as she began to set her clothes on their bed. It wasn't long before she was setting her last pair of underwear in , when strong arms wrapped her waist and soft lips peppered her neck.

"Fuck, Christian."

"Not yet." He breathed. "We're both stinky." 

"Okay, I can't get my head or face wet okay? Let's get your cast shower cover. I'll help you pull it on." It took them ten minutes to get the shower cast cover on. Once they did, Roosevelt helped him keep balance and he helped her rinse. In both of their minds, it was straight out of a comedy. 

She was out first as she was closest, and it seemed, to her, that he wanted to stand under the water to think. 

"Call for me to help you out?" 

"Yeah. I won't be long." 

"Enjoy the contemplation; don't rush. I'm going to try to channel Nick Fury and get used to turning to see everything." 

He chuckled at her joke, but inside, it hurt. His stupidity had inevitably led to her injury. Mattie's words replayed over in his head, not to mention, he knew his mom had tried to call him. No doubt, to lecture, scold, and give advice. Advice. 

He had some calls to make and errand to run before the game. Christian knew he was tired, but he could rest when everything was better. She'd already forgiven him and hadn't dropped a stitch with her affection. Yet, he couldn't shake feeling rotten and maybe he wasn't supposed to. 

"Babe? I'm good."

She reappeared, dressed in sleep shorts and tank. Her hair was down, and the patch was off. She never looked more radiant. 

"C'mon, hot stuff." She prompted as she helped him out. Her hands helped him dry off, take off the cast cover, and get dressed. 

Scratching the back of his head, he tried to find the words to say. Roosevelt, on the other hand, watched him stand, frozen in just his underwear. He was in thinking mode. 

"You're not going to nap, are you?" She asked with a knowing smile. He sighed; he didn't want to disappoint her. Pulling her close, he murmured into hair, "I need to make a few calls and run an errand." 

"Okay.. we can hold off on the game then. You need to rest."

"Not uh. You haven't been to Miller Park, and when was the last time you watched a ball game as a fan?"

Roosevelt paused and then laughed, "God, aside from the Marlin's game? Mattie's first pro game."

"There ya go. I can afford to be tired. I have plenty of 5HR Energy. But I want you to rest. Okay? I'll be back in no time. If there is time, I will nap." 

"Okay. I'll rest  and such. But please let me know when you get to where you intended safely?"

"Will do, by the way, your phones on the kitchen counter charging. I imagine you have your own calls to make?"

She shrugged, "My parents are very hands off with me. If it was Mattie, my dad would have already showed up and began the lecture. My mom knows that if I'm in trouble, I'll call."

"That's an interesting dynamic."

"Yeah, one of these days we'll do a deep dive into my childhood to find an explanation, but not today. I will call Betty... we're gonna need to coordinate."

"No workouts."

"Yes, sir. You, use your crutches." 

"Yes ma'am." He kissed her gently, and her hands locked around his neck. Christian wasn't sure how long they stood, kissing, but he knew he had to get dressed and get on with his plans. Briefly, he held her muscular hands in his. 

"I'm getting dressed and going, because we have a game to catch." 

She nodded and climbed into bed, while he moved about getting dressed, grabbing his wallet, keys, and phone. He kissed her forehead and headed out. As he exited the apartment, his phone was already dialing 'Mom.' 

Roosevelt didn't fight the tired that took over. She didn't spare a thought to the phone calls or the errand. There wasn't any doubt in her mind. 

Hours later....

Roosevelt felt familiar lips against hers. Quickly waking to catch up, her eyes opened to see a changed Christian, ready for a baseball game-long sleeve Brewers shirt, dark jeans, baseball hat, and his go to white converse. "Hey, it's time to get up and ready." 

"But I like kissing you." 

"We can do that at the game, you know?"

"You're cool with PDA?" Her bruised eyebrow quickly arched.

"With you." He responded in an honest tone.

"Cheese." She teased with a grin.

"The cheesiest, c'mon." He confirmed with a grin of his own. 

Roosevelt changed into a pair of ripped upped skinny jeans, white v-neck tank that subtly showed her midriff, one of Christian's blue jerseys, and white converse. She'd decided to put her hair into a ponytail to allow for the eye patch and a borrowed adjustable baseball hat. She put light makeup on her one eye. She grabbed her phone but didn't even check for messages. 

Christian grinned at her appearance and commented, "You look beautiful." She blushed hard at him causing him to grin even more. He'd missed this. 

The couple left, snagged an Uber, and headed for the stadium. Their young male driver did a double take in the rearview mirror. Surprise and excitement was written all over his face. 

"You're Christian Yelich and Roosevelt Olson." The couple shared a glance and the ball player smoothly replied, "That's us. When we get to Miller, you want a photo?"

"Yes! That would be amazing. You guys are awesome."

The couple simply smiled at him. Christian's hand grabbed hers and intertwined their fingers. Instinctively, he pulled her hand to his lips and gave her back hand a tender kiss. Roosevelt blushed hard. She could get used to this. It felt right and natural. Despite their recent rough 48 hours, their chemistry and interactions felt good. 

It wasn't long before they'd arrived at the stadium, near the players and workers entrance. Christian would need to be carted to their seating area, Roosevelt had made sure to nag him to text guest relations about the accommodation. 

True to his word, the couple took a couple of pics with their excited driver. "Thank you so much!" 

"Of course. Have a good night." Christian replied as he turned on his crutches to head toward their special entrance. Upon seeing him, security quickly checked for weapons and let the duo in. Sure enough, there was a Brewer's themed  golf cart waiting for them. 

"Thank you." Roosevelt offered with a smile. The older attendant nodded, "Anything for the MVP and his girl." 

It was Christian's turn to deal with embarrassment. The attendant didn't speak anymore. They zipped up and down and all around the stadium. Occasionally, Christian would point out different places to know and such. Roosevelt did her best to pay attention, but it had hit her when they arrived at the stadium: this was a date and their first truly public hangout. Every other time had been private, which was more than enough, but doing something out in public was a nice change of pace. 

There were a number of fans milling around, but none took notice of the couple until the attendant stopped off to push the button to open the lift to take them down to the field--they're seats were right off the dugout. 

"Hey! It's Yeli and his girl!" One teen shouted drawing people's attention to the couple. As if he wasn't used to this kind of attention, Christian gave the crowd a smile and wave.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!" The crowd returned causing Christian to smile widely. Roosevelt grinned,  gave him a slight shoulder nudge, and joined in. He shook his head at her antics.  The attendant returned and drove them into the lift. The shouts dissipated as the doors closed allowing Christian to let out a breath. 

"You don't mingle with fans, do you?"

"I try to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. I'm a private dude." He explained with a slight shrug. "You, on the other hand, seem much more used to the chanting."

"You've never been to a beach volleyball tournament, have you?"

"Uh, no."

"That's changing come the New Year."

"I'm looking forward to it." He gently pressed his lips against her forehead. 

"We're here, Mr. Yelich."

"Call me Yeli, everyone else but her does." He slightly corrected as he carefully climbed down, readied himself on his crutches, and led her to their seats. 

Once they settled, Roosevelt found herself sitting on his left, her right; giving her full view of his handsome face and the field, where the teams were warming up. The stands were gradually filling in. The couple took it in. The white noise from the crowd was oddly comforting. His hand found hers, and they simply relaxed. People filled in behind them and beside Roosevelt. The older couple, who sat beside them, looked to have no idea who she was, and luckily, her stature was able to block their view of Christian. Meanwhile, Christian had murmured that he'd bought the two seats by him to keep the peace causing her to laugh. 

"I can always move down one." He offered with a smirk. 

"No. I'm not a hermit." 

"Hey!" 

She pulled his face to hers for a quick kiss. He deepened until some shouts from the field caught their attention. The older woman, dressed in older Brewer gear, sitting beside Roosevelt chuckled. "Do you know some of the players?" She asked in a friendly tone. Roosevelt turned to get a better look. The woman reminded her of younger Betty White. 

"Uh, yeah. My boyfriend.." she leaned back to let the woman see Christian,who awkwardly waved,  and continued, "...plays for the Brewers."

"I'll say! Honey, Christian Yelich is sitting by us." The woman elbowed her husband who happened to be trying to take a sip of beer. Beer sloshed on his jersey causing the man to sputter, " Wila, what's the big idea."

"Christian Yelich is sitting next to us. " She wildly pointed out. 

"Why didn't you lead with that?!" He scolded while shifting to get a better look at the outfielder. 

Roosevelt found the whole situation comical, and seeing a beer made her want one. Twisting, she commented, "I'm going to grab beer and snacks, would you like one?"

"We don't have to go anywhere but the bathroom. People come to us." Christian whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her neck. 

"Oh, fancy." She returned as she glanced about, taking note of all the phones out and pointed at Christian. 'oof.' she thought. 

Laying her head on his muscular shoulder, she murmured, "How would you feel if I told you that people are obsessively taking photos of the back of your head?" 

She felt his body shake with laughter and quietly reply, "I'm not here for them. I'm here for the boys and spending time with you." 

Moving her head to look up at him, she found him kissing her again until they were interrupted by the attendant to take their order.  Soon, the couple had beer, sunflower seeds, and nachos. 

"We're both going to have to do some in home workouts." Christian commented as he enjoyed his nachos. 

"Mmhmm." She returned as she poured a handful of sunflower seeds into her mouth to crack. He watched her skillfully crack each and somehow manage to gracefully spit the shell into an empty cup. The game began and Christian couldn't help but watch her watch the game. 

"He's going to throw a sinker." She announced to Christian, and seconds later, it was delivered. 

"How'd you know?" He asked as he took a sip of his beer. 

"The way he moved his fingers caused a change in his shoulder..." She animatedly explained. 

He grinned at her, "Now, if only what you did was legal in the baseball world."

"The Astros do it." She offered with a shrug. 

"What?" He asked her shifting in his seat to get a better look at her face to see if she was kidding. She wasn't. 

"Fiers went to Melvin at the beginning of the season to complain that the Astros sign steal. The Athletics filed a complaint. Heard nothing back. I know for damn certain Altuve gets hints about breaking balls. How? I'm not sure." 

Christian was stunned. He could admit that he'd heard rumors,but to actually hear confirmation about it made it real. How had none of this come to light? The Astros were poised to make it to the World Series...again.

"Don't worry about it now. It is what it is. All we can do is be ethical." She relayed as she grabbed her beer to take a sip. 

"Alright. I'm still surprised." 

"I'm not. The Astros have a history of being dicks." He snorted at her comment, would her tune change if he got traded? In reality that wouldn't happen because Reddick played right field and was good at what he did. 

"What if I got traded?"

"I'd only wear the A's jersey." 

"Damn. That's commitment." 

"And you wouldn't sign with them. C'mon now. You'd be more likely to be a Dodger than an Astro." 

"Playing with Belli would be cool." 

"Like at the all star game?" Her eye met his. Hers was gleaming with mischief.

"Yeah..." 

"They should mic you more. You make baseball entertaining." 

"Thanks babe."

She sweetly smiled at him and then returned her attention to the game. It was going rather well; the Brewers were winning . As the 6th inning approached, Roosevelt noticed Christian seemed to be a bit more fidgety than normal. Maybe not being able to move freely was bothering him? 

"You okay?" She asked as she took another sip of beer. 

"Huh, uh. Yeah. Just, uh, stir crazy." 

"Yeah, I'm sure it's hard not playing with them. You want to be out there, gazelling about."

"Gazelling?" He asked, clearly amused. 

"I wouldn't call your running anything else. Take it as a compliment." 

A slight nod was sent her way. Middle of the sixth struck and so did Sinatra music. Kiss cam flashed across the screen. 

"They do this at SF..Oakland does weird hair..." she murmured to Christian who remained silent beside her. The camera cut to cute couples, young and old. Roosevelt was so wrapped up in the screen that she didn't see Christian move further to her right. The screen rested on her. Excitement flooded through her, she turned her body to find Christian carefully kneeling and holding out the most beautiful ring she's ever seen. 

Her heart stopped. "Roosevelt, I know we haven't been together long, but I want to make it forever.  Will you marry me?" 

Words caught in her throat, but she vigorously nodded her head 'yes.' Christian skillfully climbed to his feet, slipped the ring on her finger, and pulled her in for a kiss. The crowd roared in approval.  Pulling back, she hugged him and whispered, "Decided pedal to the metal, huh?"

"I never want to see you next to a packed set of bags again, unless it's you and me going on vacation." 

She responded by kissing him again. The game started back up, causing the couple to take a seat. Roosevelt's eyes wandered to the ring on her finger. It was stunning against her tan skin. From what she could tell, it was a platinum band with a diamond inlay and a rather large circular diamond planted on the middle. It sparkled under the stadium lights. Her phone began to buzz. She was getting a FaceTime from the Matt's. Weren't they playing a game? 

Putting an AirPod in her right ear and Christian's left, she answered, "Hello?"

"Did he do it?!" Chappy asked slightly out of breath. The camera picked up the majority of the team all trying to get a look. 

"Yeah, he did it." Christian sassed back. Roosevelt held up her hand to the camera. Some of the guys let out whistles. Mattie smiled at her. 

"Congratulations. I see our parents gave their blessings." 

Roosevelt looked between Mattie and Christian. Christian nodded, "That they did. I did have to promise to keep baseball in the family." 

"Of course they did." Roosevelt sighed. She had yet to explain to Christian as to why there was distance between herself and her parents. 

"I can't wait to be man of honor." Chapman rejoiced with a shit eating grin. 

"You'll look so handsome in the sea foam dress I have planned. "

"That's not complimentary to my skin tone." Chappy lilted. 

"Deal with it. If your man of honor, you get to help me all the stuff including the invitations."

"Too late to decline such a role?"

"You'd give it over to Betty?" 

"Over my dead body."  Chapman indignantly replied. 

Christian hadn't ever really been able to observe the two interact. He could see the sibling vibe. If only he'd seen this sooner...

"Anyways....congrats Sis, Yeli. We gotta get back to the game. Skipper only gave us so much time." The younger Olson announced. The boys in green sounded their congrats and disappeared. 

"How many calls did you make?" 

"So many." He vaguely replied with a grin. 

"How did my mom sound?" She asked with her eyes concentrated on the game. 

"Pleasant. Surprised. Demanding grandchildren." He reported as his hand grabbed hers. Nodding in return, she noted another call-- Betty.

As she answered, "Hey--"

"Dibs on maid of honor."

"Chapman beat you to it."

"That bitch." Betty sassed as she flicked her blonde hair off her shoulder. "Let me see it and then him." 

Holding her hand up, the couple wasn't prepared for the loud gasp and squeal that followed. 

"Ro. Holy shit!!!"

She flicked the camera to show Christian who waved. "I can see why you said yes. Jesus. I bet he's great in bed. Big di--" 

"Hi, I can hear you." Christian interrupted. 

"My observations still stand, and I won't apologize." She dramatically returned with animated hand movements. 

"Bet, I'll call you later. We're at the game." 

"Ugh. Fine." Click

"She's interesting."

"Met in college." The trainer explained with a slight wince. 

"Figured. We have quite the cast of characters." 

__________________________________________________________________

The end of the game arrived rather quickly. Both ended up on the field receiving hugs and fist bumps. Craig Counsell was the last to approach them. 

"Congrats Yeli, Roosevelt." 

"Thanks Couns." Christian  returned with a smirk. 

"Anytime. Look, Roosevelt, one of our trainers is down with a nasty case of the flu. I know you're dealing with having one eye, but can you come in tomorrow?" 

Roosevelt glanced at Christian who didn't seem to lean either way. 

"Sure. I can do that. What time? 4pm?" 

"Yeah, that'll work." The manager paused before jesting with a smirk, "Yeli, you can come too. I'll find something for you to do." 

"Gee, thanks." 

"Anytime, MVP." 

It wasn't long til the couple had returned home. Christian announced, "I don't know about you, but I'm beat. I need pain pills and to lay down." 

"I'll grab you water and pills." She moved easily about the apartment, snagging what was needed. When she'd made it to the bedroom, she found Christian already stripped down and in bed. After handing him the meds, she headed to remove her makeup, wash her face, apply the ointment, and return to change. Selecting  a simple green sleep tank and matching shirts from VS, she swiftly changed and climbed in bed. Before he could ask her any questions, she had already straddled him, gave him a chaste kiss, and pulled back to let him talk. 

"You like this position, huh?"

"For now. I can see you easier."

"Uh huh. So how'd I do? Did I move to fast?"

"For us not being together terribly long, you seemed to know what I like and don't. It also takes balls to call your girlfriend's parents and talk to them without meeting them...."

"Matt and Mattie helped pick it out. And your parents seemed okay with whatever. I introduced myself and your dad was like 'i know who you are. You're great. I'm glad she finally chose something great.'"

Sighing, she admitted, "My dad wanted a boy right off the bat. That didn't happen. But Mattie and I are nearly Irish twins...so my dad was happy.  Baseball is our household, so I learned and did my best to make that happen--like the pitching. I'm actually pretty good at infield. Anyways, in Jr high, I found volleyball. But that wasn't baseball." 

Christian frowned, clearly getting the picture. "My path was never what my Dad wanted; so when I went to Long Beach to play volleyball, it was almost caused a riff in the family. I ended up telling my mom and Mattie to not fight him about me anymore. I was free. "

"That's why you didn't care about their approval. In your mind, they didn't deserve the privilege."

"More or less. I was an emo jock in high school."

"Yeah? I was a baseball junkie. Athletics year around. Alright, what band was your jam? Every emo kid had at least one."

"Okay, they're still my jam. I warm up to them on my Airpods. My Chemical Romance."

"MCR is your warm up music? " He questioned with a smile. 

"Yeah. Them and a variety of other music. G-Eazy is my angry music." 

"I don't know who you are anymore."

"Ha. Ha. So back the original topic. My parents aren't my biggest concern. Mattie is, so if he gave his blessing, then we're good." 

"He did. I also got advice from Bob Melvin."

"No shit?" She muttered as her hands traced his shoulders causing him to falter slightly, but he regained his composure.

"Yeah. He said the key to success is communication, never calling each other names, and not going to bed angry."

"He's a gem." She confirmed as her wrist moved his shoulder a certain way causing him to wince and then relax. 

"Yeah, so if the Skipper says I'm good, I'm inclined to agree." 

"That's fair. So look, the holidays are coming up. I say we go to my family's earlier for both and be with your family on the actual holidays. Then post-Christmas, we stay in SoCal?" 

"That sounds fine to me." 

"Good. Good." She replied as she moved to climb off him, but his hands quickly caught her.

"Where do you think you're going?" 

"I thought you were tired." He could see her smirking at him in the dark. Sitting up to get closer to her face, he took her in, injury and all. Inwardly, the bruises were going to haunt him, but even with them, she was stunning. He was lucky. 

Brushing his lips against hers, Christian carefully held her face and slowly traced down her neck and chest. Her body shivered, and her eye gave him a wild look. Taking a breath, she shifted slightly to kiss him at a better angle. 

She easily trailed kisses down his neck and chest causing him to groan in reply. Her hands moved to move his shorts, but he stopped her. 

"I love you, but I can't tonight."

"Really, because your shorts are telling me otherwise." She ground her hips into his. He didn't reply right away giving her an opening to pay attention to the hickey that she'd left earlier that day. 

"Ro." He breathlessly whispered. 

"Christian." She purred in his ear.

"Don't do that." He ground out. His hands tightly gripped her hips. 

"Do what? Say your name?" She teased and then repeated, "Christian." Her lips found his, hungrily. Her hands tugged at his hair as she enjoyed feeling his hands go back and forth on tugging off her boy shorts. 

One of her hands expertly moved down his shorts and this time he didn't fight her. Growling at her, he aggressively pulled her shorts off and even pulled off her tank. His hands roamed her body as she settled on him. They moved against one another until both came undone. As she slowly moved off of him, he twisted to catch her mouth with his for one last hard kiss. It wasn't long before she heard snores, and it wasn't long before she'd drifted off.