It had taken them another hour to finally leave. Once they were finally on the road, Roosevelt had let out a frustrated growl, and her strong hands hit the leather interior. 

"Feel better?" He asked after some time had passed. 

"Surprisingly, yeah." She rolled her shoulders and shifted to and fro, releasing more tension. 

"Babe…" 

"They always do it. Every time. Always doubt me. Rarely do they ever accept me." It pained him to hear her talk that way, and she wasn't wrong. They gave her a lot of criticism and very little encouragement. 'At least. Not to her face.'

"I accept you." He reminded as he grabbed her hand. 

"You didn't give birth to me." Defeated, she rested her head on his shoulder. 

"Fair." He conceded, giving her hand a squeeze. 

Thirty minutes later, Roosevelt and Christian had checked in to the Best Western. He felt like he was back on the road again, playing ball. 

Sighing, she dropped her bag on the floor near the end of the bed. Turning, she came face to face with a concerned Christian. "I got you." He murmured as he pulled her into a hug. Her arms wrapped around his waist and held onto him for dear life. 

"It's okay." He spoke into her neck. She nodded, pulled back, and kissed him deeply. His hands cupped her face, giving her the freedom to play with hair. She felt him smile into the kiss, which caused her to smile too. His smiles were always contagious. 

"Your smile is so beautiful."

 She deeply blushed and returned, "And your smiles are contagious."

"Oops." He murmured against her lips. Kissing her again, Christian moved them towards the bed. Roosevelt quickly twisted to move the comforter off and on to the floor. She'd never knowingly touch her body to a hotel topper. 

"Smart move." He complimented as he caged her in with his body. 

"You fixin?" She drawled at him, emphasizing her southern accent. 

"That I am." He confirmed in his best southern impression causing her to laugh heartily. 

"Bless your lil heart." 

"Even I know that's an insult."

"Oops." His lips captured hers in a heated battle that both readily welcomed. 

The rest of their time in Georgia was nearly identical---moments of sincerity coupled with passive aggressive or backhanded compliments. Christian found it rather frustrating while it was clear that Roosevelt was demoralized. 

As they climbed aboard their flight, Roosevelt let out a relieved sigh that she didn't know she'd been holding in. 

"That bad?" Christian joked from beside her as she snuggled into his shoulder. 

"I guess so?" She murmured back as she suddenly felt her stomach lurch. Her hands flew to grasp her abdomen in discomfort. 

"Babe?" He questioned in a concerned voice. Her light brown met his dark and whispered, "I don't know. My stomach is suddenly unhappy."

"Huh." He murmured back. Maybe it was something they ate? Both mulled it over. They had shared a small pizza at the airport. 

"I feel fine." He sighed as he turned to kiss her temple. 

She hmpfed and trumped it up to nerves. 

"So, when do you actually want to get married?"

Grinning, she murmured, "I'm partial to Vegas in January. Honestly, I was never one to want an actual wedding, unless you do?"

His shoulders lifted to communicate nonchalance and quipped, "We could change flights."

"I think your mom would be upset if she couldn't be there." The dark haired woman nonchalantly pointed out with a smirk.

"Fine. January it is. We'll pick a date while we're in LA. I'm just glad we're staying in Malibu and commuting to my parents."

A smile streaked across her face and whispered in his ear, "Oh yes. We get to have some privacy."