Therapy is Good for the Soul

Bailey quickly grabbed her phone and turned off her alarm, hoping not to wake Tyler. She begrudgingly pulled the covers off and got out of Tyler’s bed. She shivered as a chill ran through her spine when her bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor.

Tyler grabbed Bailey’s wrist. “Come back to bed and I’ll keep you warm.” Tyler groggily moaned, but still managed to make it sound sexy.

Bailey turned back looking at Tyler and smiled. She crawled back over to him and leaned down and gave him a loving kiss. “I’d love to spend the mornin cuddlin with you, but I can’t afford to lose my job. Go back to sleep and I’ll be back before you can miss me.”

“That’s not possible!”

Tyler yanked her to him and covered Bailey’s mouth with his in a hungry kiss. She responded immediately. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips so soft. He tasted tentatively with his tongue, and Bailey opened her mouth with a low moan. She allowed herself to get lost in the moment for a bit, before she regretfully pulled away.

“I swear you’re goin to be the death of me Tyler!”

Bailey got out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes from her bag before heading to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for work. She emerged from the bathroom dressed in her purple scrubs with a white long sleeves shirt underneath, tennis shoes, and her hair in a ponytail. She noticed Tyler was still awake in bed. She decided she couldn’t resist getting one last kiss before she left and climbed back in the bed for a little bit.

“Can’t go back to sleep?”

“I will after you leave. Just wanted to make sure I could be the first to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving today.”

Bailey smiled and gave Tyler a sweet kiss. “Thank you! Are you sure you’re all set with cookin the turkey in your new big green egg? There will still be time to cook it before everyone gets here if you wait until I get back.”

“Ye of little faith! I told you Freddy and I’ve got this. You’ve already taken on so much making everything else, let me take care of this.”

“Ok. Thanks again for helpin me have a Thanksgivin away from home.” She gave Tyler another kiss.

“It’s my pleasure, well actually it’s going to be half my teams pleasure. They’re looking forward to your amazing cooking.”

Bailey giggled. “Kind of funny that there will be more Canadians than Americans at dinner tonight. I hope I don’t disappoint anyone and can do justice to my momma’s and Ma’s recipes!”

“Bay, you’re the best cook I know. Everything is going to be great! Now you better get out of here before I hold you hostage in my bed, kiss you all day, and try to convince you to do some other fun things. Then you’ll not only get fired, but there won’t be any food for dinner and we’ll both have a bunch of pissed off friends.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

“You’re too sweet and funny! Hopefully the census is low and there won’t be any new evals so I can get off early. There’s still so much to do.”

“If dinner runs a little late, we’ll survive. Bay, just relax and go to work.”

“Ok, I’m goin.” Bailey gave Tyler a quick peck on the lips. “Love you.” She said before heading to the door.

“I love you too.” Tyler watched Bailey leave before he rolled over and fell back asleep.

Bailey returned to Tyler’s condo around 2:30pm, greeted by Marshall at the front door. Bailey knelt down to rub him behind his ears.

“Hey buddy, where’s your daddy?”

Bailey followed Marshall around the short corner and over to the couch where Tyler, Freddy, and Christina were all sound asleep. She smiled and followed Marshall until she was in front of Tyler. She leaned down and planted a light kiss on his lips. She accidentally brushed her hands on his neck when she pulled the blanket up over him.

“Your hands are freezing!” Tyler complained as he pulled Bailey onto his lap and nuzzled his head into her neck.

“Sorry, my mittens must have fallen out of my pockets somewhere and I had to wait about 15 minutes for the T.”

“Why didn’t you call me to pick you up?” Tyler rubbed Bailey’s hands between his to warm them up as he gave her little kisses along her jawline.

“I know, but I didn’t want to bother you. You’re already doin so much for me today.”

Tyler took Bailey’s chin in his hand and pulled her face to look at him. “Bay, when will you learn I love to do things for you and you should never hesitate to call me.”

Bailey leaned down to give Tyler a thank you and I love you kiss. “I know you do. It was just a short wait and a little walk that I’ve done many times, not a big deal. I promise I will call you when I really need you.” She gave him another quick kiss. “Now let me go change so we can get to work in the kitchen.”

Tyler watched Bailey walk to his room staring at her in awe. He was still getting use to having a girlfriend that could be so independent. Most of the girls he’s dated were very clingy and needy. They expected him to do everything for them including toting them around the city. All they pretty much gave him in return was sex. Bailey was completely different; she could support herself, never asking for a dime. In fact, she’d still fight him at times over who would pay for a meal or something when they went out. She did things for him all the time to make him feel special and truly loved even though they haven’t consummated their relationship yet. He just wanted to do the same for her.

Bailey changed into a pair of jeans and a green V-neck long sleeves t-shirt. “Ready to make your first Thanksgivin dinner?”

“Just tell your sous-chef what you need.”

“Let’s see how the turkey is comin along.” Bailey pulled the sliding glass door to Tyler’s deck open. Tyler pulled the top off the green egg for Bailey to check out the turkey. Bailey inserted the meat thermometer into the turkey. “It looks good, guessin it will be ready in an hour and a half or so.”

“I told you we could do it.” Tyler stood a bit straighter and pushed his chest out, proud of his and Freddy’s accomplishment.

Bailey stood on her toes and gave Tyler a kiss. “Yes you did. Now come on we’ve got more work to do.”

Bailey and Tyler went to the kitchen and put the side dishes she prepped yesterday in the oven and got started on the other things they still needed to make. Eventually Freddy and Christina woke up, helping by peeling Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes and getting the table ready for the buffet. Bailey guided her three sous-chefs each step of the way since she was really the only one who knew how to cook. The 20-pound turkey was done about two hours after the last time Bailey and Tyler checked it. It took both Freddy and Tyler to figure out how to get it out of the green egg and safely to the kitchen without ruining it. After it had rested for a bit, Bailey started to teach Tyler how to carve the turkey. She gave everyone a small piece to taste.

“Oh my goodness! This is delicious, it’s so juicy.” Bailey exclaimed.

“You sound surprised.” Freddy replied.

“That’s because we are. We had no idea the two of you could actually pull this off. I’m very impressed!” Christina chimed in and gave Freddy a kiss.

Bailey gave Tyler and Freddy an apologetic look and kissed Tyler on the cheek. The group laughed it off and moved on. They took turns taking a quick shower and changing before the guests started to arrive. Bailey was of course the last one to shower, as she wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Just as there was a knock on the door, they were able to get the turkey, eight side dishes, and rolls on the table.

Brad, Adam, and Dougie were the first to arrive. They brought several bottles of wine for the dinner. Dougie even brought a bouquet of flowers to thank Bailey for inviting him.

“You’re so sweet! Thank you.” Bailey gave Dougie a quick peck on the cheek as she took the flowers, causing him to blush.

“I’ve got my eyes on you Dougie. Just remember she’s taken.” Tyler joked pulling Bailey into a hug.

Bailey put the flowers in a vase and set them on the buffet table as a centerpiece. Soon after, Soupy arrived with his wife Katie, Andrew with his wife Krista and their daughters Ava and Stella, and Patrice with his wife Stefanie. Each couple brought a side dish with them. Emily and her fiancé Stephen followed them closely behind with a huge plate of chocolate chip cookies. The last to arrive was Looch with Brittany and their young daughter Valentina.

“What’s that?” Tyler stared at the rather large box Looch was carrying.

“It’s the turkey Bailey asked Brittany to bring.”

Tyler and Freddy turned towards Bailey confused. Her face went beet red as she tried to hide behind Brad.

“Bay, why do we need two turkeys?”

She peered out from behind Brad’s shoulder looking up at Tyler. “Don’t be mad! I was worried you and Freddy would screw up the turkey so I asked Brittany if she could bring one just in case. I just wanted to make sure everything was perfect for today. I meant to call Brittany and tell her yours turned out great after we tasted it, but we were so busy I forgot. Sorry!”

Bailey was now twiddling with her fingers and looking down at her feet. Tyler walked over to Bailey and pulled her out from behind Brad. “You know if you really wanted to hide, you shouldn’t pick the shortest person in the room besides you to stand behind. I mean really Bay, you’re in a room full of rather large hockey players and you hide behind Marchy.” Everyone but Brad laughed. Bailey smiled and decided it was safe to look up at Tyler. “I should be pissed at you, Brittany, and Looch, but lucky for all of you I’m feeling generous today. Bay, I’m glad you’ve seen the error of your ways. I’m going to let the turkey Freddy and I cooked stand for itself. Everyone of you that doubted us will be begging for forgiveness and asking us to cook for you after you taste it.” Tyler pulled Bailey into a close embrace and leaned down to kiss her passionately causing the room to whistle and Bailey’s skin to flush. He knew that he would get that kind of reaction from his friends as well as Bailey.

“You did that on purpose to embarrass me didn’t you?” Bailey whispered in his ear.

“Bet your sweet ass I did! Next time you’ll think twice about doubting me.” Tyler had a devilish grin before he kissed Bailey again.

“Get a room!” Soupy yelled, breaking up their kiss.

Bailey walked over to Freddy with big puppy dog eyes. “Do you forgive me too?”

“I’m seeing a large batch of brownies in my near future.”

“Done!”

“Ok, I’ll forgive you!” Freddy picked Bailey up and hugged her.

“Enough of this lovey dovey stuff, I’m hungry!” Brad bellowed causing everyone to laugh.

Bailey and Tyler made sure everyone had a drink and had them gather around the table that’s now covered in a ton of food to make up an amazing meal. Bailey wanted to say a few words before they blessed the food and dug in.

“First I’d like to thank Tyler for indulgin me and lettin me have this Thanksgivin celebration in his home.” She wrapped her arm around his waist and rest her head on his chest. “Its hard bein away from home so I’m grateful that he invited his Boston family and mine so we could all celebrate our wonderful friendships. I know all of y’all played a roll at some point in getting Tyler and I together and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for bein patient and not givin up on us! I hope one day y’all will consider me part of your Boston family too.” Tyler pulled her in closer to his side and kissed the top of her head.

“Bailey you’re already a part of the Bruin family. We are also thankful that you came into Tyler’s life as well as ours.” Andrew said.

“Hear hear!” Several of Tyler’s teammates said in unison as they raised their glasses in agreement of Andrew’s statement.

“Thank you. I hope y’all enjoy this Thanksgiving feast! Please eat up but make sure to save room for dessert.”

Patrice said a quick blessing and everyone started to fix their plates and eat. Bailey stepped away to Tyler’s bedroom for a minute and Tyler followed closing the door behind him.

“You ok?” Tyler wiped away a few tears falling down Bailey’s cheek with his thumb and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“Yea, just a little overwhelmed.” She wrapped her arms around him and got as close as she could to him without knocking him over. “I love you!” she whispered.

Tyler kissed the top of her hair, “I love you too Bay. We can stay here as long as you need.”

Bailey and Tyler remained in their embrace for several minutes. When they finally pulled apart, Tyler gave Bailey the most loving and gentle kiss she’d ever had.

“Ready?”

“Yes, I’m promise I’ll try not to be so sappy the rest of the night.”

“Good, ‘cause I’m hungry and if we don’t get out there soon there may be nothing left.” He took her hand and they walked back to the living room to join their friends.

The dinner was a huge success! Everyone was shocked that Tyler’s turkey was actually quite good. Of course it wasn’t a surprise that they loved all of Bailey’s Southern side dishes and homemade pies. Andrew was super impressed and thankful that Bailey made sure there were several dishes his family could eat and even made some vegan brownies and vegan pumpkin bread for them. Tyler’s teammates joked that the equipment managers would be pissed tomorrow because none of their uniforms would fit because they ate so much.

After dinner Tyler surprised Bailey when he put “Miracle on 34th Street” on for everyone to watch. This was Bailey’s first holiday away from home and he knew she missed her family. It was a tradition for Bailey’s family to watch that movie every Thanksgiving so he thought if they watched it together it would be like she had a little piece of home in Boston.

After the movie was over all their guests thanked Bailey and Tyler for a wonderful evening and meal. Bailey made sure all of Tyler’s single teammates took some leftovers home. Much to Tyler and Freddy’s chagrin she sent everyone home with dessert. After everyone left Tyler, Bailey, Freddy, and Christina decided they’d finish cleaning up tomorrow and turned in for the night completely exhausted.

Bailey woke up the next morning at 11:00 finding herself alone in the bed. She got up and strolled into the living room and saw Tyler, Freddy, and Christina in the kitchen cleaning.

“She’s alive!” Freddy joked when he noticed Bailey heading towards them.

Bailey came behind Tyler and wrapped her warms around his waist. He turned back towards her, bent down and gave her a quick kiss. “Morning sleepyhead.”

“Good mornin. Why didn’t y’all wake me?”

“Because you worked so hard the past couple of days and haven’t been sleeping very well. You needed the rest Bay.”

“I feel bad! Y’all are almost done cleanin. I should have helped.”

“Don’t worry about it! You did most of the work for that amazing dinner, so cleaning is the least we can do.” Christina reassured her friend.

Bailey gave each of her friends a thank you hug. “Y’all are the best! To thank you I’m gonna make lunch for us. Turkey clubs sound good?”

They all agreed. Bailey made the sandwiches and Tyler got out a bag of pretzels. Bailey and Christina had a glass of sweet tea, while Tyler and Freddy had water. After they ate lunch Tyler and Bailey took Marshall for a short walk.

“Keep your coat on.” Tyler told Bailey as he grabbed a treat for Marshall out of the cabinet before putting him in the bathroom.

“Where are we goin?”

“It’s a surprise!” He went to his room for his wallet and keys. When he returned everyone was ready to go. He took Bailey’s hand and they headed downstairs to the garage. The gang piled into his truck and they were off. After a forty-minute drive they finally reached their destination at Smolak Farms.

Bailey’s eyes lit up like a young child on Christmas morning. “We’re gettin a Christmas tree?”

“Yes. We can pick anyone we want and cut it down.”

“Wow! I’ve never been to a place where they cut them down. This is so cool!” Christina excitedly said.

“Me neither! We just get one from a church lot at home and we have a fake one for my apartment since Em is allergic.” Bailey took Tyler’s hand as she got out of the truck.

“They don’t cut it down, we will.” Freddy corrected the girls.

“Really? Did you bring a saw? Have you done this before? Sure you know what you’re doin so you don’t get hurt?”

Tyler kissed Bailey’s cheek and chuckled at all her questions. “Yes, I use to do this every year with my dad. They have saws we can borrow.”

The group walked through the tree farm until they found the perfect Fraser Fir that was about 7 feet tall and nice and full. Freddy and Tyler started sawing while the girls took pictures and videos on their phones that they posted on twitter and instagram. Before they completely cut through the tree, they made sure Bailey and Christina each had a turn sawing which excited both girls. Tyler and Freddy finished cutting the tree down. They carried it back and tied it down to his truck.

On the way back to Boston, Bailey sent the video Freddy took of her sawing the tree to her parents, siblings, and Emily. Everyone replied how cool it looked except her sister. She said she didn’t get the point when you could just buy a precut one and not waste so much time trying to cut it down. Her sister was always a party pooper, but Bailey didn’t let her remark rain on her parade.

Tyler stopped at a Target just outside of Boston so they could pick out decorations for the tree. He and Freddy never bothered to put up a tree before so they didn’t have any. The group agreed they wanted a bright and cheery tree versus a fancy designer one.

Bailey and Christina were giddy like kids in a candy store, as they not only picked out decorations for the tree, but decorations for his entire condo. Tyler and Freddy picked out a few items, but it was mostly the girls going wild. Tyler didn’t mind; he loved seeing Bailey so happy, especially since she was feeling homesick the past couple of days. The fact that he had something to do with her happiness made it even better and completely worth it!

They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening decorating the tree and Tyler’s living room. They only took a short break to eat their dinner of leftovers. Once they finished decorating, they took a few pictures. Tyler’s favorite picture was the one Freddy got of him catching Bailey off guard when he held mistletoe over her head and kissed her. He posted it on both his twitter and instgram accounts with the comment “I can get use to this tradition with @OTBailey #GettingReadyforChristmas #thankyoumistletoe”

Tyler always received several replies to his posts, but not like this. Not only did both of his accounts explode with comments but so did Bailey’s and Freddy’s. Although they all tweeted each other several times before, had posted other pictures, and didn’t try to hide the fact they were a couple in public; this was the first picture that made it very clear that Tyler and Bailey were a couple. Some people still thought Freddy and Bailey might be a couple due to the now infamous kiss cam fake kiss. There was a mix of positive, “Happy for you!” and “She’s pretty!” type posts to some very nasty comments taking digs at Bailey. Some messages even accused her of using Freddy to get to Tyler. Bailey always gained new followers if Tyler tweeted her, but within minutes of him posting the picture, she gained almost 1000 followers. She and Tyler became a hot trending topic on twitter almost immediately.

When Tyler read some of the comments, he regretted posting the picture worried that Bailey would be upset about the negativity. “Bay I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking when I posted the picture.”

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“I love it, which is why I jumped the gun and shared it. I didn’t think about the reaction it would get.”

“Tyler, do you think I care about what a bunch of jealous girls who are probably teeny boppers think? I only care about you, our families and friends.”

“You’re really ok with this?”

“Yes! I love you and it made me happy that you felt comfortable to truly take our relationship public. Do you regret that now?”

“No! I’d shout it from the rooftop that I love you too. I just don’t want you to get hurt! I’m used to the attention, but I know it can be hard to handle sometimes. People are going to start digging to find out more about you now. I should have asked you first.”

Bailey gave Tyler a sweet smile, took his hands, and stood on her toes to give him a gentle kiss. “They’re goin to be pretty disappointed by my borin life. As long as you’re by my side I’ll be fine.”

“You’re amazing, you know that!” Tyler leaned down and pulled Bailey into a kiss.

“Thank you. I feel the same about you!”

Freddy coughed as an interjection. “You know guys, I could use a little sympathy here. After all, I’m the one they’d think would get dumped for the likes of this guy. I mean really, who would pick Tyler over me?”

“No kidding; I would never settle for my best friend’s sloppy seconds! No offense Tyler, but you have some very blind and stupid fans. Why would anybody turn down my sexy man?” Christina chimed in while patting Freddy’s chest.

“None taken. I’ve lived with Freddy for a few years now, so I know exactly how sexy he can be.” Tyler said with a wink.

“The truth finally comes out. I knew you loved me!” Freddy joked.

“Do you boys need to work out your feelins for each other? Should Christina and I be worried?”

“Nah, it would never work for us. Besides no one can hold a candle to you!” Tyler kissed Bailey’s cheek.

The group joked around a few more minutes before deciding to get back in the holiday spirit and watch a movie. After a bit of debate, they finally agreed on Christmas Vacation. Freddy popped the movie in while Bailey and Tyler fixed dessert consisting of leftover apple pie for the boys, pumpkin pie for the girls, and hot chocolate for everyone. Once they brought the desserts into the living room area, Freddy turned off the lights. Other than the TV the only lights on were the twinkling colored lights on the tree they decorated earlier.

“It’s beautiful!” Bailey proclaimed as she plopped down on the couch next to Tyler.

“It really is. If I do say so myself we make a great team!” Tyler kissed Bailey on her cheek.

“Sure do!” She replied back snuggling in close to Tyler’s side.

Both couples cuddled on the couch as they watched the movie. It was a great ending to a perfect day.

Notes

Sorry for the dealy in updating with a new chapter. I had writers block, so I hope this one is ok. As always your feedback is truly appreciated!