Sure Feels Right

I got home from Vancouver a week and a half. before Christmas. I came home, went to my finals, then crashed. I missed a game or two, but Robert understood. He would wake me up to eat once or twice a day, but for the most part he let me sleep. I felt bad when I walked past the guest room and he was sleeping in there alone. I hope he didn't think that I would have yelled at him. We had just spent almost two weeks apart, sleeping with him would have been better than being alone.
Seeing as how this was the first Christmas we would be spending together in our new house, I wanted to decorate. Well, mainly just put up a tree and hang some lights outside. Maybe even a few reindeer on the front lawn. Robert told me that if he had to help decorate, I had to listen to Christmas music.
Now, I loved Christmas every bit as much as the next person, but I hated Christmas music and Christmas stores. Elves kind of scare me too.
It was weird thinking that this would be our second Christmas together.
"You do realize we are spending actual Christmas day in Ontario, right?" He asked as we walked through the aisles of Christmas decorations. I threw a few boxes of lights into the cart and turned to look at ornaments.
"Yeah. Can we have a black and white tree? I think that would look good at our pretty much empty house."
"Sure. Does that mean we're getting an actual white tree?" I tried to figure out what he was thinking, but that didn't work.
"Well do you want one?"
"I don't care." All he seemed to care about at that moment was his phone.
"Of course you don't." I mumbled and grabbed a few rolls of black ribbon. It's not exactly something you would see around christmas time, but I really liked the idea of it. We didn't talk for the rest of the outing. If he didn't care, I didn't either.
He asked if I wanted to set up the tree and I just shrugged, pouring myself a bowl of cereal, "I guess we aren't making dinner." I ignored his comment and walked to the living room, turning on the tv. He started talking to me, but I kept ignoring him.
"Scarlett what the fuck is going on?" He stood in the doorway, yelling. "Stop being a bitch and tell me what I did wrong."
"You don't care about our Christmas, so why should I care about putting it up?" I shrugged again, refusing to look at him.
"Scarlett-"
"No, this is the first Christmas we will be living in this house. Sure, we'll actually be in Thunder Bay but that doesn't mean we won't be here every other day. I'm not saying let's go crazy. I'm saying that I wanted memories. I wanted to do all this up with you, but if you don't care, I won't either."
He pushed off the wall and walked over to me, standing in front of the television. "Scarlett, look at me." I sighed, shoving another spoonful of cheerios into my mouth before looking up at him.
"I don't care what our tree looks like. It can be pink or rainbow for all I care. I want the same things you do. What the finished product looks like, is just a detail." He knelt down in front of me, now eye level. "We'll put up decorations tomorrow. I'm hungry and apparently I have to make dinner for myself today." He smirked and kissed my forehead. Being careful of the cereal in one hand, I grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled him towards me. While we were kissing, he carefully grabbed the bowl from my hand and walked away, eating it.
"Hey. That's mine you brat."
"I'll get you more," He said, grabbing the box of cereal from the counter.
Last year, I didn't go to the holiday party. I had to work and I didn't exactly know a lot of the other wives and girlfriends at that point. Not like I do now, but I know a couple of them. Chances are that this is just going to make me realize how excited I am to have kids. When the time is right, of course.
I threw my gloves and skates into Robert's bag and grabbed a sweatshirt. Add it to the leggings and boots and I was that stereotypical white girl. I didn't even care.
The best thing about team get togethers, was that they pretty much treated me like one of the guys. They joked and pushed me around, just like they would have with anyone else. Someone handed me a stick and I was told to play.
"This one is too tall. Sid give me one of yours, that should be shorter."
"Fuck you." He laughed, handing me his and taking the one I had.
"That's Robert's job." I winked and skated away, going over to see Drew and Hudson. Beau had just gotten on the ice, but Drew was talking to Kunitz's wife. I skated over to them and a little girl pulled on my glove.
"Can you come skate with me?" She was adorable with her dress and little pink skates.
"Yeah sweetie of course." I tossed my gloves at Robert, who was out talking to one of his teammates. She grabbed my hand and skated forward.
I spent most of my time with the little girl. She talked and talked adn wouldn't let go of my hand. We passed Robert multiple times and he was always smiling at us.
Later that night, I was curled up in bed, waiting for Robert to finish brushing his teeth. He walked out of the bathroom with a shaved face and no shirt.
"Aww no more beard?" I ran my hand down his soft jawline before resting it on his chest.
"You're going to be a great mother some day." He told me.
"I don't know.."
"You will. I know you will. Especially with a little girl." He reached over to turn off the lamp, leaving us in the dark.
"What if I want a boy?"
"You want a girl, don't even try to argue with me." Yeah. I did. I just think it would be so much fun to dress her up and take her to dance lessons. Or hockey. I mean, it's really up to her. Whatever she wanted to do, we would both be there right behing her.
"Yeah, I do. Am I bringing you to practice tomorrow?"
"I think so. Just hang out at the coffee shop near the arena. It shouldn't be too long."
"Okay. Good night." I yawned, the 4 hours of sleep the night before were definitely catching up on me.
"I love you Scarlett."
"I love you."
The flight up to Ontario was nothing compared to my long trek to British Columbia. It was around half the time. It was nice traveling with Robert for the first time in a while. Since summer, actually. I had been traveling alone and it got well, you know. Lonely. People watching was only entertaining for so long.
"So what did you get me for Christmas?" I asked Robert. We were sitting in the Toronto airport, waiting for the last leg of our trip today.
"It's a surprise. You have to wait." He took a sip of my coffee. It made me wonder if he ever ate or drank anything that was actually his not mine.
"Fine." I huffed, I really wanted to know what I was getting. I didn't want to wait the six or seven hours that we planned.
"What did you get me?" He turned to me, smiling. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. If he wouldn't tell me, I wasn't going to tell him.
"Nothing. You get nothing," I joked.
"Okay. That's cool."
The only place I had been in Ontario was Toronto and I had been there a few too many times. It's a nice place, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't my favorite. Thunder Bay, however, was a place I can see myself spending my summers at. Even if it was covered in snow right now.
I stood out on his parent's deck with a cup of hot chocolate, taking in the secenery. It was gorgeous. Robert came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"I was thinking about getting a lake house up here." He told me.
"I think that's a great idea, but maybe in a few years." I suggested. I never really thought about what I would do once I finished grad school. It was three and a half years away, after all. But if I did get a job, we wouldn't be able to come up here unless I became a professor or something like that.
"We can rent one for next summer then."
"Hopefully we won't have enough time to spend here." Hopefully the boys would still be playing hockey until a couple weeks before our wedding, but then again you never know. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but I would really prefer to be watching the Stanley Cup from the stands.
"That's true. But we have quite a few summers to spend there in the future."
"With little babies." I smiled at the thought of having kids up here with him. Thinking about the future just in general made me happy.
"Come inside, we should probably go socialize and what not." He pulled me in the door. I set my mug on the countertop and went to join everyone in the living room.
"Merry Christmas!" My family yelled.
"It's not, wait. Why are you here?" I went over to hug the three family members that were standing in my future in-laws' house.
"Merry Christmas." Robert smiled from the other side of the room. My Christmas present really was a surprise, but it couldn't have been more perfect.
Our mothers cooked Christmas dinner pretty much by themselves. I tried to help, and so did Lilly, but they said they had it. Which was probably a good thing. They both are amazing cooks and we probably would have messed something up so we all sat in the front room, watching Christmas movies until it was time to eat. Everyone got along better than I thought and Lilly wasn't being a brat this time which was always a plus.
Robert and I didn't get to exchange gifts until late Christmas night. We were sitting in front of the fire with a class of wine while everyone else was sleeping. This was actually the spot we would be sleeping for the night since we gave up his bed to let my parents have it.
I handed Robert his present, hoping he would like it. Slowly, he took off the ribbon and unrapped the first gift. He took out the sweater and held it up. "So are you going to take this too?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe.." He shook his head and moved to the next box. He wasn't as slow unwrapping this one. He pulled out the leather duffel bag I had gotten him. "You needed a new one, Robert."
"I know, thank you Scar. I love them." He gently kissed my lips before handing me a small box with a big bow on it.
"I thought my family was my gift."
"Just open it." I took off the lid to the box, leaving the bow attached. Inside the box was a gold bracelet that said 'I wouldn't mind' in delicate text.
"This is your handwriting, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Oh, Robert this is perfect. Thank you." I leaned over to hug him, not wanting to let go. "For everything."
"Guess what."
"What?" I furrowed my brow, wondering what he could be thinking about right now.
"Six months until we get married."
"And I can't wait."

Notes