Falling Fast and Breathing Hard

Another month passed and once again, Christmas is almost here. We're picking them up today, along with Keith's daughter, Natalie, who I get to meet for the first time and I'm beyond excited. Well, besides that, I'm elated since last year I was pregnant with Kalea and now she's here nearly ten months old. She's doing even more right now; she's coloring, we often play hide-or-seek and she's drinking from a sippy cup. She's also saying 'dada' and perhaps our favorite, 'pengin'.

"How are you feeling?" Kris asked.

"About meeting Natalie?"

He nodded.

"I'm pretty excited. My mom was saying how sweet and outgoing she is and the fact that she loves hockey." I said, biting my lip, trying to contain my excitement.

He laughed and kissed my cheek.

"You are adorable."

"Thank you."

"Are you excited, Kalea?" I asked, looking at the backseat.

She nodded while playing with her shoes.

"You are precious."

She just smiled.

"I'm so excited for her to meet Kalea too. You excited?"

"Of course I am. I can't wait to see your reaction when you meet her."

I looked over and smiled before I kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you, too."

We arrived with five minutes to kill, so we sat down and waited. I noticed my mom just by her hair.

"I see her!" I said, pulling on Kris' sleeve.

He laughed and shook his head.

As soon as my mom could see me, I waved my hands frantically. I was bombarded with a hug once she found me.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi, Mom."

"How are you?" she asked, pulling apart.

"Wonderful. You."

"Wonderful. Ready to meet Natalie?"

"Absolutely."

"Keith?"

"Yeah? Wanna introduce them?"

"Athena, this is my daughter Natalie. Natalie, this is Marianne's daughter, Athena."

She was gorgeous.

"It's so nice to meet you." I said.

"Likewise. Your mom is awesome. I figured you would be too."

Your mom is awesome. I like this girl.

"I figured you would be too, just like your dad."

We both laughed.

We were like twins.

"Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to my fiance, Kris."

"Nice to meet you." she said, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"And this is our nine month, nearly ten month old daughter, Kalea."

"That is a beautiful name, for such an adorable girl. Hi cutie pie." she said, kneeling to see her.

She giggled.

"That's a good sign. She's like you. When your dad held her, she was fussy for a brief moment and then was happy."

"That's good. My dad is lovable."

Her dad laughed.

"I wanna tell you something, but I'll tell you later."

"Okay? Is it something good?" I asked.

"Definitely good."

This was weird.

"So, is everyone ready to go eat?" I asked.

I heard simultaneous 'yeahs' and an 'absolutely'. After a fun and entertaining twenty minute car ride, we arrived at one of my favorite restaurants. On the way inside, Natalie whispered in my ear.

"This may be inappropriate, but I gotta say how gorgeous Kris is."

I smiled.

"That's fine. It couldn't be more true."

We both laughed.

"That's a relief. I thought I crossed the line."

"No. No way. It's not like you're saying well, you know." I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Exactly. I'd never be saying that."

"Saying what?" Kris asked as he closed the door.

"Nothing." I said, trying to hold in laughter.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure, honey."

He gave me a look, so I kissed his cheek.

"Ok."

The host who clearly had his eyes on me, put us at a table where Kris, Kalea and I sat on one side, while my mom, Keith and Natalie sat on the other. After ordering drinks and our lunch, we really got to talking.

"So, Athena, where did you meet Prince Charming?" Natalie asked.

I couldn't help but smile. I was looking forward to this question.

"Well... we met at Primanti's..."

I stopped thinking and simply waited, not thinking about anything but food while looking at my hands. Ten minutes passed when I heard footsteps coming towards my table and immediately thought it was my food, but it wasn't. It was a man in his twenties walking towards me for some odd reason that I couldn't think of. Did he think I was weird? Was he feeling sympathetic? Did he think I was pretty? I knew for sure it wasn't the last option.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked.

"No. Go right ahead." I whispered.

He sat across from me and I was forced to look at him. I had never been too comfortable with men talking to me as a teenager and even now, out of high school and this was not helping at all. I took out my phone and played with it again, trying to avoid the guy sitting across from me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." I said which was clearly a lie.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. I'm sure. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Anyways, I'm Kris Letang." he said with a hint of a French-Canadian accent.

"Athena Halloway."

"Pretty name."

I blushed.

"Thanks. My mom loved mythology and wanted to name her daughter after her favorite Greek goddess."

"Cool. I wish I could say my name has a story as interesting as that."

"I'm sure something makes up for it."

"Yeah. I'm sure too."

My food soon came and Kris gave the waitress his order. I began eating it and smiled while doing so.

"Why are you so happy?"

"This sandwich is amazing. I have to make sure I come here again."

"Are you from out of town?"

"Definitely. I'm from Baltimore, Maryland. I just moved from there yesterday."

"Why the move?"

"It's a long story."

He noticed that I didn't want to talk about it and let it go.

"Moving to Pittsburgh was a great decision. You're going to love it here."

"I hope so. I've heard so much about Pittsburgh and it's culture and its history. I definitely like it so far. How long have you lived here?"

"About five years. I don't want to leave."

He didn't tell me more than that, but I knew there was a story behind it that I wanted to hear.
I finished my food by the time he got his and didn't know what to do next. My phone rang and I was afraid to answer it, but I did.

"Hello?"

"Sweetheart, where are you? You left without saying anything or without a note."

"I'm in Pittsburgh and I don't plan on coming back. Don't tell Ronnie."

"He deserves to know. He's your step-father."

"I don't care Mom. Listen, I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too, Athena."

I hung up the phone and sighed as I put it away in my purse. Kris looked concerned.

"What's going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Sorry if I'm acting like a bitch. I'm just..."

"That's okay. You're not acting like a bitch."

I smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

He finished eating and then paid his bill and so did I. I didn't want to go back out and hunt for apartments, but I knew I had to and I couldn't just sit here and take up his time.

"I'll see you later?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'll see you later."

We left, forgetting to get each other's number, but we knew we'd meet up again.

I told her the whole story minus a few details about that phone call. When I told her the last line, she awwed. I looked at Kris and he smiled as he squeezed my hand.

"I love that story. Where did you meet up?"

"At Target. I was shopping for furniture and all that when I bumped into him. That's when we got each other's number."

"That is weird."

It was.

"I don't know if we would've seen each other again, if that happened."

"I bet you would've." she said with a smile.

She is so sweet.

"I guess you're right."

Everyone agreed and I loved it. I couldn't have been happier than I already was.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you, too." he said, giving me a quick kiss.

Ten minutes later, our food came along with that ogling waiter. He had a smile on his face, of course, but even more so when he looked at me. I tried to avoid his gaze, while Kris noticed both him and my response. So, what did he do? He glared at him the entire time he gave everyone's food. The guy tried to avoid his gaze and I was so ready to laugh; he was really uncomfortable.

"Thanks for being intimidating, Kris. I appreciate it." I said once our waiter was out of earshot.

"Well, there's no way I was gonna let him get away with that. He needed to be put in his place because no one is allowed to look at you like that but me."

Now, he was being adorable.

"You're too sweet, you know that?"

He was blushing.

"You can say that again." my mom echoed.

"I couldn't have been more lucky to have found him."

He couldn't stop blushing.

"If there was ever a couple who were perfect for one another, it would be you two." her dad said.

"I second that." Natalie said.

Like father, like daughter.

It was just another reminder of my dad and I's relationship.

"Well, that means a lot. Thank you." Kris finally said.

After a great lunch and more wonderful conversation, we made our way out and into Kris' car, so we could head to the rink for some well-deserved ice-skating. I was pumped. I could really skate this time and not have to waddle like a penguin; what made me happier was that the reason I couldn't skate like I wanted to could come on the ice with me and her daddy. Kalea may only be about ten months old, but it'd be just nice to have her with us. While we all were sitting down and putting on ice-skates, Kris nudged my shoulder.

"Etes-vous excité cette fois?"( Are you excited this time?)

"Est-ce que vous me demandez cela au sérieux?" I asked, laughing. (Are you seriously asking me this?)

He laughed as well.

"Ouais. C'est une question stupide, n'est-ce pas?" (Yeah. That is a stupid question. Isn't it?)

"Yeah."

And with that, he kissed me, eliciting a giggle from Kalea.

"You think she's excited?"

"I think so."

"Are you excited, cutie?" I said, smiling at her.

She just giggled again.

"I'm definitely taking that as a yes."

"Me too."

I looked down the bench and noticed everybody else was about done lacing skates. Thinking about when I couldn't even do that made me laugh.

"What's so funny?" my mom asked.

"I'm remembering that Kris had to lace my skates last year since I couldn't bend down."

"That is funny."

"It certainly wasn't funny last year. I was irritated about it, but I can definitely laugh about it now." I said, laughing again.

Just a minute later, everyone made their way onto the ice, but Kris, Kalea and I. As excited as were, we were still nervous about letting Kalea on the ice... at all.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready."

"Ready, cutie?"

She simply smiled up at me.

"I'll take that as a yes."

I looked up and nodded at Kris and he did the same. And with a deep breath, I let her down safely and gently before taking her right hand as we let her set her feet down onto the ice. She whined the second her feet touched the ice.

"Are you okay, baby girl?" I said, kneeling.

She was clearly scared.

"Oh, honey..."

"What's wrong?" Kris asked.

"She's scared. Look at her."

"Don't you like the ice?"

"No."

He made a face.

"I'm sure you will after a while. Wanna try again?"

She nodded.

"We'll be here."

She nodded again.

"That's my girl." he said, kissing her cheek.

That caused her to laugh.

"So, we're good then?" I asked as he stood up.

"We're great."

"Ready, Kalea?"

"Ya."

And with a smile, we let her move her feet and heard her make another sound when I caught my mom taking a picture of us; I hoped it turned out great.

"Thanks Mom."

"My pleasure. You have no idea how cute this pic is gonna be."

"You gonna show me?"

"Even better. I'll send it to you."

"Sounds wonderful."

After that, my mom smiled and left to catch up to Keith. Meanwhile, Natalie was skating on her own like a pro, talking up a storm with a girl who was having trouble skating, while helping her out at the same time. If I didn't like her enough already, I really do now. This time with Kalea, it was a little more pleasant, but I know that she wasn't completely sold on the idea. After a few minutes, it was clear that she had enough, so Kris picked her up and carried her.

"Is this better?"

She cooed into his neck, which caused me to melt and get my phone out to take a picture.

"Get a good one?"

"I got a great one." I said, smiling.

"I can't wait to see the one your mom took."

"Me either."

Only seconds later, my phone vibrated, indicating that I received a text. I opened to find the picture my mom took of the three of us.

"Oh my God. Kris, you gotta take a look at this." I said, showing him.

I couldn't stop smiling. It was such an adorable picture!

"That is... I love it! She's so cute!"

"Just wait till you see the one I took."

Kalea then kept reaching for my phone.

"Does someone want Mommy's phone?"

She cooed and I handed Kris the phone, so she could see it. She began to smile and laugh when she saw my mom's pic and did it even more when she saw mine.

"Kalea, do you like them?"

"Ya."

"You're a cutie, you know that?" Kris said.

She just buried her face into his shoulder again while wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. It made me think of the first time she did that when she was just a week old. I handed her off to Kris after giving her a bath and dressing her, so I could get ready as he cooked us breakfast.

"I love you."

That was also part of the lovely memory.

"Wuv oo." she mumbled against his shoulder.

I teared up. That was something new.

"Did she? Did she just say what I think she said?" he whispered.

"She did." I said with a smile.

And with that, he kissed me.

"I love you." he said, smiling.

"I love you, too."

After about an hour, we met back up to take off our skates and get ready to go back to Kris and I's apartment for a nap.

"Did everyone have fun?" I asked once we sat down.

"So much fun. Keith is such a great skater!"

"Just like Kris?" I asked with a smile.

"Just like Kris."

"That's great to hear. How'd skating go for you, Natalie?"

"It was amazing. I made a new friend and helped someone out along the way."

"That's awesome. Everyone had fun out there!"

By the time eleven o'clock rolled around, everyone was exhausted as we had also gone out shopping and ordered in when we got home, followed by a couple movies before we all decided we were ready for bed. As soon as I got into my pyjamas, I simply fell onto our bed on my back and sighed. Kris, who wasn't quite ready yet, laughed at me and joined me seconds later.

"Hey." I said, turning onto my side.

"Hey. How did you think today went?"

"I thought today went pretty well. It was one of the best days of my life since I moved here. Natalie's awesome as is her dad, my mom's beyond happy and Kalea just melted my heart today."

"I loved it. Seeing everyone so happy. It's the kind of day I dream of and I was so glad to be a part of it."

"Just wait till tomorrow. It'll be even better."

"I can only imagine."

And with a smile, I kissed him rather passionately with an amazing response from him. I climbed on top of him as his arms wrapped around me with one hand sliding down and drifting off to my bottoms, tugging on them. I immediately stopped kissing him and looked at him.

"Are you sure? Are we sure about this? I mean... there are four other people in this house." I asked.

"I'm sure about it. We can stay quiet."

I bit my lip before saying anything else.

"Alright. Let's do this. I want you so badly right now."

And with that, we moved and clothes flew as we were so eager to have sex. I moved back on top after he put on a condom.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

Once he was in, I was feeling really good already; the fun had only begun. I was surprised how quiet we were because I know how hard it was for me seeing how good it felt and I could see it on Kris' face how much he wanted to moan and speak French, which is something he always does when he have sex and makes it even better for the both of us.

"I love you." he said.

"I love you."

"That was the perfect ending to today, wasn't it?"

"Couldn't ask for a better one."

Notes

Chapter title courtesy of Happy by Pharrell Williams.