NINETEEN: Meant To Be [CGW]

It was the morning of Bruce's birthday and even though he and Charity were in Edmonton, she was going to make it a great day for him. He had never been a big fan of his birthday and with his match, he had been distracted. She knew he wasn't going to have any interest in celebrating afterwards. He generally spent hours after his matches in an ice bath.

She had two gifts for him, a couple of things she knew he would love. She had wanted his first birthday since they had reunited to be as great as that first birthday that they'd been together for. She just hoped that the gifts she had for him would help him enjoy his day. Bruce had had a restless night sleeping and Charity knew this because she had gotten up numerous times to use the bathroom. The twins were doing a hell of a job pressing against her bladder. When she woke up for the morning, he was finally sound asleep.

She hated the thought of waking him up, especially when he was going to be in the ring in less than twelve hours, facing down his nemesis Clarissa along with her mother, Maria Montez. She knew Bruce was excited to face Maria, that he looked up to her most out of anyone else on the roster – she didn't really feel jealous over that, even though the woman was gorgeous and looked as fit and young as her daughter even though she was Bruce's age. Watching him sleep for a moment, she felt her emotions swell, tears prickling her eyes as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. He didn't wake but he seemed to smile as he burrowed deeper into the covers.

Charity had no desire to wake him up just yet so she made a call to room service to order him a delicious breakfast with all the fixings. Her next task was getting into her suitcase where she pulled out two wrapped boxes. She sometimes struggled with getting him the perfect gifts, but had no doubt that these were going to be a hit. Next, she grabbed a couple pieces of royal blue material that she took with her into the bathroom. By her estimation, Bruce would probably be asleep for awhile longer and it would give her time to get ready.

After a long and refreshing shower, hair blow dried, and makeup put on, Charity put on the royal blue silky material she'd grabbed from her suitcase. It was a baby doll nightgown and matching robe that Bruce knew very well. He'd bought the set for her years before when they'd been engaged and she'd been pregnant with their daughter. The nightgown was a little snug, but still fit. As she walked out of the bathroom, she saw that the breakfast had been brought up while she'd been in the shower. She'd set the two presents on the bed and then walked over to where he laid with a glass of orange juice in hand.

"Good morning, my love." She said as she took a seat next to him and kissed him softly on his lips.

Bruce couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips at the gentle contact, nor the sound he made as his eyes opened, taking her in as she pulled back. "Morning, Babylove."

He hated the fact that they were in freezing cold Canada on his birthday more because of the fact that it was going to put a huge damper on Valentines Day. He knew he was going to feel like hell after tonight's match. He had to be his very best, had to prove that he belonged in the same sentence as a veteran and a championship contender. After teaming with Desperado and what had happened at the end of it all, he was wary about leaning too heavily on Pika Wallace, even though she seemed like a ray of sunshine, still as green as the grass in May.

"Happy Birthday, " she kissed him again before pulling back. "I know your day will be pretty busy, so I thought we could celebrate with breakfast?" Grabbing the glass of orange juice, she held it out to him. "I hope that's okay?"

"More than," he nodded, accepting the glass after sitting up against the pillows. At least the bed in this damned hotel was comfortable. "Nice start to what's sure to end up a fuckaree." His words held no real rancor. He was simply stating a fact. He took a few sips of the juice before leaning to put it on the bedside table. "We'll stay here as long as we can today, love. Shut out the world. Think that'd be best." He knew what he was offering, what it would mean that he was legitimately saying he was going to stay off social media, do nothing to promote the match in the final hours.

"We can do whatever you want." Smiling warmly, she watched him and silently said her thank yous that they were back together. "It's your day." Leaning in, she kissed him again and touched his cheek for a moment. "I ordered breakfast. Want me to fix you a plate?"

"Aye. That'd be marvie…" Bruce grinned and pushed aside the covers, feeling the need to get up and hit the head. Before he did, though, his gaze went to the packages she'd left on the bed before drifting back to her. "Tell me though," his hand caught the edge of that silky robe and he gave it a little tug. "When do we work in the unwrappin' of gifts?"

"We can do it now if you want." She was very eager for him to open his presents, especially the bigger of the two. "Like I said, whatever you want. It's your day."

He chuckled, nodding. "Ah well, lemme just drain the swamp," he swung his legs to the floor and got up, surprising himself when nothing crackled or popped. Giving her a quick peck on the cheek, he disappeared into the bathroom and she heard water running a few moments later.

While he was in the bathroom, Charity grabbed the presents so they were close by. The smile on her face beamed as she waited for him. "I think you are going to really like what I gotcha." She picked up the glass she'd poured for him and took a drink from it.

He leaned out the doorway, drying his face with one of the fluffy white towels. "Mmmm, well… am feelin' a little déjà vu right now." He smirked as he tossed the towel back in the room and moved towards her, pulling her immediately into his embrace. "With this sexy little number on… how can a sane man dislike a thing?"

"There was a method to my madness in packing it." Her arms went around his neck, the smile on her face not diminishing. "I just want today to be great for you. I know you're focused on your match tonight and it's going to go fabulous." She placed a kiss on his lips. "You've got this, Wrestle Da."

"With yeh by my side? There's no other way." He returned the kiss, pulling her in as close against him as she could get with that baby bump in the way. "Win or lose… just happy tae be here. Doin' this. Having a purpose again…"

Seeing him so happy with what he was doing relieved her. She could tell just by the look in his eyes that he wasn't just saying it. "And the three of us will be watching and cheering you on." Taking a moment, she hugged onto him before pulling back. "When you open your presents, do the smaller one first. The bigger one is kinda the main event."

One brow lifted in consideration. "Is it now? Well…. should I save it for later?" He was teasing, evident by the twinkle in his eyes. He could tell she was excited and eager to see his reaction. "Might need a little pick-me-up after the match tonight. Unless that's…" his hands slipped over the silky fabric down her back and grabbed her ass, "what this is for? Distraction?"

"Mmhmm." The smile on her face had become playful as she bit down on her lower lip. "This is just a preview of what I have in store for you after the match."

"Saucy little minx." He pulled her down on the bed, laughing as his arms wrapped tight around her. He wasn't even thinking about the mystery of the gifts or the match. He was thinking about how sexy she looked and how great birthday sex was – she'd set the precedent on that the night she'd gotten pregnant with their daughter, after all.

Charity's eyes were bright and sparkling as she looked up at her husband. She couldn't remember a moment other than this that she was this happy. "Like I said, this is just a preview." Tilting her head up, she kissed his lips, lingering for a few more seconds than usual. "Tonight, you're going to pin me multiple times." She grinned, kissing him again. "Would you open your presents? I don't think I can keep them a secret for much longer."

"Of course." He chuckled and reached behind himself for the smaller package. A moment later he had the wrapping torn off to reveal a plain black box. Looking up at her, he seemed almost puzzled, wondering what could possibly be inside.

She nodded, the grin still on her face as he opened up the black box. Inside were a pair of silver cufflinks with Celtic knotwork and the McLeod family crest in the middle. "Those are for when we have our next wedding."

Bruce almost seemed misty-eyed as he met her gaze again. "They're perfect."

In her hands was the next box, her eagerness for him to see outweighing everything else. "The moment I saw them, I knew they were made for you."

Gently, he leaned over and set the box on the table. "Hope the other isn't a suit tae wear 'em with. I've got enough of those already."

"You're on the right track, but not quite." She handed him the other box and bit down on her lower lip. "This is your big present." She didn't know why she was so nervous; she knew he'd be happy about it.

He tore the wrapping off and slowly opened the box, one brow quirked as he tried to keep from looking more at her reaction to him opening it than seeing what was inside. Folding back tissue paper, he found what seemed to be two separate baby garments, one pink and the other black.

Charity had a hard time staying quiet, but she kept her attention on his face. The baby garments were a set of onesies, both white with a set of black leggings and pink leggings. There were words on them. One read "Daddy's Other Chick" that went with the pink leggings and "Mommy's New Man" that went with the black leggings.

After a few moments of silence, Charity spoke up, whispering, "surprise." The single word came out in a choked voice.

His eyes widened as the pieces clicked and he realized what the gift meant. "One…" he had to stop, clear his throat past the sudden lump there, "one of each? Is that what this means?"

"It does, a little girl and a little boy." There were tears in her eyes as she moved closer to him. "I know we didn't find out with Sam, but I thought this would be a great gift." She looked up at him. "Are you happy?"

His smirk was crooked as he met her gaze, his eyes a little too bright as they welled with tears. "Aye, love. Happy doesn't quite cover it, though."

Leaning in, she pressed her forehead against his. "We're gonna have a Maggie and a Victor." Her hand came up and rested on his cheek. "They're meant to be, just like us."