Chapter Text
Beth and Rio had been together a year now. Their relationship moved slowly at first because of Beth not Rio. He had been ready to be with her for a long time and she was just beginning to step out being exactly who she wanted to be, knowing exactly who she wanted to be with. Rio understood this and gave her space.
It was that time of year when things got hectic. For Beth, it was 4x the hectic with her kids. She was a City Councillor now and juggling split custody with Dean, plus she and Rio were working together hand in hand as partners. Her life was full, it was busy and she loved it.
Beth and Dean followed the arrangement they had made earlier. They both stayed at the house with the kids when it was their turn. The master bedroom was Beth's and if Dean so much as stepped into it, she told him their arrangement was over. Dean set up a bedroom in the small spare room he used to exercise in. He complained about having a small room, but Beth told him he had no say since he was the cheater who almost lost them their home, and he still wasn't making a steady full income. She carried most of the house, paying the mortgage and utilities.
Beth stayed at Rio's place except for when it was her turn with the kids at the house. Dean had protested about Rio staying overnight, he thought that should only happen when either of them were in a serious relationship. Beth only abided by this because Dean was seeing Gayle again and she wasn't ready to have her around the kids when she still had not made any attempts to divorce her husband. Beth was sure she was still just cheating on him with Dean.
However that changed in the past few months as Beth put her foot down and told Dean she and Rio were serious and he was going to be staying overnight. Rio had been coming around the kids all the time and she was doing the same with Marcus. They had been building their relationships with each other's kids. Everything was coming together the way it should be. This year was going to be their first Christmas together as a family. Dean was going to have the kids on Christmas Eve and then drop them off later. Same with Marcus, Rhea would have him Christmas Eve as she was taking him to her parents and then she would drop him off later on her way home. Both Beth and Rio were excited about it.
Rio didn't particularly like staying at the Boland house, but he loved being with Beth. He had been thinking that it would be better for everyone if they moved into their own place. There was no question that she was his forever and one day Rio wanted to make her his wife. They still were waiting for her divorce from Dean to be finalized and then they still had a 6 month waiting period. Rio didn't want to be going through another year of living like this, so it was something he decided to talk to her about.
Rio called Beth, he wanted to take her out for dinner. It was her night with the kids and Dean was bringing them home after dinner. Rio wanted time alone with her. "Hey beautiful, how about we go out for dinner tonight no cooking for either of us?"
Beth didn't hesitate. "I would love that. I want to go over a few things with you anyway."
Rio knew what this meant. She had her phone calendar filled with a list of things on it. He would have to go through it with her or her head would be spinning all night long.
Her lists used to be for her to keep up and be organized when she was with Dean, but with Rio, it was something they did together, including him taking care of some of the things that needed to be done.
He picked her up and took her to the restaurant they liked to go to. It was a smaller restaurant, more private, and they always sat in the same booth where they could sit and talk and not worry too much about anyone overhearing them. Plus Rio loved it because he would sit right next to her and do things to her under the table.
He sat down with her and slid around right beside her, putting his arm around her.
"How’s my girl doin’?”
She smiled at Rio. "I’m good but Christmas is almost here and I just keep feeling like I have forgotten something. I just have a few things left for their stockings to get. Any ideas for Marcus'?"
Rio looked at her lips. "First off, I need a fuckin' kiss."
Beth kissed him but it wasn't the kiss he was looking for. He slipped his hand under her chin so he could hold her lips on his. "That ain't no kiss Elizabeth." He kissed her, not light, not sweet, but passionate. By the time he was done, she was out of breath.
She sat back. "Sheesh! That was some kiss. I know you and by the way you’re kissing me we’re gonna go from 0 to 60 real fast."
Rio smiled at her seductively, placing one hand on her thigh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Beth was trying not to look at his lips which she could barely resist. "Oh yes you do and just so you know, we’re not having a bathroom break and you’re not slipping your hand in my panties."
"Come on mama you love it and you know it."
Beth smiled at him. "We have got all night so you can do whatever you want to me."
Rio smiled at her. "Whatever I want? Nah...'cause you got the kids tonight and I would have to put my hand over your mouth, ya know you get a bit loud sometimes."
She thought about it. "Hmmm. How about in the shower then?"
Rio leaned into her neck, brushing his beard up against her. "That depends, you gonna bend over for me so I can grab your hips while I fuck you?"
Beth smiled at him. "I promise."
"Okay then, it's a deal."
They ordered dinner and went through her list of things they needed to do before Christmas.
Rio teased her. "So you were makin' a list and checkin' it twice yeah?"
Beth laughed. She was just so excited she was bubbling over about Christmas. "I can't wait until Christmas morning when all the kids get up. We have the whole day with them."
Rio hesitated before he answered. "Me too."
Beth looked at him. "I feel like there is a 'but' in there."
He was more serious. "Well, I have been thinking...as much as I love this Christmas together, I wish it was in our place, not your place of your soon to be ex-dick head."
Beth knew he didn't like the house and she didn't blame him. "Well, we don't have much of a choice this year, and the kids have all just started bonding now that Marcus is part of everything."
"Yeah, yeah, I know that. But that house is part of your life with him, not me and I want us to be livin' our life together now ya know?"
Beth wondered how long this had been going on in his head. "So you mean like getting a place of our own?"
Rio was watching her reaction. "Yeah, exactly like that."
So many thoughts were going through her head, like selling the house, moving the kids, how would they react? was it too soon? This was a huge major step with Rio and it might have scared her a little. She sat back, pondering it for a moment. "Well, there are a lot of things to consider."
Rio started to feel that Beth was suddenly pulling back, even her voice was distant. He wondered if she had never thought about this. She surely couldn't believe they would continue on this arrangement for long. This would be like her having one foot in each door and Rio was not going to live like that.
His answer was very dry. "Right."
Beth looked at him. "Wow, can you give me a moment? I wasn't expecting this conversation."
Rio bit on his lip. "Yeah, apparently not."
"What is that supposed to mean?'
The waitress was heading back over with their bill. Rio pulled out some cash, giving her a nice tip like he always did. "Thank you."
Rio started to get up. "It's a bit concerning that this has never been something you have even considered. You ready to go now?"
Beth stared at him. "Yeah, I guess so.'
They walked to the G-wagon in silence. Rio didn't even take her hand when they walked which he always did. He held the door open on the G-Wagon for her and shut it as soon as she was in, usually, he leaned in for a few kisses.
Rio drove in silence, staring straight ahead. He didn't put his hand on her thigh when they drove so Beth slipped her hand into his.
He pulled up in the driveway but made no move to come in, he didn't turn off the G-Wagon.
“Aren’t you staying tonight?”
“Nope, got stuff do to.”
Beth looked at him. “Work stuff? Because I don't know anything about it."
Rio would not look at her. “Nope, not work.”
“Okay then what it is?”
Rio was short with her. “Maybe I got some of my own Christmas shit to do yeah?”
Beth looked at him. “Okay, then why didn't you just tell me earlier.”
Rio turned to look at her. She could see anger and hurt in his eyes.
“I am telling you now got it?”
Beth looked equally hurt. “Rio, are you this angry about our earlier discussion about moving into together?"
Rio looked straight ahead again. “You figure it out.”
Beth was getting angry at how he was talking to her, and how he was treating her. He was being cold to her.
“You know what? I will do that. I think you don’t understand my answer to you.”
“Oh, I understood what you said Elizabeth. It’s all good between us as long as somehow you can keep me at arm's length some how, some way.”
Beth looked surprised. “That's not what I am doing. I just don’t want to rush things. I need to be….” She stopped mid-sentence.
He was getting more frustrated. “You just need to be what Elizabeth? Sure? Cause if you ain’t sure we got big problems.”
She let out a sigh of exasperation. “No, that's not what I meant.”
“No? Coulda fooled me. Maybe you need to figure out what you want outta me.”
She was equally as frustrated. “You know what? You are right…I will do just that.” She got out and slammed the door.
She looked back at him one more time before storming into the house. How did this happen? She knew it was coming at some point but she was caught off guard by it.
Rio sat in the driveway for a moment, staring at the door she just slammed. He thought they were so in sync now and she seemed thrown off by the whole idea. Maybe this was a moment of truth that needed to happen.
Beth watched him drive off. She headed right over to pour herself a drink before Dean brought the kids home. One moment she was worried things were going to go 0 to 60 with him but for different reasons and in a matter of minutes their whole night had changed and blown up in their faces. They had not argued about their relationship like this until tonight.
Dean arrived home soon after with the kids. She avoided him completely, he was the last thing she needed tonight. Once the kids were all in bed she checked her phone to see if he had at least texted her but he hadn't. They never went to bed without saying goodnight but it was still early.
Rio walked into his loft and did the same thing, he poured himself a drink. He looked around his place, his place that slowly became theirs more and more by the things she had added, and by her just being there. It took time for Beth to settle into her comfort zone when she was at his place at first, but this was also all new to her and he knew it. She had lived with one man before him.
He had given her a key to his place the previous Valentine's Day after being together a few months. He was always in tune with her, never pushing her just letting her find her way in their relationship. She would sometimes tell him she was going to his place like she was a guest still. The last time she had said it he told her this was her home too, and it changed things between them, they became that much closer. She just needed to hear him say the words, she needed that reassurance.
They were never great at talking about things but hadn't needed to either. Things were good between them. He knew that Beth was much better at expressing her feelings physically. She opened herself up to him more and more every time they were together. She could still have a cool exterior around people, but when he was with her, when he touched her, she was a completely different person and in bed she was warm, affectionate, passionate, and extremely expressive. She never wanted to let go of him, and her desire for him matched his desire for her.
Now he thought he should have had this conversation with her before but he didn't think it was necessary, he thought it was a natural progression in their relationship.
He got into bed, and he hated it because she wasn't beside him. She had become more comfortable being naked around him but still had her moments when she would cover herself. He never understood why because she had all the right curves in all the right places. She saw everything she thought was wrong with her body after having four kids and all he saw was her beauty. She would get into the bed and cover herself with a sheet or blanket and even with the heavier one they used in the winter, it sat on her curves so beautifully. Sometimes the swell of her breasts would peak out the top or it would dip into her waist, flaring over her hips when she lay on her side. But when they were fucking, she abandoned all of that and just let herself go with him. She would smother him with her body sometimes or wrap herself around him and there was nothing better than pulling her soft warm body in tight to his before he drifted off to sleep.
He picked up his phone and checked it but he didn't know what to expect but not saying good night felt all wrong. He started to type out a message to her but he changed it four times because he didn't know what to say to her. He hoped in the back of his mind she would call him and tell him she wanted to move in with him, that she was all in. He put the phone down frustrated instead.
Beth lay in bed, it felt cold, and empty. She put her hand over his pillow. She had on her pajamas too. She bought some sexier pajamas, that hugged her curves, but she only wore them, when they had the kids. He wore his boxers and had track pants ready to throw on, when the kids were around. She never wore anything with him when they were alone because they never stayed on her. They had sex all the time and if they didn't for some reason, he liked her naked and touching him. She used to always wear pajamas because she didn't like to be cold and her and Dean never touched when they slept. Rio was like a furnace when he held her against him.
She thought about how Rio had opened the door for her and unlocked things that she had guarded and pushed away. He brought out a side to her that only existed with him and she was sure that they were things only meant for him.
She picked up her phone. He hadn't called her or texted her. He was really upset with her. She thought about his words and they did affect her. Their relationship had moved along, and it just felt like they were following their path but they never actually discussed things in specifics. She just assumed they were moving along together in the right way. But maybe Beth liked it that way, easing into things. Saying those words about getting a place together did make her react.
She decided to text him. They had not missed a day saying good night and it wasn't going to start now. 'I'm headed to bed. Good night Rio. ❤️'
Rio heard his phone go off, it was her ringtone. He read her message and as he expected, she didn't mention anything. This was typical of Beth, avoiding the issue. He replied. 'Nite.’
Beth stared at his response...one word. She replied to him, hoping to break the ice. 'I miss you beside me.'
He missed her too, he hated being away from her but this had to come from her. She knew exactly what he wanted and where he stood. She choked all over it. He was not going to do this for her. He gave her a one-letter response this time. "K"
She put her phone down, she didn't break the ice, she didn't even scratch the surface.