“No, I’m fine,” she said quickly before moving towards the sink to do the dishes.

“Elli, I’ve been hurt before. I can take care of myself.”

Elli turned, sending him a pointed look, “Didn’t I say that when I was sick?”

He smiled, moving his fingers through his messy hair, “Touché.”

Elli laughed before turning back to the sink, feeling pretty satisfied with herself.

“So I guess we’re going to have to wait on the whole looking for a house, huh?” she asked.

“Why would we need to wait? I’m going to be home for six weeks with nothing to do except be pissed off that I’m not on the ice.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s true. We’ll get started after the holidays then.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said just as his phone rang. Elli listened as he picked it up.

“Hey Mom. Yeah, I’m fine, no big deal. Yeah, I know that, but my shoulder is okay. Mom, I’m fine. Yes, Elli is here. Yes, she is taking care of me. I don’t know yet, Mom. I just got hurt yesterday. I know that, Mom. Oh my God, yes Mom. I will let you know in a few. Okay. Yes, okay. I love you, too.” Shea hung up the phone and Elli just grinned down at the sink, he was so flustered and it was only day two of being hurt.

This was not going to be an easy recovery.

“Jesus, women drive me nuts,” Shea said under his breath. Between his mother, his sister, and his girlfriend, he was going to go crazy. It was simple. Yes, he was hurt. But damn it, he could take care of himself! He didn’t need someone taking care of him 24/7, he didn’t need his mother calling to say she wanted him to come home so she can take care of him, and he definitely didn’t need his sister calling cussing him out about not wanting to see her first.

Damn women.

Shea got up and cringed a little as he moved to take his glass to the sink. Elli stood there wearing one of his old buttoned up shirts with only panties under it. He watched her for a moment, loving the way she moved and the way she pushed her hair off her shoulders. She was so hot that even with all the pain he was in, he still wanted to take her to bed.

He didn’t know what she had planned for Christmas, since he wasn’t supposed to be there, but in Chicago, but he needed to ask. His mother wanted him home, even if it was only for Christmas. It would at least shut her up and leave him alone for the length of the injury. As he watched Elli, he wondered if she would go home with him. He hated being away from her, and the fact that the studio was closed until the beginning of the New Year, he didn’t see a reason why she wouldn’t want to go home with him.

Except that she might want to spend time with her family for Christmas. After the birthday party, Elli had talked to her mother twice. Both times were good, Elli actually hung up smiling. Shea didn’t want to come between the reunion of mother and daughter, but he also wanted her to come home with him, show her around Boston. He didn’t get to spend Thanksgiving with her, and he definitely wanted to spend her favorite holiday with her.

When Elli glanced up and saw that he was watching her, she smiled.

“I know that look, Shea Adler. You aren’t getting any anytime soon.”

A slow grin went over his face, she knew him so well. “Come home with me.”

She looked up at him, confusion all over her face, “I am home.”

“No, I mean come home to Boston with me for Christmas. My mom wants me to come home since I’m hurt, and I want to go, but I don’t want to leave you.”

Elli blinked a few times before looking down at the sink, “I have Christmas with my family, though.”

“I know, and I know things are good right now with your family, but this is probably the only time we’ll be able to go home for Christmas. I really want you to come spend some time with my family, get to know them.”

Shea watched as she nodded, moving away from the sink towards the fridge. “I,” she stopped moving in front of the island. She then leaned against it as she looked over at him, “Yeah, okay.”

Shea had a huge grin go across his face as Elli went on, “I’ll have to call to have Adler boarded and I’ll have to run to Clarksville to drop off the gifts I got my family. So can we leave tomorrow?”

“That’s fine. I’ll call my mom and get us tickets while you do what you need to do.”

“Okay,” she came over to him, kissing him softly before walking towards the bedroom.

Shea had a feeling she wasn’t happy, though.

The next morning, Shea boarded a plane with Elli after spending an hour trying to get dressed. He learned quickly that he was going to look like a one-armed man while he was hurt since he couldn’t run around with no shirt in 30 degree weather. He was embarrassed by the way he looked, but what was he supposed to do, put a fake arm in the other sleeve? It didn’t seem to bother Elli, though. She just smiled, holding his other hand as they walk through the airport onto the plane. He hated that she had to put their carry-ons in the space above their seats, but again it wasn’t like he could do anything, he was a one-armed man.

Elli hadn’t said much since their conversation in the kitchen. She took Adler to the boarding house before running back to Clarksville to drop off gifts for the family. When she came back, Shea could tell she had been crying, but when he asked, she said everything was fine.

“I figured we could go shopping when we land, before heading to my mom’s. I haven’t bought anything for my family yet.”