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He woke up next to her like he has been for the last year since they decided to become "official". His eyes fluttered open to notice that she was staring at him. "How long have you been watching me sleep?" his voice was hoarse. "Not too long, maybe 15 minutes?" she said back offering her sweet smile that took up her whole face. "15 minutes seems like a long time to just be watching me breathe, you know." He took his hand and started putting his fingers through her hair and running them all the way down her back. "You're just such a peaceful sleeper, it calms me down watching I guess" she said through her smile. His dopey grin took over his face, "good morning" he finally greeted her, sealing the greeting with a soft kiss. "Morning" she made her response quick before rolling out of bed immediately walking out of the room. Scott didn't pay much attention to where she was going, he was too busy thinking about how she liked to watch him sleep, which made him giddy. Tessa came back into the room, lugging an empty suitcase behind her. She started digging though her drawers and through the closet, occasionally pulling out articles of clothing and throwing them into the suitcase on the floor. "I mean I should know this because we've been talking about this all week, but what time are you leaving again?" Scott said as he pulled himself up into a sitting position on the bed. "I'm hoping to be out of here by 10 so I can pull up right in time for dinner. but you're right, you should know" she gave him a cheeky smile and continued looking for her clothes. It was 8:30 Friday morning and they had today and Monday off from training so Tessa was heading out to her mom's lakeside cottage in Ontario for a weekend getaway with Kate, Jordan, Tobin, and Scott. Scott had told her that he would be meeting up with her tomorrow because he wanted to do some things around his apartment while he had a day off and time to do it. "Ok well since that's just over an hour from now, maybe I'll go back to my place and let you finish up getting ready." He didn't want to leave her but he needed to in order to get his plan to work. They usually alternate who's apartment they stay at each week, but over the last month they have been staying more at hers. She say's it's because she has nicer sheets but Tessa went out and bought Scott new sheets not long ago. Whatever made her more comfortable, he was fine with. He started to get out of bed and grab some clothes out of his drawer. "Well I guess it would be less distracting... but that doesn't mean I don't want you to go" she told him with a whine. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, babe. I'll leave first thing in the morning so I get there sooner." As he's talking, she keeps moving in and out of the closet and the bathroom trying to find all of her things. You would think she would be leaving for weeks by the amount of stuff she was packing, but you never know how many outfits you could need for 4 days. Once he was dressed, he stopped her while she was walking from her suitcase back to the closet. "I'll see you tomorrow" with his soft voice whispering down her next he slipped his hands down to her waist while hers went into his hair. They shared a couple of soft kisses before she pulled back. "I love you, Scott. Text me all day, even though we don't text, or call so I can hear your voice." He kissed her again and then opened the bedroom door out into the main room. He was heading for the front door and she followed the lead his hand was giving her. He didn't know what to say, he didn't want to leave but didn't want to ruin the surprise until he finally came up with something to say. "Drive safe. Let me know when you get there. And don't worry, I'll call, I hate texting." She laughed at this cause she knew it was true. He gave her another quick peck. "Oh and I love you more. See you soon." he finished before he headed out. "Bye babe" she said as she closed the door behind him. She had no idea that she would be seeing him sooner than tomorrow afternoon. As soon as she shut the door, Scott ran down the hall heading for the stairwell, to go down 2 floors to his place. He went in quick, grabbed his keys and the bag he packed last night while she was out making a last minute drug store stop. He was trying to get out of Montreal before she was so he could make a stop at home before heading to the cottage. Next thing he knew, he was on the highway.

4 hours into his 8 ish hour trip, he stopped for gas and to check hi phone for the first time in a while. He had 2 missed calls, 5 texts and a couple snapchat's all from Tessa. He didn't even bother to read any of the text's or open any snaps, he just called her back. As he's pumping gas waiting for her to answer, a very excited voice is over the phone. "Hey! Why didn't you respond sooner? You had me so worried!" He could barely make out what she was saying, the words were going too fast. He was trying to come up with an excuse "I'm sorry, I was at the gym, then I went to grab lunch and realized I left my phone at home." He was trying to plead with her, even though he was lying, but she didn't need to know. Tessa immediately felt bad for worrying so much. "Oh...yeah... silly me for worrying so much. My mind kind of just assumes the worst cause you usually pick up so quickly and I-" he cut her off cause he knew she was starting to feel bad. "Babe, everything's fine, I'm fine. How's the drive?" She felt her mind ease every time he calls her babe, even though it's been a term of endearment for her for a few years now, she get's butterflies every time. She snapped out of her trance, finding words to respond. "It's good, I haven't hit any horrible traffic yet, I think it helped that I left early." "Oh that's good to hear. I won't keep you much longer, just focus on getting there safely" he had rushed the end of the conversation because he was ready to get back on the road. "Okay" she let out a sigh. "Call me when you get there okay? I love you Tess." "Of course, I love you too, babe, can't wait to see you, I miss you so much already." " I know, I miss you too." And with that, he hung up. Something about when she called him babe made him crazy. It made him think about how much he loves her and how much he craves her when they're apart.
Scott hated keeping a secret from her, but he knew it would be worth it. He tried to have not too much contact with her for the rest of his trip to avoid a slip up but sent her a quick text, hoping she wouldn't suspect anything. "I wish you were with me right now, I'm watching bloodsport again. Can you pick next time? You have better movie taste."
About an hour later, he pulled up into his parent's driveway in Ilderton. It was just about 5pm so he was just in time to help with dinner, have some time to chat, and change over his bag to his truck he's been keeping at his parents house considering it wasn't an ideal vehicle in Montreal. Standing in the kitchen, he was chatting with his mom while she was prepping dinner. "I know I was initially going to stay overnight but the cottage is less than an hour away, so I might as well just finish the drive tonight" he told his mom. "I didn't want to admit that I am okay with this because I miss having you home, but I haven't had a chance to make up your room and I didn't want to make you sleep on the couch. He chuckled at what his mom said, considering he didn't really care if he had a bed or a couch to sleep on.
They continued their conversation throughout dinner. An hour later he realized it was getting close to 8, so he figured he better het going. He said goodbye to his parents, hopped in his truck and headed for Bayfield.
Meanwhile, Tessa had arrived at the cottage just after 6pm. She met up with Jordan, Tobin and Kate. She felt better bringing Scott to what was going to be a girls weekend, knowing that Tobin was here and Scott can make friends with anyone. When they sat down for dinner shortly after Tessa arrived, Jordan and Tessa found out that the house was expecting more visitors. Their mom had invited 3 of her friends to come spend the weekend at the cottage. After all, it is Kate's cottage so she can invite whoever she wants. This made Tessa even happier that Scott was coming, just so she wasn't forced into talking to Jordan and Tobin or her mom and her friends. She had someone their for her, and that was nice. After dinner, Tessa, Jordan, and Tobin headed out to the fire pit on the beach, lighting a fire and pulling up some chairs so they were facing the water. They sat and chatted finally giving Tessa a minute to realize she didn't call Scott when she arrived but saw that she had a text from him from a couple hours ago. She responded with "Oh, my love. I am so sorry I didn't call. My mom and sister are quite distracting. Don't worry, I think it's my turn to pick next anyways. Counting down the minutes till I see you. I'll call you later when everyone goes to bed." Little did she know it would only be minutes till she saw him, because he had just turned the corner onto the street the cottage was on.

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Scott was hoping that she wouldn't hear the rumble of his truck as he pulled into the driveway of the cottage that was actually more of a lakeside mansion. He parked his truck and left his stuff in, just looking forward to seeing her. To hiss surprise, Kate was sitting on the front porch swing reading a book, until she heard him pull up. "Oh Scott, wasn't expecting to see you till tomorrow! How are you? Does Tessa know you're coming? I'm happy to see you." Kate was very excited to see him she jumped up and pulled him into a tight hug. "I missed you Kate. No, she also thinks I'm coming up tomorrow, but I hope she didn't hear me pull up." "Oh, is everything ok?" She questioned. "Everything is great, I just wanted to surprise her." He was so giddy thinking about how he could pull off a surprise like this. " Aw that's really sweet of you. Well, they're all out at the fire pit on the beach. If you really want to surprise her, go around the side of the house, then she won't see you coming." Kate loved the thought Scott put into a surprise, so anyway she could help, she wanted to. "Thanks so much. I'll talk to you some more later." Scott said as he started walking away towards the side of the house.

She was in the perfect position to sneak up on. From the direction he was coming from around the cottage, her back was directly to him. As he got closer, he noticed Jordan had seen him and quickly put his finger to his lips to shh her and she immediately redirected her vision back to her conversation with Tessa. Tessa was busy looking at her phone so she didn't really notice Jordan's face. Before she knew it, Scott's arms were wrapped around her neck, grabbing her shoulders into an embrace that could only be so tight with the back of her chair partially in the way. As soon as Tessa felt his arms, she immediately sunk into him like she always did. Something about the warmth of his embrace sent her to a different world. His head was in the crevice of her neck when she quietly whispered "you're here." "Yeah, I am. I'll always be here." Pressing kisses to her neck, she had grabbed onto his arms and took in his scent. Her smile was unbreakable. it didn't matter what anyone said or did. She stood up after a minute and gave him a very strong side hug while looking at Jordan. "Did you know he was coming today Jord?" Tessa quizzed her sister. "I had no idea, I swear." "Wait.. when did you leave? How did you -" he cut her off with a kiss making her forget her thought. Jordan and Tobin finally stood up from their chairs after giving them a minute to do their thing. "Ok, you saw him last? What? This morning?" Jordan brought out the sass then went up to Scott to give him a hug. "It's my turn, I didn't see him this morning." Scott brought her into the kind of a hug that only Scott could give. "It's been forever, Jordan, how are you? I missed you so much!" Tessa stood back and let Scott and Jordan catch up for a couple seconds. She always loved how close their families were. Then he greeted Tobin with a handshake before turning back to the group. "I'm going to grab a chair and a beer, does anyone need anything?" Tessa quickly spoke up. "Can you grab us the blankets that are by the back door? It's getting chilly." She batted her eyelashes hoping to have her request fulfilled as if he would say no. "Of course." He started back to the cottage and grabbed everything he needed. He managed to carry it all back to the fire, handing Tessa and Jordan the blankets, setting his chair down next to hers and opening his beer. As the 4 of them were chatting, he didn't even realize that his hand instinctively made it's way to her thigh. She didn't think much of it either. It was normal, so normal in fact that neither of them noticed their fingers were now loosely intertwined. Their conversations lasted until the sun had fully set over the lake. It was a collective decision to fold up their chairs and head inside after the fire died down.

With one had carrying his chair, and the other in her's, Scott leaned over and whispered "I have another surprise for you." This caught Tessa off guard because she didn't think this night could get any better. Once they were inside, Jordan and Tobin said goodnight and went to their room that was in the basement along with Tessa and Scott's. After they found themselves alone in the kitchen, he filled her in a little bit on his next surprise.

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"Ok so I need you to grab a few things before we go." Scott told her as they were standing in the kitchen. "Go? Scott, it's 11pm, where are we going?" There isn't really anything open in this quaint beach town past 11 except the liquor store so she was very confused. "I need you to go downstairs and grab the big blanket that's on the couch and some pillows. I'll grab the blankets you and Jordan used at the fire. Meet me out front when you find them ok? Oh, and you should probably put a sweater on." He grabbed both of her hands and leaned in for a kiss before she could say anything. He went out to the deck where the blankets were and she was still standing in the kitchen looking puzzled. He came back inside with the blankets and went over to her. "Tessa, do you trust me?" "Of course I do, I'm just confused." "That's okay, you'll see soon. I promise you'll love where were going." He gave her another kiss and she went downstairs and he went out to the truck. She came back upstairs and met him out front like he told her too. He grabbed the stuff from her and threw it in the back seat of the truck. "Is that everything?" He asked her. "I think so, was there anything else you needed?" "No, this is perfect." He gave her a reassuring smile and opened the passenger door for her and helped her in. He got in the drivers seat when she had a realization moment. "Wait, when did you pick up your truck? I swear you had your car yesterday..." "I went to my parents before I got here and traded off. I missed driving the truck and plus I needed it for tonight so I could pull this off." A smirk cam over his face, knowing that he plan was working. "I still don't know what this is but alright." She gave into the fact that he wasn't going to tell her the plan. He backed out of the driveway and immediately interlocked their hands occasionally pressing kisses to her knuckles. They drove through town super quick, considering it was only one main street and just like that they were out of town. A couple minutes of silence passed by mostly cause Tessa was trying to figure out where they were and Scott didn't want to spoil anything. "Okay I've been really good so far, but where are we going Scott." "Five more minutes, you'll see." He smiled at her and brought her hand up to his lips giving her knuckles more kisses but letting her hand linger there for a little longer than usual.
The times his family would come down to the Virtue's cottage when they were younger would give all the Virtue and Moir kids time to explore their surroundings. He remembers one place in particular that Danny, Charlie, Tessa, Jordan and himself found one summer when he was just about to turn 20 and Tessa was 18. They all came out to the cottage for the week with the goal of finding new hang out spots for them to bring potential lovers. They found places and would give them code names so only they would know which place was which. Out of all the places they found that week, this one particular place that Scott was taking them to now was her favorite. Tessa caught on to where they were going when Scott took a turn off the main road onto a gravel road that only lead to one of two places. A small little look out halfway up that everyone stopped at, or if you went up farther onto a less travelled dirt road, you would find what they named starry night. She turned to him "were going to starry night?" He turned to look at her quickly and gave her a smile, still not saying anything, pressing some more kisses onto her hands. At the top of this hill just outside of Bayfield, there was a greenspace that overlooked the lake. Starry night got its name from the painting on Tessa's cottage room wall, and also because it is the best place to star gaze. The trees that surround the greenspace enclose it, blocking off any outside noise from the road. The only noises you can hear are from nature or from the lake. It was so serene, the sky was always clear and moon always shone so bright, reflecting off the water.
Once he parked the truck with the bed facing the water he finally spoke up. "Don't get out yet. And don't peek either." Tessa giggled, watched him get out and she covered her eyes with her hands. Meanwhile, Scott grabbed all of the blankets and pillows out of the backseat, and then arranging it on the back of the truck to make a nice little nest for them. He went over to her side and opened the door. "Okay, you can come out now." "Finally!" He took her hand and led her around the back. She looked at the truck, then back at him, then back at the truck. "You stopped an hour out of the way to get your truck to do this for me?" She asked with a soft and sweet voice. "Tess, you know I would do anything for you." Still holding his hand, she turned to him and gave him a kiss, and pressing her forehead to his. She bit her lip. "Are you going to help me up?" Scott let out a little laugh before picking her up and putting her on the back.
He followed her up and they both found a comfortable position which happened to be Tessa sitting between his legs with her back resting against him. "You know Moir, I still can't believe you did this. All of my favorite things in one place, you know me too well." Curious to what her answer would be he asked "what are your favorite things?" "Well, there's the lake, this spot, your truck-" "My truck is one of your favorite things?" He was surprised by this one. "Yeah, it's got a lot of good memories. Like when we first found this place. And me and you and Charlie and Danny and Jordan were sitting in the back just like this and drinking and looking at the stars and it was amazing. Well, I mean I wasn't between your legs, but you get the point." They were both laughing, remembering the time they found starry night. She nestled farther into him, making him tighten his grip that was around her waist. "True, that was one of my favorite summers of all time, I think." He admitted and she agreed. "It was also a good summer because I think it was the first time I told you that I wanted to grow old with you." He sheepishly remembered this and was waiting to hear what she thought about it now that he had brought it up again. When she was 18, her reaction wasn't much. She kind of laughed it off and they both just forgot about it. "You did say that, didn't you?" She was laughing again because she remembered how she blew off the subject and was kind of hoping to do it again. She didn't want to read to far into anything, Tessa just wants to naturally play out her relationship with Scott and let fate do it's job. "Who knew 20 year old me was so wise?" He joked back but then his voice got soft. "It still holds true you know, I do want to grow old with you Tessa." She didn't really know what to say because she wasn't expecting this forward of a conversation, but she also knew that deep down, she did want to be with him forever. "We still have a long way from being old you know?" she said attempting to steer the conversation somewhere else. "Babe, I'm almost 30. It's really hard not to think about what's to come after were finished the season." His voice was still soft. He wasn't mad or upset, he was just finally putting his thoughts out loud. He was right though. She also thought a lot about what happens after they retire, but he doesn't know that it consumes her mind for the majority of everyday. "No you're right, but I guess it's just that when I think about after we retire, you're the only thing that comes into my head so I guess it won't be much different growing old with you." She revealed some of her thoughts and she cant believe she did, but she wasn't ready by any means to confess her every thought about him to him. Tessa has never been the one to overshare, but Scott considered this a win. He was so happy with what she said he placed a kiss to the back of her head. This little kiss put a smile all over her face as he moved down to kiss her cheeks and wherever he could on her face from the positon he was in. Eventually, his head was buried in her neck.
They sat like this for a while, every once in a while looking up at the stars, at each other, and out at the lake. "Should we head back?" Scott suggested after hearing a yawn escape from Tessa. "I think I'm actually ready to sleep for once. Isn't that strange?" Tessa told him jokingly now that the whole world knows she's a restless sleeper because of Scott's interview slip up. "What??? You actually sleep?" Scott blew up into a big joking and laughing fit. She was laughing at how dumb he looked and was laughing back at her cause her laugh made him feel all sorts of love that he has never felt before. They took everything out of the back and threw it into the cabin and headed out. Within 10 minutes they were back at the cottage and Tessa was asleep with her head against the window her hand in his. He took his hand away and squeezed her thigh. "Hey babe, we're here." Her head tilted over towards him and she reached out for his hand again. "Piggy back?" Her voice was groggy and she was still half asleep.

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After he gave her a piggy back inside, he made sure all the doors were locked and the lights were off. He took her off his back and grabbed her hand, leading her downstairs to their bedroom. Scott somehow managed to carry his bag and Tessa into the room, and it wasn't long before she started taking her sweater off, leaving her in her bra. "Can I have a shirt? I know I packed a lot of clothes but I conveniently forgot a sleeping shirt, or I could just sleep topless" she smirked at him and kept rambling a bit. "Yes you can have a shirt, but I mean, topless isn't all that bad..." he gave the flirtatious tone right back, hoping that she would forget about the shirt. "Actually it's cold, a shirt is good" she started to laugh at him, shutting down his wandering mind as he started to dig through his bag. He pulled out an oversized white t shirt, and stood up and turned around. To his surprise, Scott saw that Tessa had managed to get her pants off, leaving her in her underwear. She put both of her arms over her head, "help me put it on, pleeeeeeaaaasssseeee." She was almost sleeping standing up but still managed to be laughing which made Scott laugh with her. As he moved towards her to help her put the shirt on, she quickly shot her hands down and yelled "wait!" at him. He immediately froze in his tracks "what's wrong?" he was really concerned. She moved her hands behind her back, unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. It's not like this is something he's never seen it before, they change in front of each other all the time, they've done "it" many times, but the way she teased him when she wasn't really intending to drove him wild. "Okay, now you can help me." She had the cheekiest grin on her face and he was in shock. This was one of those rare moments when Scott had nothing to say. She pleaded with him, putting her hands back over her head. He slipped the shirt over her head, running his hands slowly all the way down her figure, letting them rest in some places longer than others. As he was letting his hands dance on her body he leaned in towards her, pulling her close and putting his lips to her ear. "What am I supposed to sleep in now?" His hands moved down to her waist, but more so resting on her butt. She leaned in even closer, letting her lips fall onto his ear, giving him a little kiss before saying " mmmm nothing is good." That sensual and flirty tone she had, she would used to drive Scott crazy, and it worked every time. He melted under her touch as her hands caressed his back, moving up to around his neck. To her wish, he took off his shirt, and then his pants, leaving him in his boxers. "Should I keep going?" he asked her. She started walking over to the bed, and crawling into her side, covering herself up all the way to under her chin. "Nah, that's good for now. Gotta leave some things for the morning..." He ran his hands down his face while muttering "fuck" under his breath. Her wish was his command though, so he crawled into bed next to her and buried his head right into her chest and muffled a sigh so she could feel it. Tessa loved to tease him, so when she felt his sigh, she giggled and started running his hands though her hair. "You are such a tease, I don't know how I do this." He finally spoke up so she could hear it." "The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you'll wake up." She said this and he felt her smile grow bigger. He looked up at her and she kept that smirk "ugh, you're killing me Tess." She kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger on his skin. "Night babe, love you" she said as he put his head back down into her chest. "I can't wait to wake up" his muffled voice came out from under her. Tessa was instantly sleeping once his head was still under hers.

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She woke up first, just like she always does. They were still facing each other like when they had fallen asleep. Tessa carefully rolled over, trying not to shake the bed too much. She grabbed her phone and saw that it was 9:30. She panicked for a second thinking she had already wasted most of her day, considering training could start anywhere between 5-6am, but then she looked over at Scott, still sleeping, remembering it was the weekend. Training has taken over their lives so this was a common weekend thought for her. She quickly scrolled through all of her social media pages before getting up as softly as she could. She went into the bathroom, fixed the bun that was sitting on top of her head and brushed her teeth before carefully crawling back into bed. This time Scott started shuffling around before he perked up a bit. " I'm up, I swear" he said in a panic, thinking he had missed something important, like what Tessa had said the night before. Tessa was laughing before she said "you could at least say good morning first." "Good morning" he said, finally opening his eyes and putting out his hand to touch whatever part of her he could. Once he saw her, his face lit up like it did every time he woke up next to her. The grin you could not take away from him was back. "Did you sleep?" Scott asked her, knowing that she isn't a long sleeper. "I did! And it was wonderful!" Tessa had such pride in her voice, considering she slept for more than her normal 4 hours. He leaned in, giving her all the kisses he could before realizing what her mouth tasted like. "So you didn't just wake up... did you?" She smiled at him, ignoring what he said and went back to kissing him. Letting herself sink deeper into him, she let her hands explore his bare skin almost like she had never felt it before. For as often as they "do it" you would think that Scott wasn't always hot and bothered by her hands running up and down his chest, and his abs, and his arms, and down his back, and occasionally going lower. Her hand caressed down starting from his face, ending up below the waist band of his boxers, when he let out a fairly sexual sigh into her neck, as he was kissing her. He started moving his hands down to her waist, lifting up the shirt she was wearing to take it off, and letting his hands go where they felt like they should be. It heated up very quickly. He was on top of her, carrying the feelings of last night into the morning. They traded who was on top many times and for a long time. After they had finished, he landed on the bed beside her. "You know, I really want to keep going" she said very softly but suggestively, hoping he would accept the invitation. She looked over to him, and he was already looking at her. He smirked and leaned over closer to her and when he was about to pull her in for more, she got out of bed. "But I need a shower" she teased and winked at him, walking over to the bathroom, waiting in the doorway. She gave her smirk and raised her eyebrow, almost sending an invitation via airmail over to him in the bed. "Fuck" he mumbled to himself, crawling over her side of the bed making a b line to the bathroom. He was almost at the door when she was out of sight running the shower. It was a long shower, taking turns cleaning each other kissing every part of each other they could, and feeling pleasure. Half an hour went by before they mutually decided to get out.
He was dressed and ready first, in typical Scott fashion. "I'm going to go up and make some coffee, do you want me to make you one?" he asked her heading towards the bedroom door. She peeked her head out of the bathroom where she was still wrapped in a towel, trying to get a brush through her hair. "Coffee sounds amazing right now, thanks babe." She told him, walking over to him to give him a kiss and telling him she wouldn't be long before he went upstairs.
Sitting at the table, Kate was reading her book. "Morning" he spoke up, realizing she hadn't noticed he was walking towards the kitchen. "Oh, Scott, good morning! How did you sleep?" "Very well, you?" "Also very well. Something about this place makes me sleep better than at home." Kate told him, as she went on. "Were you guys up late? I was really tired and didn't want to disrupt you on the beach last night so I just headed off to bed." He didn't know how much he wanted to share with her about what went on the night before, but they knew each other well, she probably would find out what they did last night one way or another, so he just told her. "We all came in around 11 but then Tessa and I decided we want to stargaze so we went to starry night." It was mostly the truth, he just left out the part about the romantic surprise and stuff. "Oh that sounds lovely, last night would have been a good night to do that" she said with a genuine happiness in her voice. "Yeah it was really nice..." he noticed her coffee cup on the table "is there anymore coffee?" he asked her. "Oh I'm sorry, of course there is! Help yourself there's a full pot. I figured the 4 of you would need it" Kate explained then looking over out on the porch at Jordan and Tobin who were sitting outside, drinking their coffee. "Where's T? I thought she wouldn't be too far behind" Kate spoke up, asking Scott. "Oh she's just getting ready. I figured I would give her some privacy. She should be up fairly soon." "Oh alright, Jordan and Tobin are out on the porch. There's some breakfast on the counter for you guys as well. I should start cleaning up before my guests get here later. Oh, good morning Tessa." She was ranting when she noticed Tessa opening the door from the basement. Scott looked over and saw her walk in. She looked like an angel to him. Her hair was perfectly tousled, wearing a white bralette and high waisted jeans, he wanted to just attack her with kisses, probably wasn't a good idea infront of her mom. "Morning mom" Tessa voice greeted Kate, as she went over to give her a hug and a little cheek kiss. "Did you sleep?" Kate's question was similar to Scott's question earlier. Scott was just standing in the back making coffee for the, but still listening to the two interact. "Actually I did, and very well too!" Tessa brought back the pride of sleeping for a longer amount of time. "Oh that's great to here, we can chat more later, I'm sure you want to eat, and I have things I have to do before everyone else get's here." Kate said taking her mug over to the sink, and Tessa followed behind, giving Scott a chance to hand her the coffee he put together for her. She mouthed a thank you to him while still listening to what her mom said before interjecting. "Let us know if you want any help, were here for you. I don't think there is much planned for today." They finished chatting before grabbing their breakfast and coffee and heading out to the porch to join Jordan and Tobin.
At the table while the four talked about their plans for the day, Scott was trying to be sly about touching Tessa's thigh underneath the table, but Jordan noticed, but he didn't care. The conversation reminded Tessa about how her and Jordan had planned that they were going to shop today. "I don't know what you want to do, Scott, but it's totally up to you if you want to come along or if you wanted to hang back on the beach or something, Tobin is going to come if that sways your decision. But I feel like you'll want to come considering you can't not touch Tessa for 2 seconds." Jordan said as all four of them laughed at what she said. Before Scott could give an answer, Kate came outside, looking like she remembered something important. Kate sort of heard the talk of shopping before bringing up her thought. "You're planning on going out this afternoon?" Kate asked the group. "Yeah we were gonna do some shopping" Tessa told her mom. "Would you mind grabbing groceries while you're out? Everyone is going to be arriving sooner than I expected and I don't have time to do it now." Kate explained with a bit of panic. An idea popped into Scott's head. "Why don't Tobin and I do the groceries while Tessa and Jordan are shopping" Scott mentioned to her, and he continued his thought "that way we have something more to do then holding bags" he joked to Tobin, who seemed to be on board with this idea. "You wouldn't mind. That would be so kind of you, Scott." Kate told him. Kate handed him a very lengthy list of groceries she needed, but was put at ease when it was meant to last them until they left on Monday and to feed eight people. Kate went off to do what she needed to do, and Tessa and Scott took everyone's dishes inside and started loading the dishwasher. "That was really nice of you to offer to do that Scott, you didn't have to, she would've found the time to do it" Tessa told him softly as she put his hand on his back rubbing it. "Honestly, it's the least I could do, she's letting me stay here for free and she's gonna feed me!" he giggled a little bit. " I love you" she pressed a kiss to his cheek, when Jordan and Tobin waved them over to the front door so they could get going. "I wanna talk later, like a good sit down chat where I spill all my feelings" Tessa confessed to him quietly while they were on their way to the door. "Really? Of course" Scott was shocked she said this, but very excited, "Can I ask when?" "After dinner, we'll go for a walk on the beach or something" she told him. He smiled at her when they all got to the front door and figured they would load into Scott's truck because of the amount of groceries they would be getting.
The drive was 30 seconds down the street. They would usually walk but groceries changed that plan real quick. They parked at the grocery store and Scott and Tobin bid farewell to their girls and. Tessa and Jordan started walking down the street towards the shops, when Scott looked at the list of groceries and looked up at Tobin. "You know they are going to be at least a couple of hours right?" Scott told Tobin. "I figured, you don't think it'll take that long to get groceries do you?" Tobin asked him. "I have an idea" Scott told him. "I figured you did, what is it?" "Were about to win some extra brownie points with our ladies and our future mother in law." Scott realized what he said, but decided not to correct himself because he liked how it sounded. " I like the way you think, Scott. Let's hear this idea."

Chapter Text

In this town, everything is within a block from each other. "There is a really nice flower shop just behind the grocery store. We could get flowers for Tessa, Jordan and Kate, take them back to the cottage, put them in water and then come back and do the groceries." Scott explained to Tobin. "It is a really short walk back, we wouldn't even get busted if they saw the truck gone" Tobin concluded.
Scott loved to do things for Tessa he knew would make her smile. Some days it would be making a point to stop at her favorite bakery on the way home to get the chocolate cake that was almost as good as her mom's. Or he would come home after her and sneak up behind her when she's sitting on the couch and give her a shoulder massage. It was the little things that really made her happy. Flowers were no different. She loved spontaneously receiving flowers and he loved to get them for her. Scott and Tobin decided they would do 3 custom bouquets to make sure each one got the flowers they loved. A mix of tulips and peonies for Tessa in shades of white, purple and pink was perfect. Tobin did Jordan's and then the two of them did Kate's together. The cottage was a minute walk down the street, so they took the flowers to put them in water and to make it the perfect surprise. When they walked in, Kate was outside on the beach, doing something in the shed. It was perfect because she would get the surprise too. They searched through all the cabinets in the kitchen, hoping they would find 3 vases. It wasn't hard because Kate always had fresh flowers everywhere. They put Kate's on the kitchen table with a little note simply saying her name on them, and put Tessa and Jordan's in their respective rooms. They were in and out of the cottage very quick, hoping Kate wouldn't notice that they were ever there, and headed back down the street to start the groceries.
They spent 30 minutes aimlessly wandering the grocery store, having no idea what half the things on Kate's list meant when Tessa phoned. "Hey babe, were finished shopping. Are you still at the store?" Tessa's voice rung over the phone. Scott panicked, he was expecting them to be more than the hour that they took. "Yeah, we don't know what half of this list means, so we might need some help..." Scott admitted to her. "That's ok, typical mom, we'll be there in 5 minutes." She hung up as her and Jordan headed over to the store. The girls were in the store five minutes later and took command over the shopping. Occasionally Tessa would ask Scott to reach something on the top shelf and Jordan and Tobin would wander off to find something in another aisle. Once they had found everything, paid and loaded the truck with all of their bags, Tessa came up with an idea. "Hey Jord, you know where we should take them tonight?" She told her sister, trying to be secretive but Scott and Tobin heard. "Where?" Jordan asked. "Sun tan cove" Tessa responded and Jordan blurted out her only thought "Tequila!". Scott and Tobin looked at each other, wondering why Jordan's response was tequila. This was another place with a code name but Tessa and Jordan found it with their brothers, so Scott had no idea what this place was. "What's with the tequila?" Tobin asked sheepishly. "Oh, that's a story for another time" Jordan told him. Tessa chimed in "but just so you're aware, tequila is your only drink of choice if you decide to come." "I mean, I'm in. I want to see this magical tequila cove" Scott was hesitant but didn't want to miss this. Even though Scott knows that Tessa can get pretty messy when she drinks tequila, he tried to see the fun in it. "Ok we better go to the liquor store then, mom texted her wine order too." Jordan said as she linked arms with Tessa and they walked across the parking lot to the liquor store.
Scott and Tobin were in charge of finding the wine, which was not an easy task. Kate wanted 8 bottles of a specific brand and of different colors. Again, they found themselves wandering the store while Tessa and Jordan came to find them with enough tequila to give the four of them alcohol poisoning. When Scott was put in charge of holding the tequila bottles while Tessa and Jordan went to find the right wine, Tobin leaned over and asked him "do you know what this sun tan cove is about?" "I have no idea, T mentioned it once the summer they found it, but she also told me it was a story for another time and then never brought it up again." "Huh." The two were stumped.
They found everything they needed, and headed back to the cottage. Scott and Tobin met Kate out front, and she helped them carry in the groceries while Tessa and Jordan took the wine and their shopping bags in. They put the wine on the table and noticed the flowers "hey mom, these are nice flowers" Tessa commented as she was carrying groceries in behind her. "What flowers?" Kate asked her confused and looked at the flowers on the table, while Tobin and Scott ignored the three and kept bringing groceries to the kitchen. Kate went over and looked at the bouquet, nicely placed in a vase with no note or anything to determine where they came from. Kate let out a huh as she was stumped where they came from. Tessa and Jordan went down to their rooms, noticing they also had flowers, perfectly tailored to what they liked. Almost in sync, Scott and Tobin heard from upstairs their names being called. They both paused putting away groceries, looked at each other, smiled and high fived, and went down to meet their girls. When Scott went down to their bedroom, he didn't have a chance to get all the way in the room before Tessa started questioning. "Did you get these? And mom's?" His voice was soft when he responded with "yes." He finally had a chance to enter the room and he shut the door behind him, and she immediately took hold of him, kissing him with a lot of passion. She pulled away, still holding onto his waist, "you know you didn't have to do that" she had the most vibrant smile. "I know, but I did it to see this" he said as he traced his thumb over her lips. "They are so beautiful, and I love these flowers. Thank you" her voice was soft, and her cheeks turned red, as she blushed and wondered what she did to deserve him. They were kissing again, but interrupted by many voices coming from upstairs. "Everyone must be here now, we should probably go up there" Tessa concluded and headed towards the door. He was still standing in the spot he left him in, when she turned to him and spoke up "but just know that you are going to be the luckiest man alive tonight" she winked and open the door to head upstairs. Before she could get anywhere and before anyone could see, he ran after her and swooped her into his arms from behind, quickly pressing kisses all over her face and neck as she giggled and let out the odd really loud laugh.
After he let her go and they made their way upstairs, they saw Tobin and Jordan talking to the group of women standing in the doorway. Tessa knew all of her friends and greeted them with hugs when she saw them. Tessa introduced Scott to them, as if they didn't know who he was but he was polite and talked to the women with Jordan and Tobin as Tessa snuck away to talk to her mom who was back to putting away groceries. "Here let me help you" Tessa offered a hand to her mom and spoke again" "Oh and it was Scott and Tobin that got the flowers. "I know, I figured. I'll be sure to thank them later." Kate said smiling at her. "He's a keeper, you know? He makes you so happy." Kate told her daughter as she smiled back and they continued to put things away.

Chapter Text

The words her mom had said to earlier kept ringing in her head. She knew he was a keeper, but hearing it from her mom sparked something inside her she had not felt before. As Scott and Tobin were busy barbecuing dinner for everyone, Tessa and Jordan were in charge of setting the dining table that was outside on the back porch. Kate had brought out her fancy plates for the occasion and had 3 bottles of wine in buckets of ice set up on the table, one red, one white, and one rose. She really knew how to cater to her guests. Tessa didn't get to spend much of the afternoon with Scott, considering the two were busy entertaining guests, showing them around the property or helping Kate out with whatever she needed. But she made sure that he knew he was always on her mind. She would walk past him and give him a wink, or if they were close enough, their hands would brush. They weren't quite ready to spill to all of Kate's friends that they were involved in more than a skating partnership. So while Scott was busy making dinner and Tessa was walking from the table to back into the kitchen to grab the napkins, she gave Scott a nice little butt tap on her way by, not even making eye contact with him. He immediately turned his head to look at her, as he saw her long white sun dress take in all the light of the sun and her loose curls fall down her back, bouncing with every step she took. She seriously looked like an angel to him, but he felt teased. He couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, forgetting that Tobin was standing right next to him, waiting for him to pay attention to the burgers they were grilling.
Tobin wasn't so oblivious to Tessa's gestures throughout the afternoon and finally spoke up to Scott. "Someone is in a really good mood today." "Honestly, I have no idea what has gotten into her, but I'm not complaining" Scott looked at Tobin with that smile on his face. "Why do you say that?" "She's just so happy, which is normal, but she told me she wanted to have a deep chat, and that I would get lucky tonight, and she went on about how this tequila place is gonna make my entire summer, she's teasing me, man."
Tobin laughed. "Jordan has been saying the same thing about this cove, when do you think they're planning on taking us there?" "I thought I heard them say that they wanted to go later while Kate and her friends were too busy enjoying their wine to notice that we left" "Hmm, alright then."
The boys announced that dinner was ready so everyone grabbed a plate and took what they wanted. They all sat around the table, Tessa, Scott, Jordan and Tobin on one side and Kate and her friends on the other. Everyone had a view of the lake and the sun slowly going down behind it as they ate their dinner. Scott had a lot of catching up to do this evening, with Tessa practically teasing him all day. So when he had finished eating and all he had left was a little bit of wine left in his cup, he subtly slipped his hand into Tessa's lap under the table, putting it as high as he could before her eyes shot over to him, basically telling him it was good there. No one seemed to notice Scott's gesture except for Tessa, but he kept noticing Kate look over at Tessa, giving her a smirk. What had gotten into them?
Once everyone finished off their wine, Scott offered to clean up everyone's plates, and Kate was quick to jump in and help him. As the two walked over to the sink, carrying as many plates as they could, they walked in silence. Kate's voice finally broke it "I'll wash, if you dry." "Of course" he said, putting the conversation back to silent. The 3 women sat at the table outside still with Tobin, while Jordan and Tessa had excused themselves to go change. Scott assumed it was for the tequila cove, and he was right.
As Kate and Scott finished up the dishes and Scott was about to walk away to find Tessa, Kate managed to find the words she's been holding back from him this whole time. "You're a keeper Scott, I told Tessa earlier." He smiled at her, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek and went back to her friends. So that's why Tessa was extra flirty today. Her mom had instilled some confidence in their relationship into both of them. Is this why Tessa wanted to have a chat? He was happy with what she said, but immediately went to the context that fell behind it.
As he was about to head downstairs to find Tessa, she opened the door from the basement, almost hitting him with it. "Oh, babe, I'm sorry!" She jumped when she saw him right behind the door and gave him a quick kiss on the nose. "It's okay, weren't you going to change?" He was confused, she was still wearing the same sundress that she had on before. "Yeah, I just have my bathing suit on underneath now, you'll probably need yours too." A bathing suit? It was almost 9 pm and she wanted to go in the lake? Or this tequila cove? Where were Tessa and Jordan taking them?
He didn't put up a fight and went down to put his swim trunks on, keeping his t shirt on top. She was waiting for him outside with Jordan as they were conversing with one of the women about their not so subtle relationships. Kate's friends wanted to know everything, but the girls both opted to just say that they were happy and everything was good. Tobin was lighting a fire for them all to go make some s'mores down on the beach. Scott met Tessa and Jordan outside, not interrupting their conversation, but carefully ending up beside T, putting a hand around her waist. The lady couldn't help but let out an aww, when Tessa jokingly put her head on his shoulder, tilting her head back and laughing. The conversation ended when Tobin came up and said that the fire was ready. Everyone had a chair pulled up but Tessa had a different plan for her and Scott. "We'll be right back" Tessa told Jordan as she quickly dragged Scott in the other direction, down the stairs to the water.
"You know, I was really looking forward to making a s'more" Scott pouted as they found themselves sitting on the dock, just down the beach a little bit from the cottage. "Don't worry, well be back in time to make some. I just missed you today." "Missed me? I've been with you all day Tess. "I meant being alone with you. I have seen you all day, but we have both been pulled in a bunch of different directions, I barely got to talk to you." She was right, they didn't get a lot of alone time except for the very hot morning they had, and the brief second they connected when Tessa found the flowers. Other than that it was only quick walk bys and smiles from afar. "So that's why you've been teasing me all day?" By this point they were facing each other, playing with each others hands. "Oh babe, that was barely a tease, that was me just missing you." "Well I missed you too" he said as he planted a kiss on her lips before pulling back and smiling. She was looking up into his eyes trying to find the right way to say what she wanted to say. "You look like you have something you want to say" Scott said before she could find he words. "I do, that's why I said earlier I wanted to have a chat with you, but then I was talking to mom earlier and she brought a whole new perspective into my initial thoughts." Scott didn't know if this was going in a good or bad direction, but then he remembered what Kate told him earlier. "She talked to me briefly too and said she told you the same thing." Scott said now looking down at their hands dancing with one another, anticipating Tessa's reply. "You're a keeper, Scott. She was right." Tessa said while not looking at him, having a hard time that she just blurted this out. Scott looked up to catch her eyes looking down, but meeting her in a gaze. The words didn't stop after that. "I wanted to tell you that for a long time, maybe in different wording. I always knew you were a keeper, but it's more than that. It's like you're my person, and I can't bear the thought of being within touching distance of you, but not being able to actually touch. I think I'm ready to let it all out. I know we say I love you all the time, but holy shit, I really do love you. I noticed before and I-" her voice could have kept rambling things to him he already knew. She didn't have to say anymore. He cut her off by cupping his hand to her cheek, putting his thumb over her lips. "I'm in love with you." His words were simple, and calmed her many thoughts as her mind and heart slowed down from the sprinting pace they were at before. He had a way of doing this to her when her thoughts would consume every fibre of her. Sometimes he didn't have to say anything, he just had to be there with her. All of her thoughts stopped before he spoke up again. "I've been in love with you forever. I will never stop. You're the keeper, and I plan on doing that."
He brought her in closer and just hugged her. Burying his head into the nape of her neck, breathing in the smell that was ever so Tessa. He let everything she said replay in his mind over and over. He never wanted this oversharing side of her to go away.
"Today stressed me out bringing this up to you. I know I've felt this for a long time, but I felt it was right to say it out loud." She finished her thought, still in his embrace, letting the words fall right into his ear. He chose not to say anything but let the moment last. His hands were stroking strands of hair and he would twist them around is fingers. Her arms were so tight around his neck, she didn't bother to move. He started to pull back from the embrace and let their foreheads meet together. "You don't need to feel stressed about bringing up feelings ever again." He whispered, his breath hitting her skin like a rush of electricity. She sealed the conversation with a kiss. "Let's go get you that s'more." "Finally!"
They walked back up to the fire and everyone was sitting around, almost waiting around for them to return.
"Sorry, duty calls! Skating is still our lives." Scott tried to tell the group some garbage excuse about an email from Marie and Patch they had to urgently respond to. Most of them believed it except for Jordan. They had all gone though quite a bit of wine, when Jordan shot Tessa a look that meant sun tan cove time.

It was close to 9:30 now and the sun was fully starting to descend over the lake when the 4 decided that it was time. Jordan had ran back into the house, grabbed the two bottles of tequila, and quickly ran down the steps toward the beach, Tessa running behind her and Tobin and Scott aimlessly following the duo. Once they got down to the beach, they found themselves walking a solid kilometer down the shore. Halfway the girls stopped walking ahead completely, waiting for the boys to catch up. Once they were all back in the group, Jordan and Tessa gave each other a look, opened one of the bottles and each took a swig. Scott and Tobin were so confused. "Are you guys ready for the story now?" Jordan asked them. They both anxiously nodded, considering they have been patiently waiting for this story all day. "Take a swig first and then you will earn the right to know" Tessa was laughing as she said this, shoving the bottle into Scott's hand. He took a swig, making the disgusted face after he felt the liquor burn his throat then passed it off to Tobin. "You guys are in for some fun tonight." Tessa said, winked at Scott, took the bottle back then took another swig before passing it off to Jordan.

"Okay, so.." Tessa started and then took another swig "Woah, babe slow down" Scott said taking the bottle from her. She was already feeling tipsy which was right where she wanted to be. "Do you want the story or not" she spit back at him and forced him into another swig. Before they knew it, half the bottle was gone and they weren't even at their destination yet. Tessa and Jordan started walking down the beach again, almost stumbling, prompting Tobin and Scott to hurry up and hold their ladies up. "So the story.." Tobin tried to redirect the conversation. "RIGHT!" Jordan yelled back with a lot of enthusiasm. "So basically once upon a time we were young and stupid and drank a lot of tequila and found this awesome place that gave us really good tans and we just went and hung out and had fun in the water but it's like super private so no one knows your there and you can get so drunk and have so much fun and one time Tess didn't even make it home after she passed out on the beach and holy shit it was awesome." Jordan's story made literally no sense. Tobin and Scott looked at each other with the look in their eyes that was like that "oh shit what did we get ourselves into" look.
Before they knew it, they arrived to the section of the beach that was in fact secluded from the rest, but there was a barrier of rocks so you had to swim to get out to the cove. Tessa and Jordan started taking off their dresses leaving them both in very small black bikinis. The boys couldn't help but admire their ladies before taking off their shoes and shirts and throwing them all into a pile. Jordan had grabbed the unopened bottle of tequila and started swimming out, prompting Tobin to follow her. Scott watched as the two swam out and as Tessa was about to follow she noticed Scott wasn't so quick to follow. She was halfway in the water when she came back out to meet him on the beach. She picked up the half finished bottle that they left with their clothes, handed it to Scott, getting him to take another swig. He put the bottle back down and she tugged at his swim shorts, pulling him in closer to her so that their hips met. "Trust me, Scotty, you'll have fun. You trust me right?" "Of course I do." He could tell she was getting close to drunk when she planted a fairly sloppy kiss on his mouth then tugged him out into the water. He had no idea what he was in for, but he figured he would try and have a good time.
They made the short " swim" over to the cove. It was more like a walk in the water that was a little deep in some parts, but before they knew it, they were up on some beach that was surrounded by rocks. "Now in typical tequila fun, we must all take another swig and then have a chicken fight" Jordan declared to the group once they all met on the beach again. Scott could feel himself loosen up as he took another swig and let himself enter into a tipsy state. Tessa was drunk, and he knew it. He knew how quickly she got drunk of tequila but also how shitty she would feel in the morning. He figured he would be the responsible one so she had someone to look after her in the morning. They all had taken their swigs and Tessa had yanked Scott out into the water. They went in so the water was up to just below their chest when Tessa turned to Scott. "I need a good luck kiss so I can beat Jordan's ass" Tessa was now fully slurring her words. He laughed and brought her into a passionate kiss, but it ended up being really sloppy due to both of their current states. Scott ducked his head under the water so Tessa could get on his shoulders, as Tobin did the same for Jordan. They had many chicken wars before Tobin and Scott tired out and Tessa and Jordan were ready for more alcohol. They swam back onto the beach and made a b line for the bottle. Jordan and Tessa took turns drinking as Scott and Tobin watched in the distance, shrugging and figuring there wasn't much they could do at this point.
20 minutes later Tessa and Jordan were hammered, and Scott and Tobin weren't afraid to admit that they were drunk, but they decided they were ready to head back to the cottage. They swam back to their clothes on the other side of the rocks, and carried them back with them. Scott was in charge of making sure Tessa made it back, as Tobin was with Jordan. Tessa and Scott ended up falling way behind the others because Tessa decided she was feeling really flirty. "Scott, babe" they were still stumbling down the beach when Tessa whined and mumbled her words to Scott. "I don't want to walk anymore, I need encouragement" "Like what?" Scott wasn't afraid to test her. "Like I don't know, slap my ass, whisper stuff into my ear, kiss me, you know." Scott happily obliged to all of Tessa's requests getting her down the beach, finally making it to the steps that lead up to the cottage. After this long walk Tessa had sobered up a little bit, but was no where near sober. She stumbled up the steps with the help of Scott being right behind her, holding her up. They sneaked past the ladies who were still sitting on the beach, simply waving goodnight, as they raced down into the basement of the cottage finding their bedroom. Tessa slammed the door shut behind Scott, flopping herself on the bed, the waving him to come join her.

Chapter Text

Tessa was plastered to the bed, the alcohol had paralyzed her. Scott was in a better place than Tessa. He helped her get undressed and changed into something more comfortable. As much as she begged him to fool around, he couldn't do that to her. Not in the state she was in. He really wanted to fool around too, but he wanted to be a better man then that. He wasn't going to take advantage of the one thing that meant the most to him. He slipped off his shirt and put on a clean pair of boxers and slipped into bed next to her. All she was wearing was the same white t shirt he had leant her the night before.
"Babe, please, you're being no fun" Tessa pouted as Scott nestled his head into her neck, putting his body flush against her. "Trust me, you'll regret it because knowing you, I'll be up in about 2 hours holding your hair back while you puke." "I guess, you always know how to take care of me, I can't wait for you to take care of me forever, Scotty." He smiled at her statement but didn't think much of it because she was so drunk. She rolled over and met his gaze. "Ask me to say that again when I'm sober, I promise it'll be the same." At this point she didn't know what she was saying, she was just spewing more feelings. "Are you wanting me to propose sometime soon?" Scott threw out as a joke. "I mean, my mom has my grandmothers ring whenever you're ready to, and there is no way I would say no." She wrapped her legs around his, making them a tangled mess, pulling him in closer by tugging on his hair. He was trying to grasp the thought that Tessa wanted him to propose, and her family was waiting on him. He tried pushing the thought aside by kissing her back, but she knew, even in her state that this took him back a little. She sat up, sitting cross legged and facing him. "Did I scare you?" her voice went soft and concerned. She reached out her hand to stroke his hair as he sat up facing her. "No, not scared, just caught me off guard. We aren't even done skating yet so I haven't thought that- well that's a lie, I've thought of marrying you, I think about marrying you everyday. I know I want to, just not yet." She gave him the softest and most beautiful smile he's ever seen on her face. "You think about marrying me?" She was quiet and blushing. "All the time." She didn't need to say anything else, she just flopped her head into his lap, where he was ready to catch her. He started to stroke her hair that fell all over his crossed legs and cascaded onto the bed. "You know you were right, I'm gonna be throwing this tequila up soon." She burst the romantic bubble that had been blown around them. "Well just let me know when and I'll be there to help you, but for now try to sleep a little" he told her before leaning back to rest on the headboard as she was already asleep in his lap.
Almost on cue, 2 hours later, she shot up from her slumber and ran straight to the bathroom. Scott was only half asleep and followed right behind her. He was there holding her hair back and rubbing her back as she was leaned over the toilet for a good hour. She didn't know if she would make it back to the bed without throwing up again, so Scott brought over a blanket and a pillow, put the pillow in his lap and let her rest there, covering as much of her up with the blanket as he could. She would intermittently get up throughout the night to puke, he didn't sleep. His night consisted of refilling her glass of water, running up to the 24 hour convenience store for Gatorade at 4am when she hit her longest period of sleep. She started to feel better around 8 am and decided to carry herself back to bed as Scott had fallen asleep sitting up in the bathroom. He woke up not long after she had went back to bed, almost in a panic, not knowing where Tessa went. He jumped up from the bathroom floor and found her back in bed, halfway under the covers. He went over, took the rest of the blanket and covered her up, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She smiled through her sleep and he went upstairs to get her something small to eat and some more water for when she woke up. He came back down with a coffee for himself as well, to find her half sitting up, flipping though tv channels. "Oh gosh, that coffee smells amazing right now" she said as she inhaled the coffee smell around her. "Maybe you should put something in your stomach before putting coffee in there" he said as he handed her a piece of toast. "You really know how to take care of me, Scott. Thank you." He handed her the toast, and the coffee that was supposed to be his and gave her a quick kiss. He didn't mind that they would end up spending much of this day in bed, flipping through channels, and watching bad movies, until Tessa's mom sent her a text telling them dinner was ready. He would do this with her everyday if he could. Maybe not the watching her puke part, but the lazy days in bed he craved through their vigorous training schedule.
They decided to take it easy their last couple days before the long drive back to Montreal. Tessa had followed Scott to his parents house to pick up his car, stopping in quickly to say hi to his parents. He would watch as his mom and Tessa would converse about whatever they had decided to talk about as he sorted some things out with his dad about the truck. As they were saying their goodbyes and Tessa had started walking back to her car to wait for Scott to kiss her before she drove off in the same direction as he was going, he hugged his mom and dad together. "This is it for me. After the Olympics, she's it for me." He confessed to them. "I knew this would happen, she's the one for you, Scott" his mom said with a genuine smile. "You're happy, we can tell she's happy. Were happy for you." His dad said back. "Take in the time with her before skating is over though, don't lose sight of what brought you guys together in the first place" his mom made sure to tell him. "I love you guys. And if I had my choice, I would never stop skating with her." He gave them each one more hug as he walked back over to his car, parked in front of Tessa's. "What took so long?" Tessa asked as he walked up to her. "Oh nothing, just parent's being parent's you know?" he gave her a smile as he brought her into a hug and buried his head into her neck. She gripped onto his shoulders with all of her strength when he muffled something to her. "What did you say Scott?" "Oh, nothing" he brought his gaze up to meet hers. She shot him the look and tried to guess what he said. "Well, whatever, you don't have to tell me. I'll marry you though, I think that's what you said." He gave her a kiss and walked to his car, leaving the conversation at that as they both drove back headed to Montreal. He had some explaining to do when they were together again that night, but she didn't force him to say anything, she just tiptoed around the subject.

They went around the next 6 months until Pyeongchang was over, living as Tessa and Scott. Taking in as much of the competition world as they could before it was all over, just like that. In his hotel room after the medal ceremony, getting ready for the ball that followed the competition, he was twirling this ring that Kate had giving him just before they had got on the plane to come to Korea. He was ready, he hoped she was to. She did say she would marry him once already, but this time it just felt like the right time to ask. With their second Olympic gold in their career profile and their announcement of retirement pending the skating world, he was ready. He was waiting for her to come up to his room. The worst part about the Olympics is that they had to stay with roommates, not that this stopped them from spending every waking moment together, they just didn't sleep in the same bed for their week of competition. He was going to ask her before they got down to the ballroom in their hotel. He couldn't wait another day to put this family ring onto her finger. He couldn't keep still. He would stand up, sit on the edge of the bed, lay down, fix his tie, fix suit jacket, readjust his navy pocket square that she picked out for him to match her dress. Five minutes later, he heard the knock at the door. He opened the door and she playfully strutted past him right into the room, flipping her hair and smirking at him. "Wow.. uh, wow" he didn't have any words so he just dropped to a knee as she was still strutting her stuff over to the other end of the room when she turned around and saw him halfway on the floor. "I hope your mom gave me the right ring, I mean it is beautiful, but it might not have been what I picked." She slowly started walking over to him, with both hands covering her mouth. He stood up from his kneel. "That didn't feel right, I feel like this should be causal. My palms are really sweaty. I just really want to marry you, I don't feel like it needs to be a traditional proposal or like the ones-" she cut him off right there from his banter, sealing the deal with a kiss that had both of her hands on either of his cheeks. "I'll marry you" she told him back between kisses. "I will." "You will?" "Yes Scott." "Thank God." She couldn't help but laugh at him, but if she was honest, she couldn't have thought of a better or more Scott Moir typed proposal. He slipped the ring on her finger, she commented how beautiful it was. "I don't even want to go to this banquet anymore" he told her as they were latched onto each other. "You don't want a chance to dance with your fiancée?" It rolled off her tongue like nothing. He loved how it sounded. She started walking towards the door. "Don't worry, well pick up where we left off later" she told him with a smirk and a wink as she strutted out the door of his hotel room, putting her hand out in obnoxious positions, inviting him to hold her newly decorated hand. He couldn't help but accept her invitation, and think about that weekend at the cottage in August that gave him the courage to propose to the love of his life.