*Thank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. Also thank you to those that favorited and alerted this story. YOu guys are great.
*When I started writing this chapter I had it set in mind where I was taking it but in the middle I decided to take it a different way and it turned out better than I ever planned it would. I hope that you enjoy it*
I let the phone fall to the ground in shock of the news I was just given. The living room suddenly got really hot and I start to sweat. I feel dizzy as if I am going to faint. "Roman," says Skylar. "Are you okay?" I want to answer her but the words don't come to my mouth. She gets up and hands me the phone. I put the phone up to my ear to hear the woman saying my name.
"Wh-wh-what did you say?" I ask. I want to make sure that I heard her correctly that I am Skylar's father.
"When it comes to Skylar Thomas-Reigns; you are her father. The results came back 99.9%. Congratulations, Mr. Reigns," she says to me and I feel as if I am about to have a panic attack or something. "Are you okay, Mr. Reigns?"
"Yes," I say as I wipe the sweat from my forehead. "Thank-you."
"You're welcome," she says before I turn my phone off and throw it down onto the couch.
I stand and look at Skylar; and I mean really look at her. I take in all of her features. I look at her dark curly brown hair that is now up in a bun, then I look at her dark chocolate brown eyes that are so big and beautiful like her mother's, her small button nose, her pink pouty lips, her dimples; she definitely has my mouth I can't deny it any longer. Her caramel colored skin and I see her looking back at me. Her eyes are full of question. "What?" she asks.
"Nothing," I say.
"Who was on the phone?"
"No one," I say. I'm not ready to tell her the news. I wasn't even ready to hear that news. Everything is going to change now. My whole life is disrupted. I have no idea what I'm going to do with a 7 year old girl. I don't know how to be a dad; I'm not even sure I want to be a dad. I have no idea what is going to happen now. "Would you like to go visit my mom and dad?" I ask.
"Don't you want to see the clothes Trinity and I got?" she asks.
"Not right now," I say, "later."
"Okay but can I at least put on something cooler? It's really hot outside," she asks.
"Go ahead," I say, "and when do you plan to take a bath? You haven't taken one since you showed up at my door."
"I will tonight," she says before she gets up and heads upstairs to change into a new outfit.
"And just so you know we're not done with our conversation, Skylar."
"Okay," she says as she makes her way to the top of the stairs. I sit down on the couch and put my head on my hands. This just can't be real. I do not have a daughter. The test has to be wrong. About 10 minutes later she comes downstairs and enters the living while my hands are still covering my head. "Roman, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I say as I look up at her wearing hot pink tank top and a pair of white shorts with a pink headband with a big flower on it with matching flip flops. "You look pretty," I say.
"Thank-you," she says flashing me a smile. "Why are we going to your parents' house?"
"For a visit," I say as I get up off the couch. "Let's go," I say. She walks in front of me and I follow behind her. We get into my car and we head to my parents' house. I don't even tell them I'm coming. I'm just showing up. They are the only ones that I feel I can talk to. I feel all kinds of emotions inside of me as I drive. I'm upset and confused mainly. I'm upset because Jennifer never even told me she was pregnant and she never even tried to tell me. Then I just want to know if she had no desire to tell me she was pregnant why would she put my name on the birth certificate and why would she give Sky my last name hyphenated with hers. It just didn't make sense to me. If she didn't want me to be part of her life then why would she give her my last name? Maybe she had the idea of telling me but maybe not. The only person that knows that answer is Jennifer and well, she's not here to tell me why.
I knock on the door waiting for someone to answer as Sky stands next to me. My mom opens the door. "Roman, two times this week. What do we owe this pleasure?"
"I have to talk to you," I say as Sky and I walk into the house. "Sky, why don't you go play in the living room with the dog while I talk to my parents?"
"Okay," she says as she makes her way to the living room to find the dog.
"Where's dad?"
"In the kitchen. What's going on?" she asks as we walk to the kitchen where I see my dad sitting at the table eating dinner.
"It's crazy," I say. "Hey, Pops."
"Hey, Son," he says as my mom and I take a seat.
"Roman is here to talk to us," she says. "Go ahead, Roman."
"All right," I say nervously. "You know how you told me to get that paternity test done on Sky?"
"Yes."
"Well, I just got the results."
"And?" asks my dad.
"I'm her father. There was a 99.9% match."
"Wow," says my mom, "so what are you going to do now?"
"I have no idea," I say. "I never planned this. How did this happen?"
"Well," says my dad, "when a man and a woman have unprotected sex this happens."
"I know that but I don't know how this happened with Jenn and I. We were extremely careful. She was on the pill. I don't know how she got pregnant."
"Apparently you weren't careful enough, Roman," says my mom, "and you got her pregnant and now you have a daughter."
"A daughter I didn't know about for 7 years," I say, "and I don't understand why she gave her my last name if she wasn't planning on telling me that she was pregnant or had a baby. Then 7 years later this little girl shows up at my hotel door telling me she's my daughter. I never even knew she existed," I say with tears in my eyes. "For 7 years I had a child out there that I never knew about. I don't even know what to do now."
"You become a dad," says my mom. "She is your child. You step up and be a dad."
"It's not that easy," I say. "I can't just be a dad after 7 years of not being one. I can't just be a dad with my career. I travel all the time and I work all the time. I don't have time to be a dad."
"You better figure it out," says my dad, "because that little girl in there needs her dad and needs someone to love her. She lost her mom and her family doesn't want her. You're the only one she has left. You have to be her dad."
"What if I don't want to be?"
"It doesn't matter if you want to be or not; you are and you're going to be," says my mom.
"And what am I supposed to do about wrestling? Am I supposed to just give it up for some stranger?"
"She's not a stranger she's your daughter," says my dad. "Do you love her?"
"I don't even know her," I say.
"Did you love Jennifer?" asks my mom.
I hesitate and say, "yes, I loved Jennifer. I still love Jennifer."
"Then you owe it to her to take care of the last remaining piece of her; your daughter with her. I'm sure you'll be a great dad."
"No I won't," I say, "I will be a horrible dad. I don't have time for a kid. I don't have time to have a family. If I did I would have one by now."
"Well, looks like you have a family now," says my mom. "Grow up and stop thinking about yourself and do what you need to do."
"I'm thinking about her and how I'm going to be horrible for never being there. She has to go to school I can't just take her out on the road with me. I am not a dad. I'm not a cook, I don't play with kids, I don't even like kids. I like my life the way it is; free and wild. That's what I want. I don't want to give that up for Disney movies, Disney music and kids shows. I have my own home I don't want it filled with princess stuff or toys. That's not me."
"You're being selfish," says my mom before I hear Sky's voice.
"I'm sorry I disrupted your life," she says. "You won't have to worry about me. I'm going back to Chicago," she says. "I thought…it doesn't matter," she says as she starts to cry. I suddenly feel like a monster but I can't comfort her right now. She runs away and I get up but not to go after her. I need to think. I need to get myself together before I try to get her together.
"I have to go," I say to my mom and dad.
"Where are you going?" asks my dad.
"Out. I have to clear my head," I say.
"And what about Sky? You upset her," says my mom.
"I can't deal with that right now," I say. "I have to go. Watch her please."
"You better be back, Roman," she says. "You have 2 hours. Do you understand?"
"All right," I say as I grab my keys to leave.
I'm not sure where I'm going but as I drive down the road I know exactly where I am going. There is only one other woman on this earth that comes close to Jennifer; the only other woman that I could ever be capable of loving. The only woman that I know I can go to no matter what; Rachel. Rachel isn't one of the ring rats or one of those girls I meet in the bar. She's an actual friend of mine that has been a friend of mine for a long time. We have slept together a couple times but we are still really good friends. I pull up into her driveway and get out of the car. I walk up to her door and ring the doorbell. Rachel opens the door with her dark brown hair falling to the middle of her back, her deep blue eyes looking at me and her suntanned skin shining in the light. "Roman," she says. "What are you…" she starts to say before I press my lips against hers. I push her into the house as she shuts the door behind us while my lips are still on hers. She leads me to her bedroom where we quickly begin to remove our clothes. I take her over to the bed and lay her down. We don't speak any words to each other as the passion between us ignites and I begin making love to her. The intensity between us growing stronger as I move harder within her and make my movements faster; cries and moans of pleasure fill the air. I fill myself building up and as I thrust myself into her one last time before I can stop myself I release myself deep inside of her groaning as I do before my lips find hers.
Rachel and I lay in bed next to each other looking up at the ceiling without speaking. We haven't spoken one word to each other. The silence is finally broken when Rachel says, "Why are you so upset?"
"I'm not upset," I say as I turn to face her as she faces me with her deep blue eyes staring back at me.
"Really?" she asks, "because you only make love to me like that when you're upset about something. So what is it?"
"It's nothing," I say.
"Roman, I have known you for a long time and I know when you're upset. What is going on?"
"Fine," I say as brush a piece of her hair out of her face. "Do you remember Jenn?"
"The only woman you will ever love and have loved? Yes I remember her. What about her?"
"She died," I say.
"I'm sorry," she says. "How?"
"She had cancer," I say, "and there's more."
"What?"
"Apparently that last night we were together at that party I got her pregnant."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm 99.9% sure," I say. "Our daughter showed up at my hotel door a couple days ago telling me she is my daughter and then told me Jenn was dead. I got a paternity test done and it turns out she is my daughter."
"Wow," says Rachel as I feel her hand on my shoulder. "That's pretty crazy. So I take it you never knew?"
"Never," I say. "I just don't understand that because she has my last name but Jenn never told me about her."
"Hmm," she says, "maybe Jenn was worried about your career and worried about you reaching your dreams so she didn't want to tell you."
"But what about her dreams? She wanted to be a musician. She wanted to be in the orchestra. That was her goal in life and then I got her pregnant and she gave it up to be a mom but still never told me about our daughter."
"If she had told you about her would you have been willing to give up everything you worked for? Would you have been able to give up your life to be a dad?"
"Yes," I say. "I would have been there for her. I would have been a dad. I loved Jenn. There isn't anything that I wouldn't have done for her including giving up my entire life to be a father. She should have told me and now I have a 7 year old daughter staying with me and I don't even know her. The worst part is right now I don't want her. I told my parents that it's because I don't want to give up my life and that's true I don't but I also can't look at her every day and see Jennifer. It's too hard. She reminds me of her every day. Every time I look at her I see her mom and do you know how hard that is for me? After everything that happened with Jenn and I, I can't handle seeing her in our daughter. And I mean Skylar is JUST like her and a spitting image of her except for my mouth. It's so hard, Rachel," I say as I feel my voice crack and a tear roll down my cheek. "I can't do it," I say. It really hurts me knowing that Jenn is her mom and that Skylar is just like her mom. Jenn and I went through so much and I love her beyond words. When we went our separate ways it tore me apart. I promised to never love again and that's why I am the way I am. I can't let myself love anyone else but her. Now knowing she's dead is even harder and I can't look at Sky without seeing her mother which makes it that much harder.
Rachel reaches over and wipes the tear off my cheek. "Roman," she says, "If you would have been a father then you can be a father now. Don't say you can't. I know that you can. That little girl lost her mother. You're her father she needs you. If she didn't need you she wouldn't have shown up at your door. She showed up because she needs you and you need her just as much. Am I saying it's going to be easy being her father and changing your life for her; no because it won't be but you have got to make it work. You have to be there for her. I'm not saying give up your entire life and give up your career I'm saying be a father but still do what you love except going out sleeping with every woman you meet out on the road. You have to set some type of example now. You can be a dad and a wrestler. It's going to be hard but you can do it."
"Sleeping with women is what I do. I get lonely while I'm on the road," I say.
"I know," she says, "but remember those women are someone's daughters too."
"I guess," I say. "but what am I supposed to do with her while I'm on the road?"
"Maybe your parents can take care of her while you're gone. I would talk to them. I don't know maybe get a nanny."
"Okay," I say. "So do you really think I can do this?"
"I don't think you can; I know you can," says Rachel with a smile. She is really beautiful. I have to say that. She is different than any other woman I know. She's just got that something about her but since I don't do the girlfriend/relationship stuff she will never be nothing more than my friend.
"Okay," I say smiling back at her. "Thank-you."
"You're welcome," she says with a smile. "Now let me hold you. You're so upset," says wrapping her arms around me pulling her body closer to mine. I wrap my arms around her and hold onto her silently until we are interrupted by my cell phone going off.
"I have to get that," I say as I get out of bed. I hate breaking our hold because I just feel so comfortable in her arms. I walk over to my pants and dig out my phone. I see my mom's number on the screen and quickly answer it. "Hello." I say as I put my boxers back on.
"Roman," she says with panic in her voice and I know something is wrong.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Sky," she says, "Sky is missing."
"What do you mean she's missing?"
"She left. She left while I was in the kitchen doing the dishes and your dad was upstairs. She left a note."
"What does the note say?" I ask as I hurry to put my pants on. For the first time I am scared for Sky's well-being.
"It says, 'Dear, Roman, I'm sorry that I ruined your life. I just wanted to be with my dad. I just wanted to know you. I guess you didn't want to know me. I'm sorry that I bothered you. Don't worry about me. I'm going back to Chicago. Have a nice life. I hope that you live a happy life. Love, Skylar Thomas.'" My eyes fill with tears as Rachel gets out of bed realizing something is wrong. I feel like a monster. "We have to find her," says my mom.
"I'm going to look for her; she's 7 she can't get too far," I say as I grab my shirt off the floor. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Where are you?"
"It doesn't matter," I say. "I'll be there in a few minutes to pick you up."
"Don't, Roman, just go find her."
"All right. Love you bye," I say as I hang up the phone before putting my shirt on.
"What's wrong?" asks Rachel.
"Skylar ran away. I have to go find her," I say. "I have to go."
"Wait," she says, "I'll come with you."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," she says as she grabs her clothes to put them on. "I'll help you."
"Thanks," I say with a smile.
*A/N: So what did you think? Should Roman have told Sky the news before taking her to his parents house? Also was it selfish of Roman to go have himself comforted before comforting Sky after he upset her? What could have happened between him and Jenn that makes it so hard for him to love someone else? How about Rachel could Roman possibly fall in love with her or will she just always be his friend that he has sex with when he's hurt but can talk to afterward? What do you think will happen when Roman goes out to look for Sky? What will happen if he finds her? Please review and thank-you for reading.