Chapter 10:

The last time Haley had spent a significant amount of time in her Boston vintage brick townhouse had been Christmas, when Dwayne, Dani and Simone had come up to spend the Holidays with her. She had spent a night here and there over the past four months, but now she would be able to spend the weekend in her own bed.

Her keys jingled merrily in her hand as she turned the house key in the lock and nudged the oak door open. The familiar comforting scent of jasmine assaulted her senses and brought a smile to her face as she stepped into the hardwood foyer. Her house keeper had obviously taken note of all her requests.

"This is a great place, Hales." Batista was only a couple steps behind her, toting both of their overnight suitcases full of clothing for the weekend.

She smiled brightly at him over her shoulder. "It's not where I'm going to want to raise my kids, since then I want the quiet country life, but it's perfect for just little ole me."

"It's got a classic homey feel." He nodded in agreement.

"Especially for one who is rarely here." She added before taking a few steps to the right and stood on the first step leading upstairs. "Are you sure you want to come with me tomorrow? You can still back out."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm coming, Haley, if simply just to keep you company. Besides, I could use a nice weekend with you anyway."

"Knowing my family, I'm not sure nice is the word I'd use." She sighed. "I just don't want you to be turned off by my mother and other crazy relatives."

Even a step above the floor, she was shorter than he was. It took little effort for him to bend down and close the gap between them. "Nothing they can say or do is going to turn me off to you. I love you, Haley, regardless of where you come from and who got you here. All that matters to me is you." He assured her for hopefully the last time.

"You're sweet." She reached upwards and hugged him. "I'm glad you're coming with me tomorrow."

"I'd come with you anywhere." He let both of their bags hit the hardwood floors with a muffled thud, before sweeping her up into his arms bridal style. "Now, which way is the bedroom?"

"Dave!" She giggled, as he started up the stairs two at a time, as though she weighed nothing.

"We have much more important, immediate matters to attend to." He grinned wickedly at her. "Now which way?"

"Second door on the left." She squealed as he strode off towards the direction she had given him. "You animal." She teased.

He paused outside the door and smirked. "That's what they tell me."

An hour and a half later, Haley crept into her kitchen wearing Dave's t-shirt. Her boyfriend remained asleep upstairs, but she needed to hydrate after the workout he had just given her.

An ear to ear grin spread across her face as she thought of the actual activity they had engaged in. She had to admit, for the first few months after John had broken her heart, she never thought she'd be this happy with another man again. Now she could safely say she was happier than she ever was with John.

She hummed to herself as she began to brew a lemon flavored tea to help her fully relax into a good night's sleep. Not that Dave didn't do that enough on his own, but tomorrow was going to be a long day. Her mother aside, the rest of her family and close family friends were an exhausting experience in themselves.

Haley didn't hate her mother, or even dislike her really. But the woman was hard to live with and hard to deal with on a daily basis. She would never approve of Haley's lifestyle as a WWE Diva. That kind of occupation was only a step above prostitution in Erin Mariano's eyes. That coupled with the fact that Erin had ruled over her household with an iron fist meant their views were bound to clash. Erin loathed that she had no control over her daughter's life and Haley resented the idea that she should.

Erin had felt the best way to state her full disapproval was to deny any wrestling aspects of Haley's life. Her daughter had sent her plane tickets to Orlando, as a way to plead for her parents to come watch her compete at Wrestlemania, but the Matriarch had sent them back untouched. The same had happened with other PPV's and shows she sent them tickets to. To say Haley had been hurt by her mother's oversight of her life was an understatement.

The sharp whistle of the kettle broke Haley out of her melancholy thoughts and she shook them away. She'd have back up tomorrow, in a giant teddy bear kind of form. At this point, it didn't matter what her mother thought because she was really happy where she was right now. She had the love of a wonderful man, great friends and a career that she loved. She couldn't ask for more than that, she supposed.

So why did she feel as though her parents approval meant more than it should, especially when she thought about it in regards to Dave.

"Hey." Dave greeted her drowsily when she crawled back into bed and snuggled into his arms.

"I brought the luggage up." She told him before pressing a kiss against his cheek, which was slightly scratchy with stubble. "Someone got a little preoccupied with other things."

A chuckled rumbled its way up his chest and out his mouth. "I can't help it if you're sexy to the point of distraction, baby. Try making yourself ugly or something next time."

She slapped his shoulder and laughed. "You jerk."

"You love me." He stated confidently as she snuggled down into the crook where his shoulder met his chest. The groove there seemed made to cradle her head.

"That I do." She yawned. "That's the only reason why you get to ravish me the way you do."

"Oh please." He snorted and rolled his eyes. "You enjoyed that just as much as I did, if not more so."

"Yeah?" She raised an eyebrow. "Who says?"

"Would you like me to repeat everything you said verbatim or would me mimicking the way you screamed my name suffice?" He leered jokingly at her.

She blushed. "Shut up, Dave."

"Kiss me good night and I will." He winked.

She lifted her chin so their lips could meet in a soft sleepy kiss. "It feels right that you're here with me." She whispered. "In my bed. Good night, Dave."

"Good night, Haley." He kissed the crown of her head once she began to drift off into dreamland. "I love you."

She murmured something in her sleep and he took it positively and followed her shortly afterward.