FCW had a show scheduled in Daytona Beach. For Ryland it felt like she hadn't seen her husband in days. He was off to work early in the mornings and returned late at night, sometimes when she was already asleep in bed. And that was on the days that he worked in Tampa training inside the local arena. When the team traveled, the couple did not see each other at all it seemed. Ryland was used to the socialite life but hours spent shopping, playing racquetball, and hanging out at the country club could only go so far. In fact, it was rather boring at times but a secret double of life of sorts had recently come in to play and that was anything but boring. The world that Cody Runnels had introduced Ryland to was filled with drama and the prim and proper wife of the good doctor suddenly found herself the centerpiece of the whole sordid tale.

Ryland was in deep. It had started out as one night accidentally crashing a party. From there it had just spiraled out of control. The next thing she knew, she was lying to her husband and getting him to write excuses for physical ailments that didn't exist. She was covering for a lost young girl who'd had an abortion. But things didn't end with the termination of the pregnancy. The plot only seemed to thicken. Maryse had been left in a bad way following the procedure. In fact, that first night had been touch and go and had left Ted, Cody, and Ryland in a state of panic. But the blonde, frightened, weak and in pain had steadfastly refused to go to an emergency room. She had made it through the first 24 hours and her condition had slowly improved but all agreed that it was not smart or safe for her to return alone to her one bedroom apartment. So she had remained at the nearby residence of her best friend, Ted DiBiase Jr. No one knew what was going on and that Ryland had forged a relationship with the other three and no one could know. She shuddered to think what would happen if Josh knew any of it to be true. But she was too far in to back out completely or leave it alone. Lucky for Ryland she didn't really know anyone except for Melanie. That created the perfect opportunity for her. Since she and Melanie were friends, that meant she knew the older blonde's schedule, where she was and where she wasn't. That set up ideal chances for Ryland to sneak away to Ted Jr.'s apartment without being detected.

The ride from Daytona Beach had been long and tiring and Ted had left frustrated that he had been left off the card. He parked his truck and walked up to his apartment. He unlocked the door and was immediately greeted by the smell of home cooked food. He opened the microwave and saw the plate that was waiting for him. Pot roast with gravy and macaroni and cheese. He smiled to himself. He loved food, especially if it didn't come from a drive thru. And Ryland was an exceptional cook. Every evening she was at the apartment taking care of a healing Maryse and while he was away at work, she always made sure to tidy up and cook something homemade. Kicking off his shoes, he walked to the bedroom and pushed open the door that was slightly ajar. Maryse was fast asleep in bed, resting comfortably. Sitting close by in the chair was Ryland. Ted stood over her. Her bare feet were tucked underneath her and her head had drifted to the side. Reaching out awkwardly, Ted touched her arm, gently shaking her awake.

"Ryland," he whispered loudly. "Ry…"

She jumped and stirred, looking up in the dim light. Shaking off sleep, the slender brunette sat up and put her feet on the floor.

"You're home."

"Yeah…"

"What time is it?" she inquired.

"Around nine."

Ryland frowned.

"It's early."

"I know. I wasn't on the card so I left."

She shot him a skeptical look.

"Does your father know?"

"Nope."

"Oh Ted," she shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? You know he's not going to like that one bit."

"He'll get over it," Ted brushed it off before motioning over to the bed. "How is she?"

"Good," Ryland sighed. "Much better, I think. She ate a whole meal tonight and she even sat up for a while. I helped her with a bath, I think it made her feel a lot better. It's a process but today was a good day."

"Thanks for dinner," he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Ryland stood and straightened Maryse's covers before following him out into the living room area.

"I hope you like pot roast. I know you like to stick more to the high protein foods like chicken and fish."

"Beggars can't be choosers," he joked. "You're doing me a favor and your cooking is always delicious, just like my grandma's. I can't complain, besides, it's much healthier than McDonald's."

"Well, I hope you enjoy it," she looked for her keys and purse.

"Leaving so soon?" Ted cleared his throat.

Ryland looked up.

"I want to beat Josh home…"

"You will. They won't even be leaving Daytona for at least another hour or two. You've got plenty of time. Have you eaten yet?"

"I had a few bites when I was cooking…"

Ted pulled up a chair.

"Sit."

"Ted…"

"I'm serious. You spend so much time taking care of us that you forget to take care of yourself. You need to eat, Ryland."

She bit her lip.

"Okay…maybe, I'll have a little…"

He prepared the plates and warmed them up before getting them something to drink. Ryland couldn't help but chuckle softly when he accidentally touched the piping hot bottoms and burned his fingers.

"Fuckl!" he yelled out.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

She stood and took a look at his hand with its red tips. Ryland ran the cold water from the faucet and held his fingers underneath it.

"It doesn't look too bad, you just don't want it to blister," she said.

He simply nodded and when he looked down at her, their eyes met and Ryland cleared her throat and quickly looked away. He dried his fingers and they sat back at the table eating in silence.

"This is real good, Ryland," he said between mouthfuls. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. It is my grandmother's recipe, in fact."

"Yeah, Mrs. Shore was a real good cook. I remember her blueberry cobbler on Sundays after church."

Ryland faintly smiled.

"Those were some good days in the summer."

Their casual conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Ted's phone. He glanced at the touch screen before sending the call straight to voicemail.

"Anyway, what were you saying?" he asked.

"Nothing. I…if you need to take that…"

"It was just Kris."

Just Kris. Ryland cringed at his tone. It was his wife he was talking about.

"Um…"

"It's cool. I just don't feel like talking to her now."

"I'm leaving soon…"

"I know."

"Ted…"

"Look, it's not you. And I know this looks and sounds bad but it's just that Kris and I argue a lot. And lately when we're not doing that we just hold the phone and listen to each other breathe. Tonight was rough enough as it is and with everything going on with Maryse…I just don't feel like dealing with it."

Ryland looked away.

"You don't have to explain to me."

"I see how you look at me. And I know before you thought I was having an affair."

"I was mistaken."

"Yeah but it's just weird."

He looked down and she could tell he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She knew she should leave it alone but in the moment he looked like he needed a friend.

"What, what's weird?"

Ted tapped his fork against the plate.

"Kris and I were happy once. I was crazy about her, knew right away that we were gonna spend the rest of our lives together. Then it's like one day everything just changed. We were just two different people. I know I'm not perfect. I make a lot of mistakes but I need my wife, my best friend, not somebody who judges me and looks like she can't stand me. Kris says she loves me but sometimes I feel like she doesn't even know me."

Ryland was taken aback at his candor and vulnerability.

"I, um, I don't know what to say. Sometimes people grow apart. But marriage is tough, Ted. You know that. It takes faith and courage and love and lots of hard work. When you feel like you're growing apart, stop in that moment and instead grow together."

He looked right at her.

"Sometimes I don't know if I want to. Does that sound bad?"

"Ted…"

"I'm not happy anymore," he admitted.

"With Kristen?"

"With Kris and work and me and just everything."

"I'm sorry."

"Shit happens, right?"

"Yeah," she wiped her mouth. "It does."

"What about you?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you happy? With your life and Josh and stuff?"

Ryland squirmed in her seat.

"Josh is a good man, a good person. He has provided me with a great life."

"That's not what I asked you. I asked if you were happy."

"Why would you ask that?"

Ted shrugged.

"Cause sometimes I see it in your eyes, unhappiness, I mean. And he's always gone, always working. Not to be mean and all but you just remind me of a lot of my mom's friends who are married to these big shots and have this good life and all this money but they're really not happy."

"I am happy for the most part. No one is happy all the time, I suppose. But I love Josh. I respect what he does, I admire his dedication. Sometimes I do wish things were different, that he was around more often but my life could be a lot worse. I really shouldn't complain."

"You're a good person. You deserve to be happy. You shouldn't have to settle."

"And neither should you," she spoke to soon.

"Ry…"

"That's not what I meant," she countered. "I barely know Kristen and what I do know, she is a very nice girl. I like her a lot. Every marriage has problems and I am not judging yours. I hope you two will be able to work out your differences and get back to where you used to be. As for me, I didn't mean to make my situation sound so dire because it is far from it. I like my life and I am happy with Josh. Sure it gets frustrating sometimes because his career is so demanding but it is nothing we can't handle."

"I get it," Ted replied quietly.

Ryland stood to clear the table. She put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"I am going to start this, just make sure you put them away when they're done. I should be going."

"If you have to…" Ted stood.

He watched her and in a few minutes, she had gathered her stuff and was headed to the door.

"I will see you soon."

"Yeah. Okay."

"Call me if you need anything or if Maryse gets worse."

"Alright."

"And Ted?"

"Yeah?"

Ryland looked embarrassed.

"Can we just sort of forget what I said earlier at the dinner table?"

He gave her a small smile.

"Consider it forgotten."

She knew she could trust him.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you. You've been a real blessing around here, that's for sure. Don't know what I would do without you."

Ryland looked him in the eye as she shuddered even in the muggy and warm night weather. They had gotten closer in just a matter of a few days but Ryland knew eventually, she would have to take a step back. But on this night, all she could do was smile and nod at him.

"Good night, Ted."