My apologies for not updating sooner. Last Thursday, the 23rd, was my 21st birthday (aaahhh!) and I celebrated that night with my family. On the Friday, I went to a Bruce Springsteen concert (which was AH-MAZING) and then on Saturday I celebrated my birthday with my friends at a bar. After that some drama happened with some of my friends that I'm still kind of a mess about, so I had absolutely no inspiration for writing. However, writing this chapter definitely released some stress. It is extra long for you guys as an apology. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Xxxxx

The time Katie had off in Toronto was a blessing, but she really wished she had more of it. On Monday night she went back home with her father and caught up with him about everything that had happened these past couple of months, including how her relationship started and how life was on the road. They stayed up until 2am talking until they decided to call it a night. Daniel, Matt, Josh and Mark had all left for the cottage after Raw, deciding to make the most of the lack of traffic late at night when there was usually grid lock all the way up to Lake Joseph on the weekends. On Tuesday morning Sheamus had come over and had lunch with Katie and her dad, who enjoyed seeing his 'fifth son'. After lunch Katie drove Sheamus to the airport, where he had to fly into Ottawa for a Smackdown show, and went to go pick up Punk at his hotel so she could take him site-seeing around Toronto. She brought him to the various neighbourhoods around Toronto she loved, showed him the University of Toronto campus, where she spent five years of her life studying, and ultimately brought him back to her house at the request of her dad for a home-cooked dinner. The dinner was surprisingly calm and unnerving; Punk and her father got along very well. Joe wanted to know his only daughter's boyfriend more – see past the tattoos and lip ring. He came to find a respectful man, one he could see that truly loved Katie and wanted her to be happy. It didn't take long for him to realize this. Of course there were the few awkward silences and minimal things he and Phil didn't agree with, but for the most part, they agreed on a lot. Joe could tell Punk treated Katie with respect and that it all wasn't just a show. It was as if Joe raised him himself – he saw a lot of the values he instilled into his boys instilled into Phil as well. It made him proud, again, knowing that Katie picked a good person and was in good hands with Phil.

Wednesday Katie took Punk site-seeing some more and met up with some friends for lunch and dinner. Though she loved seeing everyone again, it was bittersweet knowing she wouldn't see these people again – some of them she had grown up with – until Christmas; even then it wasn't a sure bet, seeing as it was the holiday season and everyone would understandably be busy. She savoured the moment as much as she could. On Thursday Katie began packing her things again for life on the road, but also for the cottage weekend. She made sure to pack some bathing suits – swimming in the lake was a must – but also some sweaters as she knew nights could get cold. She cautioned Punk to pack the same way as well before he left to go to the video game store he was having his signing at. She was going to meet him there later, nearer to the starting time, so she could work and take pictures for the WWE blog before they left for the cottage.

When she arrived at the store she immediately noticed the lineup that circled almost around the block. She parked at the back so that once Punk was done, they could make a covert exit and begin the two-and-a-half hour drive up to Daniel's cottage. They greeted with a kiss as Punk was in a back room signing some mail-in autograph requests before the signing. Katie took out her camera from her purse and snapped a photo of him, the table scattered with various wrestling paraphernalia that he had already signed.

He looked at her skeptically. "You're working tonight?" he asked as he continued to sign things.

"I'm always working," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The car is out back. Where are your bags? I'll go put them in now."

Punk motioned with his head to the side of the room where his bags lay on the floor. Katie walked over and picked them up before walking towards the same door she came in. Before she kicked open the back door an associate from the store told Punk he had ten more minutes to sign before the meet and greet took place.

Katie stood against the wall of the store, photographing the line of people before Punk made his grand entrance. So many of them were wearing his t-shirts or other promotional gear and had products of their own to get signed by him. When the associate announced Punk's entrance and he walked through the doors, everybody went crazy. They cheered and chanted his name and flashes were going off everywhere from cameras and phones. Soon the autograph signing was underway, Punk meeting and interacting with all of his fans while Katie took pictures of the interactions and other activity happening in the line. Once she was done taking pictures, she quickly edited them and uploaded them to the blog, trying to come up with some funny captions and witty remarks for the photographs of the people who went all out, dressing up like Punk and scribbling Xs on the backs of their hands.

Punk took the time to make sure that everybody in line got an autograph, which meant that the signing lasted almost an hour and a half longer than it should have. When it was done, he was visibly tired but also happy from meeting his fans. The associates from the store thanked him profusely for the signing and took some last minute pictures with him before he and Katie were out the door and on the road to the cottage.

"Sorry about the wait," he said from the passenger's seat as they merged onto the highway. "I just always feel bad for the fans who don't get the autographs."

"Don't worry about it," Katie waved him off. "I totally get where you're coming from. That happened to me once."

"Seriously? What happened?"

"When I was about four Bret Hart was doing a signing at a store near my house and Mark wanted to go, but when the day came along he totally forgot about it and when he remembered, it was really late, but we went anyway. The line wrapped around the entire store all the way to the back of the building but Mark, my dad and I stood there for hours because Mark was determined to get an autograph. Anyway, we were about 150 people away from Bret Hart when they announced the signing had ended and Bret was leaving. Mark was crushed. Just when we thought all hope was lost this limo drives by the line, and out of the sunroof pops Bret Hart, and everybody just went crazy. He was waving at everyone, Mark was going crazy, and the limo ended up stopping so people could go up to it and shake his hand," Katie told Punk, who was smiling at the story. "I remember my dad picking me up and I leaned over and gave him a high five, and then he blew a kiss at me and I blushed," she continued, making Punk laugh. "Then the limo left and this woman came out and handed out these papers that Bret had signed beforehand to everyone, so my brother and I got one. This is why Bret Hart was my first crush," she smiled, looking over at Punk.

"That's crazy," Punk commented. "I never knew Bret could be such a charmer."

"I was in love with him for the longest time because of that. When my brothers and I would play wrestle I would demand to be him if I wasn't a referee. And when I danced, I made sure all my tutus were pink so that I looked like him," she said, which caused Punk to laugh even more.

"So what would happen if he just showed up backstage one day?" he asked.

"I'd probably bow down at his feet," Katie admitted in a dead-pan voice. "Totally do the Wayne's World 'we're not worthy!' chant over and over until he allowed me to stand on me feet again and be in his presence."

Katie and Punk talked for the duration of the two hour trip to Daniel's cottage. Once they had arrived, the sun was already down and the lake calm. Katie pulled into the driveway of the cottage and Punk wondered if she had pulled into the right house.

"This is Daniel's cottage?" he asked, measuring up the giant house. It was built out of logs, had a massive wrap-around deck, and was a water-front property. Punk didn't know a lot about real estate, but he knew this cost a shit-ton of money. "Does he work in corporate law or something? This place is fucking huge."

"No, not corporate law," Katie said as she turned off the car. "He's a lawyer for a construction family that is a pretty big deal in Toronto. They own a bunch of companies. You know how we passed through that subdivision on the way up here? Vaughan?"

"Yeah."

"The company he works for basically built majority of the houses up there," Katie said. "Don't even ask me how he landed that gig. He's worked hard and now he's got money coming out of his ass. Not to mention Jessica does pretty well herself."

"Jesus," Punk said as he took off his seatbelt and surveyed the cottage again. "He probably makes more money than I do."

They gathered their things from the trunk and walked up the porch. Katie knocked on the door, making sure not to ring the doorbell as she knew Emma and Ollie were sleeping, and her and Punk being there was supposed to be a surprise. Jessica answered the door and invited them in. Her brothers were soon at the door, chocolate covering most of their lips, and Katie immediately knew they had been making s'mores.

"You fatasses couldn't wait, could you?" Katie asked as she set her bag down and took off her shoes. "Did you leave some for the children? You know, who they're actually for?"

"Of course we did," Matt took mock offense to his sister's chastising. "What do you think we are? Heartless?"

"Sometimes, yes, actually, I do," Katie said. "Now where are we sleeping?"

"End of the hall," Daniel said, and Katie immediately knew what he was talking about. "Are you guys going to be ok in there?"

"We're not teenagers," Katie told her brother, grabbing her bag again, causing Punk to grab his as well. He couldn't keep up with the banter between the siblings so he just stood in silence, looking back and forth at them all, trying to make sense of the situation. "If you're that serious about it, Phil can take that room and I can take the couch."

"You can always take the basement," Matt remarked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"I am NOT sleeping in that God-forsaken basement!" Katie exclaimed, trying to smack her brother but he moved out of the way just in time so that she missed. She turned to Punk and felt the need to explain. "This basement is straight out of a horror movie. I swear to God there's a serial killer just waiting for me down there."

Punk laughed at the seriousness of her fear before he felt Josh slap him on the shoulder. "You've been so quiet. You can talk, you know. We're not going to bite."

"I just can't keep up with this!" he shrugged his shoulders, motioning at Katie and Matt.

"He's tired, Josh. He was signing autographs for like, four hours before we came here," Katie explained.

"You guys should probably go to bed then," Arianna suggested. "Tomorrow we'll start our fun. Breakfast is at nine. That's when Emma and Ollie will be down, anyway."

"Sounds lovely," Katie commented as she and Punk walked towards the stairs. "Goodnight ladies," she nodded her head at Jessica, Arianna and Emily. "And goodnight buffoons," she nodded her head at her brothers.

She and Punk climbed the stairs quietly, Katie pointing out where everyone was sleeping to him. He was still in complete awe of the house and how beautiful it was. He couldn't imagine what the lake looked like during the day, or even during the sunset. They walked into their room and found a small double bed – he and Katie would definitely be cuddling tonight. She showed him the small ensuite bathroom before setting her bag down on the bed and immediately pulling out her pajamas and changing in front of him. Punk followed suit and stripped down to his boxers and pulled out an old Ramones t-shirt to sleep in before hopping into bed and pulling the covers over he and Katie.

"I hope you're happy," she whispered to him as they spooned in the bed. From the quietness in their room they could vaguely hear the conversation that her brothers and their wives were still having downstairs.

Punk squeezed her tighter. "I am. I'm very happy right now," he assured her as he kissed the crown of her head. "I hope you're happy."

"I love you, Phil," she whispered as she traced shapes on one of his biceps. "Tomorrow will be amazing. Just you wait."

Xxxxx

At 8:30 Punk and Katie awoke the next morning and each took a shower before heading downstairs and helping Jessica prepare breakfast for everyone. Much to Punk's surprise, someone had told the family he was a pescetarian, so they planned accordingly and offered to make him oatmeal for breakfast instead of the bacon and eggs being offered. When he apologized for the inconvenience, Jessica was adamant about it not being a big deal – Emily was a vegetarian as well, so they knew what to do.

At 9 almost all the food was ready, and Daniel came down the stairs with Emma and Ollie in his arms, covering their eyes. Katie smiled widely as she finished setting the table, and Punk watched as he continued cutting some strawberries.

"Are you ready for your surprise?" Daniel asked his kids as they nodded their heads. "Okay! Open your eyes!"

Upon realization that their beloved aunt was standing in the room, they screamed bloody murder, wiggled out of their father's arms, and ran over to her, much like they did when they saw her at Raw. When they had finished attacking Katie they ran over to Punk, much to his surprise. He didn't think they would be this warm and welcoming so soon.

"Hello Mr. Phil," Emma said as she hugged him. "Are you staying the weekend with Zia Katie?"

"Yes I am," Punk nodded his head. As soon as he answered he felt something crawling onto his lap. He looked on the other side of him and noticed Ollie climbing on top of him and sitting on his lap.

"Mr. Phil, I love strawberries! Can I help you?" he asked, taking a strawberry from the bowl and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Of course you can little man!" Punk said as he readjusted Ollie's place on his lap. "How about I cut them and you put them into the bowl for me? You gotta promise not to eat them though!" he joked, causing Ollie to laugh. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes Mr. Phil," Ollie agreed as Punk handed him a sliced strawberry to put in the bowl.

Soon everyone was around the table talking and sharing food. Punk participated heartily in conversation and even helped out with Emma and Ollie, despite Daniel and Jessica asking him not to so he could enjoy his breakfast. Katie looked over at him many times during breakfast and smiled at him, impressed at how good he was with Emma and Ollie and how he didn't seem bothered by anything. She was also impressed at her brothers for not making things awkward for him, and for making him feel right at home – what she had asked them to do – so that he could have the most relaxing time possible.

After breakfast Josh announced to everybody to get their bathing suits on so they could swim in the lake. They retreated back to their bedroom and changed, Punk into a pair of generic black board shorts and Katie into a black bikini. It wasn't skimpy by any means – it was actually modest from what he'd seen other girls wear – but it hugged her in all the right places and showed just the right amount of skin. He gawked at her as she emerged from the washroom and continued to stare at her as she tried to find her towel and cover-up in her bag.

"What are you looking at?" she asked as he continued to stare at her with a smirk on his face.

"You look incredibly hot right now," Punk admitted. "I'm warning you now, I'm gonna have a hard time trying to compose myself," he said as he unexpectedly pulled her down onto his lap, a small shriek emerging from her at the sudden movement.

"You've seen me naked countless times before," she said. "I don't understand how I'm suddenly so hot now."

"Well you always are, Katie. But there's something about a bikini..." Punk trailed off, plating some kisses on her neck that made her tilt her head back in satisfaction.

"Not...not..." Katie tried to say 'not now', but who was she kidding? She was enjoying every second of this. She knew where it was headed and was apprehensive about doing it in a house full of her family and two small children, but when Punk picked her up and brought her to the washroom and closed the door, it was as if he was reading her mind. What transpired was quick and to-the-point, but not any less pleasurable than any of their other intimate experiences. They just had to make sure they weren't too loud about it, which Punk took care of when he stifled Katie's (what could have been) loud moan with a kiss.

When they emerged everyone was outside with their towels and umbrellas set up already. Emma and Ollie were hard at work filling their bucket with sand, and the boys were debating what to do before agreeing to take the boat out for a ride on the water.

"You boys go ahead first, we'll stay here and go later," Emily said as she leaned back on her towel, ready to tan. "We have the whole day."

"Sounds good in my books," Matt agreed. "Daniel, Josh, Mark, Phil...to the boathouse!" he pointed to his right. There were so many surprises at this house that Punk didn't even know where to start. A boat? They had a boat too?

"Put on your lifejackets!" Arianna exclaimed before they left. "I mean it! They'll arrest you if you don't!"

The boys walked over to the boathouse and grabbed their lifejackets before boarding the boat and getting it out of the house. They waved off to the women before Daniel steered it away from the cottage and towards the middle of the lake. Once they reached a substantial distance from the cottage, Daniel stopped the boat and anchored it, then took out some water bottles and handed them out to everyone as they sat in the sun and reveled at the view before them. The water was blue for miles, and the trees greener than Punk had ever seen. Cottages lined the coastlines of the lake, some with their own boathouses, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The day was perfect.

"So, Phil," Josh said after a couple moments of silence. "We should talk."