Chapter 26: I Love You

*Author's Note: Another big chapter to read…I think this is the last consecutive major chapter I'll be writing for now. Don't worry, it's not the last major chapter for the entire story. In fact, read this one because it's the second most important chapter for John and Katharyn's relationship (after the San Francisco one, of course)*

July 10th, 2011: One of the many chapters that has been updated, rewritten, and looking brand new :)

Thank you to Emzy2k10, Bubbly-Soda, and violentkisses20 for your amazing reviews!

August 30th, 2010: Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, California

John's POV

We were back up in Los Angeles for Smackdown tapings tomorrow, and since Katharyn and I had the day off today, we decided to hit the beach after our daily morning workout in the gym. Man, I haven't been to the beach for a while; not since Smackdown was in Cannes for a day for a house show, and that was I think, more than 6 months ago, way before Katharyn had joined Friday nights.

I definitely find the beach even more fun, now that Katharyn's with me and looking irresistibly sexy in that little pink and purple bikini she was wearing right now. Much to my delight, she admitted to me that she had started wearing them more regularly now that she felt more comfortable about it. Damn, I wouldn't mind if she wore nothing but bikinis everywhere she went. If sexiness could kill, I would've been long dead by now.

She was lying next to me on the beach towel I'd laid out for the two of us, her head leaning against my bare chest and her soft, gentle hand caressing my abs. God, she has no idea how much that turns me on. And to add to that, that's what her character Katona does to John Morrison whenever they're alone in a backstage hallway or empty locker room.

Katharyn was looking up at me lovingly with those big, gorgeous eyes of hers, which were a glistening mix of light blue and purple. Yeah, I know. Her eyes are like Swarovski crystals – they change color at the best times of the day. I could stare at them for the rest of my life. My hand was running up and down her side, along her waist and hips, slowly and gently. I gave her a sweet kiss on the lips and pulled back to once again, get myself lost into those ever-changing colors of her eyes.

"You feeling better, love?" I asked softly, running a hand through her soft golden brown hair.

"A little," she replied, looking down at where her fingers were tracing out my abs, "I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment."

"Love, you can tell me how you feel anytime you like," I said, giving her another peck on the lips.

She sat up and stared into the distance. I put a hand on her lower back and stroked it. "I'm still recovering from the effects of breaking up with Cody," she confessed, "it's so hard to recover from a breakup with someone whom you've been for a really long time, especially since that someone was your very first love. Cody was my first love. He was an amazing boyfriend to me. I was so devastated when I caught him cheating on me with another girl, because he was never that type of guy at all."

I sat up along with her, taking her into my arms, "People change over time, love. You know someone for an extremely long time, and sometimes they change into something that's completely different from who they were a long time ago when you first met them. It was the same situation with my ex-girlfriend. At first I thought she was a great girl, and in the end I found out her true colors."

"Just like me and Cody too, I guess," she replied, shrugging, "but his change seemed so sudden. It was about six or eight weeks after being separated from him and he suddenly started acting like a pervert. I suppose that happened when he met Valerie, who's fake in every single part of the body you can think of. Wonder if she's not really a girl at all."

I burst out laughing, kissing her on the cheek and hugging her tighter. Katharyn blushed, making her rosy cheeks more prominent, causing me to chuckle again and kiss her jaw.

"So what do you have planned out for us for the rest of the day?" she asked sweetly, lying back down onto the towel. I followed her suit and pulled her on top of me. She smirked at me flirtatiously as she began stroking my pecs with her finger. My abs clinched upon the silky touch of her tender skin.

"Well," I began, bringing her in closer, "first we can hit a place around here for lunch, and then we'll head back to the hotel to get cleaned up. After that, I want to show you somewhere really special. And after that," I lifted my head up to her ear, "I've booked a very romantic dinner for just the two of us tonight," I whispered, before laying a kiss on her ear.

Katharyn's smile widened. "Do you mind giving me any details about it?" she asked.

"You'll have to find out later, love."

"Really? Can't you at least give a little hint? Not even a teeny little hint?" she begged, giving me the most adorable puppy-dog look I had ever seen in my life.

"I would love to, but it would ruin the whole purpose of it being a surprise," I teased her, catching her lips with my own for a passionate kiss.

She giggled into the kiss and broke away, her eyes clearly stating she wanted to play games.

"Oooh, playful, aren't we?" I teased her, grabbing her and kissing her again.

"Not now, John," she said, parting her lips from mine and laid her head against my chest.

Katharyn shifted so that she was lying close to me on her side. We just sat there in each other's arms, inhaling the sea breeze, watching the waves crash onto the beach, my hand gliding along the smooth curve of her hips while hers combed through my hair. I wanted to spend the entire day like this with her, just in our beachwear, but I knew I had to move in if I wanted to carry out my plan.

"Should we go, love?" I asked her softly, brushing back her hair.

"About time, I'm starving," she joked, getting up and extending a hand so she could pull me up.

"Damn, woman, you are strong," I chuckled, when she pulled me up with so more force she had pulled me into her and almost fell back.

"I try to be gentle," she giggled adorably, slipping on her white cover-up dress. We made our way towards the nearby café to have lunch as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. I glanced around and smirked at the several male onlookers staring at Katharyn, as though reminding them that Katharyn was with me and not them. Katharyn's head perked up and she gave me a heartfelt smile, her periwinkle blue eyes twinkling. I couldn't help but smile back at her. She was just too adorable to ignore.

"So how has your family been doing lately?" I asked, striking up conversation after we'd placed our orders.

"Kyle's in Carlsbad because he had to go back to work; he works at the Four Seasons Hotel there, you see. Mum's placing our apartment in London for rent to make some money, and in the meantime, she's moving our stuff to the house in Surrey, while some of it goes to the family mansion for safekeeping. She'll then fly over to San Francisco to see my dad for a month, and then she'll have to check on her properties in Fresno, Orlando, Toronto, DC, and then she'll go see her in-laws who are living in St. Louis," explained Katharyn, "Dad, on the other hand, is doing some cleanup in the penthouse so he can make room for more stuff Mum will be bringing over by shipping back a few of my things as well as some of Kyle's."

"The shortened version of that will be better, babe," I joked, adding a little flirtatious slur into the last word.

"What did you just call me?" asked Katharyn suspiciously.

"Nothing," I lied, pretending to act innocent.

Katharyn's POV

Lunch at the Beach Café was excellent; I enjoyed the chicken salad sandwiches very much, and John even let me try some of the delicious fish and chips he'd ordered, which was apparently their specialty.

Today, John had decided to take me out around Los Angeles, because he wanted to show me around his hometown. I've never really been to LA before; I've only passed through the airport and the area around it. Since I got to show John around San Francisco, why not let him show me around LA? I thought to myself, Maybe someday when Teddy gives us a couple of days off or if we happen to go to Europe for touring, I could take him on a tour to my native country of jolly ol' England.

"So where are we going after this?" I asked curiously, as we drove out of the parking lot and away from Manhattan Beach.

"I want to show you this place which I consider extremely special," said John, "I want to show you the place I grew up in during my early years."

I smiled. I couldn't wait to see the place where John spent his childhood in. I already liked Los Angeles; it was bright and sunny, and John had rented a convertible with the top down, so as we drove along the road right next to coast, I sighed at the feeling of the wind running through my hair. John looked so handsome with his Ray Ban sunglasses and his long brown hair flowing with the wind as we cruised along the coastline. I couldn't stop staring at John, my eyelashes battering at him. He looked just like a movie star.

We drove on the road for the next fifteen minutes or so, listening to the sound of Skillet blasting through the speakers. There was a place to plug in an iPhone in the convertible, so John let me plug in mine and I put up the playlist with all of my favorite songs on them. I felt as though I were in a movie, sitting next to my co-star in the car as we drove along an empty highway in the middle of the day, donning our sunglasses and our hair both loose and free to flow with the wind.

John pulled over to a smaller road that eventually led to the most beautiful house I had ever seen in my life. It was positioned by a cliff, which overlooked the ocean, the waves splashing on the rocks below the cliff. The house was completely white with clear transparent glass adorning the windows, front door, and the balcony. White rose bushes were planted along the spacious driveway, where a silver Lexus was parked.

I think I completely fell in love with this house.

"Oh John," I gasped, "it's so beautiful."

"Welcome to Palos Verdes, love," said John sweetly, "this is my home."

"Do you live here all by yourself?" I asked.

"Nope, it's the house where I grew up in," replied John, reversing into the driveway, "my parents live here too. My sisters moved out a while ago so they recently made renovations to the place. It looks much better now than it did back when I was in middle school."

"That's sweet," I replied, "it's nice to have your parents stay with you. You still have them around whenever you need help with anything."

"That is a thought," joked John. I dropped my jaw and lightly punched him in the arm jokingly, "Gosh, you're so mean!" I teased him.

John got out the car and walked over to my side, offering my hand. I took and he kissed it sweetly. I still couldn't stop staring at the house as he led me through the sliding glass doors.

The furniture was all of soft colors; peach, light blue, sandy brown, and a few soft light greens here and there. On the opposite side of the room were French doors that opened up to a balcony deck that overlooked the cliff, and it was also where the dining area was. The spotless marble kitchen took up the entire left side of the first floor, and in the middle of the room was a spiraling staircase that went round a huge glowing light pillar. On the right side of the room was the living room: a modern off-white couch was facing a plasma screen TV and the walls displayed various pictures of what I supposed was John's family.

I walked over to a picture of a little boy with sunglasses sitting in a toy car and smiled at it, giggling to myself. I felt John's arms wrapped around me and his face buried in my neck.

"Do you mind not looking at my little kid photos?" he joked.

"But you look so cute!" I protested.

"Well I was cute then. But now I'm irresistibly handsome," he boasted jokingly, kissing my neck.

"Oh stop being so full of yourself," I giggled.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from the spiral staircase, and two voices calling out John's name.

A man in his late fifties as well as a woman who looked about his age came jogging down the spiral staircase. I supposed they were John's parents, for they suddenly came charging towards John and attacked him with greetings.

"Johnny! You're here!" shrilled the woman, attacking John with hugs and kisses. The man, on the other hand, whacked John hard on the back. I couldn't help but giggle at John, who was being suffocated by his mother's infectious hugs and kisses.

"Johnny boy! What brings you here from work?" asked the man.

"And who is this beautiful young lady you've brought here?" asked the woman curiously, her bulbous brown eyes turning towards me.

"Katharyn, I'd like you to meet my parents," John introduced me to his mother and father.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir and ma'am," I replied, shaking John's father's hand. His mother, on the other hand, pulled me into a big hug.

"She's your girlfriend, Johnny?" Mr. Hennigan asked his son.

My cheeks turned red. I wondered how John was going to respond to this question.

"Not yet, Dad," said John honestly, though he tried to hide the blush in his cheeks as well, "Katharyn and I are close, but not that far just yet."

"Well make it snappy, Johnny. She's very beautiful and very polite," said Mr. Hennigan, eyeing me and nodding in approval, "definitely a keeper. You'd better hurry up and move it before she doesn't want to wait anymore."

"Dad!" groaned John, whilst my face reddened further, "we're not dating! We're just close friends!"

"But she is such a darling, Johnny!" squealed Mrs. Hennigan, her eyes still fixated on me and her smile grinning even wider, "sweetie, can I get you anything?"

"Oh no, it's fine, thank you very much," I said.

"Hmm, she's British too, eh?" asked Mr. Hennigan, "she's approved, son. I like the British; they're so polite and patient, not like that other horrible bitch, Melina. Miss Lincoln, she was nothing like you; always took my boy out to these funny places and then left him waiting for hours while she screwed around with other assholes."

"Oh don't remind me of her, Todd!" exclaimed Mrs. Hennigan, who looked disgusted, "she was a horrible, horrible woman and a terrible influence on my Johnny!"

I tried to hide a laugh. I could tell from Mr. and Mrs. Hennigan's outbursts that they strongly disapproved of their son dating Melina in the past.

"So, Miss Lincoln, has my son treated you properly?" asked Mr. Hennigan.

"Oh he's been such a great friend, sir. He's so great to me since we first met," I replied, smiling at John, who returned it back with a dazzling million-dollar smile that made me melt.

"Hmm, I sense a spark between the two of you!" said Mrs. Hennigan, clapping her hands excitedly, "why don't you stay here for the night, sweetheart?"

"Sorry Mom," said John, walking over to me and putting an arm around my waist, "I'm taking her out for dinner tonight, plus tomorrow we've got to go back to work."

"You are so busy nowadays, Johnny," said Mrs. Hennigan, shaking her head, "and you're always getting hurt! Does your boss—what's his name, Vince McMahon—pay you enough?"

"Oh plenty, Mom," replied John, "do you guys mind if Katharyn gets cleaned up here? I need to go get something from downtown."

"Not at all, son," said Mr. Hennigan, "Miss Katharyn, you are welcome to come here anytime you like. Make yourself at home while your good friend ditches you temporarily for his other friend."

"Dad, it's important," said John. He stepped up to his father and whispered something inaudible in his ear.

"Sweetheart, you can use our bathroom, it's real nice," said Mrs. Hennigan, taking my hand, "I've got lots of nice shampoos and conditioners for your beautiful long hair. Darling, it's just so perfect."

Before John left to get whatever he had to get, he pulled me in and whispered, "I'll be back, love," before kissing me on the forehead and hopping back into his convertible.

As soon as John was gone, Mrs. Hennigan quickly let me up the stairs, through the master bedroom, and into this extremely luxurious-looking bathroom that had a large bathtub and even a shower large enough to fit four people.

"I've got some fresh towels for you, sweetie, and once you're done don't change yet, because there's gonna be something real nice for you to wear for your fancy dinner with John tonight," said Mrs. Hennigan, turning on the tap in the bathtub, even though all I honestly needed to use was the shower, "here's some nice vanilla flavored bath salts," she said, placing what looked like a cube into the water, which dissolved, "and once you're done with your bath you can step into that shower and rinse it all off, and of course wash that gorgeous princess hair of yours. Bathrobes are over there by the door, feel free to take whichever one you'd like, they're both the same size. And once you're done, sweetie, just give me a call and I'll come up and do your hair and make-up. Just so you know, I used to be a beauty stylist, so you don't have to worry one bit, darling." She then placed an entire bottle of bubble bath solution in the water. Bubbles began to form on the water.

I was speechless. It was as though Mrs. Hennigan had read almost every single question that was stirring in my mind at the moment and answered them flawlessly. I really liked her. She was so bubbly and so mom-like, well of course she's a mom, but she's not my mom, yet she was very warm and sweet towards me.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Hennigan," I replied. Mrs. Hennigan turned off the tap and walked towards the door.

"Take all the time you want, sweetie," sauntered Mrs. Hennigan, as she closed the door and locked it for my convenience.

Indeed, I took the time to relax in the bathtub, surrounded by foamy bubbles. I took a few into my hand and blew, watching them break apart into smaller bubbles and float off of my hand into the air, where they eventually disintegrated. John's parents were so sweet to me, as though I were their own daughter. Of course I'm not, because that would be extremely disappointing for me if I were John's sister and not his friend.

I looked around the bathroom and sighed in relaxation, letting myself float in the bathtub. I loved Palos Verdes. No wonder John was excited to show me his childhood home. I was jealous at the fact that he grew up in such an amazing house. The cliffs that the house overlooked strongly reminded me of Ireland, where I went when I was about five or six years old.

Once I was done with my bath and shower, I did exactly what Mrs. Hennigan informed me to do earlier—dry up, put on a bathrobe, and call her up to do my hair and make-up. I was surprised at how willing Mrs. Hennigan was to help me prepare for my date with John later tonight.

"Okay, sweetie, let's get started on your hair," said Mrs. Hennigan, taking a blow dryer and an all-round brush, "God in all of my life, never have I managed anyone's hair like this before. It's so precious, darling. Is the color natural?" I nodded. "Amazing, darling, it's so amazing. Your hair is the most gorgeous golden brown I have ever seen in my life. Y'know my sister tried dying her hair like that and she ended up looking like an alpaca."

I smiled and stared back at my reflection in the mirror as I waited patiently for Mrs. Hennigan to dry and style up my hair.

"Did John actually ask you guys to do all of this for me?" I asked curiously, wondering why Mrs. Hennigan had offered to do my hair and make-up for tonight's dinner.

"Mostly," replied Mrs. Hennigan, "you know sweetie, he never asks us for anything unless it's something extremely important."

"I guess this dinner must be extremely important to him."

"Correction, sweetie—you are. He's never done anything like this before for any of the girls he's hung out with, not even that ex-girlfriend of his, thank God for that. When you two walked in earlier, I don't think I've ever seen him this happy."

"What do you mean?"

"John just adores you, Miss Lincoln," sighed Mrs. Hennigan happily, "whenever we talked to him on the phone or on Skype, all he'd talk about was you. He'd talk about what you two did together that day and whatever you guys work on together on TV. He'd go on and on about you and he just never wanted to stop. I've seen him with quite a few other girls before and never have any of them made him look like he was crazily in love."

I sat up as my heart did a somersault. Did Mrs. Hennigan just admit John was in love with me?

"He cares so much about you sweetie, it's just so romantic," sighed Mrs. Hennigan, securing my hair into a side ponytail with a sparkly rhinestone clip, "I just wish John would ask you that question already."

"What question?" I asked curiously. But Mrs. Hennigan didn't answer me.

As Mrs. Hennigan was applying eyeshadow on me, I heard the door open and her husband's voice saying, "Tell her to wear these when she's done."

Once Mrs. Hennigan was all done with my make-up, she told me to open my eyes, and right before me was one of the most elegant dresses I had ever seen in my life – an asymmetrical champagne-colored dress that had a golden belt around the waist. Alongside it were a pair of gold heels, as well as matching drop earrings and a gold cuff.

"Darling, you look like a goddess," gasped Mrs. Hennigan, after I had slipped into the dress and shoes. She helped make sure that I didn't mess up my hair as I put on the dress, "you're going to knock every man you pass out cold."

"Thank you," I replied, stepping out of the master bedroom. Mrs. Hennigan accompanied me down the stairs so that I could meet John, who looked so sexy in that button down dress shirt and pants, and his hair was tied back neatly in a ponytail. John's eyes immediately lit up as I came into view of his sight, his jaw dropped in fascination.

"She's all yours, Johnny," said Mr. Hennigan, nodding to his son.

John stepped in close to me and took my hands in his. "You look absolutely stunning, love," he complimented, examining me up and down.

"Thanks to your wonderful parents, of course," I noted, nodding over to John's parents, who were smiling at us like we were a homecoming couple.

"Johnny, it's like your prom all over again," sighed Mrs. Hennigan dreamily.

"Have fun, you two," said Mr. Hennigan, following us out of the house. Mrs. Hennigan let out a girly 'Awwwwww!' as John kissed my hand before opening the car door and letting me hop into the front seat first.

"Let's get away from my overprotective parents, love," he joked, giving me a flirty wink before driving off to our next destination. I smiled as I heard Mrs. Hennigan screaming at us, "Ask her the question, Johnny!"

August 30th, 2010: I Love You

"Oh my God…John," I gasped in amazement, as John pulled over to a sign that read 'Valet Parking' in front of an extremely fancy-looking restaurant by the beach, the neon sign on the top of a building reading 'The Sky Room'. "This is where you're taking me for dinner?"

"Yes it is, love," said John, revving up to the valet. John exited the car and helped me out of it as well, taking my hand as I climbed out of the car and kissed it. He led me into the restaurant, where he informed the server about his reservations, and soon the friendly staff led us to a table that had the perfect view of the beach, as well as the perfect spot to feel the sea breeze blowing in from the ocean.

"The stuff here looks so expensive," I said, my eyes wide as I stared at the prices listed next to the food and drinks on the large, "are you sure you can afford all of this?"

John chuckled softly, "Everything's on me tonight, love. Don't worry about it. Tonight's the night you can have whatever you want from me; I want to spoil you."

"You don't have to spoil me to show that you like me, John."

"But I want to," said John, gazing at me, his sexy brown eyes swirling with so much love and passion I immediately gave in.

John and I spent the entire time at dinner, just talking and eating at the same time. Even though I already liked him a lot, I found myself falling more and more in love with John. I began to find him even more and more attractive as each day passed by since my breakup with Cody. I wanted to tell John so badly, but I couldn't. I need to find the right time to tell him. I had to. Somehow.

The food was just out of this world. If I hadn't had such a limited appetite, I would've eaten every single item on the menu. John paid for the bill as he ignored my protests after I'd glanced at the total cost of our extremely high-class dinner.

After paying the valet his fee, John drove to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to pick up our dessert, and then he drove off to a nearby hill. He parked the car not too far away and let me up. There was a lone tree right on top of the hill, which overlooked the city of Los Angeles in nighttime. John sat down against the tree and pulled me into his lap. We fed each other tonight's dessert; chocolate coated strawberries from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

This was so romantic. It was just the two of us, lying next to each other on top of a hill that overlooked the bright lights flashing from civilization below us, feeding each other chocolate-coated strawberries. I looked up into John's sparkling brown eyes as he fed me a fat strawberry.

"John, I absolutely loved spending time with you today," I said to him. I couldn't stop staring at him affectionately; he was so sweet for bringing me out tonight on such an amazing date, "in fact, I love spending time with you every single day."

"Me too, love," said John, kissing my forehead, "I'm glad that I got to take you out and spoil you with every ounce of affection I have for you. Here, I've got something for you." He fumbled through his jacket and pulled out a small blue velvet box and a tiny scroll. "Open it," he prompted me, placing the box in my hand.

I stared at the little box curiously, wondering what was inside of it. My eyes widened when I opened the box to reveal a beautiful teardrop-shaped aquamarine Swarovski pendant that was circled by pure silver streaks. I smiled as I shifted it slightly, causing the crystal to change from aquamarine to a light purple. "It's so beautiful," I gasped, turning the pendant around, watching the crystal change colors. John took the pendant from me, hooked it around my neck and laid a kiss on the side of my neck.

"The necklace brings out your eyes, love," said John, smiling at me. He passed me the small scroll, which I took from him and unraveled:

Dear Katharyn,

I fell in love with you from the very day I first saw you. I love to hear you laugh, and when you cry I'm there for you. I want to be the one whom you love more than anything in the world. I want to be the one whom you hug and kiss. I want to be the one who holds you tight when you go to bed at night. From the moment we first met, all I wanted so badly was for us to be able to be more than just friends. Every night I picture us in my dreams, together and so in love with each other. I hope I can make that dream a reality when I ask you the utmost important question…

With Love,

Your Secret Admirer

I glanced back up at John. I noticed his eyes were sparkling the exact same way they did whenever I told him about these secret admirer notes. John caressed my cheek and turned my face towards his. He brought us in closer.

"It was you," I whispered, staring intently into his gorgeous brown eyes. We were now so close to each other, our noses were touching.

John smiled, and slowly, so slowly, we came closer and closer until our lips met in a passionate yet tender kiss. I ran my fingers through his hair as his hands went up and down my back and stroked around my waist gently. After what felt like forever, we slowly parted, opening our eyes. We were so close to each other, and we were lost in each other's eyes. John caressed my cheeks lovingly with the back of his hand. I was burning inside from John's eyes piercing straight into mine intently.

"I love you, Katharyn," cooed John softly, his eyes filled with so much love and affection it made my heart melt, "I love you so much. I've loved you since the day I saw you at that hotel restaurant in Pennsylvania, waiting for your eggs to get cooked. I loved you whenever we talked, whenever we joked, whenever we laughed, and whenever we worked together. I never stopped loving you even when you reunited with Cody and spent nearly every minute of your life with him. I still loved you even when you kissed him in that hotel lobby; I never gave up on you. And now, after everything we've done together since April, since we first became the best of friends, I want us to be something more, more than just friends. Please, Katharyn, be my rock, be my world, be my one and only girl."

My heart fluttered in my chest. I instantly melted at that loving confession. I felt tears escape from my eyes from those heartfelt words. John kissed away my tears before bringing my lips back to his. The kiss soon turned into a hot, passionate make-out session that seemed to go on forever.

"Yes, yes I will. I love you too, John," I whispered back, once again kissing him. John and I spent the entire time like that on top of that hill, kissing for hours and hours.

I didn't want to go back to work tomorrow. I wanted to spend the rest of the time of my life with John. John, and only John.

Because I love him.