Heaven Beside You

Chapter 29: No Sleep

"Man...you look like hell," Seth cackled as he tossed his bags into the trunk of his and Roman's rental car. "Did you get any sleep?"

"No, not really." Roman sighed, dragging a hand over his face. "You mind driving? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah… I got you covered. Now do you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" Seth inquired as he readjusted the seat.

"I don't want to talk about it but long story short, my past may have come back to bite me in the ass," Roman grumbled.

"Well that doesn't sound good," Seth shrugged. "But I'm not gonna pester you for details. How's the wife and tiny humans?"

"The tiny humans are great!" Roman rejoiced. "Wifey might wanna kill me when I get back," he mumbled.

"I'm assuming it's because of the past coming back to "haunt you", situation?" Seth stated.

"Bingo!" Roman shouted, startling Seth a little bit. "Hey, can we stop at a convenience store before we get to the hotel? I wanna get something to drink and some snacks…"

"Are you gonna buy some beer?" Seth mocked.

"Bingo, again!" Roman exclaimed.

"Oh boy…" Seth grinned. He knew his buddy was probably going to end up doing something stupid later on, but for now, he figured it was best to focus on their 120-mile drive.


Christina was up pacing back and forth in her bedroom as she was unable to sleep. Roman had been gone for nearly three weeks and things were still awkward between them. She loved her husband and she knew he loved her but things had been weird ever since she had met her knock off twin, Alex.

It was bad enough meeting that chick once, but it was even worse having to see her every day. What were the odds that Alex's daughter, Chelsea, attended the same school as Noelani? She wanted to text Roman but settled for her cousin, Mallory, instead. It was late, so Tina seriously doubted that Mallory would be awake. She slipped her phone back into her pocket and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. A late night snack was the perfect cure for her agitation.

"Popcorn? Nah, I don't want fucking kernels stuck in my teeth," Tina thought as she stared into the pantry. Her eyes traveled all over the kitchen until they finally settled on the stack of brownies in her glass cake carrier. She grabbed a coffee mug from the cupboard and filled it with milk. She bumped the fridge door shut with her hip then walked over to the kitchen counter and sat down on a bar stool. As soon as she took a huge bite out of her first brownie, Mallory was calling her on FaceTime.

"Hey!" Christina mumbled with a mouthful of brownie.

"Uh… Hey!" Mallory squinted, trying to figure out what her cousin was eating. "Girl, what is in your mouth?" she laughed.

"Sorry…" Tina gulped. "I was eating a brownie."

"Ah, I see. So what's been up? I haven't talked to you in forever! How's my little chunky man and Miss Lani?" Mallory giggled.

"They're doing good. CJ is getting big and Lani is definitely sprouting up on us," Christina blushed.

"How are things with you and Deano? I feel so bad about falling out of touch with you guys… Just been crazy busy around here."

"Oh, girl it's fine…" Mallory waved nonchalantly. "And we're good. We finally settled on a place to build our house and I've got my business up and running."

"Wait...build. I thought you guys were only hunting? And you started a business?" Tina shrieked.

"Initially, we were, but then Dean wanted to get all technical and shit. Naturally, we bickered about the location and things like that but I won that argument, so now we're getting our house built in Texas."

"Wow… You actually managed to pull Ambrose out of Vegas? I'm shocked…" Christina giggled.

"Well, there is a catch. We're keeping the Vegas pad just for fun. It was my only sensible bargaining tool to get him to cooperate." Mallory laughed. "As for the business… I run an event planning company. Dean convinced me to step away from the bar scene and put my degree to good use."

"Girl that is awesome! I'm so happy for you," Christina rejoiced.

"Thanks, sweetie! It's taking some getting used to. I wasn't going to do it but Dean gave me the startup money that I refused on several occasions but he was persistent so I had no choice." Mallory shrugged.

"Ugh...why are men so difficult?" Tina sighed, looking away from her phone. She quickly swiped at her eyes hoping her cousin didn't catch that but she should've known better.

"Hold on…are you crying? What's wrong, Tee? Do I need to come to P-Cola and stab a bitch?" Mallory rapidly inquired.

"No, no…" Christina sniffled. "No need for the stabbing, at least not right now."

"Well then, what the hell is going on?" Mallory demanded.

"It's… It's really bizarre but uh, I kinda met this chick that Roman had a one night stand with…" Tina explained.

"That bastard cheated on you!?" Mallory yelled.

"God no!"

"I will beat his ass…"

"Mallory!"

"The nerve of this mother…"

"Mallory, he didn't cheat…" Tina interrupted.

"He didn't? Well, how the fuck did he have a one night stand?" Mallory scoffed.

"It happened after we split up at Tech… After I said no to his proposal. He went home for a little bit to prepare for the NFL combine and while he was there, he met this chick named Alex."

"Ugh…" Mallory groaned.

"That's not even the worst part," Tina chuckled dryly. "This girl looks like a knock-off version of me, but shorter with smaller curves and something funky is going on with her nose."

"Oh what the hell, Roman? Seriously, was he too lazy to go for a different look? Like damn… If he missed you that much, he should've brought his ass back to Atlanta and waited for you to be ready. Just for that, I need to kick his ass" her cousin huffed.

"Wait… there's more." Tina added.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Alex has a daughter named Chelsea. She's the same age as Noelani and who does she look like?"

"Nah...you're shitting me. Her daughter looks like Lani?" Mallory sighed. Christina didn't even bother to respond to Mallory's statement, she simply raised her eyebrows.

"Oh hell no! And you saw this bitch in the flesh and you let her live?"

"Well, I'm not a total savage, Mallory. I mean… Part of me wanted to rip her fucking throat out, but what can I do? She's from Roman's past. My biggest concern right now is verifying whether or not Roman is Chelsea's father." Tina murmured.

"I know, I know…" Mallory mumbled in disgust. "I take it you've seen her more recently now?"

"Yeah. Chelsea goes to the same school as Lani. I swear that bitch shoots me dirty looks every day." Christina frowned. "One of these days she's gonna say the wrong thing to me."

"And you better whoop her ass!" Mallory encouraged.

"That'd be great, but I need to conscience about my child's future," Tina smiled.

"Have you talked to Roman about any of this?"

"Here and there, but I just get so uncomfortable. And he looks so damn guilty when I bring it up but he has agreed to take a paternity test when he gets back. I'm just restless I guess…" she pouted.

"Shit, I'd be restless too," Mallory replied. "You've got thick skin sweetheart. Any other woman probably would've flipped their lid on Roman."

"I did, but I kept my composure because I didn't want to wake the kids. I probably should try to get some rest, though." Tina exhaled.

"Sounds like a plan. Rest up and do something fun with your babies tomorrow. I'm sure Lani will love a day out with her mommy and CJ will just be freaking adorable." Mallory grinned.

"Yeah, you're right." Tina nodded. "Guess I'm gonna turn in now. Thanks for listening, doll."

"Anytime hun. I'm here whenever you need me. And I will fly to P-Cola to slap a hoe if I need to…" Mallory smirked.

"You're a mess…"

"Hey, I ride or die for my family. No random bitch is gonna mess with my fam like that. And when the big man gets home, you need to remind his ass who the real queen is… No other bitch is worthy of your throne, honey. Never forget that and make sure he understands it!" Mallory proclaimed.

"Bye girl…" Tina cackled as she hung up with her cousin. She couldn't deny that she felt a little better after talking about the situation to someone. She polished off her mug of milk and filled the cup with water before leaving it in the sink. The other perk of Mallory calling was that it stopped her from eating at least 6 brownies. With her phone in hand, Tina shut off the kitchen lights and made the journey back upstairs to the bedroom.

This night was over and she definitely needed to get some sleep. She stared at Roman's empty side of the bed and wondered how he was holding up. As much as she tried to stay mad about the whole Alex situation, she missed her husband. After stripping down, she looked at her body in the closet mirror and smiled. She had finally dropped the last five pounds of baby weight and her body was back to normal. Mallory's words were floating around in her head as she stared at her reflection.

"No other bitch is worthy of my throne…"she grinned, walking into the bathroom to start her shower.


"I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna call her," Roman slurred.

"Uh… I don't think that's such a good idea, buddy." Seth said as he tried to take Roman's phone away from him.

"And why not?" Roman pouted.

"Because you're drunk… Or extremely tipsy, I can't really tell. And I don't think Christina would be too happy with you waking her up at this hour." Seth explained.

"Okay first of all… How dare you? I am not drunk. It takes more than a six pack to get me drunk. Right now, I am pleasantly buzzed. Not tipsy… just pleasantly buzzed." Roman stated, poking Seth in his chest.

"Could've fooled me, but okay. Besides, Ambrose is your drinking buddy so I would assume he knows your limit more than I do..." Seth mumbled.

"Second... I miss my Coco! I miss her face and the way she wraps around me when we're cuddling in bed. I miss her scent and her soft skin… And that ass! My God, her ass is so spectacular! It's so marvelous that I can balance my drink on her ass! She's perfect man… The only woman for me!" Roman announced proudly.

"Yeah… I know she's your queen but you're definitely not calling her right now." Seth chuckled.

"But I wanna hear her voice, man…" Roman protested. "She's my wife and I'm gonna call her…"

"Roman, I wouldn't do that if I were…"

"Too late! I hit her speed dial number." Roman smirked, putting his phone on speaker.

"She's gonna kill you…" Seth mumbled, shaking his head.

"No she's won't…"

"Yes, she will…"

"Nope! My woman loves me…"

"Hello…" Christina's voice interrupted.

"Hey, baby doll! What are you wearing?" Roman grinned.

"Roman!" Tina squeaked.

"Oh babe, hang on a sec before you tell me… Seth, get out! This is a private conversation now," Roman whispered loudly.

"Asshole…" Seth grumbled under his breath. "Goodnight Chrissy… And your husband's drunk!"

"I am not…" Roman chuckled.

"Yes, he is!" Seth shouted.

"Seth, how many beers did he have?" Christina laughed as she asked the question. Roman and Seth's bickering always made her laugh for some reason.

"He drank a whole six pack!"

"Oh… Yeah, he's not drunk yet." Tina replied.

"Yet? Nah, Nah, Nah… I'm outta here. I can't with this. I need to call Bren and check on her and the baby, anyway." Seth sighed.

"You sure she won't kill you for calling her this late?" Roman teased.

"Haha! Fuck you…" Seth chuckled as he left Roman's room. A brief silence fell over the room until Roman's phone beeped and he realized that Tina was requesting to get on FaceTime with him.


"Hey, beautiful…" Roman smiled as his wife's face popped up on screen.

"Hey, you handsome devil…" Tina blushed. "I'm mad at you."

"Aww, what did I do now baby doll?" he replied with an impish grin.

"First… You left me here feeling some type of way. For the first few days, I was heated. I'm not gonna lie… Then I got over it and got pissed again because her daughter goes to school with Lani and I see this bitch giving me dirty looks every time." Christina exhaled.

"I'm sorry baby doll…" Roman sighed.

"I know you are… And I try not to get upset with you when I see her but I just can't help but wonder if that little girl is yours? It hurts. It really fucking hurts. At first, I didn't understand why I felt like that but… I had a little girl talk with Mallory earlier tonight." she smiled.

"Ah shit… Does she wanna cut my nuts off?" Roman asked abruptly.

"No!" Christina giggled. "She's not going to get anywhere near your nuts. In fact, you should thank Mallory, the next time you see her."

"And why is that?" he inquired.

"Because she told me to remember who the fuck I am… What happened between you and Alex, that shit is the past and we're living in the here and now. You're my man and I'm your woman… Nothing or no bitch will change that. Do you understand me?" Tina queried.

"Hell yeah... I hear you loud and clear, baby!" Roman nodded. He wasn't exactly sure what his wife and Mallory had talked about but he was loving this fiery side of Christina.

"The second thing that I'm mad at you for is that you shaved your damn beard! I would've been fine if you trimmed it a little, but no… you went and shaved it all off! I'm gonna kick you in the shin when you come home," she huffed.

"Uh… well damn. I'm sorry, baby." Roman replied.

"Don't you give me that I'm sorry shit. And I wasn't finished…" Tina said sharply.

"Yes, ma'am…" Roman smirked. He ended up biting his lip in a failed attempt to stave off his growing erection, but Christina's dominate tone was definitely turning him on. "Anything else you plan on doing to me when I get home?" he groaned, pushing his hardness down with his free hand.

"Oh, I'm gonna do plenty to you when you come home, Mr. Reigns… You better believe that." she winked, licking her lips.

"Mmm...sounds dangerous," he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at Tina.

"You know how I ride…" she gleamed.

"I miss you, Coco."

"I miss you too, Ro." In that moment they just smiled at each other, until Roman quickly broke that peaceful silence.

"And you never answered my question, woman…" he chortled.

"Well shit, I figured I didn't have to answer it since we're on FaceTime and you can clearly see that I'm wearing a blue cami."

"I can clearly see that your nipples are hard… You miss big daddy that much, baby doll?" Roman said teasingly, his voice gruff with desire. Christina's mouth simply fell open as she gasped at her husband's response.

"You… I…" Tina started but couldn't even come up with a reply. Instead, she sat there staring at the devious look on Roman's face. Before she could say anything, Roman had switched the camera focus on his phone and all she could see was the tent that was pitched in his basketball shorts.

"I can't wait to bury this monster deep inside you… Have you wrapped up all around me, while I pound you."

"Shit…" Christina sighed. "I uh… I think…"

"Mommy…" Noelani's little voice interrupted as she climbed up into her parents' bed. Roman quickly switched his camera back over to his face.

"What is it, pumpkin?" Tina asked with a look of concern.

"I can't sleep…" Lani pouted, rubbing her eyes.

"Aww, baby girl…" Roman sighed. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Mhmm…" Lani simply nodded. "I dreamed I got into a fight with somebody at school."

"Did you win?"

"Roman!" Christina scolded. "It's okay sweetheart. You can sleep in here with me tonight," she said while rubbing Lani's head. She could hear Roman groan with frustration but he knew their daughter was a bigger concern.

"Guess I'll leave you ladies to it…" he smiled as Tina held her phone up so he could see both of them. "I love you both. Have a goodnight."

"We love you too, papa bear. Sleep well." Christina replied as Lani waved. Tina winked at Roman before hanging up her phone and placing it on the nightstand. "Anything I can do to help you sleep, pumpkin?"

"Can we watch some of Daddy's matches on the network?" Noelani yawned.

"Absolutely!" Tina beamed. "Which one?"

"The one where he beat Triple H…"

"I love that match!" Tina rejoiced as she tucked her daughter into their king-sized bed. Lani was a bit of a wild sleeper so she was quite happy that they had plenty of room.

Roman dragged himself out of bed and ran a cold shower. He didn't want to waste this night in an empty hotel room by himself.

"Three more nights…" he sighed before stepping into the shower.


Another chapter in the books! Wonder what's going to happen when Roman returns home? Thank you all for your patience and loyalty with this little story of mine. I really appreciate it! Be on the lookout for an update for this story, Fight Night, and I've got a new story in the works called The Bloodline.

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Till next time...

Xoxo

-S