A/N... Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews, they mean so much and I'm so glad you are all enjoying the story. Thank you for the favourites and follows, the sweet messages and just thank you in general for reading. You are all wonderful humans! Enjoy the chapter.
After a tiring day with both AJ and Punk on their feet, they finally got home later than expected, both twins fast asleep, having fallen asleep on the short car journey home. AJ hadn't muttered a word to Punk since she spoke to him earlier on in the day after his run in with Remen. She didn't have much to say to him.
"I'll put them to bed." He said as he walked into their home behind AJ, both twins in his arms, leaning on each of his shoulders.
AJ just nodded, shutting the front door over and locking it behind them as Punk walked away upstairs to put the twins to bed.
It had been a tiring day, it started off positive, but after the run in with Remen, her mood dampened for the rest of the day. She didn't understand why things had to be so personal betweeeen them. Couldn't they save everything for the fight?
She sat down at the kitchen table with a glass of water, running her hands through her hair and sighing whilst sitting back. Something about Punk fighting outside ring was different from inside. He looked more angry, like he was purposely trying to hurt and beat the life out of this man. It terrified her, and she made no mistake in telling him that. She didn't want him behaving like that, especially when their kids looked at him as such a strong, responsible figure in their life.
She was terrified for how scrappy the fight would get on Saturday. How hard each fighter was going to hit. She was shaken with fear. It was like every time she managed to convince herself he would be ok, and he would win, something came up to make her neglect those thoughts and go back to being the sick, worried fiance.
She just wanted Saturday to be done and over with, so they could move on and focus on their children more than anything. She wondered about what Remen was saying, as much as she tried to ignore him. What if Punk did end up in hospital? How could she manage without him? She struggled as it was looking after the twins herself just for a day.
She turned her head as Punk walked into the kitchen, shutting the door over behind him and slowly made his way towards her, pulling out the chair quietly and sitting down across from her.
"You gona speak to me?" He asked her with raised eyebrows, watching as she turned away from him.
"I'm tired." She waved her hand at him, "I don't want to get into this tonight." She told him.
"There isn't anything to get into, April." Punk shook her head, "We had a run in, he said some stuff and I lost my patience, things happen like that from time to time. You're only making it worse for yourself." He stared at her.
"No... you're making it worse for me." AJ said with a crack in her voice, "Why couldn't you just walk away? Just ignore what he said? I hate... I hate violence, and the security and blood and..."
"Well that's my life, sweetheart. And you knew what you were getting into. I made myself really clear from the moment I asked you on a date, that this was my life, and this is what you'd have to deal with. Here we are... nearly two years later, we have two kids, we're getting married, and now you're telling me you just can't deal with it?" He looked at her with confusion.
"You never told me you'd have such a bad temper." AJ looked across at him, "Why can't you just let things slide?" She asked him.
"Because I'm a man, April. I don't like hearing other people talk about you, or my kids. I feel like I have to defend you." Punk said, not knowing how to put how he felt in words.
"Well you don't." AJ said strictly.
"I do." He nodded, "Wether you like it or not, wether you want to believe it, you need protecting. You, Heidi and Dylan. And I'm the guy for it." Punk said.
"This isn't about you protecting me. This is about you wanting to get a one up on him before the fight. I know you. I know what you're like." She pointed to him, standing up as he grabbed her hand to stay, watching her turn around.
"That's what you think this is about?" He shook his head.
"I know that's what it's about." AJ snatched her hand away, "Fight with him outside of the ring one more time and I swear to God, Phil... I won't show up on Saturday night." She warned him, walking out of the kitchen and out of sight as Punk ran his hands through his hair, leaning his forehead down on the cold table. She was pissed, that was for sure, and the last thing he needed, especially during this week, was her being pissed with him.
The next day...
Punk had woken up the next morning to an empty bed, empty house for that matter. It looked like AJ had gotten up early with the twins and headed on over to the arena without as much as a good morning. He hated when she was in a mood with him. It just put him in a horrible mood for the rest of the day, and being around so much people, press and cameras, he couldn't be angry or annoyed. Nevertheless, the show must go on, as they said, and he headed to the arena to complete the days schedule.
AJ had indeed got up early and left with the twins, getting an early start and helping set up everything with Kaitlyn. She had now sat down to a coffee with her friend after another busy morning while the twins enjoyed playing with their toys in the play pen, occasionally pulling themselves up to look around, holding on to the sides but soon collapsing back down in a fit of giggles.
"You can't be mad with him... he needs you right now." Kaitlyn said as AJ shook her head.
"Why is it so hard for him to just walk away from a fight?" She shook her head.
"Because this is his job, AJ." Kaitlyn reminded her friend.
"No. No, his job it to fight, in a ring, with a booked opponent, gloves, gum shield, a crowd. His job is not to attack his opponents in the hall way. He needs to learn to hold it all in." AJ said just as she seen at the corner of her eye, Punk approaching them, she rolled her eyes and turned back to Kaitlyn like she hadn't seen him.
"Mind if I see the twins? I have a half hour off." Punk said as AJ nodded with agreement, raising the coffee to her lips and taking a small sip as Punk made his way around the back, saying his hello's to his children. She got lost in the sight, the way he planted lots of kisses on Heidi's head, and the way he tickled Dylan's little tummy to get that cheeky laught out of him. She couldn't be mad with him. He needed her this week, and if it meant letting this slide, then she would just have to.
She stood up from her seat with Kaitlyn, letting her get back to the stall and making her way over to Punk and the twins who had taken VIP seats of each lap belonging to Punk.
"Hey." She smiled to him as he looked up.
"You ok?" He asked her, watching her pull a chair over and sit across from him, looking on at the twins as he bounced them lightly whilst they sat on his lap.
"I guess." AJ nodded, "I was just mad, scared... you know how I get. I didn't mean to sound all harsh. You know I love you so much, and I know how much this all means to you." She said as he smiled, "I just want you to stop thinking that violence is the answer. Just hold it all in." She said, reaching over and stroking his cheek as he nodded.
"I'm sorry... things just escalate quickly with me." Punk said.
"I know." AJ nodded with a smile, "Tell daddy he has to have a little patience and self control." AJ stroked Heidi's soft cheek, watching as she looked up at Punk, the stuffed bunny rabbits ear chewed in the corner of her mouth while Dylan sat biting Punks arm instead of a stuffed animal. They were both teasing, unfortunately for Punks arm.
"Ok, but can you tell your brother to stop biting my arm?" Punk looked down to Heidi who looked back to her mother, leaning back against his chest, giving him so much comfort just by holding them, pressing a kiss on both their heads and releasing his arm from Dylan's gummy mouth.
"Are you teething, baby? Huh?" AJ asked Dylan who in response let out a defeated cry, no longer having his fathers arm to bite, his little gum sore, his lip petted over while he looked at his mother with tear streaming eye, "Awe, baby... come to mommy." She lifted him from Punks lap, tucking him into her chest as she patted his back in rhythm to soothe him, his little cries hurting her soul.
"I'm gona make us dinner tonight." Punk said as AJ laughed at his sudden blurtation, "Once we got home I want you to just relax, I'll take care of the twins, I'll take care of dinner. My way of saying sorry for reacting the way I did and scaring you." Punk said as AJ smiled.
"If you insist." She looked his way, "That would be nice." She said with a smile, watching as he placed Heidi back in the play pen, stretching over and pecking his fiance on the cheek.
"I'll see you later, ok?" He smiled, "Got to go do my thing." He said as she smiled, watching as he jogged away to go be wherever he had to be.
"Your father is crazy." AJ whispered to Dylan who looked up at her, "He is." She nodded, "But we love him, don't we?" She smiled, "Yeah." She nodded, standing up and placing her son in the play pen with Heidi, getting back to helping Kaitlyn.
Once AJ and Punk got home, Punk stuck to his promise and bathed the twins who were very sleepy, almost falling asleep in the bath. They went straight to sleep in their cots without a fight, going down as soon as their little heads hit the soft matress. Something about tucking his children into bed, even if they were only little, made his stomach do summer saults. He wanted to be there for his kids. Every minute of the day. His father barely even spoke to him when he was little, never mind put him to bed. He promised he would not be his father. He would be the father he wished he had as a kid.
After spending a reasonable amount of time saying goodnight to the exhausted twins, he headed back downstairs to finish off making dinner for him and his fiance. AJ waited out in the garden at the table and chairs while he watched her from the back door, watching as she patted Tank and Nero who recently had struck a mood with Punk, feeling he was replacing them with Dylan and Heidi.
He headed out slowly, smiling at the candles she'd lit, a magazine in her hand as she waited for her promised dinner. It was nice sometimes to do intimate things like this, to remind them that they were still young and had their full life ahead of them. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, after a long tiring day, the twins screaming and making so much mess, the dogs restless from he or AJ not having time to walk them, the phone ringing off the hook due to Punk being a popular guy... sometimes it was hard to believe they had only been doing this for nine months. Sometimes it was needed to sit down, ask each other how their day went, take a breather and relax.
"So... what are you cooking me?" She asked him with a smile as he sat down beside her at a ninety degree turn.
"Your favourite." He smiled to her as she raised her eyebrows.
"You're making me a pizza?" She asked with confusion.
"Yeah." He nodded, "Now, I can't say it will be as good as the pizza place down the street. But I'm trying." He raised his hands, standing up to go back to the kitchen when she requested something.
"Can I help?" She asked him as he turned around with a smile.
"Sure." Punk nodded, watching her jump up with excitement, running on ahead and into the kitchen where she began looking around, looking at the dough rolled up in a huge ball on the counter, sauce, cheese, a variety of toppings she could choose from.
"I haven't made a pizza since I was back home." AJ shook her head, looking at all the things laid out as Punk watched her, "I don't know if I remember." She sighed to say.
"Ok, well... I've never made a pizza in my life, so... I'm guessing we roll this out into a circle, yeah?" He asked her as she nodded with a smile. He amazed her. How she could go from being so annoyed and angry with him, to loving him completely was beyond her. Of course she always loved him, even when she was angry. But she just admired how his brain worked, how it told him to do such sweet things for her, like this. It may have been simple. Any other girl would no doubt turn her nose up at making a pizza for the night, but he knew what this meant to her. He knew it was something that brought back all sorts of great flashbacks.
Punk watched her as she took the rolling pin and began rolling the dough out, sneaking behind her and placing his hands gently on top of hers, helping her out as she smiled to herself.
"Is this right?" He whispered, sending goosebumps down her arms with his sharp warm breath on her neck.
"I think so." She nodded.
"What about... this?" He removed his hands from on top of hers on the rolling pin, placing them on her stomach just above the waist band of her jeans.
"Uh huh..." AJ nodded, soon enough feeling his hand slip inside her jeans and through her lacey panties, causing her to collapse back against his chest, forgetting about what it was she was even doing.
"This?" He asked whilst going in for her neck, pressing his lips on her tanned skin whilst his fingertips found her wet and begging for attention, finding her clit underneath the two fabricated layers, stroking in circles while he watched her grip on to the counter in front of her.
"Oh... my god." She shut her eyes, "Oh, right there." She held his arm whilst biting her lip to keep her from giving into her vocal urges. Just the slightest touch from him made her legs wobble in weakness, having no strength to resist, having no want tor resist. She wanted this. She always did.
"I hope you didn't get up to this when you were back home." He whispered whilst removing his hand from inside her panties, watching her turn around with a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her up onto the counter, sliding everything over with the outside of his arm, not caring that there was now red tomato sauce all over the counter.
She watched with a devious smile as he took his belt off, shifting her to the very edge whilst pressing his lips forcefully against her own, melting into the kiss as he tugged at her jeans, tugging back at his to speed things along.
Hours had commenced and they both sat on the kitchen floor. AJ with just his t-shirt on, Punk with only his boxers, sitting against the cupboard door beside one another, warm and exhausted, but completely satisfied in every way imaginable.
"I think I have cheese in my hair." She ran her hands through her hair with a laugh, "That's it... you've officially ruined my child hood." She playfully tapped his chest as he laughed.
"Bet it was worth it though." Punk turned to her with a smirk.
"Oh, yeah." AJ nodded, resting her head against his shoulder, both still trying to regain their normal breathing pattern back, the night slowly having ticked on to early hours of the morning.
"Why don't we go to Puerto Rico." He laid his hand on her lap, "After the fight." He said as she lifted her head to look at him.
"You want to meet my parents? My brother and my sister?" AJ shook her head.
"Well, I was thinking more about them meeting their grandchildren." Punk said as AJ nodded, turning away from him with such an obvious unreaded mind, "April... look at me." He told her as she turned to him, "What?" He shook his head.
"My parents don't know about the twins." She looked at him with guilt, "Or you." She said as Punk shook his head with confusion.
"You told me you called them." Punk said, specifically remembering asking AJ if she had contacted her parents.
"I lied." She looked in his eyes with guilt. She felt awful. Remembering she gave him a hard time for not telling his mother about their relationship and her pregnancy, yet she hadn't even told her parents she was in a relationship. She watched as he leaned his head back against the cupboard with an unwanted thud, screwing his eyes up at her, annoyed that she had lied, but also confused as to why she hadn't just called and told them. He guessed he would find out.
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