CHAPTER 38

The women saw spring fly by with the men in their lives by their sides and an unwavering focus on their careers. The guys had been maintaining their normal road schedule through the summer, but they made it home to see the girls whenever they could. Baron officially moved in with Robin and Dean, and the kids loved having him around more often. He and Robin had been getting so close that he insisted on her coming home to Kansas with him to meet his family for a late July barbecue.

The summer also brought on new adventures for Chloe and Cesaro. They had been heavily discussing the idea of taking a trip to Cuba and after much convincing from the girls, Chloe let her guard down and decided she could go with him… as a friend. After coming around to the idea of traveling with him as a friend, she also agreed to let him stop with her in Louisiana to visit some of her family on their way out of the country.

Upon arriving in Baton Rouge, Chloe got word from her mom that there was a big family dinner in her honor and she should come over as soon as she checked into the hotel. She was visibly nervous during the taxi ride to her parents' house and Cesaro just patted her hand to calm her down.

"Why are you so nervous, Ma Cherie?" He took her hand as they turned onto Beaujolaes Avenue.

"You're about to meet my parents…" Chloe threw her head back as she watched the houses fly by.

"It's no big deal, Chlo. We're friends…it's no different than introducing any other friend to your parents." Cesaro gave her a smirk knowing full well it wasn't the same.

They pulled into her parents' driveway and they were immediately greeted by a swarm of cousins, aunts, uncles and Chloe's parents. Chloe was clearly overcome by her family, but Cesaro was completely cool.

"Hey Chlo!" Chloe's mom was the first to push through the crowd to get to her. "And who's this?" Her mom's attention went to Cesaro as Chloe's dad fanned the crowd back into the yard so they could have time to greet Chloe in peace.

"Mom, Dad…this is my friend Claudio. Claudio, this is my mom and dad, Annette and Victor Toussaint."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Toussaint." Cesaro extended his hand to Victor first, followed by a hug from Annette.

"It's nice to meet you too, Claudio. So you're the friend Chloe is traveling to Cuba with, huh?" Annette took Cesaro by the arm and led him to the backyard to meet the rest of the family. Victor put his arm around Chloe, who was still very nervous, and laughed.

"A friend?" Victor laughed to himself knowing his daughter even better than she knew herself.

After a few hours of eating crawfish, red beans and rice, and Annette's famous gumbo, Chloe and Cesaro sat out on the patio talking and having a few drinks with some of Chloe's cousins. It made her smile to see Cesaro laughing and getting along with her male cousins while she had girl talk with her female cousins.

"So y'all are going to Cuba? He sure is fine, Chlo." Chloe's sister, Maxine, leaned over to nudge her as she finished off her glass of wine.

"We're just friends, Max. Don't even start…" Chloe tried to fight the smile that was infectiously spreading across her face. "But he is fine, isn't he?" They laughed and high fived each other, drawing a wink from Cesaro.

Somewhere around midnight, most of the family had dispersed, and Chloe and Cesaro were standing at the end of the driveway getting ready to get in their taxi. Annette was busy saying a long goodbye to Chloe while Victor pulled Cesaro aside for a little talk.

"It's a shame you guys can't stay longer. We rarely get to see Chloe."

"I'd love to come back with Chloe for another visit…if she'd like me to." Cesaro smiled at Chloe standing there sharing an emotional goodbye with her mom.

"We'd love to have you back, Claudio….I look forward to getting to know you." Victor shook Cesaro's hand again before they both walked back over to Annette and Chloe.

"We're just gonna head back to the hotel and get some rest, mom. Our flight leaves first thing in the morning." Chloe was still locked in an embrace with her mom.

"Well, you guys be careful…and make sure to let Claudio open the hotel room door if someone knocks in the middle of the night. People try to prey on young women while traveling!" Annette would always look at Chloe like her baby even if she had traveled all over the world.

"Mom, I'll be fine…besides Claudio and I aren't staying in the same room." Chloe's statement made both of her parents pause and study Cesaro.

"Mr. and Mrs. Toussaint, Chloe and I are taking our time as friends. I'll always make sure Chloe is safe, but we have no problem waiting for a true courtship, and that means separate rooms." Cesaro put his hand on Chloe's back as she bent to sit down in the cab. Victor was clearly impressed by Cesaro as he and Annette waved goodbye to them while their taxi pulled out of the driveway. Chloe was so relieved at how well everything went, and Cesaro truly had a good time with her family. They both went back to their separate rooms that night, but neither of them slept a wink. They both laid awake trying to force themselves not to think of each other…they both failed.

The next morning, in another airport, Liv and Wade had just landed at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Liv had surprised Wade by planning a trip to the Chicago Bears training camp. They checked into their hotel and headed to the training site where Wade was bombarded by fellow fans and players for autographs. Olivia looked on with pride as Wade traded autographs with Jay Cutler, but there was a commotion in the crowd and Liv couldn't see what it was. After some pushing and shoving, Seth Rollins appeared at the edge of the fence to meet the players. He shook hands with Matt Forte before spotting Wade and Liv.

"Hey Barrett!" Seth shook hands with Wade before bending over to greet Liv. "Hey beautiful. I didn't know you guys were gonna be here."

"Yeah, I surprised Wade with this trip. He's a huge Bears' fan!"

"Oh really?!" Seth turned and punched Wade in the shoulder playfully. "I see your taste in teams is as good as your taste in women, Barrett." Seth's loud laugh wafted over the crowd as he followed Liv and Wade to find some open seats.

They sat and watched the training camp in silence for the first few minutes until Wade and Seth struck up a conversation about Cutler's QB style and the outlook for the team.

"Things are looking pretty good this year with Alshon Jeffery healthy." Wade leaned front to pay closer attention to what was happening on the field.

"Him and Martellus Bennett are just what this team needs!" Seth sat back at the same time as Wade did and they both tried to put their arms around Liv, who was sitting between them, at the same time. Noticing his faux pas, Seth raised his hands in surrender. "My bad, boss…" Wade pulled Liv close to him for the rest of the practice as he and Seth continued to spout stats and optimistic predictions for the upcoming season.

When the practice was over for the day, both Seth and Wade signed additional autographs for the players and fans before retreating to the parking lot.

"I don't know if you guys have plans for dinner, but I know a great steakhouse, if you'd like to join me." Seth went to get into his car as Liv looked at Wade for the "okay" to accept Seth's invitation.

"Sounds good, Rollins." Wade put his arm around Liv and started to gently pull her towards their rental car. "We'll follow you."

One short ride zipping through the streets of Chicago and they arrived at Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse. The entire ride there, it felt like Seth and Wade were flexing their testosterone. Seth was flooring it and testing Wade to see if he could keep up. The whole thing turned Liv on so much, she could barely wait to drink her ice water at the table.

"So where are you guys staying?" Seth sipped his beer that the waitress just bought to the table.

"We're at the Kinzie…" Wade sipped his drink and put his arm around Liv.

"Ahh, I'm at The Gwen." Seth was trying hard not to stare at Liv because Wade seemed to be watching his every move. "I'll be back, I have to go to the little boys' room." Seth eased out of the booth, leaving Liv and Wade alone.

"Is he gonna be with us for the whole trip? I'd kinda like to spend some time alone with my wife." Wade gulped at his drink as he rolled his eyes in Seth's direction.

"We'll have plenty of time together, baby. After dinner, it's just me and you." Liv stroked Wade's face and gave him a few gentle kisses before Seth walked back towards the table.

The three of them ate, drank and even shared a few laughs. Once Wade really had a chance to talk to Seth, he saw that they actually had a lot more in common than expected.

"Can I get you guys a dessert menu?" The waitress had been making eyes at Seth all night and his eagerness to return her flirtation was starting to get to Liv.

"I can always go for something sweet…." Seth took the menu from the waitress, taking his time to "accidentally" brush her hand.

"No dessert for me…" Liv leaned over to kiss Wade on the cheek. "I'll satisfy my sweet tooth back at the room." She ran he hand down Wade's thigh as he chuckled in her ear, while nibbling on it.

"On second thought, I think I just lost my appetite….check please." Seth handed the menu back to the waitress and sat across from Liv and Wade brooding like a child.

Before walking out of the restaurant, Wade excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving Liv and Seth alone this time.

"What the fuck was that about?!" Seth wanted to grab her, but exercised restraint in case Wade came back.

"You tell me! You were flirting with that chick all night!" Once the words came out of her mouth, Liv had to face the fact that she was jealous. Seth found a sense of satisfaction in the expression on Liv's face.

"You're jealous!" Seth pointed at Olivia and started to grab her hand, but Wade came over and interrupted their conversation.

"You ready to go, Livy?" Wade said a quick goodbye to Seth and escorted Liv to the car, and back to their hotel. Anyone with eyes could see that Liv was jealous of Seth flirting with that waitress, but Wade decided to give her space to work out whatever was going on. In the meantime, Wade would do whatever he could to steer clear of Seth being the third wheel for the remainder of their trip.

Late that Saturday night, Baron, Robin and the kids arrived at Kansas City International Airport. They got their bags and put two sleepy kids in their rental car before making the short drive to Lenexa. Robin was nervous about meeting Baron's mom and brother, but she was so interested to see the people who produced one of the loves of her life. They checked into their hotel and put the kids to bed before walking out onto the patio to relax.

"What have you told your family about me, Baron?" Robin sat nervously twirling her hair.

"I told them that you're an economic analyst who happened to be a huge wrestling fan and fell in love with me immediately." Baron jokingly grabbed Robin and stood her up. "What are you nervous about, baby?"

"I don't want your mom to think I'm some kind of freak." Robin looked up into his dark eyes and tears streamed down her face. Baron was going to make a joke about her being a freak, but he refrained when he saw how upset she was.

"Baby, stop. We already decided that we don't have to tell our families about our arrangement. As far as my mom is concerned, you're my girl. She's already met Piper and loves her. She won't ask too many questions. Just relax and be yourself." Resting in Baron's arms made all of Robin's worries disappear. They went back into their room and fell asleep in each other's arms. They'd be sitting in Baron's mother's house by preseason kickoff the next day, and Robin was trying to convince herself it was just another Football Sunday, but she knew this was a huge step in their relationship. A step she had never even taken with Dean.