Chapter 38

Almost in the blink of an eye, 5 months passed and it was 2 weeks until Maura's due date with the twins. They were growing like weeds inside of her and surprisingly, both were doing very well. Normally, one twin took all the nutrients the mother supplied while the other suffered. Maura was lucky to have two healthy babies and did everything by the book, eating all the right foods along with getting plenty of rest. Kinsley was a blessing to have in her life and kept her word, sticking by Maura's side throughout the pregnancy. Every doctor's appointment she managed to schedule around when Kinsley was home from the road. Kinsley had even hired a painter to come in and redo the walls a lavender since Maura didn't want to know the sex of the twins until they were born. She wanted to be surprised.

It saddened her Joe wanted nothing to do with the twins until the DNA testing, but that was his choice and he would regret it when he found out he was indeed the father. He missed out on so much during the pregnancy, mainly the ultrasounds when Maura could see them moving on the screen and hear their heartbeats. It was miraculous and the sweetest sound in the world; possibly the only thing to stop her from giving up living. The twins were literally making her push forward with her life without Joe. It nearly killed her when she received the divorce papers 3 months into the pregnancy. As much as Maura didn't want to sign them, she felt obligated to do it after keeping the Mail-Order Bride secret from him. She cried for a week after sending them back to Joe's lawyer and promised the twins she would do everything in her power to make their father was part of their lives. The divorce hadn't been finalized yet, but Maura knew it was only a matter of time before she was an ex-wife and single again.

Kinsley noticed Maura's change in demeanor after sending off the divorce papers, sitting at the table reading over it with her. She didn't want Joe trying to screw her friend more than he already was by denying the twins. Maura became distant and quiet, spending most days sleeping and staying up at night silently crying while watching sappy movies. Mostly romance or movies with sad endings. The twins were thriving while their mother was completely miserable. Why couldn't Joe get his head out of his backside and give Maura a chance to explain what happened? The reason why she was part of the Mail-Order Bride scheme? She was tired of watching her friend being heartbroken over a man who didn't want her all because of a past mistake she made. Besides, wasn't marriage supposed to be 'for better or for worse', or something like that? It made her think about her situation with Jon, or lack thereof.

All that happened between them for the past 5 months was sex. Sex, sex and more sex. Sex at the arena, on top of the arena, in back of the arena, at the hotel anywhere they wouldn't get caught. Some places Kinsley thought they might, but luckily it didn't happen. The 2 days off she had with Maura was a reprieve from the sexathon her and Jon were on. She wasn't complaining and made a rule not to sex it up at her place because of Maura. The last thing Kinsley wanted to do was upset her pregnant heartbroken friend. As much as she enjoyed the sex, however, Kinsley wondered when her and Jon would finally talk through all the issues they had. Being fuck buddies was one thing, but she wanted an actual relationship and Jon didn't seem to want the same thing. It made Kinsley wonder how much longer the sex only status would hold out between them before they were back at each other's throats.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare to land in Pensacola, Florida and thank you for flying American Airlines. We look forward to servicing you in the future."

Kinsley looked out the window watching the plane descend out of the sky and buckled her seatbelt, hoping she was doing the right thing. What else was she supposed to do? Sit back and watch Maura slowly crumble once the twins were born? No, it was time for Joe to stop being a coward and talk to his wife! She held onto the manila envelope tightly in her hand resting on her lap, knowing this was the last resort. If Joe read the contents and still wanted nothing to do with Maura afterwards, then they truly weren't meant to be. At least Kinsley was giving their marriage one final nudge in the right direction, she hoped.

Thursday morning found Joe getting up around noon and warming up food his mother left him in the freezer. It was some kind of breakfast casserole. He spooned some of it in a dish and popped it in the microwave, his stomach already growling fiercely. While the food warmed up, Joe fired up the Xbox One and popped his favorite game in, wearing basketball shorts and no shirt. No need for one since he was the only one home. This was his days off lately consisting of gaming, drinking heavily and eating his mother's cooking. Missing Maura was an every day and night occurrence too. So many times he tried picking up the phone to call and ask how she was doing, knowing deep down the twins were his, but then he remembered why he pushed her out of his life in the first place. She was a Mail-Order Bride and he had to accept that they could never be together, not when she didn't really love him.

That was his firm belief and nobody would change his mind, or so he thought.

All of his beliefs and stubbornness was about to be challenged on his last day off. Joe's head snapped up when the doorbell rang throughout the two story house, not expecting any company. He was floored to open the door and stare back at Kinsley Moore, a thick black brow arching and wondered if she meant to come here. How did she find out where he lived anyway? Then he remembered she'd been a spy for Vince McMahon, more than likely still was. Joe couldn't believe Jon had forgiven Kinsley to the point of screwing her every chance presented. Now here she was at his doorstep and Joe folded his arms in front of his chest, staring down at her not saying a single word.

"May I come in and talk to you for a minute?" Kinsley asked politely and was surprised the Samoan actually stepped aside to let her inside his house. The same house Maura used to share with him.

The sound of beeping signaled to Joe his food was done, but he wasn't hungry at the moment and ignored it. "Want something to drink?" He asked gruffly, turning his game off not wanting to be rude to the unexpected company.

"Water would be great. Thanks."

Sitting down on the couch, Kinsley took the bottled water Joe handed her a few minutes later and set it on the coffee table, the manila envelope securely in her hand. Joe hadn't missed it, his grey eyes locked on it and he could only imagine why Kinsley came all the way here to talk to him. It had to do with Maura and his stomach began twisting violently, hoping nothing happened to her or the twins.

"I didn't come here to just talk to you, Joe." Kinsley didn't know how else to start this off and slapped the manila envelope on the coffee table in front of him, the small smack echoing around the living room. "I came to tell you she's hurting as much as you are, if not more. She still loves you, even after her husband shunned and divorced her. Her love for you hasn't changed a bit. Inside that envelope holds the truth of why she was in the catalog in the first place. Why she was planted at your signing for you two to meet when she was with her nephew." It was Maura's file, the one Kinsley hadn't shown Vince and kept in case she needed it one day for whatever reason. Today marked that purpose. "No matter what you say or think of her now, when you saw her that day you fell in love with her, and you didn't have to. It had nothing to do with her being a Mail-Order Bride. There was a spark between you and you can't deny that. Just because she was planted there to specifically meet you doesn't mean she's a money hungry whore like you think she is. She hasn't asked for anything, not a damn thing, from you, not even in the divorce. That should prove something to you. If she was a money hungry whore, she'd take you for every dime you have and force you to be a father to the twins, which are yours, for the record. So open the folder and find out the truth on why your wife was a Mail-Order Bride. Prove to yourself and everyone else your love or her is gone and you don't care what the reasoning for her being a Mail-Order Bride is."

It was a challenge, a gauntlet, laid down to Joe and Kinsley knew he wouldn't be able to ignore or turn it down. Joe glared at this evil, manipulative woman sitting in front of him, not understanding what Jon saw in her. He was tempted to toss her out his front door with the manila envelope, but his curiosity was also burning a hole in his stomach.

"Why are you doing this?" He demanded in a gruff low voice, not moving to touch the manila envelope yet. Joe couldn't do it, not until Kinsley was gone at the very soonest.

"Because I'm tired of seeing her hurt over you. Her pregnancy has been tough and you haven't been there for her. I have. I've gone to every ultrasound, every doctor's appointment, every hospital visit because of her high stroke level blood pressure." That caught Joe's attention, his head rising to look at her with concerned grey eyes. "Every craving – I've done everything for her and the babies when you should've been doing it all. But your ego and stubbornness hasn't let you. I get you're pissed off for being lied to, but you also never gave her the chance to explain her side of the story, just like Jon did to me. Maybe you men need to stop and think before you react sometimes." Standing up from the couch, Kinsley slipped sunglasses over her eyes since it was extremely bright outside and backed up several steps to give the Samoan space. "I'll take my leave now. If you don't make a move soon, you will lose Maura and you won't have anyone to blame except yourself. Think about it, Anoa'i."

Long after Kinsley left, Joe sat stiffly on his couch and eyeballed the manila envelope, almost afraid to open it. He wanted to know the truth for so long and now that it was at his fingertips, Joe didn't know if he wanted to know anymore. Hell, he hadn't sent the divorce papers back to his lawyer or signed them yet because he kept having second thoughts about it. Maura was the love of his life and nothing could ever change that, not even her being a Mail-Order Bride for him. It frustrated him to no end, so the divorce papers were currently in his office upstairs on his desk untouched.

"Fuck it, I'll find out sooner or later."

First step was grabbing the manila envelope and step two involved opening it, which took a lot of courage in itself. Joe quickly flipped it upside down and dumped the contents on the coffee table, grey eyes narrowing slightly. Countless hospital bills stared back at him with the name Destiny Mills. Who the hell was Destiny Mills? Joe knew Mills was Maura's maiden name, but never heard of Destiny. Was this Maura's sister? Joe remembered asking about her nephew, Thomas, and Maura told him his mother had been working the day she took him to the signing. Was that the truth? The answer came when Joe came across one hospital bill with the same date as his signing – the one Maura had been planted at for him by Stephanie and Paul.

It was for a heart transplant.

Turns out, Destiny had a rare heart condition that required a heart transplant and she'd been on the list to get one. When her name came up and the insurance company refused to pay for it, Destiny saw her chance at living a normal happy life with Thomas slipping away. Maura had to do something and came across an ad in a booklet for Mail-Order Brides. The surgery was a quarter of a million dollars and the ad she answered promised to pay twice that amount. Paul and Stephanie held up their end of the bargain after hiring Maura, explaining what would happen. Basically, she was to make Joseph Anoa'i the happiest man on earth and do whatever he wanted, including getting married. Needing the funds to save her sister's life, Maura did it and used her nephew as a decoy, thanks to Stephanie and Paul doing a background check on her. They found out what she needed the funds for and used it against her, promising her sister would get the heart transplant as long as she did exactly as they said. That included using Thomas at the signings in order to reel Joe in.

Because of Maura's huge heart and love for her family, Destiny Mills was currently alive and well, raising her now 6 year old son. Joe's nephew by marriage. "Jesus…" Joe buried his face in his hands, shaking his head and couldn't believe what a monumental dickhead he'd been toward Maura. "She was trying to help her sister…and I had no idea…"

Joe's entire family had tried telling him there was more to the story, but he didn't want to listen. Now that he knew the truth of why Maura went into the Mail-Order Bride business, he felt his heart expand further for her. His love grew tenfold and Joe knew he had to find a way to get his wife back. There would be no divorce and no denying the twins. Thanks to Kinsley, Joe's eyes were wide open and clear for the first time in 6, almost 7, long months. No matter what he had to do, he would make things right with Maura and show her how sorry he was for not listening.

Whipping his cell phone out, the first call Joe made was to his lawyer, surprised when Andrew answered. He usually didn't or was on another line. "Cancel the divorce. I'm reconciling with my wife." Andrew wished him well and the call ended. Then Joe made a second call, this time to his best friend to let him know everything he just found out.