It was Dean and CJ's first day with family out of the house and both weren't fans of how empty it felt. Dean was sitting on the couch while holding Olivia, CJ sitting on the other end of the couch with her feet in his lap and Bear laying between them with his head on her lap. The TV was on and some show on BBC America was playing, but neither was paying close attention to the TV. CJ was texting Natalya about good ab toning workouts to try and Dean was talking to Olivia about how pretty CJ was.
"The house doesn't feel right, babe." CJ sighed, looking up at her boyfriend to see him nodding his agreement. Olivia had her hand on his cheek, wrapped up in the feeling of his stubble against her skin.
"We've had a full house for over a month, so it just feels empty right now." He gave his best explanation, having had her same thought on his mind since the Copeland clan left the night before. "I'm sure in a couple days everything will feel right again."
"Alright." She mumbled, running a hand through her hair. "Did you ever put that stroller together?"
"Adam did before they left."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Dean mumbled, watching as she looked back down at her phone before setting it down.
"Olive has her checkup on Wednesday. Shots and such, too."
"Oh yeah?"
"I just got a confirmation email. Bear has a checkup next week and I have an appointment soon."
"What's yours for?"
"Discussing birth control and what's safe while I'm breastfeeding."
"Birth control?" Dean asked, tilting his head as he eyed his girlfriend. She met his gaze, unsure of why he looked so confused.
"So I don't get pregnant again...?" CJ stated in a questioning tone, her gaze never faltering.
"I get that, but why do you need it?"
"Dean, I don't want to get pregnant again until I'm at least thirty one and I don't want every time we have sex to feel like a game of Russian roulette because you don't like condoms."
"Why so long?"
"Because my of career. When I'm thirty, I'll most likely retire, but I'm only twenty eight. I've got time and I want at least two more title reigns. I'll take one as long as it's longer than two hundred days." She explained, watching his face change as he thought through everything she had said. She was partially nervous to hear his opinion, but knew that she could argue her point if he wanted to argue about it.
"So more kids are in our future?"
"If you want them. Personally, I wouldn't mind one more. Two if the second pregnancy flows better than when I was pregnant with Olive."
"I can work with that. But I wanna be at your appointment."
"Of course. You'd have a say in this, Dean, which is why I brought it up instead of keeping it a secret."
"I appreciate it, darlin'." Dean said softly before Olivia made a squawking noise. Both parents looked at her and CJ adjusted herself and Bear so that she could lean on Dean and smile down at her daughter.
"Hey there, gorgeous." CJ greeted, to which Olivia excitedly smacked her father's face. Unfortunately, his stubble scratched her little hand a bit too roughly and she started crying. "Oh, no. My poor baby."
A knock sounded on the door and both parents exchanged a glance before Dean handed the still crying Olivia to her mother and CJ looked up at him in confusion. He only shrugged before leaning down and kissing her forehead, trying his best to contain his excitement over what he hoped was being delivered. But nothing could stop him from dancing to the door once he was out of her line of sight, Olivia's cries slowly reducing until she was only making small whimpers. He noticed that Bear had followed him to the door and gave a nod of silent praise before answering, smiling when he saw the delivery guy.
"Dean Ambrose?"
"That's me. Is this my gym stuff?"
"Every piece of it. Where did you want it all?"
"Down in the basement. I can show you." Dean stated as he signed for the package. The deliver guy seemed less than enthused about the desired location of the gym equipment, but had a couple people with him so Dean wasn't exactly concerned about how easily it'd get down there.
"Alright."
"And you don't have to worry about taking them out of the boxes. I can handle that."
"Alright, cool." The guy said as he took the clipboard back and Dean turned to smile at CJ.
"Who is it?" She asked quietly, looking passed Dean to the delivery men as Dean walked back towards her. He felt his possessive touch on her hip and remembered that she was only wearing a camisole and yoga pants, her push-up bra leaving little to the imagination.
"Delivery guys making our new workout regime a bit more doable with the baby."
"You're putting in a home gym? I thought you said that you didn't want to because of-"
"That was my reason, until I saw how rabid the fans got on the internet over you coming back." Dean explained as he started to guide her back into the living room. "I don't want anybody circulating pictures until we post them which means that we can't very well take our princess to the gym."
"You're right."
"I know, babe. Go sit down, I gotta show these guys the basement and I don't want them eyeing my girls."
"Do you even hear how charming you are, Ambrose?" CJ asked with a teasing smile, kissing his cheek before heading into the living room and sitting down. Bear stayed by Dean's side, watching the strange men warily but now showing that he was watching their every move. Dean knew that Bear would be a subtle protector and inwardly beamed with pride at his dog rescuing abilities while he watched the first pair of guys carry in the first box.
"The basement is right this way and the stairs are sturdy and it's well lit so don't worry about that. Bear, go lay down."
Bear let out a small whine, but walked over to the entryway to the living room and watched Dean lead the strange men to the basement door. He watched as they continually walked in and out of the house, visibly relaxing until one started to linger by his entry way. The puppy didn't know that the strange man had a perfect view of CJ feeding the baby, but he knew that his behavior was out of the ordinary and needed to be addressed. So he did what he was taught to do, rising to stand on all four paws and growling up at the stranger. The stranger only nudged him aside with his foot but Bear remained persistent, his growls increasing in volume to warm the stranger to back up and to warn his masters that the stranger was encroaching on their territory and a potential threat to the pack. His pack.
Dean heard Bear growling and headed up the steps to the main floor, curious as to what could put the Newfoundland on such high alert. He was also wondering why CJ hadn't addressed it yet, but understood that she was probably wrapped up with Olivia. This possibility made him grateful for their puppy since Bear looked after CJ when CJ was intently focused on their daughter. The sight he saw made his blood begin to boil, more than just furious at the lack of professionalism.
But he'd stay calm. He wouldn't be violent even though this random guy was watching his future wife and the mother of his child breastfeed. CJ didn't need that kind of stress right now and he didn't need the media attention that would stir up. So he took a deep breath before looking down at the still on high-alert Newfoundland, not surprised to see that he was ready to attack. Dean also knew that if he was nudged by this stranger's door one more time that this asshole was going to be bitten which, as much as Dean would love to see it happen, had to be prevented to protect them from any possible lawsuits.
"Are you lost, man?" Dean asked, successfully startling the guy and allowing Bear to relax just a little bit. But he was still on high alert while he watched the stranger turn to Dean.
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't you have a job to do? Because, last I checked, checking out my girlfriend isn't part of your job description."
"Look, man, I don't mean any disrespect-"
"You've got five seconds to get the hell out of my house and I don't want to see you here again." Dean spoke in an eerily calm tone, something that made the delivery guy uneasy. "Do I need to count?"
"Scott, let's go!" One of the others called and Dean stepped passed the threat in his home to allow him an easier path to walk to the front door. Dean followed him to the door, Bear dutifully following along, shutting and locking the door once all the delivery men were out of his house. It was then that he knelt down in front of Bear and scratched behind his ears lovingly.
"Good job protecting mommy, Bear." He praised the Newfoundland, kissing his muzzle adoringly as he continued to scratch. "Let's get a treat, big boy."
Bear happily barked his approval of Dean's idea, pulling away to race towards the kitchen where his treats were. This made Dean chuckle as he stood, goings towards his loving girlfriend where she stood with their daughter so close to sleep in her arms. The confusion was evident on her face and he pulled her into a kiss as he walked by.
"Bear happens to be quite the protector and was seconds away from taking that dick's leg off."
"For what?"
"Watching you feed Olive. But I took care of it. No worries."
CJ looked around at all the cardboard littering their giant basement from Dean's clearance shopping spree. To prove that it was clearance he had shown her their bank statement and she had to admit that she was impressed. When he wanted something done, he got it done and as cost effectively as humanly possible.
There were mats that she hadn't seen before spread out across half the floor, and all the equipment Dean bought was on the other side where he sat putting something together. Olivia had a playpen set up on the far wall and Dean had mentioned wanting to get intercoms set up between the basement, their bedroom, and the nursery so that way Olivia didn't have to be down in the basement while they were training all the time.
"What are the mats for?" CJ asked, taking a seat in the middle and looking to her boyfriend.
"They're our ring without ropes. I'm working on getting that stuff, too."
"You're going all out, huh?"
"Gotta get you ready and make sure we're not rusty when we come back." He stated simply, smirking at his handy work before sitting on the weight bench. "It's gonna be a while, but Roman is coming in tomorrow to help me with this stuff."
"I can help, Dean."
"I know, babe, but I'd prefer it if you didn't. It's nothing against you, but for my own peace of mind."
"I understand." She mumbled, laying back and shutting her eyes. The mats were more comfortable than the ring canvas, but she knew she'd adjust when the time came. "Do you really think I'll be ready by March?"
"I know you will be. It's not like we're starting from scratch."
"True. Nattie wants to see the baby."
"You're talking to her again?"
"Yeah. I dunno, I feel like I need a friend with a vagina to keep myself from spontaneously growing a dick with how much time I spend with you."
"You say that like its a bad thing." Dean commented, his voice suddenly closer. CJ opened her eyes to see him laying beside her on the mat and smiled, turning over and laying her head on his arm while her arm draped across his stomach.
"Spontaneously growing a dick would be bad. Spending time with you is never a bad thing, Dean."
"Good." He mumbled before pecking her lips. "Because we're going to be together for a long ass time."
"And I wouldn't have it any other way." She mumbled back, moving to straddle his hips. His hands grasped hers gently, their fingers lacing together as CJ leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss. It was beautifully refreshing for Dean to have her initiate the intimate contact between them, having been the one to initiate anything to become more than just kissing since Christmas.
He sat up carefully, not wanting to break their kiss while he carefully pulled one of his hands from hers. That hand went to her back to support her until her legs locked around his body, then he used it to push her shirt up. Her free hand gripped his wrist, successfully stopping him and giving him cause to break this kiss.
"I'm not making love to you with your shirt on, babe." Dean reminded, pressing his forehead to hers and making eye contact.
"But I'm-"
"The most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on." He cut her off, kissing her nose.
"Dean, I just-"
"Baby, I know. I get that you're feeling kind of insecure about your body but you really don't have to. I love you for your heart and stunning personality. Those gorgeous eyes are just a bonus." He spoke with a smile, bringing a nervous smile onto her face. "How many times do I have to tell you that your figure doesn't matter to me? Especially since I know the reason that you gained weight was Olive."
"In the back of your mind it does matter, Dean. You know it."
"You're letting your insecurities get the best of you, Christina. If your body was actually the main reason I wanted you then I would've left you if I didn't like it." Dean reasoned, his eyes having lost all hints of playfulness. She could only nod, not understanding just how frustrated Dean was getting with her and her insecurities. "I'm getting tired of having this conversation with you."
CJ didn't know how to respond, so she only nodded again before pressing her face into the crook of his neck. His arms wrapped tight around her, knowing that she needed the comfort for some reason or another. He wasn't prepared for the hot tears on his neck, but didn't falter in rubbing her back while her fists balled up in his tshirt. He whispered words of assurance to her, letting her know that he loved her and that she was beautiful as he continued to hold her tight. Eventually he began gently rocking their bodies, knowing that the motion soothed her, until her shaky breaths evened out and her repeated apologies ended.
With Olivia asleep in the playpen nearby, Dean laid back on the mats and shut his eyes as well. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and in desperate need of a cat nap. CJ had shifted in his arms for a more comfortable position and Bear curled up on his other side, providing him with body heat and personal comfort that round ease him into sleep. He'd work on the gym stuff later.
My power went out last night at about midnight and didn't get turned back on until about eleven this morning. Just because of the rain since we've been in a drought. Stupid California. Had the power not gone out, this chapter would've been up last night. But it's whatever. Hopefully we get more rain.
Thank you to Dixiewinxwrites12, ArtisticLullaby, UntilNeverDawns, TajiaK, ChelleLew, Sammie94, Sarcastic Nightnare, and ItReignsJustice-619 for reviewing the last chapter! I appreciate it!