Disclaimer: All the events and character description taken place in this story is COMPLETELY FICTION. No copyright infringement intended. All characters are copy written to their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story. It should be viewed only as entertainment.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Paul sat waiting alone in the back patio of Vince and Linda's home. Linda was off getting him a glass of lemonade so that he could relax while awaiting the arrival of his daughter and ex-wife. Lucky for Levesque, it was only his former mother-in-law that was there to greet him when he arrived a bit early for his visit. There was no sign of Vince at all and Paul didn't bother inquiring about his former father-in-law's whereabouts. Linda McMahon was a class act and always treated Paul with respect, even when his marriage with her daughter had been on shaky ground which led to their divorce.
Despite the relaxing atmosphere at the McMahon estate, Levesque had wanted Stephanie and Aurora to have already been waiting there for him when he arrived. At least that's how he had imagined the visit the numerous times he envisioned it in his head. The notion of spending the day with the two most important girls in his life was all he could think about since Friday.
"Stephanie's here with the kids. She will be out to join you momentarily. I'll give you guys some time to visit. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Linda said with a nice smile the moment she returned and sat the glass of lemonade down on the glass patio table in front of Paul.
Stephanie and the kids had arrived? Both children were with her? Not just his Aurora but Angle's child as well? That baby was like an annoying growth on Stephanie. Every single time Paul saw her, Kurt's kid was in her arms or somewhere in close proximity to put a damper on any sign of rekindled flames between them. It wasn't fair. Even if Kurt Angle himself wasn't there to ruin his time with Stephanie, his and Steph's child was going to be there; a constant reminder of the fact that she had moved on with Angle.
"Great, can't wait to see my baby girl!" Paul replied with enthusiasm after just a moment of hesitation. He wanted to push all 'Kurt Angle' related thoughts out of his mind so that he could enjoy his time with Stephanie and their daughter. This was a real opportunity to get close to them and he damn sure didn't want to ruin it.
"Hey, sorry we're late. Little Princess Aurora didn't want to wear the first four dresses I put her in this morning. I can't believe she's already picky about what she wears. I hope you weren't waiting for us long." Stephanie announced quickly after exiting her parents' home via the French doors and descending the back deck stairs.
"It's okay, I'm just glad you two are here." Paul quickly said back with a broad smile as he watched Steph walking his way with both of her children.
The mere sight of his former wife was all that was needed to up lift his spirits. As a matter of fact, he had not felt this good since the last time he was with her. Steph was like a forbidden drug that he was addicted to and so desperately craved. He wondered how long he was going to have to do without being with her. It was killing him.
Even dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black shorts with her hair pulled back, she still looked absolutely stunning. Levesque loved the fact that she had lost all of the weight she had gained from her pregnancy a year ago. Just like she did after she had Aurora, Steph had gotten herself back into great shape and was definitely a hot mommy. Even with Angle's baby on her hip, she looked very sexy.
"Granny, Granny, look! I bringed my puppy!" Aurora exclaimed holding her stuffed puppy dog high over her head for her grandmother to see it as she ran to her. She was wearing a purple little cotton sun dress with white sandals. Steph had gathered her little light brown hair and put it up in a nice little bun on top of her head.
"Oh I see! I think your daddy would like to see your puppy dog too. He came to visit with you and Mommy." Linda replied after she squatted down to talk to her granddaughter at high level and to hug her. Paul took Linda bringing him into the conversation with Aurora as his cue to try and interact with his child. He smiled wide and bent down to speak to his little girl.
"Hey Aurora, how's my little girl? I brought you a surprise." Paul told his child as he noticed that Stephanie had caught up to her daughter and was now right behind her, listening to what he was telling their daughter.
"Oh wow, Aurora, Daddy brought you a surprise! I wonder what it is!" Steph said out loud with enthusiasm. She was going to do her best to support her ex-husband in his effort to have Aurora warm up to him.
"Daddy got a surprise? Where? I want it!" Aurora hollered out loud with excitement as she jumped a few times in place.
Levesque was pleased that his daughter was genuinely excited by him telling her that he had a surprise for her. He quickly went over to where he had been sitting and reached his hand into the small black duffel bag. Paul had placed Aurora's surprise in there before going to the gym early in the morning. The McMahon estate was his stop right after.
"My kitty cat!" The three year old exclaimed the moment she saw the toy emerge from the bag.
Levesque let out a chuckle after seeing his daughter's excitement. He flicked on the switch underneath the toy so that it would come alive in his hands for his daughter. With the toy purring and moving slowly, Paul knelt down in front of Aurora so that she could have access to her toy.
"Look Mommy! Look baby brother and Granny! It's my kitty cat!" Aurora yelled out pointing at the toy as she looked at all of them around her, making sure that everyone saw what her surprise was.
"I see, sweetheart. Wasn't that a nice surprise from Daddy?" Steph asked as she gently squatted down to let her son stand on his feet in the grass after he let out a whine to signal him wanting to be put down.
"Mommy, you hold puppy." Aurora directed handing her mother her stuffed dog which Steph took from her without question while at the same time watching over her youngest child who kept trying to toddle away.
"I love my baby kitty cat!" Aurora told Paul as she went to take the toy from him so she could hug it. The moment Aurora leaned in and took the toy, Paul brought her into his arms for a hug.
"I'm glad, baby." Paul whispered as he hugged her tight.
He gave her a soft kiss on top of her head before closing his eyes and enjoying having his child in his arms. When Paul opened his eyes, still embracing Aurora, he saw that Stephanie was smiling at him in approval. He mirrored back a smile. They were finally reconnecting as a family. The day was going perfectly.
"Hey, glad you could make it." Lesnar said extending his hand to Kurt. Brock's UFC heavyweight championship was draped over his massive shoulder. The champion fighter was already in his white and black signature shorts that were decorated with all his sponsors. His muscular torso was covered with a white t-shirt displaying his signature skull graphics.
Lesnar and the other UFC fighters looked to be out of place amongst the sea of decently dressed guests at the pre-show event. All the fighters already looked ready to step inside the octagon. Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Shane Carwin and others were posing with guests for pictures. The press was treating them like rock stars.
"Yeah, sorry I'm a little late." Angle apologized accepting the handshake from his friend. Angle had just put on his backstage VIP pass that allowed Angle access to the afternoon press junket for the event along with the ability to go backstage at any time during the event itself.
"So the wife didn't come? Rena was hoping she would change her mind." Brock inquired noticing right away that Stephanie was not with Angle.
"No, she's still pissed at me over last night. It seems like I can't do anything right these days." Kurt confessed looking down at his feet. He was a bit embarrassed by the fact that his own wife didn't want to accompany him to the event. There was Brock with his wife, Rena, while he was by himself.
"Yeah, she always seemed like a ball buster to me. You've got more patience than I do. I'd never put up with her shit." Lesnar commented.
"That's my wife you are talking about. I like the fact that I have a powerful woman behind me. I offered to be with her and the kids today but she didn't want me around." Angle replied following Lesnar further into the conference hall where Rena was standing talking to some of the other fighters' wives.
"Hi Kurt, I'm glad you could make it." Mrs. Lesnar said with a smile giving Kurt a quick hug that he returned.
"Well I hate to say it, but it sounds to me like she wants time alone with Levesque."
"Stop stirring the pot, you!" Rena scolded her husband with a light punch to the air before she turned back around to continue her conversation with the other wives.
"This is quite a press event. Does Dana White always host these things before an event?" Kurt asked completely changing the subject. He didn't want to comment on Brock's opinion of why Steph didn't want him to be with her. It was bad enough he had his own suspicions, hearing it from his friend as well was too much.
"No, not always. Since the event is taking place here in New York, it is being much more publicized that usual." Lesnar replied back.
"Hey Kurt, I knew I was bound to run into you at one of these events."
The sound of a familiar voice caused Angle to turn around and see his brother-in-law, Shane, walking toward him. He was wearing a casual suit and a VIP pass. In his right hand he had a rolled up program for tonight's event.
"Hey Shane O, I didn't know you were going to be here. How are Marissa and the boys?" Angle asked with a smile as he gave his brother-in-law a handshake and a hug. Lesnar saw that Angle was going to be talking to his brother-in-law so he decided to go put himself in the spotlight with the press.
"They're good. Marissa is at home with them. How are my sister and the kids? I take it you are flying solo for this event?" Shane inquired with a nudge of his elbow into Kurt's ribs.
"Yeah, Steph's really pissed at me. This is the first fight we've had where we haven't made up within a few hours…" Kurt muttered in a reply that only Shane could hear.
"Wait, what's going on with you two? I thought things were going well. Didn't you just have your one year anniversary?" McMahon asked with a puzzled look on his face as he lead his sister's husband away from the group of people so that they could talk alone.
"Things were going well until Levesque showed up at my house insisting that he and Steph made out right in my kitchen the last time he was with her alone. Ever since he told me, I've been noticing how sensitive she is about him. Suddenly Paul is the wonderful father of Aurora and I'm selfish and inconsiderate." Angle explained to Shane.
"You don't actually believe that Steph would do anything with her ex, do you? Paul's just making up stuff to cause problems. He hasn't ever been right since his marriage to Steph fell apart. If I were you, I wouldn't listen to a word he says." McMahon said back in a serious tone of voice.
"That still doesn't explain why Steph is being so protective of him. You should have seen how pissed off she got when Brock and I were joking about Levesque at dinner last night. She said it was because of Aurora."
"She probably feels guilty as a parent that her child's father is being talked about right in front of her. My sister is a loving mother. She'd do anything to protect and love both Aurora and Andrew. Try and think about it from her prospective." Shane pointed out.
"I'm trying to, but I can't think of a reason why she needs to stay with Aurora during Paul's visitation at your parents' place. I mean, Linda is going to be there to supervise. I just can't stop thinking that Paul is getting the opportunity to be close to my wife. And there isn't a damn thing I can do about it…"
"You should hear yourself. You're sounding paranoid. My sister loves you. The day you married her was definitely the happiest I've ever seen her. She's happy with you. Paul knows that and he's jealous. Can't you see that? You getting all upset and fighting with Steph is what he wants." Shane explained looking Kurt right in the eyes. He was trying to get through to him.
"I know that I'm playing right into that manipulative bastard's hand; Just the thought of him moving in on my wife…"
"Don't even think about it. Even if he does try something, Steph won't put up with it. I know my baby sister. I know how heartbroken and disgusted she was with Dad when she found out he was stepping out on our mother back in the nineties. Plus, look at what she went through with Paul when he cheated on her with that bimbo photographer. Do you really think she would turn around and do the same thing to you?"
Would she? Kurt couldn't help but think back to the fall out of when Stephanie caught Paul cheating in their home. She made love with him; more than once in the mist of her confusion and hurt. Their son, Andrew, had been the product of that chain of events. While Angle had always seen those first two times of sexual congress as pure love making, he now wondered if Steph had seen them as a revenge screw to get back at Paul.
"I would like to think not. I hate that I've been put into a position to question my wife's faithfulness. It happened with Karen on some occasions but never Stephanie. She is my soul mate." Angle muttered in a hoarse whisper that Shane had to lean close to hear. Kurt's hand had to quickly wipe away a few tear droplets from his eye before they could cascade down his face. He wasn't going to be seen crying at a UFC press event.
"And who put you in that position, Kurt? It wasn't Stephanie. You have no real evidence that she has been anything but a faithful loving wife to you. Use your head, who's to blame for your marriage problems?"
"That shit stain, Levesque… He thinks that I'm some dumb jock that he can get over on. I should smash his face in." Angle muttered through gritted teeth.
"No, no you shouldn't. That's exactly the reaction he wants. You want to fix things with Steph, don't you? You need to make things right with Steph."
A large durable blue picnic blanket was laid out on the grass. It was a perfect day for a picnic in the grass as Linda McMahon had mentioned in the form of a suggestion. Paul and Stephanie were sitting on the blanket with their daughter having lunch. Linda had taken baby Andrew into the house so that Steph would not be preoccupied with her youngest child.
"She's getting so big. She looks so much like you, Steph." Paul observed as both he and his ex-wife watched their daughter play with both her stuffed dog and her toy kitten next to them on the blanket.
"Yeah she is getting big. She reminds me so much of you at times. The faces she makes and her sense of humor. She's such a joy." Steph told her ex-husband with a smile.
"She's the best of the both of us. I'm so thankful for her….And for you." Paul told Stephanie in a loving voice. His hand he brought to her face; the back of his hand softly brushed across her cheek.
"She is the best thing we did together. I'm glad you think so too." She quickly replied with a polite smile moving her face away from his touch so that she could reach for her plate of food.
"Mommy, look! I teached Puppy to do a trick! Look, Mommy!" Aurora exclaimed with glee as she look over at her mother for approval as she tossed the stuffed animal in the air.
"Wow, what a great trick you taught Puppy! Wasn't that a great trick, Daddy?" Steph said. She smiled at her daughter before looking over at Paul.
"It was a great trick. Does the puppy dog have a name?" Paul asked his daughter.
"His name is Puppy. And the kitty's name is Kitty cat. I want them to be friends but Puppy chases kitty. See?" Aurora said before she grabbed hold of both of the toys and made the stuffed dog follow behind the toy cat as she moved them both along the blanket.
Paul was impressed with his three year old's imagination. She had a little storyline created for her toys that she used to entertain herself by playing out. She definitely had her mommy's creativity.
"I thought they were friends, sweetie." Steph told her little girl as she lovely fixed her hairdo that had come partly undone by her physical play.
"Maybe Puppy is chasing the kitty because he misses being her being his best friend and wants to make up to her so she will like him again." Levesque explained to his daughter. Even though his words were being spoken to Aurora, his eyes were focused on Stephanie. Steph's eyebrows furrowed as she wondered what exactly Paul was getting at.
"Well, it is good that Puppy wants to be a good puppy dog but Puppy and Kitty can't be best friends anymore." Stephanie replied a moment after Paul put forth the obvious analogy that was intended for her and not just talk for their daughter.
"Why can't Puppy and Kitty be best friends again?" Levesque asked with a weak smile as he looked right into his his ex-wife's eyes.
"Because kitty cats don't like puppy dogs! Kitty's best friend is Teddy Bear! Teddy Bear is at home." Aurora added with a few giggles. She liked playing pretend with her parents.
"That's right, Teddy Bear is Kitty's new best friend." Stephanie said quickly after Aurora added a comment to what had become a dialogue solely between Paul and Steph.
"But Puppy and Kitty had promised to be best friends forever…" Paul muttered as he placed his hand on top of Steph's. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her leg were her hand was resting with Paul's on top of it.
"Sorry to interrupt your picnic, but little Andrew's fever started coming back and I couldn't find his medicine in the diaper bag." Linda announced aloud as she walked up to where Paul, Stephanie, and Aurora were sitting on the picnic blanket. She had her grandson on her hip and the diaper bag in her free hand. Once Andy caught sight of his mommy he began to whine for her with her arms stretched out toward her.
"Oh my poor little bear cub, come here sweetie." Steph said lovingly with a smile. She quickly moved her hand out from underneath Paul's and stood up to meet her mother so that she could take her son.
"Did you check in the side pockets?" Stephanie asked Linda the moment she had her little boy in her arms.
"I looked in every pocket. Do you think you forgot it at the house?"
"I know I grabbed it and put it in a bag, I was in such a hurry to get here because we were late. Check Aurora's bag, I could have stuck it in there." Steph told her mom in between giving her youngest child kisses on the cheek.
Yet again, Angle's baby was getting in the way of the visit. How hard was it for Linda to keep the baby in the house? Paul hoped that Steph didn't forget to bring the medicine with her. That would surely be a lame excuse for her to cut his visitation short and leave. Kurt's sickly baby should have stayed home with him. This was his time with Stephanie.
"Aurora, why don't you go inside with Granny and help her look for your brother's medicine. I'm sure Granny will fix you a dish of ice cream." Steph suggested to her child before Linda went to look in the house.
"Okay! Granny, I want some strawberry and chocolate ice cream pweaze!" Aurora yelled with excitement as she ran to be with her grandmother.
Once Paul and Stephanie were alone, Steph sat back down next to her ex on the blanket with Andrew in her lap.
"What was up with all the metaphors, Paul?" Steph asked bluntly. A single thin eyebrow was raised showing her curiosity as she awaited an answer from him.
"What metaphors? I was just playing with Aurora. You know, fostering her creativity." He heard himself lie.
What was he suppose to say? That he so desperately missed her that he was resorting to expressing his feelings with Aurora's stuffed animals? There really was no need to blatantly express his feelings. With the seeds of deception he had planted for Kurt Angle, it would be only a matter of time before their marriage imploded from within. And when that happened, he would be there for his heartbroken Stephy.
"Okay whatever." Steph said rolling her eyes before pulling Andrew back into her lap when he tried to put his hands into her nearby plate of leftover food.
"I'm really happy that you are starting to make an effort to spend time with Aurora. That's really important to me. I think it's vital that you bond with her because I want you to be in her life. And since you are now seeing Torrie, I think it's important that Aurora gets to know her too. Andrew's first birthday party is this coming weekend. We're doing just a small family get together at my parents' beach house in Florida. I think it would be great if you and Torrie could come and be part of them family for the celebration." Stephanie said with a smile as she extended the invite to her ex.
Levesque wondered what he should say. Should he be honest and tell Stephanie that he and Torrie were over? He had evaded discussing her the last time Steph had brought her up in conversation. Now, Steph wanted Torrie present with him at her kid's birthday party.
"I don't think Torrie is going to be able to come on such short notice. Isn't it enough with just me there to visit with Aurora?" Paul asked back with a smirk. He was trying to get Torrie out of the picture without actually telling Steph that the relationship ended.
"Well, just call her and see if she can come. I think her attendance is the only way I'll be able to sell you coming to Andrew's birthday party to Kurt and the rest of the family."
Why did it matter what Angle and the rest of the McMahon family thought? Since when did Steph let her family dictate what she did? This was definitely the first time since his abrupt breakup with Torrie that he wished he hadn't ended it. Her attending was now what stood between Paul spending more time with Aurora and Stephanie. A birthday party was the perfect to further mess with Angle and get closer to Steph.
But going to the party wasn't going to happen if he was no longer dating Torrie Wilson. He had exactly one week to somehow talk Wilson into attending the party with him. That was next to impossible given that she now saw through his fake feelings for her and wanted nothing to with him. But he was the king of manipulation. Surely he would be able to convince Torrie to give him a second chance. It was worth a shot.
"Okay, I'll ask her."