Okay. Time for a disclaimer. I own none of the talented wonderful men in this story. If I did... Well I wouldn't just be writing about it that's for sure! I'm honestly not sure where it's headed but I feel it might be a more realistic story. Probably will be a slow-burn for the main couple, if I'm able to resist. At this point, until things are more written out, it's an OC/? story. It will either be with Seth, Roman, or Dean, but it'll be determined for sure at a later time. I'd like to know though if you guys like it enough for me to continue, because I'm unsure of it myself.
Authors note: Soooo, sad and happy feels. Emotions jump around like a pup off it's leash. I kind of feel it's too sporadic but I hope not! I'm glad you guys are liking this so far! Every chapter posting kind of really depends on if I feel people actually like it.
"Seriously, I can carry them," Leecie insisted, tugging on her and Rose's bags.
Said bags were currently hung off the god like arms of Roman Reigns, who just had to carry them along with his own.
"I'm sure you can, but that doesn't mean you have to," he replied easily, "You act like they weigh hundreds of pounds."
"Well, obviously they don't, but it's an inconvenience to you."
"Firecracker, just hush and let him do what he does. He's like a Samoan Superman that has to help pretty ladies," Dean threw back from his position ahead of them.
Pretty? Oh lord, she was turning bright red. She could feel the heat on her face as Rose grabbed her hand tighter.
"Mama! Mama! It's Bray!"
"Rose!" Leecie yelled as her daughter started to run off.
Rose stopped but bounced on the spot.
"Come on mama! We can't let him get away!" Rose whined.
Leecie sighed and looked to Roman, who smiled and said, "Go on. He won't mind."
"Okay," she sighed.
She swiped up Rose's hand and followed the Wyatt family leader until Rose's yells stopped him. He turned, curious look on his face, then a small smile twitched onto his lips.
"Well hello there, now who might you be?" he asked, dropping to a knee.
Rose giggled and got as close as she could without touching him.
"I'm Rose, this is my mama Leecie, and I'm a huge fan of yours. You tell amazing stories. Do you actually have buzzards?"
"I do not little Rose. My apologies."
Rose shrugged and said, "Mama told me it was an expression but I thought you had them for real real."
Bray's smile widened as he looked up from beneath his hat.
"Your mom is right. It's an expression. Is there anything I can do to make up for not having real buzzards?"
"Can I touch your beard? It looks like my papaw's beard, except he says his is salt and pepper flavored."
"Salt and pepper colored Rose," Leecie corrected with a small smile.
"Well, mine is a little on the darker side than salt and pepper, but go ahead," Bray said.
Rose put on a concentrated face as she squeezed the hair until a smile came onto her face.
"Yours is much softer. Why? Can papaw do it to? Because when he blows raspberries on my neck it is all itchy," Rose rattled off.
"Okay, Rose, that's enough. Say good night to Mr. Bray. Roman is waiting on us," Leecie urged her daughter.
The smaller red head frowned before turning back to Bray, who held up a hand.
"Ah, you are them. Roman and Dean have spoken of you. In that case, just wait a moment there little Rose. I might have something for you to take with you."
He grabbed the small bag next to him and fished around until his hand came out clutching a kids shirt.
"It's a boys shirt, but would you like it? Had an extra after signing them," he said, offering it to her.
She squealed until Leecie put her hand over the small girls mouth.
"Thank you Mr. Bray!" Rose cheered once Leecie let her go.
He smiled and stood back to his feet, offering a nod to Leecie who returned it.
"Mommy, I just met Bray Wyatt!" Rose yelled.
"I know sweetie, now come on. We're holding Roman back," Leecie said.
The red heads joined hands and walked to the elevators where Roman was waiting. His head snapped up as they finally reached him, and a smirk grew on his face as he saw Rose clutching the shirt.
"Good ol' Bray," Roman said fondly, "Has two daughters of his own so he's weak against kids."
"He has kids?" Rose asked in apparent disbelief, "Do they follow sister Abigail too? Is Abigail their aunt?"
"Let's just get up to bed Rose, we can talk about it in the morning," Leecie sighed, running a hand through her slightly tangled red locks.
"You guys are two rooms down from us, so an easy distance if you need something," Roman said, as they got on the elevator, "There's free breakfast from five to nine in the morning, and of course there's wifi in the rooms. Password is just the room number."
"Awesome. Again, thank you guys so much. It really wasn't necessary but I definitely appreciate it," Leecie said.
As calm as she was somehow acting, in all reality she still wanted to throw herself at him. The fact he was so kind and human made it harder to resist. Not to mention how much she also wanted his gorgeous best friend. Flushing at her thoughts, she gladly stepped out of the elevator.
"Mama, carry me?" Rose begged, tugging on her mom's arm.
Leecie scooped her up and followed Roman down the hall to room 608.
"We'll be in 612, so if you need anything, just pop on over," he said, sliding the key into the reader and opening the door.
He held it for her as she hurried in and set Rose on the bed. Without hesitation, the small body curled up around a pillow and started to drift.
"Where do you want your bags?" Roman asked quietly.
"By the TV, thanks."
He set her bags down while she planted herself on the edge of the bed to remove her shoes. Her feet were aching because she was used to only wearing flip flops all year round, but didn't want to look stupid in front of any employees of the WWE by wearing them in November.
"Thank you," she said.
"You should quit thanking me so much, haven't done much really," he said with a smile.
"More than you realize. This is a dream come true for the both of us," Leecie explained.
He came closer and sat next to her on the bed.
"You deserve it, and of course she does too. You're both very strong ladies," he said.
"Mmm, she's a trooper," Leecie agreed, unable to stop a smile as she looked at her daughter.
"I think her and Jo would get along great," Roman said softly.
"Probably, Rose can make friends with almost anyone," Leecie replied, "I'm thankful every day she didn't get my social anxiety. It's a terrible feeling."
"I can only imagine."
A warm hand touched her cheek and she jerked her face to him in shock, confused until she found his face close to hers. Her breath caught and she made a silly noise out of pure panic. Why was he so close? Did she have something on her face? It sounded cliché but there was no other reason he could be touching her... right?
"Leecie, you know you're incredibly beautiful, right?" he murmured.
She could only blink and shake her head no mutely. Beautiful was not a word she heard much since she got into high school and even beyond until now.
"Well you are," he said, "Not just because you're beautiful on the outside. You are such a wonderful mom from what I've seen, funny even when you're obviously feeling awkward or nervous, and very kind."
His thumb ran over her lip as she gasped, suddenly remembering to breathe, making him chuckle.
"I- I- I don't know- uh-"
"It's okay," he assured her.
Her eyes closed in disbelief as his lips met her forehead. She wanted to badly to lean into the hand on her cheek, to touch him back in a similar fashion, but panic and awe kept her still as he pulled back. Cheeks burning, she bit her lip when his hand left her face.
"Good night Leecie," he said.
He was already opening the door when she kicked herself into gear.
"G-Good night Roman!" she called out nervously.
A smile was sent her way before he shut the door. The clicking of the door locking into place seemed to release her emotions and she felt tears flood her eyes. She was honestly considering she might have passed out at some point and this was all a dream, but the burning tears running down her cheeks and the struggle to breathe felt too real. Laying a hand to her cheek, she just stared at the door. She swallowed down a sigh and leaned over, setting the alarm for six am. After burrowing into the covers, she pulled Rose to her chest and tried to drift off to sleep.
Sleep hadn't come until after one in the morning, and it was fitful. So when she woke to her alarm, she felt as if she had been run over. Groaning, she slapped the alarm off and got up after checking the Rose was still asleep on her side of the bed.
"Better get showered and dressed," she sighed to herself.
A quick shower and blow dry later, she stood in the mirror dressed in a white spaghetti strap top with a brown wrap around sweater and skinny jeans doing her makeup. She went with her usual bare minimum of kohl black eyeliner, dark brown mascara, and clear gloss.
"Mama?" she heard Rose croak.
She packed up her makeup and headed back into the bedroom.
"Morning sweetie, you ready to get dressed and eat breakfast?" Leecie asked.
Rose nodded and Leecie dug through her bag to pull out a long sleeved "Skye" dress from Paw Patrol, black fleece leggings, and pink socks.
"This okay?"
Rose grinned through her sleepy haze and nodded before climbing off the bed.
"Are we going to see Roman and Dean today?" Rose asked as Leecie helped her get dressed.
"Maybe, I'm not sure," Leecie replied, "If we hurry we might catch them."
"Yay!" Rose cheered, now fully awake.
Leecie grabbed their bags, the key card, and headed out with Rose clinging to her hand. Once they reached the breakfast area, which was huge, Rose spotted the waffle maker.
"Mommy, can I have a waffle?" she asked, tugging on Leecie's arm.
"Sure, as long as you have fruit with it. Can't fill up on sugary foods only," Leecie said with a smile.
Rose grinned and pulled her mom quickly to the line with two other people in front of them.
"Now, why can't one fill up on sugary foods? I personally think the sweeter the better."
Leecie and Rose turned to find Dean grinning with a plate full of the sweeter foods in his hand. Waffles, Fruit Loops, toast slathered in some kind of jelly, eggs with jelly and syrup on top. Leecie cringed but Rose gasped.
"Whoa! See mama! I can eat sugar food! Mr. Dean does and he's so strong still!" Rose said in a chipper tone.
"Thanks Mr. Dean," Leecie said flatly.
Dean had the good grace to apologize before crouching down to Rose.
"Your mom is right though spit fire, gotta eat lots of fruits and vegetables too. In fact, I'll let you pick mine out, okay? And we can eat them together" he offered.
That made Rose beam and she nodded.
"Don't worry Mr. Dean, I won't give you anything gross like cat-a-loop," she said.
"Cantaloupe," Leecie corrected with a chuckle.
Dean stood back to his full height and gestured to the table.
"Your waffle awaits Rose," he said.
Leecie helped her pour the batter in and Rose watched the timer like a hawk once it started. Leecie took the chance to look back at Dean and had to swoon inside. He was dressed in a "Dirty Deeds" zip up hoodie under his usual leather jacket and a pair of those form hugging jeans. His hair was fluffy and curly and she took out her phone instead of reaching out to feel the strands like she was aching to do. She saw she had a text from Chuck, instantly frowning. When she opened it, she had to restrain from releasing a pissed off scream.
'Hey Lace wanted to let u kno that I wont be able to see Rose ne more becuz Nessa is pregnant and she doesnt want Rose around to bug the new baby.'
"You okay there firecracker?" Dean asked, drawing her attention up.
She swallowed thickly and nodded before tying up a quick reply.
'Fine. Thanks for the heads up on that. When you receive the child support papers, just sign them as quick as you can. Wouldn't want any court conflicts for you and your new family.'
"Mama, it's ready!" Rose cheered as the machine beeped.
She fought tears with deep breaths as she got the waffle out and let Rose dress it with syrup, whipped cream, nuts, and peaches.
"Come on kid, let's get fruit," Dean said, nodding to the table across the little room.
Leecie offered him a thankful smile as he took her hand and led her over. She watched on with a melancholic happiness. At least she had Rose. That was the important thing. She had already done the past five years basically on her own, so the rest of her life wouldn't kill her. Roman was right on the fact she was strong. She was strong because she had to be, because she wouldn't lose her baby for anything in the world. The thing that worried her the most was how Rose would take the news. How could Leecie break it to her easy?
"Mommy? Mama!"
Leecie snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Rose staring at her next to Dean, the little red head stomping her foot impatiently.
"Come on, Mr. Dean said we can sit with him and Roman," Rose gushed, grinning.
The elder red head smiled and said, "That's incredibly nice of him. Did you say thank you?"
"Of course mommy."
Dean nodded in agreement and led the females to a back corner table where Roman sat, eating with one hand while his other scrolled on his phone. From what she could see he was dressed in a simple black long sleeved shirt, with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and jeans, with his long hair pulled up into a bun at the back of his head. She bit her lip as she looked over his forearms. Something about a man with his shirt sleeve rolled up was just incredibly sexy to her.
"Hey!"
His voice made her look up with a small smile. Rose promptly set her plate next to Roman and launched herself into his arms.
"Well good morning to you too," he said with a laugh.
"Rose," Leecie sighed disapprovingly.
"It's okay, we're kinda friends now, besides, I'm an honorary uncle aren't I?" he asked with a teasing tone.
"Yeah mama, he's basically family!" Rose said exasperatedly.
Dean snickered as he sat on the other side of Rose, which left Leecie the last chair at the round table, across from Rose with Dean and Roman on either side of her. This had to end in disaster. It was just too perfect of a situation.
"Did you sleep well?" Roman asked.
"Yep! I love hotels! The beds and covers are always so fluffy," Rose said, stabbing at a strawberry and taking a bite, "Plus mama is the best cuddler ever. She keeps the bad dreams away."
Leecie felt pride swell in her chest, but it was overcome with embarrassment as Dean smirked.
"I bet. You should come keep my bad dreams away firecracker," he said with a wink.
"She would if you ask really nice. Mama lik-"
"Rose!" Leecie yelped.
The small girl giggled as her mom shook her head quickly.
"What have I told you about that," Leecie sighed.
"Aw come on, it's not much of a secret anymore Leecie," Dean teased, "You blush anytime Roman or I remotely look in your direction."
"Still doesn't mean I want the embarrassing shi- crap I say to be broadcasted," she muttered, trying to hide her cheeks with her fingers discreetly.
"It's not a bid deal," Roman assured her.
"We are pretty damn hot," Dean said with a dimpled grin.
Rose reached out with a confused look and laid her hand over Dean's.
"What are you doing Rose?" Leecie asked.
"You're not hot, you feel normal," Rose said.
"Oh my god," Leecie groaned, "I give up child."
Roman rested a hand on her shoulder and said, "It passes."
"I hope so," she sighed as she watched Rose finally begin eating, "Where are you guys headed next?"
Roman and Dean explained, without going into detail, how they were on the path to win belts and Nashville was their next stop. Leecie looked at her phone to check the time and noticed another text, from Chuck again.
'Y would I give u child support U work dont you I need my money for the baby'
She couldn't even reply to that, instead closing out of the message app and leaning her head onto her hands.
"Hey Rose, they have a huge aquarium, wanna go see it with Dean?" Roman said suddenly.
"Yeah, what do you say spit fire?" Dean replied, drawing Leecie's attention back to the group.
"Can I mama?" Rose asked.
Her mom nodded with a shaky smile, trying to keep a tight reign on the turmoil bubbling just beneath her surface.
"Yeah baby, just listen really well to Dean," she replied.
Dean picked her up, and on the way by patted Leecie's shoulder, followed by a quick squeeze before continuing on.
"What's wrong baby girl?" Roman asked gently.
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, biting at her lip with a shrug.
"Would you ever willing give up seeing your daughter?" she questioned.
His brows furrowed as he said, "Of course not. Why?"
"Her dad texted me this morning saying he does not ever want to see her again because his whore is pregnant and doesn't want Rose around to disturb the baby. Then the bastard has the gall to suggest he shouldn't have to pay child support when he makes twice as much as I do!"
Her tight control was slipping and it finally broke as arms tugged her chair over and wrapped her up. While she knew it was unattractive to be sobbing on his chest, she couldn't help it. For so long she had dealt with Chuck's crap and then he had pulled this. She had never been able to really talk to anyone about it. Her parents thought she was dumb for ever even being with him, and she only had a few basic level friends from work that she didn't know well enough to cry on.
"That man needs some help," Roman murmured as his arms tightened and pulled her over onto his lap, "For him to be able to do that to Rose, and you, it's not right."
"Rose still h-hopes he'll want he-her more and now it-it'll never happen," she hiccuped.
"Shh, it's okay Leecie. It's honestly probably a good thing he won't be around her influence her because his influence doesn't seem like it'd be a good one."
She nodded in agreement and pulled back, wiping her tears away with her sleeve.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, trying to stand.
His arms caught her tightly again and pulled her back down.
"Don't apologize. It's incredibly fucked up, and I'm glad you feel comfortable enough with me to tell me," he said gently.
Her green eyes closed as she relished in the feel of his hand sliding into her hair, a soothing gesture that had her quickly reduced to a humming mess. Lips pressed to her temple and she flushed, finally looking back at him. Their eyes met as he gave her a heart warming smile.
"Why?" she finally asked, deciding to voice her thoughts.
"Why what?" he asked in confusion.
"Why me? Why us? Why do everything you've done?" she explained.
"Simple, you two caught my interest," he said, shrugging, "I told you my thoughts of you last night."
"Yeah, I know, but you're not getting anything out of this. I mean, not to say you have to want to sleep with me especially since you're married, but I- Obviously I have an insane crush on you, and it wouldn't be hard to get it and no one would be wiser. Why haven't you demanded anything in return?"
"Because that's not how real men work Leecie," he said, voice now hard and tense, surprising her, "I haven't done all this in hopes of getting laid. Yes, you're incredibly beautiful, and I'm sure you've met your fair share of asshole who do only want that but I don't. I did it because you're a brilliant person, wonderfully rare, and Rose is even more so. It was clear you needed a break and I wanted to be the one to do that."
She felt stupid as she swallowed back tears. It was hard to hear so much praise in one sitting but she took it with a small nod.
"Look, it's been amazing spending time with you both, and honestly if it was possible, I'd take out another night here and spend today and tonight getting to know you both better, but sadly work calls," he said, finally smiling again.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Stop thanking me," he replied with a chuckle.
A tiny smile grew on her face as he poked her side.
"I don't need your thanks woman, I just need to know you're feeling better and had fun."
"I am, and of course I've had fun. I kind of also wish we could do this longer," she admitted.
"I-"
"Mama! They had a shark! Th- Oooh, Mr. Roman's wife is gonna be maaaaad!"
Leecie blushed and tried to get up, but Roman pulled her back down... again.
"Your mommy needed a hug," Roman said.
Rose smiled but frowned right after, climbing up in Leecie's abandoned chair and grabbing her mom's face.
"Mama, you okay?" she asked, "Did you get a booboo?"
Cue the internal pain and heart breaking.
"No sweetie, I was just a little sad," Leecie explained.
"Why?" Rose asked.
Dean moved behind the chair and rested his hand on the back of it, looking curious as well. Great. Now she had an audience.
"Your daddy talked to me this morning," Leecie started, "He-"
"He's never coming back for me, is he?" Rose asked softly.
The look on her face, the pure utterly somber look tore at Leecie. She quickly swooped the young girl up and held her tight. Then came the tears, much similar to her own.
"Why mama? Why does he hate me?" she whimpered.
Leecie bit her lip hard before she managed to say, "He doesn't. Sometimes people are just very selfish and don't see that they're hurting other people because they think of only themselves. That's what your daddy is doing. He loves you but he is only thinking about himself. Do you understand?"
Red curls bounced as Rose nodded against her mom's chest, little fingers curling into her tank top fabric.
"But you're strong Rose, and you've got your mom, who will move heaven and earth for you, that's all someone really needs," Roman said.
Leecie stiffened as Roman abruptly wrapped both of them up in his big arms. Rose's whimpers slowed until she was down to just sniffles. She looked up at her mom who quickly kissed her forehead.
"Can Roman or Dean please be my daddy?" she whispered.
Leecie murmured with a sad smile, "While Roman is a wonderful daddy and I'm sure Dean would be too, you can't just pick a daddy randomly, I'm sorry baby."
She sighed and wriggled until Leecie let her slide back into the chair. Hands landed on Rose's shoulders and Leecie looked up at Dean, who leaned down to Rose's ear. He whispered something Leecie couldn't make out, but it made Rose's eyes light up and her mouth grin widely, all sadness instantly erased.
"Oh! Okay! Yes yes yes!"
"What?" Leecie asked, slightly dubious to what Dean had said.
"Nothing," Dean replied cheekily, "This is a secret between me and the kid, so butt out mom."
He stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes which brought Rose into a rolling laughter. Leecie just had to smile at how easily they were getting along.
"Well, it's about that time," Roman said.
She went to stand again but once again, was pulled back down.
"Roman, you can't keep me here forever," she muttered with bright red cheeks.
"As much as I wish I could, you're right," he said, "But I need one last hug."
Unsure if he was joking or not, she tossed him a curious look and was engulfed in a tight hug, her chest aching painfully as he pressed her hard against his.
"Where's you phone?" he asked.
"Pocket, I- Ooh!"
His hands slid down and palmed her ass, making her gasp, eyes flying wide in disbelief, hoping Rose hadn't noticed.
"Front right pocket," she whispered.
His hand slid up her thigh and pushed her phone up from outside her pocket and he swiftly grabbed it out. It took a moment but she realized his right hand was still on her ass, actually gripping pretty tight and causing incredibly stirrings everywhere.
"There, now you have my number. You can text me or call me if you need to talk. I'll always get back to you as soon as I can."
She took her phone and stared at the contact name and number, then looked up into his smirking face.
"Am I dreaming? Like, did I pass out in the store the other day, or when I put her to bed that night, and this is all just a dream?"
She heard Dean snicker behind her and an arm wrapped around her neck. Craning her neck back, she looked up at him and he winked.
"I can see why you're saying it's like a dream. I mean, that's gorgeous beast is playgirl material, and I'm the kind of man no one can restrain themselves from wanting, but be contented in knowing that this is real firecracker."
"Dean, lay off man, you're starting to sound a little bit like the real asshole you are," Roman grumbled.
"Mama? Can I play with your phone if you're gonna talk?" Rose asked.
Leecie easily handed her phone back to her daughter and untangled herself from the long limbs of both men.
"So, not that that wasn't heart pounding thrilling, but I think we should get going, you gotta go too, right?"
Roman nodded along with Dean.
"Sorry Leecie, I was just having fun," Dean said, "You're so cute when you're all flustered because of us. Makes me wanna poke and prod you more."
She blushed and shook her head, grabbing her bags.
"Mama, I can't get out of your pictures," Rose sighed, pushing the phone into her mom's hand.
Leecie tried pushing the home button, the back button, nothing. It was frozen. And of course it had to be frozen on an older picture of Dean as Jon Moxley with Sami Callihan from their AIW promo. It was one of her favorites.
"It froze, damn it," she groaned, smacking it against her palm.
Finally it went black and she sighed in relief.
"Must be a long time fan if you've got pictures of me and Sami."
"God damn it!" she screeched, spinning in fear just to see Dean less than an inch away from her, smirking.
"Mama!" Rose admonished, "That's a very bad word!"
Leecie covered her face as Dean burst into laughter and even Roman joined in.
"Rose, sometimes adults make mistakes. That was a very big one," Leecie explained, "I'm sorry I said that in front of you."
"Just don't do it again," she said seriously.
"Aw, seriously, don't be so shy Leecie. As much as some fans can bug the shit out of me, you're one of the better ones. Haven't tried to fuck me yet or ask me for anything. That's as good of a sign as any."
She had to laugh mentally. Of course she hadn't tried, but that's not to say she wouldn't take him up on the offer.
"I wouldn't try to use you like that," she assured him.
"Okay, really, we gotta go," Roman sighed, patting Dean's shoulder before smiling at Leecie, "Walk you to your car?"
"Can you carry me please?!" Rose asked, an eager smile nearly splitting her face.
"Course I can," Roman said, lifting her up onto his hip, "Hey, is that Skye?"
"You know Paw Patrol?!" Rose gasped.
Roman chuckled and said, "Yep. Joelle used to watch it all the time."
"Skye is by far the best! But I like Chase and Marshal too."
"He can sing the theme song," Dean said with a snicker, "Caught him humming it a few months ago because of Jo."
"Please sing it?!"
Roman glared at Dean but Leecie watched on in interest, wondering if he actually would. He sighed and grabbed his bags, and at the last second she heard it.
"Paw Patrol, Paw Patrol
We'll be there on the double.
Whenever there's a problem
'Round Adventure Bay."
Rose squealed and joined in the next verses.
"Ryder and his team of pups
Will come and save the day."
Leecie bit her lip to stifle a grin as they really got into it, both singing at the top of their lungs now. He shot her a smile over Rose's head and her heart nearly gave out. If he wasn't married, she'd be all over him in an instant. Too perfect is what he was, and his wife was one insanely lucky woman.
