"Bro, you got a second?" Colby patted me on the back as I was taping up my wrists, readying myself for the night.

"What?" I responded. I wondered where Mich had disappeared to. I hadn't seen her since we'd arrived. I wanted to see her before I went out to the ring.

"Listen. I was just talking to your girl. She was pretty down on herself. I think someone might have said something to her. So I was thinking, since I am engaged and all, I could give you some advice. Bro to bro, that's all," Colby held his hands up in defense. I didn't give the kid enough credit and I knew that. He was a cool dude. He had his faults, but he was a good friend when he tried.

"Alright. Shoot," I replied. I alternated pounding my fists into my palms to pack the tape down onto my hands so that it would stick well.

"Maybe take her out on a date. Buy her flowers. Make sure you tell her exactly how you feel about her. Tell her there's no other girl you'd rather be with. That there's no one better than her for you."

As Colby went on, my mind wandered. Why had he been talking to her? Who else had she been talking to and why did he want me to suddenly profess all of my feelings for my girlfriend to her? Like she didn't already know I cared about her. I told her I loved her. Wasn't that enough? It wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't, it never was. I was never enough for anyone. I was just a fuck up, a street dog. What if she had found someone better? Someone like Colby, who yes, was engaged but ever unfaithful to his fiancée. Nah, she wasn't his type. Maybe it was Dolph; they had gotten to know each other pretty well. But I knew Mich would never do that to her sister. It wouldn't be Joe, he wouldn't dare do that to me. Who did she have eyes for that wasn't me? Was Colby trying to tell me these things so I could reel her back in? I grumbled aloud and began shadow boxing trying to loosen up. I needed to clear my mind and find some space to be alone. I pulled on my jacket and began navigating through the halls until I found gorilla. I made my way out one of the side curtained entrances to the backstage area and hopped the barrier to get into the stands, taking a flight of stairs two at a time until I reached the top.

I took an empty seat and a deep breath. Maybe I was just overthinking things. But Colby had said that she wanted more affection and reassurance that I cared about her. It was hard to do that when I was on the road and she wasn't with me all the time. What was I doing wrong? Why is it that every relationship I got into, I somehow ran the girl off? I thought things were going really well with Mich and me. I felt my mood slipping into a deep, dark place in the corner of my mind. At least I could channel this into my match tonight and really kick some ass. I took a look at the clock on my phone and shoved it back into my pocket. I still had an hour before doors opened, but I needed to get back to my teammates and discuss strategy for the night.

I rounded the first corner back to my dressing room when I ran into my ex…whatever she was, Renee.

"Jon! Hey," she rubbed my arm as she held onto me.

"Hey," I grumbled, trying to pull away.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I ran a hand over my head. Did I trust her or not? I wasn't sure but maybe she could give me some advice, maybe she knew how or what Mich was feeling or thinking.

"I think my girl's upset. Colby came to me and told me she was really down on herself. Said I should tell her how I feel and show her some more affection. Let her know she's the only girl for me," I told her.

"Is she?" she rubbed my arm again.

"Yeah she is. I love her, I want to spend the rest of my life with this girl," I replied.

"Are you sure? I mean, maybe you need to…just…experiment, just to be sure," she moved closer, rubbing my chest and leaning in for a kiss.

"Woah, what the fuck?" I pulled back, jerking away from her.

"Jon, come on. You can't tell me you don't miss what we had," she folded her arms across her chest and stared at me.

"I don't."

"Bullshit. You do. I see how you look at me, Jon. And I made sure to let her know. The poor girl needed to be warned that her little fantasy world she's living in with you won't last long. You'll come running back to me. I know you will. It's only a matter of time," she said.

I was fuming. Of course it had been Renee who'd put those thoughts in her head. Fuck, she was probably halfway back to Texas now. She probably hated me. If I had been my father, I would have kicked Renee's ass, but I was going to save that for someone else. I had to find my girl.

I didn't find Mich before my match started, nor did I find her after. I tried calling her, but I kept getting her voicemail. She was long gone and I would never forgive Renee for it. How the hell was I supposed to function without Mich in my life? It had only been a few months since we'd been together, but I literally couldn't imagine my life without her. She completed me. I wondered if maybe I could skip Smackdown and go home to find her. I hoped maybe she was at the hotel still, but I'd called our room too and gotten no answer. I grabbed my bags and ran across the street to the hotel, still in my gear. I spotted her in the back corner of the bar, a bottle of Jack in front of her. She was probably beyond wasted. She'd need my help getting back to the room. I took a deep breath and walked to the bar, dragging my bag behind me.

"Mich," I approached her cautiously.

She looked up at me tearfully, her makeup streaking down her face, mascara and eyeliner smeared all around her eyes. She immediately began to sob when she saw me, her entire body shaking while she did.

"Come on baby. Let's go to the room. Bill that to room 334," I told the bartender. He nodded at me in understanding as I helped Mich to her feet. I wrapped an arm around her waist and she held to me tightly, still weeping.

"I love you," I whispered and kissed her temple as we began to walk. It was hard dragging her along with my bag, but we made it to the elevator. Mich leaned against me, her head pressed into my chest, arms wrapped tightly around me. I rubbed her head lovingly and kissed her head again.

"I saw you talking to her, I saw you guys together. I saw her kiss you, " she sniffled.

"Who? Renee?" I asked. She nodded and sniffled again.

"Baby. Look at me," I let go of my bag and took her face into my hands, "I. Love. You. Not her. You. Okay? I never loved her and I never will. You are it for me. Don't listen to shit other people say to you. Listen to me. I fucking love you. I want to spend my whole life with you. Alright? And she didn't kiss me. She tried, but I didn't let her. Okay? The last girl I kissed was you. And you'll be the next, and the one after that, and the one after that. I hope you're the last girl I ever kiss. Got it?"

Mich nodded and her eyes welled up with tears again as she looked into mine. I pulled her close to me and held her tight. We'd missed the elevator twice now, so I hit the button again and waited for it to come back as I held her close.

We rode the elevator up to the room, Mich slumped against me, mumbling incoherently. I just rubbed her head and walked her to the room silently. I dropped my bags by the door and picked her up into my arms to carry her to bed. She was barely holding her eyes open. There was no telling how much she'd had to drink or how long she'd been sitting at the bar. I knew she'd wake up feeling like she'd been hit by a Mack truck; likely sick at her stomach and with a raging migraine. I made a mental note to have room service waiting for her when she woke up.

I laid her in the bed gently and rolled her over on her side just in case she got sick. She opened her eyes lazily and looked up at me.

"I love you," she mumbled.

"I love you too. You still mad at me?" I asked, stroking her cheek.

She shook her head.

"Good," I said, walking toward the door to get my things.

"Where are you going?" she asked, sitting up.

"I just have to get my bags. It's okay. Relax," I said soothingly. She relaxed back into her pillows, watching me as I walked to get my things.

I wanted desperately to get out of my ring gear so after I got inside with my bags and locked the door, I started pulling my gear off – starting with the tape on my hands, moving on to the padded vest. I tossed it onto the bathroom counter and peeled off my t-shirt then sat down to unlace my boots. I peeled off my socks and stuck them into my boots before throwing them across the bathroom under the sink. I smelled heavily of sweat and baby oil from my opponent that evening. I could definitely use a shower. I unfastened my belt and dropped my pants and boxers around my feet and turned the water on, cranking it all the way to hot. Mich was sound asleep, I could hear her quietly snoring in the bedroom in her drunken slumber.

Something I had said to Mich was resonating strongly, repeating over and over in my head. I had told her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I'd told Renee too. I'd talked to Joe about it and given serious thought to buying a ring. Sure, we'd only been together a few months, but they say when you meet the one, you just know. I'd known since the moment I met her she was special; that's why I chased her all over Vegas that night to get her number. Mich was it for me. I was a hundred percent sure of that.

I did some of my best thinking in the shower. I wondered what kind of ring she would like. I thought simple was the way to go; she wasn't extravagant by any means. We had discussed the possibility of marriage in the future a few times. Maybe I should call one of her sisters or her friend Brandi to get some insight. I made a mental note to do that later when I was alone. I didn't want her to know I was planning this. I needed a way to execute it. I wanted it to be special for her. Maybe I could take her back to where we had our first real date and do it there, or on a picnic or something. That was more advice I could get from her friend and sisters. Damn, I had a lot of research to do.

I shut off the water and dried off before heading back into the bedroom to climb into bed with my girl. Though the blinds were drawn, the city lights peeked in around them and lit up her face just enough so I could make out her features. This was the girl I was going to marry. Sure, it hurt that she questioned my love for her, it hurt a lot. I wasn't going to let it destroy us though, no way in hell. She was mine and I'd be damned if I let her go for someone else to find. I brushed my fingers along her jaw and kissed her softly. She barely stirred, just mumbled something incoherently and cuddled up close to me, her body pressed against me snugly. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled the cool white sheet up over us. She mumbled again, this time something I understood very clearly.

"Mine," she had said.

"I am yours. Don't ever forget that," I told her quietly and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.

I woke early the next morning and got out of bed carefully so not to disturb Mich. I readied myself for the gym and grabbed my backpack before heading out. She was still in a deep, deep sleep so she'd be out for a couple more hours. I had plenty of time to get in a good workout and grab breakfast before she would even begin to wake up.

I returned two and a half hours later, two cups of coffee in hand and a breakfast sandwich for each of us from a bagel shop. I opened up her coffee and poured in several cups of creamer along with two sugars and stirred it up before I began to wake her gently.

"Mich," I rubbed her arm gently.

She stirred slightly, but didn't open her eyes.

"I brought breakfast," I said, shaking her slightly.

"Mhmm," she nodded sleepily, but still didn't open her eyes.

"Come on, baby. Open up your eyes. We only have about two hours before we have to hit the road," I told her.

Mich cracked an eye and looked up at me before burying her face back into the pillows and making a loud groan. I fished in her purse for her headache medicine. She was bound to be hungover as hell after all the whiskey she'd downed the night before. She held her hand out, waiting for me to shake the pills into her hand.

"Head hurt?" I asked. She nodded and finally sat up, opening her eyes slowly. She downed the pills quickly with a sip of her coffee. She leaned forward and kissed me good morning before leaning back into the pillows again. She still tasted like whiskey.

"Did you say you brought breakfast?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I got you a bagel sandwich from this joint down the street. It was the only place still selling breakfast," I replied, digging in the brown paper bag and handing her food to her. She unwrapped it and took a bite, chewing silently. I knew the look on her face; she was thinking and she'd want to talk. I didn't though, not yet at least. I wanted to save that for when we got back to Texas.

"What happened last night?" Mich asked me quietly.

I took a large bite of my sandwich and shrugged.

"You do know, don't give me that," she said. Ouch. She was feisty when she was hungover.

I swallowed and took another bite. "I do, but I want to talk about it when we get home. Not here. I'm technically on the clock and it's not the time or place to fight. I'm not saying it's gonna escalate to that, but if it does now isn't the time or place. It's not professional of me," I replied.

"Fair enough. Just answer me one question?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Did I hurt you?"

"You didn't hit me, nah. I'm alright," I replied.

"But I hurt you," she stated this matter-of-factly, as if she knew the answer already.

"It's okay, Mich. I was more worried about you. You scared me, running off and getting trashed like you did. It's not like you. I was more worried about losing you. But listen, I love you okay? That's all that matters. I love you and no one else. Alright?"

She nodded, looking at her lap.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I hope I didn't embarrass you in front of your bosses or anything. I didn't mean to bring our personal business to your job. I know you hate that."

"Hey," I bumped her chin softly so she'd look up at me, "don't worry about it. I haven't gotten cussed out and I worked out with Hunter this morning. We'll talk more when we get home if we need to. For now, what's the one thing you need to know?"

"That you love me," she replied.

"That's it. All you need to know. Okay?"

"Yeah. I love you too, Jon Boy."

******************* TWO WEEKS LATER *****************

I snuck out of the apartment quietly and took the stairs two at a time. I was off to meet up with two of the most important people in Mich's life – her sisters Blake and Amanda. I was nervous as hell, I didn't really see them often, we'd only met a handful of times if I was being honest. I hoped I'd made enough of an impression on them to persuade them to say yes to the question I had for them. I patted my jacket pocket to make sure I had the ring I'd purchased with the help of my best friend Joe while I was out on the road. I took a deep breath and slid into my Bronco, pumping the gas a few times before starting the engine. This damn truck was beyond old, but I didn't see the sense in buying a new one even though Mich suggested it at least twice a week.

It was Wrestlemania season, so I was super busy, barely getting a day a week at home. I had to utilize this one well, so I was skipping the gym and meeting up with her sisters for breakfast. I'd make sure to bring her some too and at least pretend I'd worked out. I didn't want her to know that her sisters were in on this. I'd played it out in my head a million times, me asking them for her hand in marriage. I was terrified one or both of them would say no.

I barreled down the highway in my truck toward the Cracker Barrel we'd designated as a meeting spot. There were few cars in the parking lot seeing as it was 7 am on a Wednesday; I found a spot and parked near her sisters cars and made my way inside. I found them at a corner table, a cup of coffee already sitting at the table for me.

"Hey guys. Thanks for the coffee," I said, pulling the chair out and taking a seat. I took a drink of my coffee and sat it back down, my hands noticeably shaking. Shit, not good.

"So what possessed you to call this meeting?" Blake asked. Damn, she wasted no time.

"Blake, let the man order his breakfast first," Amanda laughed at her youngest sister. She smiled warmly at me. I had a feeling she knew, but she wasn't the type to poke and prod until you talked. She was patient and kind, and I knew that if anyone would tell me they approved of me marrying Mich, it would be her. Blake would be tougher to crack.

The waitress came and took our orders and disappeared to the back. I shoved my right hand in my jacket pocket and wrapped my hand around the tiny black velvet box stuck inside of it. I pulled it out slowly and opened it, looking it over for the millionth time. It had a platinum band with three diamonds, one slightly bigger than the rest with the two smaller stones on the side. I'd taken countless quizzes online to see what her ring style was and every one of them had told me something like this was right for her. It was simple and beautiful, just like her. I'd done some research and found that the three stones represented the past, present, and future; I'd incorporated that into what I planned to say to both her sisters and her when I popped the question. I took a deep breath and turned the box so they could both see it.

"I knew it," Blake said, taking the box and inspecting the ring.

"Aww, Jon…we suspected this was what you wanted to meet up for. It's beautiful," Amanda said.

"Yeah? You think she'll like it?" I asked.

"Definitely," Blake replied, nodding. She passed the box to Amanda before it made its way back to me.

"Good. It took me forever to pick one. So…I really brought you guys here to ask you a question," I said.

"Go on then," Blake said, resting her chin on her hands, staring at me intently. Amanda's stare was softer, a smile on her face. She was excited for her sister, I could tell. Blake was sort of scaring me if I'm being completely honest, but there was no turning back. It was now or never.

"I brought you here to ask…for your permission to propose to your sister. I know how close all of you are, and I know she isn't close with her parents. She loves you guys. So I figured I'd ask you guys…" I said, wringing my hands together. I hadn't been this nervous probably ever.

"If we said no, would that stop you?" Blake asked.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"No. I love her, and I want to marry her. I've never been able to picture myself spending forever with someone, but her…she's different. I don't think about anyone or anything else but her."

The waitress came with our food and as soon as she was gone, Blake folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath.

"You gave the answer I was looking for, so I can't tell you no. You have my blessing, and by the look on big sister's face over here, you have hers too, but I really can't speak on her behalf, so I'll turn this over to her," she gestured to Amanda.

"Absolutely. Yes," Amanda said excitedly.

I felt myself grinning, now far less nervous than I had been seconds ago.

"Thank you guys. Now I just hope she says yes, too."