Chapter 10

It had been a month since her big fight with Roman and in that time she'd she'd seen her new therapist twice, once by herself and once with Roman. While he didn't need to go with her all the time, it felt damn good to know when she did need him to be there, he would come.

The one big issue she'd already identified was something so ingrained in her she knew it would be extremely difficult to correct and it stemmed from growing up as a member of the Hart Dynasty. While she loved her father dearly and enjoyed having such a large and supportive family, it had also come with a price. Being the granddaughter of Stu Hart and daughter of the great Bret 'Hitman' Hart meant she had a certain reputation to uphold.

From the time she was small enough to remember, she'd been taught that Harts weren't weaklings or whiny. They portrayed a strong constitution, carried themselves with pride and when hurt, sucked up the pain. Being a Hart meant, to a certain degree, being a loner. She'd accepted that stereotype as her cross to bare and from time to time had even carried it proudly. She'd never really seen it as a detriment. At least not until she met Roman.

When it came to emotions, his family was the opposite of everything she'd ever been taught. While also extremely proud of their lineage, his family's philosophy ran more along the thought that emotions weren't a weakness, but an asset. Where Harts were taught to bury their emotions and carry themselves proudly, Roman's family wore their emotions on their sleeve. After spending over a year with him, sometimes she was still awed by his ability to share his feelings with her.

Several times during her first two appointments she'd mentioned how unhappy she was with her inability to control her emotions while pregnant. How the violent mood swings and crying jags left her feeling vulnerable and ashamed. Roman had looked horrified when she'd made that admission, but he'd refrained from commenting, instead letting the therapist do her job.

She'd told Lexi that her mission was to share one emotional moment a day with Roman. It didn't have to be anything big. Something as simple as expressing her love for him or sharing her feelings over any situation would work. The goal was simply to open up and share and ultimately by doing so, she would slowly begin to build trust.

Desperately wanting to work through her mental roadblocks she'd managed to do just as the therapist asked and already felt not only lighter inside, but also closer to Roman. It was a strange feeling, but one she very much liked.

She opened the tour bus door and caught sight of Seth and Dean walking toward them. Dean whistled as they approached. "Damn girl. The Hitman really hooked you up."

Seth's smile reached from ear to ear as he pulled her into a hug. "How was the trip up from Pensacola?"

She pulled back and grinned. "It was great."

"Wait a second," Seth took a step back and appeared to assess her. "Are you showing already?"

Giddy that he'd noticed, Lexi turned slightly to the side and smoothed down her shirt.

"I'll be damned," Seth's grin widened. "You are."

"Just a little," she replied. So far, other than Roman, nobody had noticed.

"It's official," Dean said smiling as he pulled her into a hug. "You're new nickname is now Lil' Mama."

Feeling lighter than air from her friend's support she stepped back and motioned. "Come on in and see our new digs."

The boys followed her inside and both were oohing and aahing within moments. "Damn, and we get to ride in this?" Seth turned in a circle.

Lexi smiled again as Roman walked up behind her. "You get to help drive if you want," he offered.

Dean arched a brow. "Really? Don't you need a special license to drive one of these?"

Roman shook his head. "It's recommended that you take a class, but you don't need a commercial license if you're not being paid to drive passengers professionally. Since this is a privately owned vehicle we don't have that issue."

"Sweet." Seth rubbed his hands together. "Beats the hell out of being all cramped up in a car for hours on end."

Lexi nodded. "And with a real kitchen, we can cook. So we can back off on the fast food."

"I like that idea," Dean agreed.

Lexi finished giving them the quick tour, then headed into the arena to speak with Hunter and Stephanie. Since suddenly disappearing from the ring a month ago, speculation had begun to run rampant as to Lexi's whereabouts and why she wasn't wrestling.

On more than one occasion the guys had been grilled at press conferences and signings as to Lexi's status. Only for them to smoothly state that she was away on personal business. Those comments only fed the speculation and in return, she'd began watching the twitter feeds with some interest and was more than a little amused by some of the wild theories flying about. While a few fans did guess that she was pregnant, most theorized that her abrupt absence due to a family emergency had something to do with Bret or her and Roman breaking up.

She walked into Stephanie's office, spotted her on the phone and eased into the closest chair. While she waited for Stephanie to finish a call, Lexi checked the latest feed

Family emergency? Did Hitman have another stroke? #hitmanhart #lexihart.

Oh no! Hitman is sick? Hope it's nothing too serious. #prayers #lexihart #brethart

Looks like maybe #TheShield is breaking up in more than one way. Did Lexi and Roman split? #theshield. #ReignsHart

Lexi shook her head and grinned.

"What's so funny?" Stephanie asked as she hung up her phone.

"I'm just checking the twitter feed," Lexi turned her cell phone so Stephanie could see. "I feel bad not telling the fans the truth, but honestly, seeing them speculate is kinda fun."

Stephanie read the posts and smirked. "That's just what we were hoping to see. Having the fans not know for sure why you're gone is really helping to bring the focus back on the boys."

Lexi closed the app and set her phone aside. "So when do we tell them?" She placed a protective hand over the small bump where her baby grew. "I'm starting to show. Granted, it's just a little and with bigger clothing nobody would be able to tell, but in a few more weeks that won't be the case."

"Then we'll wait a few more weeks before we reveal your pregnancy," Stephanie said. In the meantime we'll have Roman and Dean continue to work the dissension angle.

Lexi frowned. "I really don't like the idea of breaking up The Shield."

Stephanie cocked her head to the side and smiled. "I know, but in this business, all good things must eventually come to an end. All three of those men have bright futures as singles stars. So does Amber and well...you're already a star."

Lexi grinned at the compliment. "I know. It's just, I've really enjoyed being a part of this storyline."

"Even though they are bad guys?"

"Even though they are bad guys," Lexi agreed.

Stephanie's smile faltered. "Well, I hope you still enjoy it after I tell you our idea for the next segment in the storyline."