Author's Note: And guess who decided to give you a second update? MEEEE. So you get two to make up for my lack of it :) Happy Reading!
It seemed like Wrestlemania was just yesterday, like she was watching her brother have the match of his career, meeting her fans, going to the beach in her spare time, spending time with her husband. But it wasn't yesterday, it was two weeks ago. Elle definitely missed Wrestlemania week. She had just finished her last show, for the moment, and was now back home, off for the next nine months. Being a pregnant wrestler, she wouldn't be able to do anything at all, so Vince thought it was best to give her her maternity leave now. Although she would miss traveling and seeing her friends, she had to think positive. These nine months would fly by in no time.
"You look cute," Wade said, coming from behind Elle and snaking his arms around her body. He looked at her through the three-way mirror, placing his hands on her growing belly. He smiled at his own gesture. He noticed that Elle had, too. "Where are you going?"
"I am going to lunch with a friend," she vaguely replied, pulling apart from him and slipping on her sandals.
"Do I know this friend of yours?" Wade wanted to know.
"You do. His name's Jack Swagger. Now I'll see you later. Love you." She stood on her tiptoes, like always, and gave him a quick kiss. She smirked when she felt his hand catch hers.
"That's not enough," Wade grinned. He pulled her in closer and kissing her again, more passionately this time. "Love you, too. Have fun."
Elle met Jack at a nearby restaurant where he had two surprises waiting with him, one bigger than the other. She was definitely shocked because she was not expecting to see him with Jack. "Hi Jacky!" she smiled, greeting him with a hug. She then took notice of the baby in the other man's arms. "You brought Baby Knox and...Dolph with you," she observed as she sat down.
"Wasn't expecting this good looking surprise, were you?" Dolph joked.
"I honestly wasn't. I only knew Jack was coming for a visit," Elle responded. She watched as he played with Knox, making him laugh and smile. He was definitely good at doing that. She slowly started thinking of her life with Dolph as the baby's father, if she was married to him instead. In her mind, it was the perfect marriage, the perfect family, but she knew in reality, it most likely wouldn't be all that. Her perfect fantasies were always better than her reality, but she had to face reality. "So where's Catalina?"
"She's at home. She actually let me take Knox with me to come see you. She thought it would be good for him to spend more time with his godmother after all," Jack chuckled as he handed his son over to Elle. "Plus, it'll be great practice for you."
"Very true. So how long are you guys staying?" Elle wanted to know after ordering her food.
"Until Friday morning," Dolph chimed in.
She looked in his direction, raising an eyebrow. "You're staying, too?"
"You know it, babe. I didn't tag along to stay one day."
Elle was totally sketchy about Dolph staying in Chicago for a few days. It was already hard for her with him being there right in front of her. She couldn't even imagine the next few days with him being in the same city as her right now. "Okay, so where are you guys staying?" She looked at the little six-month-old baby sitting on her lap. He was such a good baby, sitting there, just banging his hands on the table to keep him occupied. She glanced down at him when he started laughing. His blue eyes were attached to Dolph. Knox really seemed to love him.
"At your brother's actually. We saw him before this and he offered us his home. I figured you wouldn't want us when you found out Mr. Show Off was with me," Jack explained.
"Well, you're right about that," she remarked. She looked back at Dolph and his smiling face was gone. Knox started fussing so Elle's head snapped down at him. "Looks like someone needs a changing." She handed him back to his dad and Jack excused himself to go change his son, leaving her to fend for herself with Dolph.
"You know, I can leave if you want me to."
Elle's head snapped up when she heard him speak. She crossed her arms over her chest, taking a couple fries and dipping them in ranch before eating them. She looked at him, her eyes meeting his. He had lost his happiness once Jack left with Knox, but even when he was playing around with Knox, making him laugh and all that, she could see it in his eyes that he wasn't happy. Sitting up straight, she grabbed Dolph's hand, enlacing his with hers. "I don't want you to leave," she admitted. "I'm sorry I acted like a brat."
"It's okay, baby. It's probably the hormones," he shrugged. He then scooted out of his side of the booth and sat next to Elle, trapping her inside. He pulled her close, hugging her tight. "I miss you, Elle. I miss us, I miss being with you so much."
She quickly pushed herself away from him. "No, Dolph. You can't do that. You can't tell me those things and hold me close. You just can't," she cried out. "You have to get over me."
He instantly objected. "I can't and I won't. You know I'll never do such a thing. I love you way too much, Elle, to just try and forget you like that."
"Fine, then the least you can do is control your feelings around me."
"So I have to pretend I don't love you anymore?"
"If that's what it takes, then yes. I'm scared, Dolph. I'm scared of the next nine months ahead of me, ahead of us. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I hope everyday this child turns out to be Wade's."
"And what if it's not Wade's, what's going to happen then?"
"That's his decision. I know he said that he would love that child like it was his own, but I know how much having his own child means to him." She sighed heavily, then continued on. "You should of seen him when I told him I was pregnant. He was the happiest man in the entire world. Then I break his spirit by telling him he has a fifty percent chance of being the father. He's going to hate me if this kid isn't his."
After saying goodbye to her friends and godson, Elle headed back home. She thoroughly talked things through with Dolph and he understood what he had to do. He had to keep his feelings in check and he would be apart of the pregnancy every step of the way. She was glad they came to some kind of agreement. When she walked into her home, it was pure silence. "Wade?" she called out. "Babe, are you home?" There was no answer. She dropped her things on the coffee table and headed toward their room.
He wasn't in there, so she called him. After a few rings, he picked up. "Hey sweetie. Where are you?"
"I'm at the gym, then I'm going for a run at Oak Street. I figured you were going to be longer hanging out with Jack so I decided to get a workout in," Wade explained.
"Oh, okay. Well, then I'll be at my brother's. Love you." She hung up after he responded. She might as well go see Phil and hang out with her friends more. She sent a quick text to her brother, letting him know she was on her way to his house.
"My sister's coming over, so Dolph, no funny business while Jack and I get some food," Phil directed, eyeing the blonde on his couch.
"What? Why can't we all just go?" Dolph whined like a five-year-old.
"Because someone needs to watch Knox," Phil argued. He and Jack left before Dolph could object any more.
Dolph loved his godson, but he didn't want to stay in when it was beautiful outside. His angered expression slowly softened when he heard Knox getting fussy from the playpen they bought earlier. He stood up, taking the baby in his arms. He rocked him in his arms, humming lightly so Knox wouldn't cry.
"You look like a natural."
Dolph's head snapped up when he heard her voice. A smile crept across his face. "Thanks," he said. "So why are you here?"
"Well, Phil is my brother and Wade's out at the gym. Thought I'd spend more time with my best friends and godson," Elle responded, collapsing onto the couch and crossing her legs.
Dolph sat next to her, handing Baby Knox over. "Well, now's your chance to start," he said.
Elle happily took Knox, sitting him up on her lap. He was the cutest baby she's ever seen and she could see he was starting to look like his dad every day. He was blonde and had blue eyes, just like his dad. "You are just the cutest little baby ever!" she cooed, pinching his cheeks lightly and kissing his face. He started giggling. Knox was such a happy baby. "I hope my baby turns out to be as cute as you."
"Wade and I both have good genes and you're gorgeous as hell, so it's no doubt that baby will look turn out to be cute," Dolph chimed in.
Elle giggled, leaning over and giving him a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Dolph."
Dolph nodded his head, smiling. He leaned in closer to Elle, his head inching toward hers. When he realized she wasn't moving, he dove right in. He pressed his lips hard against hers before pulling away. His smirk reappeared when they pulled apart. He looked over at Knox, who was smiling up at them. "Seems like he approves of us together," Dolph joked around.
"Apparently, he does," Elle replied. She settled him back into her arms, rocking him a little. Knox looked like he was getting tired. She then started singing him to sleep.
Phil and Jack got back a few hours later with Wade trailing behind them. He decided on all of them having dinner together, like a family, thinking it would be nice. Although it would be sort of awkward considering Wade and Dolph didn't get along well. "Well, lookie what we have here," Phil exclaimed as they walked past the living room.
Wade felt his blood boil when he saw Elle and Dolph on the couch together, fast asleep. Her arms were around him as he rested his head on her chest. They looked way too comfortable and he had to do something about that. Wade kneeled in front of Elle, gently shaking her awake. "Elle," he called out. "Hey. Love. Wake up." She started shifting awake, Dolph was, too because of her movement, and when she opened her eyes, he saw that all too familiar smile appear when her eyes locked in with his. "Hi," he said again, smiling back at her. He reached for her once Dolph moved out of the way, embracing her in his arms. He glared at Dolph when Elle's head rested on his shoulder.
"What are you doing here?" Elle asked, pulling herself away from Wade.
"Well, Phil wanted to have dinner with all of us, so he called me." He looked over at Dolph, who was holding Knox again. He lowered his voice. "I didn't know he was here."
Elle shook her head. "I didn't either. I promise. When I showed up for lunch with Jack, he was there." She gave him a kiss. "Please be nice though, okay?"
Wade promised he would, not wanting to upset his wife. He took her hand and they walked into the kitchen, where Dolph and Jack were. They were setting up the boxes and boxes of Chinese food they bought. Dolph joined them a minute later. He handed Knox over to Jack.
"Was he good? He didn't cry at all?" Jack asked Knox's godparents.
"Nope," Dolph and Elle said in perfect unison.
"He was a good baby. Didn't cry at all," Elle cooed, tickling Knox's feet a little.
"Dolph and I have a signing tomorrow. Would you mind watching him?" Jack asked the dark haired beauty sitting next to him.
"Uh, of course! Wade and I can play Mommy and Daddy tomorrow," she excitedly giggled. She took Knox, slowly throwing him up in the air. "We get to spend the day with you, you cutie pie!" That sent the blonde baby into a loud laugh. She still couldn't get over the fact of how cute he was.
Wade and Elle had actually accompanied Dolph and Jack to the beginning of their signing, meeting a couple fans before venturing off into the city and spending it with Knox. Elle was definitely happy to have Knox for a few hours and although she was great with kids, it would definitely help Wade a little in the area.
They had spent the day shopping, going out for lunch and a snack, and spent a few hours at the park and beach. They were now stopped at the Rose Gardens in Grant Park, enjoying the beautiful day. Knox had fallen asleep in his stroller. "Look how cute he is," Elle said to Wade.
"He really is adorable, cute as a button," he replied, smiling. He wrapped an arm around Elle's shoulder, as she snuggled close to him. "How long are they staying again?"
"Until tomorrow morning," she replied. "So...are you bummed that our friends are going back to Europe without you?" Most of the wrestlers have left for Europe, including her brother, which meant Dolph and Jack were probably the last ones to arrive since they were still here. Elle was definitely sad she wouldn't be able to go on the European tour because she wished she was, but for one reason only. And that was to see Wade's family with him. She knew it would have been his only chance to see them, but unfortunately he couldn't.
"Of course, I am. It was my only chance to see them," Wade sighed heavily.
Suddenly, Elle had a brilliant idea. "Well, what if we flew them out here? We have the miles to and I'm sure they'd love to see Chicago," she told her husband, excitedly.
"That's a great idea, love!" he agreed. "But I'll have to call Mum first, see if they're alright with that."
Elle was happy she thought of that idea. If they couldn't go to them, Wade's family would just have to come to Chicago. It was a win-win situation for everyone.
After dropping Jack, Dolph, and Baby Knox at the airport, Elle and Wade headed back home. Her friends had decided to catch a flight right after their signing so they could head to Europe with the rest of the roster. On the way home, Elle was pretty quiet. She could of been in Europe with her brother right now, sightseeing and wrestling, but not this year. This time around she was pregnant. Eight and a half more months to go, she thought to herself. She looked down at her barely there belly. She had a long way to go.
Wade opened the car door and helped Elle out of the car. They walked silently into their apartment building and still stayed silent as they went up the elevator. While he was wanting to ask her something, Elle definitely didn't look up to conversing at the moment. Ever since they parted ways with Jack and Dolph, she had been silent, not one word escaped her mouth. "Ellie, are you alright?" Wade wanted to know as they stepped off the elevator and into their home. "You've been very quiet."
"Wh-I'm totally fine," she said, her eyes stuck to Wade's face instead of his eyes.
"You're not. I can tell. You're doing that thing where you can look at my face, but not my eyes," he noticed.
"I'm fine, Wade!" she barked out of nowhere, storming to the bedroom.
He was taken aback. Elle's never been like that toward him, but he figured it could've just been her hormones. He sat on the couch and turned on the television. He would let her cool off for an hour so before he talked to her. While Elle was attending to Knox earlier before they left the signing, Wade overheard Dolph mentioning something to Jack. He didn't want to believe it because Elle wouldn't do that after what they've already gotten through. She just couldn't have.
Author's Note: What do you think Wade overheard Dolph tell Jack?