The Arrangement
Chapter 13
Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing.
For the purposes of this story, I am omitting Orton siblings.
Normal POV
Randy closed his front door and leaned his head against the wood exhaling softly. This was a complete disaster. Bob was going to speak with Hunter. What if they fell out and he lost everything? What if something happened to Melanie? Plus he still had to put her through a meeting with his parents and extended family. Within a few hours, he had gone from believing they could get through everything to sharing Melanie's worst fears about the whole situation. And Alanna would get hurt because of it… She had already told him how much she liked her new stepmother. Damn Hunter. The man truly had a heart of stone. He could lose his girls. That was the worst fear. He could lose them both.
Speaking of, where were they?
He checked the kitchen and family rooms and there was no sign. Nothing had been touched, the TV was off. No sound or sign. Something crumbled underneath his feet and he looked down to see a few crumbs and sharp shards that weren't there when he left. Oh God. What if there had been an accident? Immediately he grabbed his phone ready to call the family doctor when he heard some sharp giggles coming from upstairs.
Randy breathed a sigh of relief and ran up the stairs. His first stop was Alanna's bedroom but again nothing. Another burst of giggles erupted from down the hall.
Randy's POV
I knocked lightly on the door but I don't think they heard me. I cracked it open slightly and poked my head through. Alanna and Melanie were both painting on a giant canvas on the opposite side of the room. Every now and again they would tap each other with brushes and leave paint marks all over each other. But they were laughing, they were having fun. Good, as long as everything was OK here, I can deal with that for the moment.
I coughed lightly, sad to break the moment but knowing I couldn't stay hidden. Alanna's face lit up and Melanie smiled brightly.
"Daddy, come look what we did for Nana's birthday"!
I crossed over and sat next to Melanie loosely wrapping my arm round her waist. It was gorgeous. Melanie had found a few old photos and put together a drawing of tulips. They were mom's favourite. Alanna was helping paint and from the looks of it, Melanie had been teaching her. Perfect. This was what I wanted for them.
"It's perfect".
"I've been helping", Alanna beamed and then she struck out. A big blue streak went across my arm. She and Melanie burst out laughing at my expression.
"You're in for it now missy", I growled before leaping over tickling her. Alanna shrieked with laughter.
"Help Mellie help"!
Melanie grabbed another brush and started on my head and neck. I turned around and grabbed her, tickling her in the ribs. She burst into laughter and latched onto me.
"S-stop it, p-please. That t-t-tickles", she got out in between giggles. I let up, but I didn't let her go. Eventually the laughter subsided and I ducked my head and brushed out lips together. I pulled away and the smile never left her face, but she looked more uncertain. I straightened up and backed off.
"Come on Ally, go wash up and we can watch a movie before bedtime", I said reluctantly. I didn't really want to break them apart, but we had a schedule to keep to.
"OK daddy, but I know why you want me gone", Alanna sang out.
"Why's that"?
"Cause you're gonna be kissing", she giggled and then ran off.
Normal POV
Melanie cleared her throat and started to clear up some brushes and paints. The canvas was done so she left it to dry off. She would put the finishing touches on it later. She just hoped Elaine would like it. Randy rubbed a hand over his short hair and shuffled.
"It really is great", he said finally. "Mom will love it".
"I hope so, if I had more time…. Well Alanna was certainly a big help. She's got a knack for this, did you know"?
"Yeah, she always makes something at school for when I come home. I was never any good. Just a souvenir from wherever I've been".
"I think it's sweet. You have a tradition and that means something to her. It's not easy when your dad is away a lot", Melanie said softly.
"Yeah. I just wish I could be here more", Randy said biting his lip.
Melanie turned around and suddenly felt like a jerk.
"Randy, you're a great dad. I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Guess I've still got a few issues of my own. I didn't mean you. Alanna loves you and you love her, at least you do the best you can with what you have", she circled her arms around his waist and pulled him close, smiling slightly when he returned the gesture.
"Didn't Dusty? My dad isn't exactly a teddy bear but I figured Dusty would be there a lot"?
"If it was wrestling related yeah", Melanie shrugged. "We don't exactly see eye to eye on my lifestyle".
"I remember you said, I wasn't sure if it was anger talking", Randy said tucking Melanie's head under his chin.
"I try not to dwell on it", Melanie said. "At one point, we didn't speak for several years. I was at school in New York and he was in Florida working with the WWE. I sent him a message and an invite for my art shows when he was in town but he never turned up. The only time I heard from him was after I had graduated and he wanted me to move back home so I could take the next step. Then I find out the next step was completely laid out, and here we are".
"Why did you go back then"? Randy pulled away. "You could have stayed in New York".
"It didn't feel right. A friend of mine, a really close friend died and I wanted to start over. Naively thinking Dad would help me", Melanie shrugged and bit her lip. "Well, no point in dwelling on the past, right"?
"You can still do all this though", Randy gestured round the room. "You want your career, you worked hard for it". What happened to the fire, the passion?
"And my brothers worked hard for theirs", Melanie replied shrugging her shoulders. "I've still got my dealer, I still have my pieces on display and up for sale. I can keep sending her other items to trade on the side. But I don't know if that will come back to bite me in the ass. What if Hunter and Stephanie find out? She was very specific".
A few tears slipped from her eyes. "I don't want to see my family get hurt. My….hobby isn't worth that".
Anger surged in Randy's chest. He kissed the top of her head and tilted her chin up to look at her eyes. He wiped away the tears and took a breath.
"Let me worry about them. You do what makes you happy. We show them we're on the same page, they will cut us some slack, I promise you don't have to give up your dreams. WWE superstars and divas have various projects at all times. Steph will see the benefit in having you continue", Randy stated.
"What possible benefit"?
"Any exposure is good, trust me on this", Randy said with certainty. "Besides, they have to keep the champ happy right"?
He flashed her a smug grin and she grinned back.
"You are a good man Mr Orton", she said finally.
"Nobody messes with my wife", he said simply.
Melanie POV
Twenty minutes later, I was cleaned up and crammed onto an oversized couch between Alanna and Ra- my husband. I really have to start remembering that. The entertainment system was awesome and Alanna pressed play on the remote balancing a huge bowl of popcorn on her lap.
"I've never seen this before", I admitted.
Randy placed his mouth close to my ear and whispered, "Every week for three months. I can recite it word for word".
"It's my favourite", Alanna said simply.
Frozen kicked off and I settled back. Ultimately, it wasn't bad. Last time I watched Disney it was Sleeping Beauty. How times change…
Later that night, Alanna was tucked in and settled. Randy was already in bed looking at a tablet. I walked into the room after brushing my teeth and the door snapped shut behind me. All I had was the sleepwear Stephanie had picked out for me. These shorts were way too short. I could feel Randy's eyes on me and I blushed.
"Sorry", he mumbled.
"It's OK", I replied sliding into the bed and grabbing a book that was lying nearby. Sleeping in the same bed was still awkward but we couldn't really take any chances. Tomorrow here, and then the day after that we were back on the road again. At least I didn't feel so alone though.
"I had an e-mail from Renee. She wanted to know if you wanted to do lunch with her at some point next week", Randy said suddenly.
"Sure, she seems nice", I replied.
"Yeah she is, she's quite close to Dean and Seth as well", Randy said as he typed out a quick response.
"Is she"- I wasn't sure how to finish that question.
"She isn't associated with the Authority, so you don't need to worry about that. I would recommend not mentioning the situation though. She doesn't know about that. In fact, very few people do backstage", Randy warned.
"I won't say anything", I promised. "I'm not great with hanging out with girls though".
"It'll be OK, like I said, she's really nice and she knows how to talk to people", Randy put the tablet to one side and reclined back stretching a few tight muscles.
I shivered slightly.
"Are you cold"? Randy asked.
"It's quite a bit cooler than Tampa", I admitted.
Randy held out an arm and I placed the book to one side and curled up next to him, placing my head on his chest. He flipped off the bedside lamp and tilted my head up for a quick kiss.
"Goodnight", he said softly.
"Night", I replied, curling around him.
OK, maybe I was a little cold and the other part of me was a little turned on. Come on, the guy does sleep shirtless and oh dear God, this is heaven.
"By the way", I started, "Thanks for sacrificing your room for me".
I could feel him smile.
"You're welcome sweetheart".