Chapter 4

Lilianna was two seconds away from calling off the wedding and eloping to Vegas with Roman. She loved his mother, god help her, but Lisa had moments where Lilianna wanted to slap the hell out of her. After landing from a grueling 2-week tour throughout Europe with little to no sleep and relaxation, Lilianna was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. She had to defend the Women's championship every single night and wrestling for 2 weeks straight took a toll on the mind and body. All Lilianna wanted to do was go home and sleep for the next 5 days she had off with her fiancé instead of dealing with wedding idiocy. Lisa had blown the wedding up far more than Lilianna originally wanted and wasn't it supposed to be whatever the bride wanted, the bride received?

Apparently not when it came to the mother of the groom.

Refusing to deny his mother anything regarding the wedding, it was up to Lilianna to talk to Lisa about how she felt. So while Roman left to go take care of business, Lilianna decided to make a quick call to his mother to try dissuading her from doing any wedding planning during their days off. Lisa was steadfast, stubborn as a bull and told her flat out there was no way to reschedule all the appointments they had for trying on dresses and tuxes, cake testing, picking out invitations and anything else she'd set up while they were gone. It was either do it during their 5 day stretch or the wedding would have to be pushed back. Lilianna was tempted to do it just so she could get some decent rest, also worried about Roman breaking down as well physically and mentally.

"It won't take that long, dear. Just bite the bullet and be done with it."

Lilianna had to bite her tongue, not wanting to bite Lisa's head off, but her temper was on the verge of erupting. The phone call went absolutely nowhere and Lisa was oblivious to how her future daughter-in-law currently felt. She was so angry with Lisa, Lilianna ended up tossing her phone as hard as she could and watching it smash against the cinderblock wall in a million pieces. Just bite the bullet and be done with it, huh? She wanted to take that bullet and shove it down the woman's throat! Letting out a screech in frustration, Lilianna sunk down on the bench and grabbed her freshly blue dyed hair.

Becky Lynch had fiery orange like she used to, so Lilianna figured a change was needed and decided on blue for her hair. It was a vibrant blue, not dark and brought out the golden specks in her brown eyes. Nobody had seen it yet, not even Jecina because she'd had it done while they were overseas. Roman hadn't given an opinion and Lilianna had a feeling his mother wouldn't approve of the hair color she chose. Oh well, it was her hair, her body and her damn choice! She could dye her hair whatever color she wanted, having contemplated doing green before settling on blue. Roman didn't seem to mind it and, if he was smart, he would keep his opinion to himself if he didn't like it or else she would cut off all sex with him.

Her stomach growled viciously, demanding Lilianna to eat since she hadn't touched a speck of food in nearly 16 hours. Plane food sucked and it gave her the perfect opportunity to go down to catering to bug her Maid of Honor. If she had to suffer through Lisa's tumultuous wedding planning, she would not do it alone. Lilianna was dressed in black dress pants and a dark blue tube top that showed off her bare shoulders and a small portion of her midsection. All she had to do tonight was do commentary with the Raw announcers and watch Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks battle in the ring in a triple threat match to determine who would face her at the next pay-per-view event. She left her hair down, the ends of it naturally curled and did her own makeup since every other woman on the roster crowded the hair stylist and makeup artists the company had.

Grabbing the Women's title, Lilianna thrust it over her shoulder and walked out of the dressing room she shared with Roman, heading down to catering. Mouthwatering scents filled her nostrils from her best friend's cooking and Lilianna felt her stomach rumble harder. Definitely time for food, she thought, walking inside and smiled at the sight of Jecina rolling out a tray of fresh hot sustenance.

"You have NO idea how much I've missed your cooking, woman."

Jecina laughed, smiling back at her best friend and felt her eyes widen at Lilianna's brash change. "Holy cow, when did you change your hair?!" They embraced tightly. "I love it! And you didn't even miss me, just my cooking eh? I see how it is, I feel so unloved, champ." She playfully shoved Lilianna away as both girls giggled, handing over a plate. "Somebody hungry?"

"Needed a change. And I'm stressed and starving." Lilianna admitted, already spooning some lasagna on her plate since it was one of her favorite dishes from Jecina. All of her food was delicious, but Italian held a special place in her New York heart. "Mind if I come to the back and keep you company?" That was her way of saying she needed to talk.

"You're always welcome in my kitchen, Lili. You know that." Jecina could feel the tension exuding from her best friend and wanted to know what was going on.

Once they were back in the kitchen alone, Jecina faced Lilianna and planted her hands on her hips, giving her a knowing look. "Out with it, what's going on?" She demanded much the same way she did to Dean earlier.

"Roman's mother is a bitch. A bitch who doesn't care about anyone but herself and this stupid wedding." Lilianna didn't bother hiding her true feelings about Roman's mother, especially to Jecina. "I figured she MIGHT – I don't know – understand we want to RELAX and recuperate from the tour we just endured for the past 2 weeks on our days off. Nope, she's being stubborn and I just wanna strangle her. And of course Roman is completely on her side. He's forcing me to deal with his mother because he doesn't want to do anything to disappoint or sadden her. It's bullshit. I can't fight her and it's my damn wedding!"

If there was one thing Jecina couldn't stand, it was a momma's boy and that's exactly what Roman reminded her of when it came to his mother. Lilianna was about to become his wife and he had to stand by her, which meant going against his mother. If Jecina was in Lilianna's shoes, she would've given Roman an ultimatum long ago and forced him to choose her or his family. He couldn't have both and marriage was about partnership and being a team. At least, that's what she assumed since she'd never been married herself. Maybe one day Jon would pop the question, though she highly doubted it since he didn't seem to be the husband type.

"This is probably a dumb question, but have you talked to Roman about this? About how you feel? Didn't you want a small wedding to begin with?" Jecina could've sworn she remembered Lilianna saying she would not go all out with this wedding because of what happened the last time with Randy. Perfectly understandable. "And when did Roman's Mom start deciding what you and Roman want for your wedding?"

"Since she called him crying saying she wanted her baby boy to have the perfect wedding." Lilianna rolled her eyes, pouring a cup of coffee because she would need a caffeine jolt to get through the rest of the night. "He gave her full control and don't think I didn't put up a fight because I did. All he keeps saying is she just wants it to be special for both of us. He just doesn't get the fact I don't want to make a big deal out of this. Hell, I wanted to elope to Vegas or somewhere and he shot that idea down because of her."

There was a lot of things Jecina could've said about Roman at that moment, but none of them would've been kind. It would only make matters worse and that was the last thing Jecina wanted to do to Lilianna. "I wish there was something I could do or say to make you feel better, sweetie. I really do." Roman needed to get his head out of his mother's backside and start thinking about what his future wife wanted for a change.

"What would you do if were you in my shoes? I know Moxley doesn't speak to his family, but…hypothetically speaking, what if this was you instead of me?" Lilianna took a bite of lasagna to quell her rumbling stomach, staring down at her plate while Jecina contemplated her answer.

For several minutes, Jecina remained quiet because she didn't know how to answer that. Even hypothetically, she had no idea what she would do if Jon's mother tried controlling any aspect of their lives. Again, she didn't want to hurt Lilianna's feelings, but their friendship had been built on trust and honesty – brutal or not. Perhaps saying what she truly thought wouldn't hurt their friendship as much as Jecina originally feared. Speaking her mind may very well help the situation the more she thought about it, finally deciding to stop tiptoeing around Lilianna.

"I'd drag his ass to the nearest chapel and tell his family, more specifically his mother, to fuck off." Jecina affirmed, shutting the oven door so the lasagna could bake and began ripping open bags of lettuce to start her salad. "I don't know if Jon wants to get married since we haven't talked about it, but I would never – NEVER – let someone dictate how my wedding goes. You are the bride, it's your big day as well as Roman's and he needs to stand up to his mother on your behalf. He's being a chicken shit momma's boy and you need to point that out to him. Maybe it'll open his eyes and make him realize what he's doing to you."

Lilianna breathed a sigh of relief and slid from her stool to pull Jecina in her arms, hugging her firmly. "Thank you. I was wondering when you'd finally break and tell me how you really feel. I'm glad you did." She remarked softly before pulling back, nodding to show she heard and understood Jecina's words. "Don't worry, I know you're not trying to be cruel and you're trying to help."

It was Jecina's turn to sigh with respite. "I know you love Roman and I didn't want to say something that would offend you. But honestly, he needs to get his head out of his mother's ass or else he will lose you. And I only know that because I know how you are and you're only going to put up with it for so long before telling him and his entirely family to go to hell. You're already on the verge of doing it, I can see it in your eyes."

As much as Lilianna wanted to deny that accusation, she couldn't and sometimes hated how well Jecina could read her. "It's that obvious, eh?" She plopped back down in the stool, putting her head in her hands. "I love Roman so much. It hurts to think what my life would be like without him in it. I do want to be his wife more than anything. We're talking about having kids right after the wedding. He wants a family and so do I, but his mother is just…she's frustrating to deal with, to put it mildly. I almost wish we weren't getting married just so we didn't have to go through all the bullshit. I'd rather be happy with him as his girlfriend than deal with the stress of having a wedding."

It made Jecina wonder in the back of her mind if Roman really was the one Lilianna was destined to be with. She would NEVER say that aloud, but how they came together still bothered her every time she thought about it. Roman had accused Lilianna of having feelings for Randy, AFTER being sexually assaulted by him, and broke up with her over it. All because Lilianna didn't turn Randy in for what he did to her. What if that happened again? Roman was very insecure and he'd shown it several times, letting his jealousy get the better of him. She recalled a year ago when Lilianna was in the hallway talking to Sheamus, laughing at his hair because he spiked it up in a huge Mohawk. She was talking to him about how much gel he used and if it'd seeped into his brain to make him form a tag team with Wade Barrett. Lilianna did not care for the Englishman and, truthfully, neither did a lot of people in the WWE, including Jecina.

Sheamus had kissed the top of her head to say goodbye, much like he had whenever they parted ways and Roman saw it for the first time. He flew into a Samoan jealous rage, slamming Sheamus against the wall and growled at him to stay away from Lilianna. Jecina would never forget the amount of rage pulsating through Roman's stormy greys or the look of pure horror on her best friend's face at her fiancé's actions. Lilianna pushed Roman away from Sheamus and ordered him to go outside and cool off. Dean had been the one to drag him away when he didn't listen to Lilianna and tried attacking Sheamus again. It was one of those moments Jecina questioned Roman's mental stability as well as Lilianna's choice being with him. What if he flew into a rage and hurt Lilianna like that? To this day, even a year later, that was an answered question and worry when it came to Lilianna being with Roman Reigns.

"Anyway, why haven't you brought up marriage to Moxley? I would think he'd want to claim you in every way possible." To drive the knife deeper into Dean's back, if anything. Maybe that wasn't fair to think, but Lilianna didn't care for Jon Moxley and never would. "Or are you happy with the way things are? Do you want marriage and babies?"

Jecina shrugged, not knowing the answers to those questions because she hadn't thought much about them. "I'm happy with him and things between us have finally settled." The first year was hell on earth because of their conflicting personalities; Lilianna was there for her every step of the way and never faltered, listening to every bitch, moan and gripe Jecina had about Jon. "We're in a good place and I don't wanna ruin it by bringing those subjects up."

"But you have to also be honest with yourself on what you want out of life too, Jeci." Lilianna pressed softly, placing a hand over her friend's to force their eyes to meet. "Don't put your dreams and aspirations on the backburner for a man. I did that with Randy and look where it got me. Granted, I have Roman now, but I'll never put him before my happiness because that's what really matters at the end of the day. And it should be that way for everyone."

"Jon is my dream. I already have the dream job and dream friends." Jecina smiled, squeezing Lilianna's hand to let her know she was perfectly fine with the way things were in her life. "He's everything I've ever wanted in a man. That's why I chose him. He has my heart and I know I have his. That's what matters to me. Marriage is just a piece of paper and expensive jewelry to me. And as for kids, I've never really wanted to be a Mom, not the way you do. So the real question is: Are YOU being honest with yourself about what you truly want out of life when it comes to being with Roman?"

That was a hell of a question, one Lilianna would have to ponder over because she didn't know the answer…yet.