Chapter 13 - A Long Day

Roman sat in the gym pushing the weights over his body at a quick pace. He hadn't worked his arms in quite a while. He hadn't actually worked out his body in a few weeks and could already feel the burn in his muscles. He had slacked off since he'd started staying at his parents on his days off. It was just about the dumbest decision he'd ever made.

He missed sleeping in his bed with his wife and he missed his kids, even if they did stay with him on his days off. He slacked even more when Odyn went in for his second surgery. He had never been forced with the reality of one of his children possibly losing their life. It cut him off at the knees. All of his children had been born healthy; with the exception of the twins.

He knew how worried Ayana had been about Odyn and he mirrored her worry. But he would remain strong through the time. He needed to get over his fears in his mind and tell Ayana the truth. He had to get his marriage back on track before they hurt their children anymore than he already had. Him packing a back and staying with his parents had nearly broken Samaria in half and her tears nearly broke HIM in half.

Once again...Dumbest decision EVER!

He looked up as his twin cousin's - Jimmy and Jey, along with Jimmy's wife Naomi and Dean walked up and pulled up seats around Roman as he wracked the bell bar and sat up. He caught the towel Dean tossed at him. "Something on your mind boys?" Roman asked.

"Excuse me?" Naomi scoffed.

"And Lady." Roman acknowledged as he nodded in her direction.

Dean sighed heavily. "We couldn't help but notice how hard you seem to be pushing yourself big cat. Any particular reason why?"

It was Roman's turn to scoff. "Sure. I fucked up things so bad with my soul mate and love of my life that I alienated her and basically pushed her into another man's arms, and while she's been getting from him what she should've been getting from me. I was getting my dick wet with a co-worker. I have no one to blame but myself at this point. So I did something monumentally stupid and I decided to leave my own house until I could get my head out of my ass and fix what's broken in my marriage. But the only problem is...I'm the only one who knows what's broken and only I have the power to fix it."

Roman exhaled heavily. "And I don't even know where to begin."

Naomi shook her head. "You and Ayana have been together literally forever. I don't have one memory with this family without the two of you in it. Roman whatever it is, you can do it. You already know what you did wrong. So just fix it."

"I wish it were that simple."

"Actually it is that simple. The first thing you have to do is come clean; come clean to Ayana about why or what the reason was for everything you did. It all starts with her. If you can't be honest with your wife who you've been together with since you were both fifteen and had four beautiful children with - then who can you be honest with?" Naomi pointed out. Naomi shook her head. "I'm not going to lie; if your knucklehead cousin pulled some shit like that on me; you bet your ass a thousand times over I'd be getting some from someone who was willing to give it to me."

"What?"

Naomi smiled sheepishly at her husband's snappy question. "I love you but if you were stupid enough to alienate me. I'd gladly jump on someone else in a hot minute if they weren't being ridiculously stupid as your cousin." Naomi's brown eyes looked at Roman. "Stop being ridiculous; go home and talk to your wife."

Dean nodded. "Now that is sound advice."

"Will you guys get out of here and let me finish my work out; before you all drive me bonkers." Roman pointed out as he watched all four of his family members get up and make themselves scarce.

Finally alone at last with just his thoughts.

Roman's grey eyes looked at the clock on the gym wall. He'd been at it for about two hours now as he sat up and wiped the sweat from his forehead and face. He leaned over resting his elbows on the tops of his knees. He could feel the ache and burn running through every muscle and tendon in his body. He felt good; after months of feeling like shit - he finally felt good. He didn't feel like a man right now, but at least he felt good.

Roman looked up and watched as AJ Styles was walking towards him. The 18 year wrestling veteran had been giving him a run for his money in the ring since after WrestleMania. He'd been learning a lot from AJ and couldn't thank him enough for helping him perfect his in ring craft. Which is probably why they'd become fast friends. AJ wasn't completely part of his inner family circle yet, but he was slowly making his way in there. Roman had a monumental amount of respect for AJ and the career and name he'd made for himself.

AJ stopped to the side of Roman as they both reached out and slapped hands before AJ took a seat next to him. "What's up brother?" He asked.

Roman shook his head as he sucked his top lip between his teeth and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck. "Nothing man - just pounding the iron. Trying to get my head re-focused for SummerSlam, since I know you're not going to take it easy on me." He chuckled.

AJ shook his head as he chuckled. "Hell No. Would you really expect me to?"

"Not in the slightest. You challenge my ass every time I get in the ring." Roman stated. "My wife said you bring out the best in my in ring abilities. She said if you give me advice I ought to shut my trap and pay attention."

AJ chuckled hard. He could visualize and actually hear those words coming from Ayana. He could see her small frame pushing her big husband around. "Man I heard about you and your wife."

"Damn it's already gotten around the fuckin roster hasn't it?" Roman shook his head completely disgusted by some of the damn gossip busy bodies that spread rumors and bullshit through the WWE faster than the black plague. "I can't believe it's already all over the company; though I shouldn't be surprised gossip spreads like wild fire."

"Absolutely man; absolutely." AJ agreed. "So are you guys making nice for the kids enough that they will all be in Brooklyn for SummerSlam?" AJ inquired curiously.

Roman nodded. "My 9 year old boy had open heart surgery a few weeks ago and as long as he's healed up fully there's no way in hell his momma could tie him down. Ayana said he's chomping at the bit to first get out of the hospital and second go home. He's spent most of his Summer in the hospital getting his heart valves fixed and he is just itching to get out and enjoy the remainder of the summer."

AJ chuckled. "My boys were the same way, rowdy and ready to play and rough house constantly. Eventually our kids are going to have to meet they will tear each other up. The scary part is I can already tell they are going to be a bad influence on their baby sister."

Roman chuckled hard. "Yea, I imagine Braden, Odyn and Max will all get Samaria into their rough housing eventually. I think Ayana is just worried her little girl won't be her little girl much longer. She's five and just as feisty as her brothers."

AJ knocked his fist on Roman's knee a couple of times. "Get a show in brother we got a nice feud going tonight for Raw."

Roman nodded as he stood from the work out bench ad stretched out his big body. "You got it bro. See you in the ring." Roman walked into the gym's locker room as he shed his clothes and grabbed a couple of towels and his shower kit.

"It's been a long day and it's only going to get longer." Roman commented to no one but himself.

Red rimmed sea blue eyes stared at the white wall next to the messed up bed. She was completely mortified; completely and utterly mortified. Her stress level had piqued since Odyn went for his second surgery and came through like a champ. He was still in the hospital; the doctors wouldn't release him until he was fully healed up and his brothers and sister were over at Roman's parents house with him.

It was their time to spend with their father. During the day Roman spent it at the hospital with Odyn, while his siblings spent time with their grandparents and then with Roman once he left the hospital and went back to his parents.

It had been the first time Ayana got to get away in the last 3 weeks and she wound up on AJ's door step. She was clutching the sheets to her naked chest trying not to freak out. This had NEVER happened to her before - of course she was experiencing a lot of firsts since she'd started seeing AJ.

AJ - his face - she wasn't sure if he looked surprised or if his face matched her mortified face. She'd never seen anyone pop out of bed that fast as he jerked some jeans onto his naked lower half. She peered over behind her left shoulder and could see him standing at the huge bay window in his master bedroom; his hands shoved into his pockets. His hair was a haphazard mess which he tried to comb his fingers through.

And the room was silent.

"Say something..." Ayana requested as she sniffled.

AJ sighed heavily. "I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say Ayana." His Georgia draw was thick when he was relaxed.

She pushed the sheet away from her naked body as she grabbed her panties and pants; pulling them on in one swoop as she stood from the bed. "If you remember correctly I tried breaking things off between us. I came to you several weeks ago and sat in this room and told you we should stop, but you didn't want to hear anything I said." She reached over to the foot of bed and grabbed her bra and t-shirt.

"I know - I know. And I was the one who talked you into not giving up what we were doing. You have to admit that it feels fucking great Ayana." AJ argued as he turned to face her and watched as she finished getting dressed. "I'm giving you exactly what he hasn't been giving you. I'm giving you exactly what you want, what you need, what your body craves and desires." AJ pointed out.

"I know that; don't you think I know that?" Ayana stated before pulling her fingers through her hair. "There's only one teeny tiny problem with all of this...I'm not in love with you AJ. And as many times as we have screwed each other into your mattress; I can't force myself to love someone that I don't. We both said no strings attached. And now...And now I -"

"You what?" AJ prodded. "You called out your husband's name as my dick was making you cum." He stated harshly.

Ayana slammed her eyes shut. She was still completely mortified. She couldn't believe that at the most inopportune time her husband's face would pop into her head as she was having the orgasm of a fucking life time. The second she screamed out Roman's name her eyes widened and tears immediately pricked the back of her eyes before the waterfalls fell down her cheeks. She missed Roman so much that it physically hurt and even trying to get her mind off of him with AJ wasn't the answer now.

Ayana could feel the tears leaking from her eyes again as she opened her eyes and looked at AJ. "I'm sorry AJ. I never meant...I never - did that before."

"You've never had sex with someone else and called out your husband's name." AJ once again pointed out. "Yea I wouldn't think it was a re-occurring event."

"I'm sorry."

"Yea I know you said that already. Say something different." AJ requested as he watched her sit on the foot of the bed while pulling her sneakers on and tying them. He walked over and sat next to her. His pale blue eyes watched the different emotions as they crossed her face. "Stay with me tonight, let's cook dinner and drink a bottle of wine and talk the night away; give me one night where I get you all night - where you get to fall asleep in my arms."

Ayana shook her head negatively. "As great as that offer actually sounds, I can't. You already know on Wednesdays and Thursdays I sleep at the hospital with Odyn, because the kids are with Roman." She pointed out.

Braden, Max and Samaria had taken to alternating between the three of them in spending the night in the hospital with Odyn. They missed their sibling something fierce and honestly couldn't wait for his return home - on nights they stayed with their father they didn't want Odyn to be lonely or by himself so they made Ayana actually promise to keep him company until Friday. She still wasn't sure how she got swindled into that, but it beat the alternative of sleeping in the house by herself.

"AJ we just need to stop this. If me calling out my husband's name isn't enough of a warning that this is getting ready to become disastrous than I don't know what would." Ayana stood up as she walked through the house downstairs to the front door. She turned and AJ was directly behind her.

"Are you really sure that's what you want?" AJ asked as Ayana leaned against the front door before she pulled it open and looked back at AJ.

Ayana smiled softly as she cupped his cheek and softly brushed her thumb over his soft red lips. "I think so." She leaned up and kissed his lips before she turned and left.

Ayana walked into the empty house and knew it was a good time for a soak in the tub. She wanted to hide away, but she had a little time before she had to go to the hospital to stay with Odyn. She peeled her clothes off as the huge bath tub in the master bedroom filled to capacity with warm water and bubbles.

She slowly sank into the tub as she sipped a glass of wine. She sighed softly.

"It's been a long day."