"So you have another new friend," AJ says sleepily, resting her head on Mike's chest.
"I do," he says, stroking a hand lazily up and down her back. "I didn't think it was fair that Lumis had Gargano and I was all alone."
"I guess," she mumbles. "You know people were hoping it'd be Morrison?"
Mike squints into the darkness a little, listening to the wind lightly whipping against the house outside. "Yeah, I would've if I could've," he says. "I'm not sure John would want to give WWE another chance though, after how it ended last time."
"Have you asked him?" she asks.
"No, I haven't. I guess I probably should, huh."
"Yeah, probably," she sighs, nuzzling closer to him. "It'd be nice."
"I guess," he says with a smile, running his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry I won't be around this weekend. I wish I could be."
"We'll miss you," she says, sitting up to look at him, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I'll make sure to record everything so you can at least see how the kids like their gifts."
"Thank you," he says, rubbing circles against her hips. "One of these years, I'll get to spend a full holiday with the kids."
She leans into him and kisses him. "Trust me, I understand the life. You know this. The kids are a little too young to understand, but when they're older, they will."
"Do you think they'll want to be wrestlers themselves?" he asks, idly massaging her back.
"Not sure," she says. "They like watching you, sometimes, and a couple of other wrestlers, but they're still so young, their interests are all over the place. It's a little too early to guess what they'll want to be when they're older. I went through a number of passions before I settled on WWE."
Mike smiles. "Me too. I think right now Sara wants to be an artist, and George is just happy to run around at top speed." He laughs.
"Maybe he'll be a race car driver," she says with a chuckle.
"Or an Olympic track racer," he says, rubbing circles up into her scalp. "Either way, they'll be great, I'm sure."
"We'll support them even if they suck or do something we don't understand," she muses, laying her head back down on his chest.
"Absolutely," he says. "I never want the kids to feel like I did, when George didn't understand my aspirations and dreams."
"You're a great dad," she says. "I have no doubt the kids will never question how much faith you have in them. Even if what they want to do with their lives are something beyond either of us."
"Like a full-time youtube streamer or something," he chuckles, shaking his head. "Things evolve so quickly, who knows what the big thing will be when they're older."
"Yeah, exactly," she says. "We'll just have to roll with it, and hope for the best. I trust our kids. They're smart, already."
"Yeah," he says softly, kissing the top of her head. "I have no doubt they'll continue to make us proud." They lay quietly, Mike thinking about the different paths their kids' lives can take in the years to come, until he feels AJ's body settle against his, and he looks down to find her fast asleep in his arms. "G'night, sweetheart," he whispers, kissing her forehead.
He'll have to leave in the morning, but for now, he gets to enjoy this evening, holding her and listening to her sleep, aware that their kids are just down the hall, also comfortable and warm in their beds.