"Are you nervous?" AJ asks, leaning up on her elbows to look over at Mike.
One last beach day before summer 'ends', and for once Morrison and Taya had been able to join them, Heath and Maryse not far away, their children playing, giggling and making sand castles guided by Heath's surprisingly patient hand.
Mike frowns and puts his phone down, shifting up to face her as well. "What do I have to be nervous about, sweetheart?"
"The rematch against LA Knight," she says, dutifully avoiding saying YEAH! Mike's outright banned that particular reference from their household, even going so far as to put a sign on the gates and all of the main doors acknowledging as much. AJ doesn't really blame him, sometimes it can be on par with "WHAT?" chants in how annoyingly repetitive it can be. "I know defeating Tozawa helped, but... well..."
"No," he says. "The guy's just full of bluster. I'll be fine." He reaches over and she meets him halfway, squeezing his hand with a small smile. "You believe in me, right?"
"Of course I do," she says immediately.
"Then that's all I need." He smiles at her. Then he casts a quick glance around, taking in how Heath is distracted with the kids and Maryse is filming them with a bright smile on her face. Meanwhile, John and Taya sit in chairs, sunglasses on their faces, soaking up the sun. "Come with me," he whispers, snagging a spare bucket from the sand and motioning to AJ to do the same.
Once done, they creep back to their group and tiptoe over to the chairs, immediately dousing both John and Taya with the water.
"AHHH!" Taya cries out, John flopping out of his chair and looking like a drowned rat as he flounders around in the sand. "What the-?! AJ!" she yells, upon looking up.
"Mike!" John snaps, finally awake and once more with it, covered in sand and looking royally pissed. "Oh, you've done it now."
Both Taya and John stand, glowering at them, and Mike and AJ exchange nervous glances. "... RUN!" Mike yells, the two of them immediately turning and racing away, John and Taya collecting their discarded buckets and chasing after them.
Heath and Maryse pause in their activities and look at each other, shaking their heads. "Our kids are more mature than that," Heath says with a laugh, resting a hand on Monroe's hair as she works at detailing a castle turrent.
"Their kids are more mature than that," Maryse laughs, watching as Sara helps George stick a flag in the top of their castle.
"True," Heath murmurs. "Doesn't mean I am though." He glances at Maryse with a wicked glint in his eyes and she shakes her head, pointing at him warningly.
"Don't you dare, Heath Miller, I swear-" But the warnings fall on deaf ears as he lunges up and scoops her into his arms, holding her securely as he runs for the water himself. "Don't you do it- HEATH!"
The kids sit back and watch, wide eyed and giggling a little, as Heath dunks Maryse into the water, following her in with a joyous laugh. Feet away, John chases after Mike with a bucket full of water, yelling indescribably, AJ somehow now holding onto Taya's bucket and trying to shield herself with it while the other woman splashes her determinedly.
"Our parents are weird," Sara says.
"Yes," Monroe agrees, already turning her attention back to the sand castle she almost has finished. "Yes they are."