A/N: I have a ko-fi page now! If you want to help me stay caffeinated to keep the words flowing, my account name over there is corneroffandom. Thank you! Either way, enjoy the chapter.
The week passes by in a whirlwind. Media for Miz and Mrs- which is a rating's smash, blowing any of the other WWE reality shows on the E! Network out of the water. Even Mike is amazed by the numbers, immediately flown off to film more, promote more, spend even more time with Maryse and Monroe Sky. Heath goes home and Mike tries not to show just how weird this all feels, he with another man's fiance and daughter when his wife is sitting at home, AJ showing a deep level of patience as he talks to her on the phone every free moment he has. It's stressful and exhausting for both of them, he and Maryse both missing their significant others and unable to really go into it, still deep in the act, trying to make everything seem perfect for the basis of their show. They hold hands and smile at each other, kiss and flirt with each other in the expected places, but it feels wrong. Empty.
Mike exhales as he stands out on a balcony that Tuesday, mulling over the things he and Daniel had said to each other, how Mike had thrown in the stock images of the crying babies just to distract Daniel. One wrong move, one wrong thing said or done, and the guy could easily throw the reality of Mike's situation in his face. Even with how steadfast he and Maryse cling to the fake world they've built for their WWE careers, for their reality show, there's no way to completely hide that he's married to AJ, with a toddler, and Maryse is getting married to Heath in a couple of months. No matter what they do, it'll always hang over them, Daniel and everyone else Mike's in the ring with just a breath away from being able to destroy everything around them with one word spoken.
And it's not like Heath is great at keeping secrets either, with that I'm getting married! glow about him, and how he smiles even through the most aggravating loss. Mike's not even on the same show as him any longer and he can see it through the TV, in instagram posts Heath makes, everything.
He turns and eyes Maryse as she joins him, staring out over the city spread out before them. "Monroe's asleep," she says softly and he nods.
"Good." He rocks forward, then back. "Do you ever think about all of the ways this could go wrong?"
Her brow furrows as she stares at him. "Every minute since the day I came to you needing help." She closes her eyes. "It's awful, what we're putting AJ and Heath through, and I don't know how I'm going to explain it to Monroe when she's older. I'm sure you have the same fear about Sara, she's already getting so big and is so smart. Anything and everything can tear our lives apart, but we're so deep in it now, I can't think of a way out." She laughs ruefully. "I'm getting married in a month and a half. I'm both the happiest and the most scared I've ever been in my life." She casts desperate eyes on him and he nods, understanding entirely. "I did what I had to that night," she continues to speak after a moment, hugging herself. "To survive just a little longer, and it brought me more success than I could've imagined. I live in Texas now, with the kindest, most gentle man, and I have the most beautiful baby girl in the world. But," her lip trembles as she forces the words out of numb lips, "I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for all that my choices have and will put them both through in the days, the months, the years to come."
Mike understands. Finds himself with the same worries, fears, and self-recriminations. He steps forward and hugs her, nodding. "I'm right there with you," he whispers into her hair. "But we'll get through this together, the four of us. And we'll do the best we can for our daughters. It's the only thing we can do."
"Yes," she sighs, burying her face in his chest for a moment. "Thank you." Pulling away, she wipes at her face, runs her fingers through her silky hair, then turns to leave the balcony when Monroe starts to fuss a couple minutes later. "Mike?"
"Yes?"
"You're a good man. Never doubt that." She grants him a sad, slow smile before turning to see what Monroe needs.
He turns back to look out into the inky night sky and sighs, his lips twisting. He wishes he had half the belief in himself that she does. He feels like he's stuck in limbo, even with the success of Miz and Mrs and the release of Marine 6 coming up. Everything's so tense, so close to the surface. Everything hurts. Shaking his head, he pulls his phone out and dials the only number that could make him feel even marginally better right now. When it clicks right away, he smiles, eyes lighting up. "Hey, sweetheart," he says softly, relieved just to hear AJ's voice as she greets him. "I hope I didn't wake you..."
"No, just enjoying a few minutes of quiet before I go to bed," she says. "Your daughter loves the beach. Uncle John and she went swimming, and-"
"Please don't tell me he's trying to teach her how to surf or anything-"
"No," AJ laughs. "I was with them the entire time. We just splashed close to the beach for awhile. He's really good with her." Her voice softens. "She misses her daddy though."
It feels like a punch to the sternum, how all oxygen suddenly disappears, leaving him dizzy and tired. "I miss her too," he breathes out. "And you. I wish I was home."
"Soon, right?" AJ asks and he can see the pained smile on her face, hear it in her voice. "Tell Maryse congratulations on the ratings for the show. That's really impressive."
"Of course. Thank you," he says, torn. "I need to get some sleep, and you should too before Sara wakes up. I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too, husband. See you soon."
"Yeah, ASAP," he agrees, trying to sound optimistic. "Good night."
"Night," she says, both of them lingering just a little longer to listen to the other breathing before she hangs up and he has to reluctantly do the same, eager to finish up media early tomorrow so he can return to California and Maryse to Texas for a few days before the next WWE tour.