"But the future is always changing.
The future is the home of our
deepest fears and wildest hopes. "
◁Grey's Anatomy▷

●●●

"I can't believe we're here again. I feel like I'm dreaming, I guess I am. We're pretending and its okay, I fucked up. If it weren't for me we wouldn't have to pretend he'd show up on Valentine's Day I'd open the door probably have donut powder all over my face having scrolled through my feed seeing all the happy couples and then see him. He'd give me that silly grin with his brown eyes twinkling....."

"... while my cheeks would hurt and he'd say 'hey baby girl' just to get me annoyed. I'd be stubborn because we wouldn't have spoken for awhile and he would reveal roses and the dress, confusing me but eventually confessing his love and I'd probably end up crying because its all I fucking wanted and we would just have a perfect day. A perfect life... But I let the romantic in me sink into Colby's plan when I doubt there is hope for him and I believed that Joe would just be with someone randomly when I knew how he was. I let my annoyance for not being on the road get the better of me and now we're in this messy situation. I'm so happy, so happy but what happens when Daddy leaves us? I don't want him to go Winnie..."

I whispered as I watched Winston napping on me while we laid in the empty house that had become a second home a couple years back when Joe got it.

The past few weeks with him, minus the few days I had to leave to see Colby had been the absolute best. My life finally made sense again, the months of pretending that I belonged to someone else killed me. Killed me because I saw the disappointment in Joe's eyes whenever he'd see us together.

Although I never saw it as him wanting me I had merely thought it was due to certain things they still held against each other. When he told me he loved me I couldn't believe it, it made me feel so many things. I was in disbelief but also angry, angry because he hadn't told me sooner because I spent so long feeling lost and hurt confused by why he just shut me out when he had someone.

But he never had anyone because he loved me and then I let Colby's trust in me slip by telling Joe. But I couldn't I couldn't let it slip, let a chance to be with Joe slip or let him believe anyone else had a place in my heart other than him. So I tried to repeat his words.. That we would deal with the mess later...

But this was me.

"I'm so scared that something will happen. And I won't be there, what if they really don't want me back. I wish I was Brie, on the road with Jon. I mean she isn't used much these days in the ring but it must be nice. I mean, it is nice Joe and I had that for so long but now we're in love. I mean we know we're in love and I just want to be with him every chance I could possibly get. I want to be with him and not be concerned about the consequences. I just want us to be a family, I just want..."

Winston peeking over my shoulder caused me to jump a bit as he had been sleeping. I could hear the car outside and knew they were home and pat my eyes realizing how emotional I had gotten just thinking about not being with him all over again.

It was the draft today and I knew Roman wanted to distract me from the fact that I wouldn't be drafted. And I was happy that we would be leaving the house, not that I didn't enjoy being at home with him but we would have some fun today with the little girl that stole my heart many years ago.

"Cocooooo!" I heard the high pitched squeal before feeling arms around me and Winston's paws digging into my side as he greeted her.

"Easy now, sweetie!" I saw Roman scoop her up before lifting my feet and settling down on the couch with her in his lap while she giggled due to Winston's 'kisses'.

"I wanna greet Cocooo" she hugged him before Joe called him down and I sat up causing her to move near me and hug me.

"I missed you soooo much" I squeezed her tightly as I honestly had, not just because I hadn't seen her since I sorted things out with Joe but once I was injured I saw her less.

I had only seen her a handful of times and that was when I made the effort to contact Galina and if Joe brought her around work it was hard considering we hadn't been on good terms.

"I knew we weren't going to the dentist" She mumbled into my shoulder and I noticed Joe's smile.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Seriously?"

"You said we should surprise her" He shrugged. "Come on Jojo pack your bag and get Winston's leash on. We're leaving soon."

"But I thought we were staying with Coco" she pouted and I felt her arms tighten around me.

I saw the look in Roman's eyes that he always had whenever she would be with me. I never knew what it was but I knew it was good even when he had been angry at me, it would still be there.

"I'll be going with! You won't get rid of me that easily but listen to your dad cause we really are leaving soon" I kissed her cheek and set her down which led to her glancing between us.

"Where?"

He smirked while I simply stared at him not wanting to fall into her trap as her brown eyes resembling Roman's would cause me to spill and she huffed before moving off, "I love surprises and I hate it"

I smiled watching her move upstairs with the pout still on for display but realized his eyes were on me instead of his daughter.
As soon as my eyes met his I knew he noticed I had been crying. The amusement that had been there with Jojo left his eyes as he tugged on my legs and pulled me closer. I tried to act like I hadn't as I smiled but his fingers hooked into my hands while the other laced into my hair as he rested his forehead against mine, "So what you aren't drafted? That doesn't mean anything Nicole, its most likely to leave people guessing you know? If you're assigned to a particular brand they'll be expecting you back soon. Be on the lookout and whatever but this way they won't know when you are returning."

"But we won't either. You won't either.." I reasoned but he simply kissed my forehead as Jojo's voice filled up her room while she sang some song and I wanted to head up to change before he realized it was more than the draft but that time was running out and I didn't like it. But felt him tug on my hand and pull me to his chest as he stood up.

"Today we're forgetting about the draft. I don't want to know where I'll be landing up, I just want to spend a few more days pretending. A few more days with my girls before I head back Nicole. I know its selfish but I don't plan on having anything change once I go back next week. I'll be calling you every chance I get, you'll be here with Jojo in this house being reminded of the last month we shared. But we ain't negative so you'll be coming to the roster soon and we still haven't figured out what we'll do. So while you are not, you are mine. My baby girl, babe, woman, superwoman.." He smirked, I smiled and hugged him.

"Jojo and I will be watching you..." Jojo would be spending next week with me which I was happy about.

"Mmmmm I'm going to need all the support I can get. I seem to be more hated each day." His face dropped a bit, the hate didn't stop with his absence with Seth badmouthing him on screen and him currently being a bit of a crowd favourite. People seemed content with his absence and it killed him, that I knew.

All he wanted was to make people happy, please everyone and they denied him for the last two years. And I didn't see them stopping...

"Luckily my love for you is endless. Making up for all that hate that you out of all people do not deserve. I for one can't wait to see you back in the ring, from FCW to now watching you in the ring has always entertained me." I briefly kissed him and he chuckled, letting me go so I could get ready.

I'd continue being the voice that he refused to be for himself because he always did the same for me.

I was stopped as I saw Winston racing down the staircase and rolled my eyes.

"Bad Winnie!" He simply looked at me as I soon saw Jojo wanting to rescue the monkey that I couldn't believe she still had.

"WINSTON!" Roman's voice boomed and Winston instantly sat down and I picked up Mr Monkey and Jojo immediately clutched it.

"Come on boy" Roman chuckled and crouched down allowing Winston to hop into his arms.

"He's such a daddy's boy" I shook my head before heading up the staircase.

◇◇◇

"Sorry what was that? I couldn't hear you!" I mused as she had mumbled something before stuffing her face with candy floss. I wasn't a fan but Jojo and her loved it so I sat by and watched as they devoured one together.

We had spent most of the day simply walking around and meeting several characters. We couldn't go on most rides because I didn't want to risk anything with Nicole which led to her feeling bad but Jojo didn't seem to mind. She had been smiling all day as she clutched my hand as well as Nicole's while my other was occupied by Winston's leash.

Seeing the sadness reflected on Nicole's face this morning let me know that her mind had been drifting to the idea of me leaving soon. But there was nothing I could do to stop it so I tried making the day memorable instead.

The endless plush toys filling the table could justify that as I happened to have pretty good aim. "Are we all tired out or do we have one more round in us?"

"I want a monkey so that Mr Monkey has a Mrs Monkey" She smiled. "Like you daddy."

"And who is my Mrs Monkey"

She stared at Nicole and giggled causing Nicole's face to become relatively heated.

From the moment I picked her up she had been talking about Nicole and how I needed to be nicer to her so that she wouldn't stay away, so you can imagine when I opened the door and she saw Nicole laid out on the couch she was ecstatic.

I had, had breakfast with Galina, her husband as well as his son and my Jojo. It didn't take her long to question my clear happiness but I couldn't indulge anything to her when most of the world suspected Nicole was with Colby.

My little girl was growing up though and she didn't see Nicole being with Colby.

She only knew the idea of Nicole and I.

I guess we had planted it in her head because it had always been wherever I was, Nicole was, and with Galina being married she was ready to get me set up with her Coco.

But Nicole and I weren't even in a relationship yet, let alone her being my Mrs Monkey. It was nice to know that I had Jojo's approval though...

Nicole had been silent as we walked around and as Jojo met another of her favourite characters.

I moved to her side, "so Mrs Monkey you enjoy our day together?"

"Yeah I did. " She briefly answered but I knew something was bothering her. I decided to simply kiss the side of her head before we continued the rest of the night...

"She is really tired out" I chuckled as I set a sleeping Jojo in the backseat.

"I guess too much sugar had the opposite effect on her" she giggled as I closed the door and turned to face her.

She glanced away but I placed my hands on her cheeks and immediately pulled her into a kiss. I wasn't going to go making out with her in front of Jojo but I had been wanting to do it all day. I pushed my tongue past her lips and held her waist as her fingers held my now very thick beard.

"I love you so much. I am so in love with you" I breath into her lips.

I frowned as I saw her eyes glistening, "I don't want you to go back because what if something changes."

"What?"

She closed her eyes as I slowly wiped her falling tears, "Once you go back you'll be forced to go along with this lie I have built with Colby. You will be forced to endure whatever he wants to say in hopes it will get back to Renee. And I remember that look in your eyes whenever you saw us together and I can't stand having it there again Joe. I don't want to hurt you, you're going to have the world against you I don't want backstage being made hell for you as well. I wish I never made this, I wish I never believed Colby when he said you were with Sasha. I wish I had been at home when you showed up on Valentine's Day instead of third wheeling my mom and Johnny. I wish that I was good enough to be Mrs Monkey but I'm not am I?"

Her question threw me off because while I knew Nicole always found a way to find fault in things. I hoped that would never be the case with us because she knew me better than I knew myself so how could she not know the answer to her question?

"Nicole..."

"What if you don't love me? What if you're just confused. Because I love you Joe, I honestly love you so much that I was willing to just be mad at you and hate you for being with someone else. If I were a better person I would have been happy and wished you well. But I don't want to see you with anyone else but me!"

"Nicole, I bit your head off for being with Colby. The only reason I'm trying my best to be supportive of you being forced by his side is because I know that in your heart all you are trying to be is a good friend."

"But it's not fair to you... " She breath moving out of my arms as we stood in the darkness.

"In the end you stepped back while all I did was throw Sasha in your face. I couldn't even be happy for you even if it were never true. There's a reason I have always needed your shoulder to cry on, Joe. I'm hopeless at love and I'm scared that you'll remember that." I moved towards her tracing my fingers over her face.

"I remember you standing by a man who always let you down. I remember you standing by a man who despised your best friend because of love."

"And ending things with him when he made me choose.." She countered.

"And why did you choose me?" I smirked.

"Because I love you. I've always loved you" She smiled as she said the words despite the croak and her tear stained cheeks.

I smiled and pulled her into an embrace, I didn't question her doubts because that's the Nicole I knew always doubting herself. I was the same only most of the time she would sense them instead of me voicing them. That's why we were perfect for each other, good enough for each other.

All I needed to hear was her love for me and we would work through the rest..

"And I have always and will always love you. And if anyone will be my first and ONLY Mrs Monkey it would have to be the monkey I can't live without." I kissed her forehead as she clung to me.

"I have never felt so happy to be called a monkey in my life" she mumbled into my chest tightening her arms around me.

♥♥♥♥

Hopefully you liked seeing both their POVs in this one: )
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THANKS TO EVERYONE READING+ ADDING+ COMMENTING +VOTING 😘😘😘😘😘

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