Heaven Beside You

Chapter 31: Excluded

It was a quiet morning in the Reigns household. The master bedroom was filled with soft snores as Roman and Christina were spaced apart in their bed joined by a snoozing Lani and CJ. Christina had CJ perfectly cradled in her arm, while Noelani's head rested on Roman's chest. The last two days had been hectic for them with Lani being suspended from school due to her fight with Chelsea. Luckily, Roman was home to help out with the kids and chores around the house.

Tina wasn't doing so great either. Footage of her parking lot brawl with Alex had circulated back to her hospital and she also found herself temporarily suspended. Roman was the first to wake up but he made sure not to disturb his little girl as he eased out of bed. He surveyed his family and smiled as Lani rolled over to her mom and baby brother. Nothing made him happier than being with his family.

"Guess I'll grab us some breakfast. Don't wanna bother Coco…" he pondered, looking over at his wife. After slipping his wallet into the pocket of his basketball shorts, he pulled a tank top out of his drawer then headed downstairs. Since he was riding solo, Roman grabbed the keys to Christina's Audi and made his way into the garage.

As soon as he backed out the driveway, his phone started to ring. His mother's number popped up on the dash.

"Hey, Ma! What's got you up so early?" Roman chuckled, driving out of his neighborhood.

"Hi, sweetheart! I just wanted to see how you and the family were doing." his mom said as she shuffled around her kitchen.

"We're doing okay. It's been a rough couple of days, so I'm just heading out to get us some breakfast," Roman sighed.

"Looks like I called at the right time… I made a huge breakfast, so just come on over here and grab some food for you, Tina and the kids." Patricia insisted. Roman didn't hesitate and quickly rerouted the car to head to his mother's house.

It wasn't long before he was pulling into his parent's driveway. Sika was outside on the front porch enjoying a nice cup of coffee.

"Hey, Pop!" Roman grinned, getting out of the car.

"Morning, son!" Sika nodded, sipping his coffee. "You're up early…"

"Yeah… I couldn't sleep anymore and was headed to get breakfast for Coco and the kids then mom called," he shrugged.

"Ah… perfect timing then. You know how your mother is. Cooks a huge breakfast damn near every morning," Sika chuckled. "Well, go on in and get your food to take home. No telling when your wife and babies are gonna wake up."

Roman smiled and proceeded to walk into his parent's house to find his mom in the kitchen filling tupperware containers with food.

"Hey, Ma!"

"Hi, sweetheart!" Patricia beamed. "I hope I packed enough food for the four of you. I even made some fresh cinnamon rolls."

"Wow… I'm pretty sure you packed more than enough. Thanks again, mom," Roman replied as he began to pack the containers in the case his mother had on the counter.

"You're welcome, my love. It's the least I could do."

Roman was grateful for his parents. With everything that had gone on between him and Christina in the last few weeks, this was a much-needed break. His phone buzzed just as he had finished packing the tupperware carrier. He gasped reading the notification that flashed on his screen.

"You better get going, son. Don't want your breakfast to get cold," his mother interrupted with a smile. She had an inkling of what that message was and she knew her son needed to be home with his wife and kids once he opened it. Roman gathered the carrying case and gave his mom a quick hug before heading out of the house.

"Catch you later, Pop!" he shouted, shoving the food into the car hastily. Sika waved with a chuckle not even bothering to question what the rush was about. Roman peeled out of the driveway and was on the road in an instant.

Christina and the kids had migrated downstairs into the kitchen when she heard Roman pulling into the garage. She had CJ on her hip as she started to brew a fresh batch of coffee in their Keurig. Noelani was settling into her seat when Roman burst through the door with the tupperware carrying case.

"What's in the bag, babe?" Tina smirked, watching her husband unpack the case.

"Mom made a huge breakfast and called me right when I was heading out to get us something to eat…" Roman chuckled.

"I swear, your mom has your thoughts dialed in," she giggled. "Well, I made some fresh coffee."

"Thanks, babe," Roman nodded. "And good morning to my tiny humans," he smiled, leaning in to kiss CJ's little forehead before stealing a kiss from Christina. When he turned to greet Lani, she was already by his side reaching for him to pick her up.

"Munchkin!" he rejoiced as he swung Noelani up into his arms making her giggle. "Did you sleep good, baby girl?"

"Mhmm…" Lani smiled as she picked at her dad's chain he was wearing. With both kids hoisted in their arms, Roman and Tina maneuvered around each other and their kitchen as they prepared plates for themselves and the children. Tina made sure to get the banana slices she had prepared for CJ out of the fridge before she sat down at the table with him.

"I discovered that our little man really likes bananas…" Tina stated as she popped one of her mother-in-laws delicious potato bites into her mouth.

"That's good!" Roman gleamed. "Mini me knows how to eat good. True island boy…" he chuckled.

"Oh yeah… he can definitely eat. Little booger has an appetite and a half," Christina laughed. Roman nudged her arm gently and placed his phone on the table a second later. She gave him a simple nod acknowledging what it was that they needed to discuss after breakfast.

While Noelani and CJ were in the living room, Roman helped Tina clean up the kitchen. He watched her lovingly as she hummed a little tune and washed dishes.

"So, when should we read the results?" he mumbled, drying off a plate.

"Maybe once the kids go down for a nap…" she shrugged, wiping her hands off on the towel Roman was holding. "We could use a little privacy…in case things get a little tense."

"Or I could just take them over to mom's house for the night. You know she loves keeping the minis," Roman grinned.

"Yeah… I think that might actually be better. Should I give her a call?"

"Nah, I'll just round them up and drop them off. Ma and Pop won't mind, " Roman replied casually. "Plus, mom had mentioned something about taking Buttercup and little man out to do some shopping anyway."

"Well, alright then..." Christina exhaled, running a hand over her face. She was nervously anxious to read the results of the paternity test with Roman but she was determined to stay positive. While he had gone off to get the kids dressed, she began working on their overnight bags.

"Mommy, can I take my tablet with me?" Noelani shouted from her bedroom.

"I already packed it for you, pumpkin!" Tina responded, zipping up Lani's bag afterward. She smiled feeling Roman wrap an arm around her waist as he planted a kiss on her shoulder.

"I'll be back in a bit," he sighed, turning so that Christina could give CJ a kiss. The little guy was looking more and more like his father every day. His bright-eyed, toothless smile always made her heart skip a beat. She gently ran a hand over CJ's soft curls and kissed his forehead again.

"He's gonna be sleep by the time you get them over to your parent's house…"

"Oh, I know." Roman chuckled. "You ready, baby girl?"

"Yep!" Lani yelled as she trotted down the stairs with her toy giraffe in tow. She hugged her mom tightly then took her dad's hand to follow him into the garage. Tina looked on after her family then finally closed the garage access door when Roman backed out of the driveway. She decided to take a quick shower while she had a little downtime to calm her nerves.

Roman sat in the car strumming his thumbs against the steering wheel. He had every intention of getting out and going inside the house but he was nervous. These results had the potential to change his life as he knew it. What was his wife going to think? How was she going to react? This was huge.

Christina was sitting on the bed wrapped in a towel as she put on her coconut shea butter moisturizer. She stood up and removed her towel to slip into a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. Roman watched Tina quietly from the doorway of their bedroom. Her skin glistened in the sunlight as little drops of water fell from her damp hair.

"Looks like I missed a really hot shower…" he interrupted, startling his wife for a split second. Tina's cheeks flashed red as she wasn't expecting to see Roman just yet.

"Nah…" she blushed. "It wasn't that hot. Just needed to calm my nerves for a bit. You know how steamy our showers can get," Christina teased, biting her lip. Roman could only smirk at her statement. He closed the distance between them and rested a hand on her hip while he traced her tattoo with his free hand.

"Before we read this…" he paused, kissing her deeply. "I just want you to know that I love you. You're all I want... You're all I need… You're everything to me, Coco."

Christina closed her eyes briefly then cupped his face in her hands. She planted her lips against Roman's and kissed him firmly before pulling back to look into his eyes.

"I love you too…" Tina whispered, taking a seat on their bed again. "It's time…" she said, patting a space on the bed next to her. Roman took his phone out of his pocket and finally sat down. He could feel his stomach churning as his hand began to tremble. Christina placed her hand on top of his to help ease his nerves. She gave him a small nod of encouragement when their eyes met.

Roman took a deep breath then unlocked his phone to retrieve his email. He opened the results and tilted his phone over so that both he and Tina could read the email together. The results letter was brief but very straight forward. Roman cleared his throat before reading aloud.

"Based on evidence of the DNA analysis, Roman Reigns (25/05/1985) is... excluded from the paternity of Chelsea Green (15/06/2008)."

Silence filled the room as Roman's phone fell from his hand and landed on the floor. His heart was racing as he exhaled and glanced at Tina. He could literally feel the mountain of relief roll off of his back. Before he could speak, his wife had already tackled him down in the tightest hug she could muster.

Neither of them knew what to say but their silent elation was more than enough. Christina rested her head on Roman's chest and smiled when she felt his hand softly tugging at her hair. She nestled her face against his shirt and basked in his scent.

"I'm sorry for doubting you…" she whispered.

"I'm sorry for making you doubt me, baby doll" Roman replied, kissing her forehead afterward. They laid on the bed with their legs intertwined, simply enjoying the silence.

"What do we do now?" she snickered, tracing her finger across his chest.

"Honestly, I have no clue" he chuckled. "I mean… I feel exhausted yet energized which is really weird."

Tina propped herself up on an elbow to look into Roman's face. He flashed his signature smile and gave her a wink before shifting to sit on the edge of the bed. Running his hands over his face, he said a silent prayer of thanks then reached back to grab his wife's hand.

"We should go away together…" he said unexpectedly.

"Uh…" Tina started, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Go away… to where exactly?"

"Anywhere! Just you, me, and the kids…" he panted. His eyes were wild as his mind flooded with new ideas. "There's so much we could do together… So many places we can go."

"Babe… don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that you want to take a family vacation but let's be real for a second here. You've got one of the busiest jobs in the world. It's not like you can just take off and go on a week long trip with us. And as for me, well… it's complicated," Christina sighed.

"Complicated, how?" Roman inquired.

"Apparently my little dust-up with Alex got back to my supervisors at the hospital and… I'm currently on suspension" she shrugged.

"They suspended you for defending yourself?" he scoffed.

"Pretty much."

"Well, that's bullshit," Roman growled, rolling his eyes. "It's also my fault…"

"Don't go blaming yourself for her stupidity. She brought that ass whooping on herself…" Tina huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"But still…"

"But nothing…" she replied quickly cutting him off. "She scrounged up the courage to come at me and she got her ass beat, plain and simple. Unfortunately, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree as her daughter tried the same shit on Lani and we saw how that ended on film. My suspension is just a tiny consequence of defending my family. If I end up losing my job, pending this disciplinary review, I'm okay with that because I know what I want."

Roman was intrigued by his wife's confidence.

"And what is it that you want, Coco?" he asked.

"I'm finally going to open my bakery. That's the one thing I've always been passionate about… Well, besides you and our kids," Tina giggled. "There's just something about baking that puts my mind at ease. When I got into nursing, it was a means to an end. It's something that I chose to conquer in order to secure a comfortable lifestyle for Lani and I at the time. Eventually, I figured that I would be able to start my own bakery-catering business but I never found the time," she explained.

Roman kneeled down onto the bench at the foot of their bed in front of Christina. He parted her legs as he wedged his thick body between her thighs and rested his hands on her hips. They were eye level with one another when he gently pressed his lips to hers in a heated kiss. His grip began to tighten, making her legs coil around his waist when finally he pulled back to break the liplock. Tina whined in protest only to have Roman's index finger cover her pouty lips.

"I completely support your bakery idea, beautiful. You put so much pride and passion into what you make that you've passed those skills down to our baby girl. I know how much you loved to bake with your mother and I can see and taste every bit of that when you bake with Lani. Don't worry about startup costs and all that other bullshit. We'll pay for everything on our own. And I'm still serious about taking that trip. It's time for baby girl to learn about her mommy's heritage and where she really comes from," he gleamed.

"You mean…" Tina paused, inhaling sharply.

"Yeah… my woman is long overdue for a trip back home and I'm sure as hell not talking about Marietta or Atlanta. We're going to Hawaii. Baby girl needs to learn about her grandma, Nani, and grandpa, Chris. Plus, I figured you would love a trip back to the 808…" Roman grinned.

"Lahaina!" Tina shrieked with joy.

"Hell, it's where you and Bren were born…" he chuckled. "I can't take baby girl and little man to Hawaii without showing them where mommy and auntie Bren grew up. Shit, you and I had some damn good times in Lahaina! Summer break 2006 ring any bells?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Christina's face turned bright red as she instantly recalled their hedonistic summer vacation from school.

"You're no good, I swear!" she laughed, slinging her arms around his shoulders. "You're no good at all but I love your scheming ass, Mr. Reigns. And I'm looking forward to going back home. It's been way too long…" she sighed happily. "Brenna's gonna be jealous."

"Oh shit, son… I didn't even think about that," Roman cackled. "Guess I better give Seth the heads up. She's already a little on the crazy side being preggo and all, but could you imagine her face if we went back to Maui without her?"

"She'd be ready to kick my ass and yours too," Tina laughed. "But at the same time… I want it to be just the four of us. She and Seth can go together on their own time," she smiled, pecking his lips again. They sat in silence, holding each other tightly as time passed on. Despite the stressful start to this day, Roman and Tina's bond had only gotten stronger. Whatever came their way from here on out, they were going to face it together.

Well after forever and an infinity, here's a chapter update lol. Have we seen the last of Alex and Chelsea? Sorry for the delay my lovelies. Been a super busy couple of months and writer's block certainly didn't help anything. Hope you all have been well and had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Christmas is coming and hopefully, I'll have more updates for you guys because you're awesome! I can't thank you enough for your loyalty and patience. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

Till next time...

XOXO

-S