Dreaming Of You

Chapter 36

I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. "Really? 'Seems like I just got my birthday wish'? Could you have gone for anything cheesier?"

"You mean like kissing someone when the clock strikes midnight?" Joe teased.

"Fair enough." I smiled at him "Happy birthday cheekbone."

"Thanks little one." Joe smiled back before giving me another short, sweet kiss. "So, does this mean that we can start over?"

"Why start over? Why not calling it 'continuing our stories together'?" I suggested. "I wouldn't want a redo. Sure, we've made mistakes and it's been infuriating at times but we have learned and we have grown as people."

"Alright. Are we continuing our stories together from now on? Not as just friends this time around?"

I nodded smiling. "I'd like that yeah."

"Well good cause I wasn't going to let you slip away again Babygirl." He said as he pulled me on top of him so that I was straddling him

"I slipped away because I thought you wanted someone else. Now that I have you for myself, you're stuck with me." I said before pecking his lips.

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Joe looked at me, his eyes gentle. "I love you Raychel."

"I love you too Joe. Always have."

Our lips collided once again. Everything around us seemed to fall away. We didn't have sense of time nor space as just the two of us seemed to remain. A bomb could have gone off and I wouldn't have noticed it.

We ended up in bed eventually yet barely got any sleep.

-

"Time to wake up sleepyhead." I gently woke Joe. I had made him breakfast, or lunch at this point, in bed.

"Morning little one." He smiled softly as he opened his eyes.

"I brought you breakfast. Which is actually lunch now, it's 12:30." I informed him and placed the tray with his breakfast on his lap once he sat up.

"You didn't have to do all that beautiful." He told me with a appreciative smile.

"I know but I wanted to. I also wished I didn't have to wake you but if things haven't changed as far as your parents go, they should get here in about an hour and a half."

"You remember the time my parents come to visit on my birthday?"

"Yeah of course. Ever since you moved out of their house, they have come to visit you on your birthday at exactly 2 PM whenever you are not on the road on your birthday. And if you were, they either called at 2 PM or they would surprise you by flying down to wherever you were on your birthday."

"Okay, I'll get dressed as soon as I finish breakfast. I'll be ready by the time mom and dad arrive."

"Oh, I hope you don't mind but I've invited my mom to come as well." I said as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and walked back to the door.

"Course that's okay, your mom is always welcome. Where are you going?"

"I'm just getting everything ready for when your guests arrive." I told him before going back downstairs.

Once there I checked back on the pies that were currently baking in the oven. I knew I was probably going a little overboard but I figured I'd make up for all the birthdays that I missed.

The pies seemed to be doing fine and only needed a few more minutes before I could take it out and let it cool off.

I was just cleaning the kitchen counter when two strong arms wrapped around my waist.

"Smells delicious in here. Why don't you relax for a bit little one?" Joe asked before kissing my temple.

"I can't, not until I can take the pies out of the oven." I smiled as I leaned back into him.

"Since when do you bake?" Joe asked me with a chuckle "Didn't you always say that you don't have the patience to be in the kitchen?"

"Well, I still don't have the patience for cooking but I did learn to appreciate the art of baking while in Europe. What you're smelling right now is a Dutch kind of pie. There was this little Dutch bakery that I visited while I was doing a few shows in the Netherlands and they taught me the recipe because I loved it so much. It's called a 'limburgse vlaai'." I told him as I probably extremely mispronounced that. "They taught me to make both the crumble-pudding and the cherry variant of it."

"Look at you, having learned some new tricks." Joe smiles at me. "I can't wait to try them."

"You'll love them." I promised him before pulling on some oven mitts and pulling the pies out of the oven.

-

Soon enough the time came where his parents arrived. I was nervous. They had known me for a long time but I knew that Joe always told them everything so I was pretty sure that they were aware of my stupidity as well.

Turned out that I didn't have anything to worry about though as his dad pulled me into a fatherly hug right away "I'm so glad to see you again."

"I missed you too." I told him as I hugged him back.

"Don't hog her dear." Joe's mom told her husband before she hugged me as well. "Although next time my son is an idiot and you give him some radio silence, I hope you won't do that to us again."

"Okay, although I was an idiot as well. I should have been back sooner."

"No need to dwell on that dear. Now come, let us catch up." She told me before they pulled me over to the couch.

I had missed them and not long after everyone else arrived as well. My own mom, Jon and his wife Renee, Cobly and Rebecca and a lot of Joe's other family members as well.

I was talking to Joe's cousin Joshua when there was a knock on the door. Since Joe was busy talking to both of our moms, I went to open it.

To my surprise Evelyne was standing there. I smiled and hugged her "How did you get here Evy?"

"I just made a call to the right person and was flown out of Germany the day after you did. I figured you would wait with seeing Joe until his birthday so here I am."

"Actually, I ran into him at Colby's wrestling school yesterday. Long story short, we're better than ever." I told her before I released her with a smile. "Now who did you call to get here."

"Who do you think." I suddenly heard the voice of Stephanie. I turned towards her to see both her and her husband Paul.

"Thank you. That was too generous, you shouldn't have." I said as I gave Stephanie a short hug.

"I wanted to speak to you anyway." Paul chuckled.

"Really?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I would love to talk to you about signing with NXT." Paul said. "You'd fit in perfectly. We have one of the best female athletes in the world on NXT."

"Well, I'd like to talk it over with Joe first but I sure will consider it." I told him. "But until that time, how about we all go inside. There's a birthday celebration going on after all."

Once inside I found my way back to Joe.

"There you are, I got a little worried." He said as he took a hold of my hand.

"I was just outside. Evelyne made it back here sooner than we thought with the help of Steph and Paul." I assured him. "Believe me, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good, you're mine now." Joe smiled down at me "I love you little one."

"Love you too cheekbone." I smiled back before pulling him down for a kiss.

I could never get enough of this, nor did I want to live without it ever again. In my heart I knew that I was where I wanted to be. At the side of the man who was my best friend, protector and the love of my life, surrounded by all the people that I held dear.

They say that home is where the heart is, something I now could say was true. Joe held my heart and I felt like I was finally home.