The One [a Roman Reigns story]

34 Soup and agitation

Roman POV

"Wow it smells delicious. What are you making?" I asked my wife as I came from upstairs and the smell of warm soup immediately hit my nose.

"Oh just a vegetable soup. I feel like I'm getting a cold. That's what I'm trying to avoid. It's the last thing I need right now so close to little Mr. Man's arrival." said Nova as she stirred the pot.

"Good thinking. What's all in it?" I wanted to know as I took a peek into the pot.

"Oh um. Onions, carrots, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock. Lots of spices and parsley. Now we add orzo and then it's almost ready." she explained to me as she tried to remember what exactly she had put in.

She took a spoon and tasted it to see if it tasted the way she thought it would.

"Mmmh... perfect!" she then said.

"I bet it is. Do you need anything else? If not I'm going over to the gym to start my workout." I replied, giving her a kiss on the hair.

"Nope, we're good.... Oh wait..." she said as suddenly her phone rang.

"Darn. It's the session singer. She's already here. Way too early. Could you keep an eye on the soup for a few minutes until the pasta is ready, Ro?" she said after she finished the call.

I could clearly see she was frustrated. But she was determined to get this song sung before our boy was born. 

"Sure. Don't worry, Shortcake. I'll bring you a big bowl full as soon as it's ready." I promised her.

And it worked. Immediately, she beamed at me. She reached up and gave me a kiss before hurrying outside. Although hurried was too much to say, because she waddled more than anything else. It was definitely the cutest thing in the world, even if she didn't agree with me on that.

It didn't take long for the pasta to reach the desired texture. I filled a nice bowl with the delicious smelling soup and placed it on a tray along with crackers and a bottle of water before making my way to the studio. As quietly as I could, I entered and placed the food on the small free area.

"Thank you, Ro. Husband of the year. This shouldn't take too long. Maybe just an hour if she does her job right." said Nova as she muted the recording booth for a moment.

"You're welcome. Let me know when you're done or if you need anything else. Okay? And you, be nice to your mommy, kiddo." I replied before giving first her and then our boy a kiss.

Immediately he was moving like crazy in his mom's belly. Only I didn't know if he was agreeing or disagreeing with me.

*****

Novalee POV

"No, no, no.... You're still not singing at the right pitch," I said as I pressed the button so Oda could hear me.

"Are you sure it's not the settings?" she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Of course I'm sure. Go take a five minute break." I said as I started to get mad at her.

She left the booth and made her way out. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my baby bump to calm myself down a bit. We had been at it for well over an hour now and she just wasn't getting it.

After a few minutes I decided to see what Roman was doing. He was always able to lift my spirits and that was exactly what I needed at that moment.

And since my studio was right next to the gym, it was a quick walk. Or as quick as I was able to at the moment.

But as I rounded the corner I saw Oda standing in the gym, staring blatantly at Roman. She was practically drooling. I mean, yeah. I was used to female fans and even some male fans acting like that. But that wasn't in my own home. Here I didn't have to share him and I certainly wouldn't let him be stared at during his training.

Ro had obviously not noticed that she was watching him. His back was turned to the door as he lay on the leg press.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked aloud.

Immediately I knew that she knew she had done something wrong, because she almost jumped out of her skin. And Roman must have heard my voice, too.

"Are you okay, Shortcake?" he asked.

"You can't say that. I can't stand it when my singers sneak in here and watch my husband like they're at the zoo. Get out of here." I said first to him and then directed at Oda.

"Relax. I was supposed to be taking a break. And that's what I'm doing right now." she replied and then seriously lit a cigarette.

"I'm not going to relax. You're here to do your job. But here you go... If you think I'm going to let you walk all over me, you're wrong. You're fired and I'm going to tell your agency how unprofessional you've been acting here, and not just today." I said in a now rather loud voice.

"Ha... fine. I don't need your music. I have other offers." she snorted and then ran back to the studio to get her bag.

"As if... Your diva-ness isn't going to get you anywhere!" I called after her.

"Calm down, Shortcake." said Roman as he gave me a hug.

He had one hand on my belly and the other on my back. I knew he was right. The agitation was not good for me and not good for our son. I tried to take a deep breath. But I felt that my belly was pretty hard.

"Why don't you go and lie down? I'll go take a shower and be with you in no time." said Roman as he felt it too.

"I guess it's too late for that," I replied as I felt something.

I looked down at myself and saw a small puddle at our feet.