Afraid To Lose

14. Curious

Joe POV

Ever since that night when I had let those words slip out of my mouth Hallie had been nothing but curious. Every day she asks me if it's time for me to tell her what it meant but I knew she wasn't ready.

Ou te fia avea ma ou e faavavau, something so simple but with a long term meaning. It wasn't a proposal it was simply what I wanted and in the moment I had allowed myself so say it out loud.

As the days passed she had helped me to feel less self loathsome about what had happened and got me to start smiling again.

Without question I loved her more than I have ever loved anyone. She meant more to me than anything else in my life and there was nothing I would deny her.

"Hey how was your day?" She asks with a smile as I enter our hotel room

"Long, boring, sweaty and I missed you babygirl" I say pulling her into my arms. Having her with me made life on the road so much more bearable.

"Is today the day?" She asks and I chuckle

"Tell me babygirl how do you feel about us?" I ask

"Good, really good" she smiles "I love you and you make me happy. I think taking it slow was a good idea because its made us that much closer and that much stronger"

"That's good to hear but it also tells me you're not ready to know" I say kissing her forehead

"Really? How can you be sure unless you tell me" she asks wrapping her arms around my neck "of course I could always call the twins and ask them or your dad......."

"You little minx" I laugh holding her tighter and making her laugh "OK, fine I will tell you but don't say I didn't warn you...........Ou te fia avea ma ou e faavavau..........means..........let me be your forever"

"Joseph Anoa'i I will happily let you be my forever" she smiles before kissing me

"So you don't think that's too soon? Too fast?" I ask

"Just because I want us to move slow doesn't mean I don't think about things, like the future, what I want, who I want to share it with. I just don't want to rush into the big things" she smiles "I'm not ready for that yet but some day I want all the big things to happen with you"

"Just when I think you can't make me any happier" I smile pulling her back into my arms and holding her close to me "I love you babygirl"

"I love you too" she says "now that I finally got you to cave, tell me more about your day"

"Well there was a lot of training, some interviews and then a work out" I say "nothing special or interesting"

"I'm just taking an interest Joe but I get the feeling you don't want to tell me about" she says "that's fine I won't ask anymore.....so what do you want to do?" She asks standing up and walking over towards her handbag

"Not so fast babygirl, I do want to talk to you about it" I say pulling her back towards me "something..........something did happen. Celia has put it out on social media that she is pregnant and its mine. Hunter got wind of it and knowing I'm with you he wants to avoid a scandal. He's arranging a press conference with me and the doctor that saw me to prove she's lying"

"But.......but that's impossible......you didn't.........and she's knows you didn't" she says placing her hands on my chest before her face twists in anger. "I'm done with her and bullshit, I'm going to deal with her myself"

"No babygirl you can't" I say keeping hold of her "Hunter has it under control, he's also suggested hiring a private detective to have her followed, even he thinks she's up to something"

"Ok let's do that" she says calmy "maybe it can help us piece together what happened that night and who's really to blame for the fire"

"You don't think?" I ask and she shrugs

"For her to be so adamant that I caused it tells me it wasn't an accident and she knows something I dont" she says her eyes filling with tears "some one took my family from me and I want them to pay for it"

I pull her to me holding her tightly against my chest as she sobs. Unbeknownst to her she had just said what I had been thinking for a while now. The fire wasn't an accident, some one had caused it and Celia was covering for that person.

"I promise babygirl, whatever it takes I will get you an answer" I say kissing her hair "I will help you find the peace you need, and maybe then we can look towards our future"

"Thank you Joe" she says "please always be honest with me even if you think I'll struggle hearing it. We are in this together.........forever"

"I promise I will, I'm sorry I should have just told you" I say "it will all be over soon you'll see and she will never bother us again"