Set in Stone

Chapter 6

An invite from Roman Reigns to go to a baseball game with him had come as a nice surprise to Grace. She had now been part of the group on the tour bus for several weeks, during which time The Stone Roses had competed in their first pay-per-view match – a loss to Fire and Desire. She and Zelina had at least gotten some heat by beating down their victorious opponents after the match.

Due to the dynamics of the group on the bus, Seth and Zelina spent a lot of time with each other, with Elena and Bayley doing the same. It often left Grace and Roman with plenty of time to talk and get to know each other.

Interest in various sports was something they had discovered they had in common. Baseball in particular was talked about quite a bit, and they had even watched a couple of games on TV when the rare opportunity had presented itself on nights where they stayed in hotels instead of on the bus. Sometimes distances between shows from one day to the next were too great for the bus to cover, forcing the group to revert to the more traditional model of plane flights and hotel rooms. On those occasions, they would arrange a time and place to reunite with Elena and the bus.

While watching the ball games, Grace and Roman had shared drinks, laughs, and stories of all kinds. There was no doubt that a friendship had formed between them. A couple of times, Grace had found part of herself wanting to take things further. Roman was strong, handsome, at times quite rugged-looking. They were both single, but there was the issue of his divorce, which she well knew was still painful for him. With him still carrying that baggage, it would not be right for her to try and make a move on him. Doing so might even spoil the friendship they were forming, she realised.

So, feeling no extra special need to impress, Grace dressed casually ahead of Roman picking her up to go to the game, one of the last of the current season. She was wearing blue jeans and a maroon hoodie. The hoodie didn't look great, but it was one of her favourite things to wear.

Outside, Grace heard the throaty purr of a powerful car engine. She was standing in her kitchen, waiting for Roman's arrival. He was a few minutes late, likely due to traffic. Walking over to the window, she looked out and saw some kind of expensive-looking sports car pulling up to the curb directly outside. The car was black, with two white stripes running the length of it. She had no idea what it was, but she liked the look of it. What she did know was that Roman had to be the driver.

Not wanting to bother with a bag of any kind, Grace checked her pockets for her phone, keys and money. She was all set.

Moments later, she was walking down her short driveway. The driver's side of the car was closest to Grace. Roman had his window down to greet her, and she smiled broadly at him. "Hey! Nice ride!"

"Thanks," Roman said with a laugh. "All set to watch some top quality baseball?"

"No. We're going to see the Rays," Grace said, giggling as she walked around to the passenger side.

"Savage, Grace," Roman said with amusement when she opened the door and got in.

"Calling it like it is," she shrugged. "Who knows, maybe we'll bring them some good luck?"

"They're only playing the Orioles. How much luck can they need?" Roman asked. They both laughed as he raised his window back up. With that done, he slowly pulled away from the curb.

"This is a very nice car," Grace said, looking around the luxurious two seat interior. Even at this low speed, she could tell by the purr of the engine that it had a hell of a lot of power. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's a Ford GT, 2006 model. They've brought a newer version out these past couple of years, but it was one of these I wanted," Roman said. "I figured two seats is the most I'm likely to use these days, so I went for it and bought it a month or so back. Considering its age, it's in fantastic condition."