A little Romance [a Roman Reigns story]

18 Decision

"Are you relieved?" asked Naomi when we got backstage again.

"As strange as it may sound.... yes, very much so. Are you sure you're not mad at me?" I replied as I put an arm around her.

"Why should I be? We've had a good run. And it comes with the job. I love you, kiddo. And I know how important it is to do things for yourself sometimes too. You made a decision. A decision that I guarantee wasn't easy." she said as she put an arm around me as well.

"I'm so glad to have you, Na. And I owe you so much. Even though this journey here has only lasted a little over a year, I wouldn't do anything differently. Because without my decision to put all my eggs in one basket and give wrestling a try, my life wouldn't be what it is today." I said to her.

"Oh yeah. You do indeed owe me quite a bit. Your stubborn ass would probably still think you don't need a man in your life otherwise." she laughed.

"You're going to harp on that forever, aren't you?" I replied with a laugh.

"You bet I will. And if it comes to that, I expect to be your maid of honor," she said jokingly.

"Well, it may come to that sooner than you think," I muttered.

"Wait, what?" she asked, pausing.

"I mean, we already talked about it, if you know what I mean. But Roman said he wanted to surprise me with it. So I have no idea when or how that's going to happen." I explained to her.

"You guys were already talking about getting married? Girl, this is huge. When was that?" she wanted to know.

"The day before Summer Slam. We talked about how much work and the titles were getting to me. And I told him that my view on wrestling has changed. That was the main reason I asked them to take the Smackdown title off me. And now that we lost the tag titles, I feel so much lighter. For a while I felt like I couldn't breathe. I realized it was too much pressure for me. The joy became less and less every day.

I guess you could say I've learned that I don't need a career or a title to be happy. And I owe that to your persistence, firefly. Thanks to you, I have found something that is so precious to me. And if it weren't for you, I might never have found it," I replied.

"Oh I wonder what it could be?" she asked in a knowing tone.

Just at that moment Roman came around the corner with the twins and Paul. As soon as I saw him, a big happy smile spread across my face. It was something only he could do. Never before had I felt such butterflies. The love and trust I felt for Roman were unique.

I just knew it was the right decision. And it was easy. Easier than anything else in my life ever was.

Although all the people in charge were disappointed when I told them that I had had enough. That despite negotiations I would not extend my contract which would end in two months. They tried to convince me to change my mind, of course, but it was no use. I was much too happy with the prospect of my next chapter.

"That man there is special, Naomi. It was meant for me to come here and find him with your help. And now it's time to work on the future. Because in the end, it's what really matters. But I can tell you this... just because I'm leaving now doesn't mean I can't come back," I said to her.

Then I walked up to Roman and he spread his arms to pull me against him. I laid my head against his chest and sighed contentedly as I felt him kiss my hair.

"Is everything all right, baby girl?" he asked softly.

"Everything is perfect. Just the way it's supposed to be," I replied in a whisper.

Deep in my heart, I knew how true that was.