Queens of the Underground

Chapter 5

Learning to live in the moment was one of many lessons Seth had learned the hard way. He had been so laser focussed on becoming a professional wrestler when he was young that he often ignored—or neglected—what was going on around him. Girlfriends had complained that he never had time for them. He quickly lost touch with friends who weren't involved in wrestling in some way. His mother had warned him that just because professional wrestling was his life's ambition, he didn't have to make it his life, but the downside of his drive was that it could blind him to other possibilities just waiting to be pursued. When his best friend suggested starting a wrestling school, it was a moment that made Seth realize there was so much more to life than the next match, the next feud, the next title.

The current moment was one he should have been basking in. It was the first time he'd really been able to sit down and catch up with Dean since he'd left WWE, and given how busy he, Dean, and Roman were, there was no telling when they would be able to have another informal Shield reunion. And yet Seth's mind was a thousand miles away, behind a curtain, remembering the feel of Becky on his lap, kissing him and glowing like a star. It had been over a week now, and Becky was steadfastly avoiding him; she hadn't answered his calls or texts, and he hadn't even seen her backstage at any of the events. None of the women on the roster would tell him where she was, and there was no storyline explanation for her absence.

"Seth!" Roman leaned over and smacked his arm. "What's wrong with you tonight, man?" They were relaxing at Roman's house, sitting by the pool with beers and enjoying the sunset.

"I kissed her." Seth didn't mean to say it. He certainly didn't want to drag Becky into the drama that seemed to perpetually follow him like a storm cloud, ready to burst at any given moment.

Dean sat back in his chair. "When the fuck did you kiss my wife?" he asked. He seemed more confused than territorial which, given the beer bottle dangling from his hand, was a good thing.

Seth blinked and shook his head to clear it. "What?"

Dean pointed to the rough copy of a cookbook that was sitting on the lounge table, a gift he had brought for Galina. "I was talking about Renee's cookbook and how she apparently needs 'tasters' or some fucking thing, and then you said you kissed her." He ran his other hand through his perpetually mussed hair. "I mean, if it was before I got together with her, I can't be mad at it. She's a babe."

Roman completed the trifecta of confusion by shutting his eyes. "What the fuck is going on? I am so lost right now."

"I—sorry." Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. "My mind's all over the place. I never kissed Renee. Ever. I was thinking about... someone else." Flopping back in his chair, he cursed himself. Why had his brain chosen that moment to confess? If he had just been quiet, the guys would have simply thought he was distracted. Now they were going to ask who she was and how serious it was and Seth had no idea how to reply, because he had no answers for himself.

"Must have been some kiss to have you this rattled," Dean remarked, setting down his beer bottle. "Who is it?"

Seth looked at both of his Shield brothers in turn and sighed. They had fought together and bled together; he trusted them with his life. He would never reveal Becky's secret without her permission, but maybe talking about the emotional side of it—the relief, the surprise, the kiss—would be enough to clear his head. "This stays between us, right?"

Dean nodded emphatically. "Of course. I mean, us and Renee, because you know I'm gonna tell Blue, because he's a good listener, and Renee will complain if I tell Blue but not her. But she won't tell anyone, you know that."

Roman rolled his eyes. "What about Blue, though? That gossip at the dog park is vicious, man."

Seth downed the last of his beer and set the bottle on the ground. "Did you want to know or not? We can go back to talking about cookbooks. If Renee needs more tasters, my trainer knows a lot of—"