Reality (Linstead AU)

Chapter 56

Jay was extremely nervous, Erin could tell. Despite her assurances that there wouldn't be a scene when they told Hank their fantastic news, Jay seemed convinced that there would be. She was going to have to make sure Hank proved him wrong.

The proposal, as wonderful as it had been and continued to be, had come at a time when Erin really needed to be discussing other things with her dad. There was important WWE business that needed to be addressed, mainly regarding when the stocks were going to be signed over to her, allowing her to take charge along with Lucy Thorne.

Erin had a feeling that the reason she hadn't heard back from Clementine was because nothing had actually changed in WWE as yet. Promises of changes possibly didn't mean much to her; she was waiting for actions not words. And that was fair enough in Erin's opinion. But she was still going to call Clem and keep the line of communication open.

But first there was the trip to Hank and Mandy's place. Seeing Mandy wasn't exactly something Erin wanted to do. She felt like she couldn't warm up to the woman if they were cremated together. However, they had agreed to be civil with each other, and to her credit Mandy had always lived up to her end of that agreement.

Erin had driven her and Jay over there in her Ford GT. She loved driving, and in any case Jay couldn't because at the moment he only had one good arm. The injured one was back in its sling.

She had worn leather gloves even though they would spend almost no time outside, the main reason on this occasion being that her engagement ring would stay hidden until she had given her dad the news. The ring was a bit loose until she got it altered, but not so loose that it could fall off her finger.

"If I don't come out of the house alive, I just want to thank you for making my final couple of years on Earth so happy," Jay quipped as Erin parked up near the front door of Hank's house. Erin still had a hard time thinking of the place in those terms. She managed a laugh at the joke though.

"What, you think he's going to shoot you or something?"

"At this point nothing is ruled out," Jay said as he awkwardly got out of the car. The low seating position of the sports car made it slightly tricky for someone with an injured arm.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked, noticing him wince from the other side of the car.

"Yeah. I get shooting pains sometimes. They'll stop soon as it starts healing properly."

"I'll mention it to Doc Mikami on Monday night."

"No need," he assured her as they met up at the front of the car. "It'll be fine. Just needs time."

"If you're sure," Erin said hesitantly before giving him a kiss on the lips.

"I am. Come on, let's go in. Being engaged to you is the thing I'm most proud of in my life, but I'm dreading telling your dad about it. Dreading it to the point that I feel sick."

"Oh, Jay. It's awful that you feel that way. You really should not be made to feel that way. At some point I'm going to have to sit down with my dad and have a serious conversation about how he behaves towards you. As for right now, if he does give you any grief, which I doubt, I'll jump right in and make him stop. Okay?"

"Let's do it," he said, taking her hand and walking towards the front door.

When they got there, Erin rang the bell. Moments later, it was Hank himself who opened the door. He looked delighted to see her, as he always did, and she felt the same about him. Despite his shortcomings that had led to some of the behaviour that had forced him out of WWE, Erin loved her dad with all her heart. Theirs was a bond that could never be damaged, much less broken.