Tarnished Armor

Chapter Twenty Five

The guys brought the twins back home to me after winning an obscene amount of stuffed animals at Chuck E Cheese's. The girls passed out on the way home. I looked at Colby.
"Honey..."
"What?"
"I spent some money today," I said.
"How much?"
"I spent about five hundred dollars on a dress and a necklace."
He looked at me.
"Why do you sound worried about the amount of money you spent?"
"I don't have a clue."
"Trust me, Babe, you're going to look amazing."
I sighed with relief.
"How were the girls?" I asked.
"They gave us a run for our money. A woman slapped Jon in the arm."
"Why?"
"At one point in this trip, both girls broke into tears. How old are they anyway?"
"Aren't you a horrible father for not knowing how old our children are?"
I looked at Elena.
"Honey, they're nine months old. Why?"
"That one..." He pointed to Elena. "...Said her first words."
I looked at her.
"Oh my goodness, Baby girl, that's so awesome."
I looked at Colby.
"What did she say?"
He cringed and whispered it in my ear. I looked at him.
"You're joking, aren't you?"
He shook his head. I picked her up and looked her in the eye.
"Elena Maria..."
I kissed her forehead.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you. My grandmother told me what my first word was so I'm not mad at this one at all."
I whispered it in Colby's ear. Colby laughed.
"Aren't we perfect then."
I looked at him.
"What did you three do when you heard her say that?"
"I scolded her which made her cry in front of a lady who hit Jon with her purse. He said ow and some other things and the one word we hoped Leni wouldn't have said out of all that; she repeated. I panicked and called the only person I knew."
"You called your dad, didn't you?"
"Yeah,"
"What did he do?"
"He told Ella he loved her and told Leni not to repeat those words anymore."
"Did he say it in English or Spanish?"
"Spanish."
"The girls respond better to Spanish anyway."
"How'd your day go?"
"I look amazing in that dress."
"Can I see you in it?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I have it hanging in the spare closet so I don't wrinkle it. It's amazing, I'll say that."
"Does this mean I need a suit?"
"Yeah."
He smirked.
"Does this mean I get to have my way with you in the limo?"
"No, we have to share it with Joe, Chel and Jon."
He groaned.
"Do we have to share?"
"Yeah. You're the shield, you need to go to these things together."
"Yeah, you're right."
"We have Axxess that day anyway."
"True."
"Other than the swearing thing, did you all have fun together?"
"Yup. Did you?"
"I lived a dream, Honey. Dana's amazing and so are their daughters, they're beautiful."
He kissed my cheek.
"I'm glad you had fun. I bet you're going to do awesome."
"I hope so. I'm nervous."
"I would be. The Warrior is the headliner for the Hall of Fame."
"I know. That's what has me nervous."
"You'll do amazing."
"Do you think so?"
He kissed my cheek.
"I know you will. I have faith in you."
I started panicking again.
"What's wrong?"
"What if I say something wrong?"
"You're not speaking, are you?"
"No."
"Then don't worry."
"Are you going to be there?"
"Yeah,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, unless I get sick or the girls get sick."
"They better not get sick."
"They won't. Just relax, Babe. You got this."
I took a deep breath and relaxed against Colby. The next few weeks flew by like nothing. Colby and I trained like mad for our matches. I listened to Obsessed by Mariah Carey as I punched the bag. I saw Esme coming with the girls.
"What's going on, Es?"
"I hate doing this to you but I have a date,"
"Tom,"
"Yeah. I just don't want to disappoint you or Bro."
"You're going to have the talk with him. If you go, I need to find someone else for the girls."
"I'm sorry,"
"It will work itself out, Esme. You just have to tell Colby."
"I'll sit down and talk to him."
"I'll just say this. If you go, it leaves one of us unable to do our jobs."
I told her the truth. She looked at me blankly.
'You can find someone else, right?"
"I don't know." I responded.
I wanted her to feel accountable for her actions. Her dating interferes with her job. That makes it hard on us. I had no one else to help with the girls. Colby and I get screen time and that makes us valued on the roster. I couldn't see Brie doing it with finishing her wedding plans with Bryan. Nikki's issues with John interfered with her own job. I didn't want to burden my stepmother and father. Esme seemed unphased.
"Thanks, Sis."
I sighed and took the stroller back to the arena. There, Jon looked at me.
"Where's Esme?"
"She went on a date."
"What, now?"
"Yeah. We're a few days from Mania weekend and she decides to do this..."
Jon looked at me.
"I have an idea. Do you remember the girl I was seeing, Candace?"

"Yeah,"