Two months in. Two months I had Seth back. He'd made good on his promise and he's helped me the last month ease into running the warehouse. We'd made plans, phone calls, done a lot of training. And I'd even appointed Josh as my right hand when I'm not there which he gladly accepted. Josh was someone I could count on 100% when it came to the business. I knew he wasn't gonna screw me over because he never screwed Matt over. In fact, he's been working for Matt for six years now and he enjoyed being a coach too much to move up. But he was willing to help me out. At least for a little while.
I sat in the locker room with Seth, Jordan and Roman. My parents were taking care of the kids while we were gone. And tonight was the night me and Seth returned. The crowd had been chanting for Seth for the last year and they were finally gonna get him tonight. Not to mention, they've also been cheering my name. I didn't pay much attention to it for a while but it actually warmed my heart. I played the bad guy but they still wanted to see me. And tonight they would get me. In good guy form because, yes, I was back to being a face. And I just hoped the crowd reacted the way they should.
"How does it feel to be back Seth?" Jordan asked as I finished lacing up my boots. I'd decided to go with the attire I had when I debuted. WWE had split Jordan and I up so there was no need for that attire anymore. And I didn't wanna go back to the attire I had when I returned either. I loved my first attire and I never should have stopped using it. Now I was gonna bring it back.
"It feels great." Seth replied. "I missed this. Of course, I don't remember missing it. But a year is way too long to be away from all of this. From all the fans. And from you guys." Roman and Jordan both smiled at him.
"Are you ready for your comeback?" Jordan asked me.
I nodded. "Yeah." I said. Although I hadn't told her my decision. I was planning to retire. This story line I'd be taking part in was my last. I had to sort out my life and I started with this. So far Seth was the only one who knew. You could imagine how that conversation went.
*****
FLASHBACK
2 WEEKS PRIOR
I sat in the kitchen drinking a beer and thinking. The kids were in bed and Seth was taking a shower. So I had some peace and quiet to think about my life. There was so much on my plate and I needed to organize it. Fast. Seth walked out to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge before turning to me. "You alright?" he asked.
I looked at him. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about everything." I said. I sighed. "I'm overwhelmed and I'm terrified of a lot of things. I've piled my plate so high. Before the accident, we were so busy we didn't even time to think. To relax. Gracie's spent most of her first year of life with my parents than with us. And now we have another baby and you're still trying to get back into your life and we have the gym and the cafe and WWE and now I have IEW to worry about. It's a lot. And I don't think I can handle all of it." I looked down and took a deep breath. "I think I wanna retire from WWE."
"What?" he asked. "You wanna retire?"
I looked back up at him as he stepped forward and set his water on the island. I nodded. "I have to let something go and that's the easiest one. In the last year, I've had to deal so much and WWE wasn't even a thought in my mind. And what I've realized is that nothing is as important as our family. And I wanna be there for the kids. I don't wanna miss anymore of their lives. I don't want another moment to go by and then suddenly realize that I should have spent more time at home." I told him.
"Are you sure this is what you want though? To just leave all your dreams?" he asked.
I smiled a little. "WWE was a dream. And I got to live it. Even though I didn't have a long career, I got to live something that most people can only dream about. But now I new dreams. And those are you and Gracie and CJ. My family is a much more special dream than any other." I said.
