The Wedding (A Sequel to The Architect) (Reupload)

The Beach

It was time for a vacation. WWE had given the guys and I the whole week off to go on a vacation with our families. Joe brought his wife, Galina, and daughter, Joelle. I brought Katie and Colby. Jon brought Victoria and their son, Michael. It was all a chance for our families to come together and enjoy spending time together. I was so excited to spend time with everyone. I had missed so much time with Katie being on the road all the time and I knew Jon and Joe missed their families too. It was such a special time to spend and I couldn't wait for it to begin.

Ok, scrap this. Scrap the whole vacation. We should just go home.

"I'm not doing it."

"Cassie, come on. It will be fun."

"Nope, this is the worst thing ever. Let's just go home."

"Cass..."

"Don't 'Cass' me, Lopez. You know this is my worst fear."

Jon chuckled. "Come on, Cassie. Colby will protect you. He'll protect you from the sharks."

"Sharks?!"

Victoria slapped Jon on the back of the head. "Really, Jon?"

"What? I said Colby would protect her."

"Babe, come on. You bought that really nice bathing suit that you look really nice in, by the way."

"Don't try flattering me, Colby. I'm doing it!"

"Then, I am coming to get you."

Colby stood out of the water and came towards me. We were at the beach near our hotel in California. Colby was persistent on teaching me to swim.

"Colby, you come near me and I will make sure we have no more children, if you catch my drift."

Joe laughed. "She's got you there, Colby."

Jon laughed too. "I wouldn't mess with her, Colby."

Colby sighed. "She is getting in that ocean water because the only reason we came here is so that I could teach her."

"No, it's not! I told you we came here so the kids could swim. We never discussed me EVER getting in that water."

"Cass."

I shook my head. "I'm not doing it."

I could tell Colby was getting frustrated with me. I sat back in my chair and started reading a magazine. Colby threw down his towel and walked off. Finally. Suddenly, I felt my chair being lifted in the air. Joe and Jon were picking up my chair and walking with it towards the water.

"Put me down!"

"Nope." I heard Jon say calmly.

"Jon, Joe. Put me down now!"

Joe laughed. "You aren't setting a very example for Katie."

I felt like crying. My breath hitched as we got closer and closer to the water. Old memories I thought were forgotten started to flood my mind. Almost drowning when I was little, Colby letting them toss me in the pool, even Dylan flooded my mind and I was suddenly scared for my life.

"Please! Don't!"

"Cassie..."

The boys set the chair down and I lost it. I got up from the chair and ran towards the hotel room. Colby had been standing near the water's edge. Probably ready to help me once I got in the water. I heard him call after me but I just kept running.

"Cassie?"

"Go away, Colby."

He sat down next to me and I lay on his shoulder. "What happened out there?"

"You know I'm scared of water, Colby!"

"I wasn't going to let you drown."

"It's not about that. Dylan..."

As soon as the name escaped my mouth, there was a silence that filled the room.

I took a deep breath. "When I disobeyed, Dylan used to...use water to punish me. Like you, he knew about my fear of water. He would use it to hurt me, almost drown me. That's one of the very reasons I am deathly scared of water."

I felt his arms come around me. "I'm not Dylan. And that water, it's just water. Dylan is gone. And I know you're scared, Cass. So, if you don't want to do it, we don't have to and I will completely understand. I just...I didn't know that he did that to you."

"Yeah, I don't usually share that. It isn't like we are going to sit in a campfire circle and just share all of the things Dylan did to break poor little Cassie Peters."

"You aren't broken. You are perfect." He kissed the top of my head. "Do you want me to stay here with you for a while?"

"No, I want to be alone."

He nodded and stood. "Alright, you know where I will be."

He left the room and I looked out the window and watched as he walked back to the beach. Tears fell from eyes. Why couldn't I be normal? Dylan was gone. He couldn't hurt me anymore and yet he still had an effect on me from beyond the grave. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and red. Scars from when Dylan hurt me still covered my body but as I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't see a broken woman. I saw a beautiful, strong woman who was loved by many. I saw me. I wasn't broken. And I wasn't going to let my fear control me. I walked out the door and went across the street to the beach. Colby saw me but I passed him. I took off my shoes and jumped into the cold water. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It actually felt nice. I came up for air and Colby was standing near me with proudest smile on his face. For the rest of day, Colby taught Katie and I how to swim and I actually had a lot of fun. As it got later into the night, we all went out to eat and then went back to the hotel. Katie slept in between Colby and I as Colby and I talked.

"I'm so proud of you. You were very brave."

I smiled. "It was just water. What happened before, I need to try and let it go. It's just so hard."

"I know." He said as he pushed my hair from my face.

"Well, anyways, you were right."

"I was right?"

"Don't get cocky, Lopez."

"Ok, Mrs. Lopez."

I laughed. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Helping me. Loving me."

"It was my pleasure. And thank you."

"For what?"

"Loving me back."

I laughed and we kissed before falling asleep. I looked as Colby as he fell fast asleep. I never thought in a million years that I would be laying next to him and our child but I was. And I was happy that I could trust this man again. After all the pain and hurt, I was once again truly happy.