The next morning, Maryse woke up early to get breakfast ready before I headed out to get morning run in. And while she prepped a couple of sausage patties for me along with hash browns and scrambled eggs, a knock came to the door and of course I answered since I woke up not long after Maryse did. I found Sophia with little Monroe in her arms. Monroe immediately reached out to me and I took her from Sophia. She giggled as I bounced her in my arms.
"So you in town for a while Sophia?" I asked her.
"Yes. Just for a few days." She answered.
"Okay. Well, choose a room."
"Of course." She kissed my cheek as I headed into the kitchen to check on Maryse.
"Hey, look whose here." Maryse looked to me and smiled as she saw Monroe.
"Hey, baby girl. Are you enjoying your stepdad?" Maryse smiled as Monroe giggled and gurbled.
"Your moms here by the way." I smiled as I kissed Maryse's cheek.
"I was expecting that." She replied. I walked into the parlor and played with Monroe while Sophia walked into the kitchen. "Hey, mom."
"Maryse, dear. How was your honeymoon?"
"It was amazing. We ejoyed the beach, the water, we even took a romantic boat tour of the islands."
"Sounds fun."
"It was. Daniel's an amazing man, mom. He's done everything possible to make sure I'm safe and sound and comfortable. He's also done the same for little Monroe."
"Yeah, she really loves her stepdad."
"Yeah. She does. And I can't wait for our twins to get here. I swear. Daniel is going to be an outstanding father to our twins. He's already proving that with how well he's been to Monroe since before the divorce."
"Speaking of the twins, dear. Before you and Daniel go to your appointment in a couple hours, what do you hope to have in terms of the twins?" Sophia asked.
"I don't really care to theorize. As long as their healthy. But if push came to shove. I wouldn't mind if we had one of each."
"I couldn't have said it better myself." I said coming in with my running shoes on, and Monroe on my shoulders.
"Of course you still haven't gone out for your morning run, have you baby?" Maryse asked.
"Nope." I replied.
"I'll take Monroe while you get your run in Daniel." Sophia said.
"Thank you, Sophia." I smiled as she took Monroe off my shoulders. She started to cry until I patted her head and kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back little one." I smiled.
"Don't forget baby, we have an appointment with the obstetrician in an hour." Maryse smiled as she came up with a bottle of water.
"Don't worry my love, I'll be back in time." I kissed her lips and she giggled as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"I'll have a breakfast sandwich waiting."
"Mmm, can't wait." I smiled as I headed out to do my morning run.
While out on my run I thought back to earlier this year and took a mental inventory as to what has happened to me over the past six months or so. I became the guardian of Maryse when she and Mike started having problems. My home became Maryse's when she divorced Mike and my home also became Monroe's too at certain times. Maryse told me she was pregnant with my child, which turned out to be children. Which I'm ecstatic about meeting our little ones. A little less than a month ago, I married Maryse and officially became the stepdad to little Monroe. So yeah, I've had quite the journey these past six months.
When I returned home, Maryse smiled as I walked in with a half drunk bottle of water and she approached me with a breakfast sandwich, two pieces of toast, scrambled eggs, hash brown and sausage patties in the center. I wolfed the sandwich down and drank the rest of the water that was left in the bottle after my run. "Well, you better get showered up, baby."
"On my way." I smiled as I kissed her cheek as I passed.
At the Obstetricians office...
Sophia and Monroe came with us and while Maryse and I were in the examination room Maryse was shaking from excitement and nerves. "Well, hello Mr. and Mrs. Boyce-Ouellet. Congratulations on your nuptials." Dr. Mallard smiled.
"Thanks, Duck." I grinned and being a good sport Doctor Mallard chuckled.
"Well, let's see how your twins are doing?" He went through the motions as did Maryse, she rolled up her shirt to expose her perfectly round baby bump and Mallard put a dollop of lube on her stomach and a dollop on the wand. Then started the ultrasound. We heard the little heartbeats and then saw them on the monitor. "And there they are. They seem to be quite healthy. And I am sure you two will want to know the genders?"
"We would Doctor Mallard." Maryse smiled as she held my left hand tightly.
"Very well then." After a few seconds. Maryse and I heard the news we were expecting to hear. "Well you two are going to be the proud parents of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl."
Maryse was extremely happy and excited by the news. When we made our last appointment on December 10 at 1 PM.
Sophia handed Monroe to Maryse and looked to me. "So what did the obstetrician say?" Sophia asked.
I smiled as I said, "Well ma. Your daughter and I are going to be having a boy and a girl." Sophia grinned as she hugged me then Maryse as she was holding Monroe.
"Oh I'm so happy. You'll be having twins one a boy and one a girl."
"Yeah. We're really happy about it too ma." I smiled as I wrapped an arm around Maryse and by extension Monroe. We then headed home and found Alexa on the doorstep. I knew just by the look on her face that she had bad news and worse news. I looked to Maryse. "Umm, honey. Can you take your mom and Monroe inside. I think Alexa's here to see me about something."
"Sure. Just be careful and try and listen to everything she has to say." Maryse kissed my cheek and took Sophia and Monroe inside while I approached Alexa.
"Alexa."
"Uncle Daniel." I smiled at her old nickname for me. But the tone in her voice worried me after a second.
"Okay. I recognize that tone. Where's your..." She handed me a newspaper clipping. I dreaded opening it but I had to. I read the top line, 'Former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro Found Dead In Home'. I slumped down beside Alexa. "I told her that she could come to me with any problem. Any. And I'd try and help her through it." Alexa slid next to me and hugged me tightly. "Well I promised your mom I'd look after you if anything happened to her. So. Grab your bags and follow me inside and choose your room."
The moment I was inside the house. I walked directly to the gym and closed the door. Maryse noticed as did Sophia. Alexa sat on the sofa and breathed in.
"Umm. Alexa, what's wrong with my Dani?" Alexa just showed her the newspaper clipping and instantly knew what upset me so much to just head to the gym. "Ohh, poor Daniel. Poor you Alexa. Ashley and Daniel were best friends even after they broke up. Sophia was holding Monroe when she came in from the kitchen. Maryse just handed Sophia the clipping.
"Ohh, poor Daniel. Where is he?" Monroe started to cry as she noticed I wasn't with her mother or Alexa. Maryse gently took Monroe from her mother and Monroe started to slowly calm down.
"Well. The only thing we can do is give him space and hope for the best."
I was locked in the gym by myself for two to three days. Maryse would bring down trays of food and would always leave it on the hallway shelf and would return a few hours later with the food still on the tray or half gone. On the third afternoon. Maryse brought Monroe down with her and knocked on the gym door. "Baby. Come on I know your hurting. Please open the door. Me and Monroe are getting worried about you. And Alexa is worried also."
Maryse was about to head back upstairs when little Monroe spoke up. "Papa." I immediately unlocked the door and looked directly at Monroe.
"What did you say Monroe?" I asked her not expecting her to repeat what she said. But she did.
With her arms reaching out for me, "P..p...papa." I was floored by what my stepdaughter was saying and barely a year and some change old.
I smiled as I approached her and a smiling Maryse. "She said her first word. And it was to you. Oh Mike is gonna hate you for it. But it worked. It got you out of that gym. But even though I'm happy your out of the gym. You scared me, you scared Monroe and you scared Alexa. Mom was even worried. She actually went back home to Quebec yesterday. Alexa's been helping with Monroe here. And she's sleeping in the guest room by Monroe's. And she's been taking care of Monroe while I'm sleeping or more less because Monroe's favorite person locked himself in his gym."
"I know. I'm sorry. I gently took Monroe from Maryse and held her for a moment. And she settled down and I followed Maryse upstairs to the main floor. "Well, I need to shower and change. Then I'll be right back and play with my stepdaughter and socialize with our new house guest and tonight if we can." I caressed Maryse's ribcage as I slid my left arm around her waist and kissed her neck. Which made her giggle and smile.
"Okay, down boy." Maryse smiled. "Ohh, so you want to go out tonight?" She asked.
"Yes. And we'll go to Olive Garden for a romantic dinner." I grinned.
"Ohh, if you're not the devil. You're getting pretty close."
"Thank you, my dear." I grinned. I found Alexa in my study looking at the plans of my wrestling school. "Hey, nosey."
"Uncle Daniel." She shot into my arms. "I'm scared."
"Of what?" I asked. Then a hard knock came to the door. "Nevermind." I said seeing Alexa's reaction. "Stay here." I told her. I went downstairs and opened the front door and a guy with enough tats even a normal gang banger would find excessive stood in the doorway. "May I help you?"
"Where's Alexa?" He asked.
"May I ask who is asking for my niece?" I replied.
"Garrett Crawford." He growled. "Now. Where's Alexa?!"
"Not here. Anything else?" I asked.
"If I find out you're hiding her here?"
"You'll what, Garrett? Run to the cops. You do. And they will get a written statement about how you abused Ashley and Alexa." He looked at me angrily. "Now. If you have no further business here. I suggest you leave. And never come back or I will play pin the tail on the dumb ass." I pulled my Old Timer knife and held it with the blade pointed down. "So I strongly advise that you get your ass out of here before the next call I make aside from the police is the coroner and mortician. And be sure to never come back." I closed the door in his face. He soon stormed off and drove off. I watched from a window near the door as he did so. Alexa came up to me as did Maryse and Monroe. "You okay Alexa?" She nodded. "Good." Maryse smiled as I wrapped an arm around Alexa. "You can stay here as long and as much as you need."
"Thank you, Uncle Daniel." She buried her face in my chest and just cried her eyes out. I caressed her back and ran my right hand through her hair trying to calm her down.
"Your so welcome, Alexa." I said as she calmed down. Maryse and I arranged for Alexa's stuff to be shipped to our home and she stayed with us as I hoped she would. She also enrolled in the University of Eastern Idaho
Over the next few months, I was quite the busy husband and father to be as Maryse hit the period in her pregnancy of unusual cravings. Monroe and Alexis kept each other entertained whenever I was too tired to even chat or stay awake. I swear if Alexis wasn't living with us it would be quite difficult to keep my wife and stepdaughter happy and content. Especially since the mother was close to four to five months pregnant when Halloween came around. The weekend of Halloween, Sophia was visiting and caught the tail end of me being irrationally screamed at by her daughter. "She's in one of her moods." I told Sophia as she smiled and kissed my cheek.
"Oh, I've been there." She giggled. "But she'll be okay. But how are you faring aside from hurricane Maryse?"
"I'm faring well, all things considered. And with Alexa's help. I've been surviving the growing challenges of keeping Monroe happy along with Maryse." I smiled.
"Good. How's Alexa been since moving in with you two?" Sophia asked.
"So far or at least as far as I can tell, she's been doing really well. I mean, she's enrolled in school, been more than happy to watch over Monroe so I can get some sleep or rest from the food runs your daughter, my wife has had me doing over the past week." I said laying out everything that has been happening and happened since Alexa moved in a month ago with Maryse and I.
"Well, I'm sure Monroe has been waiting to go trick or treating with her stepdad this weekend." Sophia smiled.
"Oh, yeah. She even wants to dress like her mom for Halloween." I said with the widest grin imaginable on my face.
"Ohh, I'm sure she'll look adorable as a smaller version of her mother."
"Agreed. Anyway, I'm guessing you weren't expecting to be put in charge of a four month pregnant woman while me and your grand-daughter go trick or treating."
"Oh, please. When Maryse was pregnant with Monroe. I visited and stayed with her while Mike was on the road."
"So what your saying is, is that you are going to relish the challenge of a pregnant woman. Your daughter. Who as of late has had the tendency to fly off the handle at a moments notice. Have very interesting food requests in the middle of the night. Etc. But unlike the last time you took care of her. She's not pregnant with just one child. Oh no. She's got twins in her belly and to be honest. I'm excited as all get out to meet them."
"Of course. A real father should be excited to meet his kids." She giggled as she continued. "I'd be very concerned if you weren't."
"Well, I'm sure you have everything under control here." She nodded. "I'm going to catch a few Z's while Monroe's down in the toy room with Alexa."
"Toy room?" Sophia asked.
"Yeah. Maryse and I thought it would be a good idea to convert a quarter section of the gym into a toy room for Maryse. That way she can play well mommy and papa D work out. Not to mention it gives us quite the peace of mind as we can keep an eye on Monroe as we work out."
"Sounds like you have everything figured out." Sophia grinned.
"Yeah. I just wish I could figure out how to speak pregnant." I headed to the living room as Sophia headed into the master bedroom to deal with her daughter.
"Hey, mom." Maryse greeted.
"Do you have to yell at that angel of a man you married?" Sophia asked.
Maryse slid her right hand over the right side of her face like she was embarassed."Oh, ho, ho. I hope he understands that despite what I say courtesy of my pregnancy, that I still love him."
Sophia smiled as she said, "I'm sure he does. He's just in the living room resting so he'll be rested enough to go trick or treating with Monroe."
"I remember when she first met Daniel when she was a little baby. The way they interacted was just adorable." Maryse grinned as she reminisced. "I can't wait to see him with our kids. And see the same interaction I saw the day baby Monroe met her then Uncle Daniel, now her stepdad."
"Don't worry, dear. Daniels just as excited to meet your twins." Sophia told her, making her smile.
I loved going trick or treating with little Monroe who really pulled off the look of her mom very well. Then the holidays came and went, as well as New Years. when we went to the last ultrasound appointment, Dr. Mallard told us everything looked just fine.
Then on February 16, 2020 at midnight, Maryse woke me up, breathing heavily. "It's time, baby." She smiled. I shot to my feet, grabbed her to go bag, put my shoes on, then helped Maryse up and gently walked with her down the stairs. Then out to the car. I broke every speed limit, record and traffic law to make sure Maryse made it to the hospital in a timely fashion. While I was filling out the paperwork, I called everyone from our wedding party even our wrestling family and her family as well. I even called Alexa and told her the news. After finishing the paperwork and phone calls. I was rushed into a changing room where I put on a cap, gown and booties for my shoes and was led into the delivery room. Where Maryse was already prepped for our twins impending arrival.
Four hours later...
After a long delivery and some major finger breaking and cursing my existence.
Maryse and I were the proud parents of fraternal twins. "Oh my god. Daniel. Their perfect." Maryse smiled at our son who was in her arms as tears started to stream down her cheek.
"Yes, they are." I grinned looking down at our daughter who was in my arms, "And you want to know why their perfect?" Maryse nodded. "Because they came from you." I kissed her forehead making her smile.
We were soon transferred to a private room. And the first person into the room was Alexa and Monroe. Maryse greeted Monroe. While I greeted Alexa.
"Ooh, their so cute." Alexa cooed as she looked at the twins in their hospital cribs. "What are their names?"
I looked to Maryse who had Monroe sitting on the bed with her. "Well, the little girl is named Ashley Marie Boyce-Ouellet." Alexa smiled at that. "And the little boy is named Anthony Jackson Boyce-Ouellet."
"Baby." I looked to Maryse. "Would you mind handing me little Ashley?" I went over and picked up my little girl and walked over and gently handed her to Maryse. "Monroe, this is your little sister. Ashley." I picked up our son into my arms and walked close to Maryse and Monroe.
"And this is your little brother Anthony." Monroe smiled at her new siblings.
Once Alexa and Monroe went home. I slid into the hospital bed next to Maryse and held her close. She rested her head on my left shoulder as we looked at our newborn son and daughter. I smiled as Maryse fell asleep not long after I started running my right hand through her hair.
I smiled at how my life had turned out over the past year.
I was Maryse's guardian during her and Mike's trial seperation and subsequent divorce. When Monroe spent her first night in my home I played guitar for the first time in years and sung her to sleep while doing so. It wasn't long after that I met Sophia whose now my mother-in-Iaw. Then Maryse and I started dating. I proposed to her at Money In The Bank. And at Extreme Rules shet old me the best news possible when she told me she was pregnant. We were married around Summerslam. I lost a friend in Ashley when she died and I had kept my promise to her by looking after her daughter Alexa.
Now, Maryse and I were parents to beautiful fraternal twins. I looked at Maryse and felt like the luckiest man alive. With all things considered. I was happy with how my life had turned out over the past year. I kissed Maryse's forehead and took one last look at the twins. Then rested my head on the pillow and fell asleep myself.