Amù Monte Carlo was Monaco’s refined tribute to Italian coastal cuisine. A gem amongst gems that drew the locals of Monaco just as easily as it did those that were visiting the small Riviera nation from afar. Tucked along the waterfront of Larvotto Beach, Amù possessed whitewashed stone walls, vibrant ceramic tiles imported from Amalfi, and lemon trees in terra-cotta pots along the open-air dining space. The sea breeze carried hints of salt, basil, and woodsmoke from the kitchen’s handmade pizza oven.

The restaurant’s name itself, derived from the Neapolitan expression for love, was more than a themed place to dine. It was the very mood and ambience brought to life. Inside, the very atmosphere hummed with romance and elegance. The tables were adorned with hand-painted plates and Mediterranean flowers atop the crystal blue linens. The menu was coastal Italian done with precision and passion. Handmade pastas with local seafood, fried calamari, and classic desserts such as roasted pineapple or tiramisu were some of the much desired fare offered. Not to mention a wine list that made the palates of many an enthusiast heavy with desire.

In short, it was an experience to be treasured and it left Carter himself wondering just how far in advance his husband had planned this little extravagance in his favor. And knowing Miles, it was in Carter’s favor. Miles was the sort who would have been perfectly satisfied dining on fish n chips from a street vendor and called it a day. And to be perfectly truthful, so would Carter himself. Carter adored things like that, but Miles also loved spoiling his husband just a wee bit so who was he to argue?

As the taxi arrived discreetly at the entrance, there were but a few curious paparazzi who caught a glimpse of the couple. Carter looked flawless in a light rose colored silk suit while Miles himself was a breath-taking sight, sporting a tailored slate-blue jacket and open-collar shirt. And by breath taking, it was obvious he had stolen his husband’s breath away from the very offset. Carter thought the look overall was a marvel but if you were to ask Miles, it was the tight slacks that stole Carter’s breath.

The two-time SCW Couple of the Year arrived just as the sky was painted with an array of deep color combinations, among them purples, roses, oranges and yellows painted and swirled together as twilight took prominence in the sky and the sun succumbed to the sea.

A hostess greeted them almost instantly. “Buonasera, Signori. Welcome to Amù.” She said, her smile warm and inviting. At first, Miles had wanted to respond in French, knowing that it was the official language in Monaco albeit not the primary. Italian and English were also spoken largely by locals. After a bit of a disaster with a street vendor when Miles had mixed up his French verbs, he had opted to toss the French lessons aside (for now) and just go with the flow.

“Party for Miles McKinney-Kasey?” Miles said, using his legally married name rather than just his own given surname that he retained for his wrestling career.

“Ah, yes.” The hostess smiled as she looked up from her docket between the two. “Please, follow me.”

They were escorted past diners who couldn’t help but glance up at the passing couple. Not because of their respective fame, but because of their presence. Miles walked with relaxed confidence, always aware of where Carter was beside him. And Carter? One could tell just by his posture and smile that he was thrilled to be here and with his arm in Miles’s own, the love and adoration he had for the man at his side.

The restaurant opened into a breezy patio overlooking the Mediterranean on wicker furniture, where their reserved table was nestled in a quiet corner flanked by olive trees and soft, flickering lanterns. The view was all moonlight on water and Miles had a rather difficult time drawing his husband’s attention away from it.

As they took their seats, their server presented them with a bottle of lightly chilled Brunello di Montalcinoé and a personalized amuse-bouche, a delicate, golden-brown fritto misto on a miniature lemon leaf. The small card at the center of the table read “Welcome to Monaco, Carter and Miles ~ with love, Amù.” This was not a recognition of their ‘celebrity status’ but a genuine welcome to all who visited their establishment.

The mood that surrounded them and everyone else was an effortless luxury. This wasn’t the place to make a scene. Carter loved this place. He loved Miles. But something in the air tonight wasn’t right. The two had placed their orders; Carter wanting the Linguine alle vongole and Miles the grilled Simmental beef filet. That left for a casual conversation and munching from the antipasto platter brought to them, while gazing at the wondrous beauty of the Mediterranean that surrounded them.

“Alright. What’s going on?” Carter finally broke the temporary silence between the two of them. There was never a loss for words between Miles and Carter from the very first moment that they had met, but ever since they had arrived in Monaco, it felt as if something had been gnawing at his husband’s mind and Carter was determined to get to the heart of the matter - whatever it was.

Miles smiled faintly. “What makes you think something’s going on?”

“You’re vibrating like a jackhammer.” Carter answered. “And you haven’t let go of your phone since we left the flat.”

Miles finally set the phone down beside his water glass and leaned back. “It’s about Kevin,” Miles finally said.

Carter straightened up in his seat and asked, “Is he okay?”

“He’s holding on.” There was a brief pause before Miles found his words to continue. “Stronger. His therapist says he’s making progress. Slowly, but it’s there.”

“Good.” Carter reached for his glass of wine, not sipping yet. “I’ve been thinking about him. After what you told me happened when LJ visited him, I couldn’t stop. It’s also why I haven’t. I didn’t want to overwhelm the kid.”

Miles nodded and a silence fell between them, filled with the hum of distant conversation and the clink of cutlery. Amù was not a loud place. The ambiance gave people space to be quiet and sometimes that felt more dangerous than noise.

Carter tilted his head. He knew there was more to MIles’s mood and if he had to dig deep to get Miles to open up, then he would. “This isn’t about his recovery, is it?”

“No. It’s not.” Miles responded before quickly amending, “Well, not just that.”

Carter raised his eyebrows, waiting and silently [prodding Miles to keep going. Miles inhaled, chest expanding. “I told him he could move in with us. After he’s discharged.”

Carter blinked. “…You what?”

“I told Kevin that … if he wants … he can live with us.” MIles waited, then added. “That we’d be his guardians. Permanently.”

Miles then sat back and waited, the food that had just been delivered to their table all but forgotten as Carter stared at him. The pause stretched long. The discomfort was worse than an itch that you were unable to reach.

The breeze stirred the edge of the linen tablecloth. Down below, waves lapped quietly at the base of the marina.

Carter’s voice came quiet. “And you didn’t think this was something that we should have talked about first?”

“We are talking about it.” Was Miles’s only answer before Carter interrupted, “Yeah, after the fact!”

Carter quickly checked himself and his tone, knowing this was not the place for any sort of emotional outburst. Like any married couple, Carter and Miles have had disagreements. Even a handful of arguments. It was normal. But not a full blown fight. And never in public.

Carter went on to say, “Miles, I know how big of a heart you have. I know you only want what’s best for everyone. But you effectively backed me into a corner that I’d be unable to get out of without looking like a Disney villain! What if I didn’t want someone else moving in? What if I wasn’t ready to be someone’s guardian? This isn’t a decision that you can make unilaterally and then discuss with your husband after!”

Miles looked stricken and said, “I meant to. I did but … he needed something. A promise. Some kind of future. His parents are out of the picture. Permanently. He’s alone. I couldn’t just let him go back into the system.”

Carter’s fingers curled around the stem of his glass. “And I understand that. I do. But you’re not alone, Miles. We’re a team.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Carter asked, not angry but hurt. “Because right now, it kind of feels like you made a life-changing decision for both of us and you’re asking for acknowledgement afterward.”

Miles looked down, ashamed. “It wasn’t meant to be that. It wasn’t even meant to be a decision. It was a promise that, if he had nowhere else he’d have us. It didn’t feel like a decision. It felt like the bare minimum.”

Carter didn’t respond right away. He looked out toward the horizon, eyes slightly unfocused, breath shallow like he was keeping something in. Finally, he said, “I care about Kevin. You know I do. I sat by him when you brought him to the condo that night. I saw the way he flinched when I got too close.”

Miles nodded. “That’s why I knew you’d say yes.”

“But that’s not the point, is it?” Carter responded. “This isn’t about me saying yes. It’s about you not asking me at all.”

Miles was quiet for a long moment. Then, softly nodded, “You’re right.”

They sat in that silence a while, letting the edges of it settle.

When the waiter returned to pour their wine, both men waited until he was gone before Carter spoke again.

“I know what kind of man you are, Miles. You don’t walk away from someone in pain. I fell in love with that man. But you’re not just a rescuer anymore. You’re my husband. And that means when you decide to bring a child into our life, you do it with me.”

Miles looked him in the eye and said, “I was worried. Of making it real. Because once I do, it’s not just a promise to Kevin. It’s a responsibility to both of you.”

Carter blinked, the intensity softening just slightly. Miles continued with his line of reasoning, “He’s so close to giving up. And when I told him we could be his family, I saw something come back to life in his eyes. Just a spark. But it was real. The entire time, he was so damn quiet. But he asked ‘What happens when this place runs out of room for me?’ That’s when I told him that he would come stay with us. I told him that we’d make room for him.”

Carter looked at him with that expression he reserved for moments when words failed him. Half proud, half broken, all heart. He set down his glass, folded both hands on the table, and leaned in.

“So how do we go about this?”

Miles blinked, as if his ears were playing tricks on him. “You’re okay with this?” He asked.

“I always was.” Carter smiled, again lifting his glass of wine. “I just wanted to clear up the issues  between us.”

Miles straightened. “I want to apply for guardianship once Kevin’s medically cleared. That might take a few more months. I don’t know how his Mom or Dad will respond.”

“I still have O’Malley’s brother as an attorney.” Carter pointed out. “He might be able to speed things along.”

Miles nodded. “And you…” Miles stood from his seat, walked around the table, and dropped to a crouch beside Carter’s chair. They were face to face now, eye to eye. Carter didn’t flinch. He simply met his husband’s unwavering eyes.

“You,” Miles said, “are the reason I can do this. You’re the one who reminds me to rest. Who holds me together when I lose perspective. You’re going to be his family too.”

Carter stared further into his eyes before he chuckled softly, closing them. Miles tried to find what had caught his husband’s attention in an amusing way but shook his head, “What is it?”

“I was just thinking.” Carter answered, his shoulders shaking lightly. “How our families are going to react to the news that we have a kid. I mean, Mom always wanted to be a Grandma but I think we skipped a few steps when her first grandchild would be a sixteen year old teenager.”

Miles joined Carter in the light hearted moment before he returned to his seat. Only then did Carter muse aloud, “I admit that I always wondered what it would be like to have a family,” Carter said suddenly. “I didn’t know it would happen like this. I mean, I’m only 26. I guess life never happens the way you plan it.”

Miles smirked. “Yeah. I didn’t plan to fall in love with a sarcastic, judgmental gay man who has a coffee addiction and color codes his closet.”

“That’s on you.” Carter shot back.

And in the golden hush of a Monaco evening, under a sky painted with sea and stars, two men sat together at a table for two. With a third seat soon to be filled.

---

There was something surreal about a place like this. The air smelled like money and secrets. One could almost hear the ghostly wisps of royalty echoing through the halls, playing high-stakes games with more on the line than mere money. Carter stepped carefully between tables, taking it all in. There were the glittering dresses, the tension in the eyes of men who bet empires on a turn of the wheel. Yet he wasn't here to gamble. Not really. But there was a quiet comfort in watching people put it all on the line, chasing something they would swear upon their lives that they deserved.

He stopped at the edge of a roulette table, watching the ball spin, and for a moment, he saw it. Every decision he’d made, every risk he'd taken. His title weighed heavy on his shoulders, metaphorically speaking. Not from gold but from meaning. Privately he wonders how Eddie Lyons would carry it. How much it would cost him. He wondered how far a man would go when he’s got a baby girl waiting at home and a legacy still just out of reach.

“Eddie Lyons. The ‘Unbreakable One’ First things first, let me get this out of the way before we get to the heart of the matter. Congratulations. Congratulations on becoming a father. I saw the photo that you posted on social media. She’s darling. I also saw you make note of living off of Red Bull so let me give you a word of advice. Don’t make the mistake of using Red Bull instead of water to make your morning coffee. You’ll get halfway to the arena before you realize that you forgot your car. But I’m getting ahead of myself here…”

“I can only imagine you with that little girl in your arms, smiling like the whole world just got brighter. And then having to hand her over so you could travel halfway across the world to here. To Monaco. And I have to admit that I feel bad for you, taking you away from your daughter so soon.”

“You deserve that kind of joy in your life. You deserve mornings with baby fingers wrapped around your own. You deserve the sleepless nights and soft lullabies that are going to come with that little one. You deserve to experience those first steps and her first words, but those are some time away from now.”

“But here's the thing, Eddie. You're not there right now. You're not at home rocking her to sleep. You’re not feeding her or burping her and having her toss cookies on the back of your shirt. You're not changing diapers or laughing with your partner about how tiny those socks are. You’re here. Thousands of miles away and standing across the ring from me.”

“And I hate that.”

“I hate this match, this moment, this company… I hate that it had to pull you away from that little girl so soon. Because if anyone deserves time to breathe, to adjust, to just be a dad for a minute without worrying about what kind of fight he’s walking into next… It’s you.”

Carter sighed and turned and continued on with his journey through the casino.

“Unfortunately, wrestling doesn’t wait for anyone. But this match that you and I have against each other… It’s different. No stipulation. No feud. No championship on the line. Just two men about to go to war in that ring. You’d think without the title in play, it wouldn’t matter so much. You’d think this is one of those filler matches, right? A warm-up. A showcase. A polite little handshake-and-headlock affair that might cause the armchair experts online to call out ‘BO-RING!’”

“But it’s not. Because the man standing across from me is ‘Unbreakable’ Eddie Lyons. And tonight  that means just as much as a championship being at stake.”

“Before I ever held the World title, before I even set foot inside the Elimination Chamber … Before I was the man they called champion, I was just a guy on a journey. Second guessing my place in this sport. Wondering if I belonged. Trying not to drown in a locker room full of giants, legends, and lions.”

“And you?”

“You weren’t one of the voices who doubted me. You weren’t one of the ones laughing behind my back while paying lip service or saying I didn’t have it. You weren’t the one whispering ‘he’s not championship material’ or rolling your eyes when I cut my promos with glitter on my lashes.”

Carter arrived at one of the curtained off windows of the Casino. He drew the drapery aside so that he could look out into the night.

“You were the one who looked me in the eye and said ‘Run with it.’”

“Three words. That’s all. Three words that meant I see you. I respect you. I believe in you. That was all the encouragement I ever needed from someone that wasn’t my husband. And so I did. I ran with it. Straight through the Chamber. Straight into that title match against Alex Jones. And when I finally heard the bell ring and that belt was in my hands, you were one of the first I thought of.”

“Because you get it. You know what it’s like to fight uphill. You’ve been chasing this very same dream just as long as I have. And for a long time, we weren’t that different. Hungry. Desperate. Trying not to break under the weight of what we knew we could be.”

He shrugged.

“I just happened to catch the break first. But now, here we are. No blood feud. No betrayal between us. But there is history. And history, no matter how old, no matter how buried, has a way of creeping back into the present.”

“I haven’t forgotten about Vincent. I haven’t forgotten the chair shot that rang through my skull like a gunshot. I haven’t forgotten the fog, the doctors, the sleepless nights wondering if I’d ever feel right again. I haven’t forgotten having to pretend everything was okay while I couldn’t even remember what city I was in. And I damn sure haven’t forgotten the doubt that started to creep in!”

“But let me be clear about something that I hope you take to heart. You are not your cousin. You are not responsible for that chair shot. And I’m not walking into this match with vengeance on my mind.”

“I’m walking into that ring with a clarity I’ve never known before. You see, I know who you are, Eddie Lyons. Not just in the ring but outside of it. I’ve seen the way you carry yourself in this company. The respect you give to the business, to the fans, to your peers. I’ve seen you get back up every single time the world told you to stay down. I’ve seen you swallow disappointment, shake hands, lace up your boots, and fight like hell the next night. I’ve seen what this means to you.”

“But most importantly? I’ve seen you become a father. I’ll be real with you. That one hit different. Because this business? It takes everything. Your time. Your health. Your sanity. And sometimes, it even tries to take the people you love. But you’re still here. You’re still pushing! And now, you’re not just fighting for yourself anymore. You’re fighting for her. And I respect the hell out of that!”

“But this is the part where I need you to listen closely because this is where the mood shifts between you and I. You’re standing across from the SCW World Heavyweight Champion. Not because I politicked my way here. Not because someone handed me a golden opportunity. Not because of a fluke win or a lucky night!”

“I earned this! I survived everything that this company could throw at me! I withstood the mind games, the backstabs, the cheap shots. I bled for this title. I fought like a rabid dog with a broken heart and something to prove!  So if you're walking into this match thinking I'm gonna take it easy on you because there's no title on the line?”

Carter shook his head, his face an uncharacteristic mask of stone.

“You don’t know me like I thought you did. Because this isn’t just a match. This is a message from me to you. From me to the locker room. To anyone who thinks I’ve gone soft now that I’ve lost a match to Alex but gotten past J2H! I want everyone out there to understand that I’m not keeping the throne warm…”

“I am the throne.”

“And you, Eddie? I’m not underestimating you. I know what you bring. I’ve watched you from the moment you signed with this company. You’re a technician. You’ve got a lion’s heart and a hunter’s instinct! You’ve been the runner-up more times than anyone should have to be but you never let it make you bitter. You just let it make you better. And that…”

He shook his finger at nothing and nobody in particular.

“That makes you dangerous. That makes you worthy. Because I know what happens when a man like you gets even a sliver of momentum. I’ve watched you push champions to their limit. I’ve seen you knock out heavy hitters twice your size. I’ve seen you dangle at the edge of greatness and if I slip for even a second? You’ll take it.”

“But there is no chance in hell that I’m going to let you catch me slipping. You want to make a statement? I get it. You want to beat the champion and prove that your time is next? I respect that. But to beat me? You’re gonna have to dig deeper than you ever have before. You’re gonna have to be more than ‘Unbreakable’, Eddie.”

“You’re gonna have to be undeniable.”

“Because I’m not wrestling as the same Carter whose head was filled with hopes and dreams. I’m wrestling as the Carter who finally made it. And every match I step into is just another brick in the foundation of what I’m building around me.”

“You know, they talk about dream matches all the time in this business. Match-ups that live on in the minds of fans. And for me? This is one of them. Just two men. No shortcuts. No baggage. Just skill and respect. And you? You’re the kind of opponent that makes me better about myself. You’re the kind of man that reminds me of why I do this.”

Carter then turns away from the window, allowing the drape to fall back into place and he looks into the camera.

“So, when the bell rings? I want you to know that I’m not just fighting you. I’m fighting the shadow of every runner-up speech you’ve ever had to give. I’m fighting the ghost of that chair shot your cousin gave me. I’m fighting the weight of this championship, and all the voices saying I’m not enough to carry it. And I’m fighting with everything I’ve got. Not to keep you down…”

He again shook his head.

“But to meet you there. Because the truth is I want you to be great. I want you to feel what I felt holding this title. I want your daughter to grow up knowing her father wasn’t just ‘almost.’ Both of you deserve that.”

“But it’s not going to happen at my expense. Not while this fire’s still burning in me. So bring your heart, your scars… Bring every ounce of fight you’ve got! And when it’s over, when we’ve pushed each other to the brink of exhaustion, I’ll be proud to shake your hand! Because that’s what professionals do. That’s what champions do.”

“And maybe one day, Eddie… maybe one day soon… You’ll be on this side of the bench. With the World Heavyweight title in your possession. But not yet.”

He shook a finger.

“Not while I still hear that bell. Not while the name Helluva Bottom Carter is still recognized as the champion. Because I didn’t fight this hard to be anyone’s stepping stone! This is the standard. And if you want it? You better come for it like the lion that I know you are!”

He pushed himself up off and away from the wall.

“Because I’m ready and I don’t run.”