Chapter II: Miranda's 'Good' Intentions
(Jon's POV)
We had just arrived at my house when I saw one of my co-worker's car parked outside my driveway
"It's Aunt Nikki and Uncle John!" Miranda exclaimed happily as she hurriedly took off her seat belt and ran off to her aunt and uncle
"Mimi, it's so good to see you!" said Nikki as she got off the car to hug my daughter
"You're in trouble, Aunt Nikki" giggled Miranda as she hugged Nikki back, making her look at me with a smirk on her face
"What did I do this time, Good?" Nikki asked as she walked towards me to give me a hug
"You and your gossiping ways are tainting my daughter's innocence" I groaned as I hugged the busty woman
"Well, I guess I can take the blame for that, but not now, John brought some take out and the Tampa Bay Rays are playing in a bit against the Cincinnati Reds" said Nikki as she helped John bring the food into the house
"And what makes you think I'm letting you watch the game here?" I asked
"You know John is in love with that plasma television more than he's in love with me" Nikki joked as I opened the front door for them
"I heard that" John teased
"Miranda, go wash up and put your play clothes on" I told Miranda as she dropped her bookbag on the foyer
"Yes, daddy"
"Do you have any homework today, young lady?" Nikki asked her
"Yes, Aunt Nikki"
"Do you need help with it?"
"Thank You aunt Nikki, I'd like that" responded Miranda as she went upstairs to get changed
"So Jon, a little birdie told me that you have a little crush on your daughter's teacher?" asked John as he set up the food on the coffee table
"That little birdie is a snitch" I answered, glaring at Nikki
"Oh it wasn't me, it just so happens that John was still in the Department when Joe called you, but Miranda asnwered the phone, unfortunately Joe also had the phone on speaker" Nikki explained bringing in a coke for her and two beers for me and John
"Damn Anoa'i, sometimes he's a worse gossip than you, Garcia" I grumbled, grabbing a box of Chinese take out and digging in
"Is she pretty?" wondered Nikki
I sighed and ran a free hand through my hair
"Yes, she's so damn beautiful, from her accent I think she's British, she's got these beautiful brown eyes and legs for days, but I know I'm way out of her league, a girl that beautiful and attractive would never settle for a guy like me" I looked down at my box of take out, trying not to let my emotions get a hold of me
"Good, why are you saying that? You can't seriously deny that almost everytime we go out when we're not on duty there are girls that are just dying to date you" John said, quite surprised at his friend's confession
"This is because of Emma isn't it?" whispered Nikki, placing a comforting hand to my shoulder
"As much as I try to deny it, yes, it's because of her, I still remember her packing her bags and telling me that she had found someone better, I still remember how cold she stared at Miranda and just left her crying at the front door, it still fucking stings"
"That bitch is a terrible excuse of a woman Jon, we're proud of you for stepping up and caring for Miranda for as long as you have, that little girl adores you, she's better off without Emma in her life, she only needs you" soothed Nikki, giving me a pat on the shoulder
"Aunt Nikki, I'm ready to do my homework" called Miranda from the kitchen
"You guys enjoy the game, I'll be with Mandy helping her on her homework" said Nikki, making her way over to Miranda
I was about to stand up to throw my take out bowl away when I heard the doorbell going off
"Cena, did you invite anyone else to come over?" I asked, looking over at John
"I might have invited a few guys, I just wanted a guys' night in here at your place, I'm sorry I didn't tell you on time"
"It's cool"
I went to open the door and in came my best friends Colby Lopez, Joe Anoa'i, Joe's twin cousins Jimmy and Jey, Randy Orton and my chief Kane, they had brought chips and cases of soda and beer
"Guys, come on in, except you Anoa'i, I should be kicking you out of my house asshole" I joked, playfully punching his arm
"I didn't mean for the phone to be on speaker, and besides, from what Miranda told me, Ms. Knight is quite the beauty" Joe teased, ruffling my hair
"My Uncles are here!" squealed Miranda, with Nikki walking behind her as she ran to Colby's waiting arms
"Hi princess, how was school?" Colby asked, planting a kiss on her forehead
"It was fun, we learned so much today, and Ms. Knight made it fun too"
"Ms. Knight?" asked Chief Kane
"Yeah, she's my teacher at school, Uncle Kane" Miranda informed him, giving him a wide smile
"Oh, gotcha sweetie pie" Kane laughed
Miranda then made her way towards everyone else and gave them a hug and a kiss
"Are you done with your homework, Mandy?" I asked, picking her up as she made her way back to me
"No sir, just wanted to say hi to my Uncles before I finished, Aunt Nikki is helping me"
"I just came by to say hello and get some chips for me and Miranda before we got back to her homework, John can you please help with these bags?" asked Nikki as she helped bring in some of the stuff the guys had brought in to the kitchen
"Sure" said John, taking some of the grocery bags out of Nikki's hands
"Alright, go on and finish so I can get you ready for your bath" I ordered as I gave her a kiss on her cheek
"Yes, daddy"
As soon as she and Nikki and John had gone back to the kitchen, everyone else got situated and focused their attention on the baseball game on t.v.
"She's a beautiful little girl Jon, she's going to be breaking hearts when she gets older" teased Randy as he gave me a playful shove
"She's not dating until she's 40" I laughed
"I'm just glad that she looks nothing like her pathetic mother" muttered Colby, making me flinch, while everyone just glared at him and Joe slapped him on the back of the head
"Damn it Joe, that hurt"
"That'll teach you not to open your mouth at the wrong time idiot"
"Jon, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd-"
"Colby, honestly it's okay, seriously in all sincerity, I don't know why she still has a damn hold on me after all these years, that bitch abandoned us, she deserves to rot in hell"
"Amen, bro" agreed Colby
"But seriously Jon, look I know we didn't come here to interfere in your personal life, that's something we would never do out of respect for you, but what would you do if she came back, wanting to be with you again? Would you take her back? After all, she is the mother of your daughter" reasoned Joe
"She may be Miranda's mom, but that's all she'll ever be, I want nothing to do with her sorry ass, she can go fuck herself" I seethed, trying not to let my anger show
"Understood, just know you have us, we're your family, brothers in blue, and to my mom you're her adopted son, we care for you and your little girl"
"Thanks guys, I'm not trying to get my anger out on all of you, but talking about Emma is just something I'm not sure I'll ever be ready to do" I sighed, running a hand over my face
"We understand, but the time will come when you'll have to face that fear and talk about her, and the day will come when Mandy sees her mother again" Kane added, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder
"But until that time comes, let's enjoy watching the Rays beat the hell out of the Reds" laughed Jimmy as he kept his sight on the baseball game
I leaned in towards Joe and whispered "Thank you, brother"
He just smiled and ruffled my hair a second time
(Nikki's POV)
"I thought you told your father that you had homework, young lady" John said to Miranda as he stared at the paper in front of him
"It was a little white lie Uncle John, I promise that my intentions are good" Miranda swore, trying not to burst into a fit of giggles
"So what do you think of our plan?" I asked John as he looked over the paper that had hers and Miranda's scheme to set up Jon with Ms. Knight
"Are you sure you're 6 years old?" John asked Miranda
"Yes, Uncle John" She answered with a giggle
"This is quite the plan, but if it'll help my friend get himself a date, I'm in, when do we start?" said John, making me and Miranda squeal in glee
"We're trying not to rush, but we were thinking of getting the plan started sometime this week" I told him
"How about we start in two days?" he suggested
"Good idea, Uncle John" said Miranda, giving him a high five
"Alright, so we'll put this in plan in motion in two days, until then I'll put this away for you, in the meantime, get your bed clothes ready, your dad should be coming any minute to get you ready for your bath" I told her as she hopped off the table and ran to her room
"I'm going to do my best to make sure this plan works Nikki, but if Jon finds out that we're doing this, he'll have my head on a stake, you know that right?" John groaned, making me laugh
"I know babe, but you and I, along with everyone at the department knows that Jon deserves to be happy, after all he's been through with Mandy, don't you think so?" I asked
"You're right, but I feel like crap knowing that we're interfering in his love life" John replied
"In some ways, I agree baby, but if he won't get a move on, it's up to us as his friends to help give him a good kick in the ass" I smiled
"Hopefully, this plan works" was all John said
"What plan?" said Jon, making me jump slightly
"Jesus Jon, you scared me" I hissed angrily
"Sorry Nic, what plan were you and Jon talking about, if I may ask?" wondered Jon as he took a can of coke out of the fridge
"Well, my twin sister and her husband are coming down from Arizona, they bought a house here in the Tampa are, and since our apartment is really small, I was wondering if we could ask for your permission to ask if they could stay with you for just a few days while the guys we hired fix up their house, it's still in need of remodeling, so before I suggested it to my sister Brie, I was thinking of running it by you first, if it's okay, that is" I was partially telling the truth, my twin sister and her husband Bryan were coming to Florida to stay, but the other thing was that the house that they wanted wouldn't be theirs until they came down to sign the papers, so they'd be having to stay with Jon and Miranda for quite a bit, but Jon didn't need to know that... yet.
John looked at me in surprise
"You didn't know about this either, Cena?" asked Jon
"Uh, no, I thought for sure that their house was already fixed" John answered quickly
"Well, I guess it's not that bad, it's just her and her husband, right?"
"Yes, and their dog Josie" I added
"Cool, tell them they can stay as long as they need to" Jon said
"Thank you Jon, I'll let my sister know as soon as I get home" I told him
"Daddy, I'm ready for my bath" came Miranda's voice hollering from the hall, holding her bed clothes in her small arms
"Inside voice, Mandy"
"Sorry daddy, come on, I want my bubble bath" Miranda then grabbed Jon's hand and led him to the bathroom
"Goodnight Uncle John, goodnight Aunt Nikki" waved Miranda as she and Jon disappeared from view
"Nice save with Brie and Bryan, just make sure you update them on the plans" John suggested
"I will, hopefully this plan goes off without any issues" I said, cleaning up the kitchen a bit for Jon
I really did hope this plan went well, Jon was a great guy who was dealt a bad hand in life, so as his friend and my brotherly figure, I figured it was my job (and Miranda's) to play matchmaker for him and set him up with someone who truly appreciated him, and from what my niece told me, Ms. Knight is the perfect candidate.