Later the next week Amy got a call from Vince, telling her they were in town with the company and that they would be coming to see them.
"I've missed you all," she said, smiling as Mark walked up to her and put his arms around her waist, bending to rest his head on her shoulder.
"Well, we've missed you too, Peaches, which is why we're coming to check on you, make sure that big moron is taking care of you!"
Mark heard the words as his head was near the receiver and he frowned. "Maybe I don't want your ugly old ass at my house," he snarled into the phone and Amy slapped him.
"Tell him he hasn't got a choice," Vince told her, laughing. "Anyway, I heard tell that he's having a barbecue, but I haven't received my invitation yet!"
Mark rolled his eyes and grabbed the phone out of her hand. "Of course you're invited, you're Amy's father. I checked with Glenn and he said the only day you're all free is Wednesday."
"Yeah, that's right. The whole group have a day off then. Oh, by the way, I've put you in for an autograph signing, since we're in your home town and all," Vince said, and Mark could hear the smile in his voice.
"I'm supposed to be on vacation," he protested, giving Amy a disgusted look that made her laugh.
"Hey, it's only one day, and you're getting paid. Besides, you can't let your fans down, now can you?" Vince pointed out.
"I guess not. What day?"
"Monday at 10 am, be there early. So when's the barbecue then?"
"Well, since you're all free on Wednesday, then that's the day to have it isn't it?" Mark asked him sarcastically and got a laugh in return. "I thought maybe about 12, lunch time, that way everyone will be hungry."
"Great. Shall I tell the others?"
"Yeah. Mind you, Kevin's coming over this weekend, so you don't have to tell him. Plus Stephanie's coming to stay too, for a week I think she said. Anyhow, in the mean time, how about you come over for dinner tonight, unless you have plans?"
"That would be good, we don't have any other plans. Thanks, Mark. I'll see you later?"
Mark finished the call and then picked Amy up ran up the stairs with her, ignoring her shriek of laughter and the slaps she was giving him. He dropped her on the bed and started stripping his shirt off.
"What are you doing?" she asked through a fit of the giggles.
"Your parents are coming to dinner soon, so we don't have much time," he said, pulling off the last item of clothing and leaping on the bed.
"It's only 11 am!" she said, trying to stop his hands from removing her clothes and failing.
"Yeah, so we only have a few hours!" he told her frantically, laughing finally as he wrestled her down on the bed and went about shutting her up.
Vince and Linda came to dinner that night at six, Vince grabbing Amy and hugging her as soon as she opened the door. When he released her he looked at her face and then raised his eyebrow, his eyes going to Mark and looking at him knowingly. "Well, I guess she looks okay. I assume you've been taking good care of her?"
"The best," he grinned, sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her back into the house, the other couple following.
Linda gave Amy a hug, and then hugged Mark too, getting a sheepish smile from the big man. "So, what are we having? Something smells good!" she asked, poking her head around doors until she reached the kitchen.
"Nothing too fancy, I'm afraid," Amy said, walking into the room with her and checking the oven. "Just a roast."
"I love roast, and so does Vince, as you well know. Do you need any help?" the older woman asked.
"No, thanks. It's all doing okay by the looks of it. How about a drink?" she asked, getting some wine out of the fridge and pouring a couple of glasses, handing one to each of her new parents.
They all sat down and talked about what had been happening with various storylines since Mark had been away, and Amy was surprised at how much went on in a two week period. She was relaxed and happy as they all ate dinner, and she realised that she felt like this was her home now. Her eyes went to Mark and found him looking back at her, a smile curving his lips and his eyebrows arching as he held his hand out. Amy took it and he squeezed her fingers, his eyes so loving that Vince had no doubts in his mind about the big man's feelings for his daughter.
"So, when's Kevin coming here did you say?" Vince asked, making Mark come out of his trance.
"Oh, er, this weekend. Probably tomorrow night if I know Kev, he hates wasting time," he said, shaking his head.
"True," Vince replied. "He isn't due here until Monday, or at least he isn't due back at work. Glenn and him were going to travel together, as far as I knew. Is Glenn staying too?"
"No, he and Tammy want some time alone, so he'll be staying at the hotel. I did offer though. Like I said, Steph's coming to stay," Mark said, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth that made Amy look at him suspiciously.
"Why do you look like you're planning something?" she asked him, her eyes narrowing as he grinned.
"Me? Planning something?" he asked, trying to look innocent.
"Yes, you!" she said, giggling as he put on a sorrowful expression.
"You'll just have to wait and see won't you?" he said, grinning and flicking her nose with his finger. He knew she hated waiting for things, especially if she knew it was a secret. But this was one thing she wouldn't be getting out of him.
He believed that right up until later that night when Vince and Linda had left and they were laying in bed. She had teased him almost beyond endurance and he had finally managed to pin her down long enough to thrust inside her, his body going wild and his mind following suit until he lay next to her in a daze, trying to regain his breath. "Tell me what you've got planned," she murmured, running her hand down his chest and nuzzling his neck. "Or I won't ever do that again!"
He groaned at that thought and clutched his chest theatrically. "You wound me!"
Amy laughed and elbowed his ribs, laying herself over him and sighing contentedly. "You big fake. Come on, tell me."
"Okay, okay. Stephanie told me she would be staying after the barbecue, so I invited Paul to stay."
"Paul Wight?" she asked, raising her head to look at him.
"Mmm-hmm. I thought it might give them the push they both need. What do you think?"
"I think you're devious," she said softly, tracing his features with her fingertips and then kissing his lips. "And a really nice man."
"Like I told you before, honey, I ain't that nice. But I don't mind you saying so every now and then." He bit her fingertip and smiled. "You could also say how sexy I am if you like."
"I guess I could," she murmured, then rolled onto her side and curled up with her back to him, staying silent.
"Hey!" he said, nudging her back. "You didn't say it."
"Well, I wouldn't want to lie, now would I?" she said a giggle escaping her throat as she felt his hands grab her and roll her over.
"Oh you'll pay for that, darlin'," he growled, bending and covering her mouth with his.
"I was hoping you'd say that," she breathed as he nuzzled her neck, giving herself over to sensation again.
The next evening Mark was out in his garage working on one of his bikes and Lenny had come to visit, she and Amy sitting in the kitchen having a cup of coffee and chatting about various topics. Amy was pleased to find she had a lot in common with the other girl, and she knew they would be friends. She heard a car pulling up outside and frowned, remembering that Kevin would be arriving this evening.
"Who's that?" Lenny asked as Amy went to look out of the window.
"I think it's Mark's friend Kevin, he's supposed to be staying here.....yes, that's him," she said, smiling as she saw the big blonde man unfold himself from the driver's seat of a huge truck.
"Kevin Nash?" Lenny asked quietly, coming to stand behind Amy so she could look for herself. "Oh no."
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, turning round to see the other girl's worried face.
"He doesn't like me," she murmured, watching out of the window as Mark came out of the garage to greet his friend, wiping his hands on a rag before shaking the other man's hand.
"Why on earth not?" Amy asked.
"I got drunk last time he was here. It was the first time I'd ever had alcohol and, well, I managed to knock him into the barbecue. It almost set light to his pants and he was furious," she said, grimacing.
"What did he do?"
"He picked me up and threw me in the lake," she said, her brows creasing in a frown as she thought back to that day. "He said it would sober me up. I don't like him."
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, because he's staying for some time and he'll be at the barbecue too. I hope you can get on now?" Amy asked her, biting her lip as she worried about what would happen.
Lenny saw her expression and sighed. "I'll try. But he might not," she said, wondering if she should go home now before he came in the house. But the door opened a second later, and she knew she was too late.
"Amy!" Kevin said, lifting her off her feet in a hug and ignoring the glower Mark gave him. He loved that his friend was jealous. "How have you been?" he asked, putting her down and grinning. Amy couldn't help grinning back, something about this man's smile made her feel like giggling.
"I've been really good, thanks. How about you?"
"Not bad, not bad. Of course, I've had a lot of work to do over the last coupl....." he broke off as he caught sight of Lenny, his face instantly freezing. "What the hell is she doing here?"
Amy gaped at him, shocked by the sudden change from smiling, friendly man to avenging giant. He looked furious. "She's come to visit me," Amy told him, casting a worried look at Lenny and seeing the other girl looking red-faced and uncomfortable. "She's my new friend."
"Really?" he drawled, pulling himself up to his full height and folding his arms over his chest, his eyes glaring at the young woman. "I hope you haven't done something stupid like inviting her to the barbecue? She'll probably try and set fire to you if she's here!"
"I told you before, I didn't do it on purpose..." Lenny said heatedly, but his glare made her stop speaking.
"You were disgustingly drunk and you had no control over yourself, which doesn't come as much of a surprise!" he snapped, his hands going to his hips as he bent slightly to thrust his face antagonistically towards her. "You're lucky I didn't hold your head under the water!"
Lenny's mouth fell open and she swung her hand up, slapping his face as hard as she could. Kevin was so caught of guard by her actions that he didn't even retaliate, and she covered her mouth with both hands before pushing her way past them all and running off up the road towards her own house.
Amy was staring wide-eyed at the whole scene, and Mark pulled her against him, one arm draped over her shoulders. "Don't worry about it, baby, they're always like this."
"Always? How long have they known each other?"
"Since she was a kid, and she hasn't grown up all that much!" Kevin bellowed out of the door, coming out of his stupor and rubbing his face where she had hit him. "Goddamn it, when I get my hands on her..!"
"Oh dear, oh dear, "Amy murmured, chewing her lip and looking worried again. "What about the barbecue? We've invited them and I don't want to exclude her..."
"You won't have to. Kevin here will behave himself, won't you?" he asked the big man, giving him a hard look.
"She just hit me, she'll be paying for that," he answered.
"Not at the barbecue though," Mark said firmly, and Kevin relented, nodding his head.
"Okay, I'll try and stay out of her way, I suppose. But if she throws anything at me or spills anything on me, I'll throw her in the lake again. And this time I'll tie a concrete block to her foot!" he snapped, leaving the house and walking to his truck to get his bags.
"Wow, he really doesn't like her does he?" Amy breathed when Kevin was out of earshot, and Mark laughed.
"Don't be too sure, honey. Things aren't always as they appear."
"You mean he does like her?" she asked, confused. Mark just laughed again and hugged her, bending his head to whisper in her ear.
"We've got company for the next couple of weeks, unfortunately, otherwise I'd have you upstairs right now," he said, giving her a heated look that spoke volumes. "Mind you, right about now the floor would be okay by me."
"You can't want to do it again, we only just did that this morning...twice!" she said in a hushed voice, risking a glance out the door to where Kevin was unloading his bags.
Mark smiled slowly and bent to kiss her, putting all his passion for her in the kiss until she was clinging to him and gasping for breath. "Now tell me you don't want to do it again," he asked quietly, chuckling when she glared at him.
"That wasn't fair," she muttered, trying to cool her hot cheeks down as Kevin walked back in.
"What wasn't fair?" Kevin asked, glancing curiously at her red face and then smiling wickedly at Mark. "What did you do to her?"
"Just taught her the meaning of frustration," Mark said, widening his eyes and laughing when Amy went to punch him. "Hey, stop attacking me!" he yelled, yelping comically when one of her fists connected with his backside. He tried to grab her but she dodged around him and punched him again, giggling as he attempted to avoid her fists.
"Need a hand, buddy?" Kevin asked, twisting his lips thoughtfully as he watched his big friend being beaten by a woman.
"No, I damn well don't!" Mark growled, unable to help laughing again when Amy pinched his backside this time. He spun the opposite way to the one she had expected and grabbed her, hauling her up and over his shoulder and slapping her bottom. "Make yourself at home Kev, I'm just gonna put her in the kitchen where she belongs!"
Kevin laughed as he watched them disappear into the back of the house, pleased to see Mark so at ease. The iceman had fallen, he mused, and it was quite a sight to see. He shook his head and picked his bags up again, carrying them up the stairs and stashing them in the room he had used last time he was here. Apart from that damn nuisance girl hanging around, he was determined to enjoy this stay, even if he had to bury her up to her neck in one of the fields.
Kevin watched Amy and Mark interact over the next couple of days and was slightly amazed at how much more relaxed Mark seemed to be. He had never been like that with Sara, not that that was so remarkable, but he had obviously never really been himself. Now he laughed more and smiled more than Kevin had ever seen, and he wasn't the only one who noticed. Glenn came to visit on the Sunday and brought Tammy with him, and the two girls went off to make something to eat while the men sprawled in the television room and watched a baseball game, shouting at the screen every now and then.
Amy laughed as she heard them bellowing and looked at Tammy, raising her eyebrows. "Only men would be stupid enough to shout at an inanimate object, right?"
"You got that right," the other girl said, starting to peel the vegetables Amy had put on the work surface. "Actually, I've done my fair share of shouting at the TV, especially when there's a wrestling match on, so maybe that's a bit unfair!"
Amy laughed and shook her head. "Okay, you've got me there, I've shouted at it too! So," she asked, looking across at the blonde girl, "how are you and Glenn getting along?"
"Really good," she said, smiling with pure happiness. "He's been so romantic, and protective, and....oh, I don't know. He's just lovely. I guess people would never think that to look at him, but he's a big softie really."
"I know what you mean. Mark's the same," Amy murmured, her eyes briefly flicking to the doorway and then back again. "Er...have you and Glenn....you know, er, slept together yet?"
Tammy went red and then laughed when she saw that Amy was much the same colour. "Yes, we have. I guess I don't have to ask you the same question?"
Amy grinned and shook her head. "No, you don't. I thought somehow I'd look different in the morning, but I didn't."
"I know, I thought the same thing. I was surprised I hadn't totally changed, but I looked just the same. The only thing that's changed is I'm a bit more confident around Glenn," Tammy said as she put a pile of chopped carrots in a pan, and then started on a cauliflower.
"I am too, I think. I can talk to him better, and if I want a kiss, I just go ahead and take one!" she laughed as she thought of Mark's face every time she initiated a kiss. "He always seems shocked when I do that!"
"He's happier than I've ever seen him," the other girl said, smiling. "He used to walk around looking morose, and I can't remember seeing a smile on his face. He looks totally different now, and that's down to you. You must be good for him."
"He's good for me too. I really love him, you know?"
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious how you feel about each other," she said, then turned her head when there was a knock on the back door, and it opened to reveal Lenny standing there.
She smiled at Amy and cast a worried look around. "Sorry to burst in. I just thought I'd come and say hi, but I didn't realise you had company," the other girl said, looking uncomfortable.
"That's okay," Amy said, not in the least bit bothered by the other girl just popping round, and she gestured for her to come in. "We're just, making something to eat, you're very welcome to join us. This is Tammy, a friend of mine from the company, we both work in wardrobe. Tammy, this is Charlene, she's the sister of the guy who runs the ranch."
"Pleased to meet you, Charlene," Tammy said, smiling and shaking the girl's hand.
"Ugh, don't call me that. Everyone calls me Lenny. And it's nice to meet you too, Amy's talked about you," she said, perching on another stool. "Can I help at all?"
"No, we've got it all under control now. I'm just doing a casserole, so it'll take a while until it's ready," Amy said, dumping the rest of the vegetables in the big pan and then starting to put everything together to throw in the oven.
"Is...er, he here?"
Tammy raised her eyebrows. "Who's he?"
"The blonde ogre," Lenny said, grimacing.
Amy laughed. "Yes, he's watching TV with the others."
"Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't stay."
"What's going on?" Tammy asked, looking eager to hear any gossip. Amy laughed and told her what had happened the day Kevin had arrived, and Lenny filled her in on what had happened before that. "I thought Kevin was so mild mannered!"
"He is with anyone else but me, or that's how it seems anyway," Lenny said, shrugging.
"Well, if you're going to stay, you should play him at his own game," Tammy told her, grinning.
"How's that?" Lenny asked, confused.
"What's the one thing he expects out of you when he sees you? For you to argue with him, right? So ignore him instead, he'll probably hate that."
Lenny smiled and then giggled. "You're right, I always rise to the bait when he says horrible things to me. Okay, I'll stay."
"Good. This should be interesting!" Amy said. "Come on, let's get them lot a beer and we'll go and sit with them, shall we?"
