CHAPTER 35
A/N: Yay, I'm glad you guys liked the wedding so much! Thanks for all of the awesome reviews. I love you all.
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"Mimi," Roger said, kissing down her face to her neck. "Time to get up."
Mimi's eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him. "What?"
Roger laughed at her. "The front desk called about twenty minutes ago with the wake up call. Mark's gonna be pounding on our door any second," he joked.
She yawned and sat up, wrapping the sheets around herself. "I can't believe I slept right through it." She brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at him. "And Mark better not if he knows what's good for him."
"Yeah well, I guess I wore you out last night."
She threw a pillow at him before handing him his boxers. "Oh you're so amusing." She glanced over at the floor, where her dress and his tuxedo were lying scattered in pieces. "Can you grab a shirt for me from your bag?"
He nodded and picked up the main part of her dress and placed it on the bed before bringing a shirt to her. "Did we bring anything to put your dress in?"
Mimi nodded. "Yeah, there should be a garment bag or something in the closet. We can always get one from the desk."
Roger picked up the rest of their clothes and set them on a chair, grinning at her. He stood up and pulled her towards him. "So Mrs. Davis, how about a shower?"
"You know if we do that we won't be out of here on time."
"So what? Hawaii's not going anywhere," he laughed, picking her up and carrying her towards the bathroom.
"Roger!"
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"It's kind of weird to have the loft so quiet lately," Mark said. He was stretched out on the couch with Jackie, who was curled on top of him.
"Yeah. But they'll be back in three days. Then it won't be so quiet here. With the sex, and the complaining, and Roger leaving his clothes all over the place…" Jackie giggled as she drummed her fingers on Mark's chest.
Mark groaned. "Let's just enjoy it while it lasts," he added. Jackie moved her legs to the side, and as she did so, her t-shirt rose up above her jeans, showing off her slightly raised—but still flat—stomach. "I still can't believe there's a baby in there."
"Somebody didn't pay attention in health class," she teased. She sat up on his lap and he placed his hands under her shirt, on her stomach.
"I wonder if we're having a boy or a girl?" he asked her.
Jackie shrugged. "We probably won't be able to find out until July."
"July's too far away."
Jackie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We have a hell of a lot of things to do."
"Like getting a crib."
"And work on the nursery."
Mark grinned and kissed her. "So what about names?"
"We're not naming it after Roger. It'll get a complex."
"So will he," Mark laughed.
"Roger already has a complex," Jackie laughed. "I can't think of any right now. Except for Hannah, for a girl."
Mark laughed. "My mom will like that one. 'Hannah, that's a strong Jewish name…' I can hear it already."
"You're horrible."
"Oh yeah? Well if I'm so horrible—" he paused, trying to think of something to say. "Yeah."
"That's what I thought," Jackie laughed. She stood up and walked into the kitchen.
"Hungry?"
She shook her head. "Maybe just a little. I think I'm going to try chicken tonight."
The doorbell rang, and Mark walked over to it. Pulling it open, he found Collins and Dan on the other side. Collins had a pizza in one hand and a magazine in the other. "Hey guys."
"Did you see this?" Dan asked, practically throwing the magazine at Mark. Collins sighed and shook his head.
"See what?" Jackie asked. She took the pizza and placed it on the counter, giving Collins a hug and a kiss on the cheek in the process.
"Let's just say that Roger might not be too thrilled when he reads that article," Collins said. Mark flipped to the page that was marked and scanned it.
"Ex-con attempts singing career?" Mark said.
Dan scoffed at him. "Next page."
Jackie sat down on Mark's lap and started reading the article with him.
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Hungarians Front Men Get Their Acts Together After Hiatus: Drugs, Fiancées, and New Babies, Oh My!
It only takes one look at gorgeous 26-year-old lead singer Roger Davis to figure out what he was doing in high school—and we're not talking about homework.
"Davis is a good guy. He's the kind of person you want to be around, you know? Always has something to say," Steve, who bartends with Davis on the weekends informs us. "His band kicks a lot of ass."
He's not the only one who thinks the Hungarians have a lot of ass-kicking to do.
The Well Hungarians are back on the map this summer after recently being signed with Scarred Records.
"They pose a lot of talent. We wouldn't have signed them if they weren't what we were looking for," says CEO Alex Tridelec. "The music scene is slowly leaning towards rock and punk rock again. The waters are perfect to test out right now."
Davis grew up in Scarsdale, NY, and relocated to the city with long time best friend Mark Cohen, 25, in the summer of '89. It was then that he connected with Wes Marcaly, 31, a struggling drummer and the future backbone of the band.
"He had the looks and the talent. That's what bands were about then. You had to have the right look to get anywhere in the business," Wes has said. "Now it's more about the music. We could be as ugly as a donkey's ass, and still kids would come out because of our music. That's what makes us want to go out there and continue making music."
It seems like both Davis and Marcaly have much more on their hands now then just making music.
Just two days ago it was confirmed that Davis and longtime girlfriend Marcela (Mimi) Marquez, a 20 year old Argentinean beauty, tied the knot in front of their friends and family in a small but momentous ceremony on May 18.
Some of you might be surprised about the age difference—considering that Davis is close to 6 years her senior, but could there be underlying reasons to their marriage? Ladies, don't hold your breath for a breakup anytime soon, because an anonymous source close to our magazine has let us in on a well-kept secret.
Mimi is pushing six months pregnant with their daughter, due sometime in early September.
Wes Marcaly isn't a stranger to marriage and children either. He and wife Lori, 28, celebrated their one-year anniversary last month. They also have a five-month-old daughter, Gwen, born in January of this year.
"It's tough balancing a music career with a wife and a daughter, but it's very rewarding at the end of the day to come home to two people that show you unconditional love. No matter who pissed you the f*ck off today or who couldn't make it to practice—you go home and to be with them--it's just a huge weight lifted off your shoulders."
So can Davis make ends meet as well?
According to Marcaly, he can. "Roger's not just dedicated to his music—he's dedicated to his friends and family as well. Right now he's focusing pretty heavily on being there for his new wife and their baby. He's pretty psyched about getting everything ready for her. He's doing his thing and enjoying married life."
We even questioned Marcaly on the bands rumored status with heroin addiction. Their manager declined from commenting, and all Marcaly put in was this:
"There was a time where we [The Hungarians] were into heavy drug experimentation. It was the 90s; it was the popular thing to do at the time. We've all had our ups and downs, we've all been through rehab—we all have been clean for more than 3 years. We've learned from our mistakes and what they've cost us. We have our heads on straight now. We're good—we're focused on music now."
The Well Hungarians are also backed by bass players Travis Quinn, 29, and Evan Owens, 27.
Former member and co-founder Vinnie Oldham passed away two years ago from AIDS related complications. He was only 28 years old.
"Not a day goes by that we don't think of Vinnie," Owens said. "He made us who we are today. He molded us."
Quinn agrees. "Vinnie was our father figure. We looked up to him. It's hard getting together for practice without having him hovering over our shoulder. He would have been 30 years old last week. It's hard."
The Hungarians are slated to release a CD, currently in production, right in time for the holidays. Look out for a tour to follow.
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Mark closed the magazine and looked up at Collins. "It could have been worse."
Dan nodded. "It could of, but Roger's going to be pretty pissed to see Mimi brought up in the article."
Collins sighed and placed the magazine on the coffee table. "As well as the heroin."
"But wouldn't it have been brought out in the open sooner or later? You know how reporters are, they find the right people and they question them. For money and all that shit," Jackie added.
Mark nodded and ran his hand up and down her back. "Yeah."
Collins cleared his throat suddenly. "Why do I have a feeling that most of the information was gathered by our dear friend Benjamin Coffin the third?" he asked.
"You think so?" Mark asked.
"Think about it. Something had to slip, and the person had to be close enough to one of us. The article kept mentioning an anonymous source," he added, flipping the section in the magazine. "Obviously Benny would know about Roger's heroin addiction and then he could have easily found out the other information."
"Maybe we shouldn't pin all the blame on Benny just yet," Jackie voiced. "I mean, Roger knows that as his band gets more publicity, they're going to get good and bad articles written about them."
"Yeah, but this is about Roger," Mark said, getting a little frustrated with Jackie.
"You can't protect him forever Mark," she reminded him.
"I'm not fucking protecting him, I'm just trying to look out for him," he argued.
She lifted herself off of his lap and walked into the bathroom. "Fine Mark."
Mark sighed. Collins and Dan had retreated to the kitchen. He started to follow her, but decided to call after her instead. "Do you want anything to eat? Pizza or something? I could run down to the deli if you want."
"No thanks. I'll be okay. As soon as I stop puking."
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"I don't want to go back to the loft."
Mimi laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. "Neither do I. But you have the band, and we have to start getting ready for the kid," she said, placing her on hand on her stomach.
Roger grinned at her and kissed her. "Yeah. I almost forgot about the kid." He pulled her towards the edge of the water and splashed her, catching her off guard.
"Roger!" she giggled. She splashed him back and smiled. "How could you forget about the kid? I'm huge."
"We're not having the sympathy discussion about your weight again are we?" he asked. "Because I'm not buying it this time."
Mimi pretending to pout. "Fine then. Just leave your poor, pregnant wife sitting out on the sand dune all by herself then." She turned away from the ocean and started walking up the beach, finally settling herself on a dune.
She watched him from a distance as he made faces at her and splashed around in the water, begging for her to come in with him. The sun was in the process of setting, and it casted an orange glow over the turquoise water. She used to love watching the sunset and rise. All the colors the sky would turn fascinated her. It seemed peaceful enough—like a new beginning.
But as she sat here, she felt guilty. She knew that one day, they'd die on one another, and she had no way of knowing who would be the first to go. It hurt her in ways that she hadn't thought were possible to realize that she'd be leaving her daughter alone in the world to fend for herself.
But no, Jaylynn would never truly be alone. She'd at least have Mark and Jackie, and she knew that she'd never even have to ask for them to watch over her. Roger had just mended his relationship with his parents and his family, so she had Frank, Sandra, and Lindsey as well.
She had her mother, Lola, who she still didn't exactly get along with, but deep down there was mutual love and trust between them. There always had been.
And Collins and Dan as well. Yes, one day they would both be gone, but at least Jaylynn would have known how good of a person they both were.
She wasn't regretting getting married—no, that's not what she was thinking at all. She wanted to be married to him. She had a feeling that through all the fights, pregnant or not, they would have ended up married, as crazy as that sounded. But then again, it was insane to think that they were actually married. They had done it. They had tied the knot. It seemed pretty natural, but still, Mimi and Roger were the last two people you'd expect to get married. Especially Roger.
"Earth to my beautiful wife."
Mimi looked up to find Roger hovering over her. "What?"
"I asked if you wanted a drink from the bar."
"I'm not 21."
He shrugged and grinned at her. "Next month you will be."
He helped her up and wrapped his arm around her waist. "So you do listen to half of what I tell you," she smiled, pulling herself onto her tiptoes to give him a kiss.
"Hey, I listen to all of what you tell me."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." He linked his hand through hers and led her in the direction of the hotel bar. "You know what I'm thinking?"
She rolled her eyes. "I never know what you're thinking."
"I think I'm gonna get another tattoo."
She started laughing as they passed the pool. "Not like you need another one. Your whole arms are practically tattoos."
He shook his head. "Not really. They stop above my elbow. And I only have two on my back."
"But still," she protested. "Don't turn into one of those grungy punk rockers with tattoos all over their body."
"So you wouldn't love me if I was grungy?"
"I preferred the showered and clean version of Roger Davis."
"I was thinking about getting something with your name in it and Jaylynn's name in it," he said. She looked back at him and pressed the elevator button.
"Seriously?"
He nodded and kissed her again. "Yeah. I've been wanting to do it for awhile now."
"Maybe you should at least wait until I have the baby—in case Jaylynn turns out to be a boy," she teased.
Roger shrugged and opened their hotel room door, letting Mimi slip inside before him. "Maybe I'll take Mark with me. I'll see if I can get him tattooed."
"Tough luck with that," she laughed, yawning. She stretched out on the bed.
"You just wait. When the baby's born, instead of cigars, I'm getting him tattooed. And maybe pierced." He adjusted the air conditioning in the room and turned on the TV. "So what do you want to do tonight?" He looked over at Mimi. Her eyes were closed and her breathing had evened out. She had fallen asleep.
He walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "I guess nothing then, huh?" He brushed a few of the curls out her face. "Night Meems. I love you."
He drew the shades enough just so that the Hawaiian moonlight reflected into the room, illuminating her hair. He'd always loved that about her. He didn't understand how someone so imperfect could be so perfect for him.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the light catch the diamonds on her ring and suddenly realized that this—this was where he belonged.
This is what he needed.
This was where he wanted to be.
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"Thanks so much for doing this Mark!" Lisa said breathlessly. "He just had his bottle, so he should be okay for a few hours."
In the few short hours since Collins and Dan had left, Lisa had called, saying Matt had wanted to go out to dinner and a movie after he got off of work. She had called Mark and asked him to watch Noah for a few hours, which she hoped would be a decision she wouldn't regret.
Mark nodded. "You guys just go and have a good time."
"I'm sorry this is so last minute but—"
Jackie laughed. "Just go before he wakes up," she said.
"Okay. Thanks again." Lisa rushed out of the loft.
"He's so cute," Jackie laughed. Noah was asleep in his carrier, the baby blanket wrapped around him. "I guess this is practice for when we have our baby, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I think we have a lot to learn."
"I think so too."
Jackie gave Mark a kiss. "How about you go ahead and warm up his baby bottle right now?"
"I guess I could do that, unless you want to something else?" Mark suggested.
Jackie blushed. "You just don't take no for an answer, do you? I don't think your nephew would like it very much if we had sex right in front of him."
"Nah, Noah would be corrupted."
"Besides we only have a few more celibate weeks left. You can wait," she laughed, taking the bottle from him and sticking it in the bottle warmer Lisa had left with them.
"I don't like being celibate," Mark pouted. "It's not good for the boys."
"You're weird."
"Thanks. But that means you're in love with a weirdo," he grinned at her.
"I hope that was supposed to be flattering," Jackie laughed.
"Or course it was," he laughed. "When do you go back to the doctor?"
"Next week," she answered, filling a glass with water.
Mark nodded and wrapped his arms around and started kissing her neck. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
They stayed like that for a few minutes, just laughing and kissing back and forth—and then, Noah started crying.
"Guess we're gonna have to get used to that," Mark said, pulling away from her.
Jackie smiled. "Yeah, I guess we are.
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