Chapter 21

Emerging from my tub, I shivered at the feeling that something wasn't quite right, it was entirely too quiet in the house. Everyone must have gone out for the night. Walking down the stairs I searched the livingroom and then into the kitchen for any sign that someone was around.

Entering the kitchen I noticed the french doors open, and could hear voices, so I crept up slowly to listen in.

"I told you a while back to tell her. I don't like keeping things from her." I heard Marti say.

"I can tell... is that why you told her about my life?"

I felt my insides shudder at the sound of the voice that I knew so well. I had no idea that he was even here. He had to of arrived while I was upstairs, sleeping in my bathtub. I wish someone had woken me up.

"She needed to know, Mark, she is not the type of woman that just assumes anything about anyone, and if you don't tell her she doesn't ask, well... most of the time. Chey, is a strait forward and blunt kind of person with everyone and she expects it in return. You were like that in the beginning, you gained her trust and you kept it all the way up until I told her everything."

"I didn't feel like I knew her well enough to tell her everything, I know now that I should have never brought up my broken marriage to her in the first place... but it was something that was weighing heavily on my mind and it just came out."

"If you hadn't had her focus on trying to fix things with your marriage, your relationship would probably be in a different place right now. You had her fed up with not too long ago, if I hadn't stepped in, you would be history my friend and Randy Orton would have her." Marti stated flatly.

I grinned and fought back the urge to giggle at Marti's wonderful truth. I wanted to scream, 'you tell him', but I couldn't, so stuffing my fist in my mouth I listened on.

"W-what?" Mark stuttered.

"That's right. Think about that one,. Mark... Randy has shown a little interest in Cheyenne here lately and they went out together last night... I feel that if all this with you wasn't so fresh in her mind she might have given him a real shot at a relationship. You should have told her everything, that night she told you to figure it out, over the phone."

" Look, Marti, I know I fucked up that night on the phone... I wanted to explain it all to her. That's why I am here now. I am going to try and put it all out there on the table."

"But you haven't really fought that hard to make it happen... It took you forever to get here. That's what Chey was talking about when she said that she is going to make you work. Mark, this isn't going to be easy." Marti explained.

I smiled. Marti knew me better than anyone, even me. He listen and watched me. My own family never did that.

"Mark, I am on her side of this." Marti continued at Mark's audible sigh, "She is the daughter I never had, and I know she feels that I'm like the father she always wanted. So, in saying that, You have to know that I disagree with how you've handled all of this."

I heard liquid in a bottle splash and then it sounded like lips thunking away from the mouth of that bottle, "Will she listen?" He finally asked.

"Yes... and she can handle what ever story you have. No more half ass stories. One on ONE."

" I understand... I was just hoping I could talk to her tonight. I hate knowing that we are in the same area and I can't do what I came here to do... I hate that I wasn't there for her while she was injured, I wanna see for myself that she is ok." He admitted.

I chose this moment to make my presence known as I walked through the door, "Who's OK?" I asked as both men jumped up in the dark.

"Jesus!" Mark yelped, the beer bottle falling from his hand and landing hard on the deck.

Marti was holding his chest, "You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days!"

I smiled and placed an apologetic hand to his arm, "I'm sorry... the house was so quiet and I heard voices, thought I'd see who it was."I lied.

Marti chuckled, "Everyone went out for dinner while you were upstairs, I knocked on your door to see if you wanted to go but you didn't answer so I thought you were already in bed. Then Mark showed up, you want to join us."

His voice sounded more unsure than I had ever heard it before but I shrugged it off, "Sure. Who were you guys just talking about?" I asked innocently, looking to each of them for an answer.

Marti quickly glanced at his beer bottle, "I need another... either of you want one?" he asked walking though the doors.

Mark bent and picked up his empty bottle that he had dropped, "I'll take one, man... Chey?" he asked finally speaking to me.

Shaking my head I sat in the lawn chair across from the one Mark was still standing in front of, "No, I'm fine." I answered , "So, are you going to answer me?" I asked again as Mark sat in front of me.

His chest heaved as he took in a deep breath, "I was just asking Marti about you, I heard about your accident from Cena, and we hadn't talked since you told me to figure out what I want from life..."

I could feel Mark's stare bore through me in the night and I shivered, "Oh, and you cared so much then that I didn't get a phone call or anything and now weeks later you finally return."I said bitterly, as much as I was happy that he was here, I couldn't let him off the hook about everything else.

"I know, I'm sorry." he said softly, still staring at me.

"So, are we going to result to me throwing everything wrong you've done since the beginning back in your face or are we going to talk this out?"


Another update is coming hopefully tonight... he's finally back guys... I hope you enjoy this... Please read and review... Thanks