Houston, We Have a Problem
A/N: I know this chapter isn't extremely long, but I wanted to give you guys something before I head out of town for a few days. On the plus side, I'll be on a plane for awhile the next few days, so I should get a lot done in this story and be a posting machine when I get back on Tuesday. Anyway, thanks for your kind reviews andI hope you Enjoy!
Dinner, and the subsequent evening were going well. At least Jennifer thought they were. Seated next to Dave on the couch, she found herself fairly comfortable amongst his friends. Dinner had been smooth, and sitting around listening to Dave and his friends share stories from the road was actually pretty fun. Once she forced herself to stop thinking of John as the father of her daughter, and started relating to him as one of her boyfriend's friends, it was actually a lot of fun.
"Dude!" Randy burst out as Ashley tried to tell a story to the rest of their friends. "Did you see that catch?" He pointed to the SportsCenter highlights on the television and then looked at Edge. "That shit was sick!"
The women rolled their eyes as the men turned their faces to the screen. "So, Jennifer," Trish said, dramatically rolling her eyes at her soon-to-be husband and his friends. "How did you and Dave meet again?"
She smiled at the man to her left and then shyly answered the question. "In a hotel," she admitted.
"Alright, Dave!" Edge laughed, offering his friend a high five.
With a slight roll of his eyes, Dave tightened his arm around Jennifer and pulled her closer to his side. "It wasn't like that," he corrected, smiling down at his new girlfriend. "We met through her daughter."
"You have a daughter?" Ashley asked, her interest piqued at the mention of the child. "I didn't know that." Smacking Randy's arm, she gave him a harsh look. "Why didn't I know that?"
Randy looked shocked and slightly moved away from his girlfriend's abuse. "Because I didn't know?" he offered. When she narrowed her eyes, he shrugged. "What? It's not like we sit around at the gym talking about babies and shit, Ash. Who fuckin' cares?"
Stopping a fight between the couple before it could really start, Lita cleared her throat. "So, tell us the story, Dave. I wanna know all about how you and Jen here hooked up."
With another smile, Dave launched into the story he could remember so clearly. "Remember when I was in New York a couple months ago for that signing?" The group nodded their heads. "I was at the vending machine in the hallway, and when I turned to leave, there was this little girl standing in the doorway, looking confused as hell." He chuckled to himself at the memory. "And she's holding a dollar bill in her hand, wearing this huge tee shirt.
"I talked to her for a few minutes and found out that she had gotten hungry while her mom was in the shower and went to find a snack, but then she got lost and couldn't remember where her room was." He leaned back on the couch and rubbed Jennifer's hip with his thumb.
To keep from moaning at the contact of his skin on hers, Jennifer took over the story-telling. "He took her to the front desk, found out the room number, and brought her back to me." She blushed slightly. "I was just getting out of the shower when he knocked on the door. I felt like the world's worst mother when I realized that my daughter was standing at my door with a total stranger. To think of what could have happened to her," she muttered.
John shifted uncomfortably in his seat before standing. "Anyone else need more to drink?"
No one took him up on the offer, and Dave continued as his friend left the room. "She opened the door in a towel, her hair was all wet, and she freaked the fuck out. She was crying and everything. And Keegan looks at her and just shrugs. Then she looks up at me and goes "See? I told you she was pretty." Dave touched a strand of Jennifer's hair and kissed her nose when she turned her face to his. "She was stunning."
All of the women in the room let out a collective "Awe." Edge and Randy started laughing. "Dude, you're such a woman," Edge finally managed to say.
"A woman who could press your scrawny ass, horse face," Dave shot, causing Lita to burst into laughter.
Jennifer scooted to the edge of the couch and ran her hands over her thighs. "Um, where's the restroom?" she asked cautiously.
Trish pointed out the door. "Down the hall, third door on the left," she directed.
Walking tentatively, Jennifer couldn't help smiling at the pictures of John that adorned the walls. He was a good looking guy. His smile was definitely electric. And his charisma jumped out of the frames as she continued down the hall. Their arrangement had been perfect until now and she really hoped that it didn't have to change now that she was with Dave.
Still deep in thought, she didn't hear the footsteps as John rounded the corner of the kitchen and bumped into her shoulder. "Ah, shit," he exclaimed. "Sorry."
When he put his head down to avoid eye contact, Jennifer shook her head. "John, this is ridiculous," she said. "I didn't come here as your daughter's mother," she started.
Clutching two beers in one hand, he put a hand over her mouth with the other, his eyes wide. "Shhh," he chided. "Keep your voice down."
A loud cheer sounded from the other room, followed by shrieking laughter. Rolling her eyes, Jennifer put her hands on her hips. "Listen, I didn't come here to bother you about Keegan. I have never wanted anything from you and that hasn't changed. I'm here because I really like Dave, and I think we have a really great thing starting."
"So, what do you want?" John shrugged. "We just pretend like we don't know each other? Like we never met?"
Her dark ponytail bounced as she nodded. "Yes. That's exactly what we do. You don't know Keegan. She doesn't know you. She's never seen your pictures, other than in wrestling magazines, and she has no idea who you are to her. If you don't tell, I know she won't." With a sigh, she let her shoulders droop. "Our lives don't have to change just because we'll see each other sometimes now."
He nodded and offered her one of the beers in his hand. "Cool," he shrugged, walking back to the living room.
But even as he slid into the seat next to Trish, he knew there was no way that they could keep it a secret forever. Dave was one of his closest friends. And it was obvious, as she returned from the restroom a few minutes later, that all of the girls were already taking to Jennifer. Once everyone knew the truth, he knew they all stood to lose way too much.
Yep, he thought, turning his attention back to the game the guys were watching, This is gonna be a clusterfuck of ugliness.