Chapter 14
Nicoya laughed as she pulled out of the parking lot, going at a consistent speed, not wanting to scare her daughter. She smiled at her in the rearview mirror before turning her song on again and smirked over at Mark, who didn't look comfortable at all. It got worse when the girls started singing it together, loving how musical her daughter was, and laughed when Mark groaned. Breaking Benjamin wasn't exactly one of his all time favorite bands. That much Nicoya knew, but she couldn't help it. She loved them and, more importantly, the song that kept repeating.
Mark suffered good-naturedly, actually enjoying listening to Nicoya and Alyssa singing. He couldn't deny he was relieved though when they finally pulled into the restaurant parking lot, being cramped and song on repeat slightly drove him batty. Once Alyssa was out of the car, he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "Now, what was that?" He asked, smirking wickedly as he held her tightly.
"BOZO!"
"We need to get him a big red nose to put on." Nicoya piped in and smirked when Mark growled at her, raising an eyebrow, her midnight blue eyes filled with amusement. "You don't scare me, Bozo wannabe, try again." She laughed when her daughter started cracking up, and walked inside the restaurant, getting them a booth with non-smoking since none of them were smokers.
"Mark, why don't you ever snatch Mom up like you do me when she teases you?" Alyssa asked curiously once they were settled in.
Mark almost choked on the water he was sipping, using a napkin to dab his lips, staring at her for a minute before glancing at Nicoya. "I don't think yer momma would appreciate me tossin' her around like a rag doll." He finally said, having to get his thoughts in order.
"She might, it's fun." Alyssa remarked sweetly and sucked down half of her water.
It was Nicoya's turn to cough on her own water, clearing her throat, and shook her head. "No, I wouldn't actually, Alyssa." She stated after catching her breath and shook her head at her daughter before looking over her menu, trying to decide what she wanted.
"I think Mom needs to have her head checked." Alyssa said, giggling softly. "She only works. She doesn't play."
"She has an important job, angel." Mark argued gently, patting Alyssa's hand with a small smile on his face.
"Yeah, but still…even she needs some fun!" Alyssa insisted, crossing her arms in front of her chest, refusing to lose this argument battle.
Mark met Nicoya's gaze for a minute before his lips curled into a slight smile. "She does have a point, darlin'. You do work awfully hard." He finally pointed out, giving Alyssa the benefit of the doubt, and took another sip of his water.
"Yeah well, when you have as many wrestlers and Divas scripts to write as I do, you don't really have enough time in the day to have fun." Nicoya argued promptly, taking a long swig of her water, and raked a hand through her hair, raising an eyebrow up at her daughter. Already having a feeling she knew what she was trying to pull. "The only person I have fun with is you, sweetheart. You know that." She winked at her before going back to her menu, studying it thoughtfully, pursing her lips together.
"See? Told you yesterday she was boring." Alyssa said, sounding slightly bothered.
"Borin' and busy are two different things, Aly." Mark said slowly, flashing the waitress a grin when she reappeared. He chuckled softly when Alyssa ordered for herself as well as him, nodding his head when the waitress arched a questioning eyebrow at him.
Alyssa frowned when she seen the server paying Mark WAY too much attention and decided to end it. "Mommy, you ready to order?" She asked loudly, smiling sweetly when the waitress jumped at the tone of her voice.
"Sorry, spaced out there." She smiled sweetly up at the waitress, who was staring dreamily at Mark, and handed her the menus. "I'll have an order of the chicken strips, extra honey mustard sauce." She ordered sweetly and watched as the waitress reluctantly left the table, smirking evilly at back Mark. "Looks like you have an admirer, Mark. Perhaps a nun?" She joked, that evil smirk never leaving her lips.
Mark's eyes half closed, a wicked smirk of his own on his sensual lips. "It's not nuns I'm interested in, darlin'." He replied in a low drawl, winking at her before turning his attention to Alyssa, who was doodling with her fingertip on the table.
"Can I ask?" She wondered, raising her head, curiosity burning in her blue eyes, still wondering about that whole nun thing from way back when.
"No sweetheart, I told you, you'll learn about it when you're much older." Nicoya shook her head as she leaned on her hand, staring over at her daughter, not DARING to look over at Mark. That sensual smirk he gave her was already making her wetter than the Atlantic Ocean and she was wearing a skirt!
Alyssa sighed dramatically, expecting nothing less from her mother. "How old are we talking about here?" She demanded, wanting to know about the nun thing now.
Mark chuckled softly, stretching his long legs, accidentally grazing Nicoya's beneath the table. "Sorry." He apologized, promptly pulling them back before focusing on Alyssa. "Impatient mite, aren't ya?" He smirked when she nodded her head emphatically and moved his gaze back to her breathtaking mother.
"An adult." Nicoya stated finally, shaking her head back at her daughter, and stared down at her glass of water. She felt a shiver shoot up her spine when his leg brushed against hers and knew this was going to be extremely hard to deal with. She breathed a sigh of relief when their food arrived, smirking when the waitress purposely leaned forward to give Mark a clear view of her cleavage, and started eating her food. As long as the bitch's breasts weren't in her daughter's view, that's all she cared about. Mark wasn't hers so she couldn't say a word. "Eat up, Aly."
Mark groaned when the waitress lingered to ask if he wanted anything else, but put a sexual spin on the words. "No thanks, I'm good with what's right here." He said pointedly, smirking when her eyes moved onto Nicoya speculatively. His eyes narrowed when the waitress flounced off, snorting.
"I don't think she likes you anymore, Mark." Alyssa commented, arranging her food on her plate the way she liked it. Everything separated. "I don't think she's a nun either."
Nicoya actually choked on her water that time, coughing and sputtering incoherently, not believing what Alyssa just said. She snorted and tried hard not to laugh, but it wasn't happening as she laughed full heartedly, placing her hand over her heart, and shook her head. "Oh wow, this is definitely an interesting dinner." She commented, wiping a tear from her eye from laughing so hard. Something she hadn't done in quite a while.
Mark was busy laughing at the moment, tears in his eyes as well. He wiped them away, staring at Alyssa. "Yer the most funniest, cutest thing." He murmured, laughing again when she just smiled innocently.
"What? It's true!" Alyssa exclaimed, busy eating her food, wondering if Mark and her mother had truly lost their minds. "Besides, she's kinda fat in he butt. Do nuns have fat butts?" Mark had to bury his face in his arms on the table to keep from bellowing out in laughter.
"Alyssa Marie!" Nicoya tried scolding her daughter, but it wasn't happening. There was too much amusement in her voice as she laughed harder, not believing her daughter. She snorted when the waitress came back, looking mildly annoyed while they tried desperately to keep their laughter in.
"Ma'am?" Alyssa asked sweetly when the waitress grudgingly asked if they would like to order a dessert for after their dinner. "What do you have that's fattening?"
Mark was going red from trying not to laugh, biting on his tongue hard. "Lookin' to get a big…butt?" He asked, not able to resist, and turned even redder to keep from laughing out.
Alyssa smiled at him, looking positively adorable, and replied, "I thought only nuns had big butts." He slumped sideways in the booth, his shoulders shaking violently, but didn't laugh out loud.
Nicoya's jaw dropped at the two, covering her mouth, and felt her entire face go red, trying really hard not to laugh, and cleared her throat as she managed to get out, "No dessert, check please." As soon as the waitress walked away, Nicoya keeled over in the booth, laughing her ass off, tears streaming down her cheeks. Not believing the antics of Mark and her daughter.
"Should we leave her a tip?" Alyssa asked, watching the two adults.
"I got a tip for her." Mark snorted in response.
"What?" Alyssa questioned, raising an eyebrow up at Mark, curiosity burning in her blue eyes again.
"Don't play in movin' traffic."
Alyssa was quiet for a minute, figuring that one out on her own before grinning, shrieking out with laughter. "Can we write that down, momma?" She asked, then clammed up when the waitress came back with the check.
"You have such a cute kid." She said flatly to Mark, no amusement in her voice or kindness for that matter.
"I know, she's the spittin' image of her momma. Simply beautiful." He replied cheerfully, not missing a beat. "Wouldn't you agree?" Alyssa now officially had to duck under the table to laugh.
Nicoya shook her head, looking up at the waitress and took the check from her, leaving her the money with a three dollar tip, and slid out of the booth smirking. "Yes, I do have a beautiful child. Thanks for the compliment, nun." She snorted before walking away, causing Alyssa to laugh even harder, and lifted her up as she spun her around before venturing outside. "I love you so much, baby girl. You are too damned cute for your own good!" She was still laughing.
"I can be." Alyssa agreed, dispensing with the modesty. There wasn't a modest bone in this girl's body.
Mark had to lean against the car, bending down to place his hands on his knees. "Damn, I almost feel bad for that woman."
"Almost, right?" Alyssa questioned promptly, peering over her mother's shoulder at him.
"Yeah, ALMOST." Mark clarified, emphasizing that word almost clearly.
Nicoya smirked back at Mark, finally stopping the laughing, and placed her daughter in the backseat before closing the door. "By the way, thanks for the cupcake earlier, schnookums." She smirked again and slid inside the driver's seat, not giving him time to respond, and turned The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on, cranking it, and waited for him to get in.
Mark arched an eyebrow, wondering if she just called him schnookums, shivering at the very thought before shaking his head. Alyssa. He smirked and slipped into the car, leaning over so his mouth was right next to Nicoya's ear and said, "Not a problem, sugar." Alyssa watched as Mark fastened himself in, curious now about what was going on. Though, she just shrugged, beginning to get tired and rested her head back against the seat, closing her eyes.
The ride to the hotel was made in silence, both adults in their own little worlds, and Alyssa had fallen asleep in the backseat. Once she pulled into the parking lot, Nicoya got out, carrying her bag with her, and pulled her daughter into her arms. She groaned, not believing how heavy she was getting, but she didn't have the heart to wake her as she managed to close the door shut. She smiled when Mark took her daughter from her arms and nodded her approval, not able to handle her daughter's weight, and lead them up the back way of the hotel. So Mark couldn't be recognized by local ring rats and fans that were lurking out in the hotel lobby. Once inside her room, Nicoya pointed to Alyssa's bedroom, kicking off her heels, and set her bag down before walking inside. She leaned against the doorway as she watched Mark tuck Alyssa into bed. It made her heart soar to watch it and leaned her head against the doorframe thoughtfully.
Mark smiled, gently brushing Alyssa's hair back from her face, his heart filling with love when she smiled and murmured something in her sleep. "Night angel." He murmured, leaning down to kiss the top of her head before slowly standing up and turned around, halting when he seen Nicoya. He studied her, taking in the expression on her face before walking over to her. He reached out to gently rest his hand on her shoulder, staring down at her for a second longer before brushing past her.
"Night sweetheart." She whispered softly, closing the door, leaving it open a crack and then walked over to the bed, sitting down on it, and peeled off her thigh high nylons before throwing them in her bag. She seen Mark was staring out the window in deep thought, knowing he was probably wondering what was going on between them. In truth, she knew what it was and was scared to let it happen because of what John did to her. She knew that cupcake was her daughter trying to get them together and wondered if Mark knew. She smiled at the thought and stood up, getting herself a glass of wine, something she did only on occasion when she needed to relax. "If you want a drink, the liquor is over here, Mark." She said softly, sitting back down on the bed, and took a sip of her wine.
Mark turned around, looking at her before nodding, walking over to pour himself a shot of whiskey. Something told him this probably wasn't a very prudent idea and promised himself he'd only have one. He smirked, leaning back against the bar, recalling dinner and shook his head, beginning to chuckle again. "Some night huh?"
"Leave it to my daughter to make the night interesting." She laughed softly, finishing off her first glass of wine and walked over, pouring herself another before brushing past him. She lay down on the bed, leaning further back against the headboard, curling her feet beneath her butt, and studied him thoughtfully. "She means a lot to you don't she?" It wasn't a question.
Mark nodded, settling himself down on the stool, planting one foot on a rung and the other on the floor, shooting down his shot. "Yeah, she does." He said honestly, meeting her midnight blue eyes.
"I don't have a problem with it, Mark." She softly assured him with a smile, her eyes telling him she meant it, and swirled her wine around in her glass with her finger. "Sometimes I feel guilty for not telling her about who her father is, but know the moment I do, he's going to turn around and break her heart. I don't want my daughter's heart broken, not like mine was." She softly explained, taking a sip of her wine, and sighed heavily as she closed her eyes. "I don't regret having her, but I do regret having her with him, if that makes any sense. I wouldn't trade her in for anything in the world, but if I could do it all over again, I would've had her with someone else who actually loved and respected us." This wasn't the alcohol talking either. This was Nicoya talking, spilling out her feelings to this man who had become a really great friend to her and Alyssa over the past two months.
Mark listened to her, understanding her perfectly, her words making sense to him. "It's not somethin' ya can change, Nico, no point in regrettin' it, darlin'." He said softly. "Life's just too damned short for regrettin'. And one day, Alyssa is goin' to find out all about him and she'll make the choice whether or not she wants to know him, it's her right. You'll just have to be there to pick up the pieces if he does hurt her." Mark's green eyes clouded over suddenly. If John DID hurt his little angel, he was going to rip the son of a bitch's head off.
"That's not going to happen, Mark." Nicoya stated emphatically, standing up from the bed, and wrapped her arms around herself, walking over to stare out the window, and dropped her head forward. "I'm not telling her about him ever. I don't want to chance him trying to use her as leverage against me. That's the type of person John is. He'll take one look at her and then at me and instantly find a way to take her from me, just to hurt me." Tears began running down her face as she shook her head back and forth. "He's never going to find out; I don't care if it's her right or not. It's my job to protect her as her mother."