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Mark looked over at Sammy, ever since he had yelled at her about getting lost in the parking lot, she had just sat there with her head down not saying nothing, not that she said much anyway.
He blew out a breath of air, he shouldn't have yelled at her, she seemed like a sensitive woman, nervous, shy, he had promised Kevin he would be nice to her, Kevin hadn't given him any details, he just told Mark she had been through some rough times.
Sammy was miserable, she had a hard time dealing with people anyway, she was doing better here, she had Mia and Seth, and Kevin was great, she was even able to hang out with Bailey and Scott and Emma, she felt like she was making friends and she had a family now, but she had really messed things up with her new neighbor.
They got back to the house and Mark got out and opened the door for her. She whizzed past him and Mark got her bags out of the back of the truck. "I can get them." She said holding out her hands for the bags.
Mark ignored her and carried them up to the front door. Sammy followed and pulled her keys from her pocket and opened the door. Mark walked through the house and set the bags on the counter. "Thank you."
Mark turned to find her behind him, but she refused to look at him. "No problem."
Mark walked past her and went and got his things and took them in side of the duplex.
Mark put up his grocery's, guilt eating at him, he shouldn't have yelled at her, but dammit, she was so scatterbrained, it was hard not to get irritated with her.
Mark grabbed a beer and sat down at the kitchen table, He was having dinner at Kevin's tonight, Scott, Bailey and Emma were coming too, he supposed Sammy would be there too.
He just hoped he didn't have to deal with Sammy much, his temperament wasn't the best in the world.
Mia looked over at Kevin. Did you ask Sammy to dinner?"
Kevin put more corn on Seth's plate."Yeah I did."
"Thank you papa." Seth said smiling up at Kevin.
"You're welcome son." Kevin said and looked at his wife . " She said she would try."
Bailey saw the worried look on Mia's face. "She's probably working."
Mia sighed. "Yeah thats all she does, Mark was she okay when you dropped her off from the store?"
"Yep." He said grabbing more fried chicken.
The kids finished and Mia sent them to play in the living room with the promise of dessert in a little while. "Maybe I should call her and check on her."
Scott looked at Mia. "Mia loosen up on her a bit, your sister is fine, she does things her own way, I wouldn't push her."
Mia knew she was right, it drove Sammy crazy when she hovered over her, but it was hard not to.
"Mark, her dad has been bugging her, if he comes around, I need you to scare the shit outta him." Kevin said.
Mark looked at him and then at Mia. Mia sighed. "Our dad is a jerk, he is Tyson Belmont, he's bugging Sammy to come back and live at home, and help him run his stores." She explained.
Mark nodded. "No problem, he comes around, I'll pound him."
Scott and Kevin laughed, Mark was just looking for an excuse to kick some ass, he was perfect to look after Sammy.
Mia smiled at Mark. "Thanks Mark, I worry about her, I feel better knowing your living next to her."
Mark just nodded, he guessed he was being put in charge of the family loony, but he shrugged it off, how much trouble could it be keeping a eye on her, first thing tomorrow, he was putting smoke detectors in her place, hell if he wanted to die in his sleep.
Emma came running back in the kitchen. "Uncle Mark after dinner, will you take me and Seth on a walk on the beach, pretty please." She asked smiling up at him.
Mark was still trying to get used to the rug rats, they were okay, but he just wasn't a kid person, but she did look kinda cute. "Sure kid." He growled.
Emma had got used to her Uncle Mark's gruff ways and she just grinned even bigger. "Thank you." She said and ran back in the living room. "He said yes!" Emma hollered at Seth.
Scott grinned but kept his mouth shut, Mark was getting used to the kids, but he was still working on it.
Mia fed everyone dessert and the kids ate their pie, in record time and ran to the bathroom to wash their hands.
Mark stood. "Mia, dinner was great, thank you."
Mia smiled. "You're welcome, and don't wait for a invitation, come over anytime."
Mark nodded. "Yes Ma'am."
Kevin looked at his wife. "We're going to hole up here and play poker tomorrow."
Mia nodded. "Thats fine, I'll leave you guys some food, and I'll go visit Emma and Bailey."
Seth poked his head in the kitchen. "Can I stay with the guys Papa?"
Kevin smiled. "Sure son."
Seth grinned and ran back in the living room.
"AUNT MIA SOMEONES AT THE DOOR!" Emma yelled from the living room.
Kevin got up. "I'll get it."
He walked down to the living room and opened the door. "Hey Sammy, you're late for dinner, but c'mon I'll fix you a plate."
Sammy smiled and shook her head. "Not hungry."
The two kids ran over hugging her. "Hey Aunt Sammy." The both chorused.
Sammy smiled giving them both hugs and kisses. "Hey I thought we would walk on the beach before it gets dark.
Mia walked in followed by Mark. "Hey Sammy, why didn't you come to dinner?"
"Not hungry." She simply said.
Mark cast a eye at the woman, she was to damn skinny, she needed to eat. Mia looked at her sister with a worried look but didn't comment.
Kevin grinned, this was perfect. "Sammy has perfect timing, she came to take a walk with the kids, Mark was just about to take them, now you can all go together."
Mark scowled and Sammy looked none too happy, but the kids seemed thrilled with the idea. "Oh boy. C'mon Uncle Mark." Emma said taking his hand and dragging him toward the door.
Seth took his Aunts hand. "C'mon, lets go."
Sammy sighed but followed them out the door, by this time Bailey and Scott had walked in and Mia was giving Kevin a look. "If I didn't know better , I would swear you're trying to set those two up."
Kevin just shrugged. "Who me, naw." He said sitting down in his recliner.
Scott laughed and took a seat. "Mia, they would be perfect, I see Kevin's point, and with Mark around, no one would ever hurt her."
Mia sat down, only Kevin knew her history, why she was so shy and introverted."Mark is too big, grumpy and well I don't think she could handle him, you know how shy she is, well he would just scare her to death."
Bailey sat down beside Mia. "Don't write it off, maybe Mark needs a sweet shy girl, he's always dated and married, loud pushy types, by whats Scott's told me, maybe Sammy is just what he needs, and maybe Mark is what she needs."
Mia looked skeptical. "Well as long as he don't upset her, I guess we'll just see if the two of them click."
Kevin just smiled, he had a feeling about Mark and Sammy, He had seen a spark of interest in Mark's eye when the two had met months ago, Mark was attracted to her, and if he hung around long enough it could be something more.
Mark had thought he would have to try to make conversation with her, but she was to busy running in and out of the waves with the kids, she was like one of them as they ran and splashed and danced around in the shallow water.
Mark watched her curls kink up in the salt spray and hang in ringlets around her face, she was a beauty.
Emma grabbed Seth's arm. "Uncle Mark keeps looking at her, but he wont talk to her."
Seth looked and sure enough Mark was looking at his Aunt. "So what do we do?"
"I'm gonna talk to him." She said.
Seth grabbed his Aunts hand and pulled her in the shallow water to play.
"Uncle Mark." Mark looked down at Emma. "You're soaking wet."
She just grinned. "Yeah I know, Uncle Mark do you like to kiss?" She asked falling step beside him.
"Young lady what kind of question is that?" Mark barked at her.
Emma was taken aback by his snapping at her. "I'm sorry." She said tears welling in her eyes, she didn't know what she had done wrong.
Mark sighed , all this mushy shit was going to be the death of him. He bent down in front of the girl. "I didn't mean to snap, but thats not a appropriate question to be asking someone." He corrected.
Emma looked up at the big man. "Why?"
Mark rubbed his hand through his long hair."Well its personal for one thing and you're way to young to be thinking about kissing."
Emma wiped at her red eyes and Mark hugged her, she was too cute for her own good, and hell he hadn't meant to make her cry. "I just thought you could kiss Aunt Sammy, you know like Daddy kisses Mama, I bet she would like you then."
Mark rolled his eyes and then pushed the little girl back some so he could look at her. "Emma, Sammy is a nice lady but we don't like each other like that."
Emma looked confused. "Well course you don't, you ain't kissed her yet, thats why you need to kiss her, then you'll like her like that and then marry her."
Mark felt the smile move across his face, before he could stop it. "Really that how it works?"
"Uhh huh, how do you think Mama and daddy and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Mia got married, caused they kissed all the time." The little girl said shaking her head, no wonder Uncle Mark wasn't married, he didn't know nothing about girls.
"Well Emma, thanks for telling me, but I think me and Sammy should just be friends." He said patting the girls back.
Emma just smiled. "Okay." But she knew she just had to get them to kissing and everything would work out fine. "You know what else kissing brings?"
Mark stood and took her hand and started walking her toward Sammy and Seth. "What?'
Emma smiled happily. "Babies, My mama is gonna have a baby just for me."
Mark looked down at the girl surprised. "Really?"
"Yep, they told me yesterday and they told Aunt Mia and Uncle Kevin today, maybe you could kiss Aunt Sammy and have some babies." She suggested and then ran off to play with Seth.
Mark shuddered, kids no way, but he knew that Scott must be thrilled. Mark watched Sammy playing tag with the two kids, it was obvious she was good with them, as they laughed and weaved in and out of the shallow water.
The sun was starting to dip and Mark walked down to the water's edge. "Suns going down, get out of the water."
He heard groans from the children, but Sammy took the kids hands and led them out of the surf. "Should have just wore bathing suits, you're all soaked."
The kids were shivering as the sun dipped, Sammy picked up Emma and Mark scooped up Seth and the headed back to Kevin's house.
Mark and Sammy handed the kids over to Mia and Bailey. "Come in and eat." Mia said rubbing her son down with a big towel.
Sammy stood at the door dripping water. "No thanks sis, I'm going home." Sammy waved to the kids and told them she would see them tomorrow and opened the door, Mark jumped up. "Hold on I'll walk with you."
Sammy held the door for him and he followed her out. Kevin looked at Mia and grinned. "See he likes her already."
Emma looked at her mother. "I told Uncle Mark to kiss her, but he wouldn't, maybe he will when we're not around."
Bailey shook her head. "Emma you shouldn't be saying that to Mark."
Emma looked up at her mother as she used a big towel to dry her face. "But why not, they'll fall in love and get married, if they kiss."
Scott had to suppress laughing, his baby had her own ideas about romance." Niblet I think mama means the whole idea of matchmaking is that the two people don't know you're trying to get them together, so try to be a little more sneaky about it, okay?"
Emma smiled. "Okay daddy."
Mia smiled at the the thought of her whole family trying to set up Mark and Sammy, she just hoped Sammy didn't get hurt, she hadn't trusted a man in a long time and she had a lot of pain buried, the abuse they had suffered at the hands of their father just served to make Sammy even more introverted than she would have been, she just wished she knew how to help her sister.
Dad claimed he had been so hard on them to make them stronger, better, but they could never please him, especially Sammy, she was her father's choice to run the company, so he was even harder on her.
Mark walked down the beach to their duplex, Sammy was shivering in cold. "As soon as you get in, take a hot shower, so you wont get sick."
Sammy looked up surprised he had said anything. She only nodded in response. They parted ways at their front doors.
Sammy went to the kitchen to make fresh coffee, she got the coffee started and grabbed a towel and wiped off her face and kicked her wet shoes off in the kitchen floor.
She stood and waited for the coffee and went in the living room sinking down on the big soft couch and enjoying the hot coffee.
She was almost finished with the software she was working on, she could finish tonight , it wasn't like she didn't have a million other projects to work on, she did, she worked for the biggest software company in the country, she was the best programmer/ writer they had, they weren't rushing her, she turned in more software than anyone, some of it projects they requested her to do, some was software she came up with herself, but it was only because in her computer and her work, she was home, she was comfortable with her numbers and code strings, so thats where she spent all her time.
She grabbed another cup of coffee and sat down at her desk and opened her laptop, she hadn't slept in three days, but she felt no need to sleep.
Her cellphone rang and she picked it up looking at the number, she rolled her eyes and tossed it down. It was her father, she couldn't deal with him tonight, she turned back to her computer and tuned out the world around her.