CHAPTER EIGHT
"Okay, that was weirder than you two." Hope said, grinning when her mom and dad both groaned. "What?"
River exchanged looks with Shawn, both of them shrugging as if to say 'she's your daughter'. "We did get a suite, right?" She asked, not entirely sure if she could spend the night in the same room with Hope, that might encourage her to talk all night.
"Yes, but we're celebrating Hope being here." Shawn grinned when Hope started jumping up and down, leaning over to kiss his wife. "Later." He murmured when she purred.
"We all need quick showers.
"I'm clean!"
"You have chocolate all over your face."
"Aww hell."
After getting cleaned up at the hotel; they headed out. Shawn was feeling pretty good, though it might of had something to do with his beautiful wife eyeing him up and down like he was something she wanted to eat. He was looking pretty good if he did say so himself; wearing a black button up shirt over a white beater, blue jeans and his usual black boots; as always his favorite Stetson on his head. "I was thinking about fish..."
"Ew, gross, daddy."
"Okay then, were do you want to go?"
"And McDonald's doesn't count." River added, wearing a black knee length skirt; heeled sandals and a pale blue elbow length shirt. She had had to force Hope into a denim skirt and a pink dress shirt; the child was a tomboy and despised skirts.
"Ummmm... I don't care, just NO fish! Dad!" Hope swatted his arm playfully, giggling when he chased her to the car.
River followed them slowly, just shaking her head and smiled.
Shawn caughter Hope, beginning to tickle mercilessly. "No fish? No fishy, why, huh? Why no fish?" He was having a ball, hearing his daughter's laughing squeals. Finally, he let her go, turning to look at his smiling wife. "Sweetheart, where do you want to to eat?"
"Outback Steakhouse." River said, hearing Hope squeal again.
"Yeah, I love their accents. Can we daddy, please?" She turned big green eyes onto her father, flashing her most charming smile.
Shawn couldn't deny that smile, simply nodding. "You win." He chuckled when River snorted, opening the car door for Hope. While she buckled herself in, the adults got into the car as well. "You look beautiful tonight, River, have I told you that?"
"Yes, you did, twice. But I always like hearing it." She murmured, staring at him for a moment before leaning over the seats. "And you already know how handsome you look because I've told you several times." She whispered in his ear, biting his lobe then moved back to her seat; fastening in with an innocent look on her face.
"We going now or you two gonna flirt?"
"Where does she get her mouth again?" He asked, pulling out of the parking lot; ignoring the knowing look River gave him. "Maybe our next baby will have your attitude, hmm?"
River blinked, wondering where the hell that had come from and then grinned. "If we're lucky."
"We're having a baby? I want a brother and he has to be quiet cause boy's are noisy; he also has to play kickball and..."
She listened patiently as Hope lsiteed off the 'musts' for this new baby, wondering if both Hope and Shawn were serious.
"What do you think, Riv?" Shawn murmured, glancing over at her. Personally, he would love to see her pregnant again.
River smiled at the thought of a boy with Shawn's beautiful eyes, closing her own. She had always wondered about Hope's green eyes, knowing damn well she had never cheated on hr husband but then had always attributed it to her own parents. "I'd love nothing more, honey." She whispered, reaching out to catch his hand.
"So ya'all going to give me a brother or what?"
"We're going to try, angel." Shawn looked in the rearview at his daughter, driving in silence now. Where was his little girl who had always clinged to him? The sweet angel who had been such a daddy's girl? Once they were parked and getting out of the car, he watched as Hope impatiently pushed her mother away. "She's so big already." He said quietly, kissing the side of River's head.
"I know, where has the time gone?" She murmured sadly, wondering the same thing he was. She could remember a time when all Shawn had to do was walk in and the door and go 'I'm home' and Hope would be all over him, now she was wanting her own space and to do things on her own. "Just think, she'll be a teenager soon and we'll have one running around in diapers."
"Sounds good to me." He rumbled, following Hope into the restaurant. Instantly, Hope struck up a conversation with their server, making Shawn shake his head. She was a natural flirt just like... he shook his head, shoving that out of mind. Once they were seated, they ordered drinks. "Before we do anything..."
Hope groaned softly, taking their hands.
"Dear Heavenly Father..."
River had to kick Hope under the table when she began humming under her breath, wondering where that had come from. Usually Hope was mindful of prayer time.
"Okay, Amen." Hope said when the prayer was finished, raising her hands when both her parents looked at her. "What?"
"You need to be a bit more respectful."
"Prayer takes forever though! Besides, God knows we're grateful, don't he? If not, then why's he called God?"
All River could think was: Oh dear Lord.
"Sweetheart, we always need to be respectful. even if God does know we're grateful." Shawn's voice was firm. "Don't do it again."
Seeing Hope was about to say something, River shook her head. "Hope, you will mind your father." She said sternly, watching as Hope sighed and lowered her head. Sighing, she took Shawn's hand and squeezed. "Now, how bout we order and just put this behind us?" She suggested quietly.
"Sounds like a great idea. Hope, head up angel." He smiled when she obeyed, opening his menu. "Hope, what're you getting?"
"Steak, raw and a baked potato." Hope ordered without even looking at her menu. "Oh... and them onion things, a bloom?"
"Where do you keep all that food?" River demanded, eyeballing her scrawny daughter with astonishment on her face. "And since when do you eat steak raw?" She sighed when Hope just shrugged, ordering her own meal and looked at Shawn.
Shawn just shook his head, placing his own order and passed the menus to the waitress. "So are you excited to be on the road with us?" He asked his daughter, watching as she looked around the crowded restaurant. "Or maybe your future brother or sister?"
"Yeah but it's kinda boring watching mom work and it'll be a boy!" She said eagerly, looking at her mom who was pretending to be offended. "Sorry mom but it is. The best part of the night was when you did that thing on-"
"How was your summer, Hope?" River interrupted.
"Fun! Gramma and Granpa took me riding."
Glad River had interrupted his daughter's train of thought, Shawn smiled tensely. He was going to rip Mark from limb to limb. "What else did you do?" He asked, keeping his voice level, inside seething. This was HIS family, HIS. They were both his and nobody was going to take them away unless it was over his dead, mutilated corpse.
"Played with the neighbor kids a lot, kickball, fishing with Grandpa." Hope launched into a long and detailed description of her summer, talking about how she and her new friends –who were either boys or tomboys like her- had watched wrestling and been practicing the moves. "My favorite wrestler is John Cena, besides you daddy."
"John is a pain in my butt."
"You know him? Oh my god, mom! He is the coolest!"
"He's hyper, I should introduce you two." Shawn said thoughtfully, grinning when River shook her head. "It couldn't hurt, he IS her favorite wrestler after all." Though when Hope also mentioned she adored the Undertaker, he actually crushed the glass of water in his hand; ignoring the gasps from his women. "You are to stay far away from him, Hope. Do you understand me?" He demanded, not even minding the fact that his hand was bleeding.
"Why? He's cool and he's funny." Hope protested, arching an eyebrow; her green eyes flashing angrily. "He even makes mom laugh."
"Hope, you quiet down right now and don't talk back!" River snapped, taking Shawn's hand and began gently picking out the glass; not believing he had just done. She'd never seen him lose his cool like that. "Shawn…"
"You will listen to me or I'll paddle your butt, young lady." He hissed, anger in his own hazel eyes. "He's dangerous, Hope. Your mother has no choice but to deal with him. Now keep your mouth shut."
Hope remained silent throughout the rest of dinner, speaking only when spoken too; pouting. River was quiet as well, wondering where her precious baby girl had gone too and who the hell this kid was sitting across from her. Not to mention Shawn's little explosion had unnerved her. When they had finished their meal and made it back to the hotel, River ushered Hope into her bedroom.
"You change into your pajamas and then go apologize to your father." She said gently.
"For what? He broke the glass, not me. I didn't tell him to get pissed off."
River's jaw dropped. Twenty minutes later she walked into her and Shawn's room, still not believing the change in their daughter. Was puberty hitting early or something? God, she wasn't ready for that.
"She's asleep." She said when Shawn looked at her, seeing the scowl on his face and knew he was still angry. After kicking off her shoes, she walked over to straddle his lap, pulling her skirt up to her thighs to do it. "Shawn, she's… going through a phase, it'll pass." She hoped.
"I want her to stay away from Callaway." He ordered, gripping her arms tightly. "Nobody is going to take you away from me, River. No force of nature and no act of the good Lord above. Do you understand me?" He didn't give her time to answer; pressing his lips roughly to hers in a possessive kiss, already pulling her shirt over her head.
River tried to speak, finding her mouth being plundered again, pushing at his shoulders as he laid flat; his own hands tugging her skirt down her waist.
"You are mine." He growled, all rational thought gone. "You and Hope belong to me." Shawn ripped her panties right off, knowing he was scaring her but didn't care. He wanted to claim what was his, rolling her onto her back.
She watched with wide eyes as he quickly shed his own clothes, trying to draw away only to be pulled underneath him. Her protests were muffled under another rough kiss. River was honestly frightened of her husband right now. The way he talked; he sounded crazy and the way he was handling her was downright terrifying. "Shawn!" She whispered, turning her head away from him; refusing to raise her voice and possibly wake Hope. "Shawn, please, stop. You're scaring me, baby."