Chapter 12

Stephanie lay listening to the rain as it battered against the window pane. Her tired eyes followed the beads of water as they trickled down the glass. She hadn't slept last night. Instead she had tossed and turned thinking about Mark and thinking about that stupid kiss. Then of course her thoughts had turned to her husband.

Sighing softly, Stephanie hugged the pillow she was holding a little tighter to her chest, breathing in the faint spicy trace of Paul's cologne. It was the one she had bought him for his birthday a few months ago. He always smelt so good when he wore it. In fact he would joke that it made him pretty much irresistible to her. Stephanie wouldn't argue with that. Paul was irresistible to her all the time and as much now as when they first got together; maybe even more so now he was her soul mate and the father of her children.

Stephanie let her eyes fall shut as she thought about her husband. The house was so cold and empty without him; the kids too. She missed them all so much right now. She wished they were home and Paul was here, lying beside her and holding her in his arms. She always felt so safe when she was wrapped in his arms. It was like Paul could protect her from anything, even herself. But not today. Both he and the children wouldn't be home until later on tomorrow and for Stephanie, it couldn't come soon enough. She wanted them here. She needed them to occupy her time and keep her sanity. God knows it was driving her crazy thinking about the kiss and she just wanted to forget about it. In fact, she was sick of going over and over it in her head, trying her best to understand why it had even happened in the first place and then of course there was her dilemma of whether or not she should tell Paul.

Stephanie sighed heavily as she opened her eyes again. It felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. And it was. Not only was she dreading telling Paul, she knew she would have to face Mark at some point today and her stomach was in knots every time she thought about it. But she didn't have a choice in the matter. He would be coming over to collect Chloe who still fast asleep in Jake's room. She wasn't sure what to say to him when she saw him. It was an awkward situation especially considering the emotional state Mark was in already. She didn't want to upset him or push him so far away he couldn't rely on her for help because Mark needed her especially over the next few days. She just hoped the kiss wasn't an issue and they could agree to forget all about it and put it behind them. She wanted to be there for Mark. She wanted to be a friend but she could only do that if he understood that nothing could ever happen between them. That the kiss was a drunken mistake. That anything they might have shared in the past was just that; the past. She loved her husband and would never be unfaithful to him. Her family meant far too much to her to risk throwing it all away.

Stephanie let out a groan and brought her hand up to rub across her forehead. She could feel the dull throbbing; a sign that a headache was coming on courtesy of the amount of wine she had drunk last night. God knows how much she'd had. She had lost count after Mark had refilled her glass for the umpteenth time. In fact, she couldn't remember a time when her glass had even been empty. Opening the bottle of wine with dinner had seemed like a good idea at the time but in hindsight, it had been a lot more trouble than it was worth.

Stephanie jumped as the shrill ringing of the phone startled her. The blood beat in her ears as she looked over at the clock. It was 8am and she knew it would be Paul. When he was away from home, he always called first thing in the morning. Stephanie propped herself up on the pillows as she reached across to answer the call. She tried to ignore the knots in her stomach as she picked up the phone from her bed side table. "Hello?"

"Hey there, gorgeous. Sleep well?"

The deep familiar tone of his voice got to her and Stephanie closed her eyes, feeling the tears at the back of her throat. She tried her best to suppress them, willing herself not to cry. Paul would know that something was up and she didn't want to worry him. Besides, if she did decide to tell him about the kiss, she would do it face to face. It wasn't a conversation she wanted to have over the phone. In fact it wasn't a conversation she wanted to have at all. So she needed to get a grip. She needed to calm down and forget all about the stupid kiss.

Letting out a calming breath, Stephanie's eyes fluttered open and forced a smile on her face, determined to be positive and upbeat. She had to be if she didn't want Paul suspecting anything. "I would have slept better with you by my side." she told him.

His low chuckle was contagious and a genuine smile crossed Stephanie's face. She could picture him laughing, his beautiful brown eyes sparkling as they crinkled at the corners.

"I wish I'd been there too babe. Although I'm not so sure you would have slept any better. In fact, I'm pretty sure I would have kept you up all night."

Stephanie let out an amused snort and felt her spirits lift as the worries of the last few hours began to slip away. Not that she should be surprised. Paul always did have the uncanny knack of being able to cheer her up. He was like her good mood pill or something.

"I bet you would." she replied. "In fact I'll even let you prove it to me when you come home tomorrow. Do you think you'll be up for the challenge?"

"Baby, I'm always up where you're concerned. Including right now."

Paul's snicker echoed down the line. Stephanie rolled her eyes as she wrapped the phone cord around her finger.

"If you know what I mean and I'm sure that you do." he informed her.

She leant back against the pillows smiling hearing the suggestive tone to his voice.

"Well I really wish I could help you out with that."

"You could. What are you wearing?"

Stephanie burst into laughter as she pushed herself up the bed. Paul was obviously feeling a little horny but that didn't surprise her. He always did like making love first thing in the morning. He maintained it was the perfect start to a day. She had to agree because it was always the perfect start to hers. "And wouldn't you like to know Mr Levesque." she smiled into the receiver.

"Yes, I would Mrs Levesque. That's why I'm asking."

"I see the bump to your head last night obviously hasn't affected your libido."

Stephanie's head shifted on the pillow absently noting that the rain continued to fall. Her feet moved under the covers and her blue eyes softened with her concern as she remembered how brutal Paul's match had been.

"Speaking of which how are you feeling this morning, honey? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine bar a few stitches and bruises. I'd complain about the stiffness but I already told you about that, didn't I?"

Stephanie shook her head as she heard the teasing lilt to his voice and smiled. Paul really was something else and she loved him. She loved him with all her heart. "I hope the children aren't around. I wouldn't want them to hear their father talking smut to their mother."

"Now, now Stephanie Marie. You know I would never allow such a thing. And besides, there's no need to worry. Lynn kept them overnight. I'm picking them up in an hour or so. So that gives you plenty of time to answer my question. What are you wearing? Personally, I'm hoping it's the black lace although I am pretty partial to that sexy red silk number you must have bought recently."

Her eyes widened in surprise as she sat up on the bed, kicking away the cream covers and moving the phone to her other ear. She had bought that underwear just last week and had yet to show it off. She had hidden it in the usual spot in her closet waiting for that special occasion. But obviously Paul must have found it and it appeared she needed a new hiding place. Stephanie smiled as she looked down at her bed attire. Paul's "Broken Skulls" t-shirt was hardly black lace or red silk but it smelled of him that suited her just fine especially when he was away. It made her feel close to him.

"Well I don't think you deserve to know." she said. "You've obviously been peeking at things you had no business peeking at."

"Is that so? Well when you punish me for peeking, will you make sure you're wearing the item I wasn't supposed to be peeking at? I'd love to see how it looks on you."

Stephanie couldn't help herself as she burst into laughter. He really was incorrigible but God, how she missed him and right now, she just wanted him home. She knew the next twenty four hours would seem like forever without him.

"I'll bet you do." she chuckled.

Just then she heard a voice calling in the background. Even though it was muffled, she could still tell it was Patricia. Paul confirmed it a few seconds later.

"Hold on a minute, Steph. My mother is on my case again. I swear she forgets I'm not a little kid anymore."

Stephanie listened as Paul told his mother he would get out of bed if she'd just give him a minute. She smiled to himself as he heard him tell Patricia he just needed to talk to his beautiful wife first. Patricia apologised and Paul chuckled down the phone.

"Sorry about that. Now, where were we? Oh yes, I remember. You had just promised to wear that little red number of yours."

"Oh I did, did I?" Stephanie commented playing along as she brushed her hair behind her ear and hugged her knees to her chest. "Funny that. I don't think I can recall the conversation going quite like that."

"That was my mother's fault. She interrupted just as you were about to agree to wear it."

She could only shake her head in amusement, admiring Paul's persistence and decided any form of resistance was futile. Besides, she knew she would do what he wanted anyway. She always liked to please him especially when she knew he would be eager to more than return the favour.

"Well I guess I could wear it but on one condition. You have to make good on your promise."

"What promise?"

"To make love to me all night."

"Well I can tell you that will definitely not be a problem because Steph, I'd make love to you twenty four seven if I could. And God knows I'd love to stay and discuss this further but I guess I'd better move and get ready to pick up the kids. I'll call you later. I know one little girl who will be dying to talk to you."

"And I'm dying to talk to her too. Give Ellie and Jake a kiss from me."

"And what about me? Don't I get one too?"

Stephanie swore she could see Paul pouting down the phone and his deep laughter crackled down the line as she made a kissing noise into the receiver. They eventually exchanged goodbyes and Stephanie hung up. That was when she glanced over at the bedroom window and noticed the rain had finally stopped. The sun was even trying it's best to peer out from the clouds and a soft smile lit up her face as Stephanie got up from the bed. Her feet shuffled across the carpet as she came to stand at the glass and watched a few leaves flutter in the wind before falling to the ground. The leaves were weightless just like she felt now she had talked to Paul. Because it made her realise that one silly kiss, it meant nothing. Not when you stacked it up against seven years of marriage. In fact it was practically insignificant so much so she had made her decision. She was going to forget it had even happened. And Mark would understand once she had talked to him and explained the situation. After all, they had both been drunk and it had been a huge mistake. There was no need to upset Paul and tell him about it. Mark was an issue as it was and there was no reason to add fuel to that fire; not when she didn't have to. So she would keep the kiss to herself. All she had to do now was tackle Mark and make sure he knew where she stood. And with that positive frame of mind, Stephanie began humming to herself as she wandered into the hallway to check on the baby.

A couple of hours later she was pushing Chloe's stroller up the path towards Mark's house. She saw the curtains twitch as she approached the red painted door. Her earlier bravado started to slip. Suddenly she felt extremely anxious and a little awkward about having to face Mark. She never did like the whole confrontational thing. But she had no choice. She had to make things clear to him from the start. She couldn't lead him on in the least or confuse him in any way. God knows he was an emotional wreck as it was which is why she was going to approach this delicately.

Stephanie had barely lifted her hand to knock when the door swung open and Mark appeared. She offered him a tight smile while inside her stomach churned uncomfortably. After all it had only been a matter of hours since his lips had locked with hers and she wasn't in the habit of kissing other men. In fact it had been ten years since she had kissed anyone other than Paul. It left her feeling a little unsure and hesitant about how to act in this type of situation.

"I wasn't sure what time her grandparents were arriving so I thought I'd bring Chloe across early." she said.

Mark nodded his head and smiled. "Thanks Stephie."

As he crouched down to drop a kiss on his daughter's head, Chloe squealed in excitement and Stephanie couldn't help but smile fondly. And as she watched Mark interact with her, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved that Debbie's parents were coming today. Although they hadn't been able to contact their daughter, they had offered to come and stay with Mark until after the funeral. That meant that he wouldn't be alone and therefore wouldn't be constantly looking for her support and leaning on her emotionally. And as selfish as it sounded, Stephanie was grateful for the respite. The whole situation was starting to take its toll on her and she was feeling emotionally and physically drained.

"Listen, can you come in for a minute? I'd like to talk to you." said Mark.

Stephanie slowly nodded and followed Mark into the house after he lifted Chloe from her stroller. She nervously stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets wondering what he was going to say to her. After all it could only be about the kiss and in a way she was grateful he had broached the subject first. It meant she wouldn't have to even if she knew they needed to talk and really, the sooner this conversation was over the better.

"Can I get you a coffee or something?" Mark asked as he bounced the baby in his arms.

Stephanie shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks."

He nodded and placed Chloe in her playpen beside the window. She immediately picked up her favourite rattle, shaking it up and down. Happy that she was content, Mark walked towards the burgundy sofa and gestured to Stephanie to sit down. She nodded at him awkwardly still refusing to meet his eye. Mark sighed softly as he sat down on the cushion. He really wasn't surprised by her reaction. Stephanie wasn't a confrontational person. She never had been, at least when he had known her. And the woman in front of him now wasn't all that different from that teenage girl he had fallen in love with. She was still as beautiful and smart and funny. She had so many of the same qualities that had attracted Stephanie to him in the first place. That was probably a big reason why he had kissed her last night. Spending the evening with her, it reminded them of what they used to have and he had enjoyed it. It was almost if the clock had turned back time and they were those same people again. The only difference was they were older and of course Stephanie was married to someone else.

Mark raked his fingers through his hair as Stephanie took the seat next to him. He could see the dark circles under her big blue eyes. She obviously hadn't slept last night. Neither had he. He had been too busy replaying their kiss and working out in his head what he was going to say to her. God knows he had rehearsed it about a million times. He just couldn't fuck this up and risk losing Stephanie from his life. Not when he needed her so badly. And he did need her. Right now she was the only thing holding him together. She was his sanity. So that's why he had to settle. He had to lie and pretend the kiss meant nothing to him because he couldn't send her running scared. If Stephanie even suspected his feelings towards her were anything less than friendly, she would run scared especially when there was her husband to consider. Stephanie was nothing if not loyal and she would never continue their friendship if she thought it might jeopardise her marriage. She loved Paul even if he hated the bastard's guts. It was nothing personal though. Levesque had just married the wrong girl. His girl.

Taking a few more seconds to simply admire her, Mark nervously cleared his throat and began. "I guess I owe you a huge apology." he said.

Stephanie shook her head and her face instantly relaxed as her relieved smile lit up her face. She removed her hands from her pockets resting them on her lap. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. I probably owe you one too."

"No, you don't." Mark smiled as he lifted his shoulder in an apologetic shrug.

"Look I'm not making excuses for what happened last night. I know kissing you was wrong but I was drunk and well, I just got carried away with myself. I don't know. I guess I'm just a bit all over the place right now. I took your kindness and your hospitality to mean something else and that was stupid of me."

Stephanie's expression softened and she reached across to pat his knee reassuringly. "Look, it's okay. I understand. You've been through a lot the past few days."

Mark shook his head. "Maybe so but it was no excuse for what I did last night." His hand moved to cover Stephanie's as it rested on his leg and he squeezed it gently. "You've been such a help to me since Jamie died. You've been my strength when I needed it. I don't know how I would have coped without you. It's thanks to you I've been able to get through the last few days. You're a good friend Stephanie."

His words were sincere and Stephanie was touched.

"I'm just glad I could be there for you. I know how difficult it's been for you." she smiled as she withdrew her hand from his knee and brushed away a stray hair that had fallen across her face. She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. "Look, let's just forget all about last night. As far as I'm concerned, it never happened."

"Thank you."

"You've nothing to thank me for, Mark. I'm just relieved we could both agree it was a mistake."

Mark nodded silently wondering what Stephanie might think if he could actually tell her the truth. That the kiss wasn't mistake. In fact the mistake was him letting her go in the first place because Stephanie had been the one. No one else had compared to her, not even Debbie, the mother of his children. At the tender age of seventeen, he had known his future and it was a future that had been out of reach right until the point where he had been offered this second chance. And this was a second chance for both of them. After all, it could be nothing more than fate that led him here, to move into the same street as Stephanie McMahon. What were the odds of that happening without some sort of divine intervention? That's why he knew they were destined to be together, somehow, someway.

"I think somebody wants their Daddy."

Stephanie's remark lifted Mark from his thoughts. He looked over at Chloe who had thrown her rattle in his direction and was sitting watching him with her toothless smile.

"Dada."

"I'll let you see to her." Stephanie smiled getting to her feet and Mark accompanied her to the door. She stepped outside and turned on the step to face him.

"If you need anything, anything at all, you know just give me a call, right."

Mark nodded, smiling at her gratefully. "I know. Thanks Steph."

"Anytime." she waved as she began to walk down the path, hearing the door close over behind her. The bright sun hit her face as it filtered through the clouds momentarily warming her skin. She lifted her face feeling her troubles melt away. They were replaced with relief; relief that Mark had apologised and agreed the kiss was a mistake. She had obviously been fretting for no reason whatsoever. But she would worry no longer. She had cleared the air with Mark and everything was as it should be. Now she could concentrate on her family and look forward to them coming home. Because her family was what she lived for. They meant everything to her. She just had to try and survive the next twenty four hours without them starting with a nice long bubble bath and a relaxing glass of wine.