Chapter 23
After stopping in the bathroom to fix herself up the best she could, Jasina finally made her way back into the reception hall, sighing when Trish instantly came up to her, managing to put a smile on her face. "I'm alright." She said before the question could even pop out of her mouth. "Sorry about that, honey."
"What happened? Where is he?"
"Gone." That smile never left, though Jasina felt like crawling in a hole and never coming out again, but refused to ruin her best friend's wedding day. "Let's talk about it later, okay? This is your wedding day, it's supposed to be a celebration."
Trish frowned when Jasina merely hugged her and headed back to the table, watching her just as Steve walked up to ask her to dance. "Do you think she'll be okay Stevie?" She asked quietly while they swayed together, staring into his blue eyes.
"Only time will tell, honey."
Arielle had sent both her Dad and Gary packing with a threat that involved Trish's sisters and one of the female guests, who had a bit too much to drink already, and a well spun story that would definitely get both men on Trish's shit list. Once they had taken the hint and gone away to brood and glare at her, Arielle made her way to her mom. Seeing the way too bright smile on her mother's face didn't fool her for a second.
"Mom, is everything okay?" She asked slowly, already knowing everything wasn't.
"Let's talk about it later, Arie." Jasina softly requested, taking a glass of champagne off a server's tray that passed her, sipping it gently. "I don't want to ruin Trish and Steve's big day with meaningless personal stuff." She sat down at the table with Arielle still looking worried, winking to assure her everything was fine.
"Where's John?"
"Gone." Jasina drained her champagne, knowing later on she would more than likely cry herself to sleep.
"Mom, is it really a good idea for him to be...out right now?" Arielle asked slowly, knowing Jasina had basically told her to drop the subject for now and ignored it. "I mean he gets lost all the time, even with a GPS and he's probably-" She shut up when she realized she was probably going to make things worse for her mother, which meant ruining whatever composure Jasina had left. "I'm going to go over there...with- Hi Dad, I thought I told you to go away?"
"Darlin', you go away." Mark shot back, nodding when Arielle glanced worriedly at Jasina and set down in Arielle's chair once she had vacated.
"I don't want to talk about it." Jasina didn't look at Mark when she said that, keeping her eyes focused on the dance floor, just wanting to enjoy what was left of the reception. "I'll talk about it later, but not at our best friends' wedding."
If Mark so much as uttered the names John or Randy, she would go to another table away from him, not about to walk out of the reception. When another server passed by with a tray full of alcohol, Jasina opted for the sangria wine, taking her time with it. Nodding, Mark let her take one sip of her wine before plucking the flute from her hand and setting it down on the table. Ignoring the look Jasina shot him, he stood up and took her hand, pulling her up with him.
"Come on darlin', put on your best happy face and at least pretend to have a good time." Mark tried persuading, pulling her out towards the dance floor. If it was a slow song, he could dance and since she obviously needed a distraction, what better way to do it? "Come on Jas, one dance." He coaxed when she appeared a bit reluctant.
"You already had a dance." Jasina reminded him, though she knew what Mark was doing.
Deciding it couldn't hurt to dance again with her ex-husband and the Best Man, Jasina slipped her hand into Mark's. He was also stopping her from drinking, which both annoyed and relieved Jasina all at once. She sighed when another good song began floating through the speakers, Mark leading the way as he swept her across the dance floor along with the other guests. Arielle and Gary joined them moments later.
"So what if I already had a dance, there a rule sayin' there's a limit?" Mark teased gently.
"I suppose not." Jasina admitted softly, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms and immediately pushed those thoughts away. After the John disaster, Jasina wondered if maybe she was meant to be alone since every attempt at having a boyfriend backfired. Hell, John wasn't even her boyfriend and THAT even backfired! "So, what do you think of us being a team for the week with Emily and Little Stevie?" She asked just as Mark twirled her, pulling her back into his arms.
"So long as you don't try to tell me how to handle a baby, I think we'll get along just fine."
Mark was only half-joking because a lot of women still liked to heckle him about his methods. Even though, as far as he was concerned, Arielle had turned out just fine, a bit mouthy, but given who her parents were...that was to be expected. Not to mention, Jasina had been there for the later years, thank God, so Arielle had definitely turned out better than anticipated.
"We'll be fine, darlin', it'll do us some good to have munchkins around."
"I hate to burst your bubble, but I am still moving into my new place tomorrow. I tried calling to reschedule the move in date, but my realtor couldn't do it. If I don't move in, I'll have to give up my house and lose my deposit." That wasn't happening, not after how long it took her to find it. "So you'll have to keep the kids for at least a few days so I can get my things moved from the ranch to my new place."
Trish and Steve had totally sprung this on her and if Mark couldn't help her out, then she would simply hire someone or tell her friends to find someone else. For once, Jasina was thinking of herself instead of everyone else around her, needing to get away from the ranch and any memories she had with her exes. If that bothered him, Mark didn't show it, simply shrugging his massive shoulders while never missing a step of the dance.
"That's fine, take all the time you need."
Mark wasn't a complete idiot when it came to children and decided right then and there to not mention this to Steve or Trish since they would probably flip out. Then again, that sucked to be them, springing this at the last minute. However, they would also owe him and Jasina because this was a major deal to dump on someone with only a few hours notice.
"Thank you, Mark." Jasina smiled genuinely up at him, not able to wait to move out of the ranch. "I have a moving truck coming at nine AM tomorrow with movers who will take care of everything. I have several stops to make on the way to the house because I bought all new furniture for my new place." She explained, actually sounding happy about the move and knew Mark would be busy with an infant little girl and a boy toddler. "I'm sure they'll enjoy spending quality time with their Uncle Marky."
"Emily thinks pullin' my hair is the best thing ever and Stevie is going to learn how to drive a hammer and nails." Mark's green eyes lit up at the thought, envisioning giving the boy a small hammer to bang things with at home, which would in turn drive his best friend and new wife right up a wall. "Yeah...we're going to have a damn good time. The kids and I will stay outside in the mornin' to keep out of the way."
Jasina could see the evil glint in Mark's eyes and knew he would purposefully show the kids ways of making their parents' lives miserable. When the dance ended and another song began, Jasina just kept dancing with Mark, both of them making small talk about what the next week involved. It was time for the cake cutting and Jasina laughed when Trish shoved cake in Steve's face after he smashed some in hers lightly. Once everyone had a slice, it was time for Trish to toss the bouquet, all the women gathered around...only for Jasina to catch it, her eyes widening slightly.
She hadn't even tried catching it, the flowers simply landed in her hands and Jasina immediately flashed a smile when cheering followed. Then it was Steve's turn to toss Trish's sangria colored garter, delving his bald head beneath the dress and pulled it off with his teeth, hearing cat calls and whistles behind him. He then tossed it over his shoulder, wiggling his pale eyebrows at Trish and chuckled when she gave him a heated look that promised naughty things to happen on their wedding night.
Arielle began giggling when the garter landed right on her Dad's shoulder and then onto Gary's head, since they were standing shoulder to shoulder away from the men and yet... "Nice throw Steve!"
Mark was staring down at his future-son-in-law, smirking. "You're next."
"Jasina caught the flowers and it hit YOUR head..." Gary muttered, blushing when he got whistled at, pulling the garter off his hair.
Jasina giggled softly at Gary, kissing the top of his head while she went off to laugh with Arielle, both of them finding it amusing. The rest of the reception was great with great memories and moving moments. Trish and Steve took off for their honeymoon, Steve thrusting a list at Mark quickly about what to do regarding their children, before slipping into the limo that would take them to the airport. Jasina promised Trish that everything would be fine with her children, knowing the woman would worry anyway.
Once they were gone, Jasina decided to call it a night and headed out of the reception with the rest of the bridal party. The hummer limo took them back to the chapel, where all of their cars were waiting. Jasina headed back to the ranch first and finally let the few tears slip down her cheeks, looking over at the passenger seat where the beautiful gold and sangria colored bouquet lay, wondering what kind of message the universe was trying to send her.
Mark was going to KILL Steve and Trish for this.
The idiots had packed bags for their kids, which was great. However, he had no place for Emily to sleep and he hadn't even thought about that until he was inside his ranch. With Emily in one arm, little Stevie draped over his shoulder, Mark had several bags and a pink diaper bag hanging from his forearms.
"Christ..." He muttered, managing to kick the door closed behind him with his foot.
Finally deciding that he was just going to make JR up a bed on the loveseat, Mark was sleeping on the couch with Emily on his chest. He'd get her a play pen -or whatever they were called these days- in the morning. Jasina had stopped at the store, knowing Mark didn't have anything for Emily, and walked through the door about an hour later, carrying a pack-n-play. She walked into the living room, seeing Mark was settling down on the couch with Emily, still in her Matron of Honor gown and began setting it up while Mark simply stared at her with wide green eyes.
"I figured you'd gotten rid of Arielle's baby furniture, so I stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up this." Jasina said, looking at him. "It's a playpen, but it comes with an attached bassinet and changing table. It's called a pack-n-play."
Mark groaned softly, watching her and then arched an eyebrow. "What the hell does it need all that for?"
It looked like a playpen only with a mini table on top and a scooped soft bucket. When Jasina tried pulling the now sleeping Emily off his chest, he had to bite his lip when Emily latched onto his now loose hair. He didn't want to wake either her or Stevie.
"Here." Mark grunted, reaching up to begin the untangling process, remembering how Arielle used to do the same. "What would I do without ya, darlin'?" He rumbled once she had Emily in her arms, sitting upright.
"Precious little angel..." Jasina cooed gently to the baby girl in her arms, rocking her a little when she squirmed slightly. "That's my girl." She gently set Emily in the bassinet and covered her up with her baby pink blanket, smiling softly when the little girl instantly fell back asleep. "Come into the kitchen so we don't disturb her." She whispered, taking Mark's hand and guiding him out of the living room since Little Stevie had just gotten to sleep too. "I'm having a little toddler bed delivered here tomorrow for him so you can put him in the guest room and keep Emily with you in your room in the pack-n-play."
"Jasina, you don't have to do that, it's no trouble." Mark said softly, not wanting her to spend a wad of money when he would only have the kids for a week or so. "We can make do. I was planning on puttin' Stevie in Arie's old room, I think I still have the bedrails I used for Arielle when she moved out of her crib..." Somewhere...in the basement...or was it in the garage? He shook his head, stifling a yawn. "Appreciate it though, let me pay you-" He frowned when she began shaking her head. "At least let me pay for half."
"No, it wasn't that expensive so don't worry about it. The most important thing is they both have places to sleep that are comfortable and safe." Jasina stated, pouring herself a glass of wine, desperately needing it after the day she had. She still couldn't believe John was Randy's best friend...and Randy never mentioned him once or anyone up north for that matter. "Thanks for keeping the kids for a few days, I'll do my half at the end of the week once everything is settled in my new house." Jasina honestly wanted to forget about meeting John Cena and everything she'd done with him, hoping Mark never found out about their night of passion in his house.
"Don't worry about it."
Mark shrugged, deciding since he no longer had to worry about Emily sleeping on him he could shed the shirt and began unbuttoning the dress shirt he had only managed to un-tuck. His shoes now hidden under the couch where he wouldn't have to see them for at least another six months. Once he had the shirt undone, he stopped, deciding to leave it on for now, not wanting to make her uncomfortable given the night she had had.
"How're you holdin' up?" Mark asked quietly, having sort of gotten the story from Arielle.
"I'm as good as can be expected." Jasina answered honestly, looking up at him sadly. "I wasn't even in a relationship with John, but...I felt a connection and it was because of Randy." She could already feel the tears building, stopping them from falling because Jasina was honestly tired of crying. "I'm just trying to get through all of this and...Every time I feel like I'm getting somewhere, I keep failing at every turn." She took another sip of wine to calm her nerves, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Hopefully this house will finally give me some peace of mind and help me move on completely from everything."
He was gathering from the way she had said all that that Jasina was done seeing John. Mark was surprised to find that instead of having a pleased, satisfied feeling about that, he felt sympathy for her. She wasn't having the best luck with relationships this past year.*
"You're not failin' at anythin, Jasina. Shit eventually has to get better." He said after a moment, figuring if she had hit rock bottom then the only direction to go from there was up.
"Yes I am." Jasina shot back softly, lowering her eyes from his and moved to pull herself up on the counter, holding her glass of wine. "Ever since we split up, I haven't had any luck. The guys either die on me or I screw them for shits and giggles, only to find out that they know my exes." She laughed bitterly, shaking her head and finally let a few tears fall that she simply couldn't hold back. "You are the only relationship that I had longevity with and the worst part of it all is that John told me Randy wanted to marry me..."
That hurt her more than anything because Jasina wasn't aware that Randy felt THAT strongly about her. It made her realize how ridiculous their final moments were together when they should've been loving instead of heartbreaking. Sighing inwardly, Mark got up to retrieve a dish towel since his handkerchief was in his now discarded suit jacket and he wasn't carrying his usual bandana in his back pocket, not in these slacks. He held it out to her, kneeling down by her chair and pressed it into her still hands, wondering why he was always passing her something to mop up her tears.
"He loved you, darlin'. Even I could see that." Mark said softly, knowing that wouldn't help, but…it was true. "He'd want you to be happy."
She'd heard it so many times and Jasina was tired of it, not bothering to take the dish towel while Mark wiped her tears away. "Don't you think I want to be happy? I've been trying everything in my power to move on and be happy, but at every turn I've been knocked down. I'm sick of it. I'm tired of having moments where I THINK I'm happy, only to come to harsh realizations that it's all a hoax." Jasina slowly looked up at her ex-husband, seeing all the concern and sadness swimming in his green eyes, suddenly not able to stand it. "I'm going to bed, I have to get up early for the movers and you need all the rest you can get because of the two munchkins."
Mark nodded, knowing him showing her sympathy was probably the very last thing Jasina wanted right about now. That and his advice, both things she could do without no doubt. He wondered if maybe she should just leave Houston altogether, but then scrapped that.
She wouldn't leave her job or Arielle and he didn't blame her. He also did not want to see her go, but knew better than to admit that outside his own head. She had made it known that they were over, several times.
"Yeah, good night darlin'." Mark said finally, deciding he would move Emily and Stevie upstairs tomorrow, they could all sleep in the living room tonight because he had no interest in relocating the now set up pack-n-play.