AJ frowns. "I don't know. I mean, Thanksgiving is one thing. Thanksgiving with a baby under a year old is just... So much cooking and cleaning, and people, and..."
Mike purses his lips at her before leaning in. "I have a surprise for you." She sighs against his neck and waits as he kisses her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist. "So... there's this restaurant that does Thanksgiving meals. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables, mashed potatoes, rolls, two kinds of pies, the whole nine yards... and I booked a cleaning service to come in and clean the house. So it's all handled."
She gapes up at him and shakes her head. "What?"
He smiles down at her, kissing her nose. "You heard me. I'm not sure who's going to be here because of all of the drama this year, but at least the food and house will look perfect. I won't tell if you don't."
She hisses out a breath before pressing against him, kissing him hard. "I love you," she mumbles, digging her heels into his back.
He smirks and kisses her back, humming comfortably against her lips. "I love you too."
Thanksgiving's never been easy anyway, between his parents and their friends, but this year is special. For one thing, Johnny is currently feuding with Sexy Star in Lucha Underground, which is... ridiculous, and of course the drama between Alberto, Ricardo, Paige and Alicia... it's tempting to just cancel and go to Ohio, deal with the drama he'd been used to his entire life, but they perservere. "Worst case scenario, Sara Louisa will be a calming influence," Mike suggests, cooing down at his daughter as she blinks sleepily up at him. "No one can be stressed out for too long while looking at this adorable face, can they?"
AJ chuckles and leans against him, nodding. "I hope you're right."
"I'm always right," he says jokingly, hugging her. When the doorbell rings, he answers it, holding his breath until he sees that it's Tamina, her lips tugging into a smirk.
"Hello, Daddy," she says breezily, brushing past him. "Now where's the baby?" She joins AJ in soothing Sara as she wakes up more, hungry and in need of attention.
"Well, I feel wanted," Mike says with a put upon expression until AJ rushes over and kisses the pout off of his lips.
"Go answer the door, husband," she says, patting his chest and running back to the baby.
It's John and Taya, Mike's eyes lighting up at the sight of his best friend, who he's not seen enough of lately between taking care of the baby and his WWE touring schedule. "Hey, man, happy Thanksgiving," he says, hugging him tightly. "Happy Thanksgiving, Taya."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Mike," she responds, looking around the house. "It smells good in here."
"Nothing like home cooking, huh?" Mike asks, taking their jackets and dropping them on a hangar in the coat closet, chasing them into the kitchen and laughing as they look at the huge turkey warming in the oven. It had become a game between he and AJ, seeing who could make their half of the meal look the most authetically home made, all signs of the restaurant who'd catered it in the garage. He secretly thinks she'd done a better job with the rolls and sides than he had with the turkey, the bird just looking too... shiny, somehow, to be like the turkeys he'd helped bake in the past, but he shakes it off and refocuses on his friends, beaming. "Food should be done within the hour, we're just waiting on the Florida gang now."
He can only imagine how that flight went, between Ricardo's lingering knee injury and whatever Alicia is doing with Cedric, but there's only so much he can do. So he sets to answering the door again, eyes widening. Maryse is in a bright, silvery kind of dress, and Heath is next to her, wearing grey slacks and a white dress shirt that she had to have picked out for him, his hair slicked back and tamed with gel that also had to have been all her. They look good and he motions them in, still a little tongue tied. "C'mon in, guys. Happy Thanksgiving." They echo the sentiment before Maryse disappears into the kitchen to peek at the food and Heath follows Mike back into the nursery, the amount of people clustered around the baby growing with every chime of the doorbell.
Tamina immediately hands the baby over to Heath, Sara's wide eyes locked on him as she slaps her fists against his shirt, squirming and making sounds that almost sound like they could become words any day now. "Oh well look-it you," he coos, bouncing her up and down gently. "You walkin' yet? Huh?"
"Almost," AJ says, handing him a teething ring. "Better have that handy, she gets fussy easily." He nods and shakes it in front of her, smiling when she grips at it and guides it into her mouth.
It's obvious when the rest arrive, Mike heading to the door and staring curiously at Ricardo and Alicia. "Hey, guys, c'mon in." They follow him in and he breathes a little easier- it had been a hard decision not to invite Del Rio and Paige, but considering everything... His only fear had been that Ricardo would change his mind and want his best friend here and throw a major wrench in all of Mike's plans by inviting him along, but it hadn't happened. "How's the knee?"
"Better," Ricardo says, still looking relieved once he makes it to the couch and sits down. "I think I'll need a month of rehab and then I can get back to wrestling and stuff." He picks at his shirt and eyes Alicia as she hovers over him worriedly. "I'll be fine. Go look at the baby, I know you want to." He chuckles when she lights up and all but runs off. "So. Thanks for, uh, not inviting Alberto and Paige. I know it sounds awful, but I just... I can't..." His words drift as Mike sits next to him, shaking his head.
"Don't worry about it, man. You were more my friend than either of them ever were. It sucks because I know AJ loves to spend time with Paige, but she agreed with me. After everything this year, you deserve to have some fun and a relaxing meal with friends. If that ever changes, and you think you might be comfortable with us inviting them, you let me know. Alright?"
"You're a good guy, Mike," Ricardo sighs, closing his eyes and leaning back against the couch.
"No idea who gave you that idea," John jokes as he enters with drinks for all of them, grinning at Ricardo. "Nice to see ya again, man."
"Nice to see you too," Ricardo says, sipping his diet Coke. AJ eventually brings out Sara Louisa and they spend awhile passing her around, making faces at her and generally just spoiling her with affection until Mike decides the turkey is done 'cooking', quickly serving them all heaping portions of the sides. Once everyone is seated with food, the couple holds their breath and waits for someone, anyone to out them, realize that it's catered. But no one does, throwing compliment upon compliment at them.
After hours of talking and playing whatever board games Mike can scrounge up, the group disperses, Ricardo, Tamina and Alicia ushered off to guest rooms while Taya and John prepare to return to their apartment. "Thanks for all of this," Taya says, giving Mike a quick hug before turning to leave the best friends to have a few minutes.
They stand shoulder to shoulder, watching the stars twinkling overhead, before John clears his throat. "Meal was really good. I almost couldn't tell it was catered."
Mike chokes on thin air. Glares up at him. "How come I can never get anything past you?!"
"Palace of wisdom," John laughs, winking over at him. "No one's gonna judge you. You're on the road 5 out of 7 days, and you have a one year old. It makes sense."
Mike mulls this over. Rolls his eyes. "Do you think we should take it personally that everyone was a lot more complimentary of this than when we actually cook?"
John just laughs and hugs him tight. "Happy Thanksgiving, man. I'll see you soon."
Huffing at the lack of an answer, Mike nods. "See you soon." He watches them leave before AJ joins him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Baby down?"
"Yep." She kisses his neck and hums. "I'm tired."
"Me too," he sighs. "I think we can do something about that though." She squeaks as he hoists her up and carries her back into the house, laughing loudly.