His Broken Beauty

|Twenty-Two|

The next morning I'd woken up to chattering from a few unfamiliar voices.

I was in nothing but my silky gray gown, the sash tied up tightly around my flat belly side.
The silk material reached just on my mid thigh and I'd worn lingerie and a matching lacy red bra inside.
My hair was in its curly state cascading down my back reaching my waist area as I entered the bathroom and freshened up a bit, putting on some light makeup and lip gloss before I leave my room walking downstairs barefoot.

Is that Mark and Nick??? I asked myself as I got closer to the staircase and went downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen through the living room, I'm met with a tired Katie lying her head on the counter.
Jake and Danny were chatting away and Jaxon was well....just playing with his own phone.

"Good morning" I said making myself known as Nick nudged Mark about the burning pancake on the pan since Mark was busy staring at me.

I kissed Danny's,Jake,Jaxon and Katie's on the top of their heads.

"Good morning mommy" Jake and Jaxon says.

"Good morning " Katie says

"Good morning Jakie's mom" Danny says blushing.

"I hope you don't mind me using your kitchen. I came to drop Danny off and saw you were still asleep, I made boys and Katie breakfast and we'll be back around ten to do the questioning" Mark says putting a plate full of breakfast in front of me.

"Its fine. And Thank you" I said as he kisses my cheek grinning when he sees me blushing.

Get it together Sophie.

"Anytime beautiful" he says winking and I look at my food, my curly hair comes over to the side of my face hiding my blush from his preying eyes.

I hear him chuckle and he kisses the side of my head.
I look over at Nick whose frowning at us, I cough drinking the glass of orange juice in front of me.

"Sophie?are you OK?" Mark asks and I nod as he taps my back gently.

"Mom? are you OK?" Jaxon asks and I nod.
"Y-yeah. I'm OK honey" I said as I ate my food. Mark reluctantly pulls his hand away from my back.

"Danny, you're gonna be OK here,alright buddy?" Mark asks and Danny nods still listening to Jake whose hasn't stopped talking since I walked in.

"Katie? Sweetie, are you OK?" I asked her ad I see she's not eating and she nods.

"Um yeah....yeah, I'm OK" she says softly and I nod turning back to my food and eating.

"Alright, we're heading out now" Mark says and I get off my stool.

"I'll show you out" Mark was going to decline letting me eat my very much needed breakfast.

"Come on, its the least I could do for letting you make breakfast. Its delicious by the way. Thanks Nick...." I said then I thought, what was Nick doing here anyways.

"For...um....pouring me some juice" I said awkwardly as I walked them the front door.
Mark laughed at what I said and Nick laughed too making laugh as well as I opened the door.
Hayden held some brown bag parceled food that looked like from the local diner in town from the label by the front Red Rocks Diner

He was raising his hand up to knock as I'd opened the door.
The cold air nipped at my skin as I clutched my arms around myself.

"Oh...um, good morning Hayden" I said trying to hide my confusion.

What is he doing here?

Nick and Mark somehow puff out their chest a bit as they tried to look intimidating at Hayden who looked at them with a raised eyebrow look.

"Morning. Who are these people?" He asks and I looked to Mark and Nick.

Before I could introduce them, Mark stepped forward.
"I'm Mark, a close friend of my  Sophiebear here. This is Nick, my coworker. You are?" He asks only then do I realize they're the same height.

"I'm Hayden. Hayden Hillcrest. Sophie's also very close friend" Hayden says and Mark nod before looking at me.

He leans over me, his hand on my side of my waist and he pecks my cheek taking me by surprise.
"Bye beautiful. I'll be back to make dinner" he says and they leave. I saw how Mark bumped his arm over Hayden as he passed him.
Hayden snorted laughing a bit humorlessly as he stares at me.

I watched as Mark and Nick drive off in Mark's County Ford Ranger blackish silver tipped truck.

"I....come in?" I said it like a question as he gives me a serious look.

"What?" I asked as he shakes his head.

"Go change. You're shivering. And I don't like you parading around men like Mike in these revealing clothes which are meant for my eyes only" he says making me blush.

"His name's Mark" I told him but he gives me a single raised eyebrow.

"I honestly could care less what his name was" he says stepping in, leaning right close to my ear as he whispered those words.

"Go" he says as he nudged to the stairs and I leave.