The Princess of The Ambrose Asylum ( Book 1of 3)

45

Mackenzie's Point Of View

6 months later...

"Do you need me to do anything else, Steph?" I asked my sister as we both rushed around her massive kitchen like a pair of headless chickens.

"The turkey needs basting again," she said as she peeled the potatoes at the sink.

"I'm on it," I said, quickly putting on my oven mitt and pulling the turkey carefully from the oven. It smelt amazing and had been cooking all morning. I grabbed the baster, filled it with the meat juices and basted the bird, making sure it was well covered and very moist before returning it to the oven. I removed the gloves before going to the kitchen counter to chop up the carrots.

Today was Thanksgiving, and even though it was normally a nice and relaxing day that was spent with family and friends, the rushed morning that was filled with cooking and prep had tired me out. The smells in the kitchen kept me motivated and kept me going; if this food tasted as good as it smelt then I knew this would probably be the greatest meal I'd ever had.

I chopped the carrots carefully, my eyes drifting up to the doorway of the living area, my lips unable to stop smiling.

Daddy sat in a chair, TV remote in hand, Dean seated on the sofa beside him, Randy seated beside Dean. They were watching some football game on TV, laughing and cheering and shouting at the screen. If someone would have told me 9 months ago that those three men would be sitting together, laughing together and not fighting, I'd have told them they were flat out lying.

And yet here they were, acting like best friends, acting like they had always been close.

They had all come so far in these last 6 months.

Dad had really put the effort in with Dean since I had got out of the hospital. Dad had insisted that I stayed at his house during my recovery due to the size of his house and the fact he knew the best doctor's in Stamford. I didn't really have much room to protest but in all honestly I didn't mind. My dad was usually right about these things and he had given me the greatest care available. Plus I knew being here I'd have someone to constantly care for me, something I wouldn't have back in my own apartment. But what made me smile the most was the way he had allowed Dean to be here during every spare minute he had.

The show still had to go on, so despite my injuries my brother and my boyfriend were still called away during the week for WWE, but as soon as they had finished they would fly straight back to me, my dad even allowing Dean to stop over on weekends.

Considering how protective my father was and considering how he'd treated Dean before this, doing this was one hell of a huge step. It was like they had managed to bond over what had happened. They both had a mutual love, and that was me. So when that mutual love was in danger, they had no choice but to team up and grow closer over it.

I hated my injuries, but if it helped Dean and my dad, then at least they were good for something.

And now they were like best friends. They laughed together, they hung out together with Shane and Hunter obviously, they'd even gone to a few football games just by themselves. The turn around wasn't instant, it had taken time for them to become like this. But now they were getting on like a house on fire and I couldn't be happier to see the two most important men in my life getting along.

And thankfully the bond between Dad and Dean had allowed one between Randy and Dean too. Randy had already been somewhat forgiving of my boyfriend after the match against the Club and had accepted that Dean and I were together. But his acceptance of the situation did not necessarily mean an acceptance of Dean himself. Even though they had fought together on the same team, I knew deep down there would still be some animosity.