Chapter One

“I’m sure it’s going to fit. All we have to do is tug a little more and…”

All of the girls winced as the sound of ripping fabric filled the room.

My name is Olivia Ryans and at the moment I felt like a whale. I was at the final dress fitting for my friend Rochelle’s wedding. In three days she was going to marry AJ McLean, Backstreet Boy extraordinaire. Rochelle and I had met at the beginning of summer when I was hired as an intern on the Backtreet Boys summer tour. My job was to videotape and photograph the entire tour. Along the way I also fell in love with one of the guys, accidentally slept with another, found out I was pregnant, and was proposed to on stage. Not bad for three months, right?

Rochelle had been completely confident that I would have no problem with my dress. We had tried it on every week for the past month. We had ordered it in a bigger size just in case. In fact, three days ago it fit fine. And now, it wouldn’t even zip up half way. At just a week shy of five months pregnant, I had exploded.

And it was all Nick Carter’s fault.

In all honesty, it was probably slightly my fault. I had developed a craving for frozen bananas and nacho cheese Doritos. And of course as a loving fiancé and dad-to-be, Nick went to the store every other day to buy me another box of chocolate-banana goodness and overly processed chips. Now the evidence of my gorging was evident.

I turned around to survey the damage; the zipper was hanging completely off the fabric in defeat.

“I’m sure this came be fixed,” Leighanne said. She tugged at the fabric.

“It’s not like it’s just a little tight,” I said. “This is like a Grand Canyon problem.”

Leighanne walked all around me; she seemed to be taking measurements with her eyes. She scared me sometimes.

“We’ll just put in a back panel,” she said snapping her fingers. “No big deal.”

Rochelle got the seamstress in the room while Leighane described possible fixes to my dress. I absolutely adored Leighanne. She was married to Brian Littrell, who was Nick’s best friend. Brian also happened to be the other boy that I had slept with, but that’s a long story. In the end, everything had worked out and Leighanne and I were closer than ever.

“We can do that,” the seamstress was saying. “Maybe instead of a zipper we can do a corset back. That way if she gains any more in the next three days you’ll have some wiggle room.”

I made a face. I vowed that as soon as I got back to the hotel, the frozen bananas and Doritos were going in the trash.

I stood as still as possible while the seamstress worked on the fix. While she did, I looked in the mirror at the other girls.

Leighanne was absolutely stunning. I would never had a figure even close to hers; she had it all: the small waist, the large chest, the blonde hair. The fact that the black bridesmaid gown made her look just that much more elegant blew my mind. If I didn’t love her so much, I’d hate her.

Then there was Leigh, Howie’s wife. She was a beautiful brunette and was one of the sweetest people I had ever met. Howie and her made the perfect pair. Both Leighanne and Leigh had a son, but looking at them now you would never be able to tell that they were once pregnant. And huge. Like me.

The seamstress told me to turn; I did as she said. Meanwhile, Rochelle was stepping into her dress one last time. Her wedding gown was beautiful. It only came to her calves, as did all of the bridesmaid dresses, but it was made of amazingly detailed white silk. Around her waist she wore a black satin ribbon. Her veil was black and white lace. Some people might have thought the black was a little macabre, but knowing Rochelle and AJ, I was surprised to see so much modesty. And white.

The wedding was going to be a huge event; it was taking place on Halloween. The rehearsal dinner the night before was going to be a costume party. AJ had a best man and five groomsmen; Howie had taken the honor of best man. Brian, Nick, Kevin, and two of AJ’s close friends made up the groomsmen. Rochelle had a maid of honor and five bridesmaids; Rochelle’s sister, Denise, was maid of honor while Leigh, Leighanne, Kevin’s wife Kristin, Rochelle’s best friend Wendy, and I were the five bridesmaids. I had never seen so many girls cramped in one room in my life.

“Are you getting nervous?” Leigh asked. Rochelle smoothed out the back of her dress.

“No, I’m ready to get this show on the road,” Rochelle said with a laugh. “I’m sick of AJ obsessing about every little thing. You know how many places he called trying to find black orchids? The man’s a freakin’ metrosexual.”

We laughed. AJ had been obsessing over the wedding for months. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to get it over and done with.

“I think this will do sweetie,” the seamstress said to me. I sighed in relief and slipped the dress over my head.

“Look at the sweet baby bump,” Kristin said. She sighed. “Oh, I remember when I was pregnant with Mason. I felt like a blimp.”

I knew she was trying to be nice, but boy, I didn’t need to be reminded about how I was feeling. I slipped into my clothes. Where everyone else had come in sleek jeans and trendy fall jackets, I was bumming around in one of Nick’s old Buccaneer’s t-shirts and a pair of jogging pants.

“I noticed Nick’s gained some sympathy weight,” Leighanne said as she stepped up to the mirror. I smiled.

“Yeah, he’s gained five or ten pounds.”

“Brian did the same thing,” Leighanne said, sighing as she reminisced. “I don’t think I’d ever seen him happier. We both sat on the couch and ate tons of potato chips. Of course the guys teased him like no tomorrow.”

I smiled. “Something tells me Nick’s not going to get off easy.”

Leighanne squinted in the mirror. “Ugh what a great time to break out,” she complained. She looked at me and shrugged. “What’s a girl to do?”

I watched Rochelle wiggle out of her dress and head into the bathroom for her clothes. Her sister Denise took the opportunity to address the rest of us.

“Alright, I’ve got the final itinerary for the bachelorette party.”

I stifled a groan. I had forgotten that the party was that evening. Luckily, AJ and Rochelle had both decided to stay in town for their parties. At first AJ had suggested Las Vegas, to which both Brian and Nick had emphatically screamed ‘No!’ In the end they convinced him to stay in Orlando.

Denise passed out a sheet of paper with one location written in red.

“No bar hopping?” Wendy asked. She seemed surprised and a little disappointed.

Denise smiled. “Nope, the party’s coming to us.”

-----------------------------

I stood in front of the mirror in my hotel room; I had changed for the fiftieth time. Everything I tried on just didn’t seem right for a bachelorette party.

“You’re not dressed yet?” Nick asked. He was tugging his neck through a plain white t-shirt. He grabbed his black jacket off of the back of a chair.

I threw up my hands. “Nothing looks good.”

Nick grinned. “I’m a big fan of nothing.”

“Nick!”

He laughed. “Okay, let’s see.” He rummaged through the massive pile on the floor and held up a pair of jeans.

“These?”

“They don’t fit.”

He held up a pair of black dress pants.

“These?”

“They don’t fit.”

He sat down in the pile of clothes and looked up at me. “Seriously? All this stuff fit three days ago when you packed it.”

“I know that,” I said, my voice breaking a little bit. “I’m fat. And it’s your fault.”

Nick looked at me in surprise. “My fault?”

“It’s all of the chocolate covered bananas.”

“Don’t forget the chips.”

I glared at him. He smiled. “Oh c’mon, it’s normal. You’re eating for two. You’ve got cravings. It’s my duty to make you happy.”

I slid on a black knit dress. It fit, but clung to my stomach. Resigned to my fate, I bent down to pick up a jacket to cover up my bare shoulders. As I did so, I felt something I had been eagerly waiting for.

The baby kicked.

“NICK!”

“What? I’m sorry; I won’t buy any more chips.”

I shook my head. “No! The baby kicked!”

His face lit up. “Really?”

I nodded. It happened again. “Come here!”

He stood up and came over. His palms rested gently on my belly. He looked down; noting happened. He looked up at me. I felt another kick. His eyes quickly looked back down.

“That is so cool,” he said breathlessly. He looked back up and kissed me softly. I smiled and slid my arms around his neck.

“You know what this means right?” he added. I shook my head.

“I think that means that the baby’s starting to protest the thought of no bananas and Doritos.”

I laughed.

“You’re probably right. Are you going to behave yourself tonight?” I asked softly, running my hands along the back of his neck.

“Absolutely,” he said, tugging me closer. “Even though now I’d rather just lay in bed with you and feel our soccer star.” He kissed me again. “What about you? Are you going to behave?”

I smiled. “Oh you know how all those guys love us pregnant chicks.”

He kissed me again. “I know I do.”

After a few more minutes of kisses and a few more ‘hello world’ kicks, we said goodbye in the hotel lobby.

“I guess we’re designated drivers, right?” Nick said, jingling his keys. I held up another set.

“You got it,” I said.

“Well we can get some good blackmail footage. Plus,” Nick grinned. “I’ll be completely conscious when I get back to the room. And I’ll probably be ready for some special entertainment.”

I laughed. “Me too. You can be my Chippendale.”

With one last kiss, we headed out. Nick drove one direction; I drove another. For a fleeting moment I worried about what trouble the boys were going to get into; then I remembered I had the female equivalent of AJ on my hands.

I was in big trouble.

Chapter Two

Denise had rented out a huge clubhouse for the night of the party. I had all the girls in the SUV, including Rochelle who was blindfolded. She was grinning ear to ear. Something told me this wasn’t the first time she had been blindfolded.

I pulled up in front of the large white building. Leighanne and Kristin helped Rochelle out of the car; the other girls followed suit. After everyone was unloaded, I parked and followed them into the building.

Red and black decorations were everywhere. A well endowed inflatable blow up man was sitting in a chair wearing a mass of mardi gras beads around his neck and other parts. A champagne fountain and rows and rows of various alcoholic beverages lined one table while a completely drool-worthy food buffet stretched along the other wall.

I just prayed it didn’t have chocolate covered bananas.

Denise placed a ‘Bachelorette’ tiara with attached condom veil on Rochelle and topped it off with a ‘Naughty Bride-to-Be’ sash. Then she undid the blindfold.

Rochelle clapped her hands. “Let’s get this party started!”

Things started out fairly normal. After liquor started over-flowing the cups, Denise pulled out a microphone. I sat next to Leighanne; even though I was the designated driver, I had a feeling that she had put little to no alcohol in her cup as well. For that I was kind of glad; I’d have a partner in crime in case we had to carry some of the girls to the van by the end of the evening. I watched Leigh toss back a shot of Tequila like nobody’s business. Howie had taught her well.

“I thought we’d start off with a little Bachelorette karaoke,” Denise explained. She held out the microphone to Rochelle.

“I’m going to need a few more of these first,” she quipped, holding up her cup.

“Trust me, this is just killing time until we’re all blasted,” Denise said. “The fun starts a little later.” She shook the microphone in Rochelle’s direction.

Cup in hand, Rochelle made her way up. She tapped through a selection of songs and settled on ‘Milkshake.’ She had come ready to party; her micro-skirt (I couldn’t even call it a mini) and her black halter top showed more skin than they actually covered. She turned around and gave an ass shake that probably would have made Beyonce jealous.

After a loud round of applause she headed over to refill her drink; Leigh followed, eyeing another shot of Tequila.

“Who’s next?” Denise said.

Leighanne smiled. “Wanna go?”

I laughed. “Sure.”

After pulling Kristin and Leigh (drink in hand) up with us, we chose a rousing rendition of ‘Lady Marmalade.’

“I’ll be X-tina,” Leighanne said.

“I’ll be Pink,” I said. Pink was my hero.

“Lil Kim,” Kristin said.

Leigh squinted at the screen. I stifled a laugh. “Whoever’s left!” she finally said, throwing her hands (and part of her drink) into the air.

It was absolutely horrible, ear-splitting, but 100% fun. Leighanne and I were back to back, half laughing through the words. At one point Leigh translated her entire verse to Spanish. By the end of the song we were a pile of giggles.

Leighanne and I sat back down while Kristin and Leigh went to refill their drinks. Denise stepped up and handed each of us a list. Each one had the word DARE written across it.

“Even though we’re not bar hopping, we’ve come to the right place. There’s a huge golf and poker tournament going on in the convention center next door. We’re going to head over there and whoever can complete the most dares wins,” Denise explained. She handed each of us a disposable camera.

“Just in case you can’t bring the actual thing back, get some proof,” she added.

Leighanne and I looked down at the list; Rochelle was already running across to the convention center.

DARE LIST
1. Get 50 phone numbers
2. Kiss a bald man's head
3. Get a guy to give you a condom
4. Find a virgin
5. Get a guy to show you his stomach
6. Get a guy to write his favorite sexual position on your lower back
7. Get a guy to order you a 'sexy drink' (one with a dirty name)
8. Get a guy to moon the bachelorette party
9. Get a piggy back ride
10. Find a man with the groom’s name and kiss him on the cheek
11. Get a guy to leave a voicemail for the groom telling him how lucky he is

I looked over at Leighanne; she looked over at me. We grinned.

“So I think asking a guy for a condom is going to go over really well for me,” I said, placing my hands on my stomach. We laughed.

“Way too late for that one,” she teased. We headed outside, taking our time as we walked towards the convention center.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Leighanne said. “How did the divorce finalization go?”

Now, I think I forgot to mention that when I fell in love with Nick, I was sort of married at the time. Of course, the marriage wasn’t a happy one; my ex-husband, Hunter, had made my life a living hell. Even though I did cheat on him, he had beaten me to the punch. He had been sleeping with my now ex-best friend Jess for over a year and had gotten her pregnant. In fact, when I saw her in the courtroom, she looked about ready to pop.

“As well as could be expected,” I said. “Nick came with me and Hunter shot daggers at us the whole time. Of course, the very next week there was that article in Star magazine.”

Leighanne wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I saw that.”

Hunter had run to Star with the story that Nick Carter, the ‘horn’ dog, got pleasure from stealing ladies away from their husbands, knocking the girl up, beating up said husband, and then dropping the girl and moving on to the next. It was an absolutely ridiculous fluff piece (aside from the beating up part); even so Nick and I made the cover in one of the small squares in the lower right hand side. I was upset at first; Nick just grinned and declared we needed to frame it on the wall.

“If this is the worst he can do to us now, I could care less,” Nick had reassured me. “He’s in the past; we’re the future.”

“Nick took it in stride,” I said out loud for Leighanne’s sake. “He’s just glad that we’re down here and all that is way up there in Wisconsin.”

Leighanne nodded. “How are things with your mom?”

I sighed. “She’s still upset, but we talk every day. I’m hoping that when she comes down for Thanksgiving that I’ll finally convince her to move down here. The economy is tanking fast everywhere, but it’s the pits up there right now.”

In my “before” life, I had been a librarian at the Wakamata Public Library in Wakamata, Wisconsin. The reason I was able to go on the Boys’ summer tour was because the library had let me go because of budget cuts and I was desperately unemployed. Then while on the road, the library called and wanted me back to work the month of July. I had agreed, but told them that I wanted back full-time in September. They had agreed. They had lied.

But, in the end it had worked out. By the end of September, I was completely moved in to Nick’s house with my two dogs, Atari and Bitsy, and all of my clothes which even at that point didn’t fit me. If it wasn’t for the fact that we had only seen one baby and heard one heartbeat, I would swear I was having octuplets.

By the time I got out of my reverie, Leighanne and I were at the entrance to the convention center. We headed in, both of us I daresay, not to play the game, but rather to see how far the other girls had gotten.

Leigh had only gotten as far as the bar. As worried as I was about Rochelle, it seemed like by the end of the night we’d be carrying her out to the car instead. Rochelle and her best friend Wendy were over by some young golfers who were showing them the finer aspects of their, er, stroke.

“Out of my way!”

Leighanne and I jumped aside; Kristin seemed to be on a mission. We watched as she walked up to a bald guy and smiled charmingly. After a few moments he shrugged and laughed. I saw him lean down; Kristin kissed his head while Denise snapped a picture.

“Want to go watch the poker tournament?” Leighanne asked, nodding towards a room bustling with people. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rochelle jump on the back of an old guy; she swung a golf club over her head.

“Absolutely,” I said. Something told me that even though the poker room looked busy, it might be less chaotic.

We wove through the bodies of spectators as we made our way from table to table. Tensions ran high in the room; chips seemed to change hands at a rapid pace. I stopped to watch an ‘all in’ moment with two players that had amazing poker faces. The crowd erupted in cheers as what appeared to be the rookie got the better of a pro.

“If you were mine I’d ride you all night long,” a voice growled in my ear. I felt a hand grab my ass. I turned around angrily.

My eyes widened in surprise. It was Nick.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. I looked around for Leighanne; I had lost her.

“Well, since it’s not wise to bar hop with two recovering alcoholics, we decided to give AJ a buy-in for the tournament instead,” Nick said with a grin. He plucked the DARE list from my hand.

“What do we have here?”

I blushed. “Gimme that. It’s for the bachelorette party.”

He turned his back to me, keeping the paper out of my reach. As he read down the list, he snickered.

“How many have you completed?”

I laughed. “Not a one. Leighanne and I are hiding in the poker room.”

Nick turned back around. “Aw, c’mon, where’s your sense of adventure?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You want a guy to write on my lower back?”

We headed to a corner that was less crowded. “If that guy’s me I have absolutely no problem.”

“What?”

Nick tapped the list. “It doesn’t say who you have to talk to in order to complete these things,” he smiled.

“You are such a cheater,” I said. I looked at him. Something seemed different…I squinted.

“Nick?”

He was still looking at the list. “Yeah?”

“Why are you covered in glitter?”

He actually blushed. “Oh, that, yeah, er…well before we came here we kind of had our own DARE list.”

“Oh?”

“One of the dares was to get a lap dance.”

The thought of a skinny, big breasted woman gyrating all over Nick’s lap turned my stomach. He seemed to read my thoughts because he shook his head, looking a little embarrassed.

“He gave quite a dance,” Nick said.

I stifled an incredulous snort. “He?”

Nick smiled sheepishly. “Did I forget to mention that the lap dance had to be with a transvestite? His name was Sparkles.”

I stared at him like he was insane.

“Hey, none of the others would do it! I was the only one to complete the whole DARE list.” He puffed out his chest. “I’m very comfortable with my masculinity.”

I scraped a piece of glitter off his cheek. I looked at it a moment before I burst out laughing.

“What have I gotten myself into?” I teased. He smiled and leaned down for a kiss. I pulled back, still smiling.

“Uh-uh. You’re going to need a de-Sparkling shower before you kiss me.”

Nick smiled. “Okay, agreed. But let’s work on getting you the win for your list.”

I shook my head. “No,” I looked around. I saw Leigh stagger into the room with what looked like a condom stuck to her forehead. Geesh.

“Nick, I hate to be a party pooper, but it’s probably not a good idea for AJ and Rochelle to bump into each other. She’s on her way to getting completely bombed. Leigh and Kristin aren’t far behind.”

Nick glanced back at the list. I could almost see him debating about how he’d feel if I was drunk and trying to get fifty guys numbers or piggy back rides. By the look on his face, I doubt that he liked the idea.

“Okay, well as soon as AJ loses all his chips, which will probably be soon, we’ll duck out the back exit.”

I nodded. “And I’m going to try to round up the girls and get them back to the clubhouse. They’ll be safe there…I hope.”

Nick squeezed my hand. “See you later tonight?”

I smiled. “Absolutely.”

As I walked away I called over my shoulder. “Don’t forget the shower!”

Nick gave me an affectionate salute. My heart leapt.

Unfortunately, the warm fuzzy feeling didn’t last long. In fact, less than ten minutes later all hell broke loose.

Chapter Three

After Nick and I separated, I quickly began the mission of finding the girls and getting them back to the clubhouse. The first person I spotted was Denise, who was letting a guy write on her lower back. I walked up to her, all the while looking from side to side for any of the other girls.

“What’s up?” Denise asked. She turned around and thanked the guy. He grinned.

“We have a little issue,” I said. I quickly filled her in; her eyes widened.

“Of all the places to go they’re here?”

I nodded. “We’ve got to get the other girls before AJ sees his wife-to-be drunk and letting all these Tiger Woods wanna-be’s giving her piggy back rides.”

Denise nodded. “Let’s split up and meet by the door in five minutes. If we’re still missing anyone, we’ll at least send the ones we find back.”

“Agreed,” I said. I went left; Denise went right.

Luckily, the first person I met was Leighanne. She looked relieved to see me.

“Oh thank god, someone else that’s sober.”

I laughed. “I need your help. We need to get everyone back over to the clubhouse.”

“Why?”

“That’s a longer story than I have time to tell. Do you know where any of the other girls are?”

Leighanne waded through the crowd; I followed. She stopped and pointed. Rochelle and Wendy were currently taking a picture of a guy’s very big, very white ass. Leighanne and I simultaneously made a face. After the guy yanked his pants back up and headed off, we walked over.

“Hey guys, we’re going to head back to the clubhouse,” I said. Rochelle pouted; she swayed slightly.

“But I have two more things to finish on the list,” she said. Wendy fell against her, feebly holding up the paper.

“It’s okay, we’re stopping and whoever has the most will still win,” I cajoled. Leighanne took Rochelle’s arm; I took Wendy’s. I looked at my watch; my five minutes was up.

The four of us made our way to the front door. Denise was standing at the door alone.

“You didn’t find Leigh or Kristin?” I asked. She glanced at the other girls.

“Hey Leighanne, can you take Wendy and Rochelle back to the clubhouse?” Denise asked. Leighanne looked between Denise and me. She looked confused, but she nodded. Leighanne, Rochelle, and Wendy headed back over the grassy lawn. Once they were gone, Denise looked at me.

“I found Leigh,” she said. “Well, at least I think I have.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Denise smiled. “I was walking by the coat closet and I heard a girl moaning ‘Aye papi’ over and over again. Whoever she’s with in there is talking dirty to her in Spanish. Well, they’re probably doing more than talking.”

“So shall we conclude that she met up with Howie?” I asked.

Denise nodded. “I ran into Brian. They lost Howie about a half hour ago.”

I laughed. “Okay. We’ll leave them to their tequila-induced romp. What about Kristin?”

Denise shrugged. “I don’t know. I couldn’t find her.”

At that moment a myriad of loud voices spilled out from the poker room. Two security guards ran by us. Denise and I looked at each other. Somehow I think we had found Kristin.

Like everyone else, we raced towards the commotion. Denise was able to push through the crowd, but I was more cautious. I was in the midst of squeezing between two large gentlemen when a familiar hand grabbed my arm pulling me backwards. I knew who it was instantly.

“Nick? What’s going on?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose with the fingers on his free hand.

“How in the hell did we all end up at the same place?”

“We’ve asked ourselves the same question. Luckily, Rochelle’s back at the clubhouse and completely oblivious. What’s going on?" I asked again.

“Kristin’s drunk as a skunk. Brian and I were trying to get all the guys out of here when Kevin spotted Kristin lying on the bar getting drinks sucked off her stomach like a college co-ed. Kevin turned into the incredible hulk; he threw the guy towards the poker room and they started fist fighting. I think security is calming things down right now, but we’ll probably be asked to leave. And, to make things worse, we still haven’t found Howie.”

“I can help you with that one. Howie and Leigh are in the coat closet.”

Nick grinned. “Lucky bastard. I’d kill to be in a coat closet with you right now instead of dragging guys out of a building. Things seem so different when you’re sober and responsible.” He looked horrified by the realization that he was turning into a responsible adult.
Even though he was still covered in glitter, I kissed him softly.

“I love the responsible Nick,” I said. He smiled and touched my face softly. Before he could kiss me again, we heard the level of commotion rise once more.

We turned in unison to see the security guards escorting Kevin and Kristin outside. AJ and Brian were right on their heels; AJ’s two other close friends had stayed out of the situation and were hanging out by the now empty bar. Even so, when they saw the group heading outside, they downed their drinks and followed.

Nick and I shared a look.

“I think we need to get Leigh and Howie out of the coat room and then go outside and see if we can salvage this night,” I suggested. Nick nodded.

We headed to the coat room. Nick tried the handle; it was locked. He knocked, leaning close to the door.

“Howie?”

It took several minutes and another couple knocks, but finally the door swung open. A blurry eyed Howie peered out. His shirt was still half unbuttoned and his tie hung loosely around his neck. He smiled when he saw Nick.

“Nick!”

I heard Leigh burst into giggles. Howie ducked back in and whispered something in Spanish.

Nick bit his lip; I could tell he was amused. To tell you the truth, so was I. Howie was the most straight-laced guy I had ever met; I kinda liked drunk Howie. Nick knocked on the door again and cleared his throat. Howie’s face reappeared.

“Howie, we need to go,” Nick explained. He looked confused.

“Where?”

“There’s been a little problem and I’m taking you guys to our next stop.”

“I think we’re going to stay here,” Howie said. Nick shook his head.

“You’ll see Leigh later tonight. C’mon man.”

Howie closed the door again; Nick looked at me slightly exasperated. I smiled.

“If I was in there with you I will honestly say that I wouldn’t let you out of the coatroom,” I admitted.

Nick’s eyes darkened slightly. “Maybe there’s room for two more.”

I shook my head. “Don’t even go there.”

After another minute, Howie and Leigh emerged. Both were extremely wobbly on their feet. Howie slung an arm around Nick’s shoulders.

“Alright, bud, let’s go,” Howie said. He grinned over at me. “I’ve known him since he was this high.” His hand reached to his waist; I daresay he was a little off on his height judgment. Even so I smiled.

“I know Howie. Have a good night; I’ll bring Leigh back to you a little later.”

“See you later mamacitas,” Howie said as Nick began to walk him towards the door. Leigh blew him a kiss, then staggered into me. I grabbed her waist to keep her from falling.

Leigh and I followed Howie and Nick outside. I figured we could just grab Kristin and head back to the clubhouse.
No such luck.

Kevin and Kristin were having a screaming match outside. Brian and AJ were holding Kevin’s arms. AJ’s other two friends (I really needed to learn their names) held Kristin by the waist. Her legs kicked out in the air.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Nick said loudly.

Kevin’s face was beat red; I had never seen him angry. At that moment I had an idea of how he must have looked when he had almost beat AJ’s hotel room door down before AJ went to rehab. It was a scary sight.

Of course Kristin wasn’t much better. Her blonde hair had come undone from her up-do; her eyes were completely red-rimmed. I had never seen two married people look at each other with so much anger.

Nick stepped between the two and held out his hands. He pointed at Brian and AJ.

“Get him back to the van. Then come back and get Howie.” Then he pointed at the guys holding Kristin back.

“Follow Livvy and Leigh back to their clubhouse and make sure Kristin gets in there safely. Then come and get in the van.”

Everyone dispersed. I helped Leigh walk unsteadily across the lawn back to the clubhouse; the guys followed. They struggled to keep Kristin calm. She gave new meaning to the word wildcat. I could understand Kevin being upset about the bar incident, but I couldn’t help but wonder if there was some underlying issue that had caused the blow up to become even worse.

I ushered Leigh inside the building. Music was blaring from the main room. The guys walked behind me with Kristin. When they saw what was going on, they groaned.

A male stripper was in the midst of his performance.

“Can you take her from here?” one of the guys said.

“You don’t want to stay?” I asked sweetly.

They both gave me a look. I laughed. “Yes, I’ll take it from here. Thank you.”

Leigh’s eyes lit up when she saw the stripper. Even though I could only assume she had just received something much better than a striptease; she stumbled into a seat next to Wendy. Kristin took longer to coax into a seat. She sat down, arms crossed. Leighanne looked at her worriedly, then headed over to me.

“What’s wrong?”

I sighed, but in the end I explained what had happened. Her eyes widened. She looked at Kristin again.

“She’s a mean drunk,” Leighanne said. “But, I’ve never seen those two fight before.”

“Well, let’s hope that we can get through the rest of the night without ruining Rochelle’s time,” I said. “With a little luck, this will all blow over by tomorrow.”

Leighanne sat back down; I took the last remaining seat. The stripper gave Rochelle a lap dance, then began to mingle with the other girls. His body was pretty impressive; but Nick Carter he was not. The girls, especially Rochelle, were quickly running out of places to put dollar bills. Luckily, the idea of shaking it for a pregnant lady must not have been up his alley; he pretty much avoided me. In all truthfulness, he seemed to have eyes for Leighanne, who pretended to be involved with something on her cell phone every time he came near.

After the stripper had done his thing and Denise had taken care of an extra tip, she turned back to us.

“I think maybe we should dig into the buffet.”

I had thought that we would have been able to dig into the buffet a couple hours ago. I had gone beyond starving. The food was mostly chilled sandwiches and chips, but sometime between the time we went to the convention center and returned to the clubhouse, someone had turned on a chocolate fountain. Pretzels, marshmallows, strawberries, and bananas were placed around the fountain to be covered in chocolate-y goodness. I moaned in pleasure. Leighanne was right behind me; she laughed.

“You’re eyeing the fountain aren’t you?”

I smiled. “Guilty.”

“Well, I’m going to have to work an extra hour on the treadmill, but I’m skipping the sandwiches. That chocolate smells amazing,” Leighanne admitted.

Both of us opted to pile our plates with the worst junk food on the buffet. The idea to break for food was a good one; by the time the food mixed with the alcohol in the girl’s stomachs, a little sanity seemed to come back.

We ended the night a couple hours later after a few more games and gifts. I had gotten Rochelle a pair of pink cheetah print furry handcuffs. Lingerie, condoms, body oils, and edible underwear rounded out her selections. She held up the underwear and the handcuffs, her eyes sparkling.

“I have plans for these.”

I had no doubt that she did.

After one last trip to the chocolate fountain, I piled the girls in the van and dropped everyone off at their respective hotels. It was with a great sigh of relief that I valet parked and headed back to my room.

Nick was already there. He was lounging on the bed, freshly showered. He looked absolutely exhausted. Without a word, I slid into bed beside him. He rolled over on his side, his eyes locking on mine.

“I don’t even want a bachelor party,” he said. I smiled.

“Oh c’mon,” I said. “It was AJ’s bachelor party. Did you expect any less?”

He cracked a smile. “No. Actually, I know it could have gone much worse. AJ didn’t have a lick of alcohol. What I wasn’t prepared for was Mt. St. Kevin erupting. The rest of the night sucked after that.”

I ran my hands through his wet hair. The smell of Old Spice deodorant and a heady shower gel heightened my senses.

“Well, let’s just chalk it up to an experience,” I said softly. He pulled me closer, his hand started on my knee, then slid under my dress to rest on my hip.

“I know of a good way to put it behind me,” Nick said. His fingers slipped under my panties. I sucked in a breath.

“Aren’t you tired?” I said. He grinned, tugging me on top of him.

“Nope, I think I just got a little burst of energy.”

A little burst was a huge understatement. As I curled up in his arms an hour later, I saw the first rays of morning light playing a game of hide-and-seek with the blinds. I groaned, burying my face in his damp chest. He kissed the top of my head.

“Time for bed babe,” he whispered. “We’ve got to be vampires again tonight for the rehearsal dinner.”

Nick’s hands splayed across my belly. Sleeping was easier said than done; baby Carter was waking up with happy little kicks just as I was trying to fall asleep.

It was going to be another long day.

Chapter Four

“You have got to be kidding me,” I said incredulously.

“What? You don’t like them?”

I should have known when I had told Nick that he could choose our costumes for the rehearsal party that he was going to pick something completely off the wall.

I was right.

He had gone with a “his and hers” theme. His costume was a chef’s outfit; I had a feeling he’d look like a hot version of Curtis Stone once he put it on. My costume on the other hand was a huge oven.

“Bun in the oven and I’m the chef…get it?” Nick said hopefully.

“I’m supposed to wear a huge foam oven all night?”

“Well, it was either this or the plug and socket costume set. Since there’s going to be children present, I didn’t think my plug being by your socket all night would be appropriate. Don’t you like it?” He smiled charmingly.

I touched the costume. I could already see Leighanne dressed as an angel in my mind; Rochelle a sexy devil. Then there’d be me…the oven.

Even though it wouldn’t have been my top choice, I couldn’t help but give Nick an A for effort. I smiled. “It’s a cute idea. I’m sure once the baby’s born and I’m back under zeppelin balloon weight that I’ll think it’s adorable.”

Nick grinned. “If you’re lucky maybe tonight I’ll show you some tricks with my rolling pin.”

I laughed. “I think I got a preview last night.”

With some assistance from Nick, a half hour later we were showered and dressed. I had to admit that once I got the oven (which was surprisingly comfortable) on, that I did look kinda cute.

“I’m going to be squeezing your doors all night,” Nick teased. I jabbed him in the stomach. I had also been correct on my other assumption; he did look like Curtis Stone (only ten times hotter). If he adopted an Australian accent, I think I would have skipped the rehearsal all together.

The actual wedding rehearsal took place at one of the most beautiful churches I had ever been in. I’m sure the minister wondered what he had gotten himself into; the wedding party was the weirdest sight I had ever seen. Rochelle was dressed as a very sexy Alice in Wonderland; AJ was the Mad Hatter. Surprisingly, my vision of Leighanne as a sexy angel was dead wrong. Brian, Leigh, and Baylee were all dressed as puppy dogs. Baylee looked absolutely adorable with long soft brown ears and the tip of his nose painted black. Leigh gave Halle Berry a run for her money; she was dressed as Catwoman. Howie was dressed as Batman; James was dressed in a penguin suit.

Then there was Kevin and Kristin. Kristin was dressed as a medieval princess; Kevin was dressed as Buzz Lightyear. Little Mason was dressed as Woody. Even though Mason had Kristin’s blonde hair, he had received most of Kevin’s facial features. He stuck like glue to Kevin whereas Kristin kept a sizeable distance.

“You two look adorable,” Leighanne said as Nick and I walked in. All heads swiveled in our direction. Nick waved his rolling pin, I smiled.

The girls came over to check out my costume. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Brian take Nick’s rolling pin. Nick grabbed it back and I could tell he was about to do something with it that wasn’t church appropriate.

“Nickolas Gene Carter!” I called out in a loud whisper. He paused mid-stroke, looked at me guiltily, then put it behind his back.

The minister cleared his throat. “Shall we get started?”

Things went fairly quickly (and smoothly) at the church, even though we had to run through the ceremony twice. The first time ended abruptly when the wagon carrying James was tipped over by Baylee who was being followed idolatrously by Mason. Unable to make his way around Mason, Baylee had decided to jump over him. Needless to say, the wagon wasn’t made to go airborne. Ten minutes of wailing and lots of alligator tears later, James clung to the sides nervously as Baylee once again walked down the aisle and the flower girl (dressed like a princess) trailed behind, sprinkling rose petals and smiling regally. Even though we were all dressed ridiculously, I still got teary eyed as Rochelle’s dad (dressed as the Cheshire Cat) walked her down the aisle towards AJ, who had on a huge top hat and a wig of crazy red hair, ala Johnny Depp. Leighanne nudged the side of my oven gently and handed me a tissue; I was glad to know I wasn’t the only one that got choked up at a rehearsal, no matter how weird. We both dabbed our eyes. Nick and Brian looked over and shook their heads in unison.

When the minister got to the part about anyone objecting, I noticed out of the corner of my eye Kevin and Kristin share a look. Their attitude was such a far cry from when they helped out for the Masquerade music video that they seemed like two completely different people. As I had correctly assumed the night before, it wasn’t just the alcohol making their tempers flare.

After the rehearsal, everyone piled into their respective cars to head to dinner. AJ had rented out Del Frisco’s Prime Steakhouse. Nick inhaled deeply as we walked in to the large banquet room.

“That steak smells amazing.”

I nodded in agreement. Nick pulled out a chair for me; I went to sit down and realized that sitting in an oven costume was easier said than done. After a few minutes, Nick yanked the oven over my head. I was wearing a long black t-shirt and black stretch pants underneath that were a little too tight. Nick playfully pinched my behind; I swatted his hand and sank down into the chair.

AJ and Rochelle sat at the head of the table, their heads touched as they whispered to each other. I noticed Brian deliberately shifted Baylee down so that he was sitting next to Kevin. Even though Kristin sat on Kevin’s other side, she constantly looked away from him.

We didn’t have to wait long before the wait staff began to bring out the food. Brian and Nick practically lunged at their plates.

“Men and their meat,” Leighanne said. I laughed.

Little conversations sprung up around the table as salad, steak, lobster, potatoes, and more were shared. Someone asked AJ where they were honeymooning (Aruba), someone else asked Howie how old James was (17 months), and finally Kristin turned to Nick and I.

“I meant to ask…do you know what you’re having yet?”

Nick paused, a bottle of A1 sauce in hand. “We’re pretty sure it’s a baby.”

I laughed and smiled warmly at her. “No, we find out next week whether it’s a boy or girl.”

“What do you want it to be?” Denise asked.

Nick and I shared a look.

“A boy,” I said.

“A girl,” he said.

Brian had been sipping from his glass of champagne. He choked, practically spraying Nick and I in the process. Leighanne hit him on the back.

“You want a girl?” Brian asked incredulously.

“You want to break the streak?” Howie said.

Nick grinned. “I like to be different.”

“You don’t have to have a girl to be different,” Brian said. Leighanne turned to him.

“You say it like having a girl is a bad thing,” she said. Brian looked at her surprised.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Brian explained. “It’s just…we’re three for five.”

“My money’s on a boy,” AJ said.

“Have you thought of any names?” Rochelle asked.

I shook my head. “No, we’ve been so busy we haven’t even cracked open the baby name books. Once we know if it’s a boy or girl that will make it easier.”

“I just know we’re not going to do something off the wall,” Nick added.

“No Zuma?” AJ asked.

Nick laughed. “No Zuma.”

At that moment dessert was brought out and conversation once again ceased. Even though the steak was good; this was the part of the meal I had been looking forward to. Large pieces of chocolate chip cheesecake were laid out in front of us. I grabbed my fork and dug in. I heard Nick moan in appreciation.

“That’s going to go straight to your ass, Nick,” AJ snickered. Nick glared over at him.

“I’m splurging today. It’s a special occasion,” Nick explained.

“What’s your excuse the rest of the time?”

Nick made a face. AJ laughed.

After a few more minutes of silky cheesecake bliss, I heard a tap on the side of a champagne glass. Howie stood up, smiling around the table at everyone.

“I’d like to make a toast,” he said. “AJ’s been like a brother to me. I’ve seen him grow up; I’ve witnessed his highs and his lows. I can honestly say I’ve never seen AJ this happy before. Rochelle, I wish you all the best. You’re going to need a lot of patience to keep this boy in line.”

Everyone laughed. Howie lifted his glass high in the air.

“In all seriousness, I want to wish AJ and Rochelle many happy years of marriage. It may not always be easy, but it’s well worth the journey.”

Nick’s hand covered mine. With a soft smile, I tapped his water goblet with my own.

“Cheers.”

Denise stood up next. Her speech was reminiscent of days growing up.

“I never knew you’d find someone that was so much like you, Ro. From the tattoos to the wild spirit, I can’t picture you with anyone else.”

Once again everyone clinked glasses. As Denise sat down, I saw Kristin quietly excuse herself. Brian leaned over and whispered something to Kevin. Kevin lowered his head. I saw his eyes glance over at Mason. I had grown up thinking of Kevin as the strong father of the group, always in control. The Kevin that sat across from us was anything but. He seemed almost…broken.

As I mulled over that realization, I heard yet another clink of glass. AJ had stood up, surveying the group.

“I just want to thank all of you for sharing in this special time for Rochelle and me. Every single one of you is like family, whether we’re related by blood or not, it doesn’t matter. Guys,” he nodded in the direction of Howie, Brian, Kevin, and Nick. “You guys are the brothers I always wanted…and needed. You picked me up when I was down and you never gave up on me. Hopefully I can be as good a husband as my three role models,” AJ said, smiling at Howie, Kevin, and Brian. “I love you all, and I especially love this amazing lady sitting beside me.” He leaned down and kissed Rochelle softly as everyone else cheered the happy couple. Kevin got up and excused himself. Brian waited a few moments then followed. I caught Leighanne’s eye; she shrugged helplessly.

After speeches by AJ’s mom and Rochelle’s dad, a DJ began to crank out music. We stood up as the wait staff pushed tables against the walls. Nick helped me back into my oven costume. Even though I couldn’t help but worry about Kevin and Kristin, I smiled when I heard the first few notes of 1, 2, 3, 4 by the Plain White T’s.

“I’m going to take that smile as my chance to get you out on the dance floor,” Nick said. He tugged the sides of my costume.

“You know I feel like I’m one of the Fruit of the Loom guys in this thing,” I complained as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’m the apple.”

Nick’s forehead came to rest on mine. He kissed me gently. “I love apples.”

Howie and Leigh danced by us; Leigh’s head rested on Howie’s shoulder. They were the picture of contentment. With a sigh I closed my eyes, losing myself in the music.

“So when are we going to do this?” Nick asked. I opened my eyes and let them lock on Nick’s own beautiful blues.

“Do what?”

He smiled. “Get hitched.”

I laughed. “Hitched?”

He grew serious, his voice turned gentle. “When are we getting married, Livvy?”

I traced the muscles in his neck with my fingertips. “After the baby’s born.”

One of his hands slipped from my side, when it reemerged it held his cellphone. He flipped to a 2011 calendar and held it up.

“Pick a date, any date.”

I shook my head. “Nick, it’s not that simple.”

“Why can’t it be? We’ve had enough hard times. Let’s make this simple.”

I laughed. Sometimes his pure randomness made absolute sense. I squinted at the screen. I kept coming back to one date.

“Saturday, August 6,” I said.

Nick looked surprised; I daresay he didn’t expect to get a date out of me. “Really?”

I smiled and nodded. “Really.”

“Well let me make sure I schedule that weekend off,” he teased.

As the song ended, he jumped up on a chair.

“Clear your calendars people! The Carter wedding’s going to be August 6th!”

Howie let out a loud whistle. AJ grinned.

“The last one bites the dust!”

Nick grinned. “Yeah Jizzle. Maybe by that time you and Rochelle will have a little one…then the last one will bite the dust.”

AJ looked panicked at the idea. Rochelle laughed.

“That would be a honeymoon baby,” Howie said. AJ gave him the finger.

“I’m just trying to help you out!”

As everyone started to tease AJ about starting a family, Nick and I wandered over to Leighanne. She congratulated us, but I could tell her attention was elsewhere. I followed her gaze. She was watching Brian and Kevin. They must have snuck back in when Nick and I were dancing.

“Is everything okay?” I asked. She sighed and shook her head no.

“Kristin filed for divorce last week. They agreed to get through the wedding for AJ and Rochelle’s sake. Kev’s a wreck. He didn’t even see it coming.”

I looked around for Kristin; I didn’t see her. Mason was on the dance floor with Baylee.

“What happened?” Nick asked, frowning.

“I don’t know everything; I don’t think Kev even knows everything. He told Brian that Kristin was getting frustrated in Kentucky. She wants to be back in LA so she’s closer to acting opportunities. But, she didn't want him to go with her.” Leighanne lowered her voice even more. “It makes me kind of mad. Kristin asked Kev to leave the group four years ago. She told him that she didn’t want a baby if he was touring all the time. Kev really wanted to start a family; seeing Brian with Baylee was like torture. So they had Mason and Kev’s been such a hands-on stay at home dad. And now…”

We watched as Mason ran across the room, throwing himself around Kevin’s leg. With the gentlest movement I had ever seen, Kevin scooped him up and hugged him tightly. I saw his eyes close tightly as he held his boy.

My heart broke for him.

Chapter Five

“I just don’t believe it,” Nick said as he drove us back to the hotel. “The words “Kevin” and “divorce” don’t go together.”

I sighed. “I know. It says a lot about him that he’d still ask Kristin to be here for the wedding.”

“That’s because he always thinks of everyone before himself,” Nick said.

We pulled up to the hotel. I had abandoned my oven in the backseat and I was more than ready to get into some comfy pajamas. Nick came around to my door, lifting me out of my seat.

“You’re going to break your back if you keep doing that,” I said. Nick smiled.

“You forget that I’m packing these guns,” he said, flexing his arms. “I’m licensed and heavily armed.”

I snorted; yes I actually snorted. Nick burst out laughing. God bless Nick for loving a nerd.

We headed to our room, hand in hand. With another early morning looming ahead, I couldn’t wait to get under the soft Egyptian cotton sheets and crash. Nick sat at the end of the bed and tugged off his shoes as I yanked the tight black shirt over my head.

“So about those tricks with my rolling pin…” Nick said.

I looked at him like he was crazy. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Yeah?”

“I have to wake up at seven to meet the girls by eight to get our hair done.”

“It takes six hours to get your hair did?” The wedding was at two.

“We’ve got hair, makeup, getting dressed, touch-ups, pre-ceremony pictures,” I rattled off. Nick shook his head.

“I’m not meeting the guys until like ten,” Nick said.

“Yes, but you’re guys,” I said. Nick laughed.

“No, we’ve had years of experience changing costumes in thirty seconds.” He stretched out languorously across the bed. “So I’m guessing you’re taking a rain check on my baking skills?”

I slid his Celtics jersey over my head and crawled in beside him. I kissed his shoulder and rested my chin on his chest.

“I’m living proof of your baking skills, Nick.”

His fingers slid under the shoulders of the jersey. “This is a good look on you.”

I laughed and kissed him softly.

“Good night.”

Nick sighed. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.” He gave me another kiss, this one long and incredibly sweet. “Good night, Livvy.”

He reached over and clicked off the light. A few minutes later, soft snoring filled the room.

I drifted off to sleep thinking about all of the wedding plans Nick and I needed to get started on. Even though it seemed like so far away, August would be here before we knew it. In my mind I could see Nick standing in a tux, barefoot on the beach.

It was a great way to fall asleep.

-------------------------------------------

My alarm clock shrilled way too early the next morning. I hit snooze three times. On the fourth blare, Nick picked the clock up and tossed it across the room. The sound of the plastic crunching against the wall finally told me to get up.

Nick grabbed my wrist as I started to get out of bed.

“Don’t,” he mumbled. “I’m cold.”

I highly doubted it. During the course of the night, he had managed to kick all the covers almost completely off the bed.

“I’ve got to go.” I picked up my cell phone. I was late. “Oh shit!”

I scrambled around the room, getting dressed and collecting panty hose and shoes. By the time I stuffed everything into a duffel bag, Nick was sitting up bleary eyed watching me. I rushed over and gave him a kiss.

“See you this afternoon,” I said. I flew to the door.

“Don’t speed,” Nick warned. “I don’t care if you’re a few minutes late.”

I assured him that safety was my middle name and headed out to the van. I arrived at the hair salon twenty minutes late.

“I’m so sorry,” I said as I breezed in. Five heads wrapped up in twists and curlers turned in my direction.

I wasn’t the only one missing.

“Where’s Kristin?”

“She left for LA late last night,” Leighanne said softly.

“I have a replacement bridesmaid on the way,” Rochelle added. She sounded exhausted.

I sank down in a salon chair and handed the stylist a picture of the up-do I wanted. She set to work while I got caught up on events.

“She called a taxi and slipped out during dinner,” Leigh said. “No note or anything.”

“And now AJ’s freaking out,” Rochelle said bitterly. “He’s always looked up to Kevin. Last night AJ looked at me and said ‘If marriage didn’t work out for Kev, how do I stand a chance?’”

“He didn’t,” I said. Rochelle just nodded. “Oh, he did.”

“Luckily, Brian and Howie intervened,” Leigh said.

“When did this all happen?” I asked. I had thought that everyone had left at the same time Nick and I did.

“Well, Kevin realized Kristin was nowhere to be found when we were all getting in our cars. It all went downhill from there,” Leighanne said. “Thank goodness Mason was fast asleep. I think that would have made it ten times worse.”

“I think the thing that made Kevin the angriest is he didn’t want AJ and me to find out until after the wedding,” Rochelle said. “He actually apologized to us. I mean, he didn’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Well, as much as I hate to say it,” Leigh said. “I think we should try to push it out of our minds today. After all, it’s your day, Ro.”

“If AJ actually makes it to the alter,” she responded.

“What? He’ll make it,” I said. “You’ve said all along that he’s probably been more excited than you for this day to get here. I don’t think anything’s going to change that.”

“I hope so.”

Conversation drifted off as the stylists continued to work on our hairstyles. Luckily I had chosen something extremely simple. With the help of bobby pins, the curling iron, and sprigs of baby’s breath, I was actually out of the chair before Rochelle and Leigh.

Rochelle’s emergency backup bridesmaid came rushing through the door while Leighanne and I watched Regis and Kelly and licked cinnamon bun icing off of our fingers. She looked to be about the same size as Kristin but her hair was a bright purple.

“Guys, this is Precious,” Rochelle said. “Precious, this is Leigh, Leighanne, and Olivia. You know Denise and Wendy.”

“What do you want done to me?” Precious asked, her hands on hips. She had a nose piercing and chin piercing that were currently connected by a metal chain.

Rochelle looked over at her.

“Black highlights and an updo,” Rochelle said calmly. I knew that if one of my bridesmaids had shown up with bright purple hair that I wouldn’t have been so nonchalant.

But that was Rochelle.

“This is going to sound horrible,” Leighanne whispered in my ear. “But I can’t wait to see Kevin walk down the aisle with her. He’s going to have a heart attack. He’s such a perfectionist when he dresses up. I don’t think purple hair’s in the game plan.”

I couldn’t help it; the mental image made me smile. “Well, it will definitely provide a good distraction.”

By the time the hair stylist was finished with Precious, we were way behind schedule. It was already eleven o’clock; there was no time for lunch. It was a mad scramble to the church where facial specialists were impatiently waiting. Makeup took yet another hour and then we still had to get dressed before the photographer showed up. In fact, Denise had just finished zipping Rochelle’s dress when the photographer walked in.

“You girls ready?” she asked.

For the next half hour, she took pictures of the wedding party and bride. We shoved Rochelle into her dress prematurely; the photographer wanted to get some “getting ready” shots, so we stripped her back down and started all over.

“Have you shot the guys yet?” I asked the photographer as we all gathered around Rochelle in a circle. She stood on a chair and got an overhead shot.

“I’ve got to go back. The groom was having an, er, issue.”

That was not what Rochelle needed to hear. She frowned. “What do you mean an issue?”

The photographer looked like someone who had swallowed a cat. “Oh, nothing major! Just nerves.”

Before she could dig herself deeper into her verbal hole; she slid out the door. While Denise and Wendy reassured Rochelle, I slipped out and followed her to the boy’s room. Some might call me nosey; but in my mind I was just being a good friend.

I saw the photographer knock on the door and head in. She left the door half opened. I peeked around the corner.

It was twenty minutes before the wedding was supposed to start and the guys were a mess. Well, I should say Nick, AJ, and Brian were a mess. Kevin, Howie, and AJ’s other friends were completely dressed and calm. Even Mason and Baylee were ready. Brian was struggling with the zipper on his slacks; Nick was looking around for what I could only assume was his white dress shirt. AJ just looked, well, green. The photographer wasn’t lying; it seemed nerves had finally caught up with him.

I was ready to head back to the girl’s room when Nick turned one more time, vainly lifting up piles of clothes. I noticed a huge bandage on his back.

I couldn't help myself; I walked into the dressing room.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Every head turned to look in my direction. Nick, having succeeded in finding his dress shirt, held it up feebly, his face a mask of guilt.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"That bandage! It wasn't there this morning!"

I saw AJ duck into the bathroom; sounds of retching filled the room.

Nick quickly put his dress shirt on and pulled me out into the hall.

"You look great," he said with a smile. I narrowed my eyes.

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere," I said. He sighed.

"Okay," he looked behind him to make sure the door was closed, then he turned back to me.

"AJ and I went to the tattoo parlor this morning."

My eyes widened. "You went to a tattoo parlor? This morning?"

"Yeah. AJ was telling me at his bachelor party that he wanted to get Rochelle's name tattooed on his chest. I was going to have all of us guys go with AJ, but then there was that fight and things got kind of nuts. Then last night didn't work because we had the rehearsal dinner. So, I woke up early, picked up AJ and we went."

Nick gave me one of his thousand watt smiles.

"So why do you have a bandage on your back?" I asked sweetly. He made a face; I daresay he was hoping his story would be sufficient and I would forget about the bandage. No such luck.

"Well, I er," Nick rubbed his neck. "Friends can't let friends tattoo alone," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. "What did you get?"

Nick smiled. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a little thing."

I tapped my foot. He sighed. "You're not going to let it go are you?"

I shook my head.

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise," he said with a smile. "But since you insist on knowing, I got your name on my back."

My eyes widened.

"I promise as soon as the redness and junk goes away that I'll let you see it," he added.

"You put my name on your back?" I asked. He nodded.

"Now it's my turn to ask a question. Why are you being such a sneak? Didn't you read the door? Boys only."

I scoffed. "I'm not a sneak. The photographer said AJ was having an issue. Which I see he is. What's going on?"

Nick grinned; it was a reaction I wasn't expecting. "At the last minute AJ decided he didn't want the tattoo on his chest. He's kinda hurting right now."

I smacked my forehead. I was tempted to ask for more details, but I thought better of it.

"He should be alright by tonight," Nick added. He grinned. "As long as she doesn't play too rough."

I saw Leighanne poke her head out of the girl's room and motion to me. I looked back at Nick.

"Well, with that great visual burned into my mind, I'm going to go get my walking instructions," I said.

Nick kissed me softly. "See you in a few."

As I walked back to the girl's dressing room, I couldn't help but smile. Nick had put MY name on his back. Sure I wasn't the FIRST girl he had tattooed on him (that honor went to Paris Hilton - thank god he was able to cover THAT up), but it still meant a lot.

Now all we had to do was get AJ married without him vomiting all over his bride.

As the organ music began to play and I took my place in line behind Leighanne, I also made a mental note to NEVER let AJ and Nick bum around town unattended ever again.

Chapter Six

Even with all the black orchids, purple hair, and unmentionable tattoos, AJ and Rochelle's wedding ended up being one of the prettiest weddings I had ever seen. There was something extremely special in seeing so many friends and family gathered all in one place. It was nice to know that even though the guys had seen AJ at his very worst, they were also there to see him at his very best.

Another very surreal moment for me was walking with Nick down the aisle of a church. For being together only five months, it seemed like we had accomplished a lot of milestones in that short time. The thought that we would be making a similar trip down the aisle in less than a year (as parents of a four month old child, no less) almost made me break out in a sweat.

Luckily, I didn't have too much time to dwell on such matters. After the ceremony, the wedding party was taken to the reception in a huge stretch Hummer (black, of course). AJ and Rochelle had rented out Leu Gardens for the reception. Hundreds of black chairs hugged white tables, each adorned with a centerpiece of red roses and black orchids. The reception hall was adjacent to a huge veranda that was set up for dancing. As the sun sank lower, the shadows coming through the foliage made everything look mystical.

"Damn AJ, if you ever get tired of being a Backstreet Boy I guess you can be a wedding planner," Nick teased. AJ leaned over and slapped him on the back. Nick sucked in a breath. I was holding onto his arm; I felt every muscle tighten as the pain shot through his body. AJ snickered.

"Why thank you Nick," he said sweetly.

"If I could hit him where it mattered, I would," Nick whispered to me. I laughed.

"Don't ruin the groom's day," I said.

A long white table on a dais stretched along an entire wall for the wedding party. Nick kissed my cheek as we separated; the boys sat on AJ's right, the girls sat on Rochelle's left.

The maximum capacity for the reception hall was set at 200; the guest list was pushing 300. Even so, everyone managed to find a seat. Another delicious meal was served, more toasts were given, more pictures taken, and the party got off to a great start.

After the dishes were cleared, AJ invited the guests to move the party out to the veranda. Everyone gathered in a circle as AJ and Rochelle were called out to the center of the floor for their first dance as husband and wife. I Swear by All 4 One began to play. I felt tears spring to my eyes. I loved that song.

Once again Leighanne handed me a Kleenex. I smiled at her gratefully; she was already dabbing her eyes.

“You should have seen me on my wedding day,” she said, laughing softly. “I’m surprised all our pictures didn’t show big black streaks. God bless waterproof mascara.”

I laughed. I had seen pictures of her on her wedding day. If I could look even half that good I would be a happy girl.

We watched as AJ and Rochelle whispered in each other’s ears as they danced in slow circles around the veranda. Several times they laughed, their heads touching, their lips meeting.

As the last notes of the song died away, a large round of applause erupted. AJ took a bow before scooping Rochelle off her feet. After a kiss that would have made most people blush, AJ left the dance floor so that Rochelle and her dad could have their father/daughter dance to Butterfly Kisses. I managed to get through the song with only a few wipes of my eyes until AJ and his mom headed out on the floor and Perfect Fan started playing.

That’s when I lost it.

“Is that mine crying again?” Brian asked, leaning back in a chair that he had brought out from the hall. I saw Nick lean back at the same time. He raised his hand.

“Nope, it’s mine.”

Through my tears, I glared over at them. With identical grins they tipped forward again. Leighanne handed me another tissue.

“I wish men could be pregnant,” she whispered. “They just don’t understand.”

I gave her a watery smile.

After AJ’s dance with his mom, the DJ called the entire wedding party out to the dance floor. I quickly fixed my makeup as much as I possibly could (I seconded Leighanne’s blessing for waterproof mascara) and took Nick’s hand.

“Do you know what they picked?” I whispered. Nick shook his head.

I prayed for a slow song. My prayers weren’t answered.

Super Freak by Rick James started playing.

Every single member of the wedding party looked at AJ; everyone that is except Nick. He broke into ‘ride the pony’ dance moves. Not to miss a beat, Brian began to mimic. By the end of the song, everyone had adopted a ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em attitude.’ I must admit that Nick grinding up on me was never a bad thing. By the end of the song, everyone was laughing or hanging off their significant other. It was a great lead in to open the dance floor up to everyone.

During the course of the night, I saw Kevin avoid the dance floor; he hung mostly around the bar sipping what appeared to be rum and Coke. He only paused to join the guys in serenading Rochelle with I Promise You (With Everything I Am). It was the first time all evening I saw Rochelle cry. After the applause had died down, AJ went up to the DJ for a request. Play that Funky Music White Boy began blaring through the speakers; that dried Rochelle’s tears up quickly.

Brian ended up dancing around with Mason during the song. He laughed hysterically as Brian hung him upside down like a monkey.

“He’s so good with the little ones,” I said to Leighanne. She smiled.

“Yeah, he’s a natural dad. It’s so cute it almost gives me cavities.”

As we laughed, Nick danced by with Baylee who was standing on Nick’s shoes. The two of them were like a human carousel. Baylee was laughing so hard, Nick was basically the only thing keeping him upright.

“Speaking of natural daddies…”

I nodded. “It’s because Brian and Nick still act like kids.”

“I know,” Leighanne said, laughing again. “But it’s kind of refreshing…except when Brian’s sick. Then it’s annoying. He whines worse than Baylee.”

I had yet to experience Nick under the weather. It was something I wasn’t looking forward to. I had a feeling that stuffy nosed whining was probably a trait Frick and Frack shared.

As the evening progressed, the crowd began to thin. Nick managed to talk me out on the dance floor for several slow songs. I couldn’t help but enjoy the moment as stars twinkled overhead. After dancing to Back at One, the DJ announced the bouquet toss. I headed back towards the circle of chairs our group had assembled. As we walked up, Leigh nudged my shoulder.

“Go up there!”

Nick wrapped his arms around me. “She’s already taken.”

“Until she’s a Mrs., she can go for it.”

I laughed and leaned into Nick. “No, I think I’ll have to agree with Nick.” I closed my eyes. “I’m taken.”

I stayed in Nick’s embrace as the bouquet toss got underway. Our group cheered and applauded when Precious caught it. She waved the flowers around triumphantly. I looked around for Kevin. I spotted him just as he downed the rest of his drink. Obviously, he was well on his way to obliterating the events of the past few days with as much alcohol as possible.

As another sexy beat started, my attention turned back to AJ and Rochelle. Denise brought up a chair for Rochelle. She sat down, wiggling her leg in AJ’s direction. He dropped down on both knees in front of her. As the music slowed, AJ took her leg in his hands. He slid his hands up and down a few times, a grin lighting up his face. Then with the experience of someone who had done it several times before, he ducked under her dress. Cheers erupted from the crowd, especially from the single guys.

Baylee and Mason were front and center in the group of singletons. After a few more seconds AJ reemerged, garter in mouth. He stood up, kept his back to the crowd, and threw. With a little karate yell, Baylee jumped up and grabbed it. Smiling proudly, he turned and waved at Brian.

“That’s my boy!” Brian whistled. He gave Baylee a thumbs up.

“Our boy isn’t getting married until he’s 40,” Leighanne said. Brian rolled his eyes.

By the time Baylee ran over to her, Mason was wearing the garter on his head. Leighanne scooped Baylee up in a huge bear hug. Mason ran right into my leg. He looked up confused, the black lace dripping down into his eyes. Unable to resist such cuteness, I scooped him up. He grinned and handed the garter to me.

“Hey,” Nick said. He reached out and playfully squeezed Mason’s arms. “Stop movin’ in on my woman, little man.”

Mason giggled. “Moo-vin,” he repeated. He put his head down on my shoulder.

A half hour later I had a totally exhausted three year old asleep on my shoulder. Baylee was stretched between two chairs, snoring loudly. Nick was looking at me like a puppy dog.

“What?” I whispered.

“I wanted one last dance,” he whispered back.

I looked around and caught Leigh’s eye. She came over and carefully took Mason from me. Howie was rocking James back and forth.

“He’s drooling on me,” Howie whispered. He shifted James slightly; a huge wet spot glistened of his tux jacket.
“You’re gonna get charged extra,” Nick teased as he took my hand. We walked over to the newlyweds.

AJ smiled over at us. Rochelle was locked in his arms.

“You picked a good song to dance to. This is the last one before we take off.”

“Oh, don’t you want to dance it solo? It’s your last song,” I said. AJ shook his head.

“Family’s always welcome to join.”

The first few bars of I Could Not Ask for More by Edwin McCain drifted through the night. Nick’s hands slid down the back of my dress. I melted into his embrace.

“You know I wasn’t lying earlier; you do look absolutely beautiful,” Nick whispered. I smiled.

“You clean up pretty well yourself, Carter.”

His head bowed; he brought his lips gently to mine. I kissed back, tugging playfully at his tie. With a little growl, his tongue slipped between my teeth. For a moment I forgot we were in the middle of AJ and Rochelle’s last song until I heard AJ begin to beat box what sounded like porn music. Nick pulled away slowly.

“Shut up, AJ,” Nick laughed. AJ snickered.

We rejoined the crowd as AJ and Rochelle made one last short speech and thanked everyone for coming. With a shower of birdseed and bubbles, they took off in a limo. As it pulled away, I saw strings of cans, balloons, and condoms attached to the bumper while a “Just Married” sign in whipped cream was displayed on the back window.

I looked up at Nick. He grinned.

“I’m innocent, I swear.”

“Innocent my ass,” I said.

We all headed back to the stretch Hummer which took us back to our cars parked at the church. Brian and Kevin were the last ones in; Kevin didn’t say much, but I could tell by his eyes that he had hit the limit on rum and Cokes.

“We’re watching Mason tonight,” Leighanne whispered to me. The little guy was asleep on her lap; Baylee was sprawled out right beside her.

When we arrived back at the church, Nick helped Brian get the little ones in the car. Kevin shook off Brian’s help as he struggled to climb in their van. Finally he managed to get himself sloppily in the car and buckled in.

I gave Leighanne and Brian a hug, then tapped on the window to wave at Kevin. His head was already lowered to his chest. Nick kissed Leigh on the cheek then turned to Brian. Brian grabbed him in a bear hug and smacked his back not once, not twice, but three times. By the time he pulled away, Nick’s face was contorted with pain. Brian grinned.

“How’s that tattoo feeling?”

“How’d you---“

“The bandage dip-wad. It was a dead giveaway.” Brian looked at me.

“Watch the nails tonight, Liv. Nick’s pain tolerance is low.”

Leighanne smacked his shoulder. Brian laughed. “Sorry! Geesh.”

With one last round of goodbyes, Nick and I headed towards our cars. As I got behind the wheel, I took a deep breath.

My first Backstreet wedding was officially over.

-----------------------------------------

Before reading Chapter Seven, please enjoy a small vignette entitled Sweetest Day Sniffles (for the Playing Doctor challenge) to get a glimpse of a day in the life of Leighanne Littrell as she deals with a sick Brian. Click Here

Chapter Seven – November 5

“What’s with the shirt?” I asked as Nick pulled a pink polo shirt over his head.

“I’m thinking pink today,” he said as his head reemerged. He grinned.

I shook my head. The doctor’s visit that we had been looking forward to for so long was finally here. As long as the baby was in a cooperative mood, we would be able to find out the sex.

“What happened to your vision of a boys’ Bucs room?” I teased. “Red and black.”

He laughed as he looked around for his car keys. I lifted them up with my pinky. As he reached for them, he paused, leaning down to kiss my stomach.

“Either way, boy or girl. I’m a lucky man,” he said.

Forty-five minutes later, I sat once again sat on the exam table. Things hadn’t changed much since the last visit; however a new poster hung the wall. Nick was studying it intently.

“Learning anything good?” I asked.

He nodded. “We’re here,” he said pointing to the picture of the second trimester. “We’re almost here,” he said pointing to the third trimester. His finger stopped on the birth. I saw him pale a little.

“Then we’ll be here,” he said a little softer. “I just don’t see how that’s going to come out of that.” He pointed towards my southern region.

I laughed. “The miracle of science and nature.”

At that moment Dr. Tresher, my OBG/YN walked in. Nick took his seat by the exam table.

“How are we doing folks?” Dr. Tresher asked with a smile. I looked over at Nick, he squeezed my hand.

“We’re doing fine,” I answered. “We’ve been counting the days.”

Dr. Tresher laughed. “This is always my favorite visit,” she admitted. She scanned my chart. “Hmm, let’s see here. No acid reflux, that’s good. You’ve felt the baby kick, excellent. Now, let’s see about your weight gain. Hmmm…”

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. She glanced my way.

“What are your cravings?”

“Chocolate covered bananas and nacho cheese Doritos,” Nick answered for me.

I could tell the doctor was trying not to laugh. “Well, that’s quite a combination. Not as bad as ketchup and pickles, but still two high calorie foods. You’ve gained about 22 pounds so far.”

I winced. Dr. Tresher switched from ‘friendly’ mode to ‘physician’ mode.

“Normal weight gain for the entire pregnancy is 25-35 pounds. Now, I’m sure you noticed a rapid gain somewhere in the last few weeks, right?”

I nodded. “Within three days none of my clothes fit anymore.”

“That’s absolutely normal. But, with four months to go, we’ll have to keep our eye on the weight. Don’t forget to add fruits and veggies into the mix. Other than that, I’d say everything looks great so far.”

Even though she ended on a note of encouragement, I still felt like Shamu. I had tried to throw away the Doritos; I really had. But with a convenience store so close to the house…as soon as I threw them away Nick was running for another bag.

Sigh.

“So with that lecture out of the way, shall we get to the main event?”

I looked at Nick. He nodded.

“Well, we have a special treat for you guys today,” Dr. Tresher said as she pulled out the equipment. “We’re going to do a 3-D ultrasound today.”

“Really?” Nick said. “So I’ll be able to see an actual baby this time?”

Dr. Tresher laughed. “I sure hope so.”

“Do we need some 3-D glasses?” Nick said. He sounded almost hopeful.

I laughed. “The baby’s not going to jump out of the screen at you,” I teased. He made a face.

Things became quiet for a few moments as Dr. Tresher got everything set up. Nick held my hand between his own. He kissed my fingertips softly. After another minute, the screen came to life.

In the matter of seconds, there was no doubting the existence of our baby; the image was so detailed that I could see each individual finger on the screen.

“Oh my god,” Nick whispered.

“Ah, good we have an exhibitionist today,” Dr. Tresher said happily. She took a few moments to look at the screen. I heard a sigh.

“What?” Nick said. I looked over at him; he was frowning in her direction.

“I didn’t want to be the one,” she said, almost complaining.

“Is something wrong?” I asked. My heart began to pound.

“Oh no!” she said. Nick’s shoulders slumped in relief.

“But, I do have to tell you guys that the Backstreet streak is over,” she said.

It took me a moment to realize what she meant; Nick seemed to catch on right away. With a ‘whoop’ he swooped down and kissed me happily.

“It’s a girl!” he announced happily.

“There’s no doubt,” Dr. Tresher added for a laugh. “She’s turned perfectly.”

Our attention went back to the screen. As in slow motion, we saw her leg bend at the knee.

“What’s she doing?” Nick asked, leaning closer to the monitor.

I looked over at the doctor. She was smiling. “She’s a limber one. She’s sucking her toes.”

“That’s my girl,” Nick said. I coughed. He looked at me sheepishly. “That’s our girl.”

We watched mesmerized for a few more minutes. Finally, Dr. Tresher had to shut us down.

“Time to hit those baby name books, kids,” Dr. Tresher said. She shook our hands and gave me a few extra instructions.

“I’ll see you before you leave for that cruise, okay?”
I nodded. “Will do. Thanks Dr. Tresher.”

With a wave, she left the room. I swung my legs over the side of the table. Nick stopped me, his hands resting on my upper thighs. I had never seen him look so happy.

“She’s beautiful,” he said. I smiled.

“Yes, she is.” I ran my hands along the collar of his shirt. “Good job, pinky.”

He kissed me slowly, his hands sliding from my thighs to my belly. As the kiss lingered, I felt a little kick. She had obviously stopped sucking her toes. Nick laughed in my mouth.

“I’m gonna need a gun,” he said as I hopped off the exam table. I looked at him in surprise.

“What?”

He grinned. “In sixteen years, I’m going to need to shoot any guy that walks up to our door.”

I smiled. “Yup. Just imagine a sixteen year old Nick coming to pick up your daughter.”

I could see him thinking about himself at sixteen.

“I’m gonna need a big gun.”

---------------------------------

Later that night, I sat on the couch talking to my mom. Nick was lying across my lap, his laptop perched on his chest. He kept looking over at me; he was antsy. As soon as we had gotten home, he had insisted on a picture. Out of nowhere, he produced an ‘it’s a girl’ sign that he held across my belly. With the help of the camera’s self-timer, he had gotten the shot he wanted: him with his pink shirt, the sign, and me. After he made sure the picture had come out, he had quickly grabbed his computer. When I asked what he was doing, he replied ‘I’m putting this on Twitter!’ to which I replied ‘Not until we call our parents!’

Thus, Nick was impatiently watching me listen as my mom filled me in on life in Wakamata without me. I hadn’t gotten a word in edge wise. Nick, on the other hand, had placed two five minute phone calls to his mom and dad an hour ago and was ready to roll. I had been on the phone for well over an hour.

“So, I saw Hunter and Jessica at the grocery store a couple days ago,” my mom added. “They had a little girl named Ella. She’s got this horrendous mop of red hair. They had it all pulled up in a ribbon on the top of her head. She looks like Pebbles Flintstone. She’s not a cute baby.”

Even if she was cute, my mom wouldn’t have admitted it. Hunter hatred ran deep. I would have preferred not to have even heard his name; however, I did have to admit that her story gave me a great opening.

“Speaking of babies, mom,” I said. “Nick and I went for another ultrasound today.”

“Really?” I heard a shuffling of papers; I could almost see my mom flipping the calendar – she was always at least two months behind. She let out a little squeal.

“Did you find out today?” she said. I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.

“We did,” I said lightly.

“Well?”

“You’re granddaughter was having fun sucking her toes today,” I said. I felt Nick laugh.

“Oh a little girl,” my mom said. “That’s wonderful!”

I couldn’t help it; I grinned. “Yeah, Nick was right; I was wrong.”

“Could you repeat that?” Nick asked. I covered his mouth with my hand; he nibbled my fingers.

“I can’t wait to buy pink stuff,” my mom was saying.

I smiled. “Well, when you come down here for Thanksgiving, you and me can go shopping.”

I heard her sigh. “Are you sure you and Nick can’t come up here?”

“Well, I’m hoping that we can have some of Nick’s family here too,” I explained. Nick looked up surprised. I flicked his forehead.

“Who’s going to cook?”

“I am.”

My mom laughed; yes she actually laughed. “You’re kidding. You’ve never cooked a turkey before.”

“How hard can it be?”

She laughed again. “Oh honey, fixing Thanksgiving dinner is stressful no matter what; add in that you’ll be almost six months pregnant and that’s downright torture.”

I sighed. “Well, you’ll be here to help me,” I said. “I’m sure I can put one or two of Nick’s sisters to work too. Bobbie Jean thought about going to culinary school a few years back.”

Nick snorted.

“It’s just such a long flight. And the dogs…”

“No excuses. I know at least three people who can watch the dogs for you while you’re down here.”

I knew by the silence that I had her trapped.

“Your flight will leave on Tuesday the 23rd and you’ll head back on the 27th. Your ticket will be waiting for you at the airline counter.”

“It’s not going to seem like Thanksgiving,” mom complained feebly. “How warm is it down there?”

“Oh, about seventy-five,” I said. “You’re going to love it. In fact,” I shifted slightly. Nick’s head bounced off my lap onto the cushion.

“Hey!” he complained as he scooted back onto to my lap. His head barely fit; my belly was quickly consuming me. I watched his finger resume its hovering over the ‘send’ key for his twitpic. I gave him the go ahead. My pregnant belly and Nick’s pink polo shirt were now on Nick’s Twitter for all the world to see.

“In fact,” I continued. “While you’re down here I want to show you some new condos that were just built. They’re affordable and beautiful. Plenty of room for the dogs.”

“I’m not moving to Florida, Olivia,” my mom said. I smiled.

“Well after you see this ultrasound you might disagree,” I said sweetly.

She sighed.

“I still wish you were up here.”

I smiled. “I know mom, but I did the right thing.”

I knew she didn’t agree; but we had already had as many talks about the issue as we needed. “How’s Nick?” she asked, changing the subject.

“He’s bouncing off the walls, like always,” I said.

“Is he ready for fatherhood?”

Nick was making talking noises with his two hands, mimicking me and my mom. I stifled a laugh.

“Absolutely, I almost think he’s more excited than me.”

“That’s good,” my mom said. She sounded thoughtful. “You know you were never a toe sucker,” my mom added. “I bet he was a toe sucker.”

I burst out laughing. Nick looked up surprised. I pulled the phone away from my ear.

“My mom says the toe sucking must come from your side of the family,” I whispered. Nick grinned. He tried feebly to get his leg up to his chin but failed miserably.

“Well, mom, I think with that I’m going to say goodnight,” I said, still laughing as Nick rolled off the couch, still holding onto his leg. I grabbed his laptop before it crashed into the coffee table.

“Alright sweetie, I love you,” she said a little sadly.

“Love you too, mom. See you soon.”

I disconnected and looked at the blonde heap that was my fiancée. He looked up at my sheepishly.

“I’ve got to work on my yoga. I’m not as limber as I once was.”

He scrambled up and leaned over me, placing his hands on either side of my head. I tilted my head back to look in his eyes.

“You know, I could probably teach you a yoga move before we go to sleep,” he said sweetly. I laughed. “Oh?”

His eyes light up mischievously. He stood back and held out his hands. I placed my own in his as he helped me up. He pointed up the stairs; as I walked,, he followed behind me, his hands resting on my waist.

“There’s this little move that feels amazing. Ever hear of the downward facing dog?”

I nodded. Nick laughed huskily as we headed in the direction of the bedroom. Somehow I had a feeling that his little lesson was going to quickly move out of the yoga category.

Not that I was complaining.

Who would?

Chapter Eight – November 6

The next morning, as Nick and I were fighting over the last of the Cheerios, Nick’s cell phone rang. I grinned in triumph, pouring the little o’s in my bowl, as Nick reached for his phone.

“Lo?” he said. He made a face.

“Bri, you just cost me my last bowl of Cheerios. Sup?”

He listened for another moment, than pressed a button on his phone. Brian and Leighanne’s voices filled the kitchen.

“Congratulations,” they said simultaneously. I smiled and looked over at Nick. “Thank you guys.”

“Y’know Nick, it would be nice if I didn’t have to keep up with you by constantly checking your Twitter status,” Brian teased.

“I’m sorry. If it makes you feel better, Liv had to tell me to call my parents yesterday,” Nick said. Brian laughed.

“That doesn’t surprise me. By the way, what’s up with the pepto bismol shirt you were wearing in the picture?”

Nick grinned. “It was my good luck shirt.”

“I think Liv’s the one that needs the good luck. That shirt was horrendous,” Leighanne said with a laugh.

“Real men can get away with wearing pink,” Nick said defensively.

“I've worn pink before," Brian said. "But it was a normal lightish pink. Not a bubblegum pink."

“Hey Bri, how’s Kevin doing?” I asked, changing the subject. He had been on my mind since the wedding.

Brian sighed. “The last time I talked to him he was packing. He said he needed to get away from the craziness, so he rented a house in this little town called Sadieville that’s east of Lexington. I guess there are less than 300 people in the whole place. He and Mason are going to be wilderness men for a month or so.”

“Is being alone good for him right now?” Nick asked.

“Whenever he’s needed to think, he’s gone someplace secluded,” Brian reasoned. “More than likely he just needs some time to calm down and think out a plan of action. It’s not like there’s much that can distract him in a place where there’s less than 300 people.”

“Well, if you hear from him and he needs anything let us know,” I said. Brian laughed.

“He’s a stubborn old man,” he teased. “But I’ll let you know if he does call. Anyhow, we won’t keep you guys, but we’ll see you in a month for the video shoot and cruise.”

“Alright, love you guys,” I called out.

“Right back at you,” Leighanne said.

Nick made kissy noises into the phone. “Oh Brian, I love you so much. I’ll be counting the days until I can hold you in my arms again.”

“Oh, Nick, baby, I’ll be dreaming of your rock hard abs under that pink shirt when I go to sleep every night,” Brian purred back.

"I'll go flamingo on your tight ass," Nick replied with a lisp.

“Alright guys, we get it,” Leighanne said laughing.

Nick and Brian laughed. After a mutual ‘Later,’ Nick hung up.

“You guys are mean,” I said. Nick grinned.

“Y’know, if you hadn’t already slept with one Littrell, you and Leighanne would make all my dreams come true,” he said. He took his bowl to the sink; I rolled my eyes.

“You are such a guy,” I said. He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m guessing that’s one of my good traits.”

I heard the water come on as he rinsed his bowl. A few seconds later I felt his lips on my neck.

“I’m going to spend a couple hours in the studio. Let me know if you need anything.”

I drained the last few drops of sugary milk from the bottom of my bowl. “Will do.”

Nick disappeared to his recording studio in the back of the house. After rinsing out my bowl, I whistled. Four pairs of feet pounded on the hard wood floor. Our dogs Bitsy, Iggy, Lila, and Atari were ready to go outside.

“Alright you guys,” I said. “I’m taking you out two at a time. Atari and Iggy, you’re first.”

I had learned quickly that walking both of my Boston Terriers, Bitsy and Atari, at the same time was not a good idea. Within a few days I had learned that the boys walked well together and the girls walked well together. Any other combination led to disaster.

I took off down the beach with Atari and Iggy chained together. They nipped at each other playfully but kept focused and did their business. After about twenty minutes, they began to pant and I knew it was time for the second shift. I allowed the boys to run in and slurp greedily at the water bowls while I leashed Bitsy and Lila.

As I headed down the beach a second time, I noticed a man following me at a distance. I slowed down, allowing the gap between me and the man to narrow. Bitsy took the opportunity to pee and I took the opportunity to glance over my shoulder.

It was a photographer.

“Is this really how you want to spend your day?” I called over my shoulder. The photographer didn’t respond. “When you were growing up did you think, ‘Gee, one day I want to take a picture of a lady while her dog pees on the sand.’?”

I must have hurt the guy’s feelings; he disappeared. Cutting our walk short, I headed back to the house. After letting the girls loose, I drifted upstairs.

It wasn’t the first time I had experienced a run-in with the paparazzi. I had learned really quickly that it was much more fun to read celebrity gossip when you weren’t a part of the gossip. I used to love pouring over websites such as Perez Hilton and TMZ; Nick had warned me that the easiest way to avoid scrutiny and false rumors was to just turn a blind eye to the sources. And so I had.

Without any conscious thought of where I was walking, I drifted into the baby’s room. We already had the crib, changing table, rocker, and dresser. Nick had bought the supposed ‘one of a kind’ pieces at a swank baby store soon after a paternity test confirmed that Nick was indeed my little girl’s daddy. Everything had cost a fortune; Nick didn’t even bat an eye.

I drifted over to the rocker and sank down. It definitely needed a cushion. I looked around the room. The walls were a brilliant white and a huge window overlooked the ocean. Soft grey carpet provided just the right calming effect to the walls.

Even though we had all the necessities, we still had a lot of work to do. I wanted pink curtains hugging the window that tied back with pink and white polka dot sashes. We also needed to find bedding for the crib and decorations for the walls. I knew that I wanted to keep the walls white; my mom had painted my room in pinks and purples and I knew from experience there was such a thing as too much pink. The white would maintain the brightness of the room.

With my mental to-do list still running through my head, I stood up from the rocker, letting it creak back and forth by itself for a second. I wandered over to the changing table and reached down for the baby name book. Even though I knew I would probably need a team of horses to help me up, I sat cross legged on the floor and began to flip through the book.

The first pages of the book contained a list of the top baby names. Emma and Isabella were neck and neck as the number one girl name. I paused, trying each name with ‘Carter.’ They didn’t sound right. Other names in the Top 100 included Kaylee, Trinity, and Amelia. Those didn’t sound right either.

I moved on from the Top 100, spending some time looking up name meanings. I was so engrossed that I didn’t hear Nick come in until he was sitting beside me.

“Whatcha doing?”

I jumped, then laughed. I held up the book. “Looking at names. Did you know your name means ‘victorious people’?”

Nick grinned. “That’s cause I’m a winner.”

I rolled my eyes. “Uh-huh.”

“What does your name mean?”

“Mine’s derivative of ‘olive branch’, so Olivia means peace.”

“And what about our middle names?”

“Well, Gene is short for Eugene, but it means well-born or noble. And then my middle name, Renee, means reborn.”

“So you’re peaceful and reborn and I’m victorious and noble. We make a very good pair,” Nick said, kissing my temple. He scooted closer, taking the book in his hands. I saw him flip through and stop at the Top 100 list.

“I’m crossing off any names that are attached to a girl I’ve previously dated,” Nick said.

“Does that mean the whole list is no good?” I asked. Nick grinned.

“You give me way too much credit,” he said.

He reached behind his ear and produced a pencil. He marked off almost twenty names. We studied the list for a few more minutes. Suddenly Nick snapped his fingers.

“I have an idea,” he said. He flipped to the back of the book and yanked out one of the blank liner pages. The librarian in me wanted to slap his hands and yell. He began to tear the page into tiny squares of paper.

“You write down your top five names and I’ll write down mine. Then we’ll see if we have any that we both like.”

“Good idea,” I said. “But, next time, ask me for some paper. You just desecrated a book.”

Nick shook his head. He made me turn away as he wrote down his five names. Then with a little nudge, he handed me his pencil. I wrote down the five I liked. We tossed all ten pieces of paper into a pile in front of us.

“Alright, let’s open ‘em,” Nick said. We leaned forward in a mad scramble to unfold the squares. When we were done we surveyed our work. Amazingly, we had three names in common.

“So we both like 39, 47, and 90,” Nick said. I nodded.

“I can’t believe you like Genesis,” I said. “I thought you wanted a normal name.”

Nick laughed. “I put that one in as a joke. Good music, though.”

“Thank goodness,” I said. I glanced back at the book, then up at Nick.

“Have you thought about a middle name?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Want to do some more slips?” he asked. I saw his hand go to the front liner page.

“NO!” I yelled. He laughed, letting the book drop to the carpet. He held up his hands. I blushed.

“Sorry, you’re killing the bibliophile in me,” I said. I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ears. “I’ve been thinking about her middle name,” I said softly.

“Okay, what have you been thinking?”

I smiled down at the carpet, then glanced over at him.

“Nichole,” I said. Nick looked surprised.

“That’s the female version of my name,” he said.

I laughed. “I know. I thought she should take after her daddy.”

“Well, what about your middle name? Maybe it should be Renee,” he suggested. I shook my head.

“No. Ever since we found out the test results and put that nightmare behind us, the name Nichole has been coming to my mind over and over again. At first I thought maybe we should spell it N-i-c-k-o-l-e, but I keep coming back to Nichole with an ‘h’.”

Nick picked up the book again. It was a rare moment when he was absolutely quiet; this was one of those moments. When he finally lifted his eyes to mine; his were wet.

“I love you,” he whispered. “Nichole sounds perfect.”

“I love you too,” I whispered back. I leaned over and kissed him softly. Before I started to cry, I pulled away and tapped the book.

“So if we agree on Nichole, maybe we should try out our three first names with it.”

Nick nodded, rubbing a hand over his face. “Yeah. We need to find out which one sounds the best when we yell it out.”

I laughed. “Yell?”

Nick smiled. “Yeah, I mean whenever I was in big trouble mom would scream ‘NICKOLAS GENE CARTER!’ and I always knew she meant business.” He winked at me. “Actually, you’ve done that to me a couple times too.”

I blushed. I had. I couldn’t help it; his name just rolled off my tongue.

“Okay, you have a point. So let’s see. Try number 39…”

Nick cleared his throat. “RILEY NICHOLE CARTER!” he yelled. The sound bounced off the walls. We looked at each other and shrugged.

“Not bad,” I said. My finger trailed down the list and stopped at number 47. I cleared my throat.

“BROOKLYN NICHOLE CARTER!” I yelled. Nick smiled.

“Nice yell technique,” he said. I laughed. His finger trailed over to number 90.

“PAYTON NICHOLE CARTER!” he yelled. We looked at each other again.

I sighed. “I’m going to have to think about this awhile,” I admitted. Nick nodded.

“I almost hate to name her until we see her,” he added.

“I agree. I think when we finally see her we’ll know if she’s a Riley, Brooklyn, or Payton.”

Nick closed the book and stood up. After putting it back on the changing table, he helped me get up off the floor. I wobbled slightly, his arms tightened around me. I laughed, my forehead resting on his upper arm.

We walked out of the room hand in hand. At the top of the stairs, I tugged his arm gently. He turned to me.

“Just so you know, I think maybe we should keep our list of names to ourselves,” I said. Nick nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, otherwise we’re going to get a million more suggestions and the guilt trip that a great-great grandparent was named such and such and it would mean so much if we could keep the tradition alive,” Nick said. “I don’t want my daughter named Mildred.”

I laughed. “I totally agree.”

After another kiss, Nick made his way back to the studio while I headed to the car.

It was time to go curtain shopping.

Chapter Nine – November 23 / November 24

Two days before Thanksgiving, Nick and I stood in the airport waiting for my mom’s plane to land. I couldn’t wait to see her. She had never flown before and I prayed that things had gone well. If I had any chance of talking her into moving here, everything, and I mean everything, had to go perfectly.

I looked over at Nick. He was sprawled across three plastic chairs; he looked like a hobo. For the last week he had practically lived in his studio; I daresay that he hadn’t hit the shower in the last day or so.

“You are going to clean up by Thanksgiving, right?” I teased. He looked up with a little scowl; a dark blonde mustache was erupting over his upper lip.

“I don’t smell,” he said. I watched as he raised an arm and took a test sniff.

“You’re immune to your own stank,” I said. He stuck out his tongue.

I stuck my own tongue out and turned back around. I saw my mom coming down the tarmac. My face lit up with a smile at the same moment she spotted me. She ran towards me, squealing.

“Look at you!” she said, her arms wrapping around me tightly. She squeezed me, then patted my stomach. “Oh, you’ve gotten so big.”

“Don’t remind me,” I said with a laugh. “How was your flight?”

My mom continued to smile; it was a good sign. “Oh, it was great. I had a window seat. It was so cool.”

I took her arm. When we turned, Nick was standing up, smiling.

“Welcome to Florida,” he said. My mom gave him a big hug.

“Thank you,” she said. “Oh, I see you’re growing a mustache.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s shaving that thing off by tomorrow.” Nick laughed.

After getting her luggage, we headed out to the SUV. Mom squinted into the bright sunlight. She quickly took off her winter coat.

“It’s snowing like crazy back home,” she said.

“It’s always so pretty as it falls,” I said. “But, it’s not so fun shoveling or driving in it.”

“Yeah, I can’t stand snow blowing,” my mom said with a sigh as she climbed in the backseat.

I unrolled the windows and let the warm air blow through the SUV. Through the rearview mirror, I saw my mom looking out at the water.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. I smiled. So far, so good.

A half hour later, Nick pulled up to the house. He grabbed my mom’s bags as she climbed out. She gawked at the house.

“It looks just like the pictures you sent,” my mom said. “It’s huge.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I almost needed a map the first few weeks I was down here,” I said, taking her hand. “Let me give you the grand tour.”

I showed her the living room, kitchen, downstairs bath, and the guest room where she would be staying. After she loved up on all of the dogs, we headed upstairs where I showed her our master bedroom, bath, the other guest rooms and lastly, the baby’s room.

“Ohhhh,” she said as she walked in. I had found the perfect curtains; they were already hung, held back with pink and white polka dot sashes.

“You did a great job picking out the crib,” my mom said, running her hands over the smooth curves. I smiled.

“Nick fell in love with it,” I admitted. “So then he got the matching changing table, dresser, and rocker.”

My mom glanced around. “You need a cushion for the rocker.”

I laughed. “Yeah I know. Maybe tomorrow you and I can hit the mall.”

My mom looked over at me. “Do they have a nice mall?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” I said. “It puts the mall back home to shame.”

I watched her drift over to the window and look out at the ocean.

“I’ve never seen the ocean before,” she said softly.

“It’s relaxing, isn’t it?”

She nodded, turning back to me. “Sweetheart, you look…” she trailed off. “You look so happy.”

I smiled. “I’m amazingly happy. Nick’s a great guy. I can’t think of anything else a girl could ask for.”

“And you picked a wedding date?”

“We did. August 6, 2011.”

“That’s going to be here before you know it.”

I laughed. “I know. I try not to think about that too much. What’s even worse is the thought that the baby will be four months old by then.”

My mom turned back around, touching the polka dotted sash. “Have you thought of any names?”

Remembering my conversation with Nick, I shook my head. “No, we’re still flipping through the baby books.”

“You know,” my mom said. “I’ve always liked the name Megan.”

I smiled. “Yes, I know. I think you’ve mentioned it, oh, once…twice…a thousand times.”

“Megan Lynn Carter. How pretty would that be?”

I gave a noncommittal shrug. “There are so many pretty names. I’m sure we’ll pick just the right one.”

“Well, just keep it in mind.”

I headed out of the baby’s room; mom followed. We walked back down the stairs and I led her back to Nick’s studio. He was already back at work, his headphones on.

“This is Nick’s studio,” I said, opening the door. The equipment was wall to wall. Three guitars stood against one wall; a keyboard and his drum set were set up along the other.

“He can work from home?” my mom said. I nodded.

“Yeah, it’s going to come in handy once the baby’s born. Right now he’s working on his second solo album, but by March I think the Boys are going to want to start laying down tracks for their next record.”

My mom smiled. “Remember when we went to the House of Blues in Chicago to see Nick?” She laughed. “God, you were so obsessed. You were so upset that you weren’t twenty-one so you could go to the after party.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I remember. I tried so hard to get up to the front of the stage, but I kept getting pushed backwards.”

“And I was smart and stayed at the bar. It was a perfect view.”

“Yeah, I remember you telling me how hot you thought he was,” I teased. Mom grinned.

“He’s a good looking boy,” she admitted. “And if he treats you right then he’s the total package.”

A loud belch came from the recording booth. I laughed. “He’s the total package alright.”

Nick looked up and realized we were there. He pressed a button, his voice filled the room. “Sorry!”

I blew him a kiss and walked back to the kitchen. For the next hour, I worked with mom to make a list of groceries I had forgotten.

“You didn’t do too bad, sweetheart. You only forgot three ingredients,” my mom said as she scanned my notepad. “What size of turkey did you get?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. My mom raised an eyebrow.

“You didn’t get a turkey, did you?”

I shook my head.

“How many people are coming?”

I counted off on my fingers. “Let’s see. Nick’s mom Jane and his sisters Angel and Bobbie Jean will be here. So we’ll have six people altogether.”

“So we’ll need about a ten pound turkey,” my mom said.

“Don’t forget we have to feed Nick,” I said. Mom laughed.

“Twelve pound turkey,” she amended.

After a few hours of walking the beach, we ended the evening by watching The Last Song on DVD and devouring a large green pepper pizza. Even though Nick teased my mom and I for tearing up several times during the movie, by the end even he had to grab a tissue.

“Pregnancy hormones,” he complained as he dabbed his eyes. I laughed.

After hugs and kisses, mom drifted to the guest bedroom while Nick and I headed upstairs.

“Pretty good day?” Nick asked as he kicked off his clothes. I nodded.

“Yeah, she was pretty impressed,” I said.

Nick threw back the covers for me and I climbed in. He hovered over the side of my bed for a minute; the light from the lamp casted his shadow around the room.

“Well, you make everything more impressive,” he said softly. He leaned over, kissing me softly. He slowly slid over me, his hands taking mine and pinning them over my head.

“Nick, you’re not thinking of sexing me up with my mom in the house are you?” I asked as his face buried into my neck. I felt him pause; he looked at me adoringly.

“It’s kind of fun. It’s like we’re teenagers sneaking around,” he said.

“You smell like a teenager,” I said. He laughed. “Aww c’mon.”

I smiled. “You take a shower and we’ll talk.”

Grumbling, he slid out of bed; I watched him pad barefoot to the bath. I found the cool side of the pillow as I heard the sound of the glass door sliding back and the water turn on. The ocean breeze blew the white curtains in a lazy fashion; the stars sparkled in a flawless night sky.

I’d be lying if I told you that I was awake when Nick came to bed. The more likely truth was that I was probably drooling on my pillow, snoring softly. I was certainly not the picture of sexuality. When I awoke the next morning, Nick was curled into a small spot of the mattress; I was hogging all of the covers and half of his pillow. Not only had I booty blocked him, but I had stolen the bed.

I was a bad, bad fiancée.

-------------------------------------------------

The day before Thanksgiving was pure mayhem. I awoke early, showered, changed, and met my mom downstairs to go shopping. Our first stop was the grocery store to pick up a turkey and some last minute ingredients. After stopping back home to drop off the goods, mom and I got back in the car for some fun shopping.

My first order of business was taking a drive by the condos that I had found. At the sight of the rows of ‘For Sale’ signs, I slowed to a stop.

“What’s this?” my mom asked as I got out of the car.

“I thought we could look at those condos I told you about,” I said. I lifted my sunglasses, shoving them up on my head. I started to walk up to the first one; with any luck the realtor I had scheduled would already be there.

“Olivia Renee!” my mom yelled out at me. I stifled a laugh. Nick was right; the full name effect was important. I turned and looked at her. She was still half in the car.

“Humor me,” I called out. With a lot of grumbling I saw her stand up and swing her purse on her shoulder. With the slam of the car door, she followed me reluctantly.

For the next half hour, the realtor showed us the ins and outs of the condo. There were so many positives to the place; the lawn and maintenance issues were handled for, not by, the residents, the condos were in a great neighborhood, they were close to Nick’s house, and they were very affordable. I could see my mom thawing the more the realtor talked. Before we left, my mom took a contract and a brochure.

“See, that wasn’t so bad,” I said as I opened the car door for her. She didn’t respond, but as I closed the door I saw her open the brochure.

There was hope yet.

We spent the rest of the afternoon having a quiet mother-daughter lunch and baby shopping. By the time we pulled back up to the house, I had bags and bags of clothes, a cushion for the rocker, and a bassinet that mom bought as an early shower gift.

“Did you buy out Tampa Bay?” Nick asked as we walked in. He hurried over to unload my arms of bags.

“Just about,” I admitted. “We’ll have to change the baby about three times a day to get through all these clothes.”

Nick laughed. “We haven’t even had baby showers yet,” he said. “We’re going to need to make a lot more babies to get through all the clothes and toys.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad thing,” my mom said.

“Hey, look who’s talking,” I complained. “I’m an only child, remember?”

Mom laughed. “I want lots of beautiful grandbabies, what can I say?”

I smiled. It was time to dangle the bait. “Well if you move down here Nick and I will see what we can do.”

My mom laughed. “I’m thinking about it,” she admitted. Even that small admittance was a huge step in the right direction.

After unloading packages and washing up, Nick took us out to dinner. When we came home, my mom clapped her hands.

“Let’s get some food ready for tomorrow.”

Nick drifted over to the TV to begin the male ritual of Thanksgiving football while my mom and I made several pumpkin pies, jello, and other appetizers.

As I cleaned up the kitchen island, I glanced over at the turkey.

“You know how long to cook that bird?” my mom said. I looked at her with a blank expression.

“About four hours,” my mom said. “What time is everybody going to be here?”

I peeked out at Nick. His mouth was agape as he watched the ball sail through the air.

“Hey Nick?”

He looked over at me; he seemed to be in a football-induced stupor. “Wha?”

“What time are your mom and sisters going to be here tomorrow?”

He continued to stare at me blankly. “Uh….”

Ten minutes and three phone calls later, he walked into the kitchen.

“Bobbie Jean will be here early to help. Angel and my mom will be here at two,” Nick said. He broke off a small piece of pumpkin pie crust; my mom smacked his hand with a dish towel.

“It’s for tomorrow,” she scolded. Nick grinned, sucking not only the crust but his fingers.

“See? He’s a finger sucker. That’s where the baby’s getting her toe sucking,” my mom pointed out. I laughed and kissed Nick’s temple. He rolled his eyes as he drifted back to the TV.

“So I should put in the bird no later than 9 a.m., right?” I looked over at mom for confirmation. She nodded.

“You know, I can take care of the bird,” she offered. “You can make the mashed potatoes.”

“Mom,” I said with a sigh. “I always do the mashed potatoes. It’s not hard to combine the powder and the water and microwave. I want to cook the bird.”

Mom held up her hands. “That’s fine. I’ll be here for moral support.”

I kissed her cheek. “I know. That’s why I need you here all the time.”

Mom tossed the dish towel next to the sink. “With that, I think I’m going to bed,” she said. After another hug and kiss she drifted out to say goodnight to Nick. I spent a few more minutes cleaning up and then walked out to the living room.

Nick was surrounded by all four dogs. Bitsy looked at me with sleepy eyes as I scooted her over a little. Nick’s head rolled lazily in my direction. He grinned and crossed his eyes.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“You ready for bed?” he asked. I smiled.

“Yup.”

“I shaved my moustache for you last night.”

I laughed. “I see that.” My fingers ran over the smooth skin.

“Can we play principal and naughty schoolgirl tonight?” he whispered.

I looked around at the four sleeping bodies scattered at our feet. The house was so quiet. I stood up and began walking towards the stairs; I stopped and glanced at him over my shoulder.

“You might have to put me in detention,” I said softly. I watched his eyes light up; in seconds the TV was off and he was at my heels, spanking me gently on our way up the stairs. When we got to our room, he closed and locked the door behind us. I backed up as he cracked his knuckles with a mischievous smile.

“It’s sexy time,” he said, sounding a little like Speedy Gonzales.

I don’t know how much sexy back I brought to the evening, but I think I successfully talked my principal out of detention.

All was good.

Chapter Ten – November 25

I woke up the next morning with Nick’s face smashed in my chest. I could think of a million worse ways to wake up. Even so, as I lazily turned my head to the clock, I realized with a start that I had about ten minutes to get the turkey in to meet my 9 o’clock deadline.

“Nick,” I whispered, shaking his shoulder. He moaned slightly; a few seconds later I felt him gently bite and lick my nipple. My toes curled.

“I’ve got to get the bird in,” I said feebly. His hand slid between my legs; his fingers had other ideas. My hands slid down from his shoulders; my nails dug gently into his back. His lips traveled up my breasts, to my neck, and finally to my mouth. I was almost at the point of no return when there came a knock on our door. Nick paused mid-stroke.

“Liv, sweetie, it’s nine o’clock. You still want to do the bird?”

It was my mom. In all truthfulness, I wanted to scream ‘go-away!’ and have some more sexy time. But sanity slowly returned.

“I’ll be out in a minute!” I said a little breathlessly. I looked at Nick, I felt his hand retreat. He kissed me again.

“I’m being replaced by a bird,” he complained. I smiled.

“Oh trust me; that bird is not going to give me the pleasure you can.”

We both got out of bed. Nick headed towards the bathroom for a shower. As he walked, I admired his backside. My eyes stopped for a moment at his newest tattoo. I couldn’t help but smile.

The tattoo that he had gotten the morning of AJ’s wedding was a yellow rose with green scrollwork. Within the rose he had his name and mine. As I lay there watching him brush his teeth stark naked, I had a flashback to when he had first removed the bandage.

“What do you think?” he had asked. I had traced the rose with my fingertips.

“It’s beautiful.”

“See the three little green leaves?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, we need to fill those up with some babies.”

I had laughed. “What if we have ten kids?”

Nick had chuckled. “Then I’m going to need a lot more leaves.”

With a little shake of my head, I shook off my reverie. Wrapping a robe around my waist, I headed down to the kitchen.

My mom was a life saver. I had never stuffed a bird in my life; without her, the poor turkey would have been oozing out of every crevice. Once I had it in the oven, I excused myself to get showered and dressed. I passed Nick on the stairs.

“Need any help in the kitchen?” he asked. I shook my head.

“Need any help in the bathroom?” he asked. I laughed.

“I wouldn’t want you to miss the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” I teased.

His face lit up. “What time did it start?” he asked eagerly.

“Nine, you’re late,”

With a kiss to my cheek, Nick slid down the banister. I continued to the bathroom. After picking up Nick’s wet towel and putting the cap back on the toothpaste, I slid in for a quick shower.

Ten minutes later, I stood in the closet, trying to decide what to wear. Truth was, I was nervous. I had met Angel once before, but this would be the first time meeting Nick’s mom and Bobbie Jean. My meeting with Angel had gone well; I could tell by spending even an hour with Nick and her that Nick adored her. She was extremely excited about the baby. I couldn’t wait to see her again. Knowing Nick’s shaky past with his mom, I prayed that I would make a good impression. I took a brown and crème dress from its hanger and slid it over my head. I had bought it just the day before so I knew it was a safe bet it would still fit. And it did. After sliding my swollen feet into a pair of ballet slippers, I headed back downstairs. When Nick saw me walking by the living room, he waved me in.

“Look!” he said, pulling me down on the couch. “It’s a Family Guy float. Look at the giant Stewie balloon.”

I laughed. “That’s cool. Seth McFarlane’s hot.”

Nick looked at me. I smiled innocently. “What?!”

“What? He’s cute, funny, he’s got a great smile…”

Nick made a motion towards himself. “Hello?”

I laughed. “I said he was hot. I didn’t say he was Dante’s Inferno.”

Nick grinned. With a pat of his knee and a little help, I stood up.

“Alright, enjoy the parade. Let me know when Santa arrives,” I said. I leaned down and gave him a kiss. Then I headed back to the kitchen.

In the time that I was gone, my mom had gone into organization mode. She had divided the kitchen into different areas: turkey station, entrees, desserts, and appetizers. I opened the oven and peered in at the turkey. Everything looked good – the turkey hadn’t yet exploded.

“Where are we at, mom?” I asked. She looked up from what I could tell was chocolate chip cookie dough. I knew the cookies were for me; I was anti-American, I didn’t like pie. I watched as she threw the dough-ladened batters into the sink. Raw cookie dough was a no-no for pregos. Sigh.

“How about working on the veggie tray?” mom asked.

I spent the next half hour washing the vegetables, cutting them into perfect little pieces, and arranging them on a circular tray. After taking a moment to watch the arrival of Santa Clause with Nick, I returned to the kitchen, placed some ranch dip in the center and, voila, done. As I was washing my hands, the doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock; it was 12:30. I heard a laugh and a lot of commotion in the foyer. Wiping my hands on a towel, I headed into the foyer.

Nick was swinging BJ around in his arms. When he finally put her down, she smiled up at him.

“You’ve gained some weight,” she teased, smacking his stomach. He doubled over playfully, then caught my eye.

“It’s sympathy weight,” Nick said. He walked over and wrapped an arm around my waist.

“BJ, this is Liv. Liv, this is my sister BJ.”

She broke into a wide smile and swatted Nick’s arm. He stepped back as she gave me a big hug.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” she said, touching my stomach. “I’m gonna be an aunt!”

I laughed. “She’s due in less than three and a half months.”

BJ looked over at Nick. “Thank goodness it’s a girl. Another Nick in this world would be scary. I mean we already have Aaron. That's bad enough.”

Nick made a face. I saw his jaw harden at the mention of Aaron.

We spent a few more minutes talking and then BJ followed me into the kitchen. I introduced her to my mom and we gave a rundown of the menu. She held up a bag.

“I came prepared,” she said. “Angel decided to go veg two weeks ago to prepare for a photo shoot.”

I must have looked panicked; she smiled. “Don’t worry; I brought a main dish to whip up for her.”

I prepared the potatoes as BJ started making a dish out of what I could only guess was tofu.

“What in the world possessed you to get with my brother?” BJ said. My mom looked up; she thrived on gossip.

I laughed. “We just clicked. Plus, he’s pretty persistent.”

BJ nodded. “Once he gets something in his head you can’t get it out. What did he do when he find out you were knocked up? Faint?”

I shook my head. “No, he’s really excited.”

“Hunh, weird. It only took him thirty years to grow up.”

“HEY!”

I smiled as Nick poked his head in the kitchen. He walked up and dunked some broccoli in the ranch dressing. “I am uber-mature,” he said, talking with his mouth full.

Another hour passed. I began a ritual of basting the turkey every fifteen minutes. Amazing aromas engulfed the whole kitchen. My mom disappeared to set the table. BJ set down a large mixing spoon and turned to me.

“I want to warn you,” she said. I looked at her surprised. “Warn me?”

“About mom,” she said. “Nick and her have a shaky relationship at best. She’s not, er, well let’s just say sometimes she speaks without thinking.”

If I was nervous before, I was even more so now. BJ held up a hand. “All I’m saying is that you should take some things that she says with a grain of salt.”

We quietly returned to the finishing touches. As the clock hit 2:00, I opened the oven and yanked out the turkey.

It was the perfect shade of golden brown. I took that as a good omen.

As I put the huge pan down on the island, the doorbell rang once again. The dogs started barking, nipping at Nick’s heels as he took off down the foyer. I heard the door open and another round of happy chatter. BJ and I both wiped our hands on the towel and stepped into the foyer.

Angel was playfully boxing with Nick. Jane was knelt down, scratching Bitsy behind the ear. I saw my mom walk into the foyer from the dining room. Jane spotted me before Nick could do the introductions.

“Ah, the lady of the house,” she said, standing back up. I walked over with a smile.

“I’m Olivia,” I said, opening my arms to lean in for a hug. She held out her hand instead.

“I’m Nick’s mom, Jane,” she said. I shook her hand. As I did so, I felt Angel hug me from behind. She patted my stomach.

“And the bay-bay,” she said happily. She twirled around to face me, then knelt down, eye to belly button. “Hewwo, wittle one.”

Nick headed over and said something to Jane; they shared what I thought looked like an awkward hug.

Nick introduced my mom to both Angel and Jane. Angel gave another warm hug; Jane a lukewarm handshake.

Feeling a slight tension in the air, I invited everyone into the dining room. I caught Nick’s arm before he walked in.

“I need you to carve the turkey,” I said. He looked panicked. “I’ve never carved a turkey before!”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” I said.

Ten minutes later my perfectly brown bird looked like it had been attacked by Jack the Ripper. Even though he didn’t do the neatest job, we had edible turkey on a big serving plate. My mom walked in, followed by Angel and BJ. They each grabbed plates and we headed to the dining room. Jane was seated at the head of the table, a glass of red wine in front of her.

Nick put the plate of turkey in the center of the table and then took a seat beside me. He pointed my mom to the other head seat. Jane’s face seemed to go cloudy; I looked back and forth between the moms. So far, not so good.

“I’d like to start off with a prayer,” Nick said. He took my hand and my mom’s. I reached out for Jane’s. She took it reluctantly. Simultaneously, we bowed our heads.

“Oh Lord, thank you for bringing us together today and for the amazing food that we will bestow upon our bodies. Bless my beautiful fiancée and our little girl and bless both of our moms for without them we wouldn’t be here today. And that would be a bummer. Amen.”

It was a face in palm moment, but I refrained. As we lifted our heads I could tell my mom was highly amused; Jane, on the other hand, was not. We passed plates and began to eat. Angel and BJ were quietly catching up, other than that everyone was fairly quiet.

“So Olivia,” Jane said. I looked at her. “You’ve been married before?”

My piece of turkey slid roughly down my throat. Taking a sip of water, I nodded. “Yes. I was married for four years.”

“Well, you certainly lucked out.”

I looked at her in confusion. “Lucked out?”

Jane gestured to Nick. “Well, Nick’s a terrific catch. I’m sure you know that having his baby will make you set for life. Life in Tampa is a far cry from hick life in Wisconsin, isn’t it?”

“Just so you know,” my mom said before I could say anything. “Wisconsin isn’t some po-dunk place. And the farthest thing from my daughter’s mind is money.”

Jane smiled sweetly. “Oh I didn’t mean to imply,” she said. “I’m just saying that anyone that can get pregnant weeks after meeting a man…”

From my right, I heard the loud clatter of silverware hitting dinnerware. Nick sat back in his chair.

“Mom, you are the last person that has the right to talk,” he said coldly. Jane snorted into her wine.

“Oh she does have you wrapped around your little finger doesn’t she?” Jane smiled over at me then back at Nick. “Whatever happened to Lauren? I liked her.”

I didn’t know what I had done wrong; it wasn’t a good feeling to know that the mom of your husband-to-be didn’t like you. Before anyone said another word, I gasped as a huge clump of mashed potatoes smacked into Jane’s face. I looked over at Nick; he wasn’t the culprit. He was staring in surprise (and awe) at my mom. She was standing up, her spoon still poised as a catapult.

“At least my granddaughter will have one decent grandparent,” my mom sputtered angrily. I watched Jane wipe potatoes out of her eyes. Without a word she picked up a whole clump of Jello and threw it at my mom’s head. Like a slow motion action movie, Nick dived in front of my mom; the red gelatin hit him like a water balloon and ricocheted onto BJ.

Angel and I ducked under the table. I heard more food splatter against the walls and angry yells. I saw Nick’s legs move around the table. Voices rose to an incredibly high pitch before I saw Jane’s high heels being escorted out by Nick’s tennis shoes. An argument erupted in the foyer; I heard the loud slam of the door. Seconds later Nick reappeared, his face peeking under the table. He put out a hand for Angel and myself and helped us to our feet.

The dining room was a disaster. Shards of glass were all over the floor; cranberry sauce dripped down the walls. My mom and BJ were pulling bits of stuffing and turkey out of each other’s hair. Nick’s hair was turning an ugly shade of orange from the red jello juice.

“Welcome to your first Carter Thanksgiving,” Nick said. “And your last visit from my mom. Your on the other hand, is welcome anytime. That food fight was awesome.”

My mom smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“Oh Nick,” BJ said. “You know mom didn’t mean anything.”

Nick gave her a hard look. “She never means anything, right BJ?”

BJ sighed. As they continued to argue, I bent down to clean up some of the glass on the floor. I was half-way to standing up when the worst pain I had ever felt in my life shot through my abdomen. I doubled over with a moan; the pain took my breath away.

“Liv?”

The pain eased; I stood, smiling weakly. “I’m fine, I just got up wr—“

Another cramp hit me hard. I doubled over again. My heart began to pound; Nick’s hand went to my back.

“What’s wrong?”

I blanched. “I don’t know. They feel…”

“They feel like contractions.”

-----------------------------

I'm pleased to announce a new spin-off story featuring none other than Kevin. To read chapter one of Nowhere to Go, click here.

Chapter Eleven – November 26 / November 27

“I want to go to the airport,” I complained as my mom stood up from the bed. Nick shook his head.

“No, you’re staying in bed, doctor’s orders.”

“The doctor didn’t say I had to be on bed rest. I’m sure the ride to the airport won’t kill me.”

Thanksgiving evening had been eventful, to say the least. Nick and mom took me to the emergency room while Angel and BJ stayed behind to clean up. Luckily, Nick’s celebrity once again got us in to see a doctor quickly; the ER was packed from turkey-related incidents. The contractions didn’t come often, but when they did I wanted to scream. After a slew of tests, the doctor came in and sat down.

“Nothing to worry about, just Braxton-Hicks contractions.”

“This early?” I asked.

“Well, they’re more common from the 28th week on, but it’s not out of the question.”

“What would bring them on?” Nick asked.

“Long periods of standing, lifting, stress of any kind, excessive sexual activity,” the doctor counted off on his fingers.

Nick reddened. I felt myself blush.

“Well I did lift that turkey today,” I said awkwardly.

“And the food fight didn’t help,” Nick said. “Very stressful.”

My mom just watched me with a knowing look. The doctor smiled.

“Well just take it easy. Moderation is the key.”

The moment we had gotten home, Nick had carried me to bed. The contractions had completely disappeared, but with Nick and my mom on the watch, there was no way I was going to be allowed to get up. I had spent the day before watching TV with my mom; now it was time for her to leave.

My mom leaned down, kissing my cheek.

“Don’t worry sweetie,” she said with a smile. “I have a feeling I’ll be back down here really soon.”

My eyes widened. “You mean---“

She shrugged. “If the house sells I’ll take it as a sign.”

My mom gave me another hug and kiss; Nick leaned down and did the same.

“I’ll be back in an hour,” he said.

With a little wave I sank back in the pillows. Baby Carter gave a couple kicks.

“I know little one,” I said, stretching my fingers across my stomach. “We’ll be up and at ‘em soon.”

-----------------------

By the time Nick got home, I was going insane. I couldn’t help but think about everything that we needed to do. I had a doctor’s visit in a few days and then we had less than a week to get packed and ready for the cruise. I hadn’t forgotten that I was the official video and photographer for the trip.

I had snuck out of bed and was tiptoeing towards my recording equipment when Nick walked into the room. I looked up guiltily.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Who me? I was just going to the bathroom.”

He pointed in the other direction. “The bathroom’s that way.”

“Ugh,” I threw up my hands. “I need something to do. I want to get my equipment ready for the cruise.”

Nick frowned. “I don’t think you should work the cruise.”

I looked at him in surprise. “Why?”

“Because it’s a lot of work. You’ll have to be getting up and down all the time. You heard the doctor; you shouldn’t be carrying heavy stuff and being on your feet for hours at a time.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Nick, you know as well as I do that the only thing I was guilty of was excessive sexy time.”

He exhaled heavily. “I’ll admit that I need to take a few more cold showers, but still…”

I shook my head. “No buts. I can’t wait for the music video and the cruise. I’ve missed having all you guys together.”

Nick smiled. “You’ve missed all the trouble we get into.”

He came over and picked up my bag and set it down on the bed. I sat back down, looking up at him. He kissed my forehead.

“Okay. You have your bag, you’re in bed. I’m going to get my guitar and come back up here. You can make sure you’re camera still works while I try out a new song for you.”

I prepared the video camera for an intimate Nick Carter bedroom performance – not that type of bedroom performance. That had already brought about contractions. I put in an empty card just as Nick walked back in, guitar in hand. He sat at the end of the bed, and turned towards me. He smiled.

“Ready?”

I nodded and turned on the camera. He laughed a little at the sight of the green light and gave a little wave.

“Hello everyone. This is Nick Carter. We are just about two weeks away from the first ever Backstreet Boys cruise. I’m sure you might be wondering what I’ve been doing in the down time. Well, I’m engaged and my daughter is going to be born in March so we’ve been busy preparing for parenthood.” He crossed his eyes. “I’ve also been working on my next solo album. I thought I’d share a song with all of you that I wrote for my fiancée, Olivia. It’s entitled All My Heart.”

I looked at him in surprise; he met my eyes and smiled. He spent a moment testing our his chords, then his eyes fluttered closed and he began to sing and strum.

Love falls softly round your head
Falls soft as snowflakes on your bed
I breathe and kiss your sleeping eyes
My love is real, no alibis

And you know the way I love you
I've loved you from the start
You know how I love you
Love you with all my heart

Love sits softly on your face
I don't want to be in another place
You lie sleeping in my bed
And thoughts of love fill my head

I want to star in all your dreams
Enter your life on moon beams
See you tomorrow in dawn's light
While you're with me I'm alright

And you know the way I love you
I've loved you from the start
You know how I love you
Love you with all my heart

I felt a tear slip down my cheek as he sang. When the last chord rang out around the room he opened his eyes and looked back at the camera.

“I hope you enjoyed that sneak peek of my work for the new record. And for those of you going on the cruise, see you soon.”

I had the camera follow him as he fell down beside me on the bed, his guitar resting along his stomach. I pressed stop. He looked up at me with those blue, blue eyes.

“What did you think?”

I smiled, my hand resting on the side of his face. “You wrote that for me?”

“No, I wrote it for Bitsy,” he said. He laughed. “Of course I wrote that for you.”

“That was absolutely beautiful,” I said. I wiped another tear from my eye. “Did I tell you how much I love you?”

Nick grinned. “Oh, maybe once or twice.” He set his guitar on the floor and scooted over to rest his head on my stomach. He lifted my shirt up and kissed my skin gently.

“Hello, baby girl. What did you think of dad’s song?”

He pressed an ear to my belly. I felt her move slightly.

“Ah, I put you to sleep, I see,” he said as if he was carrying on an intense conversation. “Well, I’ve got to tell you that you scared daddy on Thanksgiving. Don’t do that again. We want to see you but not until you’re fully cooked.”

I laughed. “Yeah, my belly button’s still an innie, not an outie. She’s not done yet.”

He pulled my shirt back down and looked up at me with the sweetest face I had ever seen. He was back in caretaker mode.

“You hungry?”

I shrugged. “A little. Doing nothing all day doesn’t really work up an appetite.”

“Well,” Nick sat up. “I’m going to go whip up something. While I do that you can entertain yourself with making me sound good on that video you just took.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need to do anything to make you sound good.”

He winked and stood up. “I’m like Tropicana, I’m 100% all natural.”

I rolled my eyes as he headed back downstairs. I prayed he wouldn’t burn down the kitchen; his idea of whipping something up was dialing delivery. I tensed up as I heard the sound of actual pots and pans being pulled out, but I turned my attention back to the laptop.

I couldn’t wait for the fans to hear my song.

---------------------------

Chapter note: Lyrics from freelyrics.co.uk

Chapter Twelve – December 1 to December 5

December 1

“Okay, first things first,” Dr. Tresher said as she sat down beside me at our last doctor’s visit before the trip. “You don’t have to be on bed rest.”

I smiled triumphantly at Nick. He shrugged.

“Exercise is not bad. But that brings me to point number two.”

For this, she turned to Nick.

“Calm the libido, my friend.”

Nick looked at her innocently. Dr. Tresher smiled.

“I’d say once a week at most; every other week would be better. Just to forewarn you, I’m cutting you off cold turkey about a month before delivery; unless Olivia cuts you off before then. Then it’ll be six weeks after delivery.”

Nick looked like a kid that had woken up Christmas morning to a tree void of presents. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Trust me; you’ll be so tired from staying up all night after the baby gets here that it’ll be the furthest thing from your mind.”

Somehow I highly doubted that. It was Nick we were talking about.

“That’s fine,” he said a little sheepishly. “I just don’t want a repeat of Thanksgiving.”

Dr. Tresher nodded. She looked back at me. “Last, but not least, some travel tips.”

She held up a bracelet. “I’m giving you this. Pregnant women are more prone to sea sickness; it’ll be like morning sickness all over again. This should help calm that queasiness.”

I made a face and took the bracelet. It wasn’t the most stylish accessory; but if I could keep from puking over the railing into the ocean below, I was fine with it.

“Also, make sure to bring plenty of bottled water with you. Drinking foreign water can bring about diarrhea which will dehydrate you and baby. Don’t eat fresh fruits and vegetables unless they’re cooked for the same reason. Also, be careful about milk. Sometimes the pasteurization is iffy.”

“But other than that?” I asked. She smiled.

“Have a great trip and take tons of pictures. I’m jealous.”

Fifteen minutes later, Nick and I walked out to the car. As I climbed up in the passenger seat, I looked down at him.

“If all those girls on the cruise knew that you were being deprived of sex, they’d go crazy,” I teased. Nick grinned.

“Hey I’m going to be on my best behavior this whole week,” he said. “I’m cashing in my sexy time on the ship. I can’t go to Cozumel, Mexico and not make love to you. I’m going to have Howie teach me some sexy Spanish words.”

I laughed. “Aye papi,” I said with a fake moan. Nick covered my mouth.

“Don’t even tease me. In fact, you probably shouldn’t talk or smile for the next, oh, week.”

I grinned. He closed the door a pained, pained man.

--------------------------

December 3

I stared at case after case of bottled water. “How much do you think I’m going to drink?”

“If we get stranded, you’ll still have water,” Nick explained. I raised an eyebrow.

“How long are we going to be stranded?” He ran a hand through his hair.

“Why do you have to be difficult?”

I laughed. “Am I difficult?”

Nick leaned over and kissed me softly. “Incredibly.”

“Have you heard from the other guys?”

Nick nodded.

“Yeah, Howie called with our whole itinerary. We have to be at this warehouse in downtown Miami at about 4:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. We’ll spend the whole day getting the bulk of the shooting for Figured You Out done. Anything we have to change or reshoot will be done on Wednesday. The cruise leaves Thursday and last pieces of footage on board.”

With the success of the Masquerade video, Howie had asked me if I had any other fantastic ideas. I had admitted that I had fallen in love with their unreleased song, Figured You Out. I could picture the video in my head. Howie had taken the bait, and once more, my vision was going to become reality.

“What about AJ and Rochelle? Have they come off their honeymoon high?”

Nick laughed. “I seriously think AJ’s in mourning. He was looking forward to the wedding so long that now he’s all antsy because he’s not planning anything. I guess he did a small promotional tour at some colleges. I can’t picture any college letting him in, but that’s just me.”

I couldn’t help but agree. “Well, I talked to Leighanne last night. She said Baylee’s bouncing off the walls. Brian’s been showing him pictures of the cruise ship and he can’t wait. Leighanne sounded exhausted just talking about it.”

Nick laughed. “You should see the wait list for the cruise. It’s insane. The way it stands right now we probably should do another one in the summer.”

“Not August,” I said. Nick laughed. “No definitely not August. I ain’t celebrating my honeymoon with a ship full of fans.”

The thought of honeymooning with Nick gave me a hot flash. Phew.

“Have you started packing your clothes yet?” I asked him, returning to our little cruise check list. He shook his head. I gave him a look.

“It’s not like it’s that hard for me,” he explained. “T-shirt, t-shirt, jeans, t-shirt two pairs of underwear, socks, and tennis shoes. Done.”

“You’re going to need more than two pairs of underwear!”

Nick shrugged.

“If you’re bringing fifteen cases of bottled water on board the ship I should see at least two brand new packages of boxers in your suitcase.” I said.

“What for?”

I smirked. “What if we get stranded?” I asked, giving him a taste of his own medicine. He leaned over and tweaked my nose.

“Ha-ha, point taken. I’ll start packing.”

I scratched Bitsy’s head and followed Nick to our bedroom. My suitcases were already neatly packed and stacked against the wall. I watched him throw open the door to his walk-in closet. It looked like Mt. Vesuvius had erupted. Nick kicked a huge pile of clothes before stepping in and turning on the light.

“Someday we’re going to have to clean your closet,” I said. Nick shuddered.

“I hate to see what’s all the way in the back,” he said. “I think there’s some type of Gremlin back there. And not a cute Gremlin like Gizmo. I’m talking about the Gremlins with the red eyes and the hair coming out of their ears.”

I just looked at him. Sometimes the most random things came out of his mouth and all I could do was stare.

“Then you shouldn’t have fed him after midnight,” I finally said. Nick grinned.

“See this is why I love you. You get all of my weird 80’s movie references.”

I shrugged modestly. “What can I say? You’ve met your match.”

“You bet I have.”

-------------------------

December 5

“We’re going on a cruissseee, we’re going on a crrrrrruissseee,” I sang off-key as I finished the dinner dishes. Nick was on the phone with Angel.

“No, you’re a lifesaver. No it’s only for a week. Uh-huh. Yeah, you have free run of the whole place. No parties. Of course I trust you. Alright, love you too.”

“Everything all set?” I asked. Nick nodded.

“Our dog sitter is on board.”

“No parties?”

“I know. I feel so old, but she’s gorgeous and young and I’d really like my house in one piece.”

“I trust her,” I said.

“Well unlike my own mother, I doubt she’s going to take our dogs to the pound,” Nick said bitterly. I looked at him sadly.

“I don’t know what I did wrong,” I said. “She really hates me.”

“It’s not you; it’s her. I daresay Aaron might have gotten to her about his big bad brother going ape shit on his ass,” Nick said.

“I’m almost afraid to meet your dad.”

“Dad’s a whole ‘nother story. He’s uber-friendly. Of course, he loves all females,” Nick explained. “The bad thing about visiting dad is it’s so weird to see Kaden. I mean he’s young enough to be my son.”

“Does Kaden look like you and Aaron?”

Nick nodded. “Yeah, in ten or twelve years I’ll probably see him on MTV. He’ll be the next Justin Bieber.”

I smiled. “Or maybe Baylee, James, and Mason will recruit him as a member of the New Backstreet Boys.”

“I don’t even want to think about that. I already feel old.”

“Thirty is so old.”

“Wait until you’re thirty,” Nick said. “You’re a baby. You’re twenty seven.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly. “I’ll be your baby.”

His eyes darkened. He leaned down for another kiss; then paused.

“I’ve got to go take a shower,” he said. He ducked under my arm and headed to the stairs.

“Seriously?”

“It’s all your fault!” he called out. “I warned you not to talk or smile!”

I laughed. Our arrival in Cozumel couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter Thirteen – December 7 (Welcome to Miami)

Somehow in the time between the Masquerade video shoot and our arrival in Miami, I had forgotten how early 4:00 a.m. was. To make matters worse, we had an hour and a half flight from Tampa Bay to Miami. Thus, Nick and I had been awake since 1:00 a.m.

“This is a good time to go to sleep, not to wake up,” Nick said as a car took us to the warehouse.

“We better get used to it,” I said, stifling a yawn. “Once the baby comes, we’re going to be up at all hours of the night.”

The car dropped us off at our location and then took off to our hotel where all of our luggage would be (hopefully) waiting. Nick immediately spotted a Starbucks. He walked over and pressed his face against the window.

“It doesn’t open until 5:30,” I said. He groaned.

Nick wasn’t much of a coffee drinker; but I had a feeling he needed that jolt of caffeine.

Taking his hand, we headed into the warehouse. The crews had obviously been hard at work for the past day or so. A fake ocean backdrop with a cruise ship deck and boating dock was in one corner. A bedroom, a restaurant, and an ATM machine were in the other three corners. Nick was eying the bed like a man who had found an ice cold Coca Cola in the middle of the desert.

A large billboard hung from the ceiling. Pictures of four absolutely gorgeous girls were displayed right in a row reminiscent of the Boys billboard in The Call.

“Hey Nizzle, want to switch verses? That bed’s looking awfully inviting.”

Nick and I turned to see AJ and Rochelle over by the food table, steaming cups of coffee in hand. They both looked tanned and extremely happy.

“No way, man. I will gladly offer to shoot first,’ Nick said. AJ flipped him off.

“Alright guys,” Howie called from the other end of the warehouse. “Over here for instructions!”

AJ, Rochelle, Nick, and I headed over to where a small group was already assembled.

Leigh was standing by Howie. James was holding onto a folding chair, looking up at his parents adoringly.

“Dadad, mamam,” he chattered happily. Howie smiled down at him. James let go of the chair and walked a few steps. He plopped right down on Howie’s foot. At the same time, a remote control car zoomed past him; James let out a loud squeal. Glancing over to the right, I saw Baylee with a remote in his hands.

Brian was straddling a folding chair. He was wearing a short sleeve blue shirt, but had a scarf wrapped around his neck.

“It’s cold in Atlanta,” he said, catching my gaze. “We just got off the plane and my body hasn’t caught up yet.”

I laughed and looked around for Leighanne.

“Where’s Leigh?”

“Oh, she’s back at the hotel. She’ll be here later. She wanted to get the puppies settled in the room.”

“Shall we get started?” Howie said. Everyone gave a nod (or in Nick’s case, a yawn).

Howie started off by introducing the director, Wesley Praxton and the choreographer, Lisa Guaciolli. Wesley took over, passing around story boards and fleshing out the vision a little more.

“I’m hoping to get a good start on your individual scenes this morning. You’ll be spending the entire afternoon with Lisa learning your chorus choreography.

“I volunteer to go first,” Nick said. I stifled a laugh.

Twenty minutes later, Nick came out from the dressing area wearing loose pajama pants that hung off his hips perfectly and nothing else. My mouth went a little dry. The extra ten pounds he had gained didn’t hinder his abdomen, most of it had gone back into his face, for which I was thankful. Nick was at his finest when he pinchable cheeks. A hair stylist followed behind him, putting a last few drops of gel into his hair to spike it up.

“How do I look?” Nick said. I smiled.

“Edible.”

That was probably the wrong thing to say to a man that had to refrain from sleeping with his pregnant fiancée.

“If I didn’t have hair and makeup done I’d really like to try dunking my head in ice again,” he said. I smiled sheepishly.

Nick followed the director over to the bedroom set. Brian brought me over a chair.

“How you feeling Liv?” he said.

“Thanks Bri,” I said with a smile as I sat down. “I’m feeling pretty good.”

There had been a time when there was a possibility that Brian was the father of my baby. I had hoped that when we received the good news that the baby was Nick’s that things wouldn’t be weird between the two of us. Luckily, it wasn’t. Brian sat beside me, watching Nick crawl under some blankets. A set designer carefully positioned the sheets for an optimal shot. Even the placement of Nick’s face on the pillow was changed several times. I looked over at Brian; he was grinning ear to ear.

“Do I need to turn on my camera?” I said suspiciously. Brian let out a little whistle.

“Might not be a bad idea,” he said.

I turned on the camera as Nick’s verse of the song started to play. Nick’s “girl” came over and nudged his shoulder. She was dressed in an extremely short, low-cut red dress. His eyes opened sleepily as she mimed the words ‘I have a place to go.’ She proceeded to grab the keys and phone from the nightstand by Nick’s head.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brian reach into his pocket. The next second Nick was screaming. Covers were kicked away, Nick’s white ass fell out of his pajama bottoms, and his bare feet hit the floor. Brian fell out of his chair laughing.

And I had caught it all on tape. I stood and walked over to get a closer look at what was going on. Several set designers had already gathered.

“There’s something slithering in that bed!” Nick said, his voice higher than I had ever heard it before. “It crawled over my feet!”

Two women cautiously began to strip the layers off the bed. A remote-controlled fake-looking gel snake lay innocently at the foot of the bed. I could just imagine how it must have felt to have that slimy sticky thing slid over your feet. I shivered at the same time I started to laugh.

Nick looked around for the culprit. Brian was still on the floor laughing. Hiking his pajama pants back over his behind, Nick tackled Brian just as he started to get up. They fell back down on the floor in a heap of playful hits and jabs.

“That was not funny!” Nick said as he yanked the remote control from Brian’s hand and threw it halfway across the warehouse. Brian was still laughing; I think he begged to differ about the humor level.

After Nick had calmed down and the set was reassembled, they began a second take. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the seventeenth take, I was ready to crawl into the bed with him and take a nap.

Finally, the director declared the scene a success. Nick sat up and stretched.

“Wake me up when it’s time for me to dance,” he said as I walked over. I shook my head.

“No, you’re not getting off that easily,” I said.

By this time, Brian had been taken into hair, makeup, and costuming. I saw Leighanne walk in, clutching a big cup of Starbucks. Nick’s eyes lit up; not at her, but at the cup.

“I’m going to run over to Starbucks,” he said. I grabbed his arm and pointed towards the dressing room.

“You’re not going over there half naked,” I said. Nick looked down; it was almost as if he had forgotten he was dressed only in pajama pants.

“Right,” he said. With a kiss on my cheek, he ducked down the hallway. I walked over to Leighanne.

“Good to see you,” I said happily. She took a big sip from her cup then hugged me tightly.

“It’s good to see you too, Liv,” she said. “You look great.”

“So do you,” I said. She always looked beautiful, but this morning I noticed that she looked more tired than I had ever seen her before. She laughed and shook her head.

“I’ve felt better. Hopefully some sea air will perk me right up.”

Baylee ran over, still holding the controls to his car. She knelt down to get a hug and kiss, then looked around.

“Where’s daddy?” she asked Baylee.

“Makeup,” Baylee said. Coming from any other kid, the thought of daddy in makeup would be weird, but for Baylee it was a normal day in the life of a Backstreet Boy’s son.

I pulled my chair over to Brian’s set and got another folding chair for Leighanne. She sat down, resting her cup on her lap. The smell wafting from the cup smelled familiar.

“What did you get?” I asked. “It smells great.”

Leighanne looked down at the cup in surprise. “Oh, just a coffee mix. Coffee always smells good when you can’t have it, right?”

I nodded. I hated coffee and even pregnant I couldn’t stand to walk down the coffee aisle. I was sure I had smelled her drink before, but I couldn’t place it.

Brian came out to the set and spotted Leighanne straight away. After a hug and a kiss, he walked over to the restaurant table in the middle of his set and sat down. Baylee climbed in the seat across from him.

“No buddy,” Brian said lightly. “We’re not eating. Daddy’s working.”

Baylee scrambled off the chair and took off in the direction of James. The little car he controlled zipped over wires and around legs like lightning. If Baylee didn’t end up with a singing career, he just might be destined to be a race car driver.

Brian’s scene went rather smoothly, albeit with Brian there are always a few outtakes. One shot had him wearing the menu on his head; another had him putting his watch up to his ear like the battery had stopped. Even though he had less takes than Nick, by the time we heard the final ‘Cut!’ it was lunchtime.

“We’re a little behind schedule,” Wesley said. “After lunch you guys will still go learn the choreography and then we’ll have to shoot AJ later tonight. I don’t think we’ll get to Howie’s scene and the chorus until tomorrow.”

We broke for lunch. I watched Brian help Baylee get a plate. I sat back down in my seat with a plate of delicious smelling BBQ chicken. Nick took Leighanne’s chair; I had no clue where she went.

“Is this yours?” Nick said, picking up the Starbucks. He had downed a Strawberries and Crème and declared that the sugar had rejuvenated him. I shook my head, but took the cup.

“It’s Leigh’s,” I said. I looked around and not seeing her, I pried the lid open and took a bigger whiff; then I took a sip.

The drink in the cup was definitely not coffee.

It was ginger tea.

Chapter Fourteen – December 8

The next morning was an absolute continuation of the day before. It had been a late night; by the time the guys had mastered the choreography and AJ had his scene shot, it was pushing eleven o’clock at night. Leigh and Leighanne had taken the boys back to the hotel; I stuck around with my camera on as tired delirium hit the guys. At one point during AJ’s shoot, Nick and Brian snuck behind the fake ATM and began to throw coins out like it was a slot machine. Howie was practically beside himself with frustration.

“Dude, you’re taking over where Kevin left off,” Nick said, not for the first time. “Relax.”

“You won’t be saying relax when we’re back here in a few hours and you’re dog tired,’ Howie had warned.

He was right. Nick was a complete grump as we walked back into the warehouse the next morning.

I noticed right away that Brian was watching Baylee and Leighanne was nowhere to be seen. After discovering the mysterious origins of her Starbucks cup, I was dying of curiosity. Leighanne had been the one to introduce me to ginger tea as I battled first trimester morning sickness. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but the thought of a new edition to the Littrell family was exciting.

“Where’s Leighanne?” I asked Brian as Nick hustled right over to the breakfast spread. Brian rubbed his neck.

“We forgot to pack a few things. Leigh’s getting some stuff this morning.”

I wanted to ask him what stores would be open at 5 a.m. for shopping, but I thought better. If I was going to be nosey, I thought I’d rather bug Leighanne.

Unlike the other three guys, Howie was ready to go. Wesley quickly had him go through his scene. Howie’s was trickiest. His part involved throwing a suitcase off the cruise ship to a girl on dock. I had a feeling that the design crew had built up a good proximity to the front bow of the cruise ship we’d be on, but I knew that they’d probably try to get takes tomorrow on the real deal.

The guys were in the middle of shooting the chorus dance steps when Leighanne walked in. She looked worse than the day before. I got up and walked over to her.

“Hey, how was shopping?” I said. She looked at me blankly.

“Shopping?”

“Brian said you guys had forgotten a few things so you went shopping.”

Leighanne looked in Brian’s direction. I could almost see her thinking ‘Is that the best he could do? Shopping? What stores are open at 5 a.m.?”

She looked back over at me. I pulled her into a corner.

“That wasn’t coffee yesterday,” I whispered. She smiled wryly.

“I knew I wasn’t going to fool you,” she said.

“You did a pretty good job. But I sipped it,” I admitted. She laughed.

“So…?” I said. The suspense was killing me.

She made a rocking motion and nodded. “Yup. July 9.”

I stifled a squeal and hugged her tightly.

“But we’re not telling anyone else,” she said. I nodded and made a lock motion with my mouth.

“Did you tell Baylee?”

“Yeah, we told Baylee. We explained the importance of keeping a secret. We’ll see how that works.”

“Was Brian excited?” I asked.

Leighanne nodded and threw a friendly arm around my shoulders as we walked back on set. She whispered to be conspiratorially.

“I will give you one word of warning. If Nick ever asks for Vick’s vapo rub and honey, run.”

I looked at her in confusion, but something told me that it was better not to ask. She laughed at the look on my face.

“It’s a long story,” she said.

------------------------------

Production wrapped up for the day right before dinner. Once again, the biggest decision was where to go for dinner. AJ was looking at a list of the top ten restaurants in Miami.

“Hey Nick,” AJ said pulling him over. He pointed to restaurants as he talked. “Look, they make a story. You’ll get all up on Shorty’s BBQ and then get lost in her Azul eyes. Before you take her home, you’ll light one up at Tobacco Road and then Porcao night long.” He pronounced Porcao as 'pork all.'

Howie groaned. “You are a detriment to the Spanish language, McLean.”

“What? Come on I’m a flippin’ creative genius.”

A half hour later we ended up going to Joe’s Stone Crabs. I must admit, I’m not much of a fish person, so I was glad to see fried chicken on the menu. Howie got incredible excited about the soft crab with pickled mango kimchee. After the waiter disappeared with our orders, Nick looked around and then placed a big bottle of Evian water in front of me. I looked over at him.

“What’s this?”

“Bottled water,” he said.

“I ordered bottled water here,” I explained.

“The doctor said to bring bottled water with us,” Nick said.

“I think she meant that more on the cruise ship and Cozumel,” I replied.

As we were talking, I saw a moment of panic cross Brian’s face. He glanced over at Leighanne; she shook her head. She, like me, knew that Nick was over-reacting.

He was out of his mind, and I loved him for it.

I stuck the bottle of Evian in my purse as the water returned. He placed an identical bottle in front of me. I gave Nick a look, he made a face.

“How’s married life, AJ?” Leigh asked. AJ grinned.

“Pretty good. She hasn’t killed me yet.” he replied, looking over at Rochelle. She rolled her eyes.

“No honeymoon bambinos?” Howie teased. AJ choked on his soda.

“No way,” Rochelle replied for the both of them. She took a sip of wine. “The world’s not ready for another Alex.”

“Agreed,” Brian and Nick said at the same time. AJ slid his sunglasses down his nose, giving both of them a look with his big brown puppy dog eyes.

Little conversations erupted all around the table as we waited for food. When it finally arrived, plate after steaming plate was set down before us. The guys dug in greedily. The fried chicken melted in my mouth.

Everyone was half-way through their food, except Leighanne who picked at a salad, when I heard loud excited whispering.

“We have company gentlemen,” AJ said.

In moments the table was bombarded with fans coming up asking for autographs and pictures. The guys were fantastic as always. Leighanne was almost as popular as the guys. In a way, I think she was thankful for the pictures; I had been in her shoes not long ago and I knew how hard it was to keep food down when a baby had other plans.

“You are so gorgeous,” a fan said as she posed with Nick for a photo. He smiled modestly.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” another fan said as she hung onto AJ’s arm.

“I saw the video with your newest song,” another girl said as she approached Nick. “It’s beautiful.”

Nick smiled. “Well, I needed a beautiful song for my beautiful lady. I felt his warm hand wrap around my shoulder. I looked over at the fan. Her smile seemed to momentarily freeze in place.

“I can’t wait to see pictures of your little girl,” she continued. “I hope she looks just like you.”

“Well everyone always told me I’d make a cute girl,” Nick replied lightly. “But hopefully her best qualities will come from her mommy.”

After another fifteen minutes, the fans died away. Leftovers were put in carryout boxes.

“Anyone want dessert?” the waitress asked. My mouth began to water; the dessert menu had looked to die for. Even so, I kept quiet. I had a feeling everyone wanted to leave before more fans learned the whereabouts of the Backstreet Boys.

“Can we have a piece of key lime pie and a slice of your peanut butter cup cake to go?” Nick said. I could have kissed him.

The guys waved to the fans that were salivating more over them then over their food. We climbed into a van that took all of us back to the hotel.

“See you guys in the morning,” Howie said. “Meet in the lobby at six.”

Several of us groaned. With a chorus of ‘good nights’ we drifted to our rooms. Baylee and Mason had stayed at the hotel with a nanny; I had a feeling they were already fast asleep. Nick swiped our keycard and we walked into the room. I sat down on the bed and kicked off my shoes, falling back into the soft mattress. Nick did the same; his head slowly turned towards me. I leaned over and kissed the tip of his nose. His arm pulled me closer. I rested my leg across his lap and kissed him softly.

He kissed back, his hand slid across my leg. A little moan escaped my throat as his tongue darted into my mouth; I slid up farther on the bed. Nick didn’t miss a beat; he followed me like a stalking panther. His hands rested on my hips, I leaned up to nibble his bottom lip. When his hands traveled from my hips under my shirt, I paused.

“We’re not in Cozumel,” I whispered.

Nick groaned. He rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling. It seemed silly to say it, but I actually felt sorry for him.

I stood up and picked up our dessert carryout containers and then sat back down beside him. He looked over at me as I opened the lid. My fingers scrapped off the heavy layer of whipped cream for the key lime pie. I met Nick’s eyes.

“Take it off Carter,” I said. I saw a little glimmer sparkle in Nick’s eyes.

“I’m giving you dessert. I’ll wait for mine in Cozumel.”

Chapter Fifteen – December 9 (Bon Voyage)

The next morning, everyone piled into three large vans filled with luggage and people. The sun was out; it seemed to be a perfect day to set sail. The cruise ship was docked; it was the most massive ship I had ever seen in my life. Nick rolled down the window and we leaned out together.

"Cool, huh?" he said. I smiled. "You betcha."

"Daddy, that ship is huge!" Bailee said excitedly. His eyes grew wide as we rolled to a stop. I noticed Leighanne was wearing a sea sickness bracelet almost identical to mine. I couldn't imagine going on the cruise the way I felt a few months back; she was certainly a trooper.

Wesley and Lisa were waiting with the film crew as we piled out of the vans. A few members of the ship’s crew came over and introduced themselves before taking our luggage on board. Leigh took James (who was happily chanting 'boat, boat, boat') to their room; Leighanne took off with Baylee to explore, and I daresay, take a nap. The boarding time for fans was noon; I assumed fans would start showing up shortly. They didn't know that the guys were shooting their next video; once they found out I had a feeling pandemonium would occur.

The guys seemed to be thinking along the same lines; they didn't waste any time. After heading on board for makeup and a wardrobe change, Wesley reshot Howie's scene. His video girl stood on dock while Howie flung a pink suitcase time and time again. After that scene was declared a success, the Boys assembled on deck and the chorus was filmed again and again. They still weren't done when the first passengers came towards the boat, suitcases in tow.

"There they are!" a middle-aged lady said, pointing at the guys. The guys were sprawled out on the deck, catching their breath before yet another take. Rochelle and I were sitting a little ways back; Rochelle was already attempting to get a suntan. Nick had plopped a big floppy hat on my head and smeared sunscreen on my nose about an hour earlier. Currently he was lying on his back, mouth open; AJ leaned over and squirted water down onto him. Nick sputtered and spit some of the water back up like a fountain. The girls giggled adoringly. What they didn't see was the water that flew up his nose. He sat up, snorting quietly.

"What's with the cameras?" I heard another girl ask.

"Is that Nick's girlfriend?"

"His fiancee."

"Ugh."

Nick stood up and headed over to me. He leaned down right next to my ear.

"For the record, you're not ugh."

He kissed me softly; if the fans had lasers for eyes, I would have been nothing more than dust. I brushed some water drops off the tip of his nose and smiled.

"Alright guys, I see we have an audience. Let's do one more take," Wesley said. They stood up; a few people came over and fixed hair and makeup. Nick was every makeup artist's worst nightmare. As soon as they got him ready, he seemed to do something that required another application.

As the music started and the guys began their choreography, excited murmurings erupted from the crowd. When Wesley yelled 'Cut!' the fans whistled and cheered. Brian did a low bow, Nick kicked him in the behind and he went sprawling out on deck.

After waving to the fans that had already gathered, we all disappeared to the part of the ship that contained our cabins. The security was high in this part of the ship; each of us had a special lanyard and pass that we had to show to gain access. I was secretly glad; it wasn't like the Boys could duck in a car and take off if the fans got feisty. If Mr. T. had to take down some fans, I wouldn’t pity da fools.

I walked into a beautiful ocean view suite. There was a sitting area with a loveseat that could be curtained off separate from the bedroom. A huge King size bed took up a great deal of room; to the side of the bed a sliding glass door lead out to a private balcony. The bathroom was large enough for double sinks and a tub. While I admired everything, Nick’s eyes focused on one thing, and one thing only.

“CEREAL!” he cried happily rushing to a little dinette table in the sitting area. He picked up several boxes of cereal and looked at them with satisfaction.

“We’re surrounded by all this and you only have eyes for cereal?” I said. Nick grinned sheepishly and looked around.

“I like the bed, too,” he said. I laughed.

By the time that we unpacked our toiletries it was two o’clock.

“Ship leaves at 4:00,” Nick said pulling me close. He held his camera out. “Say cheese!”

I smiled seconds before I heard the click of his phone. He sat down on the loveseat. I leaned over him. He was already sending it to Twitter.

I walked over to the bed and pulled out my video camera. I headed towards the door.

“Where you going?” Nick asked.

I smiled. “I’m going to go do my job. I’m going to go meet the fans and get some video.”

“Take security with you,” Nick said.

“Seriously?”

Nick looked up at me; I had never seen him look so serious. “Seriously.”

I stepped out of the cabin and tapped one of the security guys on the shoulder. Moments later another guard appeared and nodded at me. I rode the elevator up to the main deck.

People were milling around everywhere. I turned on the camera and panned the deck.

“It’s 2:00 on December 9. We’re prepared to set sail in two hours. The guys have spent the last couple days shooting a new music video and they’ll finish the video tonight at their surprise performance,” I whispered.

“Hey that’s Nick’s fiancée,” I heard someone say behind me. I turned around with the camera. Two girls stood there staring at me.

“Are you guys excited about the cruise?” I asked. They looked at each other then back at me. They burst into tears.

I was off to a great start.

-----------------------------------

I found out that filming was a lot harder now that people recognized me. Some of the older fans were mature enough to carry on a pleasant conversation; those around my age weren’t so kind. I had just turned off my camera and was heading back down to the cabin to get dressed for the Welcome Cocktail Party when I felt something hit the back of my head. Two more things hit my back before the security guard spotted the culprit. He took off across the deck while I quickly headed back to our hall. I flashed my pass at the guard and flew into the room. Nick looked up. One look at my face and he was on his feet.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know!” I said, putting my camera down. The whole back of me felt wet and disgusting. I turned around. “I was hit with something.”

I heard Nick suck in a breath.

“What? What?” I said, beginning to panic.

“It could be worse,” Nick replied. I tugged at my hair. My fingers met slime. I pulled the strands around so I could see.

I was covered in egg.

“Who did this?” Nick asked. He sounded pissed.

“I don’t know. My security guy went after them.”

I took off my clothes, the egg had already soaked through the lightweight fabric and my back felt like a gooey mess. I headed to the bathroom; Nick was on my heels.

“You’re not going anywhere without me,” Nick said. I looked at him.

“I think I’m safe in the bathroom,” I said.

“You know what I mean,” he said. He turned the shower on for me and headed back out into the room.

Something told me it was going to be an interesting trip; the Nick brigade was in defense mode to protect the last “single” Backstreet Boy.

I didn’t think we had seen anything yet.

-------------------------------------------------

The Boys and us girls made an appearance towards the end of the Cocktail Party. We stood on a balcony that overlooked the main deck. Baylee introduced his daddy and mommy and then all of his ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles.’ With a big wave and a “Have a good trip!” he handed the microphone to Nick.

I had worried about the motion sickness; at the moment I couldn’t even tell the ship was moving. Nick had beefed up on security; no one was getting at any of us with a ten foot pole. He looked down at the crowd. Cat calls sounded from below.

“On behalf of all of us, I want to say that we are super excited to be here with you guys today. It’s been a long time since we first announced the trip and we never expected such a response. We want you to have a fun, safe trip. With that said, I’d like to remind you that everyone standing up here with me is a member of my family. If you mess with my family, you’re messing with me. My fiancée was egged earlier today; I’m going to let you know that type of thing is not going to be prohibited on the ship. And, if I hear of any of you guys getting egged, me, Howie, Brian, and AJ are going to beat the culprit up.”

He sounded like a dad scolding his children. I looked over at him surprised. His face broke into an amazing grin.

“With that said, enjoy the rest of the party. After dinner we’ll be rockin’ out with a special surprise.”

“Wow,” Howie said as we headed to the Captain’s room for dinner. “I didn’t even know you knew what the word prohibited meant, Nick.”

“Hey, I might not be a high school graduate, but I’m not dumb,” Nick said. I looked over at him in surprise.

“You didn’t get your high school equivalency?” I whispered. Everyone else filed past us into the room.

He looked at me with what looked like regret. “No; mom told the magazines that I did so that we didn’t run into any trouble, but the truth was all of my studying time was filled with interviews, choreography, and touring.”

“Oh, Nick,” I said, touching his arm. He smiled and kissed me softly.

“Well now that I have an amazingly intelligent fiance, I think maybe I can finally go get my GED.”

I grinned. “You’ll have a great tutor.” I assured him as we walked in and took our seats.

“Did you really get egged Liv?” Leighanne asked as I reached for a menu. I nodded.

“Yeah, I think I’m persona non grata right now. At least my hair is shiny.”

“I think half these girls booked the tour thinking they were going to have a giant orgy with Nick,” AJ said with a snicker.

Nick shook his head. “I’m a one woman man,” he stated.

Wesley and Lisa joined us for dinner.

“Do the fans know what they’re coming for tonight?” Wesley asked. Howie shook his head.

“Our actual performance isn’t until our day at sea. We have Q & A tomorrow after the day in Key West,” Howie explained.

“I hope they like Figured You Out,” AJ said. “I’m sure they’re going to be hearing it about, oh, fifty times.”

Wesley laughed. “Hey, you guys might nail it on the first shot.”

The guys shared a look. I didn’t think one shot was in the cards and neither did they.

Towards the end of dinner, I noticed Baylee getting restless. Leighanne kept placing a calming hand on his arm, but he was practically bouncing in his chair.

“Hey Uncle Howie?” he asked as he made a deep crater in the mashed potatoes.

“What’s up, bud?” Howie said.

“How come James is bald like Uncle AJ?”

Nick burst out laughing. AJ rubbed his head and glanced at James. Baylee had a point; both of them had a completely smooth top half. Most of James hair was sprouting in the back, not the front.

James looked around confused. Nick often called him the baby Buddha; he had a point, but it made the little guy even more adorable.

“It’ll grow in,” Howie said to Baylee, ignoring Nick. “Don’t you remember when I had really long hair? Pretty soon, his will grow that fast.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Baylee. He took a big bite of mashed potatoes. The kid reminded me more of Brian every day.

-----------------------------

If I told you that the fans were pleasantly surprised that they were being included in the next Backstreet Boys video, I wouldn’t be describing the scene accurately. The fans freaked out when AJ explained what was happening. I panned the crowd with my camera, capturing the excitement radiating off of their faces.

Even though it took a good fifteen takes, no one cared. I think the audience could have stayed there all night and listened to Figured You Out over and over again. Of course, if I was in their shoes so would I. There was something about four really hot sweaty guys, especially when you’d been a fan for as long as some of us had. It seemed insane that I could claim one of them for my very own.

As I crawled in bed next to Nick I pressed a kiss on his shoulder and smiled. He looked over at me.

“I’m surprised you’re still smiling after getting egged,” he said. I shrugged. He smelled like Lucky Charms.

“I’m still a lucky girl,” I said. His rubbed my bare arms with his hands.

“No,” he said softly. “I’m the lucky one. Those fans only know half of the real me. You’ve seen the whole deal and you’re still here.”

I closed my eyes; I could hear the swish of the water and the ship cruised through the ocean waters.

If the worst I had to deal with was eggs, everything was going to be just fine.

Chapter Sixteen – December 10 (Key West, Florida)

The next morning, I was still in that relaxation state between full awareness and deep sleep when I heard a loud knock on our door. Nick groaned and rolled over. I heard yet another knock. Sliding out of bed, I peered through the little peephole. It was Howie. I opened the door a crack.

“Good morning,” I said with a yawn. Howie grinned.

“It’s 7:00,” he said. “We dock at Key West in a half hour. I just thought I’d do the rounds.”

“Howie,” I said. I pried dried sleep off my eyelash to get my right eye open. “How come you are always wide awake and ready to go?”

He smiled. “Ah, senorita, it’s because I make sure I take a siesta any chance I get. Senor Nick, on the other hand, likes to party until he’s rendered unconscious.”

I laughed. “Thank you, oh wise one.”

Howie moved on to AJ’s cabin and I closed the door. It took several minutes of shakes and nibbles on Nick’s ear before he finally woke up.

“We’re going to be docking soon,” I said. Nick put his pillow over his head. I yanked it off.

“I’ve been to Key West a thousand times,” he complained.

“What about me? I’ve never been to Key West,” I said. “Plus your fans are going to expect to see you guys roaming around amongst them.”

Nick opened one blue eye and looked at me.

“This is a walking or biking town. You can’t bike, and I don’t want you walking a lot.”

I shook my head. “Not going to work Nick. You filmed a Nick’s corner in Key West during Hurricane Dennis and you guys were driving around. There’s no reason we can’t drive around today.”

I knew I had won when he pulled the sheets off of himself and sat up. He fell back against me dramatically.

“You scare me sometimes,” he complained.

“You scare me too. Your breath reeks,” I teased. “C’mon let’s get ready.”

Before the trip, I had read through the entry on Key West on Wikipedia. I slipped on a sundress, put my hair in a messy ponytail, and waited for Nick to do his morning ritual of brushing, gargling, plucking and dressing. He came out in board shorts and a shirt with a large palm tree splayed across the front with the words “Palms Up!” written across the bottom. After sliding on a pair of sunglasses he did a little strut on an imaginary catwalk. I laughed.

“Very nice,” I said.

“So where we going?” Nick said, glancing towards my laptop. “I’m better than any tour guide down here.”

“Well, I want to go to South Street and Whitehead Street to get a picture of the Southernmost Point,” I said. Nick nodded. I knew he had been there; that was part of his Nick’s corner video.

“Been there,” Nick said. “You know it’s really 94 miles to Cuba, not 90,” he said. I smiled. “Where else?” he asked.

“Well, I really want to go to the Hemingway House.”

He looked surprised. I had a feeling that was one Key West attraction he hadn’t been to before. “Really?”

I nodded as I stood up and slid my feet into a pair of flip flops.

“Really.”

------------------------------------

“Hello everyone, welcome to Nick’s corner,” Nick said charmingly. Nick was driving and looked over at the camera, flashing a big smile.

“Keep your eyes on the road,” Brian said from the backseat. Leighanne, Brian, and Baylee had tagged along with us. Howie, Leigh and baby James had gone on a biking tour. I had no clue where AJ and Rochelle had gone.

Nick rolled his eyes. “Anyhow, this is Duval Street,” he explained. I panned the camera out the window.

“This used to be my home away from home,” Nick said. “My boat racing team was down here. He pointed past me out t window. “I spent many nights at Sloppy Joe’s Bar.”

I zoomed the camera in on the sign as we passed it.

“Baylee, don’t ever go into a place that combines messy food with alcohol,” Brian said from the backseat. I stifled a laugh.

After pointing out a few more popular evening destinations, we ended up at South and Whitehead. I climbed out of the car, my camera still on. The place was humming with people, many which had come off of the cruise ship.

Along with the Littrells, Nick had thrown two big beefy security guys in for good measure. One stuck close to Nick and I while the other hovered around Brian, Leighanne, and Baylee. We made our way through the crowd towards the monument.

I had a little flashback in my mind of Nick wearing a rain poncho standing in the exact same spot during the Hurricane. I paused the camera.

“Why did you come out here in the middle of a hurricane?” I blurted out. Brian looked confused, but Nick leaned against the monument, looking thoughtful.

“I was a little depressed and a little lonely. I was also a little drunk. That’s a triple threat for stupidity.”

Nick took the camera from me; I saw him unpause and he immediately took on role of tour guide again. After explaining where we were and panning over the water; he pointed the camera to me.

“So how do you like Key West?”

“Ugh, Nick, no one wants to see me,” I complained. I reached for the camera, but he danced back. I laughed.

“I love Key West,” I said. I stepped forward and reached for the camera again, he jumped back.

“Where are we going next?” Nick asked. I smiled. “I thought you were the tour guide.”

“Don’t be difficult prego.”

I wrinkled my nose and stuck out my tongue. “We’re going to the Hemingway House next,” I said. Nick turned the camera to him.

“Yes, folks, you heard that right. Nick Carter is going to the Hemingway House. I have seen every bar and dive in Key West, but I have never even thought about going to do something that sounds like a learning experience. Be afraid, be very afraid.”

After a few more minutes of banter in which Brian and Baylee climbed up on top of the monument and sang Popeye the Sailor man, Nick stopped the camera, handed it to one of the guards and handed his cell phone to another.

“Group picture,” he said.

I let out a surprised shriek as Nick scooped me up in his arms. I heard Leighanne do the same. Baylee climbed up on the top of the monument again. I heard the guard say “Cheese” and I smiled brightly, my arms going around Nick’s neck.

So far, it was turning out to be the perfect day.

----------------------------------------------

Our stop at the Southernmost point took longer than expected. Several fans came up and asked for pictures and the guys happily obliged. It was a good thing that the Hemingway House was also on Whitehead, our time was growing short.

“Wow, that house is beautiful,” Leighanne said as we walked up to the property. My heart began to beat excitedly; I hadn’t imagined such a picture perfect place. A member of the staff recognized Nick and Brian and before we knew it was were given a private tour of the inside of the house.

“This is one of Key West’s most popular tourist destinations,” our tour guide was explaining. “While the inside is of special importance to history and literature buffs, most people find the most interest in our beautiful spacious grounds.”

We walked out to the most amazing backyard I had ever seen. Palm trees were everywhere; a bridge overlooked a large pond, and one of the most pristine swimming pools I had ever seen was surrounded by foliage, but not a leaf floated on the water.

While I was admiring the landscape, Baylee had spotted something even better. “CATS!” he said loudly. I spotted a large black cat lounging on an outdoor wrought iron patio chair. I expected him to run as Baylee made a beeline for him, but he calmly licked his leg and kept two sharp eyes on the emerging visitor.

We all followed him. I watched Baylee stroke the cats back; his eyes closed and his head turned in the direction of Baylee’s hand.

“Dad look,” Baylee said a little more quietly. He pointed at the cat’s front feet. The cat had two extra toes on each foot.

“Ernest Hemingway was given a six-toed cat by a ship’s captain and all of the cats that live here are descendants of that cat. We have about 60 feline friends that call this home.”

Nick and I spent a few minutes petting the cat and then we drifted away. Nick took my hand as we studied the pool; we walked in perfect synchronization onto the bridge I had spotted earlier.

“Look,” Nick said pointing down into the water. “It’s a Koi Pond.”

I looked down at the large fish swimming in the waters below. Lily pads in full bloom floated lazily on the top.

“This place is beautiful,” I said. Nick and I looked at each other. My eyes closed as his mouth met mine. At that moment it was hard to believe it was September; I felt like it was already August and we were about to recite our wedding vows…

“Nick!” I pulled away. He looked confused.

“What? I gargled with mouthwash this morning,” he complained.

I looked around us. The feeling of excitement I had first felt when we walked onto the grounds had come back.

“I wonder if they do weddings here,” I said slowly. Nick looked around with me. I felt his hand rest on my hip.

“All we can do is ask,” he whispered into my ear.

-----------------------------------------

An hour later we pulled back up to the ship. My heart was broken. While the Hemingway House did do weddings, they just couldn’t accommodate the number of people I knew we would be inviting.

Brian, Leighanne, and Baylee headed back onto the ship. Nick followed me out along the beach. I kicked at the sand stubbornly.

“We’ll find someplace,” Nick said. The wind tossed my hair around wildly as I looked over at him. He was carrying his sneakers in his hands; his face was slightly pink from sun exposure. He sank down on one knee and put my hand to his lips.

“I’d marry you anywhere,” he said. I looked down at him; then I looked around. White sandy beaches stretched for miles in both directions. I looked back down at him and smiled.

“I think I have a second choice,” I said. He looked around and then back at me.

We grinned.

Chapter Seventeen – Q&A

The ship took off from Key West at 2:00. We wouldn’t arrive in Cozumel until the 1:00 the following afternoon. Nick and I spent a few hours discussing a beach wedding; Nick sent out about ten e-mails to wedding planners in the Key West area. We had dinner in our room before meeting up with the guys for the Q&A.

The Q&A was held in the same room that the Boys filmed in the night before. Tonight there was no makeup or agreed upon wardrobe. I knew Leighanne wasn’t feeling well; she had gone back to the room right after dinner and it looked like Brian had picked out his own outfit for the evening. He had on a red hat that reminded me of Gilligan and was wearing a dark green t-shirt. It reminded me of the days that he lived in those nylon basketball shorts in the B.L. (Before Leighanne) time. AJ was wearing a shirt with a naked girl splayed across the front. Howie was dressed in a polo shirt and khakis, his hair perfectly gelled. Then there was Nick. Nick was wearing blue jean shorts that had “designer” rips strategically scattered everywhere and a smiley face shirt. His hair looked like he just rolled out of bed.

The cruise coordinator introduced the guys one at a time and they headed to the stage and onto bar stools. Rochelle, Leigh, and I sat in the back. Leigh had James in a high chair and was attempting to feed him. I was keeping my eye on Baylee, which was a super easy job. Brian had bought him a new Nintendo DS game and he was glued to the screen.

I turned on my camera and crouched down for a side view shot of the guys as they were each handed a microphone. When I was done, I tried to get up. I was like Humpty Dumpty, I couldn’t get up again.

“Need a hand?” Rochelle said with a laugh. I nodded. Clumsily I stood up, my hand on my belly. I took my seat as the guys asked if everyone enjoyed Key West. The applause and loud chatter was enough of an answer. The first question was for Nick.

“When is your solo album coming out?”

Nick smiled. “Good question. Restless Soul will be out February 8. And I’m sure a lot of you guys have heard my first single; All My Heart.”

He sang a few bars, half the room sang along. It was good to know so many people were watching my videos.

The next question was for Brian.

“When is your solo album coming out?”

Brian laughed. “I really want to have an album war with Nick, but mine’s not coming out until March 22. I don’t have a title yet. Is that bad? Should I call it Restless Prayer or Prayer-ful Soul?

The audience laughed. The next girl stood up.

“How’s married life, AJ?”

AJ smiled. “I love every minute of it. It’s kind of nice to know that I don’t have to go scour clubs and bars when I need some booty.”

“He’s a poet, isn’t he?” Rochelle said with a smirk. I laughed.

Another fan asked Howie if he was ever going to grow out his hair again (the answer was a ‘no’ which was met by a lot of applause. Another fan asked Brian about Baylee’s schooling. Yet another fan asked when the next Backstreet Boys album was coming out, in which all four guys responded ‘late 2011.’

The microphone was then passed to a beautiful brunette that looked like she could be a 4th Kardashian sister. Her gaze was trained on Nick like a hawk.

“Nick, what do you think of your fiancée’s lesbian tape?”

A weird hush came over the room. Nick stared at the girl; his mouth was opened slightly.

“You haven’t seen it?” she said. “It’s all over the web.”

I was pretty sure that my heart stopped. My ex-husband had done a lot of low down dirty things in his life, but if he did what I thought he did, it would take the cake.

Nick laughed nervously. “Well, I know what movie I’m going to be watching tonight,” he said.

“It doesn’t upset you?” the girl pressed on.

“Doesn’t everyone do something in their life they’re not proud of?” Nick said. I saw him look in the direction of the event coordinator. He quickly moved the microphone along. I didn’t really comprehend any of the questions that followed. I wanted to get my laptop and see for myself, but I wouldn’t dare do so with Baylee around.

“Hey, you okay?” Rochelle asked. I nodded. “Yeah.”

“When we were in Manitoba and I asked you if you had ever kissed a girl, you certainly didn’t spill the deets,” Rochelle said. I blushed.

“It was a big, stupid mistake.”

“I’ve had a lot of those,” Rochelle said. I must have looked upset because she put an arm around me. “If Nick’s anything like AJ, that little surprise is going to be a good surprise rather than a bad one.”

“The fans are out for my blood,” I said.

“Just like the South American fans are out for mine,” Leigh piped up. James was covered in what looked to be spaghetti and seemed to be having the time of his life.

I sighed. Even though I knew they had all gone through fan envy, I felt exposed and angry. Once I saw the video, I had a feeling those feelings were only going to grow.

-----------------------------------------

“I’m going to kill him,” Nick said. I had lost count of how many times Nick had said he was going to kill my ex-husband. After the Q&A, Nick and I had stole back to our room where we were currently lying in bed. I had the laptop on my belly, searching through Google. It didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for. I let out a little groan of distress.

“Found it?” Nick said. I nodded. He scooted close to me to look at the screen; I closed it halfway and looked at him.

“Now, I want to explain,” I said. “It’s not a lesbian tape. I had just lost quite a bit of weight but Hunter still wasn’t showing a lot of, er, interest in me. He always said how hot it would be if he could have a threesome. Well, I wasn’t into that, but one night Jess and I had one too many margaritas and I decided to make him a tape for him birthday.”

“Well, first of all, Hunter’s an idiot. Who could lose interest in you? And secondly, no matter what, this isn’t your fault. Do you know I cringe every time I see a picture of me and Paris Hilton or Kari Ann Peniche? I’m more pissed that Hunter made a quick buck off of this. Not only did he do it to take another jab at you, but it blows my mind he would do this to the mother of his child.”

“Yeah, well I think the tape must have sparked his interest in Jess,” I said a little bitterly. With a sigh I opened the laptop up and press play.

It was a short five minute tape. Both Jess and I were in lingerie that we had bought on a shopping trip earlier that day. Eleven empty margarita glasses sat on the table behind us. I watched as I leaned into the camera and blew a kiss. Even though I had lost a lot of weight at the time, I was still about twenty pounds heavier than when I had first met Nick. Jess pulled me back and we kissed for several seconds. We rambled drunkenly and Jess babbled into the tape about what a ‘hot babe’ I was. She sat on my lap and we kissed again. The last shot was of me flashing the camera.

I slammed the lid shut and closed my eyes. I felt Nick move and the bed creak as he stood up. A few seconds later the bathroom door closed. My hands slid from my eyes as I stared at the closed door.

I was mortified. Nick’s face was pretty much unreadable when I had glanced over at him. Now I was lying alone on the bed with over twenty websites advertising the stupid video. Hunter was probably counting his money as we spoke.

Ten minutes later Nick walked back in the room. His face was flushed. He looked at me apologetically.

“I’m going to go blind,” he complained as he sat back on the bed. I looked at him in confusion, then realized what he meant.

“Good thing tomorrow’s Cozumel,” he said. “You still have that lingerie?” Nick said. My mouth fell open.

“Nick I was the same weight there as I am six months pregnant,” I said.

“You looked fine to me,” Nick said. “I could have done without that Jess girl in the video, but other than that…”

I shook the laptop. “It’s all over the Internet!”

“Well, I’m going to take care of that with a phone call tomorrow. So about that lingerie…”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what to do with you,” I said. He grinned, but grew serious when he saw how stressed I still was.

“Listen, it could have been worse. A lot worse. I’m pissed at hell that Hunter keeps disrespecting you. He’s doing it to get at me; but I’m not going to give him that satisfaction. Instead, he’s going to deal with our lawyer and a defamation of character lawsuit.” He leaned over and kissed me. “I don’t want this to ruin our tour.”

“But the fans…”

Nick rolled his eyes. “The fans are just going to have to get over it. Leighanne went through years and years of hell before the fans finally realized Brian wasn’t going to ditch her and fall into bed with some random girl who showed him a picture of Leighanne in a skimpy bikini. Hell, he’s proud of that picture. And while you’re horrified at that video, I’ll tell you one thing. If you had made that for me, I wouldn’t let you out of bed for days.”

I laughed. Nick took my laptop and put it on the nightstand. Hovering over me he gave me a luscious lingering kiss. I turned off the light and curled into his arms.

“About that lingerie…” Nick asked again.

“Let it go, Nick,” I said softly. I heard him huff a little. I smiled.

I had a few tricks up my sleeve for our Cozumel night.

No need to ruin his surprise, right?

Chapter Eighteen – December 11 (On the way to Cozumel)

The next morning, I woke up at 4 a.m. I had to pee. In fact, I always had to pee. I lumbered off to the bathroom. I must have fallen asleep on the toilet because my whole body literally jumped as I heard a scream from the bedroom. I jumped up, flushed (I was OCD on flushing) and ran out into the bedroom.

I couldn’t believe what I saw. Three women were in our bedroom, two were at the food of the bed and one was actually on the bed by Nick. All three were dressed head to toe in black, except for writing on the back of their shirts. From the light coming from the bathroom and through the window I could vaguely make out that the shirts said ‘Operation Save Nick.’

“Get her!”

The two women at the foot of the bed ran towards me; I saw a rag in their hands. Nick sprang to his feet only to find that his wrist had been handcuffed to the bed.

I had a split second to think of a plan. My first thought was to run into the hall and flag security, but I knew by the time I undid the lock and chain that they would have me. Instead I ran back to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. I locked the door just as they got to it.

I took a deep breath as I thought of what to do next. Nick handcuffed in a room with three crazies freaked me out. I looked around. My cell phone was in the other room. I tapped on the walls; they seemed fairly thick.

Ten full minutes passed before I decided to try the medicine cabinet. With a yank, I managed to lift it off the wall to see what was behind it. I was greeted with a welcome sight: the medicine cabinet to the adjoining suite. Taking the butt end of my hairbrush, I stabbed at that mirror until it went crashing down to the floor. I heard loud mumbling and as I peeked through the hole in the wall, I saw the bathroom door open.

“What the fuck?” AJ grumbled. I quickly looked away; he was stark naked.

“AJ, you need to call security,” I whispered loudly as I stared intently at the tiles on the floor.

“Liv? Oh shit,” he said. I heard the opening of a linen closet. When I peeked he had a towel around his waist. He looked extremely confused.

“What’s going on?”

“Get security. Three women have Nick handcuffed in the bedroom.”

AJ stared at me like I was insane. “Really?”

I was getting impatient. “Yes, really! Please get security?”

“Hunh. That’s only happened once before. Hang tight.”

He walked out of the bathroom. I heard him say something to Rochelle and then I heard another door open. Less than thirty seconds later, I heard our bedroom door being knocked off its hinges.

It would probably be silly to mention that I never did get back to sleep that morning. Security found that the girls had crawled through the air ducts and after lifting a few ceiling tiles, had found their target: Nick Carter’s room. The two that had chased me were holding a chloroform cloth. The other one had handcuffed Nick to the bed.

I couldn’t help but wonder how anyone had managed to smuggle chloroform on board. If it was that easy to smuggle chloroform, who knew if anyone had a gun? I unlocked the bathroom and stepped into the bedroom just as security managed to get the handcuffs off of Nick’s wrist. He rubbed the tender skin and looked at me.

“You okay?” he asked. He looked shaken up. I nodded.

“Except for the fact that I now know AJ sleeps in the nude, I’m fine.”

“Huh?”

I shook my head. “Never mind. This has happened to you before?”

“Millennium Tour. Indianapolis. Those girls were naked.”

I smirked. “Something tells me you didn’t scream as loud that time.”

“I didn’t have a pregnant fiancée to worry about. That was the stuff twenty-year olds dream of. This is a different story.”

-------------------------------------------

By nine o’clock in the morning Nick and I were moved into another cabin. We decided to ditch the luxury of a balcony room for safety reasons. I had a vision of fans rappelling onto our balcony and coming through the sliding glass doors. Nick and I didn’t think things would go well if we filed a police report once we docked at Cozumel; if we were in the States it would have been another story, but Mexican law was iffy at best. Instead, the three women were stripped of their VIP package and refused entry to any Backstreet events.

“The thought of them actually getting you with that chloroform is freaking me out,” Nick kept saying. “That could have sent you into labor.”

I shook my head. “Listen, as crazy as this morning was, we’ll be docking in Cozumel in less than four hours. How about we order some breakfast and just try to relax.”

Nick sighed and kissed the top of my head. “Well, I am hungry and this room didn’t come with complimentary cereal. Besides, I hope I don’t jinx us, but I really can’t think of anything more that could go wrong.”

“Right,” I smiled. “What else could go wrong?”

During the course of the morning, every single one of the guys stopped in to check on us. Howie and Leigh were first. Next was AJ. Rochelle walked in behind him.

“I’m thinking you need to go bald Nicky,” AJ said. “We need to ugli-fy you.”

Nick laughed. “Thanks for saving my ass.”

“Speaking of asses…” I teased. AJ looked at me sheepishly. “Well Jesus, I didn’t think I was going to walk into my bathroom and have you go all Jack Nicholson in The Shining on me. I about crapped myself.”

“At that point I didn’t care if you were painted Avatar blue, I was just glad to see you.”

“So are we going to hurry and book another fan cruise soon?” Rochelle said. Nick shook his head.

“Y’know it’s sad. The few rotten eggs ruin it for all the truly good ones.”

“I know. We switched rooms too. The big hole where the medicine cabinet should be was a little distracting. We’re two doors down from you.”

After AJ and Rochelle left, Brian, Leighanne, and Baylee were the next to show up. Brian stood in the doorway and shook his head.

“It never fails to amaze me. What is it about you that makes females go all crazy? I’d like them to spend one day with you after you’ve eaten eight bowls of chili and then I’d like to see them survive in a room with you.”

I had not yet experienced eight bowls of chili, but living through three bowls during Nick’s chili-rama was enough for me to fully agree with Brian.

“I don’t know! I’ve looked like fat Elvis, been covered in zits, and thrown up in every potted plant in LA and they still flock to me,” Nick said, shrugging adorably. “I’m like that chocolate guy in those Axe commercials. They just want to bite me.”

Brian and I laughed, but at the mention of chocolate Leighanne did a quick run for our bathroom. A few seconds later the sounds of her retching her guts out filled the room. Brian paused for a moment, then walked in.

“It’s okay, babe,” I heard him say softly. Baylee looked towards the bathroom; I had never seen him look angry, but there was no denying the look on his face.

“STUPID BABY!” he yelled out.

Brian stuck his head out of the bathroom and we switched places. Leighanne was holding her hair back; her head was still hovering over the toilet bowl. She looked at me and began to say something but another wave stopped her. I held her hair back as she went another round.

“Dude,” I heard Nick say from the other room. “What happened to no more diapers?”

“Shut up, Nick,” Brian said with a laugh. “I take full blame. Pampers can write me a thank you letter later.” I heard quieter voices; I could only assume Brian was lecturing Baylee.

“Why did I think I could go on a cruise with morning sickness?” Leighanne moaned. I handed her a cold, wet washcloth. She sat on the cool tile floor and wiped her flushed face. I smiled sympathetically.

“I think it ranks right up there with puking on a plane,” I said lightly. “Except this lasts longer.”

After a few more minutes and a glass of water, I followed Leighanne back to the bedroom. She pointed at Nick.

“Don’t tell anyone,” she said. Nick looked at her innocently. “Who me? I can keep a secret like no tomorrow. No problem.”

Leigh looked doubtful. Baylee was still pouting, his arms folded across his chest.

“I think we’ll continue our conversation back in our room,” Brian said. He took Baylee’s hand. Leighanne gave us a weak smile and followed Brian back out into the hall. Nick closed the door behind them.

“We’re going to need a traveling nursery with us on tour next year,” Nick said with a smile. I laughed.

“Remember, it’s a secret.”

“You knew?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I figured it out.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“It was a secret!”

Nick pouted. “I see how it is.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You and AJ both kinda suck at keeping secrets,” I said.

“You have a point,” Nick admitted.

With only an hour to go before docking, I put together a big beach bag full of sunscreen, sunglasses, emergency cereal (for Nick), and bottled water. I sat on the loveseat and spread out the travel brochures.

Nick looked over my shoulder. It seemed the highlight of the area was snorkeling and scuba diving, two activities I knew Nick would love.

“Maybe AJ or Howie can go snorkeling with you,” I said. Nick shook his head.

“And what are you going to do?”

I smiled. “I’m going to stay on the beach and read a book.”

“We need to come back here when you can snorkel. Have you ever done that?”

I shook my head. Nick smiled.

“I’d love to snorkel with you.”

“That would be awesome. I’d never turn down a vacation,” I said. I pointed to another brochure. “I’m thinking that we can go see Punta Sur lighthouse and then you can get some of the guys to go snorkeling.”

“Then we’ll have dinner and then AJ’s dying to go to this night club called Neptuno. They’re supposed to have a wicked laser light show.”

“Sounds like a good day to me,” I said.

Nick leaned over the back of the loveseat, his hands sliding onto my shoulders.

“And then, senorita,” he said. “We come back for some sexy time, no?”

I laughed. “Si, senor.” I leaned my head back to look up at him.

He leaned down and kissed me and I couldn’t help but think that after a rocky start, the day was going to be amazing.

Chapter Nineteen - Cozumel, Mexico

“Here we are in lovely Cozumel,” Nick said. He was sitting in a beach chair right next to mine. He panned the camera around.

“There’s Howie and Leigh. Little Buddha is playing in the sand…oh wait. Howie I think he’s eating the sand.”

Howie jumped out of his chair and started wiping sand off of James’ tongue. Nick panned over to Brian, Leighanne, and Baylee.

“There’s the Littrells. B-rok you ready to snorkel?”

Brian was chewing on the end of a plastic straw and was wearing a big floppy straw hat. He tipped it and grinned.

“I reckon I am. This here Lexington boy is gonna wrangle up some jellyfish.”

“You are incredibly white and nerdy Bri,” Nick said with a laugh. He turned to me.

“Here’s my fiancée Olivia and da baaaaaby.”

I waved to the camera and laughed.

“And on the other side of Livvy is Rochelle and AJ.”

AJ leaned forward and flashed the peace sign. Rochelle gave a little wave. Nick turned the camera on himself.

“So, Brian, Howie, and Leigh are going to go snorkeling with me. AJ, who’s afraid of getting the last few strands of his hair wet, is staying on dry land.”

“Dude, I just don’t like sharks. I know there are sharks in this water.”

Nick snickered. “You heard it folks. Three-fourths of the BSB are headed into shark infested waters. Will we return? Da dum…da dum…da dum…”

Nick stopped the camera and handed it to me with a kiss. I smiled.

“The Jaws theme was a great effect,” I said.

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Nick tilted my beach umbrella so that I was completely ensconced in shade. Howie handed James to me; Baylee was sitting by Leighanne creating a giant sand castle. Nick demonstrated how to put on the snorkeling gear and leading the way, flopped to the water. Several fans stood off to the side, eagerly snapping pictures.

“James, want me to read you a book?” I asked as he sat on my lap. He looked up at me and smiled. He was slobbering badly; his teeth were beginning to come in like crazy..

“Boo,” he said, slapping his legs. He was wearing the cutest baby beach shorts I had ever seen. I wiped a mass of drool from his mouth and settled in for story time.

I rooted around in my bag and took out The Belly Button Book. I had sent a copy to Howie and Leigh a couple months ago and they told me it had quickly become James’ favorite. Sure enough, when he saw the hippo he began to clap.

“This tiny hippopotamus has something small to say,” I began. James pointed at his belly button.

“BEEEEE BO!!!!!”

I laughed. James leaned against my belly as we flipped through the book. He made for an enthusiastic audience.

When we were done, he looked up at me with rich brown eyes. I felt his hands fall on my belly.

“Bee-bee,” he said. As we were reading I had felt her continuously somersaulting around. James must have too. I smiled.

“Yup, baby,” I said. He stretched down, his ear resting against my belly. I saw his eyes close.

“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Leighanne said. I looked over and saw she was crying. I smiled.

“Oh, Leigh,” I said.

She laughed and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s just so cute.”

“Mom, come here!” Baylee called. Leighanne got up and sat down next to him in the sand. I watched as she helped him make a turret on the top of his castle. James fell fast asleep on my lap, his ear still pressed to my stomach.

A half hour later I saw our snorkelers begin to reemerge. I turned on the camera just as Brian staggered up onto the sand. He had seaweed stuck in his hair. I saw him pull out his mouth piece.

He shook his head slowly, seaweed flew everywhere. “Do I make you horny, baby?” he said in his best Austin Powers imitation. Leighanne looked over and just laughed.

Howie and Leigh came up next. They walked back onto the sand hand in hand. After taking out their mouthpieces they shared a kiss.

“How was it?” I called, zooming in on them. They smiled towards the camera.

“Amazing,” Leigh said.

“The coral reefs are muy bonita,” Howie added.

I waited for a few minutes with the camera on for Nick. I didn’t see him. I paused the camera and glanced over at Bri.

“Hey, what happened to Nick?”

Brian, who had taken over for Leighanne in sand castle building, looked up. “I don’t know, he was with us the whole time.”

After Leigh toweled off, she carefully picked up James.
I stood up and walked to the water’s edge.

After another few minutes I saw Nick’s blonde head. He came up with a graceful ease. When he saw me he took out his mouth piece.

“Where were you?” I said.

“I got distracted. I found a bigger reef than Howie and Leigh so I stayed down a little longer.”

I let out a sigh of relief. Nick grinned. “Did you think Jaws got me?”

“That’s not funny!” AJ called out from his chair. Nick and I both laughed.

I followed him over to our beach chairs and began to help him towel off.

“Uncle Nick!”

Nick looked over at Baylee. He was pointing proudly to his sandcastle. “Look!”

“Hey that looks great! Can I live in it?”

Baylee laughed and rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not to live in. It’s for play.”

Nick snapped his fingers. “Shucks.”

Brian and Baylee abandoned the castle to get their camera. Brian leaned down and kissed Leighanne softly His whole face lit up when he looked at her. She touched his face. Baylee shuffled from foot to foot impatiently, camera in hand.

“Geesh, get a room,” AJ called out. Brian laughed.

After taking Baylee to get some pictures, they returned once more. Brian sat down at the foot of Leighanne’s beach chair; his face had grown more serious.

“Hey guys, I have a favor to ask,” Brian said.

“What’s up?” Nick asked. He was shaking out the legs of his shorts, sand was flying everywhere.

“I talked to Kevin right before we left for the cruise,” Brian explained. “He didn’t want to go into a lot of detail, but he asked if we could write some character references for him.”

“Character references?” AJ asked.

Brian sighed. “Kristin’s trying to go for full custody of Mason. I don’t know everything that’s been going on with him this last month, but he doesn’t sound good. He needs two letters from family members and three from friends. Kevin’s mom and I make up the family references; I’m hoping you guys can get him those three friend letters.”

“Absolutely,” Howie said. I saw him glance over at James. I could almost see him imagining life without him. His face grew tense.

Besides thoughts of Kevin and a quick prayer that everything would be okay, the day was turning out perfectly. By 5 o’clock we had made a quick trip to the lighthouse and then returned to the ship to change out of our beach gear to hit the town. I had bought a dark blue halter style dress for the evening. I spent longer than usual on my hair and makeup and slid a pair of silver hoops through my lobes.

“Liv? You almost ready?” Nick called out. I spritzed on a light perfume, slid my feet into flats, and walked back into the bedroom.

“Ready,” I said. Nick let out a low appreciative whistle.

“Where’d this dress come from?” he said, running his hand over my bare shoulder. I turned in a complete circle.

“Ah, this is a special sexy night dress,” I teased.

“What’s underneath?” he said. He knelt down and lifted the bottom of my dress with a finger. I stepped back.

“Uh-uh. Not until later,” I said. He groaned, but stood up and took my hand.

Everyone was gathered in the hallway to the cabins. Howie and Brian had managed to convince Leigh and Leighanne to entrust in a nanny for the evening. I had a feeling sexy time was in mind for most everyone.

“Who’s ready for an adults-only evening?” AJ said. Brian whistled.

“So are we going fancy or casual for dinner?” Nick asked.

AJ was dressed for clubbing in a tank top and pants with so many chains that he would set off any metal detector for miles.

“Casual,” he said.

We ended up at Fat Tuesdays Bar & Restaurant. Howie and Brian took tequilas for the team. AJ and Nick decided to see who could eat the most suicide hot wings without taking a drink. As a humongous chicken wrap was set before me, I saw a plate of wings set before Nick that were covered in the reddest sauce I had ever seen. They truly did look like suicide on a plate.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked warily. Nick grinned.

“I am the master of hot,” he said. AJ snickered and cracked his knuckles. Two ten dollar bills sat on the table, Brian and Howie weren’t stupid enough to take the challenge. I grabbed my camera; I knew a good opportunity when I saw it.

“Alright, on your marks, get set, go!” Howie said.

Nick and AJ each picked up a wing and began to gnaw on it like savage dogs. The first one went down quickly, as did the second. By the time they reached the third, the full effect of the sauce seemed to hit both of them simultaneously.

“Holy shit!” AJ said. He dropped the third wing, his mouth hanging open.

Nick dropped his wing and stood up. With his head bowed, he slammed his fist on the table a couple of times. That seemed to have the desired effect, because he picked the third wing up and ate it standing up.

AJ, not to be outdone, scraped the third one to the bone. The fourth one went down okay, but AJ gagged on the fifth one. Both of their faces were redder than the ripest tomato.

It was like watching a train wreck. You wanted to turn away, but you just couldn’t. At one point both Nick and AJ circled the table, hoping that the cooler evening air might ease the burning. Tears actually poured out of Nick’s eyes. Even so, he grabbed yet another wing and tore into it.

In the end, Nick beat AJ by one wing. After a quick, sauce covered handshake, both dived for pieces of celery and ranch dressing. A mutual ‘ahhh’ was muttered as the ranch dressing cooled off the burning. After wiping his hands on a napkin, Nick pocketed the twenty bucks.

“Nice doing business with ya,” he said happily. AJ gave him the finger.

“Put it towards your kid’s diaper fund,” he said bitterly. Nick laughed.

“You’re such a sore loser,” Rochelle said. AJ leaned down for a kiss, but she scooted away.

“Uh-uh. I’m not falling for that again. Last time you had wings and kissed me, my mouth burned for hours.”

“That wasn’t the wings baby; that was the kiss.” AJ said cockily. Rochelle made a gagging motion with her finger.

After we had all finished eating and Brian and Howie had done one last tequila toast, we headed back out into the night.

“Now to Neptuno, my friends,” AJ declared. Rochelle jumped on his back and he gave her a piggyback lift all the way.

“I think we’ll stay for the lightshow and turn in early,” Nick whispered in my ear as his hand slid down my back. I couldn’t have agreed more.

The club was wall to wall people. Both levels were packed with half naked bodies. Obviously the fans knew AJ as well as AJ knew himself because I spotted a good deal of fans roaming through the building. I saw several fingers point in our direction as we walked in. The DJ must have caught wind that the BSB were in the house as well, because minutes after arriving, the club remix of The Call started pounding through the place.

I shimmied along Nick as I mouthed along with the song. I felt his fingertips brush my breasts. The light show couldn’t come fast enough.

The place had no empty tables, but we found a fairly unoccupied corner. We lost AJ and Rochelle to the dance floor straight away; Howie and Leigh weren’t far behind.

For a few minutes Nick and Brian sat against the wall while Leighanne and I perched on their laps. The amount of people was astronomical. I didn’t feel claustrophobic often, but this was one of those times.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to see Howie and AJ again,” Brian said.

“We should have gone to Senor Frogs,” Nick said.

Before anyone could complain any further, the light show began. If the place had seemed overwhelming before, the lights dancing all around in a dizzying array of colors and patterns was over the top. I was beginning to feel a little sick from the whole thing when I heard Nick cuss.

“What?”

I felt his elbow reach out and nudge Brian’s side. Nick reached around me and pointed. Brian seemed to spot what Nick saw right away. I still had spots dancing in my eyes, everything was blurry.

“Can you girls go wait outside?” Nick said. He nudged me up gently; Brian did the same thing with Leighanne. They jumped to their feet simultaneously.

“Why?” Leighanne said. She seemed just as sick from the show as I did.

“No reason. We’ll be out in a second,” Brian said. “This place really is too crowded for you guys. We just want to tell AJ and Howie we’re headed back to the ship.”

I couldn’t argue with that logic. My neck was drenched in sweat from the oppression of people. Leighanne stuck close to me as we weaved our way back outside. I took a deep, satisfying gulp of air as we headed outside. All of the clubs in the area were lit up and rocking, but none quite as hard as Neptuno.

Leighanne and I waited outside. Five minutes passed, then ten. Just as we were ready to go back in, a sound erupted from inside that made my blood run cold.

Gunshots.

Chapter Twenty – Ten Minutes in Neptuno (As Told by Nick)

I watched Liv and Leigh make their way through the crowd of people and then I took off; Brian was right behind me.

Even as we approached the table, I couldn’t believe it. Of all places to find my stupid shit-head brother, it had to be Cozumel. It seemed uncanny timing; here I was about ready to bust a nut I wanted to sleep with Liv so bad, and Aaron appeared. It was déjà vu of Vegas all over again.

It just pissed me off even more.

The light show was still going full force and I wished it would stop. Every so often my vision became confused and I stumbled into someone, or Brian practically knocked me over. Aaron seemed oblivious, he was deep in shadows. If it wasn’t for a bright red light that had flown past his table a couple times, I would have thought I was going insane.

Brian and I finally slid into shadows and snuck up on the table. I didn’t really have a plan of what I was going to do to the little weasel once I got to him, but I figured Brian and I would make it up as we went along. Even though they were doing well at staying hidden, I knew we had three body guards in the building. I had seen one of the guys following Liv and Leigh outside. Another was probably keeping tabs on Howie and AJ. I just hoped the guy watching Brian and I wasn’t sleeping on the job.

I stopped a little ways away from the table. The light show slowly would down and he became a little easier to see. Unfortunately, I would have preferred not to see.

Aaron sat at a table with three Mexican guys and a big-busted Mexican girl. I could clearly make out a razor blade and lines of Coke on the table. Aaron leaned down and inhaled a line, tossing his head back and closing his eyes. If he had looked thin when I had last seen him in Vegas, he looked completely skeletal now.

“Nick are you sure that’s Aaron?” Brian said uncertainly. I could tell he was just as surprised as I was, but there was no doubt in my mind.

I motioned for Brian to stay a few steps back and walked up right behind him. His head was still back. Grabbing the front of his shirt, I yanked him out of the chair.

In seconds, his Mexican roughies were all around me. Aaron’s eyes flew open, he stared at me in utter horror.

“What the fuck, man?!” he screamed. I tugged on his shirt; I could feel every single bone in his chest.

“What the fuck?!” I yelled. “What the hell are you doing Aaron? Where’s Maile?”

“Who?”

“Your wife?”

I saw a strange look come across Aaron’s face. A bead of sweat erupted on his upper lip. “She left me, man,” he said. “She ain’t here.”

“She probably left you because you’re a strung out crack whore,” I said. I wanted to punch him so much; not just for revenge but because of pure stupidity.

“It’s none of your business,” he said angrily. He lowered his voice. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll just walk away.”

“Walk away? Yeah, and let you kill yourself? You need help Aaron,” I said.

The Mexican roughies started talking amongst themselves. My eyes darted back over to the cocaine. I let go of Aaron’s shirt.

“Come back with me and we’ll get you checked into rehab,” I said a little more gently.

Aaron laughed. It wasn’t the response I had expected.

“You have no idea. No idea,” Aaron said, his voice was rising. He looked around at the guys surrounding us nervously; I was struck with the feeling that they weren’t his buddies.

“Well however clueless I am you’re going to walk out of here with me and my security and get on the ship.”

He shook his head. I saw his hand start to reach back towards the lines of cocaine. I grabbed his wrist. Even for as thin as he was, the drugs seemed to give him some type of inner rage. We struggled for several seconds until my elbow caught the edge of the cutting plate. The blade and the cocaine hit the floor.

That propelled the roughies into action. I felt a sweaty arm go around my neck and yank me backwards. The next thing I knew I had the tip of a long knife held to my cheek.

“Voy a matarte!” the guy yelled angrily. I had a feeling he wasn’t asking me to dance.

“No!” Aaron rasped.

All of a sudden, two gunshots rang out loud and clear. At the sound of the gunshots, everyone began to freak out. The guy suffocating me with his arm loosened his slack. I ducked quickly and ran blindly. I didn’t even see that I had run past Brian and two of our security guards (guns raised) until Bri grabbed my arm. We ducked into an employee’s-only area, our feet pounding on the pavement. I heard footsteps behind us. My palms smacked into the metal door that lead out to where the dumpsters sat in a dingy alley. I turned around to close and block the door when Aaron slid out.

He doubled over, his hands on his knees, breathing like he never ran before. It was a far cry from my brother who had once played b-ball with Shaq. He looked up at me with bloodshot eyes.

“I’m a fuckin’ dead man thanks to you. I’m DEAD!” he yelled out.

“We can help you Aaron,” Brian said. He put up a hand as one of our security guards tried to step in. Aaron looked at Brian incredulously.

“I fucked up the deal,” he said, almost to himself. “You think they’re going to let me live now that I’ve fucked up the deal?”

He turned back to me. “Why can’t you just stay out of my life?” he said. He was beginning to cry.

“You’re my brother. I can’t stay out of your life,” I said seriously. “Aaron you’re killing yourself.”

Aaron laughed through the tears. “I’d rather kill myself than see what those gringos are going to do to me,” he choked out. I heard sirens in the distance. Aaron straightened up to his fall height, a look of panic sliding across his face. I stepped up and grabbed his arm before he could make a run for it.

“Let me go!” he yelled, twisting and turning. I stumbled slightly to maintain my grasp. Brian came over and tried to get a hold of Aaron’s arm, but before he could, Aaron whirled around and cold clocked me with his free fist. I sunk to the ground like a sack of potatoes and Aaron took off like a marathon runner. One of our security guys gave chase while the other one helped Brian scoop me off the floor. I felt like Sylvester the Cat after he had gotten hit by Tweety Bird. Little yellow canaries were floating all around my head.

“I think we need to get him back to the boat,” I heard Brian say.

It was the last thing I heard before I went lights out.

-------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean they held a knife to his throat?”

“Man, his cheek is turning a horrible shade of purple.”

“I think he’s waking up.”

I groaned and opened my eyes. Liv was hovering right over my face; her eyes were as round as saucers. As more of my vision filled in, I saw everyone crowded around me like I was a corpse.

“Dude,” I croaked. Pain shot up the side of my face.

Everyone backed up as I sat up. Somehow I had ended up back in our cabin. I felt like shit; I could only assume that it was my cheek bone that AJ had said was turning purple. I looked at Brian.

“Did anyone get Aaron?” I said. Brian shook his head.

“The guard said he scrambled over a fence and took off towards the lighthouse.”

Before I could answer, I felt a heavenly cold press against my cheek. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Liv sitting on the bed next to me, pressing an ice pack to my face. She looked pale, stressed, and tired.

“Of all the places in the world to run into your brother, how the hell did you see him through that light show?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said.

“And,” Leighanne said. I saw Brian look down sheepishly; he must have already gotten scolded. “Why the hell did you decide to approach him with drugs on the table and a gang all around him? You guys are so stupid. You’re singers; not superheroes.”

I watched her get up and stalk out of the room. Brian slid out after her.

“Hormones,” I muttered. I felt Liv press the ice pack harder into my face. I let out a little yelp.

“Ouch!”

That was the moment I remembered the part about the baby being a secret. I saw Howie and AJ share a look, but they didn’t ask me what I meant.

“Listen,” Howie said. “The police are going to fax a copy of the police report to the ship tomorrow. They wanted to keep you for questioning, but we convinced them otherwise. Brian filled out a statement that you’ll have to sign to corroborate. I strongly suggested to Brian to smooth over the fact that you guys saw drugs all over the table.”

I nodded. Even though I didn’t know the whole story, I thought it might be better if we didn’t mention the fact that we had probably infiltrated a drug deal. The goon that tried to slice my throat owed me. Yeah right.

After a few more minutes, AJ, Rochelle, Howie, and Leigh left. The ship’s doctor came and checked on me at the same time.

“You’re going to have a horrible bruise on that cheek bone and below your eye, but nothing’s broken,” he said. “Just get a good night’s sleep and keep ice packs on your face.”

Liv let the doctor out and locked the door behind him. When she turned back she looked about ready to cry.

“I’m sorry,” I said. She looked at me like I was crazy.

“You’re sorry?” she said. “Nick, you could have been killed.”

Liv stood by the bed, her hands splayed across her belly. She was still wearing the dress that I had been obsessing about all night. Somehow I thought I could talk her into sexy time with everything that had just happened. Instead I held out my hand. She placed her hand in mine and I urged her to the bed. She crawled in beside me, burying her face in my neck. I felt a hot tear fall on my skin.

As my testosterone high faded, I felt even worse. Placing myself in her shoes, I could see just how stupid we were. Here I was, three months shy of becoming a father, and I had rushed head first into a dangerous situation.

“I don’t deserve you,” I murmured into her hair. She shook her head, looking up at me.

“I don’t want to lose you,” she amended. She leaned over and kissed me softly. Her lips tasted sweet. I tried to let the kiss linger, but she pulled away. I watched her get up and head to the bathroom.

“Get some sleep, Nick,” she said quietly. I sighed and closed my eyes.

My head was pounding. Not only was I mad at Aaron for too many reasons to count, I also couldn’t help but be worried about him. Over and over in my head I heard him screaming that he was a dead man.

Deep down I knew that if those goons didn’t get him, the drugs would finish the job.

I fell asleep with that thought weighing heavily on my mind.

Chapter Twenty One – December 12 (A Day at Sea)

-- Olivia --

During the course of the night, I tossed and turned. Several times I got up and replaced Nick’s ice pack with a new one. The right hand side of his face was swelling and turning a deep purple.

It wasn’t the way that I thought our trip to Cozumel would end. My lingerie peeked out from the suitcase as I made yet another trip to the bathroom. Even though I wished our evening had ended differently, I was just thankful Nick was alive.

The sheer terror that I had felt as I waited helplessly outside the nightclub with Leighanne still played through my mind. Howie and Leigh were the first ones I spotted as people evacuated the club; Rochelle and AJ weren’t far behind. The security guard that had followed Leigh and me outside had kept me from going back in the club. Police cars lined up and I couldn’t help but think the worst.

When I saw two guards and Brian carrying Nick out from around the back of the building, I literally thought he was dead. Brian was pulled aside to talk to the cops while the guards brought Nick aboard the ship. I checked him over completely for any gunshot wounds; I was relieved to find out he had suffered only a hard punch to the face. That was bad enough.

Nick woke up around 7:00 in the morning. He got up and headed to the bathroom; I heard him groan as he touched his swollen skin with his fingertips.

“This is going to look great for all the fan pictures today,” he said.

I had almost forgotten our busy itinerary for the day at sea. The Boys were due on stage at 2:00 with fan pictures and individual meet and greets happening directly after.

“Are you going to be okay to perform today?” I asked. Nick poked his head out of the bathroom and nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he said. I heard the shower turn on and a sharp intake of air as the spray hit his face.

Fine, my ass.

Nick walked back into the bedroom twenty minutes later, a towel wrapped around his waist. I headed to the bathroom for my own shower when I heard a whistle. I turned around.

“What is this?” he said. His finger hooked along the lacy black nighty from my suitcase. He held up the skimpy material with sheer appreciation on his face.

“That was for last night,” I said as I placed a line of toothpaste on my toothbrush and began to brush.

“Could it be for this morning?” he asked sweetly. My mouth was full of Crest; I leaned down and spit in the sink.

“Your cheek and eye are busted!” I said. He shrugged.

“So? My cheek and eye don’t have to do a lot of work,” he reasoned.

I gave my teeth a few more rigorous brushes, then gargled with some water. I turned on the shower but before I stepped in, I walked over and plucked the nighty from his hands. He looked at me eagerly.

“Can I take that as a yes?”

I closed the bathroom door behind me, letting him figure it out for himself.

After my shower I slid into the slinky garment. It might surprise you, but finding maternity lingerie was not an easy task. The lacy baby doll opened up underneath my breasts, revealing my belly. Matching lace undies completed the ensemble. I piled my hair up on my head and opened the bathroom door.

Nick was sitting at the end of the bed still in his towel; his eyes were trained on the bathroom like a watchdog. As I walked out, his face broke into a grin. I walked over and straddled his legs. His hands rested on my hips. He glanced up at me.

“All I see is boobs,” he said. “I love it.”

With a laugh he fell back, bringing me down with him. His lips met mine in a long slow kiss as my fingers unrolled the towel around his waist. My fingers traced the line of light hair down his stomach and then went lower still. I brushed his pelvic bone with my finger tips before taking him in my hands.

“I’m healed,” he said breathlessly as I stroked him. His lips grazed my neck, then sucked through the lace at my breasts. I felt his arms tighten around me as he flipped me into the mattress. He took my hands away from him, his chest rose and fell faster.

“I owe you dessert,” he teased. Still holding onto my hands, I saw him lean forward. He took the top of my panties in his teeth.

I can honestly say that Nick gives the best dessert I have ever had in my life; I was pretty sure everyone in the ship heard my appreciation. I had just straddled him once more, him hard between my legs, when we heard a knock on the door. Nick’s eyes widened.

“Ignore it,” he said, his hands pressing down on my bottom. I slid down on him, both of us moaning in pleasure. There was a louder knock.

“Nick, that fax came through!” Howie called out from the other side of the door. I paused.

“No, keep going, keep going,” he said desperately. I nibbled his ear, he spanked me lightly.

“Nick?”

One of Nick’s hands balled into a fist and hit the mattress.

“DUDE HOWIE….LEAVE US ALONE!” he bellowed.

I heard the sound of snickering and then footsteps fading away. I was completely distracted, but with a few touches and caresses, he got me back on track.

As I lay in his arms afterward, Nick let out a soft sigh. I rolled my head lazily against his bare chest.

“I don’t know how I even got you pregnant with all these distractions,” he whispered into my hair. I laughed.

“If I remember correctly, we were secluded at the House of Carter in Los Angeles.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said.

Somehow we both ended up falling asleep. By the time we woke up, it was a little after eleven. We took our time getting dressed. After the craziness of the day before, it was nice to be able to have a little time with no insane fans dropping through the ceiling or a wayward brother punching my fiancées lights out. At noon, Nick met up with Howie and got the fax. As he looked it over and made notes, Leigh sidled over to me.

“Howie said he got yelled at,” she said. I laughed.

“People have a way interrupting Nick and I at the wrong time,” I explained. Leigh nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think any of these Backstreet babies have ever been conceived on tour. It’s impossible with so many people around.”

I pinched James cheek. He covered his pudgy face with his hand and laughed.

I looked over at Nick. I couldn’t wait to be able to hold our baby in my arms.

-----------------------------------------------

That afternoon, amongst the cheers of the crowd, the Boys ran out on stage for the part of the trip everyone had been looking forward to: the private performance. As I crouched by the stage, taking pictures, I couldn't help but snap a few shots of the audience as Nick ran out. The looks on the fan's faces were priceless. I could almost hear them a rumor of me beating him to a pulp passing through the crowd. AJ had tried to be helpful by giving Nick a pair of sunglasses, but the swelling and bruising could be seen far above and below the rim of the glasses.

"Who can believe this trip is almost over?" AJ yelled out to the crowd. They all booed.

"We've had a fabulous time," Brian said.

"We thought we'd take an hour or so to sing to you. Is that alright?" Howie asked. The crowd cheered.

"The guys already said everything for me, so..." Nick shrugged. The crowd “awed”. I swear that man could burp the alphabet and every single girl in the audience would still be put in a trance.

The guys put on a terrific concert. As I captured my shots, I couldn't help but think that this was the last time I would probably be an official employee of the Backstreet Boys. The next time the Boys went on tour, I would officially be Mrs. Carter and Nick would be not only a husband, but a father. From the moment he had tugged me up on stage for karaoke, my life seemed to have been set on cruise control; my course was set for a long happy life with Nick.

It gave me goosebumps.

After the concert was over, the tour manager stepped in to organize the crowd for group shots. As the first group was lead on stage, the girls couldn't stop from questioning Nick.

"What happened to your eye?"

"Did you get in a fight?"

"Are you still engaged?"

Nick took it all in stride, explaining that there had been a little problem at Club Neptuno the night before but that he would be fine and, yes, he was still very happily engaged. Even though the questions were worded differently, each group asked Nick about his eye and about me.

"Do I look that tough?" I whispered to Rochelle. She laughed.

A half hour later as the last group left the stage, I could honestly say that the Boys made each and every person happy. It was a job well done.

"I'm hungry," Brian said. He dropped down on the stage, his legs and arms spread out wide. Nick took off his sunglasses.

"I need an ice pack."

"I need a cigarette."

"I second some food."

After I got Nick an ice pack and AJ and Rochelle returned from a cigarette break, we all piled into Howie's room. Soon several cruise employees wheeled in carts of food and we sat around, feeding our faces and relaxing.

"Well ladies and gentleman, here's to successfully surviving four days on a cruise ship with our fans," Howie said, raising his glass in the air.

"Are we calling being egged and having fans rappelling through the ceiling tiles a success?" Nick asked.

"Well, besides, that," Howie said. Everyone laughed and raised their glasses.

While I finished up a delectable piece of vanilla bean cake, my attention drifted over to Baylee and James. Baylee had devised a game where he would pop out from under the bed in random places. James, who was sitting on the mattress, thought it was the best game ever invented. Every time Baylee sprung out, James would toss back his head and burst into giggles. I couldn't help but think that even though Baylee was having jealousy issues about his own sibling on the way, he was still going to make a GREAT big brother.

"So, about our next album..." Howie said over the
giggles. I turned my attention back to our group. Brian and Nick groaned. AJ slid his glasses down his nose to reveal his big brown eyes.

"Seriously Howie? We just got done with a two year tour."

"I'm not saying we're going into the studio tomorrow, I'm just saying that a rough timeline would be nice."

"Not March," Nick said. "And not August."

"I've got my CD coming out," Brian said. He rubbed his neck. “I’m thinking about touring this summer.”
I knew that was a lie; he’d be up to his elbows in diapers by mid-summer.

"How about we get back in the studio next September?" Howie said. "The album could drop March 2012."

"Y'know, we could call that our 20th anniversary tour," Brian suggested.

"Yeah, I mean, we could easily run it through summer 2013."

The idea of them hitting the twenty year mark was insane. They all still looked like teenagers.

"Maybe we can talk Kevin into joining us," AJ said lightly.

"Lord knows he could use a distraction," Nick added.

The rest of the evening was spent reminiscing and making plans. Around midnight, we all said our good nights and drifted off to our rooms. Nick was snoring within minutes. I lay awake, thinking about the past few days.

Our cruise would officially end when we docked at 8:00
a.m.

I was glad to know we were almost home.

Chapter Twenty Two – December 13

The ship docked in Miami at 8:30 the next morning. While the fans disembarked, our group spent an extra hour on board. It felt strange not to hear people running this way and that, the only noise was coming from the main deck where luggage was being rolled off and people were saying their goodbyes.

From the open door of our cabin, Nick and I watched Brian and Baylee wrestling in the hallway. Nick had a funny look on his face.

“What’s with the face?” I asked. Nick looked at me and smiled.

“I was just thinking about the baby,” he said. He gestured out to the hall. “Raising a boy is easy, but a girl…”

“Are you saying us girls are difficult?”

Nick laughed. “No, raising a girl’s just different. And I don’t have anyone to copy off of.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him softly.

“Something tells me you’re going to do just fine,” I said.

“Well, I bet I can teach her to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on her armpit,” Nick said thoughtfully.

“Nick…”

-----------------------------------------------

A little before ten, we finally left the ship. The sun was out and the combination of wind and surf mixed up a perfect perfume of home.

“You guys flying back to Atlanta today?” Nick asked Brian as we walked along the dock. Brian shook his head.

“No we’re going to take Baylee to Disney World. Belated birthday present.”

“Disney World?” Nick said excitedly.

Brian laughed. “You want to come? We can ride the teacups together.”

“Dude…”

Before Nick could say anything else, reporters appeared from out of nowhere. Microphones and cameras were shoved in Nick’s face as reporters closed in.

“Nick, what happened in Cozumel?”

“Did you run into Aaron while you were there?”

“What happened to your face?”

“What’s your reaction to the search for your brother’s body?”

Nick didn’t know what hit him. He looked around in mass confusion; he seemed to be organizing the questions in his brain. I saw a look of utter horror cross his face.

“What do you mean the search for Aaron’s body?” Nick said loudly.

“You don’t know?” The reporter sounded surprised. “Witnesses spotted your brother jumping off of the Punta Sur lighthouse into the rocky waters below yesterday morning. His wallet and several pieces of clothing washed up on shore later that afternoon. He’s presumed dead.”

Nick stopped in his tracks. The rapid fire sound of clicks and flashes were all around. Two of our security guys managed to get in through the throng and pull Nick and I away from the crowd. We were ushered into a car; the doors were quickly locked, the tinted windows stayed rolled up.

Nick took a couple of deep, slow breaths and then dove for his Blackberry. He quickly dialed home; Angel picked up. I could hear her crying on the other end of the line.

“Angel, what’s going on?”

Angel didn’t know much more than we did. Jane had called her early that morning to let her know that she was asked to fly down to Cozumel to confirm that the pieces fished from the water were actually Aaron’s. Cozumel officials had assured her that they would scour the waters for another few days before issuing a death certificate.

Nick hung up slowly, his body began to shake.

“I killed him,” he said quietly. I looked at him in surprise.

“What?”

“When I was arguing with Aaron, I ended up dumping that cocaine all over the ground. He told me he was a dead man. It was my fault…”

“It’s not your fault,” I said.

Nick was completely stoical as the car dropped us at the airport for our flight back to Tampa. As soon as we were at altitude, his phone rang. It was Angel again. She informed him that the family was meeting at his house.

By the time we got home, cars stretched out along the driveway. The door was open. I was surprised to find not only Jane (who I thought would be on a plane to Cozumel by now), but also Nick's dad Bob, sitting in the living room. BJ, Angel and Leslie were gathered in the kitchen. Angel's eyes were completely red, she clutched a balled up tissue in her hand.

BJ was the first one to spot Nick. She raced at him, threw her arms around his waist and began to cry. Nick hugged her tightly.

"What happened to you?" Leslie gasped. Unlike BJ, she was staring directly at Nick's swollen face.

I saw Nick weigh his options. On one hand, he could brush it off as a stupid accident on the trip. On the other hand, the news stations would be combing police documents and interviewing everyone they could think of. More than likely it would soon become public knowledge that Aaron punched his lights out.

"I bumped into Aaron in Cozumel and it didn't go very well," Nick said softly. BJ made a loud noise between a hiccup and a sob. She pulled back, her eyes wide.

"You saw Aaron?"

Nick nodded and turned his attention to the living room. Bob came up and hugged him tightly. Jane hung back. I felt sad that it took something like this to get both his parents in the same room and still only one could hug him.

"How was he?" Bob asked. "Did he seem depressed? Did he give you any clue?"

"What did you say to him?" Jane asked. My eyes widened slightly; nothing like your own mother insinuating your blame. Nick stiffened; I could tell he felt the same sense of accusation in her tone.

"Aaron was sitting at a table in the club with some rough looking guys," Nick explained. "He was snorting cocaine."

Leslie gasped.

"The last time I talked to him he told me he was clean," BJ argued.

"I don't believe it," Jane said.

"I believe it," Angel said quietly. Every head turned in her direction.

"He called me a week or so ago and told me that he was in a lot of trouble that he didn't think he could get out of. He wouldn't tell me where he was, but he told me under no circumstances was he coming home. Then," her voice broke. "he told me that he loved me and that he hoped he'd see me again someday."

Angel broke down in tears. Leslie and I both went over to comfort her.

"What happened after you went up to him, Nick?" Bob asked.

"Well I told him he needed to come home and get help. He refused and we got into a little argument. I knocked the drugs off the table and the goons he was with got a little upset."

"They put a knife up to your neck, Nick," I argued. "I think that's a bigger reaction than a "little" upset."

BJ gasped. "Did they beat you up?"

Nick shook his head. "Our security guards fired off some warning shots and Aaron ran after me out of the back of the building. We had some words and then he cold clocked me."

"What happened to Aaron after that?" Jane asked. She seemed to want to skip over the part where Nick's face was smashed.

"He took off. One of our guards gave chase, but he hopped over a fence and disappeared. That was the last I knew until...until this morning when I got off the ship."

"I just don't believe that Aaron would do something like that," Jane finally said.

"Of course you don't," Bob said coolly. "That's because you've always turned on the blinders when it comes to Aaron. Except when money's involved."

That was all it took to ignite the fire. Within seconds Bob and Jane were at each other's throats. Nick looked like he wished he could be anywhere else in the world; I thought at the moment that he would even take crazy fans dropping out of the ceiling tiles.

"ENOUGH!" he finally yelled. "What good is arguing? I just want everyone to SHUT UP. If we're all going to stay here today and wait for updates then I'm not having any arguing. The last thing I want is to have to call the police here."

He stomped up the stairs. I heard our bedroom door slam. Everyone looked around uncomfortably.

"I've got to go anyhow," Jane said. "I'm flying down there to confirm..." she wiped away a tear. "to see if the things the police found are really Aaron's."

Leslie walked Jane out to wait for a taxi. Angel and BJ stared down at the floor. Bob broke the awkward silence.

"You must be Olivia," he said holding out his hand. "I'm Bob, Nick's father."

I had already pieced that one together.

--------------------------------

By eleven o'clock that evening, everyone was gathered in front of the TV in the living room. After cooling off, Nick had come back downstairs and tried to take some control of the situation. Throughout the course of the day, Nick received phone calls from Brian, AJ, Howie, and even Kevin. Each time Nick ended the call in tears.

The sight of a 'Breaking News' headline on the screen caught everyone's attention. A picture of Aaron appeared in the right hand corner as the reporter explained what we already knew: Aaron was seen jumping off the lighthouse, his wallet had been found, etc.

"Aaron's mother, Jane Carter, arrived in Cozumel late this evening. Sources report that she has indeed confirmed that the items found in the ocean belong to Aaron. Boats have been on the water all day, but the combination of fast currents and the rocky terrain below the lighthouse are still leading authorities to believe that Aaron Carter has died just days after celebrating his 23rd birthday."

Bob's sobs overshadowed everyone else's. He lurched forward, his hands covering his face. Leslie wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his back. My arm went around Nick; he was like a statue. His eyes stayed glued to the TV in disbelief. Shots of Cozumel, where our feet had treaded just days before, flashed on the screen.

It all seemed like a bad dream.

Chapter Twenty Three – December 20

Rain fell in heavy sheets as friends and family gathered under black umbrellas for Aaron's funeral. After days and days of searching, no body was found, but a clump of blonde hair matching Aaron's was discovered smattered on the rocks below the lighthouse. A rush on DNA testing had concluded the hair did indeed belong to Aaron. It was presumed that the tide had taken him far out or pushed him down into the depths of the sea.

During the course of the search, authorities had begun to piece together Aaron’s whereabouts during the last two months of his life. The information was worse than anyone could have possibly imagined. Aaron had been involved with one of the deadliest gangs in Mexico. The gang was known for drug smuggling, arms handling, and human trafficking. The idea of human trafficking made my blood run cold, especially after Nick took it upon himself to call Maile's parents so that they could let Maile know about Aaron. Her parents told Nick that they hadn't heard from Maile in two months; right around the time she had called to tell them that Aaron was surprising her with a trip to Mexico.

She was now listed as a missing person.

As we entered the church, Nick shook out our rain drenched umbrella and took my hand. He had been tried so hard to keep it together as hope still remained, but he had completely broken down on the day the police discovered the blonde hair on the rocks. I didn't think my heart could break any more as I held him as he rocked back and forth on our bedroom floor, the phone clutched in his hand. Today he was more solemn than I had ever seen him before; in his eyes was a quiet determination to get through the day.

We walked up to the front of the church to take our seats in the Family section. As we walked, I noticed our entire Backstreet family, including Kevin. Nick stopped in his tracks as they stood up and came over. Nick was fine until Brian hugged him; then he began to cry.

"I'm sorry Nick," Brian whispered. "He was like my little brother too."

The entire funeral service was extremely emotional. A slideshow of Aaron's life was played. Pictures of Nick and Aaron were plentiful. Whatever had happened in the last few years between the two was completely overshadowed by the fact that they had been extremely close. As the slideshow ended, the preacher stepped forward.

"And before we conclude the services for today, Aaron's brother Nick would like to symbolize our reflection of Aaron’s life with song. Aaron lived to sing and perform; there could be no better tribute that could be given to help his soul alight to Heaven," he said.

Nick's hand patted my knee as he stood shakily. Leslie let out a shaky breath. Angel dabbed at her tears with a tissue. Jane was stoic; she had begged a doctor to give her a sedative to get her through the day. So far, it seemed to be working. From the creaking of the pews behind me, I knew the other Boys were joining their brother.

With Kevin's arm draped comfortingly around his shoulder, Nick led the way up to the front of the church followed by Brian, AJ, and Howie. Their heads lowered in unison in silent prayer before the organist began to play. With voices that struggled not to quiver, the Boys performed a beautiful rendition of Go Rest High on That Mountain and Never Gone. There was not a dry eye in the house. When they were finished, they filed past a picture of Aaron on the way back to their seats, stopping momentarily to kiss the frame. Nick was the last to pass; he fell to his knees, his head bowed. When he rose he placed his hand to his mouth and then placed it over the picture. When he sat back down next to me, he buried his face in my shoulder.

Without a body to bury, there was no gravesite service. After Nick collected himself, he took my hand and squeezed it tightly as we rose from our seats and walked back out into the drenching rain. Nick turned as a hand squeezed his shoulder; Kevin walked up beside him.
"I've got to catch a plane back to Lexington," he said apologetically. "Kristin's flying Mason in for Christmas with me.”

"How are things going Kev?" He looked tired, but I could see the quiet resolve back in his eyes. It gave me hope.

"I'm taking it one day at a time," he answered. "Just getting Mason here for Christmas was challenging, but those wonderful reference letters you guys sent in helped a lot. I think we've almost settled on a custody schedule. We'll be back in court January 10. If everything's agreed upon, the divorce will be finalized by the end of February or first of March."

"Thank you for coming," Nick said. Kevin clasped him in a hug.

"Anything for you," he said earnestly.

The rest of the guys and their wives followed us to a restaurant after the service. Jane and Bob sat at opposite ends of the table. It was the first time I had seen Nick’s half-brother Kaden; he looked so much like Nick that I couldn’t help but have a little feeling of déjà vu. Bob's wife was by his side; she looked just slightly older than me. I knew now why Nick felt uncomfortable visiting his dad. Amazingly, we managed to get through the entire ordeal without another Carter family fight. I attributed it to the sedatives Jane was on.

"Thank you guys so much for coming," Nick spoke up as conversation ebbed away and the Boys prepared to leave.

"If you need anything Nick, let us know," Howie said.

"Just call, AJ added.

"We're not that far away," Brian finished.

“We love you both,” Leighanne added. She gave me and Nick a tight hug.

After they left, Nick looked around at his family. No one seemed to know what to say, but almost in unison everyone got up and began to say their goodbyes. Angel hung back, coming up to us after all the others had left the restaurant. Nick wrapped her in a hug.

“I love you Angel,” he said.

“I love you too Nick.” When she pulled back I saw a strange look on her face. She wiped her eyes once more.

“Can I tell you something?” she said quietly.

“Of course,” he replied.

“I know it sounds weird, but out of everyone you and I are the ones that believe in the crazy stuff, like the Ouija boards. I just…” she shivered and looked at Nick. “I’m his twin and I’ve always felt a connection to him. And I just don’t feel like he’s dead.” Her eyes were pleading, begging him to believe her.

Nick hugged her again. “Angel, I promise you that I won’t stop believing until they find his body. We’re in this together okay?” He hooked her pinky around his own. She gave him a weak, watery smile.

“Thank you, Nick,” she said softly. “I knew you of all people might understand.”

We said one last goodbye to her outside the restaurant and then climbed into the car. As I buckled up I looked over at Nick. He sat unbuckled, staring thoughtfully out at the rain splattering on the windshield.

“Nick?” I said softly. He shook his head slightly and looked over at me.

“Honey, are you okay?” I asked. He nodded.

“It’s just funny,” he mused. “I’ve had the same feeling that somehow Aaron wasn’t…” he trailed off. “It’s okay to keep hoping, right?”

I nodded. “I don’t think I would expect any less.”

His shoulders slumped with relief. The engine roared to life and we drove home in relative silence.

It just seemed right to leave Nick with his thoughts.

Chapter Twenty Four – December 24

It was hard to be in the Christmas spirit after attending a funeral just days before, but somehow the talk with Angel seemed to lift Nick’s spirits slightly. As I walked down the stairs on Christmas Eve morning I saw Nick standing barefoot in the living room, fixing the star at the top of our tree.

“Morning,” I said with a yawn. He turned and smiled at me.

“Merry Christmas,” he said.

“Merry Christmas Eve,” I corrected.

“Christmas is Christmas,” he countered.

“What are you doing?” I asked, leaning against the doorway to the living room.

“Bitsy went berserk and attacked the tree. Again.”

I laughed. The combination of blinking lights and sparkly ornaments freaked Bitsy out. Every now and then she would get it in her mind to attack and the tree would shake to and fro. The star was constantly falling off the top.

“You want breakfast?” I asked as he untangled a drooping strand of lights.

“I won’t turn it down.”

As I was dipping pieces of bread into batter for French toast, the phone rang. I picked it up and continued the process of transferring the soaked pieces to a skillet.

“Hello?”

“Merry Christmas baby girl,” my mom said. I smiled.

“Merry Christmas.”

“How’s Nick doing?”

“He’s doing okay, considering.”

“I wish I could be there,” she said wistfully. I sighed.

“I wish you could too.”

“Luckily, I should be able to move by February.”

“What?!”

I dropped the receiver. It hit the ground hard. Nick poked his head in.

“Everything okay?”

“Could you pick up the phone? I dropped it.”

I wiped my messy fingers on a towel as he scooped the phone up off the floor. The connection was lost; I was just about ready to dial her number when the phone rang again.

“Well, if you don’t want me to move…” mom teased. I laughed.

“No! I just. Really?”

“Someone put a bid in on the house a couple of days ago. The offer’s a little lower than I wanted, but I think I’m going to take it. I really want to be settled by the time the baby’s born.”

Nick took over the flipping of the French toast while I sat down in a chair.

“That’s great news,” I said. Nick raised an eyebrow. I covered the earpiece with my hand.

“Mom’s got an offer on the house. She said she should be able to move down here by February.”

Nick smiled. “That is great news.”

I could guess what Nick was thinking about. With his album coming out February 8, he was going to be on the road almost the whole month doing promotion. At eight months pregnant, there would be no way I could go with him. Having mom around made not only me, but him, feel a little better about the situation.

“Mom, let me know when you’re ready,” I said. “I’ve done a little research and there’s a company that can bring your stuff down here so you don’t have to drive. That means you and the dogs can fly.”

“When have you had time to do research?” mom chided. I smiled.

“Hey, I find time for important people.”

We chatted for a few more minutes, then I passed the phone to Nick. Nick broke into a smile as he talked to her; it was such a different reaction from when he was around his own mom.

“Of course I’m taking good care of Liv,” Nick said as he put the French toast on a plate. “Yup, we got your presents. We’re going to open them tonight.”

I stood up and got the butter, syrup and plates. Nick and I sat down and began to fork pieces onto our plates.

“I can’t wait to see you either. I feel so much better knowing someone will be close by in case she needs anything. What? Uh-huh. Okay. I love you too. Merry Christmas. Buh-bye.”

He hung up and reached for the syrup. I smeared butter across the top of mine; the cinnamon smelled delightful.

“What was all the uh-huh’s and okay’s about?”

Nick rolled his eyes. “She was teasing me. She said if I fainted during delivery that you’d have a backup coach after all.”

“Speaking of which,” I said, taking a bite of food. “Lamaze classes are the last two weeks of January.”

“Can you let me know which day we have to watch the birthing video? I might have to go on Ellen or something that day.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not getting out of it, Nick.”

“Well they better teach me how to breathe first,” he said teasingly. “Otherwise your mom will be coming up to bat.”

-----------------------------------------------------

That night, Nick and I sat cross legged in front of the tree with my mom’s big box of presents open before us.

“What do you want to bet that 75% of this is baby stuff?” Nick asked. I laughed and tore open the first package. It was a breast pump. Nick plucked it from my hands and studied it.

“Can I have a demonstration?” Nick asked, turning the package around. I snatched it back.

“You are so weird,” I laughed. I tossed him a package with his name on it. In the “From” field mom had written “Santa.”

“Your mom’s so cute,” Nick said with a grin. I smiled. All of the gifts I had gotten for Nick were addressed the same way. Like mother, like daughter.

Nick ripped the package open and pulled out a Buccaneer’s blanket and jersey. His face lit up.

“Awesome!” he said. He slipped the jersey on. “Take a picture – I’ve got to Twitter.”

“Nick,” I said slowly. “You’re in a jersey and boxers.”

“So?”

I took the picture.

“I think you’re going to cause a Twitter crash,” I said, handing the phone back to him. “Once fans see you in your boxers, it’s all over.”

Nick shrugged. “Oh well, I’m taken. If I didn’t love you so much, I might go after your mom. She gives great presents.”

I laughed. “Gee, I don’t know if my presents can compete.”

Nick leaned over and kissed me.

“You’re carrying my best present,” he whispered, his hand resting on my belly. I smiled.

“She’s been kicking all day and the minute you touch me she stops,” I said. He laughed.

“It’s the magic touch.”

After finishing opening my mom’s presents, we fell in a heap on the floor. Nick stuck a bow on Bitsy’s head and we enjoyed several fun minutes of seeing her buck in the air like a bull, trying to dislodge the offending object.

“You know,” Nick said lazily, stretching out and covering us both with his new fleece blanket. “Next year our little girl is going to be sitting here playing in the presents.”

I smiled. “I can’t wait.”

“Maybe we’ll have another one on the way by then,” he added. I gave him a look.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said. Nick smiled, his leg rested on mine.

“What?”

“We haven’t survived one baby and you’re already mentally knocking me up again,” I teased.

“It’s a challenge that I think I’m up to,” he said. He brushed my hair away from my neck and kissed my bare skin. I sighed. I had a horrible mental image of Santa coming down the chimney while Nick and I were going at it on the floor. I made a face.

“What?”

I shook my head. “Nothing,” I replied. “Why don’t we go to bed?”

Nick threw the blanket like a toga across his shoulder and chest and then helped me get to my feet. It was becoming harder and harder to not only stand up, but sit up. Everyone told me that the second trimester was the best. As I approached the third trimester, I understood. First trimester was plagued with morning sickness and the third trimester would be the inability to move without feeling like an overflowing bathtub.

With that sexy image in mind, I followed Nick up to the bedroom. Unless Santa came through our ceiling tiles, I was fairly certain I wouldn’t see the jolly red guy while Nick and I were doing the nasty.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Chapter Twenty Five – December 25

“Livvvvvyyy, wake uppppp,” Nick sang in my ear. I opened one eye warily.

“What time is it?”

“It’s nine o’clock. Merry Christmas,” he whispered as he kissed me softly.

“Merry Christmas,” I murmured back sleepily.

I was pretty sure I had gotten the best present the night before. As Nick got up I buried further down into the comforter.

“What are you doing?” Nick asked.

“Sleeping,” I said drowsily.

His hands pulled back the covers; the cold morning air hit my bare legs and traveled steadily north. My eyes snapped open.

“You play dirty,” I complained. Nick smiled.

“Hey, you didn’t complain last night.”

He took my hands and helped me up. With a loud yawn we both into our bath robes and headed downstairs.

Like two completely dog-obsessed parents, we took down the four stockings hanging on the mantle and spread out a plethora of treats and toys for Bitsy, Atari, Iggy, and Lila. Nick and I sat side by side on the couch for several minutes laughing as they fell over each other trying to play with the tug-o-rope.

“You want me to pass our presents?” Nick asked. I smiled.

“Yeah, I don’t think I want to crawl on the ground this morning.”

He dived like a little boy under the tree. Anything with my name on it, he calmly passed to me. Anything with his name on it he shook vigorously.

“Do you realize that if I got you anything breakable that you have completely shattered it by now?”

Nick laughed. “I haven’t heard any glass yet, thank you.”

Somehow Nick had managed to steal away enough time to amass a startling number of presents around my feet.

“Nick, what is all this?” I asked incredulously.

“Presents.”

“Why so many?”

“Because I love you.”

I shook my head. “I love you too, but…”

Nick waved me off. After he distributed the last present, he tore into the packages eagerly.

Let me tell you, it’s not easy shopping for a man who can afford most anything. Even though his presents far outnumbered the ones I had wrapped for him, each selection was thought over long and hard.

“Wow,” he said as he unwrapped the first present.

I had accumulated all of the pictures from the time we had met until just recently and bound them in an album for him. Even though he had albums and walls of professional shots, magazine covers, and record albums, this had the other side, the real side, of Nick; the one that jumped into ball pits at playgrounds and who lost his pants on set when someone pranked him. That was the Nick that I had fallen in love with and I wanted to show him that.

“This is awesome,” he said tenderly. “I love it.”

For the next hour, we unwrapped our presents and admired this or that. I had accumulated more jewelry than I had ever owned in my entire life. Nick sprawled out against my legs wearing what he had happily declared were his favorite presents: a Garfield shirt that actually burped and a Family Guy hat.

“You’re not wearing those when we go to your dad’s, right?” I asked. He grinned.

“Why not?” He pressed his stomach and a loud burp echoed around the room.

Sometimes it was the little things that mattered.

----------------------------------------------

Later that afternoon, we pulled up to Bob’s home. Jane hadn’t even invited us over to see her; Nick didn’t feel like asking.

“I don’t want to ruin our first Christmas,” he said. “It’s already going to be hard for everyone with Aaron not here.”

“Well,” he said, his hands wrapped around the steering wheel. “Welcome to your first Carter family Christmas.”

Kaden met us at the door, dressed head to toe like a bear.

“Grrrr,” he growled up at us.

“Grrrr, yourself,” Nick answered back. “If you want your presents Mr. Bear, you’ll let us in.”

That did the trick.

“DAD! Nick’s here!”

Angel, Leslie, and BJ were gathered in the living room. No one was talking much. Nick’s step-sister Taryn was hanging off to the side with her mom. BJ looked like she had already been crying.

Even though everyone bought for Kaden, the rest of us had thrown our hat into a gift exchange. I had gotten Leslie and had no clue what to get her. Nick had gotten Angel. I begged him to trade but he just smiled and shook his head. In the end, he helped me put together a huge movie basket with DVDs, popcorn, soda, and a bucket of chocolate chip cookie dough.

I knew the minute that I unwrapped my present that Angel had pulled my name. She had bought a huge stack of children’s books and a skimpy t-shirt that she had embellished with rhinestones that said “Mrs. Carter.”

I held up the shirt with a laugh. “Angel, I don't think my pinkie finger will fit in this.”

Angel shook her head. “Once that baby’s born I better see you wearing that.”

“I second that,” Nick said with a grin. He flipped through the stack of books and broke into a grin.

“How’d you remember?” he asked Angel. She laughed.

“How could I forget?”

Nick held up a copy of Alexander and the No Good Very Bad Day.

“This was my favorite book when I was little,” he told me. I smiled. Somehow it seemed like a perfect Nick book.

BJ must have drawn Nick’s name. She had gone for a book as well; I watched Nick unwrap a copy of Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul. BJ burst into tears when he held it up.

To make matters worse, Angel had unwrapped her gift from Nick at the exact same time. He had found an unusual Ouija board and wrapped it up along with a pair of beautiful earrings. The moment BJ saw the Ouija board she freaked, I mean freaked, out.

“Get that out here!” she screamed. “Haven’t we had enough bad luck?!”

“BJ, calm down,” Nick said. “It’s not even opened. It’s just sitting there. We’re not playing it.”

“It doesn’t matter! Get it out of here! Do you want to die like Aaron?”

It was like I had enterd an episode of House of Carters Angel threw up her hands, picked up the board and marched out to her car. I heard the trunk slam shut. When she came back in she looked over at BJ who was still bawling.

“Happy now?”

Instead of responding, BJ flew into the kitchen. Taryn must have calmed her down because a little while later BJ came back and began handing out plates of food. As we ate, Bob looked over at Nick and me.

“So do you have a wedding date?” he asked. Nick nodded.

“August 6.”

“Where’s it going to be?”

“After the first of the year we’re going to be working with a consultant from Key West,” I said. “We’re looking at a beach wedding.”

“Aaron died at a beach,” BJ said morosely on her way back to the kitchen. I winced; Nick didn’t blink an eye.

“We also just had his funeral in a church,” Nick said. “We’re going with a beach wedding.”

“Have you thought of any names for the baby?” Leslie asked. I think she, like us, was desperate to get off of any subject that would lead us back to Aaron.

“We’ve tossed around a few. Nothing definite,” Nick said lightly.

“I like the name Talia,” Angel said.

“Danielle.”

“I was never good at girl’s names,” Bob admitted. He smiled proudly at Nick. “But I think I did a pretty good job with you.”

Nick couldn’t help but smile; it was nice to see.

“I have a feeling she’s going to be a daddy girl,” Angel said. “I don’t know of a girl in this world that Nick doesn’t have wrapped around his finger.”

I laughed. “I think you’re right; but somehow I think she’s going to have him wrapped around her little finger.”

Nick grinned. “Naw, I’m going to be a stern disciplinarian.”

Everyone gave him a disbelieving look. He shrugged.

“You’re right, I’m a sucker.”

We stayed at Bob’s for another hour; BJ and Leslie were the first to leave. After awhile Nick got down on the floor and showed Kaden how some of his toys worked, there were some even Nick couldn’t figure out. Angel and I made s’mores over the stove.

“Nick,” I heard Bob say. “I’m really glad you came over this year.”

Nick said something I couldn’t hear.

“Well, I know I’ve made mistakes with you guys, but I really want to be there for my grandchild. I’m proud of you; you’re going to make a great father. And I think you’ve picked a great girl”

Angel gave me a marshmallow-y smile. We peeked our head out of the kitchen just in time to see Nick give his dad a great big hug.

On the way home, Nick took my hand.

“I’ve got to say, that was probably one of the best Christmases we’ve had for a long time,” Nick said quietly.

“Well, I’m glad I could be there,” I added. Nick pulled up to our house, but didn’t get out right away.

“How’d you spend last Christmas?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I spent six hours at Hunter’s parents house while he decided to take his entire car apart in the garage even though it was twenty degrees outside. I ended up watching A Christmas Story three times. Then, when the car was put back together he ended up taking off. He had forgotten about me.”

“He forgot?”

I shrugged. “It wasn’t the first time and it wasn’t the last. How’d you spend last Christmas?”

Nick nodded towards the house. “Here.”

“Alone?”

He nodded. “Angel came over for a bit but everyone had someplace else they needed to be. It wasn’t the first year it had happened. Lauren was in New York, but even by that time I knew that wasn’t going to work out.” He looked over at me and grinned.

“I sure didn’t think I’d be where I am now. But I’m glad that I am.”

He leaned over and kissed me, his hand pressing gently on the back of my head. I closed my eyes at his now extremely familiar, but nonetheless amazing, touch.

What a difference a year could make.

Chapter Twenty Six – December 31 (New Years Eve)

“This is crazy,” I complained. Nick reached over and fiddled with my seat belt.

“It’s not crazy,” Nick argued. “It’ll be fun.”

When I had gone down the stairs that morning to get a glass of water, I had almost tripped over our luggage in the kitchen. I was standing there confused when Nick came out of his studio.

“What’s all this?” I asked. Nick grinned.

“We’re going to Los Angeles.”

“When?”

“Oh, in a few hours.”

“What?!”

So here I was, on a plane with the seat belt barely able to hook into the seat, flying to Los Angeles six and a half months pregnant.

“I couldn’t say no,” Nick said for the hundredth time. “The guys said we’re making the big announcement tonight. I couldn’t miss it.”

I sighed. I knew he was right. Ever since the boys had split with Jive, they had quietly been meeting with other labels. Nick hadn’t gone into specifics, but I had a feeling that they had landed a big record contract. With the success of Masquerade and hopefully Figured You Out, I had a good feeling about it.

“Plus,” Nick continued as the stewardesses locked everything done for take-off. “We can spend the night at the condo and enjoy the fireworks. And make some fireworks.”

I laughed. I didn’t know what the poor guy was going to do for the six weeks before and after delivery. If he thought he was going to go blind before, he hadn’t seen anything yet.

“I brought your video camera,” Nick said. “I was hoping you could put our announcement on the webpage tonight.”

I smiled. “Of course I can. What label signed you?”

His eyes twinkled. “Uh-uh. You’re just going to have to wait and find out.”

“That’s not fair,” I argued. “I bet Leighanne, Rochelle, and Leigh knows,” I argued. Nick shook his head.

“Nope, none of us have told.”

“Even AJ? He sucks at keeping secrets.”

“Even AJ.”

“Can you at least whisper it to the baby?” I said sweetly. Nick laughed.

“Nice try. No.”

I sat back in a huff; he leaned over and kissed my temple.

“You’re so cute when you pout.”

“I’m not pouting.”

Nick laughed.

---------------------------------------------------

Our six hour flight turned into a seven hour flight as we hit bad weather over the plain states; therefore, we didn’t land in L.A. until almost seven thirty. Nick checked his watch constantly; usually he didn’t care a bit about delays, but this time he was impatient.

“What time do we have to be wherever we need to be?” I asked.

“Nine, but we’re going to have to get dressed.”

“Dressed?” I looked down. I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Admittedly not the best New Year’s attire, but still…

“We’re going to a gala event,” Nick said. My eyes widened.

“Nick, unless you packed a gown in my carry-on or that small suitcase, I’m screwed.”

He grinned. “Why do you think I’m impatient for the flight to land? I have some very capable hands getting us things to wear.”

The capable hands he was talking about were Howie and Leigh. As soon as we landed, Nick got a rental car and we took off to their hotel since it was closest to the event. As we walked into the lobby, Nick pulled out his cell.

“We’re in the lobby. Yeah, I know we’re late. 302? We’re headed right up.”

Nick and I got on an elevator and took it up to the third floor. Howie was waiting outside the room.

“We’re going to wait for you guys in the lobby,” Howie said. Leigh slid out of the door, holding James. Even he was wearing a tux.

“We shouldn’t be long,” Nick said.

My panic level was beginning to rise. Leigh looked like a Spanish version of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. If we were already running late, I didn’t know how I was going to be able to do anything with makeup. And my hair? Forget about it.

“We have hair and makeup people,” Leigh said, practically reading my thoughts. “They got me done in twenty minutes.”

I headed into the room. It was a huge suite. Nick headed right to a tuxedo bag. I turned into the other room.

“Olivia?” a lady asked. She was already armed with a hairbrush and curling iron.

I nodded and before I knew it, I was in a seat with powder puffs hitting my face and the lady with the hairbrush tugging at my hair.

“It’s awfully dry,” she complained. I wrinkled my nose; dry hair was one side effect of pregnancy. What did she want me to do about it?

“I’m not sure we can do much about the puffiness around your eyes either,” the makeup person was saying.

Of course she couldn’t; it was water retention.

Even with all of the complaining the staff did, I was done in twenty minutes. A minute later, I unzipped a long garment bag.

A light blue gown flowed out from the folds of the bag. Sparkly Swarovski crystals danced along the bodice.

“Mrs. Dorough has excellent taste,” one of the ladies said.

As beautiful as it was, I worried that it wouldn’t fit. I hadn’t seen Leigh in three weeks and I had gained another couple pounds. I was retaining water from my eyes to my ankles. That dress looked way too pretty to fit me.

I shouldn’t have doubted Leigh. The dress fit beautifully. Leigh had even taken into consideration my extreme clumsiness and big belly and found a pair of flats that made me feel like I wasn’t even wearing shoes. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked in the mirror.

“Thank you,” I said to the staff. They nodded.

“Enjoy your evening.”

I walked back into the main room. Nick was already waiting by the door. His hair was neatly gelled and he looked debonair in his tuxedo. He slipped a wrist corsage on my hand.

“You look amazing,” he said enthusiastically.

“I feel like I’m going to prom,” I said with a laugh.

“Well, since I never went to a prom, I kind of like that idea,” Nick said.

We headed down to the lobby where we met Howie and Leigh.

“You look great,” Leigh said.

I smiled. “Thanks to you.”

“We’ll meet the others there,” Howie said, glancing at his watch. “They got ready at home and they’re waiting for us.”

A limo escorted the four of us to Les Deux, a large nightclub. The party was already hopping inside and out. A red carpet was rolled out from the valet to the door.

“Should I get out and film you guys coming down the carpet?” I asked, fiddling with my bag for my camera. Nick shook his head.

“No, I need my date to walk by my side. The only thing you need to film is our announcement later tonight.”

It was a weird experience walking down the red carpet with Nick. I knew this was a big event; paparazzi were lined up along the roped off red carpet. I was glad when we got inside and the flashes in front of my eyes disappeared.

The others were already inside. I was pleasantly surprised to see Kevin.

“Surprise,” he said with a quiet smile.

“I didn’t expect to see you here!” Leigh said happily. I was glad I wasn’t the only one that didn’t know he was coming.

“Well, I had to fly Mason back to spend New Year’s with Kristin and I, er…” he trailed off.

“It’s always good to see you,” I said. He smiled.

“Y’know, I think this is the first time they’ve let kids into this club,” Brian said with a laugh.

“Yeah, we’ll it’s going to be an early night for these two anyhow,” Leighanne said. Baylee wrinkled his nose and looked up at her, but she just ruffled his hair.

Leighanne was wearing a beautiful pink gown that ruffled along the midriff. Even though it did a good job of hiding any start to a baby bump, I saw how much fuller her face was.

“So, when are you guys making the announcement?” I asked the guys.

“Eleven,” AJ said. Nick and him shared a wide smile.

“Do you know what it is?” I asked Kevin. Kevin looked caught off guard, but caught himself. He smiled smoothly.

“I plead the fifth.”

Brian cleared his throat. “I think we’ll make our announcement right now though,” he announced. I knew right away what he was talking about; I saw Baylee scowl.

“Your announcement?” Kevin said, arching an eyebrow.

Brian looked at Leighanne; she smiled.

“Brian and I are expecting,” she said.

“Expecting what?” AJ blurted.

Nick and I laughed. Rochelle smacked him.

“What do you think?” she said.

“You dog,” AJ said.

“When are you due?” Leigh asked.

“July,” Leighanne said.

“Are you excited Baylee?” Rochelle asked.

Baylee folded his arms across his chest.

“We’re working on it,” Brian said with a smile. He placed his hands on Baylee’s shoulders.

After a round of congratulations, the groups broke up to mingle with the rest of the crowds. I kept looking around, hoping I could spot some person or signage that would give me a clue as to my husband’s potential music future. As hard as I looked, I didn’t see anything.

A little before eleven, we all managed to drift back together again. A nanny had taken Baylee and James back to Brian’s condo. Alcohol was starting to flow heavily.

“We ready?” Brian said. He stuck his hand in the middle of the haphazard circle we formed. Nick’s hand shot out.

“Ready.”

AJ and Howie followed suit. I saw them look at Kevin; he put his hand in the circle.

“C’mon girls you too.”

With a laugh I stuck my hand in the ring.

“Backstreet!”

A group of people took the stage. The crowd turned their attention towards them at the tap of the microphone. I turned on the camera.

“Hello everybody!” The group cheered, cups held high. “We’re happy everyone could be here to ring in the New Year at Les Deux. On behalf of the entire Universal Music Group, we would like to introduce our newest recording artists who will record their 8th studio album in 2011. Ladies and gentlemen, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, and Kevin Richardson!”

Nick kissed me quickly before bouncing up on stage.

“Kevin’s back!” I said happily. Rochelle let out a loud whistle.

“On behalf of the entire group, I want to thank Universal for taking us on,” Howie said. “We’re also thrilled to announce the return of our fifth member, Kevin.”

Kevin raised his hand and waved modestly.

“We’re going to take 2011 and make sure we can produce the best album possible. It’s time to make the music we want to make and Universal is helping us pave the way,” Howie concluded. AJ grabbed the mic.

“So without further ado, let’s ring in the New Year the right way. Backstreet’s Back!”

-----------------

If you enjoy Cruise Control, check out the companion story Nowhere to Go to learn more about Kevin's return to the Backstreet Boys and life after Kristin. Click here to read.

Chapter Twenty Seven – December 31 / January 1

“Five…four…three…two…one…”

“Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year, Livvy,” Nick whispered in my ear.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him softly. He deepened the kiss as confetti fell from the ceiling. Small silver specks fell on my eyelashes, causing me to burst into giggles.

“Well that’s a new reaction,” Nick said.

“Sorry,” I said, picking off the offending object. “Where were we?”

“Right about here,”

He leaned down and drew my lips to his once more. I heard the start of fireworks in the night sky.

“Bom chicka wah wah,” Brian sang as he walked past. It was Nick’s turn; he laughed right into my mouth. I rested my cheek against Nick’s chest and smiled as Brian twirled Leighanne out to the dance floor.

Nick and I stayed until about two o’clock in the morning. By that point the party was dying down. AJ and Rochelle sat at a booth in the corner, locked in each other’s arms as if they had been super glued together. Brian and Leighanne had already gone back to their place. We said our goodbyes to Howie, Leigh, and Kevin and took a taxi back to the hotel. From there Nick began the drive to his condo. Fireworks lit up the night sky. Nick’s tuxedo jacket hung over the back of the driver’s seat, his tie was completely undone.

“I can’t wait to post the video,” I said happily, replaying the footage back on the screen.

“Well, it can wait until morning,” Nick said with a laugh. I smiled.

We entered the community and Nick slowed as we pulled up to the condo.

“This brings back memories,” I said as we got out. Nick grabbed our duffel bags.

We walked into the foyer, Nick’s dress shoes clicked on the white marble floor. I glanced over at the hall table where I had first checked out his family photographs. A new one caught my eye.

“Nick,” I said softly, picking up the silver frame.

“I added that after you flew back to Wisconsin,” he said.

It was a picture of me on the beach. My hair was windblown and my cheeks were red; I had never looked happier.

I set the frame back down and smiled over at him.

“I like to keep my family close,” he added. He walked halfway up the stairs ad then leaned over.

“You coming?”

“Of course.”

We headed upstairs. I stopped for just a moment at the staircase. I could almost see Bitsy’s little head stuck through the bars.

“You’re dawdling,” Nick said. I laughed.

“Chillax Nickolas,” I said. He shook his head.

“Don’t make me grovel.”

I walked after him into the bedroom. Nick had pulled back the curtains; fireworks still lit up the sky.

As I stood at the glass door I felt Nick’s fingertips slide down my shoulder blades. I heard the zipper on the back of the dress being slid down. My dress fell to my ankles; I shivered as I felt the softness of Nick’s white dress shirt press against my back. I caught our reflections in the balcony doors. I saw him lean down and moments later felt kisses raining down on my shoulder. His hands went around and cupped my breasts. Somehow being able to see his movements made it all the more erotic. I turned around and kissed him hard. Nick led us to the bed. I placed my palms on his chest and pushed him back.

I hovered over him and worked at the buttons of his dress shirt as the same time he worked on the belt on his pants. I quickly found the hem of his dress shirt stuck in the zipper.

“Aw c’mon,” Nick said. He gave a tug. “See, this is why I like things made with elastic.”

I laughed and knelt down by the bed. My hands pushed his away as I fumbled with the zipper. There was more hindering the thing going down than just the shirt. Nick was ready to go and this was just adding to his frustration.

I freed the offending material and eased the zipper completely down.

In minutes Nick and I were mixed up in a tangle of sheets and pillows. Even though it was getting trickier and trickier to work around the baby bump, Nick was up for the challenge.

As I lay in his arms afterwards, I kissed his chest. His finger twirled a strand of hair around and around.

“I can’t help but remember how it felt the first time,” Nick said. “You cried and I thought that I had done something wrong. I felt so scared that I had screwed it up and I didn’t want you to leave.”

I smiled. “I was scared,” I admitted. “You made me feel like I had never felt before. And then you told me you loved me for the first time and I…” I trailed off; I was remembering the night like it was yesterday. “I felt like you meant it more than Hunter ever did.”

Nick kissed me softly.

“I mean it more and more every day,” he said.

We fell into a comfortable silence. He continued to run his fingers through my hair. I felt my eyes grow heavy with sleep.

“Good night, Livvy,” Nick whispered softly.

---------------------------------------------

The next morning, Nick and I rolled up our jeans and walked hand and hand along the surf line. I wore one of Nick’s fleece sweatshirts; I felt like I could stay in our little moment of time forever. Unfortunately, we had an early morning flight the next morning. Nick squeezed my hand gently as the waves tickled our toes.

“I’m going to miss you like hell,” he said softly. He leaned down and picked up a beautiful pink seashell.

“It’s strange,” I said with a soft smile. “Last time we were here we had the exact same conversation. Except this time you’re the one that has to leave.”

Nick sighed. “It just makes me nervous that I’m going to be gone and you could go into labor early.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think I will. When the doctor gave me my due date we didn’t know exactly when I conceived. I know it’ll be later than March 18.”

Nick placed the seashell up to my ear. I closed my eyes and smiled. When I opened my eyes I saw Nick studying me.

“What?”

“You know everyone always told me pregnant women glowed; now I know what they meant.”

I laughed. “Maybe it’s leftover makeup from last night.”

Nick shook his head.

“No, you’re amazing.”

We spent the rest of the day lounging around the house and playing a never-ending game of Monopoly. Even though Nick spent his money like water and bought anything he landed on; he was a ruthless bargainer. I ended up losing by landing on Oriental Gardens one too many times.

As the sun set I sat cross legged on the bed, uploading the video of the Boys’ announcement. I smiled as I reviewed the footage again; their enthusiasm radiated off the screen.

“We stayed with Jive way too long,” Nick said as he hovered over my shoulder. “Even I will admit our last album was our weakest.”

I looked up at him in surprise. “I loved it,” I said softly. “I’ve loved every song.”

Nick smiled. “I know you do. But we’re going to have to really step it up to remind everyone else we’re still out there.”

I kissed him softly. “I have no doubt we’ll be hearing you guys on the radio really soon.”

“Well hopefully you’ll hear me on the radio even sooner.”

I could hear the lyrics to All My Heart in my mind. I smiled.

“Something tells me I will.”

Chapter Twenty Eight – January 28

“I can’t believe I’m going to a Lamaze class on my birthday,” Nick said as we drove to the hospital.

I laughed. “Is there anything else you wanted to do when you turned 31?” I teased.

It was our third week of class. I had taken so many breaths and “hee-hee’d” so many times that I thought I could do it in my sleep.

The first week of class was memorable. Of the six other ladies in my group, three of them were my age. The looks on their faces when Nick Carter walked through the room was priceless. When we went around the room for introductions, the girls erupted in giggles like they were thirteen as Nick flashed a smile and said ‘Hi, I’m Nick Carter.’ I was just waiting for one of them to ask Nick to sign her belly; they were more interested in us then on what the instructor was saying.

The second class wasn’t much better. Our instructor had brought out birth balls and we all went through the various ways to use it. I clumsily tried to maintain my balance on the ball; Nick played interference as I wobbled back and forth. After we “mastered” the squatting position, we were supposed to balance on the ball while leaning over pillows. Our partners were to straddle and rub our backs.

As I was enjoying the massage, Nick had leaned down and whispered right next to my ear. “I have other plans for this ball.” I think I blushed enough that even the tips of my ears turned red.

One of the other girls must have thought the sight of Nick Carter in the doggie / straddle position might be worth something to the outside world. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her take a picture on her cell phone. Nick heard the telltale snap as well. Neither of us was amused. I didn’t want my gigantic behind on the cover of some magazine and I think Nick just wanted to get through a normal part of life without being photographed doing it. Nick had thrown a grand dame of a diva fit that had the instructor playing interference. In the end, the woman’s birth ball went flying angrily past Nick’s head and towards the wall as the instructor confiscated her phone and kicked her out.

So, for week three, our group was down to just the six of us. Our instructor had announced that there was going to be a special surprise. Now Nick loves surprises, but as we sat on our yoga mat, my back right against his chest and his arms around me, I heard him whine as the instructor held up a DVD.

“Not on my birthday,” he complained, only loud enough for me to hear. “I thought they’d wait until the last week. Y’know, the week we’re going to miss.”

I stifled a laugh. “How bad can it be?”

It was pretty bad. Lamaze classes are big in convincing women that there is no need for epidurals; that things can be done the natural way. As Nick and I watched the baby crown and the mother still calmly “hee-hee’d,” I knew that was not what I would be doing. I could already hear me screaming and breaking people’s fingers. What made the tape worse was that after the so-called “normal” delivery, they also showed deliveries where doctors had to shove their hands into no man’s land to turn the baby around, skin was cut, forceps were used, and an actual breech birth took place. By the end I was a sweaty mess just thinking about it. As the instructor turned the lights on, I could see that some of the partners had bowed out halfway through. In fact, Nick seemed to be the only calm one.

“That was awesome,” he said appreciatively. I looked at him like he was crazy.

“Awesome?” I asked, my voice an octave higher than normal. “She can just stay where she is.” I said, pointing towards my belly.

Nick laughed and helped me up. The ones who quit halfway through the video came in and quietly began to pack up their partner’s mat. As Nick rolled up our yoga mat, he actually began to whistle.

I threw my hands up in the air. “I’m scared!” I said in a loud whisper. He stopped and looked up at me in surprise.

“Scared?”

“Yes! I freaked out when I got my hair caught in the jet tub. That’s nothing compared to…to…” I pointed to the TV. “that!”

Nick rested the rolled up mat against his side. “Listen, it looks bad because you’re looking at it head on.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “Plus, the video was bad editing. Didn’t you see the epidural coming out of the first ladies back? Why do you think she was so calm?”

My eyes widened in surprise. Me, the video editor, hadn’t noticed. I was too busy looking at what was going on at the other end. Nick broke into a wide smile.

“It’s going to be okay,” he assured me. He kissed me softly.

“So how about some birthday ice cream?” he asked hopefully.

After we put our stuff in the car, we stopped by a Coldstone Creamery for ice cream. I bought Nick a “Birthday Cake Remix” and for myself, a “Peanut Butter Cup Perfection.” We sat down on a bench outside and swapped flavors.

“So,” Nick said, casually licking the back of his spoon. I paused mid-bite. His “so’s” were never good.

“So?” I repeated.

“I got a phone call yesterday from People,” Nick said. “They want to do a photo shoot of us in the baby’s room.”

“Really?”

Nick nodded. “Yeah. They think it’s funny I’m having the first Backstreet girl,” he said with a laugh.

I had a mental image of a similar photo shoot with Brian and Leighanne. I could see them sitting by Baylee’s
crib, barefoot. Nick seemed to read my mind.

“I’m not cheesing it like Brian did,” Nick said. “I teased him about that forever. I’m surprised his face didn’t crack.”

I laughed. “I thought it was cute. He was excited!”

“Well, I’m excited,” Nick said. “I’m just not going to be a dork about it.”

“You’re always a dork about it.”

Nick did another slow lick of his spoon. “Be nice. It’s my birthday.”

I had remained fairly mum about the whole “birthday” thing all day. In the morning I had given him the two presents he had asked for: a new copy of the movie Aliens on DVD and a new pair of drumsticks.

What Nick didn’t know was that I had Angel as my partner in crime. While we were at Lamaze class and eating ice cream, Angel was getting the house ready for a surprise party of epic proportions. Brian, Leighanne, AJ, and Rochelle were there along with some of Nick’s other close friends and music buddies. Howie and Leigh weren’t able to come because of a Lupus charity event; Kevin said there was something happening at home and gave his regrets. I had ordered up one of those cakes like you see on Ace of Cakes with all of Nick’s favorite things: the Buccaneers, music, boats, and of course the baby. I hadn’t even seen that yet. I couldn’t wait.

After we finished our ice cream, we got back in the car and headed towards home. Nick pulled up to the house and I stifled a laugh. Everyone must have parked several blocks down; the house looked completely calm and quiet.

I stood behind Nick as he fiddled with the key in the lock. The door swung open; all was quiet for a moment, and then…

“SURPRISE!”

Brian jumped out wearing a clown wig and what looked like red lipstick and blew a handful of confetti right in Nick’s face. Angel outdid herself; streamers hung everywhere and she had even made handwritten signs that said “#1 Bro” and “Birthday Boy.”

“What the—“ Nick said with a laugh as he brushed bits of confetti from his face. I laughed. He turned around and looked at me.

“Was this your idea?” he said. I smiled.

“I had a little help.”

At that moment, Angel sidestepped Brian.

“Yeah, we’re double trouble,” Angel said. Nick scooped her up in a big bear hug and looked around as everyone came out from behind couches, chairs, and curtains.

“Howie and Kevin couldn’t be here,” AJ said as he and Rochelle walked up. AJ handed him two huge, oddly shaped packages. “We got you these.”

Nick gave him a look and tore the wrapping off of one. A huge blow up doll fell out and leaned against Nick’s hip.

“That’s Howie,” AJ explained. Nick ripped the wrapping off the other. Another doll fell out. This one had a mustache and goatee crudely drawn with Sharpie.

“And Kev.”

Nick held both up to eye level, then glanced at AJ.

“You’ve given me some really weird gifts for my birthdays, but I think this takes the cake.”

“Speaking of cake…” I said. I glanced at Angel; she nodded excitedly.

I took Nick’s hand and pulled him into the kitchen. Baylee was already sitting on a bar stool, his eyes wide as he stared up, up, up at the cake.

The bakery had outdone themselves. On the bottom tier, they had sculpted a miniature Nick dressed in a Buccaneers uniform standing on a pier as racing boats flew along. The second tier was decorated in red and black music notes, guitars, and drums. The third tier had a white crib and a huge “3-1” made out of what looked like child’s building blocks.

Nick walked all around the cake, shaking his head.

“I love it,” he finally said. He looked at me. “You got the hierarchy right too.”

I smiled.

“First comes football, then comes music, then comes Nick with a bay-bay carriage,” Brian sang.

“Damn straight,” Nick said. I took a quick picture of him by the cake with my cellphone. Afterwards, Nick glanced over at Baylee and handed him the cake server.

“Dish it, buddy.”

---------------------------------------------------

Two hours later there was what amounted to a carcass of a cake left. Nick and his “boys” had drifted outside. The girls and I sat around in the living room.

“How’s it going?” I asked Leighanne. She smiled. Her belly was a perfect round bump. I never had a perfect round bump. Grr.

“I’m feeling better…finally. What about you?”

“Eight weeks to go,” I said. I smiled. “Not bad. My mom’s actually moving down here in three days.”

“Just in time for Nick’s promo tour,” Rochelle commented. I nodded.

“I’ll be busy down here,” I added. “The wedding planner is coming down February 7 to talk to me about flowers and stuff.”

“Do you have your location?”

I nodded. “The planner e-mailed us pictures of three different beach locations in Key West. Nick and I both liked the same one.”

The location was about the only thing we had…except for the wedding party. One night a week ago, we sat at the kitchen table in front of the computer where we had pictures of all of our “potential” candidates.

“I’m asking Brian to be my best man,” Nick had said. I felt a pang; I had a feeling that Nick had always thought Aaron would be able to take that honor.

“I’d like Leighanne to be my maid of honor,” I said. It had been a toss-up between her and Angel, but Leighanne was the first real best friend I had that hadn’t turned their back on me. That was saying a lot considering the whole “Brian in Los Vegas” incident.

“Howie, AJ, and Kevin are givens for groomsmen,” Nick continued.

“Well Leigh and Rochelle are givens for me. Maybe Angel could walk with Kevin?” I suggested. Nick nodded.

That left us with a little problem. I still had Leslie, BJ, and Taryn.

“I can’t not have your sisters in the wedding,” I said. I knew it was a double negative; I didn’t care.

“Well Taryn already said she doesn’t want to be in it. She likes keeping a low profile. But you’re right about Leslie and BJ.”

I sighed.

“I can ask my buddies Andrew and Matt,” Nick suggested. “We can pair the girls up with those two.”

And so, we had a wedding party of six. Looking around at the girls, I was reminded that I needed to ask them to stand up for me.

“Nick and I decided on our wedding party,” I said out loud. “I’d love it if you two could be my bridesmaids,” I said, looking at Rochelle and Angel.

“Of course,” Angel said happily. Rochelle nodded.

“Absolutely.”

I looked over at Leighanne. “I want you to be my maid of honor.”

She looked surprised. “Really?”

I laughed. “Really.”

“Well, it’s not going to be easy finding me a dress,” she warned. I shrugged and smiled.

“We’re natural born shoppers. I think we’re up for the challenge.”

At that moment Nick poked his head in. He was wearing blow up Kevin on his back.

“Hey Livvy?” he called out. I looked over and laughed.

“Yeah?”

“This is the best birthday ever.”

I blew him a kiss as Brian pulled him back outside. When Nick was happy, I was happy.

Chapter Twenty Nine – February 1

My mom couldn’t have picked a better time to move. The day before, Nick had left for his promo tour. He’d be gone the entire month.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he murmured as he held me in his arms at the airport.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” I said, cupping his face in my hands for a kiss.

When I had gotten back into the car, I felt like I was missing a limb. Now I knew how Nick felt when I had gone back to Wisconsin. I had stayed at the big window until the plane lifted in the sky and I couldn’t see it any longer.

I was back at the airport the next morning to pick up my mom. I had swung by her condo on the way; movers were already unloading furniture and boxes. The moment my mom saw me, she was off and running.

“Where do I pick up my puppies?” she asked worriedly.

We had a guy help us with the cages and then I took off towards her condo.

“It felt so weird leaving the house. It was so empty,” my mom said a little sadly. We still had all of your height marks on the doorway to the kitchen.”

I patted her hand. “I’m just glad you’re down here,” I said. She smiled softly.

Luckily, she didn’t have much time to dwell. When she saw the movers, she was out of the car and directing them on where to put boxes and furniture. I carried in the dog carriers one by one. The dogs were still pretty drowsy; the sedative had yet to wear off.

“Where should I start?” I asked my mom.

“How about putting together the bookcase here?”

I spent the next hour putting together her old wooden bookcase. When I had finished she pulled over several boxes.

“These are my books and the family scrapbooks,” mom said. “Make ‘em look pretty.”

The books went up on the shelves quickly, but I soon got lost in the scrapbooks. I couldn’t help but wonder how much my daughter would look like my baby pictures. I was a pretty cute kid complete with big chubby cheeks and hair in long pigtails. I looked like Punky Brewster. My cuteness disappeared around eleven or twelve; I quickly skipped over my junior high albums. I took a little bit longer going through my high school albums, even though there were several pictures of Hunter scattered throughout.

I stopped at one page in particular. It was the very first concert I went to with my friends without adult supervision. The Millennium tour. I laughed at the handmade BSB shirts and the bright neon signs. I was holding a “Batty for Brian” sign. Our faces were painted a light blue and white swirl. I remembered clearly that we had nosebleed seats and we spent the extra money on the cheaply made white binoculars that said Backstreet Boys on the side.

“Oh geesh. I remember how worried I was about you that night,” mom said from over my shoulder. I looked up and smiled. “You girls taking off alone for that concert…I don’t know what made me say yes. But, you looked like you had the time of your life.”

“I did,” I said, touching the picture. I had long ago lost contact with all of the girls.

“Wouldn’t they die to know where you are now?” mom teased. I laughed.

“Just don’t ever show Nick this picture,” I said. “He’d never shut up.”

I closed the books and put them chronologically on the book shelf. Using a hard backed chair for leverage, I stood up and dusted off my jeans.

“What next?”

Mom delegated me to the boring jobs for the next few hours. You know those types of jobs, the ones that didn’t require a lot of brain power, stooping, or lifting. I had just finished making her bed, when the doorbell rang.

“I ordered pizza,” she said, jogging towards the front door.

I got out some paper plates, napkins and plastic cups as mom handed over some money. She walked back into the kitchen; I could smell the green peppers and pepperoni emanating from the box.

Mom didn’t have TV or Internet hooked up yet. We took our plates out to the living room, propped our feet on the coffee table and had just settled into the pizza when my phone rang. I wiped my greasy fingers on a napkin and took out my IPhone. It was Nick.

“Hey you,” I said. “Where are you?”

“Los Angeles,” Nick said. “I’m going on Leno tonight.”

“Awesome,” I said. “I’ll try to stay awake.”

Nick laughed. “Your mom get in okay?”

“Yup. We’ve spent the day unpacking.”

“You feeling okay?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine, Nick.”

“You didn’t overdo it, right?”

“No, mom gave me the most boring jobs in the history of the world.”

My mom made a face; I stuck out my tongue.

“I don’t have your schedule with me. When do you start performing?” I asked.

“I’ve got two weeks of interviews and radio spots and then I’ll do a two week stint with the House of Blues. That’ll take me up to March 1.”

“Be safe, okay?” I said.

“No problem. Have a good night, honey. I love you.”

“I love you too, Nick,” I said. I hung up with a sigh and took another bite of pizza. I saw mom smiling at me.

“What?”

“I like that he calls and checks in,” mom said. I laughed.

“He’s just good like that.”

--------------------------------

I left mom’s house around eight o’clock. The dogs ran around in crazy circles. Not wanting to take two separate trips down the beach, I clipped them all together and hurried out across the sand.

Everything was fine until we were almost to the door. I felt a sharp pain not unlike the ones I had experienced at Thanksgiving.

“Oh no, no, no,” I said softly. I opened the glass door and let the dogs run inside. Trying to remember my “controlled” breathing, I locked up and made my way to the couch.

The pains weren’t often, but when they came I wanted to lose my mind. To make matters worse, the pepperoni had given me a horrible case of acid reflux. I downed some Tums, turned on the TV for company, and prayed that I was just suffering from more Braxton Hicks contractions. The dogs scattered around nearby, their eyes trained on me.

I had a feeling that even with the boring jobs I had done that day that I had probably overdone it. As the news ended and Leno started, I focused on the TV. I suffered through all of Leno’s insufferable jokes and an interview with Sarah Jessica Parker before Nick finally took the stage. It was just him, a guitar, and low lighting. When the TV zoomed in for a close-up I stared right into his eyes. I willed myself to relax. Soft strains of All My Heart came from the surround sound.

“It’s daddy, sweetie,” I said. “Just go to sleep so mommy doesn’t want to scream.”

The pain seemed to lessen as Nick finished his song and headed up to the stage.

“It’s been awhile, Nick,” Leno said. “How are things?”

“Things are great,” Nick said.

“And the new record?”

“Restless Soul comes out next Tuesday, February 8,” Nick said. “It’s got a little bit of everything; ballads like All My Heart and beats like The Great Divide.”

“And your tour?”

“I’m doing a small two week tour through House of Blues.”

His tour schedule appeared on screen. Orlando was first followed by Atlantic City, Boston, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Sunset Strip.”

“You going to sleep anytime there, Nick?” Leno asked with a barking laugh.

“It’ll be hectic but I can’t wait to bring the party with me,” Nick replied with a relaxed grin.

“And I’m sure all the ladies can’t either. So, how are things in your personal life? You’re engaged?”

Nick nodded.

“Yup. I’m found my soul mate in Olivia. Seriously, we are so much alike it’s not funny. We’re getting married this summer, but first we’re expecting a baby in March. That’s another reason I’m packing in the dates in February.”

“Well, congratulations. You’re looking great.”

"Thanks, Jay."

The camera zoomed in on Leno.

“Nick Carter’s 2nd solo studio album, Restless Soul hits stores February 8. Good night!”

As the closing music played, the shot panned back out to show Nick sitting on the couch. He put his fingers to his lips and I could read his mouth as clearly as if he shouted.

“Love you, Livvy!”

I smiled; I hadn’t felt a contraction the entire time I was watching Leno. Not wanting to take any chances by climbing the stairs, I covered up with a throw blanket and closed my eyes.

I prayed I felt better the next morning. I had a wedding to plan, a nursery to complete, and I was devising another plan that involved one gorgeous blonde Backstreet Boy.

Bed rest was not part of that plan.

Chapter Thirty – February 14

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” my mom asked worriedly.

“Of course I am. C’mon you’ve got to admit this is going to be fun.”

“Well…it does remind me of old times.”

It was Valentine ’s Day and Nick was just two hours away in Orlando for his very first House of Blues concert. I had rented a car to take my mom and I to see him. Nick had no idea.

“Well, it’s just the dogs…” my mom said hesitantly.

“The lady that comes and feeds our dogs said she’d go over and feed yours. It’s not like we’re even spending the night. C’mon.”

I had told Leighanne of my plan and just two days ago I had received a package from her in the mail. In
the box was a beautiful long sleeve dark purple sweater dress and black boots. A card with her handwriting simply said “Wylee’s branching out. Enjoy my new design.”

As my mom fumbled around for something to wear that wasn’t pajamas, I sat in her living room. I was already dressed and ready to go. The dress fit like a dream; I thought I looked thinner now than I did even two months ago. Even the boots had just a tiny heel; I wasn’t toppling over anytime soon.

By the time my mom came out in jeans and a studded t-shirt (that I had bought her), the car was waiting outside. She locked up and we slid into the backseat. I could tell she was impressed; we were riding in style.

“Last time we saw Nick in concert together we had to take the train,” Mom said. “Remember that guy that smelled like fish?”

I laughed. “Yeah. I think this is a good improvement.”

“How far away is the House of Blues?”

“About two hours.”

We spent that time going over what I had discussed with the wedding planner the week before.

“Yellow and white roses?” mom asked. I nodded.

“What color are you putting the girls in?”

“It’s called mermaid, but it’s a turquoise,” I said.

“That will look really pretty by the water,” my mom said with a nod.

I remembered how hard it had been to pick out colors for my first wedding. I had wanted bright colors but Hunter had argued that every single color I picked out clashed with his hair and the complexion of his sister. In the end I had to go for a dark gray with white accents. Then, the day of the wedding the florist showed up with red roses. My mother-in-law had changed the order at the very last minute, claiming yellow clashed with the color palette. Ugh. It was one of the most stressful days of my life; I was determined this time around it would be the opposite.

“And shoes?” my mom said with a smile. I laughed.

“That’s the beauty of it. I’m going barefooted.”

We were discussing the logistics of three hundred chairs on the beach when we pulled up to the House of Blues. I slid out of the car, my mom not far behind.

The line of fans waiting to get in for the concert wrapped around the building twice. I went around to the back; luckily Nick had brought some of the Backstreet Boys security with him. They recognized me straight away and let me in the back.

“I always pictured the back stage a little more glamorous,” my mom said. I smiled.

“It’s a mass of rigs and lights and props,” I said. “Usually the dressing room is pretty nice.”

I wove through the stage hands, my mom tagging behind. As I rounded the corner to the dressing room I bumped into a scantily clad dancer.

“Oops, I’m sorry!” I said, stepping back. My eyes widened in recognition; hers did too.

“Liv!?”

“Andrea?!”

Andrea had been a dancer on the U.S. leg of the This is Us tour and my roommate. Her hair had been black at that time; now it was platinum blonde. She looked great either way.

“Oh my god, it’s so great to see you!” Andrea said. Her hands immediately went to my stomach. “I told you to take those condoms.”

I felt my face turn red.

“Andrea, I’d like you to meet my mom.”

Hey eyes widened so much I feared she was going to lose her fake eyelashes.

“Oops, I’m sorry. Hi!”

My mom looked shocked for only a moment. She smiled and shook Andrea’s hand.

“Actually I’m glad she didn’t take them,” my mom said. Andrea laughed in relief.

“I didn’t know you were one of Nick’s dancers.”

She shrugged. “I go where I’m needed. I think he might have remembered we were bunk mates too.”

“Well, you look great. Knock ‘em dead,” I said.

“Thanks.”

“Have you seen Nick?” I asked.

She pointed behind her. “Still in his dressing room I think. Does he know you’re coming?”

I shook my head. “It’s a surprise.”

She laughed again. “Well, I’ll let you go. Nice meeting you,” she said to my mom before walking off.

I headed off to his dressing room. At the door, I dug into my bag and pulled out a red and black wrapped box. I knocked and waited.

The door opened slowly and Nick’s head peeked around the corner. His face lit up the moment he saw me.

“Oh my god!” Nick yelled. He was out in the hallway in a flash. His eyes wrapped around me and I felt my feet lift the ground.

“Nick!” I laughed. “Put me down.”

He put me down but kissed me passionately. When he pulled away I was breathless.

“What are you doing here?” he asked grinning.

“Mom and I wanted to surprise you,” I said. Mom peeked around me and waved. Nick laughed.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you. Hi mom,” he said, hugging her tightly.

“You drove all this way? How are you?” his hand touched my stomach.

“We had a car drive us here. And I’m fine,” I said. I didn’t dare tell him about the occasional contraction. I held up my package. “I brought you this.”

He took it then looked at me. He looked panicked. “You’re here,” he said.

I laughed. “Yup, I’m pretty sure I am.”

“You’re gift is there,” Nick said, waving off into the beyond. “At home.”

“Well, it’ll be waiting when I get home, right?” I said. He smiled. “Yeah, I guess so. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“It’s for good luck. For tonight,” I added.

Nick led us into his dressing room and mom and I settled on the couch. He settled on the coffee table and tore at the packaging. He held up a silver chain.

“You’re other one broke. Every rocker needs one,” I said with a smile. He slipped it over his head.

“It’s perfect. I love it.”

“You ready to go out solo again?” I asked. Nick nodded.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

We spent a few more minutes back stage before a stage hand poked his head in and told Nick it was almost time.

“You guys are going up to the balcony right?” Nick asked worriedly.

“You don’t want me in the mosh pit?” I asked. He gave me a look.

“Yes, we’re going to the balcony,” I said.

My mom gave Nick a huge hug and took the back stairs up to the private balcony. I lagged behind.

“Damn, I love that dress. Where’d you get it?” he said, running his hand up my sleeve.

“Leighanne sent it to me. It’s a Wylee original,” I said. Nick kissed my neck, then my lips.

“Remind me to send her a thank you card,” he said appreciatively. He pulled the top of my dress towards him and stared down at my cleavage.

“Mmmm.”

I slapped his hand away. Nick’s eyes crinkled with silent laughter. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist, his lips grazing mine once more.

“Thank you for coming,” he said softly.

“I was going through my Kaos withdrawal,” I whispered. “Two weeks was bad enough.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

With one more kiss, Nick ran towards the stage while I headed up the stairs to the balcony.

As much as I had enjoyed Nick’s first solo album, Restless Soul completely trumped it in every single way. Instead of trying to bring out his inner 80’s rock star, Nick had just gone out and put his whole self into every song…and it showed. Mom and I butt bumped to the music as Nick stood out there, flanked by dancers. By the third song he was covered with sweat and my hormonal body wanted to devour him alive.

“I’d like to slow it down now,” he panted into the microphone. He swung himself so that he was sitting down on the stage. Security held the girls back; otherwise he’d be missing both his legs.

“I’d like to dedicate this song to my fianee, Livvy. She inspired this and everything else I’ve done in the past eight months.”

His head turned towards the balcony and he blew me a kiss. I blew one right back.

He laughed into an acapella version of All My Heart. Lighters began to sway and the fans sang along with every word.

And I began to cry.

----------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to visit Nick after the show. There was no afterparty; Nick was running his schedule tighter than Howie ever did. He was due in Atlantic City the next day. Mom and I stood outside his bus saying our goodbyes.

“I just don’t want you to drop from exhaustion,” I said worriedly as he hugged me tightly.

“I’ll be fine. I just want to get home to my three girls,” Nick said charmingly pointing at me, my stomach, and my mom. After he let go of me, my mom hugged me tightly.

“Liv’s right. Be careful,” she said. She cupped his chin in her hands and stared at his eyes.

“You already look exhausted.” She licked a finger and wiped a smudge off his chin. He wrinkled his nose, but I could tell he was enjoying the attention.

“It’s all good. If I stay busy I’ll be home before I know it,” he said. He leaned over and kissed me again.
He headed up the bus steps, waving behind him.

Mom and I headed to the car that would take us back home. Mom fell asleep halfway home, but I couldn’t get Nick out of my mind. I had never loved anyone so much in my entire life.

After dropping my mom off, the car turned slowly into our driveway. I got out and began to walk to the front door. I had the house key ready to insert into the lock when I turned around. All I could do was stare.

A brand new Nissan Pathfinder in yellow sat in the driveway, a huge white bow wrapped around it. My mouth dropped open as I slowly walked around it.

There was no doubt in my mind that this was my Valentine’s present.

I headed inside to find a vase of yellow daises and roses. A white ribbon around the vase had the keys attached with a note. I smiled as I read it.

Every Backstreet wife needs a car. This one has room for plenty of pretty babies. Happy Valentine’s Day. Love you forever, Nick.

Chapter Thirty One – March 1

Two weeks had passed since I saw Nick at House of Blues. I spent the morning of Nick’s homecoming driving my amazing new car to the grocery store and waddling, yes waddling, through the store picking out ingredients for lasagna. The ability to see my toes had disappeared; in fact, I wasn’t even sure I had toes anymore. The baby had dropped and I felt like I was going to deliver at any time.

“That’s normal. You might feel like that for two or three weeks before it actually happens,” my mom had said. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear; I wanted to deliver now.

After I came home from the grocery store, I spent an hour assembling the layers of the lasagna. I had gotten so involved in what I was doing that I almost forgot I had to pick Nick up at the airport.

My mom had offered to drive me, but I had quickly learned that she was probably the worst driver in Florida history. I was glad that her condo was near a grocery store and shopping center. She could walk almost everywhere.

Nick’s flight was scheduled to land at 12:30. I pulled up to the airport at 12:32.

There was no way I could run. Instead I made my way through the airport as fast as I could and hoped Nick wouldn’t be waiting there staring at his watch.

When I made it to his gate, the plane was just landing. I breathed a sigh of relief and waited with what I hoped was a wide, relaxed smile.

If I was glad to see Nick, it was nothing like the reaction Nick had when he saw me. He ran to me, dropping his duffel bag to pull me into his arms.

“I missed you,” he said softly, covering my face in kisses.

“I missed you too,” I said with a little laugh. Nick’s lips finally made their way to my mouth and the softness and warmness of his touch reminded me exactly why I had missed him. When he pulled away his face was flushed, his eyes sparkling.

“Has it only been two weeks?” he asked. His eyes went the top of my head to my toes.

“Baby dropped,” I said. “I’m going to explode.”

He laughed and scooped up his duffel bag. After a quick stop at baggage, we walked outside. I beeped the doors open. Nick took the keys from me.

“I’ll drive,” he said as he opened the rear door and tossed in his bags.

“Did I mention I love my present?” I asked as I climbed in the passenger side.

“Only about a dozen times,” Nick said with a laugh.

As Nick drove I relaxed and enjoyed the new car smell. I wished I could bottle it up and wear it. There was just something about a car that only had ten miles on it when you got it. I felt the urge to clean away even the smallest speck of dust when I got in.

“How’d the last concert go?” I asked. He had just finished in California.

“Really, really great,” Nick said. “Which reminds me, did you listen to the AT Top 40, Sunday?”

I grinned. “Of course I did. Ryan Seacrest was talking about this totally hot guy who surprised everyone by cracking the countdown at number 35…and rising.”

Nick laughed. “I don’t know about the totally hot part.”

“I do.”

When we got home, Nick went upstairs to unpack (or I should say his version of unpacking – dumping everything into his closet) and shower while I made the lasagna. The inviting smells of Italy wafted through the kitchen as I cut up some bread.

“Something smells like heaven,” Nick said, walking into the kitchen. He was still drying his hair with a bath towel.

“I’m making lasagna,” I said.

“Mmm.”

He leaned his elbows on the bar and watched me get out everything to make a salad. His hair had grown extremely fast; it hung lazily in his eyes.

“I checked out the nursery while I was upstairs,” he said. He reached for the carrots and began to dice.

“What do you think?”

“I think People magazine is going to take more shots of the room than of us. It looks like it was done by an interior designer.”

I broke into a wide smile. “Nope. Just me and mom. We’re a force to be reckoned with.”

Nick laughed. “I guess so. I love that white teddy bear. Where did that come from?”

“Oh, Brian and Leighanne sent it. They said Baylee was at Toys R Us and asked if he could send it to us.”

Nick smiled. “That’s cute.”

I opened the oven and peered inside.

“By the way…when is the People shoot?”

“Thursday.”

I looked over my shoulder at him.

“Today’s Tuesday.”

“Yeah?”

I slapped my forehead.

Leave it to Nick…

----------------------------------------------

March 3

I looked at my perfect pristine nursery and cringed. Huge metal lighting stands were positioned around the crib and wires criss-crossed along the floor.

“Hold still,” my hair stylist complained as she took a curling iron and gave my stubborn hair one more try. It wouldn’t curl; it wouldn’t do anything.

Nick had finished hair and makeup awhile ago. He was dressed in a white sweater and blue jeans looking calm and relaxed. His hair was perfectly in place.

“Hey Nick, hold that teddy bear and lean against the crib,” the photographer said. “We’ll get a couple individual shots.”

As my hair stylist continued to grumble, I saw Nick lean casually against the white crib. I had affixed large pink bows to the railing. The contrast was sweet. Even his socks worked well with the room.

A half hour later the stylist finally admitted defeat. My hair would not curl, but it at least fell in waves. I stood up awkwardly and waddled over to Nick. He picked up my hair and smiled.

“I like it.”

“It’s the result of two cans of hairspray,” I said. Nick’s face crinkled up with a laugh.

As the shoot got underway, I realized (not for the first time) that I was more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it. When they needed my face tilted to the left I turned it to the right. Just when I thought I had my eyes opened the right amount, the flash would delay and my eyes would close. A model, I was not.

“For our last shot, I think we’ll have you both sit in front of the crib,” the photographer said. “Olivia, lean back against Nick’s chest. Nick bend your knees a little more. Hands resting on her stomach.”

It was an almost identical shot to the one I remembered People shooting of Brian and Leighanne.

“I am not cheesing,” Nick whispered in my ear. We both burst into laughter. I heard the click of the camera.

“Alright, now one looking right at the lens.”

I felt Nick’s breath tickle my ear as he leaned in close. I broke into a relaxed smile.

“Beautiful! Thank you both. I think that’s a wrap on the pictures.”

Nick and I remained on the floor as a reporter sat across for us and asked us questions for the accompanying article.

“So, tell me how the two of you met.”

“Liv applied for the This is Us tour internship. It was love at first sight for me,” Nick said. I smiled.

“What is it about Nick that you find irresistible?”

I laughed. “I love his sense of humor and soft side.” I turned my head to look at him. “He’s not bad looking either.”

Nick crossed his eyes and pushed up his nose.

“Now, you were going through a divorce at the time you found out you were pregnant. Were you surprised?”

“Absolutely. It took awhile before the shock wore off.”

“What about you Nick?”

“I was surprised, but I was immediately happy. I’ve always wanted kids.”

“Have you two decided on a name?”

Nick and I shook our heads.

“Not until we see her,” Nick said.

The reporter asked a few more questions, including one about Aaron. Finally she tapped her pen against her notepad and smiled.

“Thank you guys for your time.”

She shook our hands and stood up. Nick helped me up; the crew was still taking down their lighting and heading to their car.

“Now all I have to do is get through the baby shower,” I said with a smile.

Nick looked around.

“I have no idea where we’re going to put any more stuff.”

I laughed.

“I guess we’ll just have to move into your studio.”

Nick’s eyes widened as I walked out of the room.

“Now wait a minute!”

Chapter Thirty Two – March 7

It was a bright, sunny Tampa afternoon. My mom and Angel had commandeered our house for the entire morning while Nick took me out to breakfast and for a stroll in the park. My baby shower was scheduled to begin at one.

“You better not have a stripper,” Nick said as he shoveled in a large mouth full of scrambled eggs.

“Nick it’s a baby shower, not a bachelorette party,” I said with a laugh.

“I know how rowdy you girls can get,” he said, trying to hide a smile.

“Well, what are you going to do this afternoon?” I asked. His eyes sparkled.

“You’re talking to a guy that’s going to be hanging out with Howie, AJ, and Brian. What do you think we’ll do?”

I laughed. “Play golf?”

“Damn straight.”

“My baby shower’s only going to be a few hours!”

“I tend to lose really quickly,” Nick said. “Damn AJ. He thinks he’s Arnold Palmer or something…”

I couldn’t help it; I leaned across the table and kissed him softly. When I sat back down he gave one of his contagious laughs.

“What?” I said with a laugh.

“Your belly's now covered in syrup.”

I made a face. “Ugh!” I dunked my napkin in my water glass and began to scrub.

“We’re going to have to ditch the park,” I said. “I need to find something to wear to the shower.”

Nick rolled his eyes but smiled good naturedly. “Of course.”

-----------------------------------------

Two hours later Nick pulled up to the house. Cars lined the entire drive. The guest of honor was going to make a grand entrance. Nick came over and helped me out of the car.

“Have fun,” he said. I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.

“I will. Love you. Have a good game. Be careful.”

“I will handle my balls with care,” he said with a straight face. I burst out laughing. He kissed me softly and slid back into the car.

There was a permanent smile on my face as I walked in for a fun afternoon with my friends and family. Angel wrapped me in a huge hug and bounced happily into the living room. Pink streamers hung from the ceiling and a huge diaper cake sat in the middle of the present table.

“You look so cute!” Angel said. I laughed. I had found a cute pink dress with a white sash that sat more under my boobs than across my belly.

“Liv!”

I let out a little laugh as Leighanne threw her arms around me. It was the battle of the bumps.

“Look at your belly!” I said happily. She smiled, turned in profile, and pulled her shirt tight across her abdomen.

“Do you know what you’re having?” I asked. The last time I had talked to her she had mentioned going for her ultrasound.

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Brian and I found out a few days ago. It’s a girl!”

I grinned. “Thank goodness! My poor little girl needs a friend amongst all these boys.”

Leighanne laughed.

“Brian about passed out. He was certain it was another boy. I told him he’s going to have to get used to bows and tea parties.”

I smiled. I could mentally see Brian crouched down by a table drinking fake tea and wearing a feather boa.

“Liv, you look amazing.”

I turned around. Leigh and Rochelle were standing behind me.

“Long time no see,” I said as I hugged them both.

“I know. Nick keeps you locked in the dungeon,” Rochelle said with a laugh.

“Oh yeah. With all those whips and chains,” I teased. We grinned.

Leslie and BJ arrived a few minutes later, loaded down with presents. My mom was fixing up a fruit tray in the kitchen.

The only person missing was Jane.

Angel tried to stall, but by 1:30 we had to get underway. We played word scrambles, baby bingo, and pass the dirty diaper. The librarian in me had no problem with the word scrambles. Baby bingo was fun; someone had customized the cards with pictures of Nick and I in the spots that said “mommy” and “daddy.” There’s nothing like having Nick Carter smiling up at you the whole time you play a game.

Then came pass the dirty diaper. I had been to a lot of baby showers, but I had honestly never played the game before. It was similar to musical chairs. When the music stopped, whoever was holding the dirty diaper was out. I could smell hot fudge radiating through it as we passed it from person to person. Rochelle was extremely happy when she was the last one left sitting.

“Your days of dirty diapers will come,” Leigh teased. Rochelle laughed.

“No, I'm putting AJ on diaper duty.”

“Well now that we’ve played that appetizing game, who’s ready for cake?” Angel said. Leighanne and I eagerly raised our hands.

Red velvet cake with white and pink swirl frosting was served. The buttercream melted in my mouth. Leighanne looked like she had died and gone to heaven.

“There’s got to be something about having a girl and wanting sweets,” she said. “I never ate this much junk carrying Baylee.”

I filed that tidbit of information in the ‘for future use’ category of my mind.

After cake, Angel sat down beside me with pen and paper at the ready. It was time to open presents.

“Who did the diaper cake?” I asked. On closer inspection, someone had dangled pink music note pacifiers from the ribbons that bound the diapers together in perfect tiers.

“Your mom and I did it,” Angel said. “Do you know how hard it was to find little baby rock star pacifiers?”

I laughed. “I can imagine. It’s adorable. You could market them to all the stars.”

Angel grinned. “No, that’s a Carter original.”

I laughed and began to wade through the presents. Even though I had laughed when Nick said we had no room for more baby stuff, as the pile grew, I began to doubt we’d ever be able to use it all. We’d have to change the baby about eighteen times a day to get through all of the adorable newborn outfits.

Besides the standard clothes, receiving blankets, bottles, and bibs, I received a diaper bag from Leighanne (courtesy of Wylee), a pair of baby leather boots and matching rocker outfit from Rochelle, and a beautiful framed prayer from Leigh.

As I set aside the last bow and ribbon, I looked around at everyone that had come. They had all been virtual strangers or faces in magazines less than a year ago. Now I couldn’t imagine life without them.

“Thank you all so much for coming,” I said. “It means a lot to me that all of you could be here today.”

Leighanne, Leigh, and Rochelle stayed after everyone else left. Rochelle came and sat next to me on the couch grinning ear to ear.

“What?”

“The guys sent you a shower message.”

She handed me the phone; my eyes widened. Three very white asses on a very green golf course faced the camera. In what I hoped wasn’t permanent marker, were the words “It’s – A – Girl.”

“AJ’s is—“ Rochelle started to say, but I shook my head with a laugh.

“Let me guess. Brian is the “It’s”, AJ’s skinny ass is the “A”, and Nick’s is the “Girl.”

At the sound of Brian’s name, Leighanne squeezed herself onto the couch.

“That’s Brian all right,” Leighanne said shaking her head.

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Leigh said. “The guys mooning the camera or the guy who offered to take the picture. I’d bet money that my husband's the photographer.”

I started laughing. They all looked at me like I had lost my mind.

“No,” I said between giggles. “What’s even better is the thought that they had to write on each other’s asses.”

Leighanne, Rochelle, and Leigh let that thought sink in. We all burst into another gale of laughter.

I was very glad I was having a little girl.

Chapter Thirty Three– March 15

It was the opening round game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Even though Nick preferred watching the pros, he was still glued to the television, his mouth opened slightly in the stupor I now attributed to him whenever he watched any sport on TV. He could be watching golf and still be drooling on himself.

My false labor pains had been in rare form for the past day and a half. I had just finished putting the last of the shower gifts away and was headed downstairs for some mint chocolate chip ice cream when I paused mid-step, wracked with a sharp contraction. I doubled over slightly, my face twisting up in pain. Bitsy, who had been following me around all morning began to whine.

“Shut up,” I moaned. Once the pain subsided I slowly made it down the steps. I was exhausted. Half-way to the kitchen another pain shot through me. Moments later I felt a big gush of water.

“NICK!” I yelled out.

“YES!!!! Three points!”

I felt like someone had just thrown a water balloon at me. I stared down at the small puddle of water on the wood floor. My water had just broke and Nick sat watching a basketball game.

“NICK!!!”

I heard the creak of the couch. Nick appeared in the archway.

“What?”

“My water just broke.”

He stared at me in confusion, then I saw his eyes dart to my wet pants and the small puddle of the floor. He looked back at me. He went pale. I thought he was going to faint.

“What do we do?”

A contraction that I knew was real hit me hard. I grabbed onto the wall.

“Grab me a new pair of pants and my hospital bag. And hurry.”

----------------------------------

An hour later I was admitted into my private room. The doctor had confirmed that yes, I was definitely in labor, I was three centimeter dilated, and Nick had thrown up twice.

“Your dad was watching James Bond when I went into labor,” my mom said. “Actually he watched the movie the entire time I was in labor. I think Nick’s forgotten about the game.”

Nick walked out of the bathroom, wiping his forehead with a wet cloth. As another contraction subsided, I smiled at him.

“So is this amazing yet?” I teased him as he sank into a chair by the head of the bed. He smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry. I guess I thought we had a few more days. I didn’t expect…woosh.”

I smiled, but it didn’t last long. Another contraction started up where the other one had just subsided. I tried to remember my breathing, but I couldn’t help but let out an agonized yell. Nick took my hand and placed it to his lips.

“Big deep breath….slowly exhale,” he coached.

At that moment Dr. Tresher came in.

“Sorry folks. I just got here. My backup said you’re already three centimeters. Contractions coming closer together?”

I was mid-way through my exhale. I nodded fast.

“Are we doing this au naturale or do you want an epidural?”

I glanced at my mom. She was calm and collected, holding ice chips at the ready. I looked over at Nick; I wasn’t sure how much more he could possibly throw up, but I figured I could use all the help I could get.

“Epidural.”

“Well, I’ll come back in a half hour and check you. If you notice your contractions getting more intense before then let me know. I want to get that epi started around four or five centimeters.”

Dr. Tresher smiled and looked at the clock.

“Let’s see if we can get this baby born before midnight.”

I glanced at the clock. It was only five o’clock. I glanced back over at Nick. He had his Blackberry out.

“What are you doing?”

He looked up. “I’m texting everyone,” he said.

“I don’t want any Twitpics,” I warned him. He smiled. “Don’t worry.” He glanced back at the screen. “Brian said he would have paid money to see my face when your water broke.”

I laughed. At the same moment I had another contraction.

“C’mon....no,” I moaned. I squeezed Nick’s hand tightly. After it subsided, I took a deep breath.

“I want to walk around,” I said.

My Lamaze teacher would have been proud of Nick and I. We walked around the room, pausing with each contraction. Nick massaged my back as I leaned against the wall. We had even brought the birth ball which I managed to balance on for all of three minutes.

I was getting back into bed just as Dr. Tresher came back in the room.

“Did you stretch your legs?” she asked as I placed my feet in the stirrups.

“Yeah,” I said a little breathlessly. I was already ready for a nap. I had a good team; Nick kissed my forehead as mom fed me an ice chip.

“Well you’re four and a half centimeters,” Dr. Tresher said. “You’re moving fast considering this is your first one. I’ll get the epi guy in here. You might find that your progress will slow down a little bit because your body will be able to relax.”

I bit my lip. On one hand, I really wanted to lessen the pain. I had heard from five centimeters on that the contractions were horrible. On the other hand, the faster I progressed, the sooner I delivered.

“I think I’m going to try it natural,” I said as she headed to the door. She turned around.

“Really?”

“Really?” Nick asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m tough.” I smiled and grimaced at the same time.

Dr. Tresher smiled.

“All right. Well, in that case just keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll keep checking in. Ring the nurse if you need anything.”

After she left, Nick looked down at me.

“You’re insane.”

I actually laughed.

“I know. Let’s just hope I made the right choice.”

--------------------------------------------

Angel arrived at the hospital an hour later. She came over and squeezed my hand. I saw her glance at Nick.

“You look like crap,” she said. “You look like you’re the one in labor.”

Nick smiled weakly. His hair stuck damply to his forehead.

“I’m not good at waiting.”

“We know,” Angel and I said in unison before I went into another contraction. Nick started the stopwatch again.

“Did you call mom?” Angel asked as I closed my eyes and prayed that baby Carter didn’t have direction deficit disorder. Just keep heading down, little one.

Nick didn’t answer until my contraction subsided. I saw the anger in his eyes.

“Considering she couldn’t come to the baby shower, why should I?”

“Nick,” Angel admonished. He sighed.

“I asked Leslie or BJ to call her,” he said. Angel rolled her eyes.

“So mature.”

Nick stuck his tongue out.

At that moment Dr. Tresher walked in. Angel gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out to the waiting room. I glanced at the clock. It was seven thirty.

“How are we doing Liv?” Dr. Tresher asked as she took her seat again.

“Hanging in there,” I said weakly.

“What about you Nick?”

“I haven’t vomited again, so I’m going to say good.”

She laughed. “Well you’re seven and a half centimeters dilated and ninety perfect effaced.”

I heard the creak of a chair as she stood up. “I’ll check you in another hour unless you feel you need me sooner.”

She left the room and I took another ice chip. As I chomped I looked at my mom and Nick. “I want to get up again.”

Once again I spent ten minutes walking around the room. Then I settled onto the birthing ball. I had been perched on the ball five minutes when a contraction gripped me so hard I almost crumpled to the ground.

“Alright, I’m cutting you off on the walking,” Nick said as he supported me under my arms. I leaned against him, bearing against the contraction. When I could finally think straight again I shuffled back to the bed.

After another fifteen minutes, I knew that I didn’t want to wait for Dr. Tresher.

“Nick, go get her,” I moaned. The contractions weren’t letting up. There didn’t seem to be any time between them. Plus, I had begun to feel the desire to push.

I saw Nick head out into the hallway. My mom leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“You’re close,” she whispered. “You’re going to do great.”

Nick followed Dr. Tresher back into the room. It didn’t take her long to make her assessment.

“I think we’re ready to have a baby folks,” she said.

The room seemed to get busier in seconds. Nick’s faced with flushed with excitement. He took my hand and looked at me with eyes so full of love I almost (almost) forgot about the excruciating pain racking my body.

“Let’s do this momma,” he whispered before kissing me softly.

I had always thought that the pushing was going to be the hardest part. Amazingly, it was the easiest. It was like I was seeing the finish line in the distance and it didn’t matter what I had to do to get there. I pushed when I was told and even when I wasn’t pushing I was completely focused. After twenty minutes of pushing, I heard the words I had wanted to hear for months.

“She’s crowning. I see the head.”

My mom disappeared from my side the moment Dr. Tresher said the magic words.

“She has hair,” my mom said happily coming back up to me.

“Three more big pushes, c’mon Liv.”

I screwed up my face and put the last of my energy into pushing. After two great big pushes, I knew I was almost there.

“Head’s out. Nick you want to catch her?”

“What?!”

“Come here.”

Nick squeezed my hand and walked to the foot of the bed.

“Oh my god.”

“Liv just one more tiny push and then the baby and Nick can handle the rest. Nick come here, hands out like you’re catching a football.”

I saw Nick crouch down; his eyes were huge and awed. He met my gaze; I saw him tear up.

“Let’s bring our baby into the world, Livvy.”

With one agonizing yell like my life depended on it, I gave one last mighty push. My mom held my hand tightly; I heard Nick gasp as a loud cry filled the room. The sweetest, gooey-est, wriggling little baby I had ever seen in my life was screaming her lungs out in her dad’s arms. Nick held her like she was the most precious thing in the entire world, a tear trickling down his face. When he laid her on my chest, I felt my heart melt as I crooked my arm around her tiny body and touched her ten little fingers and toes.

“I love you so much, Livvy,” Nick said with a bright teary smile, his cheek resting next to mine. I was in awe.

Our baby was finally here.

Chapter Thirty Four – March 16

“Her name’s Brooklyn Nichole. She was born at 8:43 p.m. Seven pounds, eight ounces. 21 inches long. She’s perfect.”

It was eight o’clock in the morning. Brooklyn was almost twelve hours old. Everyone had gone home. It was just Nick and I with our daughter in the hospital room.

I was still running on adrenaline. I stroked her face gently as I fed her. Nick hung up his cell phone.

“Who was that?”

“AJ and Rochelle. They got my picture.”

I laughed. Brooklyn was perfect from the top of her blonde head to the bottom of her tiny little toes. Nick came and sat on the bed with me.

“I can’t believe she’s here,” Nick whispered.

After the initial shock at brining a little life into the world had subsided, Nick and I took only one look at her before agreeing that she looked like a Brooklyn. Her features were so tiny and delicate…she just looked like a little bubbly bundle of love.

Nick kissed my cheek.

“Brooke and I already have something in common,” Nick said softly in my ear.

I smiled. “What?”

“We both love your boobs.”

I laughed quietly. “Nice one.”

I felt her attachment slack; she was falling asleep with a full tummy. Nick slid his hands under my own and took her from me.

“My little baby burrito,” he said, kissing her forehead. I stifled a yawn.

“You need to get some sleep,” Nick said softly. “While you still can.”

I knew he was right. I glanced over at him and soaked in the image of him holding

Brooke in his arms. When the crash came, it came quick.

“I love you, Nick,” I whispered.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

-------------------------------------------

I was able to get three hours of sleep. Visitors started arriving at eleven. The first people through the door were my mom and Angel.

“There’s my niecey-poo,” Angel cooed. She scooped Brooke out of her bassinet.

“I still can’t believe she’s so pretty,” Angel said. “I mean half of her genes are from you,” she said, looking at Nick. Nick looked exhausted but happy. He just grinned.

“You can’t bring me down Angel. Can’t bring me down.”

After a few minutes Angel passed Brooke to my mom. My mom sat down in the rocker by the bed.

“I never thought I’d see the day,” she said softly, beginning to rock. She smiled over at Nick and I. “You did a good job.”

“Thank you,” I said, resting my head on Nick’s shoulder.

Angel and my mom stayed until lunchtime and then left, promising to return later that night. I fed Brooklyn and then had a little lunch myself. Nick had fallen fast asleep.

Around one o’clock I heard a tiny tap on the door. My face broke into a wide smile when I saw who my visitors were.

“Is this a good time?” Leighanne whispered. Baylee held onto Brian’s hand as all three walked in.

I nodded. “Of course it’s a good time. Nick’s just catching some sleep.”

Brian sat Baylee down on the bed. I pushed the pink blanket away from Brooklyn’s face.

“Ohhh,” Leighanne said.

“She’s so little!” Baylee said. He leaned over and touched her hand that had come loose from the swaddling cloth. All of the fingers on her right hand wrapped around one of his fingers for a few moments. Baylee scooted closer, smiling. After a few minute she dropped his finger and yawned.

“Want to hold her?” I asked Leigh. She nodded. I gently transferred her into Leighanne’s arms. She sank down into the rocker.

“Look at all that blonde hair,” Leighanne said, smoothing down her wayward locks.

Brian leaned over the back of the rocker and touched her cheek.

I felt Nick stretch out beside me. He opened a groggy eye. When he saw who was in the room, he sat up quickly.

“You guys came all the way down here?” he said with a yawn. Brian laughed.

“No, we’re figments of your imagination. Yes, we came down here.”

Nick rolled his eyes but smiled.

“How’d you do in delivery?” Brian asked him. Nick puffed out his chest proudly.

“I caught her and cut the umbilical cord.”

Brian smiled. “I’m impressed Nicky.”

“I can’t wait to have our own little girl,” Leighanne said. Baylee made a face, but didn’t say anything. I had a feeling that he would be fine once the baby actually arrived. Brian stared down at Brooklyn.

“I forgot how little these things are,” he said as Leighanne handed her to him. Brooklyn chose that moment to wake up. Her cries filled the room.

“I forgot how loud these little things are,” Brian said as he handed her to me. I checked her diaper and smiled at Nick.

“Remember what you said about needing diaper practice?”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “What? Oh no…”

Five minutes later Brian was giving him pointers on effectively changing the diaper. Both Nick and Brian had one hand clamped on their nose.

“I forgot how smelly these little things are,” Brian said as he handed Nick a baby wipe. Nick had to uncover his nose to take it; his face screwed up as if in agony.

“Oh sweet Jesus.”

Leighanne and I were trying our best not to laugh.

“Baylee peed right in Bri’s face when he did the first diaper change,” Leighanne said fondly. Baylee giggled.

“I think I’d take that at the moment,” Nick said. After another few seconds he let out a sigh.

“It’s done.”

Nick attempted to swaddle her back up, but failed miserably. Brian finally had to do a hands-on demonstration.

“They make a good team,” Leighanne said. “I’ll loan you Brian now if I can have Nick in July.”

We laughed. Nick scooped Brooklyn back up in his arms.

“All better, princess?” he said softly. Her little blue eyes stared up at him with pure contentment.

As Nick stood cooing, I heard a knock on our door. The visitor didn’t wait for a ‘Come in.’

It was Jane.

“I’m here to see my granddaughter,” she announced.

Brian, Leighanne and Baylee took that as their cue to leave. After hugs and kisses they left. Jane walked up to Nick.

“Her name’s Brooklyn?”

Nick nodded. “Brooklyn Nichole.”

“Can I hold her?”

Nick almost reluctantly passed Brooklyn into Jane’s arms. She stared down at her, rocking back and forth slowly. Finally, finally she smiled.

“She looks a lot like you, Nick,” she said quietly.

Nick smiled. “She’s got Livvy’s nose. We’ll have to wait and see about her eye color.”

Jane looked over at me. I couldn’t tell if it was good and bad.

“Congratulations,” she finally said. “She’s beautiful.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

Jane stayed about a half hour. When Howie, Leigh, AJ and Rochelle showed up she made a quiet exit. Rochelle was the first one to scoop Brooklyn up from the bassinet.

“She’s so cute,” Rochelle said. AJ hovered over her shoulder.

Leigh held James up so he could see. He leaned down and made a kissy face next to her cheek. Howie laughed.

“That a boy. Such a stud.”

“Hey! That’s my daughter he’s trying to kiss!” Nick said, albeit with a smile.

“Who knows? They could end up married one day,” AJ teased. Nick made a face.

“She was just born. Don’t try to marry her off already! When are you having one?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the look of panic on AJ’s face.

After another twenty minutes, Brooklyn began to cry again.

“It’s feeding time,” I explained.

“Oh that’s okay, go right ahead,” AJ said. Rochelle jabbed him in the stomach.

“Ouch! Okay, okay.” AJ laughed. “Congratulations guys.”

“Congratulations,” Leigh said. James blew a big air kiss our way as they all left.

Nick crawled back up on the bed and watched Brooklyn eat. Both of us yawned at the same time.

“We better get used to lack of sleep,” Nick said softly.

There was a knock at the door.

“And visitors,” I said.

Our next visitors were Leslie and BJ. I finished feeding Brooklyn under a blanket as we visited. As soon as she was burped and content, I passed her to her aunts.

Leslie and BJ were still playing pass the baby when Bob walked into the room with a huge bouquet of balloons.

“I heard I have a granddaughter,” he said happily. He set the balloons on a table and swooped down to kiss my cheek. He pulled Nick into a big hug.

“Congratulations, son. Congrats, Liv.”

Nick smiled. “Thank you.”

Bob held out his arms and Leslie carefully settled Brooklyn down. I knew right away that she was going to have the Carter men wrapped around her finger. Her little eyes tried desperately to focus on each new face. She opened up her mouth wide and let out a little gurgley yawn.

“Would you look at that…” Bob chuckled.

BJ chose that moment to get teary. “Doesn’t she look like Aaron?”

Bob looked over at her. Usually he teared up whenever Aaron was mentioned, but he shook his head. Today was his oldest son’s day and I could tell nothing was going to ruin that.

“No, she looks a lot like Nick when he was born.”

“Everyone always said I’d make a beautiful girl,” Nick teased.

“You don’t have the legs,” Leslie said. Nick lifted his pant leg and whistled.

By eight o’clock I was glad when the announcement that visiting hours were over came through the PA system. Nick closed the door behind our last guest and put his forehead on the back of the door.

I began to feed Brooklyn as Nick drifted back over to us. He hadn’t combed his hair all day and his five o’clock shadow was quickly becoming a ten o’clock shadow. But he was happy, and I was happy.

We would be bringing Brooklyn home in twelve short hours.

Chapter Thirty Five – March 17

By ten in the morning, Brooklyn and I were officially released from the hospital and sat in the backseat of the car as Nick headed towards home. I studied her little head as it fell gently against her shoulder. Her mouth was slightly open, her bottom lip quivered in her sleep.

We hadn’t gotten off to a good start. It had taken Nick a half hour to figure out how to get the car seat buckled in and me another twenty minutes of shifting her around before I was convinced she wasn’t going to fly out if Nick braked. I knew we were well on our way to becoming overprotective nutcases.

A huge bunch of pink balloons danced happily outside as Nick pulled up to the house. A wide banner stretched across the front door, proudly announcing ‘It’s a Girl!’

“I have a feeling we already have visitors,” Nick said warily.

We hadn’t even unloaded the car seat when my mom, Angel, and Leslie bounded down the steps.

“Welcome home!” Leslie said happily.

“Thanks,” I said with a smile. Nick carefully hoisted the car seat out of the back. Our group headed inside.

The inside had more pink balloons scattered around. The kitchen was loaded down with food.

“Howie and Leigh dropped off some amazing smelling enchiladas,” my mom said. “Angel and I made a couple things for you guys too.”

“You guys rock,” I said. Nick walked in and placed the car seat on the counter. Brooklyn was still sleeping.

Nick and I were hanging out with Leslie, Angel, and mom. We were all watching Brooklyn sleep when the doorbell sounded.

At the sound of the loud chime, Brooklyn’s entire face crumpled. A loud wail erupted.

“I’ll get it!” Angel said, running down the hallway. I unclipped Brooklyn from the car seat and scooped her up. After a few seconds her cries subsided.

I was pretty certain half of Tampa Bay had just walked through the door. In reality, it was just a gaggle of Nick’s cousins. Since they hadn’t been able to make it to the hospital, they thought they’d pay us a visit at home.

After a half hour I excused myself to feed Brooklyn. Nick was right at my heels.

“I’m not missing Brooklyn’s grand entrance to her nursery,” he said.

“You just want to see my boobs,” I teased in a whisper. Nick laughed.

“Don’t judge me,” he said, placing a hand on his chest and pouting.

I walked into the nursery and sank down into the rocker. Nick rooted around the changing table and handed me a burping cloth. While he did that I heard the doorbell ring again.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nick said as he knelt down by the chair.

The doorbell rang two more times before Brooklyn finished eating, got a diaper change, and was put into another outfit. By the time we made it to the living room it looked like we were having a frat party.

“I didn’t think I even knew this many people,” Nick said. He glanced towards the stairs.

“Don’t you dare think about making a run for it,” I said with a yawn.

We spent the next two hours showing off Brooklyn. A part of me couldn’t help but think about germs. She was two days old and had already been in contact with more people than I saw in a month.

Finally everyone left but mom and Angel. Even though it was only three o’clock in the afternoon, we ate dinner. I almost fell asleep in a plate full of enchiladas.

“Do you want me to stay the night?” mom asked. I shook my head.

“No, it’s okay.”

She looked doubtful.

“Really,” I said with a smile. “It’s okay.”

With all of the people we had seen in the last two days, Nick and I hadn’t had any time to just be a family of three.

After doing dishes for me, mom and Angel left around five. Nick leaned against the door and locked up. He even flipped the dead bolt.

“Quiet,” he said, his head resting against the wood.

“I know,” I said.

The silence lasted exactly sixty seconds. An unmistakable hungry cry filled the house.

We looked at each other.

“Go get some sleep,” I said softly.

As Nick headed to the bedroom, I headed to the nursery with Brooklyn in my arms. As her cries subsided, I sat and just enjoyed the absolute silence. The last rays of light created prisms of light throughout the room.

“You’ve had a busy day Brooklyn,” I said softly as I rocked. Her cheeks went in and out as she sucked. “Daddy and I haven’t even gotten to hold you much today.”

She didn’t seem too concerned; she opened and closed her fingers as she took all of her energy in getting her supply of milk. Her eyes fluttered closed as she finished.

I burped her gently and just stared down at her little face. She did have my nose, but everything else was Nick through and through. I had a feeling that she would even have his unusual color of blue eyes.

I was exhausted, sore, and completely elated. When anyone had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I had always said I wanted to be a mom. My second choice was a teacher, but my first choice had always been to be a mom. In kindergarten I played house and always went straight to the baby doll. I didn’t care about doing dishes or making food. Playing house meant I could rock the baby. There had been a time not too long ago when I didn’t think that it would ever be a reality. And now I was staring at reality in all of God’s perfection.

I slowly got up and walked into the bedroom Nick and I shared. I gently lay Brooklyn in a bassinet at the foot of the bed and crawled in next to Nick. He was already softly snoring.

I knew that we weren’t always going to do everything right. Maybe Nick and I hadn’t changed many diapers before or gotten up every three hours at all hours of the day and night to take care of a crying infant. But everything was going to be just fine. We were a team.

We were a family.

Now all that was left was for me to officially become Mrs. Nickolas Carter.

THE END

After a disturbing trip to a fortune teller, Nick and Liv decide to outwit fate by moving up their wedding day. But before they can walk down the aisle, they have to deal with a jealous ex-husband, a brother that may or may not be dead, a maid of honor ready to deliver at any moment, and a colicky baby that will only stop crying for Nick. Will it all be too much or will Nick and Liv finally be able to say ‘I Do?’

Find out in the exciting continuation of the Coaster series with
Book Three – Voodoo and Vows
Coming soon after the completion of the Coaster spin-off novella Nowhere to Go
featuring Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson.