MONKEYS

Nick and Julie started to head back to the ladies department when a group of girls came running over. There were six of them and two had on Backstreet Boys concert shirts. They looked to be in their late teens or early twenties. Julie started to move herself in front of Nick, but he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“It’s okay," he said to Julie, before turning to the girls. “Wow. You found me. That was fast.”

One girl stepped forward. She had long dark brown hair and thick black eyeliner. Her low cut top was hot pink.

“It really wasn’t that hard. There are only three malls around here and one of them doesn’t have any anchor stores. So it came down to here and Oakview. And, well, this one has higher end shops.”
It was then she really noticed Julie. She scowled at her then looked at Nick. “Please tell me this is not your big announcement. We were wondering why you were in Omaha.”

Nick laughed and smiled at the girl. He put his arm around Julie’s shoulder.

“This is Julie. She is a dear friend of the family. So, no. This is not my big announcement.”

One of the other girls stepped up. She had on a BSB 2010 This Is US Tour shirt. Her dark brown curls were bouncy as she stepped up.

“Where's AJ? Isn’t he here too?” She looked around frantically searching for him. It actually made Julie blush.

“He's here somewhere. Still shopping I'm sure. Julie and I went to get something to drink,“ he lied.
After the talk he had just had with Julie he really didn't want these girls to know about Kate. Julie was right. Now that he was presented with a chance to share his big news, he realized he really wasn’t ready to share such an intimate piece of his life with strangers.

The others got closer, wanting to take pictures and get his autograph. While he was busy, Julie pulled out her phone and sent texts to both AJ and Kate, warning them to stay put, she was reluctant to leave him alone with these stalker fans.

The girls wanted to know where else he had planned to go, but he was elusive about any info he could. He pointed out that he needed to get back to his shopping for the cruise, so could they please excuse him.

Julie and Nick started to walk back towards the woman’s department, but when it seemed the girls were not going to leave him alone, he decided it wasn’t worth the risk to Kate. Julie leaned in and suggested he take Kate’s truck and head to her house.

“I will get the others and we will pick you up. The address should be in her GPS. Otherwise, they might continue to follow you.”
He agreed, but before he left, he took out his wallet and took out a Visa card. He handed to Julie. She tried to protest, but he argued that he needed to take care of Kate. But Julie had something to point out.

“Nick, they won’t take it without you there. Credit card fraud… hello.”
“Damn it.”
“Listen I'll go get Kate and you head to the men’s department. You are supposed to be shopping after all. I will get Kate to get all her purchases to the counter. Then we'll take her back to my house. After you ditch the stalkers you can go pay for her stuff. Then take her truck and meet us at my house."

"Only two problems with that," he pointed out.
Julie looked confused.
"I have no truck keys and I have no idea how to get to your house."
Julie laughed. She was thinking so far ahead she completely forgot that.
"Oh yeah you might need those. Well, I can have Kate leave the keys with her clothes and her truck has a GPS. I'll have her text you the address."

He finally agreed, realizing she was right. They split up casually like she was going shopping on her own. Julie looked back to see the girls following slowly behind him, giving him space, but keeping an eye on him. She shook her head. Some people had no lives.

AJ stood as soon as Julie came into view. He opened his arms for her, kissing her gently as she stepped into them. He laughed as he held her. She looked into his dark eyes. She could just stare at him forever, the way he was looking at her.

“So why did you want us to stay put?”
“There were six fans that found us.”
“Okay. That’s no big deal. Easy enough handle.”
“Not when we don’t want them to know about Nick being a daddy. One look at Kate and Twitter would explode. That’s why I wanted to talk to Nick. So he would shut up about the baby until the cruise is over. No one needs to know we are on the ship. Or that we even exist, yet.”

He kissed her nose. He understood where she was coming from, but he also knew Nick was never one for secrets, especially since as a Backstreet Boy things never stayed a secret for long. He and Nick were in the same boat, they both wanted everyone to know about the happiness they had found.

“So what now?” He looked around. “Um, where is Nick?”


Nick grabbed a handful of different shirts and headed to a dressing room. He didn’t need to pick up anything, but he needed to get away so he could call Kate. He went to the stall that was furthest from the doorway and pulled his phone out.

“Hey, beautiful. Did Julie explain to you what is going on?”
“Yeah. Are you okay? You are talking really quiet.”
“I am in a dressing room. Did you get your things picked out?”
“I did, thank you. They are at the counter here. Are you sure you want to split up like this?” she asked, concerned for him.
“Oh, yeah. It’s fine. I just want to do what is best for you. Is Julie’s address in your GPS?” He didn’t need to get lost if there was any chance the girls would follow him.
“I think so. But I will text you the address just in case.”
“Okay. Love you, babe. See you back at Julie’s.” He hung up and continued to sit in the dressing room. He had never been a coward before when it came to fans. Normally he would be right there, in the crowd, enjoying the moment. But right now, it wasn’t about him. It was about Kate. He needed to think of her.


Kate was starting to pace as they waited for Nick to get to the house. AJ insisted they should still go to the zoo, that it would be a good distraction to Kate in the worried state she was getting herself into.

Only a short time later, they saw Kate’s truck turn into Julie’s street. Kate was out the door before he had even pulled into the driveway. She threw her arms around his neck when he shut the truck door. His arms wrapped around her, her little belly pressing against him.

“What is that for?” Nick asked, looking into her eyes.
“I don’t know. I was just worried about you.”
“Babe. I am so use to this. It was nothing. I was more worried about you.” He kissed the top of her head as he looked over at AJ and Julie standing on the deck.
“We still going to the zoo?” Nick inquired.
“Absolutely,” AJ replied. “But you need to get Kate’s things inside first. You don’t want her dress to wrinkle.” He said the last part in a very gay voice. They all started laughing.

About an hour later, they were walking through the main gates at the zoo. Julie explained that to the left was the Desert Dome and Kingdom of the Night and just past that was the monkey house. Straight ahead was the Wild Kingdom and behind that was the Aquarium and Butterfly Pavilion. To the right was the Lied Jungle.

Kate decided they should go to the right, so they headed into the Lied Jungle. Julie, having been to the zoo a million times, pointed out to them all the things she found fascinating. She had them walk across the rope bridge that had a water fall beside it. She stood on the other side and took a picture of them all standing there.

A family walked past and the mom asked if Julie wanted to be in the picture as well. She was so glad the lady offered. Julie ran onto the bridge, causing it to move a lot, as she expected it to. Kate grabbed the sides, yelling at Julie to stop. Julie laughed but Nick was confused.
"She's afraid of heights." Julie explained, "I keep telling her this bridge is safe."
AJ opened his arms to hold her while the lady took the shot. Kate was quick to escape the bridge after the photo.

When they moved through the jungle, Julie continued to take pictures. There was a place that had vines the visitors could hang from and pretend to be monkeys. Both the guys asked the girls to take a picture with their cell phone. They handed them to the girls then proceeded to goof around.

As they walked to another section of the jungle, Julie felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and started laughing. Kate looked at her.

“Have you checked your twitter lately?” Julie teased. Kate pulled her phone out of her purse and went to her twitters. She began laughing. Both the guys had posted on twitter that they were ‘Monkeying Around’ before they headed to Miami for the cruise. The pictures they had just taken where posted along with the tweet.

In the jungle, in a separate section, surrounded by glass, was a fast food restaurant. They all were hungry and stopped to get a bite to eat. They discussed skipping the monkey house, since they had seen some monkeys in the jungle and no one really wanted to see the gorillas.

After the jungle, they enjoyed the Butterfly Pavilion and then the Aquarium. Julie wanted to just sit and watch the penguins but the others were moving on. They finished there and went into the Desert Dome.

The upper level was all deserts, and the lower level was dark. When they entered the Bayou in the Kingdom of the Night, Julie turned to Nick.

“Are you home sick yet?” she teased.
He looked at her confused.
“I live in Tennessee, not Louisiana.”
“I was talking about the gators.”
He didn’t get her Florida reference, so she dropped it. AJ got it though, and chuckled to himself.

It was almost four pm when they finished at the zoo.
"So, what should we do for dinner?" Kate asked as they walked back to the Escalade.
"Omg! You're hungry already?" Julie exclaimed.
"No. I was just wondering if we were hanging together or if I was going to have to cook," Kate said defensively.
"How about if I cook?" Nick suggested.
"You cook?" Kate asked surprised.
He laughed.
"Yeah. He's our gourmet chef." AJ said.
"Kate and I'll go to the grocery store and you guys come over in about...2 hours?"
"Sounds good to me." AJ said, a wicked smile creeping over his face.
"Julie, do you have any food allergies." Nick asked.
"No. I'll eat whatever," she said.
"Careful, he may feed you something you never expected." AJ cautioned.
"Hey, as long as he makes it taste good I don't care."


As AJ drove Julie back to her house he pointed out that they had two hours until they needed to be back. Julie felt herself blush at what he was insinuating about, yet she felt her body stir at the thought. She reached over to him, placing her hand high up on his thigh. He gave a gentle squeeze before digging her nails into his tender skin.
“I guess you better drive faster then.”

Kate drove to the grocery store. She pushed the cart as Nick filled it. She was amazed at some of the things he picked up. She had never even thought of buying most of them.

When they returned to the house Nick went to work in the kitchen.
"So you must be fixing something fancy." Kate observed.
He shrugged. "Fancy is all in the presentation."
He looked over his shoulder at her, and then turned to face her.
"After I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, I had to get my weight down, so I started working out and took some gourmet cooking classes."
She smiled at him.
"So I'm sure you were real impressed with my soup and grilled cheese yesterday."
He walked over to her, where she stood, leaning against the counter opposite him, kissing her forehead.
"It was delicious because it was made with love."

Kate decided that they should have a candle light dinner so she set the dining room with a burgundy table cloth and her fancy dishes. She used the wine glasses although there wasn't going to be any alcohol. Somehow drinking out of a pretty glass always made her feel more elegant.

After she finished the table she returned to the kitchen. Nick was standing at the stove stirring various pots and skillets. She walked up behind him wrapping her arms around him. She laid her head against his back.
"Hey baby," he said.
"Hi."
"So I was thinking, I have to head back to Tennessee to pack for the cruise. Do you want to come with me?"
Kate was taken totally off guard. Go to Tennessee? That meant meeting his family. Was she ready for that? Of course, he did talk about them so she felt like she already knew them. Well, if he was going to be part of her life then eventually she'd have to meet them.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow?!" she exclaimed. "But I'm not even packed!"
He turned around to face her.
"Don't worry I'll help you. Our flight doesn't leave till 6."
Kate groaned. Nick chuckled and turned back to his meal.
"Ok. I'm going upstairs to start packing. Holler if you need anything."

Julie was still breathing deeply, sated from the love making. She rested her head on his chest as his right hand made circles on her back. He used his manicured fingernails to tease her skin. His left hand was resting on her lower back. Julie had her arms wrapped around his waist, listening to his heart beating as hard as her own.
“How are we going to survive on the cruise, being so close to each other but not able to do anything about it?” Julie asked, almost in a whisper.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I plan on making love to you many times over while on that boat.”
Julie looked up at him.
“You promised not to let the fans know about us. Not until the cruise is over. They need to have their special moments. I don’t want to take that away.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I know I promised. So,” he sighed. “I guess we will just have to have a secret affair.”
Julie felt her heart jump. She was now intrigued.
“Secret affair?”
“Yeah. Think about it. We will have to sneak about, in broom closets and bathroom stalls. Any place, anytime, anywhere I can get you alone.”
“I am NOT having sex in a bathroom stall.” Julie laughed. She knew he was teasing but still. “This could be fun…”


Nick had a beautiful meal laid out when Julie and AJ arrived. Kate had lit the candles, creating a romantic atmosphere.
They enjoyed their meal together.
"I can't believe you are going home tomorrow." Julie said sadly.
Alex covered her hand with his.
"Babe, I'll see you in like 3 days. Besides you and Kate will be so busy packing you won't even notice."
"Actually ..." Kate blushed, "I'm going home with Nick tomorrow."
"Oh, no fair! I'm going to be stuck here alone!" Julie whined playfully.
AJ laughed.
"Well I suppose you could come to Cali with me," he said, pretending like it was an inconvenience.
Julie squealed and Kate smiled. She knew Julie would have things much easier than she did, if she encountered AJ’s family. She was just picturing meeting Nick’s.
'Hi I'm Kate and your son knocked me up.'
Oh yeah this was going to go over like a lead balloon.

After dinner, the guys cleaned up the dishes so Julie could help Kate pack. They each had a suitcase on the bed. Julie was packing Kate new clothes while Kate pulled out her regular clothes and toiletries that she could pack.

"I can't believe we are going home with the guys." Julie said, excitedly.
"What's wrong?" she asked, when Kate didn't show any excitement.
"I'm going to meet his family." Kate replied.
"Yeah and..."
"And what am I supposed to say? 'Hi I'm Kate. By the way, I'm carrying Nick's child.’?"
Julie sympathized with her friend. She remembered what Kate went thru when she told her own mom and the lectures she got on being promiscuous.


Kate lay in bed, snuggled against Nick’s warm chest. She felt confident that she had packed everything she needed. She even sat down earlier to write a list of things she might need, just to make sure she didn’t forget a thing. Julie and AJ had stayed until after midnight discussing the cruise.

AJ had shared his idea with Nick about the secret romance. He was all for it and thought it would be sexy.

“It must be a guy thing,” Kate had thought to herself, not understanding what was so thrilling about it. But she had decided to sneak her little yellow nighty in her suitcase. It was snug on her, with her little baby bump, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. She wouldn’t have on for too long.

She could feel Nick breathing slowly, as he had finally fallen asleep. She wished she could do the same. But all she could think about was what would happen when his family met her. Would they welcome her or scorn her? Without lifting her head from his chest, Kate glanced at the clock. It was already 3 am.

Normally, after making love, she would fall right asleep, but not this time. Trying to help ease her mind, Kate began to recall their very first love making session. Rather than helping her sleep, it just got her hot and bothered.

“Damn hormones,” she thought to herself. She didn’t want to wake him, but she couldn’t continue to just lie in his arms. She very carefully slid out of his embrace and went to the bathroom.
She normally would read when she couldn’t sleep, but oddly enough, her body decided she needed a shower. Neither hot nor cold, Kate stepped into the luke warm shower. Her hands gently rubbed over her baby bump as the water ran over his skin.

“Would they like me if I wasn’t pregnant?” she thought to herself. As if her precious cargo knew her thoughts, she felt a little flutter within her. It was then that she realized it didn’t matter. Nick loved her. No, he loved them. Nothing else in the world mattered.

Felling resolved, Kate climbed out of the shower and quickly dried and dressed. She crawled back into bed, curling back up against Nick, and quickly fell asleep.