“Things are absolutely different without Kevin. Our big brother, the one who always watched out for us is missing, and we definitely feel his absence. The thing is, no matter how much we miss him and wish he were here, we still have work to do, music to make, and fans to please. So that’s what we’ll focus on.”
In addition to the Backstreet Boys being different, Nick’s life was completely different, so the questions he was personally asked by translators were different.
“How did you know Autumn was the woman you wanted to spend your life with?”
“Were you ready to become a husband and father at the same time?”
And his personal favorite…
“Your relationship was fairly young when you decided to marry. Was it the relationship in the bedroom that convinced you to marry?”
Good thing Autumn had been there to answer that one, since he’d been busy trying not to choke on the water he’d been sipping on during the interview. While he’d turned red and sputtered, Autumn had smoothly answered the question. She easily deflected it, saying that, meeting Nick, she’d fallen in love. Love at first sight on both their parts seemed to sate the Japanese reporter’s appetite as it was far more romantic than lust.
Autumn had been immensely amused at Nick’s horrified embarrassment, to say the least.
The sights and sounds of Tokyo, though, made the incident slip right out of her mind. Nick enjoyed watching the wonder and awe light up her face as she took in the architecture, the people, and the very smells of the city. Lily clapped her hands with glee at the colorful lights and enormous LCD screens that topped some buildings. Downtown Tokyo was like a carnival for his two girls, and Nick wanted to feed them as much of it as he possibly could with their busy schedule.
After lunch with the other guys at a fabulous restaurant that they’d discovered on their last trip to the city, they headed back to the hotel for an hour’s break. Lily was to stay on at the hotel with the au pair that Autumn had carefully selected for the tour. Though she fretted about leaving her daughter alone while Summer was stalking her, Autumn had nearly convinced herself that her twin was on the other side of the Pacific where she couldn’t touch Lily or Autumn.
The note sitting neatly on the coffee table in their suite shattered every illusion Autumn had of distance meaning safety.
You can run, but you can’t hide.
The blood in her veins ran cold, and her fingers clutched the slip of paper convulsively. It was Summer’s handwriting, and, considering the envelope had no stamp, it was probable that she had found a way into their suite. Which meant that she was close, too close.
Nowhere was safe.
Even as she turned, half thinking of grabbing her daughter and running, Nick carried a napping Lily into the suite. One look at her pale face had him speeding up to reach her.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Nick kept his voice low in an attempt to not wake Lily, but his free hand reached out and cupped her face, tilting her chin to look into her eyes.
Autumn crumpled the note behind her back, determined not to make her problem his. “N-nothing,” she managed to say. “I guess I’m just more tired than I thought. All that traveling and then interviews as soon as we landed. It just got to me.” She lifted a hand to the one he’d placed against her cheek. “I’m fine, Nick. In fact, for the next half hour, I’m going to follow Lily’s lead and take a nap. Energize myself for the next round.”
He frowned at her. “You’re lying to me, and I’m not sure why. You’ve traveled like this before when you did the shoot in Peru. It can’t be just that.”
“Why not?” she snapped, annoyed that he could see right through her. “We didn’t just travel south a couple hours this time, Nick. This is across an entire ocean. My first time doing it, too. Why can’t I just be exhausted?”
Though he knew, knew, there was something else bugging her, he didn’t want to upset her. It hurt that she wouldn’t trust him with whatever was going on, but she would probably remind him of their privacy pact if he pushed any further. So, stepping back, he nodded.
“Of course, you can. I’m sorry I made you angry. I was just trying to help you, take care of you. It’s what friends do.”
His quiet apology shamed her, and she wished she could tell him about Summer. But she couldn’t. It was for his own good. “No, I’m sorry, Nick. I really am tired, which makes me cranky. We would all probably be better off with a nap.” She held out her arms. “I can take Lily with me. If you want.”
Nick glanced down at the sleeping child in his arms. Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, he shook his head. “We’ll have a nap together. Family time.”
“Right,” Autumn agreed after a moment’s hesitation. “Family nap time.”
As she followed Nick out of the parlor and into the bedroom, she tossed Summer’s latest threat into the wastebasket, hoping with all her heart that her twin would find her way to Autumn blocked.
Two days later, they were in Italy. In between the whirlwind of cheering fans, endless questions, interviews, photoshoots, and mini performances, the group found time to enjoy the beautiful country. Nick caught every reaction Autumn and Lily had of the various cities on camera. Lily loved the gondola ride in Venice and would’ve stayed on all day if she could. Nick was pretty sure Autumn would’ve moved into the jewelry district of Milan if he hadn’t pulled her out—but not without buying both his girls bracelets; ruby-encrusted gold for Lily and emerald in white-gold for Autumn. In his own wanderings, Brian stumbled upon a small winery outside of Venice, and off they all headed to taste test.
The picture Autumn made when she tried out a sip of very young wine was an image Nick put in his mental scrapbook. The sour face was a memory he’d pull out one day not so long from now when they’d both go their separate ways. It was a memory he’d treasure for reasons that scared him and thrilled him at once.
The promotional tour went from Milan to Venice and ended in Rome. While Autumn drank in the sights and sounds of trendy Milan, romantic Venice, and reverent Rome, it was the countryside of Tuscany that pulled at her. The two hour stop on the way to Venice was all it took for Autumn to decide that, when she retired from acting, she would head straight to this perfect spot.
Nick saw the beauty of the scenery and the picturesque city, but the ocean was for him. Just another reason, he told himself, that they were two very different individuals and definitely did not belong together. He was surprised no one else had been able to see that. Obviously, he was the only sane one not caught up in the romance of Nick and Autumn.
Fortunately, he reminded himself, there was no time to really worry about what was really happening between he and Autumn. The Italian press and fans were keeping the group too busy to breathe.
On their third day in Italy, they were in Rome. When the Boys went off to do an interview for various magazines, Leighanne, Autumn, Baylee, and Lily sneaked off to explore the city. Their first stop was a costume shop to buy Autumn an elaborate hat for a disguise. While she didn’t quite think the wide-brimmed straw hat topped with pink lilies was inconspicuous, Autumn was having too much fun to stop.
Leighanne had been to Rome before, so she led their explorations. Though Autumn warned herself that she’d have to carry everything she bought back to the hotel, it didn’t stop her from buying the painting the street artist had done of the lovely old buildings against the backdrop of river. Nor did it stop her from buying the tiny, ornate gold chain for Nick, the anklets for Liz, or the gilded clock for their mantle at home.
“It’s all just too pretty to pass up,” she defended her choices to Leighanne when they settled at a table in a trattoria. Lily and Baylee busily crunched away on biscotti, while their mothers sipped espressos.
Leighanne chuckled. “I know exactly how you feel. The first time I came, Brian had to remind me that we still had to get it all back to the States. Don’t worry,” she added quickly at Autumn’s horrified expression, “you haven’t bought anywhere near as much as I got that first trip. You can relax.”
Autumn thumped a hand on her heart. “Damn it, Leighanne. Way to give me a heart attack. I mean, damn it, my mind was already racing through all the ways I could get all of this home. Well.” She sighed. “I don’t have to give up my painting.”
“No, you don’t.” Leighanne patted her knee. “So, I take it you’ve been enjoying the tour?”
Autumn tapped her fingers on the rim of her espresso mug. “Oh, absolutely. I knew it would be full of interviews and such, but it’s still so amazing to see all these places that I’ve never been before.”
“Ahh, the life of a superstar wife,” Leighanne mused good-naturedly.
“Well, it’s true.” Autumn grinned. “It definitely has its perks.”
“I bet being Nick’s wife has more than just a few perks.”
Autumn bit her lip, knowing what Leighanne was asking. “More than just a few,” she agreed. It was hard to know exactly which of those perks, though, was real and which was only because they were playing a role. They’d been friends before they’d been married and before they’d been angry with each other. It appeared that they’d worked their way back to that stage again. She couldn’t argue with the fact that Nick was one hell of a good friend.
But those kisses…
No. Autumn shoved her mind into a different gear. If she so much as thought of those unforgettable moments, ones she’d begun to dream of, she’d work herself into an unneeded state. Leighanne didn’t need to know that the kisses, the precious moments that the three of them really did feel like a family, that those moments were all contrived. They were just another result of the plan.
And just thinking of the plan that surely had an end was going to put her completely out of the good mood she was in, Autumn knew.
She was working her way back to the easy mood when Leighanne’s words made her blink in surprise. “Come again?”
Leighanne pursed her lips and looked a bit nervous. “I know you probably don’t want to, but I was hoping that, tonight, you could leave Lily with Brian and I. Baylee’s been on the warpath about a new sister, and Brian’s warmed up to the idea completely. We want to see what it would be like with two.”
“I thought you didn’t want more children,” Autumn reminded her.
Leighanne shrugged. “I thought I didn’t either. Now, my boys are making me wonder what it might be like to have another child. I thought it was enough to just have Baylee, but when Lily was over that night a couple weeks ago, it made me start thinking about what it would be like to have a little girl. How different it would be with a baby girl. So now Brian and I are leaning towards trying for another.”
“Wow,” Autumn stated after a long moment. “All because of Lily?”
Leighanne managed a small smile as she glanced over at the two children. “All because of Lily—with help from Baylee, of course.”
“Of course.”
“So, what do you say?” Leighanne turned back to Autumn. “I know it’s the second time we’ve asked you, but Brian and I would really love to have Lily spend the night with us. We’re right down the hall from your room, and I’m sure you and Nick would appreciate a night out on the city. The two of you could have some fun and not worry about Lily.”
Though anytime she thought of being somewhere without Lily it made Summer’s face loom menacingly in her head, Autumn knew Leighanne was right. Lily was as safe as she could possibly be. Besides, she could use a night to herself. Alone. Because the thought of being alone with Nick in a city as full of romance as Rome scared her witless, she tried not to think of it.
“Okay,” she said finally.
The blonde was gorgeous, and her voice purred in his ear. The Italian accent only enhanced the seductive quality of her voice. Her chocolate brown eyes fluttered coyly when he managed to smile at her. Her voluptuous body, clad sparingly in a snug red dress, curved into his.
In an attempt to save himself, he lifted his glass and sipped champagne to wet his suddenly dry throat. The dryness, he realized, wasn’t from the way the blonde was hanging all over him. The parched quality of his throat was from the sudden realization that, despite the curvy blonde in his arms, his mind was unerringly focused on a pair of emerald eyes.
The idea that one woman could hold his attention even when she wasn’t around him was terrifying. What kind of hold had Autumn gotten on his head in the short amount of time they’d known each other?
Not even a year, Nick thought, as the blonde finally got the clue that he wasn’t paying her attention and slunk away. He’d met her in October of the previous year, and it was now June. Nine months, and she had changed his life in irrevocable ways. He was married, for Pete’s sake. He’d never seen that coming. Add being a father to the list, and it made his head spin at the twists his life had undergone so quickly.
“Where’d you go?”
Nick blinked and brought himself back to reality. Glancing around at the room full of press, agents, and important guests, he turned to AJ. “Right here.”
AJ studied him then shook his head. “Nope. I don’t think so. Where did you really go?”
“Jeez, AJ. Where would I possibly go when we’ve got to schmooze with the Italians?” Nick asked, trying to keep his voice from sounding to irritable.
AJ’s brows lifted. “Well, well, well. Somebody sounds like he’s missing the little woman.”
“Shut up.”
“Oh, you so are.”
“I don’t think I ever asked for your opinion.”
“Not an opinion,” AJ pointed out, gleefully. “It’s an observation.”
“Yeah, well, your observational skills suck.” Now, he was definitely irritable.
AJ lifted a shoulder in response. “Dude, you totally made that hot blonde sulk. Plus, you’ve been spacing out on the reporters that keep wanting to talk to you. You’re standing in a corner, by yourself, and you expect any of us to think you’re not missing Autumn? Do you remember how Kevin and Brian were after they were married?”
He did. He did remember, and he had to admit—grudgingly—that he was acting the same way. “Well, I guess I know how they felt,” he muttered.
AJ patted his shoulder. “Buck up, pal. Only another hour of this, and you’ll be able to see her again. Think she’s seen what you got her?”
“I hope not. I kind of wanted to be there when she opened it. You know, to see the look on her face.” He smiled a little at the idea of her expression when she saw the present he’d gotten her.
“You would’ve been dead meat if you’d forgotten her birthday was today,” AJ told him cheerfully. “Lucky you that we’re in Italy, right now. Makes finding a gift a piece of cake."
“Hey.” Brian wandered over. “Are we having a meeting that I’m missing out on?”
AJ slid a cigarette out and ran it between his fingers. “Maybe. Maybe it’s a secret meeting that you weren’t invited to.”
“What are we, five?” Brian arched his brows when AJ pulled out his lighter. “Try waiting until we’re outside, buddy.”
AJ’s brows lowered. “Man, you ruin all the fun. We’re in Europe, and no one cares where you do it. Unless you’re in the UK,” he added as an afterthought.
Brian rolled his eyes. “So, what are the two of you gossiping about over here?”
“Nothing.” Nick continued to study the room. “Stuff.”
“Autumn,” AJ supplied, helpfully.
Nick frowned, but Brian grinned. “Aww, that’s so cute! Our pwecious, wittle Nicky is so in love he can’t live without his wife by his side.”
“Reminds me of someone else we know,” Nick muttered.
Brian’s grin never faltered. “It’s true, and I’m not at all ashamed. If you love her, you love her. Right, Nick?”
“Right.” He tried to put more enthusiasm into it, but the L word freaked him out. A lot of things about that word were beginning to scare him more and more every day. It was getting tougher to ignore it.
Brian slung an arm across his shoulders. “Let me be the first to give you the good news, pal.”
“Good news?” Nick frowned and looked over into Brian’s twinkling eyes. “What good news?”
“You get Autumn all to yourself tonight.” Brian’s brows wagged. “Lily’s spending the night with my family. I know it’s her birthday, and you’ll want to do something special for her. But try to be good tonight and get plenty of sleep, eh?”
Nick worked hard to keep his jaw from dropping. He would be alone with Autumn? He remembered the last time they’d gone without Lily as a barrier. And that had only been for the evening.
“I’m so excited. Thanks, man!” It was the most enthusiasm he could muster as the possibilities for the night raced through his head…
