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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…

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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!”