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It was a couple of weeks after Howie’s party and Bianca was down in her studio trying her best to focus on her music. She looked up from what she was doing when she heard someone coming down the stairs into her studio. She couldn’t help but laugh when Matt peered around the corner and offered a grin. “Why do you look like you’ve done something wrong?” she asked and motioned him over.

“I haven’t done anything wrong. I just wanted to make sure you were in a good mood… I never can tell when you’ll be riding your broom.”

“Ha ha…” she said dryly. “So, are you just here to annoy the fucking hell out of me or does your visit serve a greater purpose?”

“A little of both actually. I have a list of events that we need to go through and make decisions on. You, my dear, are a coveted young woman.”

Bianca only smiled. “So, what kind of events are we talkin’ here?”

“Several,” Matt mumbled as he ruffled through the papers he’d brought with him. “I see something about the National Anthem at a sporting event… some kind of auction… Those look like the most interesting.”

Bianca thought about it for a second. “I could definitely do the sporting event, but what kind of auction are we talking? Cause those have always seemed a little stuffy to me. And I’ve never known them to need entertainment for that type of thing.”

“Well, it’s not the traditional auction really,” he answered. “It’s more the kind where you’re the item being bid on. It’s just to raise money for charity.”

“No way,” Bianca shook her head. “Not gonna happen, Matty.”

“Why not? It’s all for fun and a good cause. You should at least think about it, Bean,” he tried to reason with her.

“Sorry, but I just wouldn’t really be comfortable with it. You understand that, right? But hey, put me down for the sporting event definitely. And remember, football is my preference,” she finished with a wink. Ignoring his pout, Bianca just shook her head, “Anything else I might be interested in?”

Realizing that she wasn’t going to change her mind, he admitted defeat and began sorting through his papers again. “There might be something here…”



Kevin checked his watch as he paced anxiously around his living room. Tara and Chris would be arriving any minute and he was more than a little nervous. Tara called him that morning to let him know she was back in town after a trip home to Alabama and asked if he wanted to spend the afternoon with Chris. She had a few errands to run and knew Chris wouldn’t be up to being carted all over town.

Expelling a long breath, Kevin stole a glance at the clock above his mantle. Two minutes had passed. He took a seat on his sofa and instantly began to nervously bounce his legs up and down. He couldn’t deny exactly how nervous he was with this being his first day alone with his son, but as nervous as he was, excitement seemed to fill his entire being. He felt a smile creep onto his face at the thought of the afternoon ahead. Chris, he realized suddenly, was at that fun age where he was becoming his own little person. We’ll be able to do tons of things together, Kevin thought happily.

Another glance at the clock above the mantle surprised Kevin; he’d been lost in thought for nearly twenty minutes. Standing up, he walked over to the window and glanced out. He couldn’t ignore the nervous ball that had formed in his stomach when he spotted Tara’s SUV nearing the gate. Before Tara could get her window down to press the button, Kevin had opened the gate and stepped outside to greet her. He raked a shaking hand through his jet black hair and stepped around her vehicle to open the driver’s side door.

“Hi,” Tara smiled wearily as she stepped out of SUV. She placed a soft kiss on Kevin’s cheek and opened the door to get Chris.

“Hey little man,” Kevin stooped down so he and Chris were level. He couldn’t hide his grin as Chris threw his tiny arms around his neck and squeezed with all his might. He tried to swallow the knot of emotion that had suddenly formed in his throat as he stood up. He was very aware of the grip Chris had on his finger.

“He’s really excited about today,” Tara said smiling.

“He’s not the only one,” he replied gazing down at the toddler. Glancing back to Tara, Kevin’s face filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

“I know I look like crap,” she said with a laugh and shrugged her shoulders. “I just haven’t been sleeping well and I’m feeling a little run down I guess, but I’ll be okay. Anyway, I’ve got a bag with all the stuff you’ll need. Chris already had lunch and then he took a quick nap, so he’s good for a while. He’s got another change of clothes in case you two wanna get dirty in the yard,” she grinned. Tapping her chin she tried to think of anything she might have forgotten. “I just have a few things to do, but I have my cell phone and I left the number in the inside pocket of the bag so if something happens and you need to get me, you can.”

“Tara, we’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve spent the day with a child.”

Tara’s face began to turn pink and she offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry… you know how a parent will worry.”

“That I do. But we’ll be fine. We’re gonna have a blast, right Chris?”

They both laughed as Chris just grinned up at the both of them.



Brian huffed to himself as he shuffled into his kitchen. Walking into his pantry he grabbed a box of cereal and frowned when he realized it was nearly empty; there was enough for a small serving, but he’d been looking forward to a huge bowl. Oh well… Opening the refrigerator he lifted the milk carton from its place on the shelf and his frown returned. Empty. He had wanted a bowl of cereal because he didn’t feel like cooking or ordering something from somewhere and he certainly hadn’t felt like going anywhere. Yet, here he was with a nearly empty box of Cookie Crisp and no milk to eat it with. This is just my luck, he thought miserably as he dropped the empty milk carton into the trashcan and started for the door. Grabbing his keys, wallet and cell phone, Brian climbed into his car and grudgingly headed for the place he hated more than anything on earth: the grocery store.

He was relieved to see that the parking lot wasn’t packed, but instead of taking a chance, Brian reached into his glove box and pulled out his baseball cap. He pulled it low over his eyes and started inside. Grabbing a shopping cart, Brian expected to tug it out of place and be on his way, but he had no such luck. The cart didn’t move. Pulling a little harder, Brian swore under his breath when the cart still would not budge. Just as he was about to have another round with the damn cart, a woman came up and placed her purse inside before easily pulling it out of place and heading through the automatic doors and disappearing around the corner.

“Well, now don’t I feel like a jackass?” he grumbled and grabbed the next shopping cart. He was relieved that he had no problem with this one and could only hope that no one had seen his fight with the first cart. Still grumbling to himself Brian set off, hoping it would be rather painless.

Half an hour later, Brian was standing in line with his shopping cart rounded over and nearly toppling. He was still in a sour mood and only wanted to get home so he could have one measly bowl of cereal. He really didn’t think that was too much to ask… He was uninterested as the smiling teenager began scanning the items in his shopping cart; he could tell that she was trying to place him and he just wanted her to hurry before she actually recognized him. Finally, Brian found himself pushing his shopping cart full of groceries out to his car. He had made sure he wouldn’t be shopping again for quite some time. Just as he was loading the last bag into his trunk he realized he’d forgotten the one thing this trip had been about.

“Son of a bitch,” he drug a hand through his curls. “I forgot to get milk.”

With a heavy sigh and a scowl on his handsome face, Brian went back into the store. One item… surely he’d be in and out in no time. The dairy aisle just happened to be on the other side of the store, but he already knew what he needed; nothing to distract him… He grabbed a gallon of whole milk and turned to go check out. Just as he turned the corner, he suddenly collided with someone causing groceries to fly in all directions.

“Damn! I’m really sorry,” Brian said quickly, his mood souring even more.

“It’s okay,” the brunette said flustered. “I wasn’t paying attention either.”

“Here, let me help you,” he quickly began gathering her items. They both finally looked up when he began dropping what he’d picked up into her basket.

“Brian?”

Almost instantly, he felt his bad mood begin to melt away and a smile replaced the frown on his face. “Nicole?”

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. “Fancy meeting you here, stranger.”



Nick stumbled downstairs trying to figure out exactly what woke him from his nap. Rubbing a hand over his face he made a mental note to shave the next morning. Finally, he realized someone was knocking on his front door. How the hell did they get inside the gate? he asked himself as he suddenly became more coherent. He looked down at himself and noticed that he’d forgotten to grab a t-shirt before coming downstairs. Opening the door, he found himself face to face with Tasha.

“Hi, Nicky,” she smiled sweetly and tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder as she pushed past him into the foyer.

“Um, Tasha, I don’t want to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here? And how did you get inside the gate?”

“Silly Nicky, I told you this morning I was coming over and you gave me the code to get in.”

“Oh…” Nick silently cursed himself and made another mental note—this time to change the code to the gate. “Tasha, I really don’t feel like doing anything tonight. I’m tired and need to catch up on some sleep.”

Turning to look at Nick, she ran a hand down his bare chest, stopping to trace one of his tattoos. She let her hand rest on his waist and leaned in to kiss his neck. She paid special attention to the spot on the right just above his collar bone and smiled to herself when she felt his body relax. “Do you really want me to leave? We could have so much fun, Nicky.”

Nick composed himself and pushed her away from him. As easy as it would be to give in to her and just go upstairs (where he’s sure they would stay all night), he couldn’t do this anymore. “Look, Tasha, this just isn’t a good idea, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay,” she said as her eyes turned cold. “What am I to you? Am I just someone you call when you need a good fuck? That’s it, isn’t it? I’m nothing more than someone who will warm your bed at night.”

“Tasha…”

“No, Nick, you tell me the fucking truth! What am I to you?”

Finally, having had enough, Nick snapped. “Nothing Natasha! You’re nothing to me! Okay? Everything you just said is true! I don’t care about you, and I’m sorry. My heart belongs to someone else and that’s not gonna change anytime soon!” Before he knew what happened, her hand met his cheek with enough force to bring tears to his eyes.

“You can go to hell, Nickolas!”

“I’m already there,” he mumbled as he watched her leave, his blood boiling and his face burning with shame.