Chapter 36
"Happy Birthday to me," Nick said after he had gotten off the phone with his manager. Nothing was going right for him at all today. Nick looked around his empty house and sighed again, this time in frustration. Nobody was around to celebrate his 25th birthday....the whole house was empty and his "wife" was not anywhere to be found. Wife. The thought of Katie being his wife angered him and upset him. Nick had found out that Katie had fooled him.....tricked him into marriage. On top of this, she had been gone for almost three days now. Nick rubbed his forehead, trying to brush away the oncoming headache he was about to get. Nick took out his phone and called Amanda, the one person he knew could make him feel better.
"Nick, you all right?" she asked when she heard his voice.
"Mind if I stop by for a while?" he asked. Amanda was a bit confused because Nick usually did not call before he showed up at her house. Amanda opened the door and Nick stood there, looking defeated. His eyes were a little red and he looked depressed.
"Happy birthday, Nick. You want to come in?" Amanda said, and he smiled a little, running a hand through his hair.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she closed the door and offered him to sit down. Nick was always a happy person....when he was down like this it was almost always something serious.
"This whole day is fucked up. I just got yelled at by my manager over the phone for an hour. Conference call.....they are nagging me about touring." Nick said, raising his voice a little.
"Touring?" Amanda said, raising an eyebrow.
"I told them I can't.....I have too many responsibilities here and I can't leave them. I just won custody of Aaron, how would it look if I suddenly take off for six months?" Nick said.
"What did they say?"
"Well, basically they said it is not their problem and I could take him on tour with me. I don't want to pull him out of school. I want him to go to school and get a proper education like I did."
"That's true....so what are you going to do?" Amanda asked as she sat down next to him.
"I'm not going to tour....I told them I can't do it. They said that if I don't tour, they will drop me from the label."
"Oh, Nick....I'm sorry. You really need to get rid of that manager of yours, he sounds like he doesn't care about the artists he is representing." Amanda replied.
"I can't be away from you and Celine. I would rather give up music than not be able to see my daughter." Nick told her tearfully. Amanda smiled at him saying this about his daughter. He was really proving to her he was ready to have his rights back....the fact he was willing to give up his career for her was astounding.
"Nick, you are amazing....have I told you that? Can't you talk to JC about maybe helping you find another manager? Anyone would be lucky to have you!" Amanda said.
"On top of all this, Katie has not been home in three days....hasn't called and her phone is off." Nick said angrily, looking at his feet. As much as he hated Katie for what she did to him, he would never forgive himself if something had happened to her. Not again....not like his first marriage. He had received a call from the police in Aruba that they were closing the case on Tracy's murder and the killers were not found. So many things were running through his mind at once, and the tears finally fell.
"Are you worried about her?" Amanda asked, as he wiped his eyes. Nick was always open with his emotions and did not hide when he was upset. He looked for comfort instead of retreating, a quality that she liked about him.
"Yeah....she is my....well we are married." Nick said, unable to speak the word "wife." Amanda chuckled at the face he made when talking about Katie.
"Nick, can I be honest with you?" she said suddenly. Nick nodded, still feeling bad but not crying anymore.
"Katie was never right for you. You deserve so much better...."
"Someone like you." Nick said, unable to stop himself. He blushed and looked away from her...he did not see her smile.
"Wait here." Amanda told him before getting up and leaving the room. Nick's eyes followed her for a while and she came back holding papers in her hand...she also held his daughter. Nick looked down at his feet at the sight of her. He felt his eyes water at the thought his daughter was not his legally and he had no rights to her at all.
"Remember this?" she asked, holding the first paper up so he could look at it. Of course he remembered it...it was the paper he had refused to sign when his daughter was born...the paper giving up his rights as her true father. Nick bit his lip as his eyes fell upon Lance's signature where his should have been.
"Say goodbye to it..." Amanda replied as she tore the paper.
"What are you doing?" Nick asked, looking at her in shock. She finished tearing up the paper and threw it in the air like confetti.
"You have proved to me you are a good father for Celine.....you are willing to give up your music career just to be with your daughter." Amanda said, a smile on her face and her eyes watering with happiness.
"Oh my God..." Nick whispered with a smile as he saw the other paper she held, which was a paper naming him as the father of Celine. Nick started to cry again but this time he was so happy he had no words. He took his daughter and held her, kissing her face and hugging her as he cried.
"Happy Birthday, Nick." Amanda said as she watched him, feeling the best she had felt in a long time.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hey guys! Back with a new chapter!! Hope you all enjoy it!!
Chapter End Notes:
Part two of this chapter will be up tomorrow!!!
