"Oh, my." Leah sighed as she grabbed Lexie's hand and they walked into the house.

It was everything Lexie could have ever wanted, and she could barely speak. Maybe this was a sign; maybe everything was going the way it was supposed to.

The guesthouse was actually a guest wing to the north of the main house, but the pool house was a three-bedroom bungalow directly across from the main house on the other side of the natural stone pool. Three separate stairs went down to the beach and one of those branched off onto a boardwalk that took them to the boat launch.

Lexie and Leah walked through the six bedrooms upstairs as the men stayed downstairs and checked out the grounds. The master bedroom was furthest from the front stairs, and there was a back staircase that branched into the main house and then off to the hall to the guest wing. The front entrance opened to the bright and airy front room, which held the main staircase to the bedrooms. Two full baths were at opposite ends of the first floor and then two more upstairs, plus the one off the master bedroom. There was an office and a library on the way to the north end guest wing, while the kitchen, laundry, and garages were at the sound end of the house.

The "basement" was as open and airy as the rest of the house. It had several spare rooms that could easily be converted to a recording studio, but Nick mentioned he would like it in the loft over the garage.

All CJ wanted to know was which room was hers.

"God, this feels so right." Nick held Lexie as they looked out over the water from an upper deck. They could see family scrambling down the boardwalk to the beach.

"It's perfect, Nick." She said softly. Lexie wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against his chest. "This is our home."

It was so completely theirs and so removed from L.A. that he couldn't deny it. It was perfect for them.

"I think we'll have to sell the L.A. house." He finally confessed.

"You do?"

"I still haven't recovered from the trials. I need to call Tina, but they haven't paid it all back yet." He said quietly.

"Okay, we'll sell it, then." She agreed.

"I know you don't want to. . ." He began. "I'll try to arrange it so we don’t have to."

"I know, but we have to have this house, Nick."

A sexy little smile crossed his lips as looked down at her upturned face.

"You know, I think this is a sign. A sign that everything we've done is right." He whispered, dipping his head to kiss her temple.

"Yes, Nick. It is." She whispered back, closing her eyes and feeling his love and warmth spread through her.

"To the new Carter home!" Howie said, raising his glass of wine at dinner. Between the Doroughs, McLeans, Carters, and the spare Littrell, they easily took up the private room of the Mexican restaurant Howie had chosen.

"Here, here!" AJ echoed him.

"Congrats, you guys." Brian cheered as he lifted his glass as well.

"It's so good to have you home." Leah whispered, leaning in toward Lexie.

"Thanks, Mom." She smiled back.

Everyone settled into eating, and conversation flew around the room as forks scraped against plates and food was consumed.

"This is great!" Lexie declared around a hearty mouthful.

"Slow down, you're going to explode." Nick laughed, watching her shoveling the food in her mouth.

"Got to feed the child what she grew up on." Howie laughed at him.

"Not that damn rabbit food in California." AJ added.

"So, when are you guys moving in?" Brian asked.

"Well, we put in an offer. If they accept this weekend, it'll take about a month to work out all the details." Nick said, filling his own fork.

"You keeping the house in L.A.?"

"We're not even sure if we'll need it." Nick shrugged, sliding his fork between his lips and letting the spicy enchilada lightly burn the inside of his mouth.

"A month, huh?" Leah mused. "Just in time. . ."

"Yes, we'll take the kids while you're in Paris." Lexie chuckled, reaching for her own glass of wine.

"We get to stay in the new house! Alright!" John, Lexie's younger brother, cheered as he high-fived Tyler.

"Hang on, hang on! Before you pack to move out, your mother and I have to work out the details with Nick and Lexie." Howie announced.

"Well, I won't be working. It shouldn't be a problem. . ." Lexie shrugged.

"We'll see. We'll see." Howie said sternly, but with a smile.

"Okay, okay!" Lexie said, throwing up her hands.

Nick watched as Howie sat at the head of the table, as the patriarch of this entire family, Leah to his left and Lexie to her left. He was in his element and so was Lexie. Nick smiled at the picture before him.

It was the right decision to move back to Florida and so close to her family, because so many of them were his family, too. . .his Backstreet family.

Nick and Lexie fell into bed at Howie's house, even though Nick still had that suite with Brian. Hell, even Brian was sleeping on the couch in the den. The boys, John and Tyler, had wanted Brian and Nick to play basketball with them the next day after morning Mass.

Nick's entire day felt so surreal, he could barely grasp it. He woke up in Howie's house with Lexie's hair spread across his chest and her light breath tickling him. The entire family got up and dressed for Mass, where Howie hustled everyone to the same church Nick and Lexie had been married in.

As the doors closed behind them, the noise of the city was blocked out. And in the corners of his mind he could hear the wings of angels urging him forward. His hand in hers, she shared the rituals with him as her husband and all of them shared them as a family.

The afternoon was filled with food and play, the boys taking on Brian and Nick, with the adults having the bruises to show for it. Lexie and Leah cooked and talked as they had years ago. The meal was filling and slowed the adults to a slug's pace, and at the day's end, Nick, Lexie and Brian retired to the hotel suite, leaving CJ to play with the boys until her and Lexie's late night flight out.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm pooped." Brian yawned and stretched as he headed for his room in the suite. "I'll see you in the morning, Nick. Have a good flight out tonight, Lexie, okay?"

"I will, thanks Brian." Lexie smiled as he waved and closed the door behind him.

"Time alone." Nick smiled, suddenly pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

"Not too much, I've got a late flight out tonight."

"Make love to me, baby." He murmured against her mouth, finally slipping his tongue past her lips into the promise of sweetness she offered him. "I can't bear the thought of us being apart again."

"I know, I know." She agreed as she held on to him.

They stumbled their way to his bedroom, closing the door on the rest of the world. Hot tears made their way into Nick's eyes, but he tried to will them away. Lexie kissed them dry as she touched his body and soul tenderly, preparing him for their separation. She found strength as his began to fail. Lexie only had this strength because she had finally felt as though she found her home with him. She could feel her roots taking hold on that Tampa beach already. She loved him and cared for him as he bared his heart to her through each touch of his hands on her body.

"I love you so much." He gasped, spilling himself within her confines and being held in her arms. He could no longer contain his emotions as he cried, clinging to her.

Lexie wiped his tears as they fell, hers sometimes mingling with his as they held on to their last hours together. The time came when they could no longer deny what was going to happen, and they showered and dressed together. They rode over to Howie's by 11 p.m. and picked up CJ. Nick carried a sleeping CJ to the car; Howie took Lexie in his arms as Leah followed Nick to help with the car door.

"Is he okay?" he asked her. She looked back at Nick, then at her father.

"He's a little upset, but he'll be okay." She said quietly, feeling her own body begin to tremble.

How she loves him! Howie thought.

"Bye, Dad. I'll see you in a couple weeks." Lexie said, swallowing hard. He kissed her cheek and briefly tasted the old salt there.

"You bet, little girl." He winked just for her. She tapped his nose and turned to head to the hired car. She hugged her mother, shared a few more words, and then joined Nick in the car. With a wave, they were gone.

Lexie's heart was racing as the time drew closer. Nick cuddled with a drowsy CJ as they waited for her flight to board. His face buried into her light blonde hair and Lexie’s hand was clenched in his.

The look on Nick's face was almost more than she could bear when her flight was called. He woke CJ up so she could walk onto the plane and he shared kisses as his girls turned to leave him. Lexie got CJ buckled in and she was waving to her father from the plane, although Lexie doubted Nick could see them anymore. The plane lifted off, and CJ had begun to drift off back to sleep. The flight attendant came by and offered Lexie a blanket and pillow.

"Mrs. Carter. Your husband flies with us all the time. Is there anything else I can get you?" The young woman asked her.

Lexie sighed and looked over at CJ and as the plane tore her further away from Nick, she looked up at the attendant.

"Yeah, bring me something stiff, okay?" She said sadly. Something to help her sleep and forget how much she would miss him as she moved farther away.

"Are you sure you don't want to just go home?" Norma asked, as Lexie stood slumped across the table trying to catalog some documents.

"No." Lexie sighed. She looked at her watch and it wasn't even lunch yet. She could barely operate. She let CJ stay home with Cook, after dealing with the guilt that Nick had told the staff on Friday that they would be moving from L.A. soon. She should have been there when he told them, but she had been so distracted Friday when she got home that she had barely acknowledged Cook.

Sometimes I don't know if I should be happy or not.

She had tried to apologize, but her mixed emotions got the best of her, and she had just left the house, heading to work.

I'm the evil 'new young wife' and now they are losing their jobs after 15 years.

"You look like shit." Gina mused, walking in after Norma walked out.

"Thank you, nice to see you, too." Lexie snapped.

"Okay, what happened in Tampa? You and Nick fighting?"

"No." Lexie sighed. Gina went back and closed the door. Lexie sank down into a chair and threw her feet up on the table. "Tampa was fine, I'm just missing him, that's all. That and Nick told the staff on Friday that we'd be moving, and Cook's probably pissed at me. I know they probably think it's all my fault they are out of their jobs after 15 years."

"She say if she was pissed?"

"No, but she would barely look at me."

"You sure you aren't just overreacting?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Why don't you go home? You can barely keep your eyes opened. You've gotten so far ahead on this estate, you'll be done in another week." Gina offered.

"No, I'll stay." Lexie declined her.

Lexie did stay and worked her whole day, but her lunch had been a two-hour nap in the car. She made it home in time to be greeted by Cook and CJ. Lexie sent CJ out to play and she sat Cook down to try to apologize, but it just came out in a jumble of tears.

"Honey, it's not your fault." Cook smiled at her. "All kids got to fly the coop, it just took him a little longer than most."

"But you've worked here for so long. . ." she sniffled.

"No, I've worked for Nick that long and well. . .I might not have to leave." She said, reaching across the table to take her hand.

"What?" Lexie sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Well, I talked to my husband last night. . ."she began. "Nick offered us some assistance if we want to move with the family. . ."

"He didn't tell me that!" Lexie gasped.

"He said I could tell you if we made the decision to come with you. I don't think Marcus and Anthony can come, but my husband is retired now and the kids are grown. My daughter is moving to Toronto with her husband and Hannah, her daughter, in July. . ." Cook shrugged. "Hannah is my only grandchild. You know those boys of mine won't settle down."

"I don't believe it." Lexie groaned. "You'd come with us?"

"I don't know why I shouldn't." The older woman shrugged.

"Oh, God, this is so wonderful!" Lexie squealed, jumping up and hugging her. "I just felt like shit all day because I didn't say a thing on Friday and then this morning. . ."

"You were obviously hung over."

"It was jetlag." Lexie tried to convince her.

"Call it whatever you'd like, young lady. You were in no mood to talk about this and right now you look exhausted. Why don't you go upstairs and rest? I'll stay and look after the angel." She smiled.

"I don't deserve you." Lexie sighed.

"That's funny. Nick used to say that all the time." She smiled, squeezing Lexie's hand.