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"So, how did I do?" Lexie asked Nick eagerly as they entered their bedroom and began to change into something to wear on the beach where Vicki was going to interview them both.


"Honey, you were great." He smiled, not wanting to bring up what she said about AJ.


Lexie's clothes went flying as she picked out a pair of white Capri pants and a red pullover top.


"You think this will do?" She asked him as he stood there in his own boxers.


He stopped and looked her up and down with a knowing smile on his lips. God, back in the day, he thought he could throw on anything to do an interview. He hadn't known any better. Suddenly, he could see her youth and innocence glaring at him.


"Stick to blues and go easy on the whites. Cameras don't like white."


"Shit, that's right." She turned her back to him and pulled down some khaki pants and a blue tank top from hangers. "How's this?"


"That'll work."


"I'll just roll up the cuffs when we hit the sand. You think that will be okay?"


"That'll be fine." He moved past her in the walk-in closet and pulled on some khaki shorts and a green polo shirt.


She continued to chatter on nervously as they changed their clothes and for honestly the first time, Nick was very aware of their age difference. He was suddenly aware of all the things she didn't know about or didn't understand. Not just about the business, but about life.


He wondered if that's what Jake saw when he took advantage of her. He wondered if Jake suffered from a little of that naiveté himself. No, Jake Richardson knew he was seducing another man's wife. He knew he was taking advantage of Lexie, and Nick would never change his mind about that.


Nick sat on the bench at the foot of the bed, pulled on his sandals, and looked up to see Lexie fussing in the mirror with her hair. He stood, walked up behind her, put his arms around her, and pulled her back against his chest.


"I love you," he whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you."


She looked up at him in the mirror, blinking her dark eyes at him, not understanding what he meant.


"I love you, too, Nick," she said quietly. "Are you okay?"


"I'm fine, hon, I'm fine." He smiled at her gently.


"You think we should get going?"


"You bet."



Vicki had planned to shoot some of the interview on the beach, so she was barefoot with her pant legs rolled up waiting for them on the deck. They led her and two cameramen down the stairs to the boardwalk and then out to the beach.


Vicki signaled one of the cameras in front of them and another to their side, closest to Nick. Lexie was between the two of them. She explained the intro that would be voiced over for this segment, relaying information about the new album release, and they would begin there. When the cameras clicked on, there was no mistaking that they were being filmed.


"What have these last years meant to you? What has losing your baby done to you?"


"I couldn't begin to say," Nick sighed. His voice was almost lost in the sound of the surf as they all moved closer to it. The cool water began to lap at their bare feet. "It was horrifying at times. Incredible at others."


Lexie looked up into his face at his confession, but he was looking down at the cool ocean water lapping over their feet.


"After what happened, were you ever afraid that Lexie would leave? That your fame might be too much for her?"


"No, not really." Nick looked over at Lexie. "She tends to run toward things instead of away." He smiled.


"Is that one of the things you love about her?" Vicki smiled across at him.


"One of the things," he agreed. The wind had loosened some strands of his blond hair from its clip and he tucked them behind his ears.


"Is the new album everything you could have hoped for?"


"My life is everything I could have every hoped for."



"Painless, enough?" Vicki watched her crew carry the last cables to the truck.


"I think so," Lexie agreed. "I hope I did it the way you wanted."


"I think so. I think it'll be just fine." She smiled, hugging the young girl. She turned to Nick and hugged him as well. "I think you'll both be happy with it."


"I'm not worried at all." Nick smiled, but years of practice told Vicki that he was giving her a show business snow job. She had interviewed enough celebrities in her day, and he was worried about how the interview would look. Anyone in his position would be, especially with a spouse as inexperienced in front of the camera as Lexie. Lexie's story was very important to Vicki. Nick Carter would learn soon enough; it was never really about him.


"I think Lexie has a remarkable story." Vicki turned to leave, without waiting for his response. "I'll have Mark call you with the final air date. I'm expecting it to be within the next six weeks or so."


"That'll be just fine." Lexie nodded.


With a final wave to the couple, she stepped into the driveway and into her hired car. She left behind the last moving van.


"Well, I didn't expect it to take all day. I'd better go pick up CJ at Molly's. I'll go to the pool house and get Scotty, too and see if he wants to go." Nick kissed her goodbye and then headed back to the pool house. She followed him as far as the glass doors and waited for him to come back.


He came out five minutes later with Scotty bouncing at his feet. They both waved at her, and she turned to head into the kitchen.


"Honey, are you ready for something to eat? You didn't eat a thing when they were here." Cook asked her as she put the last dishes in the dishwasher.


"Just a little something before dinner." Lexie sighed as she sat at the kitchen table.


"You look as tired as when you left for the weekend." Cook put a warm plate in front of her. It had samples of everything she had made for the day.


"I feel tired."


"Are you going to Orlando tomorrow?"


"Yeah, I'm going to crash early tonight. I'll see if Nick will handle the kids." She picked up a fork and began to pick through the food. "I want to get an early start tomorrow so I can spend some quality time with my Dad."



Lexie had indeed crashed early that night. She kissed the kids goodnight and was sound asleep by the time Nick put both children down and checked on her. Nick went back downstairs in time to answer the phone in the kitchen.


"How about a visit?" AJ asked Nick over the phone. "We can fly directly into Tampa on our way home next weekend."


"I don't know. I'll need to talk to Lexie," Nick said as he opened the refrigerator to stare into it. He reached for a beer and cracked it open.


"Well, ask her." AJ said dryly.


"She's in bed asleep right now. Long day. Can I call you back tomorrow?"


AJ sighed on the other end. "So, how are things there? Is this a good time to try to make it up to her?" He asked.


"As good as any, but AJ, I have to tell you something," Nick began. "I've been ordered to stay out of it."


"Stay out of it? Stay out of what?" AJ laughed.


"Out of Lexie's relationship with you."


"That's okay. I'll deal with little Miss Attitude when I get there," AJ huffed. "We can file a change in the flight plan and be there Saturday morning."


"Wait until I call you tomorrow." Nick reminded him as he drank from the cold bottle. "Let me make sure Lexie even wants to see you."



The next day, Lexie seemed to care less if AJ and his family came to visit or not, but CJ was happy. That week, CJ spent more and more time with Christine as they got to know one another while Scotty, in return, spent more time at the main house with Nick and Lexie. CJ was glad when Nick moved back into the master bedroom, and although Lexie and Nick had not even talked about making love since that night in Orlando, they were sleeping in the same bed.


That Friday, Lexie was ready for AJ's visit to be over already, and she was visibly anxious. AJ called at noon to confirm they would be there the next morning.


"Is he bringing all of them?"


"Sounds like it." Nick got to his feet as he set the cordless phone down. "But I'm not getting involved. What's for dinner tonight?"


"I don't care." She shrugged.


"Okay. I'll put something together." He got up and walked back into the house from the deck.


"Oh, man." She groaned quietly.


"Nick!" He heard Lexie call from the sliding glass doors as he stood in the kitchen with a phone book. "I'm going down to the beach!"


"Okay! Be back in an hour," he hollered back.


"Okay!" Lexie replied as she snatched up her cell phone, her beach towel and headed down the stairs to the boardwalk and down to the beach.


She made it to the sand when the phone rang and she answered it. She knew by the caller ID who it was.


"Hello?"


"Lex? It's me. How you doing girl?" Jake laughed in the other end.


"I'm fine." The butterflies stirred to life in her stomach.


"Long time, no hear. What's up?"


"It's been hectic."


"Where are you?"


"I'm down on the beach."


"Oh, that beautiful beach." Jake remembered the time they had made love there, too. "You're alone?"


"Yes. Nick's at the house ordering something for dinner." She began to walk out to the surf and then cut left to head north away from the house.


"He is living there?"


"Yes. He's moved back into the master bedroom."


"That's great, Lexie. Are you happy about that?"


"Of course I am."


"Good. I know how much you love him." Jake said. Just don't forget that I love you, too.


"So, what's up with the phone call? I haven't heard from you in a long time."


"Oh, yeah! Dad wants to throw me a graduation party in Orlando at the end of June. You think you can make it?"


"I guess." She shrugged. "We can be there."


"Good, I'll let him know you guys can make it." Jake tried to sound cheerful. "He also told me he's going to file for the divorce in two weeks. Apparently, he's picked some hotshot law firm in L.A. to handle it."


"Oh, really?"


"He said it was Nick's sister-in-law."


"Jill? Jill Carter is handling your dad's divorce?"


"Yeah, apparently she's a friend of his lady friend."


"Who is he dating?"


"Her name is Sabrina, that's all I know."


"Holy shit! That's OUR attorney!" Lexie gasped.


"Really? What's the big deal?"


Lexie stopped walking and sat down heavily on the beach. What should she tell him? Did she have the right to tell him? Did she have the right to keep it from him? What about the situation now? Could she really let the attorney-girlfriend of the child's father finalize the adoption without telling them he was the father?


"Lex? Lexie, you okay?"


"Oh, yeah. Jake, this just got really complicated." Lexie began.


"You want to start from the beginning?" Jake laughed.


"I don't think I can."


"Try me."


"Oh, man, Jake." She groaned, dropping her head into her hand.


"I'm confused. Is this about my dad being with your attorney or does this have something to do with us?"


"It's not about us, but I'm afraid I don't know what to say." She sighed as she looked out at the gentle rolling surf. "Sabrina is finalizing our adoption of Scotty."


"So. . .oh, shit!" Jake gasped. "He's Scotty's father, isn't he?!" He took her silence as a positive answer. "Oh my God."


Jake slumped down in his chair at the university's radio office he shared with the station's other intern. His father had another son, now there were five of them! And he was living in Lexie's house!


"Jake?" he heard her voice on the other end. "Are you still there?"


"Damn, Lexie. I mean, I know my father was unfaithful to my mother, but I had no idea there were other kids."


"Jake, your father doesn't know." Lexie told him. "Christine refused to tell him because he was married."


"We're going to have to tell him."


"NO! Don't you dare, Jake!" She yelled at him. "Nick doesn't know either!"


"He doesn't?! How the hell do you know? Jesus, Lexie, he's going to freak out if he knows the kid is my dad's!"


"I know, I know, but I promised Christine I'd wait to tell him until after she died." Lexie jumped to her feet and began to pace wildly.


"She told you?"


"Yes, she told me. She's put Kevin's name a few documents, but those are sealed until Scotty is 18. Please, please, please don't tell Kevin before I have a chance to tell Nick."


"We can't wait until she's dead. He's going to want to talk to her. Oh my God, Lexie, he's known her, and he knows she's at the house." Jake told her. "Are you sure he hasn't talk to Nick already?"


"I don't know. I wouldn't think so. Why would Kevin tell Nick he had an affair with Christine now? What would be the point? I don't even think that Nick has discussed Christine with him that much. I doubt he even knows she has a son." Lexie explained. "He won't tell Nick he was with Christine. It would put a wedge between them, and those boys are all about being friends now."


"Four or five years ago, Nick and Kevin weren't even speaking."


"But Nick's relationship with Christine was public. They went everywhere together, including public functions. They have been seen together in the past. Hell, they used to live together and they had a kid. You know the press reported that. Nick was the last Backstreet Boy to have a kid until AJ had Alex and then Howie had Caroline."


"Oh, God. I don't know what to do."


"You? How do I stop Sabrina from finalizing this adoption? She's the father's girlfriend for Christ's sake!"


"You have to tell Nick."


"He may stop the adoption all together."


"You really want him, don't you? Scotty."


"I want him to be with CJ. Yes, I want him. I love him, Jake. I don't want to lose him, but I don't want to lose Nick either."


"What's one more lie, right?" Jake sighed.


Lexie and Jake sat in silence together. Jake didn't know that Nick knew about them. He didn't know that lie was already over.


"Jake? Let me handle this. Please don't tell your father about Scotty."


After a long pause, Jake replied, "He's better off with you. I won't tell him."


"Really?"


"Where would he end up if Dad got custody of him? He and mom are getting a divorce. Do you think this new girlfriend would raise him?" Jake asked. "But someday, he's going to have to know."


"I know. I hadn't figured that part out yet. I still have to tell Nick, and I don't know what he's going to say."


"You think he'll let Scotty stay? I mean, I'll take him if I have to."


"I don't know what he'll do." Lexie sighed. "I have no idea."


"If you need my help, you know you have it. Lexie, I love you, and I'll do anything for you," he said quietly.


"I know." Lexie looked back toward the house and saw everyone out on the deck. She turned and headed back. "I have to go. We're having dinner."


"Okay. I love you, Lexie." He tried to get a response back from her, but she hung up before she even heard him.