“Come on Maddie, we can’t be late,” Nick Carter said to the little girl that was sitting on the floor watching Veggie Tales. Picking her up and holding her like a sack of potatoes, he laughed, “You can watch that later.”

“But Daddy...Larry is funny,” five year old, Madelyn protested as he switched the television off and headed for the door.

“Well, Munchkin, Larry will just have to wait. Daddy has work to do and you have kindergarten,” Nick sat his daughter in a chair and stooped down to look into her eyes. “The first day is a big deal.”

Madelyn looked at Nick for a second before throwing her tiny arms around his neck. “Daddy, I don’t wanna go…I’m scared.”

Pulling back, Nick smoothed down her wavy blonde hair and smiled. “When you get there you will have so much fun. You won’t even remember me when I pick you up later.” He watched as her eyes flickered with doubt. “You’re gonna go and make friends and have the best time.”

“Promise?” she asked and held up her pinky finger.

“Promise,” Nick grinned and hooked his pinky with hers.

***

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Winifred Gaines greeted her grandson with a hug and a kiss.

“Gram, what are you doing here?” Nick asked obviously surprised that his grandmother was in the hardware shop that early in the morning. It was just after 8 am.

“I just thought I would stop by and help you out some. I know that you’re gonna be busy today.”

“That’s sweet of you, Gram, but you don’t have to do that. I can take care of things here.”

Ever since Winnie’s husband David had passed away two years earlier, Nick had been taking care of the hardware shop he owned. David had always told Nick that he didn’t have to keep the shop when he was gone, but Nick wanted to as much for himself as for his grandmother.

“How did Maddie do when you dropped her off?” Winnie asked as she sorted through a stack of papers.

Nick smiled. “She was scared to death before we left the house this morning, but as soon as she saw all the other kids, she was gone. I thought she was gonna cry, but would you believe I almost cried instead? I just can’t believe she’s getting so big.”

Winnie smiled and placed her hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Well, it’s all a part of growing up. I can remember when you started kindergarten,” she said nostalgically.

“Oh geez, Gram, I can’t even remember that,” he joked.

“I do. I remember it like it was yesterday,” he eyes sparkled proudly. “I remember how you cried and said you wouldn’t go. You fought tooth and nail not to go into that classroom.”

Nick sighed as his cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Yeah, and you made me go and I remember when I got home you had cookies, but I didn’t want them because all I could do was talk about how much fun I had.”

Winnie laughed heartily. “Well, I’m sure Maddie will be just as eager to talk about her day as you were.”

***

Nick pulled his car up to the curb so he could wait for Madelyn’s class to come out after their first day of kindergarten. Getting out of the car, he walked around to the front and waited for his daughter.

“Daddy!” Madelyn’s voice sounded a few minutes later. Within seconds she was wrapped around his legs.

“Hey, Munchkin! Did you have fun?” Nick smiled and lifted her up in his arms to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, Daddy,” she said excitedly. Nick fastened her into her booster seat as she began to tell him the story of her day. “And they have a Larry, Daddy!”

“Really? Wow,” he grinned. Just as he was about to get back into his car, he heard someone calling to him.

“Mr. Carter?”

Turning in the direction of the voice, Nick saw an attractive woman striding quickly in his direction. He smiled politely and looked at Madelyn. “I’ll be right back, Munchkin.” Walking back to the curb he met the woman and accepted her extended hand.

“Hello, Mr. Carter. I’m Ms. Norris, Madelyn’s teacher,” she smiled and tucked a dark strand of hair behind her ear.

“Please, Ms. Norris, call me Nick. How was Maddie today?” he asked with a smile.

“Oh, I’m Melanie. And Madelyn was wonderful today; she’s an absolute delight,” Melanie smiled again and looked at the little girl who was peeking curiously out the window at her teacher. “I just wanted to tell you what a great little girl you have.”

“Believe me, I know,” Nick offered a sideways grin. “Thanks.”

“Well, if you ever need anything…any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. Have a good afternoon, Nick,” Melanie smiled and turned to head back into the school.

Nick watched the young teacher for a second before he got into his car. “Okay, Munchkin, how was your day?”

***

“Here ya go,” Nick said as he scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes onto Madelyn’s plate. “Gram, this all looks and smells great.”

“Thank you sweetheart,” Winnie smiled. Pouring a small glass of milk for her great-granddaughter she placed the glass on the table and sat down. “How did you like kindergarten?”

Watching Madelyn’s blue eyes light up, Nick smiled and listened quietly as she began to share the details about her day. Her features became animated as she talked about the new friends she had made during the course of her day and all the things she had learned.

“And I think Ms. Norris likes Daddy,” she said meekly.

“Madelyn Winifred,” Nick looked at his daughter with a shocked expression. “Where in the world did you get an idea like that?”

“She wanted to talk to you, Daddy,” Madelyn stated simply as she looked at him sweetly.

Nick looked at his daughter with a frown before turning to glance at his chuckling grandmother. “That’s not funny, Gram.”

“Nicky, it is funny,” she placed her napkin on the table and continued to laugh. “What makes you think that Maddie’s teacher isn’t interested in you?”

“Gram, this is Maddie’s teacher for Pete’s sake. Besides, I’m not interested in dating her.”

“Well, you say that now, but you really haven’t given her a fair chance, have you? But I suppose it wouldn’t be a good idea to get involved with her teacher.”

“Exactly. Thank you for understanding.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get back out into the dating scene, darlin’,” Winnie said as she placed a hand lovingly on Nick’s arm. “You’re young and quite good-looking; I’m sure there are lots of ladies who would be quite interested in you.”

“I’m just really not interested in dating anyone, Gram,” he replied quietly as he moved his food around on his plate.

“Why not, Nicky? It’s been a long time since you were involved with anyone. Don’t you think you deserve to be happy?”

“I am happy,” his voice became distant. He knew he wasn’t being completely honest with his grandmother, but he also knew that she was well aware of that fact. She knew he hadn’t been truly happy in six years; the day Elisabeth Walker walked out of his life for good, she took all hopes of his happiness with her. After missing Elisabeth’s plane, Nick withdrew into a shell and stayed that way for a few months. He didn’t talk to any of his old friends; Winnie and David were the only two people he saw for a long time. Then one day when he was driving down Main Street he saw Dee-Dee walking to her car, grocery bags hanging from her tired arms as she dropped them to the ground rubbing her swollen pregnant belly before stooping to sling the bags in the car. And that’s when he realized that she needed him. Their child needed him.

And so Nick asked Dee-Dee to be his wife. They had a small ceremony in Winnie and David’s back yard in the company of a few close friends and family members. Soon afterward, Nick and Dee-Dee moved into his new home across town where they settled into becoming a family.

Madelyn Winifred Carter was born at 6:05 pm on March 3, 2004 and she had been Nick’s universe since that day. From the minute he held her, Nick knew that Madelyn would be a Daddy’s girl; they quickly formed a father-daughter bond that was unlike any other and they were not the only ones to notice it.

Soon after Madelyn was born, Dee-Dee became jealous of the fact that Madelyn took so well to her father. She quickly became irritated by the time she had to spend at home; irritated by Nick's rules, his voice, his face. And most of all, she was irritated that her child didn't seem to want anything to do with her. Just before Christmas, when Madelyn was about eight months old, Dee-Dee confronted Nick with her opinion of the situation.

“Nick, I don’t think this is going to work out,” Dee-Dee told him simply as she filed her nails casually.

“What are you talking about?” he asked as he lifted a spoonful of strained carrots to his daughter’s mouth.

“Us. This just isn’t going to work.”

Nick carefully put down the spoon and turned to look at his wife. He would admit, this wasn’t the life he had always hoped for; he learned to care for Dee-Dee, but what they shared wasn’t the love he had always wanted. He had only had that with one woman and he knew he would never see her again, but Dee-Dee gave him a daughter and he was willing to make it work with her. “What brought this on, Dee?”

“I don’t want to be married, Nick,” she said with a shrug. “I just think we rushed into all of this.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“No, Nick, I’m being completely serious,” Dee-Dee said as she stood and began to pace the room nervously. “I’ve already got a bag packed and I’ve got a bus ticket; my bus leaves in two hours.” When Nick remained silent, she started to wring her hands. “Are you mad?”

“What do you think, Dee-Dee?” Nick’s voice was thick with sarcasm. “I completely gave up on the woman I loved so I could make it work with us…I wanted us to be a family and you pushed me into thinking this was what you wanted. Of course I’m mad.”

“Well, you’re the one who asked me to marry you,” her voice became shrill.

“You pushed me into asking you, Dee-Dee! We could have raised Madelyn without being married, but you wanted to get married. This was what you wanted.”

“Well, I just need some time to myself,” she replied curtly and ignored his quickly rising anger. “I’m leaving so I can catch my bus. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

Nick watched, speechless, as Dee-Dee disappeared from the room and re-appeared minutes later with a backpack slung over her slender shoulders. She bent down and placed a quick kiss on Madelyn’s head and then another on Nick’s lips before she left the house.

Now, almost five years later, Dee-Dee still had not called. Madelyn had asked about her mother only once and Nick told her what she wanted to know, but she had not inquired since. At five years old, Madelyn wasn’t sure about the situation, but she was happy and Nick knew that’s all that mattered. If she happened to ask about Dee-Dee again, he would gladly tell her anything she wanted to know, but unless she asked, he wouldn’t bring it up.

“Nick, hon, are you all right?” Winnie’s voice broke into his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, yes ma’am, I’m fine,” he forced a smile and picked up his fork.

“What were you thinking about?” she inquired quietly.

“Nothin’. Ya know, this is really good, Gram,” he smiled and took a bite of his fried chicken.

“Now, Nickolas, I know you well enough to know you were thinking about something.” Winnie looked at him and sadness filled her eyes. “Was it her?”

“Her? Who are you talking about?” He tried to pretend he didn’t know who Winnie was talking about. He knew she was talking about Elisabeth. After she left, Nick spilled everything about his love for her and to his surprise, Winnie and David didn’t judge him or scold him; they understood and they never once rushed him to get over the loss. Sighing, he looked at his grandmother and nodded slightly. “Yeah.”

“Well, sweetie, don’t worry yourself. Promise me you won’t.”

“I promise,” he forced a smile. Looking over at his daughter, Nick grinned and hooked his pinky with hers. He knew he had to keep his promise.

“I’m sure. I don’t need anything. No, she’s staying with Joshua tonight; tomorrow is our big day out on the town,” Elisabeth Walker held the telephone between her head and her shoulder as she cooked her son’s dinner. “No, Katy leaves next weekend for college. I can’t even believe it.”

Elisabeth finished her son’s dinner and sat the plate on the table. “Jake…dinner!” Going back into the kitchen, she grabbed her bowl of salad before heading out onto the deck.

“Give me a call soon, okay?” Greta Henderson said. “Before the wedding.”

Elisabeth chuckled slightly. “I’ll try.”

Greta laughed. “Do you think you can tear yourself away from Ben long enough?”

“Barely,” Elisabeth teased as she heard the ever familiar “beep” of her call waiting. “Speaking of…”

“Okay, hon. Call me when you get a chance.”

“You know I will. Bye, Greta,” Elisabeth said and answered the incoming call. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby,” Benjamin Hyatt’s velvety voice filled her ears, causing her to smile. “Talking to Greta?”

“I was but she had to go. How are you, baby?”

“I’m even better now that I’m talking to you,” he answered with a sexy whisper.

Elisabeth smiled again. She loved his voice. “How was your flight?”

“Oh, the same as any other boring flight,” she could practically hear him shrugging his broad shoulders. “I miss you, though.”

“I miss you too, Ben,” Elisabeth sat back in her chair and sighed happily.

“Just think, in a month you will be Mrs. Benjamin Hyatt,” he said softly. “I can’t wait.”

Elisabeth smiled to herself. “Neither can I.”

***

“What about this one?” Elisabeth held up a denim skirt that wasn’t too short or too long. “I think this one is cute, and it would look great with that top.”

“I dunno, Mom,” Kaitlyn Walker scrunched up her nose as she took the skirt from her mother. “It doesn’t really look like me.”

Elisabeth just laughed and nodded. “Okay, how bout I just let you pick out your wardrobe and you can fill me in about it later?”

“Sounds good,” her daughter smiled brightly. “So, how is Ben?”

With a contented sigh, Elisabeth found a seat in the dressing room and smiled. “He’s great. He called me last night from New York.”

“Is he going down to North Carolina before the wedding?” Katy asked as she threw her jeans over the top of the dressing room door.

“Yes, he’ll be down there a few days after I get there. We’ve still got to make a few final decisions about the ceremony and I want him to have as much input in this as I have.”

“Well, I think the wedding should be on the beach. That would be so romantic, Mom,” Katy said and stepped out of the dressing room. “How does this look?”

Elisabeth nodded with a smile. She was so thankful to be having this experience with her daughter that sometimes it was still hard for her to realize that they actually had a stable mother-daughter relationship. If this had been three or four years earlier, Kaitlyn would have flat out refused to go shopping with Elisabeth. In six long years, Elisabeth and Kaitlyn had managed to turn all the tension and animosity between them into love and understanding.

After they returned home to Chicago from North Carolina six years earlier, Elisabeth had not wasted any time in seeking the divorce she knew she was more than entitled to. She was determined to get away from Joshua Walker once and for all; he had controlled her life for thirteen years, but that was going to end. And it had. A year and a half and a hefty amount of money later, Elisabeth was walking out of the courtroom, a triumphant smile lighting up her soft features. She was no longer Joshua’s “bitch” and she never would be again. So, if she had everything she wanted, why wasn’t she truly happy?

Being single again was no easy task for Elisabeth. She had not been single since high school and she found it very difficult to go back to something she knew next to nothing about. Many times she considered moving back to Sunset Beach, North Carolina and finding the man she knew she would love until the day she died, but uncertainty would always take over and she just pushed the “silly” thought to the back of her mind and continued on with her life.

Shortly after her divorce came through, she did make a move, but not to North Carolina. She moved away from the big city life in Chicago to a small town in Bond County, Illinois about two hours outside of St. Louis, Missouri. Elisabeth, Kaitlyn and Jacob all seemed to adjust well to the change rather quickly. It was much easier for Elisabeth to try and mend the broken relationship with her daughter once Joshua was out of the picture. He couldn’t interfere with the situation like he could before. Of course, he was supposed to see Katy and Jake every other weekend, but many times he came up with an excuse miss the visit. Amazingly, it didn’t seem to bother the children, but Elisabeth was still upset that he would treat them that way after trying so hard to make them hate her.

After some time, Kaitlyn started warming up to her mother and before long, they were getting along like a mother and daughter should. The three were a happy family and Elisabeth couldn’t have been more thankful for that. And just when her life seemed perfect, she would find something or see something that reminded her of Nick Carter and she’d have to start from scratch.

Elisabeth had tired so very hard to put that part of her life behind her; she knew that Nick would always have her heart, but he didn’t have to consume everything in her life. She knew she would never see him again, so why should she dwell on the past? It hurt too much to think about.

“Mom…Earth to mom!” Katy said as she waved her hand in front of Elisabeth’s face. “Where were you?”

“Just thinking about everything,” she answered. “It’s just really hard to believe you’ll be in college this time next week.”

“Oh, mom, you’re not gonna start crying on me, are you?” Katy asked with a smile that mirrored her mother’s. “Come on…let’s get some lunch and that will cheer you up! Besides, this time next month, you’ll be a blushing bride.”

Elisabeth laughed at her daughter as they linked arms and made their way to the checkout counter. They still had plenty of places to hit before heading home.

***

*Two Weeks Later*

“Grab that bag, Jake,” Elisabeth instructed as she pointed to a large suitcase in the trunk of the rental car.

Doing as he was told, 12 year old Jacob followed his mother to the front door of his grandparent’s Wilmington, North Carolina home.

“Welcome home, Lizzie Layne!” Robert Butler greeted gleefully as he wrapped his only daughter in a warm hug and lifted her slightly off the ground. “I’ve missed you, baby girl. And you,” he said turning to Jacob, “have grown quite a bit. I sure can’t call you ‘little man’ anymore, can I?”

Jacob smiled and shrugged slightly.

“Oh, darling!” Abigail Butler’s voice joined the conversation as she greeted her daughter and grandson. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“Hey, Mom,” Elisabeth smiled and allowed her mother to kiss her on the cheek.

“How was your flight? Did you have any problems?”

“No, everything was fine.”

“Jacob, don’t you just look adorable?” Abigail began to dote on her grandson. “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll make you some lunch.”

Elisabeth laughed as her mother continued to fawn over Jacob and how tall he was how he was growing up much too fast. Dragging her bags into the house, she dropped them in the foyer and took a deep breath. She always loved the smell of home; it was familiar and comforting. With a quiet sigh, she grabbed the bags off the floor and headed for the stairs. She wanted to finish unpacking as soon as she could.

“Oh, Elisabeth darling, where are you going?” Abigail called to her before she had reached the top of the stairs.

“I thought I would go ahead and unpack now so I won’t have to worry about it later,” she answered with a shrug.

“Well, don’t bother unpacking here, sweetheart. We’ll be going down to the beach house tomorrow morning so you’ll just have to re-pack everything if you do that.”

Elisabeth blinked once and then swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat. The beach house? Damn it… “Oh, okay…can I ask why? I mean, that’s the summer home, right?”

“Yes, but it’s still summer here and you know that it doesn’t get too cold until October or so. This isn’t like your northern living, dear,” Abigail smiled brightly. “We just wanted to stay down there a few more weeks. Besides, I think that a beach wedding will be absolutely gorgeous.”

Looking at her mother’s genuine smile, Elisabeth tried hard not to sigh. She nodded slightly. “Okay, well, I’ll just slide these into my room for now.”

“Okay, sweetie. Come on downstairs when you get done. You need to eat something.”

***

“Mother, we really don’t need to do this right now,” Elisabeth groaned as Abigail dragged her from her car and into the small bridal shop.

“And why not?” Abigail sounded offended. “This is a big deal, Elisabeth. Don’t you think it is?”

“Well, of course I think it’s a big deal, but can’t it wait just a little while. I just got here for Heaven’s sake.”

“No, it cannot wait,” Abigail stated stubbornly as she grabbed her daughter’s arm and continued toward the boutique.

Elisabeth groaned again, inwardly this time, and let her mother drag her along. She felt like a helpless toddler being shown where to go and what to do; it was ridiculous. She had been married once before and though it was a big day, she knew everything didn’t have to be done all at once. Especially if it was going to be a small, private wedding on the beach in mid September. Even after arguing for an hour with her mother, Elisabeth still had no choice but go with her; she was picking out a dress before they left Wilmington.

Once inside the tiny, but elegant bridal boutique, Elisabeth slipped her arm from Abigail’s grasp and began to browse through the dresses. I will be so glad to get home, she thought to herself. They had already been to the Wilmington Star News and submitted the wedding announcement; they would be submitting it to the Brunswick Observer on their way to Sunset Beach.

“Do you need any help with anything?” a bright female voice interrupted her thoughts.

Turning around Elisabeth smiled. Just as she was about to speak her mother broke in.

“Yes actually. We’re looking for something non-traditional; a dress that would be good for a beach wedding. This is her second marriage so we’re going simple this time around.”

“Mother, please,” Elisabeth scolded in an angry whisper. Turning to the sales woman, Elisabeth plastered a fake smile on her pretty face. “Excuse us for just a minute.”

Once they were away from the obviously nosey sales woman, Elisabeth looked at Abigail and sighed. “Why do you always have to do that?”

“Do what?” Abigail asked, shocked.

“Take control of everything! You always have to be in charge of everything going on and that is so damn annoying. This is my wedding, and I think I am capable of handling the details of it. I’m not a teenager anymore, I’m thirty-six years old.”

Abigail stood stunned for a minute before finally responding. “O-okay. It’s your wedding, hon. We’ll do it the way you want.”

Elisabeth sighed and immediately felt guilty when she saw the hurt flicker in her mother’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Mom…it’s just, I have a lot on my mind and I’m just a little stressed out.”

“That’s okay, sweetheart. I understand.”

Smiling, Elisabeth hugged her mother and then turned back to the woman, she cleared her throat. “I would like to see some non-traditional dresses, please?”

“No problem, hon,” the short, redhead smiled and guided her to a small table and instructed her to sit down. Sliding a small binder over to Elisabeth she smiled again. “These are our most popular non-traditional wedding dresses. Let me know if you see something you like.”

***

“We have all the major details out of the way then, right?” Elisabeth asked distractedly.

“Of course not! There’s the reception—what food is going to be served, the cake—you have lots of planning to do, Elisabeth.”

“Okay, clothing wise, Mother. That’s what I meant. We picked out my dress and Katy’s maid-of-honor dress and you already have a dress so that’s something we don’t have to worry about. And honestly, I really don’t care if the guys have tuxes or suits…it would probably just be better to have a nice suit and not worry about renting a tux. But, that is up to Ben, so it’s what he chooses,” she ended her thought with a shrug of her slender shoulders.

“I think that would be nice…just to wear suits…nothing too formal because it’s not going to be a formal wedding, but…”

Elisabeth stopped listening to her mother as she watched the scenery out the window. Every now and then she would nod or mumble an “uh huh” to let her mother know she was indeed still paying attention, but her mind was somewhere else entirely. Letting out a quiet breath she turned her attention back to Abigail who was still going on about wedding details. Smirking at her mother’s enthusiasm she shook her head. Welcome home, Lizzie.

Nick sat staring at the papers lying on the desk in front of him and he let out a deep breath. He had been in the back of the hardware store all morning getting all the monthly bills in order while Winnie sat out front waiting on the customers; his eyes were starting to cross from all the paperwork. Leaning back in his chair, Nick pinched the bridge of his nose and suppressed the groan that was on the verge of escaping. He chuckled slightly when his stomach began to rumble instead.

Glancing at his watch Nick saw that it was nearly 12:30. His 7:30 breakfast was long gone and now his body was beginning to protest. “Okay, okay,” he mumbled to himself and stood up, stretching his tall frame.

“Did you finish your work, dear?” Winnie asked with a pleasant smile when Nick emerged from his “office”.

“Eh…no, but I’ll finish it after lunch. Gabe will be here with me, so you don’t have to stick around here all day,” Nick smiled and placed a kiss on his grandmother’s forehead.

“Now, Nicky, you know that I don’t mind sticking around here. The only thing I love more is spending time with Maddie,” she replied with a wink. “But if you don’t want me here, then that is precisely what I will do. So, you won’t have to worry about picking her up from school.”

“See Gram, it all works out perfectly,” he grinned. “But since it’s lunch time, what do you say we close this place down and get some grub?”

“Why don’t you go pick something up and come back here? I’ve got a few errands to run before this afternoon.”

“Okay, sounds like a good plan to me. What do you have a taste for?” Nick asked as he picked up his car keys.

“Anything really,” Winnie answered as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “Surprise me.”

“Okay, I can do that” he said with another grin.

***

“What is it Mother?” Elisabeth asked without looking at Abigail as she stood in the doorway.

“I just came to see how the invitations are coming,” she answered and stepped into the room.

“They are coming along perfectly. I have a few more to do and get mailed out and I will be finished. Since the wedding isn’t going to be that large, it hasn’t taken too much time to get them written out,” Elisabeth said and placed the pen on the table. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing at all,” Abigail smiled. “I just came to check on you and see if there is anything I can help with.”

“Actually, if you want, you can finish these up while I go get something to eat. I am starving and I’m in the mood for pizza,” she looked at her mother and stood up so she could have her seat. “Is that okay with you?”

‘Sure darling,” Abigail replied. “You go have lunch and I’ll have these in the mail before you get back.”

“Okay, thank you. Do you want me to bring anything back from anywhere?” Elisabeth paused in the doorway and waited for Abigail to answer.

“No, thank you, I had lunch already. You just go and enjoy yourself,” she smiled brightly.

“All right. I’ll be back later then.”

***

Nick sat in his car in the Pizza Hut parking lot as he sorted through his mail. “Bill, junk, bill, letter from Mom,” he murmured to himself. Coming to a fancy envelope with fancy lettering, he paused. Looking it over, he found no return address which he thought was a little odd. “Well, let’s find out what it is…”

As soon as he ripped open the ivory envelope and pulled out the even elaborate contents, his heart dropped. Looking down at the mail, he could feel the familiar sting of tears in his eyes.

The elegant script was inviting him to something he never thought he would have to see…

You Are Cordially Invited…

To the wedding of
Ms. Elisabeth Walker
To
Mr. Benjamin Hyatt
On
The Twenty-sixth of September, Two Thousand Nine

With blurry eyes, Nick angrily threw open his car door and stalked inside the restaurant. Now’s not the time to do this, Carter, he silently scolded himself as he furiously wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He would have plenty of time to sort through this later. Right now all he was worried about was his lunch date with his grandmother.

***

Elisabeth sighed to herself and checked her watch; it seemed like she had been waiting much longer than she actually had been. Looking around the small, cozy eatery, she remembered one of the last times she had been here. She had been seated just a few feet away with Greta when Nick showed up out of nowhere.

“Oh, good,” Greta said and handed her menu to the man standing at the end of the table. “We’ll, have the-”

“Oh, no, I’m sorry, I’m not the waiter,” Nick smiled and motioned toward Elisabeth. “I just wanted to say hi.”

“Hi,” Greta said sarcastically.

“Nick,” Elisabeth looked up and felt herself smile. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” he returned her smile and watched as she nervously tugged her hand through her hair. “I’ve been better.”

“Oh, where are my manners? Nick, this is my best friend Greta Henderson; Greta, this is a friend… Nick Carter.”

“Nice to meet you,” Greta smiled and curiously watched the exchange between the two “friends”.

“Uh, I was wondering if we could talk? I was on my way back to my table when I spotted you and well, my friends can wait,” Nick said as he jammed his hands in his pockets.

“Well…” Elisabeth started to protest.

“Go ahead, Liz. I’ll order for us, don’t worry. And take your time,” she winked at Nick.

Elisabeth took Nick’s hand and let him help her out of the booth before they headed out to the patio area of the restaurant. “So,” she said feeling a little awkward.

“I just wanted to apologize for the other night,” Nick’s voice was soft. “I don’t know what got into me and I shouldn’t have taken things that far.”

Sitting down on one of the cement benches, Elisabeth smiled and shook her head. “Nick, you weren’t the only one there that night and it’s not your fault. It takes two to tango; you didn’t force me to do anything against my will. I’m sorry, too. We were just caught in the moment.”

Nick smiled in relief and took her hand in his. “Lizzie…you’re all I can think about.”

Elisabeth looked into his eyes, shifting uncomfortably. Why did he have to say that? her mind began to scream. “Nick…”

Before Elisabeth could be rational with him, Nick took her face in his hands and seized her lips with his. He gently began to trace her lips with his tongue, begging her to open up to him. When she finally parted her soft lips, he slid his tongue into her mouth, entangling it with hers. After a moment, he was kissing her jaw line and down to the hollow of Elisabeth’s neck, setting her soul on fire. He followed the flushed trail back to her mouth before pulling away to look into her eyes.

Elisabeth looked deep into the gentle blue eyes that seemed to be questioning her. She could deny it no longer—there was something between them that she could not ignore.

Nick reached over and ran a hand through her mahogany hair; it felt like silk gliding through his fingers. He leaned in for another brief kiss before he picked up Elisabeth’s right hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. “Lizzie…I…you are all I think about anymore. Two weeks ago, I was a single guy with nothing to worry about and then I met you. There isn’t a second in the day that you don’t cross my mind.”

“Nick…” her voice was soft and she tried to pull her hand back, but Nick wouldn’t let her.

“Lizzie, please don’t push me away. You feel it too, I can see it in your eyes,” he said and pressed her hand back to his chest. “Here…can you feel it?”

“Feel what?” she asked quietly, tears stinging her eyes.

“That’s me, falling in love with you.”

Elisabeth was pulled from her thoughts when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Realizing her order was ready she quickly stepped forward and paid for her lunch. Just as quickly she turned to leave when she collided with someone sending the person, herself, and her lunch hurdling in different directions.

“Oh my god…I am so sorry…” she began to apologize profusely.

“No, no…it was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention,” he answered.

Hearing his voice, Elisabeth froze; it couldn’t be. She was a little scared to look because she was afraid it would just be her imagination playing tricks on her. Slowly, Elisabeth looked up and her breath caught in her throat. It was him, but he was busy picking up her belongings to realize just who he had crashed into.

Finally, Elisabeth was able to regain her voice though it only came out a choked whisper. “Nick?”

Suddenly, his body became rigid but he didn’t look up.

“Nick...” Elisabeth said almost pleadingly. It was almost as if she needed it to be him. After what seemed like hours, Nick finally raised his eyes to look into hers and she could see the pain deep within him. “Nick…I…”

“Here,” said and angrily shoved her things into her arms before stalking off.

She sat there momentarily stunned, but she was able to rapidly regain her composure when she realized he was leaving very quickly. Rushing to her feet, Elisabeth hurried out the door and followed Nick to his car.

“Why are you following me?” he questioned impatiently without slowing his pace.

Elisabeth struggled to keep her things from falling to the ground as she tried to keep up with Nick. “Wait, Nick, can we talk please?”

Nick stopped abruptly at Elisabeth’s question and turned to face her, causing her stop suddenly to keep from running into him once again. She finally lost a grip on her possessions and they scattered across the asphalt. “Why should we talk?”

Elisabeth couldn’t help but cringe at the animosity that tinged his voice. “Because…Nick i-it’s been…six years,” she stuttered lamely. She had never stumbled over her words this way before.

“Oh, yeah, it’s been six years,” he nodded. “Well, who’s fault is that?”

She winced as he raised his voice. She tried to think of something to say…anything to say, but nothing good enough came to mind. Why had she not expected him to be angry? Of course he would be! It was almost as if she had imagined things would be the way they were before; that maybe they would fall right back into one another’s arms as though no time had passed at all.

“Nick, I-I had to leave. I just didn’t think you would understand and-”

“Just stop, Elisabeth,” he interrupted angrily. “I dunno why you think that we should talk about things; it’s obvious you’ve moved on and I guess you thought you needed to be polite and invite me to the wedding. Really, what would your mother think about your ex-lover showing up?” Nick’s sarcasm was thick, but his anger was still very evident.

“What are you talking about?”

“Stop playing dumb Elisabeth. Look, you don’t have to explain anything to me, okay? You’re getting married…congratulations. But I’m sorry if I don’t seem terribly excited about the big event.”

Elisabeth’s brow furrowed in utter confusion as he started back toward his car.

“Nick, wait, please…” she began to plead, her voice desperate. “Don’t walk away…”

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Nick did indeed stop, but he didn’t turn to face her. “Don’t walk away,” he repeated cynically. “You know what, Lizzie? It’s funny you should tell me not to walk away; you’re telling me not to do the exact same thing you did to me six years ago.”

“You just don’t understand.”

That sentence broke Nick completely. Turning to stare into her desperate brown eyes, his were shining brightly with unshed tears. “You know what, you are absolutely right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand why things played out that way, I don’t understand why we met, I don’t understand why you broke my heart completely, and most of all I don’t understand why I love you.”

Elisabeth stood shocked as hot tears began to spill onto her cheeks. She didn’t know how to respond, and Nick grew more agitated by her silence.

“Yeah…” he mumbled more to himself than anyone. “Well, congratulations…I hope you have a great life with,” he paused to look at the invitation still clutched in his fist. “Have a great life with Benjamin.”

Still unable to speak, Elisabeth watched as he tossed the small piece of paper to the ground and got into his car. By the time she found her voice again he was pulling out of the parking lot leaving her to stand there to stare after him. She never even realized the rain begin to fall as she as she sat down on the sidewalk and watched his car disappear around the corner.

Elisabeth sighed to herself and smoothed her hair as best she could before entering the house. She was a wreck, physically and emotionally. For some reason, seeing Nick had completely thrown her off course and the way he acted towards her had not helped at all. After he drove off, Elisabeth just sat alone in the rain. She didn’t realize how long she had been sitting there until an employee from inside came out to check on her. Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, she stood and feebly brushed herself off.

Now, she was standing on the doorstep of her parents’ home not wanting to go inside, but knowing she had to sooner or later. Better sooner than later. Why not just get it over with? she asked herself as she finally willed herself to open the door. Dropping her keys onto the table in the foyer, Elisabeth noticed the house was completely quiet. Walking into the den, she saw a piece of paper on the coffee table.

Elisabeth,

I had to go up to Wilmington for a few things. I should be back before dark, but if I’m not there’s some roast in the fridge. Your father took Jake somewhere to have a little “bonding time” as he likes to call it. I brought the invitations to mail, so that’s one less thing you have to worry about. See you later, hun.

Love,
Mom

As she finished reading the note, Elisabeth caught herself breathing a sigh of relief. She was alone. She wouldn’t have to explain to anyone why she was a mess or act like nothing was wrong. She would have to talk to her mother when she got back from Wilmington, but she would make sure she was in a better state than she was at the moment.

***

Nick stalked into the back room of the hardware store and tossed the food boxes onto the table, startling his grandmother from her newspaper. In all the awkwardness of seeing Elisabeth again, he had forgotten completely that he had gone to pick up his lunch. Not wanting to chance running into her again, Nick stopped by KFC instead.

“What’s the matter, Nick?” Winnie questioned quickly picking up on his bad mood.

“Nothing,” he answered flatly as he opened up his lunch. “Hope you don’t mind chicken.”

“Nickolas Carter! You tell me what happened this instant,” Winnie demanded and pushed her food away. “You were not in a bad mood before you left, now explain.”

Looking up, Nick took a bite of his mashed potatoes and ignored Winnie. “You need to eat before it gets cold.”

“No, I will not eat until you tell me what is going on. And don’t bother lying to me because I know you well enough to know when you are lying through your teeth.”

“Gram, everything is fine, okay? Let’s just eat so I can get back to this paperwork.”

“Sweetheart, please tell me what happened. You know you-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Nick had lost his temper. “Damn it, I said nothing was wrong. Now can we please drop it?”

Stunned, Winnie blinked and then promptly stood up. “Fine,” she mumbled and tossed her unopened food container into the trashcan by the door.

Suddenly overcome with guilt, Nick sprinted after his grandmother. He had never raised his voice to her before, and he knew he shouldn’t have now. She was only trying to look out for him, and he shouldn’t have gotten so upset. “Gram, I’m sorry. Please, don’t leave without eating. You can have my food.”

Turning to look at her grandson, Winnie’s expression turned somber. “Nickolas, I know that you have a private life, but I’m your grandmother. I am only trying to show you that I care about what happens to you. I’m sorry if that bothers you, and I’ll try not to let it happen again. Gabe should be here soon, so I’m going to go finish up my errands.”

“Wait, Gram, please…” Nick didn’t know what to do. Winnie was stubbornly grabbing her purse and heading for the exit. “I’m sorry Gram.” She wasn’t slowing down her pace in the least bit, and now she was ignoring him. Taking a deep breath, Nick suppressed the bitter tears just when she was almost out of the shop. “She’s getting married.”

***

Elisabeth sat at the kitchen table sipping on a cup of tea when she heard the front door open and her mother’s laughter filled the air. Drawing patterns on the table, Elisabeth rolled her eyes as her mother continued on with mindless gossip about neighbors and old friends.

“Yes, you’re right, sweetie. We need to get together soon,” Abigail was babbling when she walked into the kitchen. Smiling at her daughter, she chatted for a few more minutes and then ended the call. “You look like you have a lot on your mind, darling.”

“You could say that,” Elisabeth mumbled as she brought the mug to her lips. After she got home, she had taken a long shower and then threw on some sweats before settling in at the kitchen table to wait for her mother to get home. “Did you have a nice day in Wilmington?”

“I did. I had lunch with a couple of ladies from my book club. Then I had to have my hair done and I had a last minute manicure and pedicure,” Abigail said with a bright smile. “What about you, sweetie? Did you have a nice day?”

“No, mother, actually I had a pretty terrible day,” Elisabeth answered honestly. She watched as the smile slowly faded from her mother’s face before saying anything else. After another minute of silence, she fished a crinkled ivory slip of paper from her pocket and slid it across the table so it was in front of Abigail. “Can you please explain that to me?”

Looking somewhat perplexed, Abigail picked it up and inspected it. “Elisabeth, this is your wedding invitation. You know that.”

“How many have you sent out behind my back?” Elisabeth asked in a quiet voice.

“What are you talking about? The only invitations I’ve sent out are the ones you have given me.”

“Don’t lie to me,” she looked across the table and tried not to roll her eyes at Abigail’s dumbfounded expression.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Abigail said in a condescending tone as she got up and started out of the kitchen.

“Well,” Elisabeth paused to casually sip more tea, “then can you please explain why Nick received one?” She watched as her mother stopped in the doorway, but she didn’t turn around. “Because, you know, I don’t remember making one out to him.”

“That’s absurd, Elisabeth. I only mailed invitations that you gave me. Why would I send one to him?”

Something about the way she referred to Nick sent Elisabeth’s temper over the edge and she stood up and walked over to Abigail. “Why would you do something like that? Why do you always have to stick your meddlesome nose where it doesn’t belong? Don’t you realize that I don’t want you fucking around with my life?

Elisabeth was momentarily stunned when she felt the sting of Abigail’s hand on her cheek.

“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again,” her voice was dangerously calm.

“Oh, mother, don’t change the subject,” Elisabeth said and ignored the stinging on her cheek. “I know you sent one to HIM because that is how you work. You don’t like him because he’s not on your “level”. Well, that’s exactly why I loved him. Because he’s not like you!”

***

“Nicky, I’m sorry you had to find out that way. But, in Elisabeth’s defense, I don’t think she would be that heartless. She doesn’t seem like the type from the way you’ve talked about her,” Winnie squeezed his arm and offered a small smile.

Nick felt himself smile with her and nodded a little. “You’re right. But it’s just so hard seeing her again. And it didn’t help that it was right after I found out she’s getting married. It just doesn’t seem fair to me, Gram. I love her so much. I never stopped loving her.”

“I know this is hard for you, Nick, but no one said it was going to be easy. I don’t doubt that you love her, but I think it’s time you try and move on with your life. You are sweet and caring and don’t think I don’t see young women noticing you. You deserve to be happy,” she said and softly swiped some hair off Nick’s forehead.

“That’s easier said than done.”

“You’re making this harder than it is because you’re holding on to the past. It wouldn’t be so difficult if you wouldn’t clutch so tightly to something that isn’t coming back.”

Nick looked at her waiting for an explanation. He smiled weakly at Gabe as he walked through the door and over to the sink.

Winnie smiled again as she stood up and leaned down to place a tender kiss on Nick’s forehead. “Just let go,” she whispered gently.

The next couple days seemed to slink by for Nick. Now he was walking around the small shop, sweeping between the narrow aisles to keep himself busy. He found that if he was doing something, he didn’t think too much about how horrible the last few days had been. He chuckled lightly as he heard Gabe mumbling to himself as he skimmed over the day’s paper. He seemed to be easily irritated lately.

Hearing the bell at the top of the door, Nick glanced up and smiled as his grandmother came in smiling brightly. He was about to walk to the front of the store but noticed Gabe’s attitude change suddenly. Moving quietly up the aisle, he strained to hear Gabe as he stumbled over his words.

“W-well, hey there, Winnie.”

“Gabe,” Winnie smiled and nodded. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m doin’ jus’ fine, I s’pose,” he answered a little more calmly.

“I’m glad to hear that. Is Nick around?” she asked and Nick ducked away toward the back so she wouldn’t see he had been eavesdropping.

Nick quickly went back to his sweeping and pretended not to notice Winnie coming toward him.

“I’ll be on my way to pick up Maddie soon, sweetie. Is there anything you need from anywhere?” she asked as he smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“No, I’m good. Well, actually, I have to run by the bank real quick. Could you stay here and help Gabe out a little while I do that? It will only take a few minutes,” Nick said with a boyish grin.

“Well, sure,” Winnie nodded a little confused.

“Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes, then,” Nick grinned again. Walking out of the shop, he nodded to Gabe. “I’ll be right back.”

***

Elisabeth walked out of the small antique shop and breathed in a deep breath of salty air. She wasn’t sure why, but her mother had come to her that morning and asked her to come out with her today. The last few days had been very strained for them when they were around one another, but Elisabeth had made sure to avoid her mother as much as possible. Now she was spending time with her for whatever reason. At least she’s being somewhat normal.

“Where to next?” Elisabeth asked unenthusiastically as her mother emerged from the antique shop a few minutes later.

“Actually, I’ve got to go to across the street for a minute,” Abigail said and started across the street. “Are you coming?”

“No, I think I’ll go down to the corner and get a soda,” she mumbled. She watched as her mother disappeared inside the store across the street. Heading for the store on the corner, she passed Gaines’ Hardware Store and hesitated. I shouldn’t go in there, she said to herself.

Sighing quietly, she opened the door and stepped inside. “Hello,” she said to the man behind the counter. He only grunted in reply as he kept his attention on his newspaper.

Stopping to look around, Elisabeth heard Winnie coming from the back.

“Nick? Oh, Elisabeth. Hello,” Winnie greeted, obviously surprised. “How are you?”

“I’m doing well,” she answered uncomfortably. “I, uh, I just stopped by to, uh, get some,” she looked around and quickly tried to think of an excuse, “I just came by for some nails. I have some pictures to hang at home.”

“Oh, okay,” Winnie smiled and nodded.

They both turned to the front of the shop when the bell on the door sounded. Thinking it could be Nick, Elisabeth’s heart began to thud in her chest. She groaned inwardly when she saw her mother walking toward them.

“I was wondering where you were, Elisabeth,” she said and turned her nose up at Winnie.

“Abigail, nice to see you,” Winnie said sweetly with a smile.

“Hello, Winnie,” Abigail said in a snobbish tone. “How have you been?”

“Just fine.”

“Well, mother we should be going,” Elisabeth said quickly before her mother could say anything arrogant or patronizing to Winifred. She offered up an embarrassed smile and steered Abigail toward the door. “Goodbye Mrs. Gaines.”

“Bye sweetie.”

Once outside, Elisabeth couldn’t hold in her anger any longer. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you like that?”

“Like what?” Abigail asked as she fished around in her purse looking for her car keys.

“Why are you such an arrogant bitch? How can you be so pretentious? Let me tell you something…you are no better than Winifred Gaines just because your bank account is bigger. God, I wish you could see how hateful you really are.”

Abigail could only stand there shocked as she watched Elisabeth turn and walk off.

***

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, Munchkin?” Nick glanced in his rearview mirror so he could see Madelyn. They had gone to Winnie’s for a little while and now were headed home.

“I’m hungry,” she said quietly.

“Okay,” he grinned at his daughter. “Let’s go get some grub then.”

A few minutes later, Nick and Maddie were waiting for their order to come up at Capt’n Jack’s Seafood Shack. Madelyn was sitting on Nick’s lap watching an older girl play with her puppy while she waited as well.

“Daddy, I’m really hungry.”

“I know, Maddie. They’ll call us soon, I promise,” Nick said and kissed the back of his daughter’s head.

As he promised, just a few minutes later, a woman opened the window and called their number.

“Can we go on your boat, Daddy?”

“Not today, Munchkin. It’s getting late. We can get on the boat this weekend. Does that sound good?”

They continued to eat quietly. Every few minutes, Maddie would start to play with her food and Nick would tell her not to, but he couldn’t help but smile.

“Eat your fries, Maddie,” Nick said but she only looked past him. “Madelyn, come on sweetheart, eat so we can get going.”

“Daddy?” her voice was a whisper. “Who’s that?”

Turning to look behind him, Nick was surprised to find Elisabeth standing there, looking troubled. “What are you doing here?”

“I, was here for dinner and I saw you over here,” she held up her plate. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Nick hesitated for a minute and looked at his daughter. “Sure.”

Elisabeth noticed that Madelyn was staring at her and she smiled at her as she sat down beside Nick. “Hey there.”

“Hi,” Maddie mumbled shyly.

“Nick, she’s beautiful,” Elisabeth said.

“Yeah,” Nick said absently, as he watched Maddie pick at her food.

Elisabeth sighed to herself and tried to ignore the tension that clouded the air between them. “I’m sorry for what happened, Nick.”

Turning to look at her, Nick shook his head. “We don’t need to get into this here.”

“But we have to talk about this sometime, Nick.”

“Okay, we can talk about it, but not here. Not in front of Maddie. Okay?”

“Well, will you come out with me tonight?”

“I can’t tonight,” he said and saw her hopeful expression turn to one of disappointment. “How about tomorrow? Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah, tomorrow is great,” she said with a smile as she stood up. Sticking out her hand toward Nick, she smiled a little wider. “Starting over?”

Smiling as well, Nick shook her hand and nodded. “Starting over.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow night. It was nice to meet you, Maddie.”

Nick smiled at his daughter as she mumbled a shy goodbye and continued to pick at her food.

“Okay, Munchkin,” he said after a few more minutes. “Let’s get going.”

Elisabeth stood in front of her full length mirror and admired herself. She had talked to Nick earlier in the day and they decided that they would just go out for a casual dinner and talk about things. Smoothing out her blouse, she walked over to her vanity and dabbed a bit of perfume on her wrists and behind her ears; a habit she had learned from her grandmother when she was a teenager. Satisfied that she wasn’t overdressed or too casual, she picked up her handbag and headed for the door. Instead of having him pick her up, Elisabeth had decided she would meet him at the restaurant.

Stopping at the entrance to Jacob’s room, Elisabeth leaned on the door frame and watched as her son concentrated on his video game. Sometimes it amazed her how hard he could concentrate on a game; his hair was messy and hanging in his eyes, his tongue was poking out of the corner of his mouth and he was moving with the controller as though it would help him win.

“Are you still going to Joey’s?” Elisabeth asked after a few minutes.

“Mo-om! You scared me and made me lose!” Jacob huffed annoyed.

She held up her hands in defense. “Sorry. I didn’t know I would mess you up. Are you still going to Joey’s?”

“You knew you would, Mom, you always do,” he grinned and poked his tongue out. “Yeah, I’m still going.”

Elisabeth laughed. “Well, do you want me to give you a lift? I’m leaving now and I can drop you off if you want.”

“That’s okay, Mom. I’m just gonna walk down to Pizza Hut and meet him there. It wouldn’t be cool if you took me.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I’m going now,” Elisabeth walked over to Jacob and placed a kiss atop his head. “Don’t stay up all night. You’ll come home cranky tomorrow if you do.”

“I won’t, Mom.”

“Be careful and have fun, okay? Love you, sweetie.”

“Later.”

Elisabeth laughed as she descended the stairs. Boys, she thought jokingly.

***

Nick sat in his car in the Olive Garden parking lot waiting patiently for Elisabeth to arrive. He still didn’t understand why she didn’t let him pick her up since they had to drive down to Myrtle Beach, but he wouldn’t say anything about it. That’s not what they were here to discuss.

Checking his watch, Nick saw that she was almost 20 minutes late and he was beginning to lose his patience. She’s the one that wanted desperately to talk, now where the hell is she? Won’t I be cute if she stands me up? he thought with a cynical laugh. Finally, Nick spotted her getting out of a black 4-Runner across the parking lot and he climbed out of his car.

“Hey,” she greeted softly with a small smile. “Sorry I’m late. I, uh, had a last minute phone call.”

“That’s okay. I just got here myself,” he lied.

“Oh, good. I’m glad you didn’t have to wait long,” Elisabeth said feeling uncomfortable.

Holding open the door for Elisabeth, Nick took a moment to admire her. Still as beautiful as ever. And she smells delicious, he thought as he caught a trace of her perfume. Mixing with her shampoo, the scent was almost intoxicating to Nick and he didn’t realize that Elisabeth had made it through the door and was now waiting expectantly for him to enter the restaurant as well.

After being seated, Nick and Elisabeth sat in uncomfortable silence as they waited for their waiter or waitress to come take their drink order.

“Hi, my name is Jaime and I’ll be your waitress this evening,” a perky young redhead said happily. “What can I get you two to drink?”

“Sweet tea,” they answered in unison.

“Two sweet teas coming up,” Jaime said with a wide smile.

Once again, an awkward hush fell over them. Deciding it was almost too much to bear Elisabeth picked up her menu and started looking over it. She could feel Nick’s gaze boring into her, but chose to ignore it for the time being.

“So, do you know what you’re gonna have?” Nick asked and closed his menu.

“Yeah, I think I’ll get the Chicken Parmesan,” she answered quietly and continued to skim over the selections.

Jaime finally came back, as happy as ever, to take their order. Nick ordered for himself and Elisabeth and then folded his arms atop the table and locked eyes with her. “Okay, so, you wanted to talk about something?”

Elisabeth let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and nodded slightly. “Yes. I just…I’m not sure where to start.”

“Why not at the beginning?” Nick questioned gently.

Elisabeth felt a familiar stinging in her eyes and dropped her gaze to the table. “The beginning…that seems like such a long time ago.”

“Well, six years is a long time.”

“It feels like it’s been a life time,” Elisabeth whispered as she tried not to cry. “I really wish there was an easier way to explain this.”

“Okay, my biggest question right now is why did you leave so abruptly?” he asked as he began to fold and unfold his napkin. “I thought things were great between us, but apparently I was wrong.”

“Nick, it has nothing to do with us.”

“How can you expect me to believe that? You left with no warning at all,” he said in a slightly harsh tone. “I mean, you were in my bed just hours before.”

“Do you think it was easy for me to leave like that?” Elisabeth countered, her tone growing harsh as well.

“I really don’t know what to think,” Nick leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Part of me understands why you might have left, but then the other part is just so confused. Why wouldn’t you let me know something? Anything.”

“Things weren’t that simple, Nick. I didn’t decide to leave until that day. I overheard your conversation about Dee-Dee and I knew that I didn’t need to interfere with that. I could never have forgiven myself if I had been the reason you didn’t know your daughter.”

“You know what I think?” Nick asked as he tossed his napkin along with two twenty dollar bills to the middle of the table. “I think that you were just looking for an out. A way out of your marriage and a way out of whatever it was we were doing. Well, guess what? You got that way out and you’re off the hook now.”

Elisabeth looked on, slightly shocked as Nick unexpectedly stood up and headed for the exit almost knocking their tray of food out of Jaime’s hands. Standing up quickly, Elisabeth followed and yelled after Nick once they were outside.

“Why do you always run away?”

Nick stopped walking and turned to face her, an angry expression on his handsome face. “Damn it, Elisabeth, you’re getting married. What the hell do you care what I do?”

“You can’t run away from everything all the time,” she said defiantly.

“I’m not the one that ran. Or have you forgotten that already? Seriously, why did you ask me to talk? Why did I even agree?”

“Because deep down you wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see you, but you’re too damn stubborn to admit that.”

“No, I don’t have a problem admitting that I wanted to see you; I’ve been thinking about you constantly for six years. What I was too stupid to admit was the fact that you had long ago moved on. I was the one stuck in the past, but that’s different now,” he whispered.

Elisabeth bit her lip and tried to keep her tears at bay. “Nick, it wasn’t easy for me to leave that day. It hasn’t been easy at all since I left. You don’t know how many times I wanted to call or come running back and pretend like I never left.”

“Then why didn’t you? I was here the entire time.”

Elisabeth sighed in frustration and started pacing back and forth behind Nick’s car. “Not everything is that simple, Nick.”

“Well, Lizzie, you don’t need to explain anything, okay? You’re off the hook. I’m letting you off the hook right now. Is that better for you? Or do I need to have it printed up in the paper and put on TV so the whole world will know that Nick Carter has let Elisabeth Walker off the hook?”

Before either of them realized what was happening, Elisabeth had moved forward and wrapped her arms around Nick’s neck. Staring up into his blue eyes, Elisabeth slowly stood on her toes and brought Nick’s face to hers. It seemed to take forever, but their lips finally met and everything around them seemed to disappear. Elisabeth sighed inwardly at the feeling of their lips melting together. She kept one arm draped around Nick’s neck as the other slid down his chest and rested over his heart while Nick’s arms found their way around her waist to pull their bodies closer together.

After a few minutes, Nick finally broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. Closing his eyes, he gently bit his lip and tried to process what had just taken place.

“Nick?”

Silently, Nick opened his eyes to stare into Elisabeth’s as he waited for her to continue.

She offered a small smile and tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. “What makes you think that I want to be let off the hook?”

Nick stayed silent as he held Elisabeth close; the kiss they had just shared still lingered on his lips and mind. Then, as suddenly as the moment had happened, he pushed himself away from her and cursed himself for being so weak. He avoided Elisabeth’s gaze, failing to see the hurt that flashed in her brown eyes.

“Wh-what’s the matter?” there was a quiver in her voice.

“This is wrong,” Nick replied harshly. “You…me…it’s just not right. You’re getting married in a few weeks and here we are kissing for the whole world to see.”

Elisabeth sighed, wearily dragging a hand through her hair. “That never stopped you before.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she never missed the anger rising rapidly in Nick’s eyes.

“Oh, so that’s how it goes.”

“Nick, I didn’t mean it like that. I-”

“Really? Well, tell me. How did you mean it? Because, and excuse me if I’m mistaken, but it seemed to me that you were saying that it’s my fault you were married to an asshole. Or that you left me and now you’re getting married again to someone that apparently doesn’t make you happy enough.”

“Don’t bring him into this okay? And who are you to judge whether or not Ben makes me happy? You don’t know anything about him.”

“That’s right, I don’t. But I do know that I have enough respect for him to say that what you’re doing isn’t right.”

“What I’m doing?” Elisabeth asked incredulously.

“Yes. Running back and forth between the two of us. What’s happened to you, Lizzie? Now that you’re not married anymore you think it’s okay to carry on relationships with numerous men?”

As quickly as their kiss had taken place, Elisabeth’s palm fiercely met Nick’s cheek causing his eyes to water. With tears shining brightly in her own eyes, she sucked in a breath to steady herself then turned a hard gaze back to Nick.

“You have no right to say anything like that to me. None at all, Nick.”

Nick watched Elisabeth as she loaded herself into her 4 Runner and sped off. Her tires squealed as she drove out of the parking lot. Nick shook himself from his slightly stunned stupor and got into his car; still too stubborn to feel bad for the things he’d just said.

***

“Daddy! Daddy! Look what Grams gave me!” Madelyn pounced on Nick as soon as he walked through the door eager to show off her new music box.

“Wow,” Nick grinned broadly despite the fact that he didn’t much feel like smiling. “Munchkin that’s great! Did you thank Grams?”

“Of course she did,” Winnie appeared in the doorway wiping her hands on her apron. “She has manners, you know. Unlike someone I know when they were growing up.”

Even though she was teasing, Nick couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Winnie had taught him to be polite and courteous as he was growing up, especially towards women, but he had chosen to ignore his upbringing. Now the things he’d said were starting to sink in and he didn’t like it at all.

“So, did you have a nice time at dinner?” Winnie asked as she went back into the kitchen. “I didn’t expect you to be home this early.”

“Oh, yeah, I had a great time,” he answered absently and took a seat on the couch. He watched Madelyn for a few minutes as she wound the music box and stared at it, seemingly mesmerized.

“Nickolas, is everything all right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, Gram, everything is okay. Uh…do you think you could watch Maddie for a little longer? There’s something I’ve gotta go do.” Without waiting for an answer Nick abruptly got up and placed a kiss on Madelyn’s forehead and one on his grandmother’s cheek before heading out the door.

***

Elisabeth was still reeling when she pulled into her driveway. So much so that she didn’t even notice the additional car parked beside her mother’s. She got out of her SUV and slammed the door mumbling under her breath as she made her way up the walkway. Her eyes were puffy and she was sure there had to be mascara running, but at this point she was so angry that she could have cared less.

Until the front door opened…

Looking up, she couldn’t help but gasp in surprise and try to wipe her eyes and make her appearance a little more suitable.

“Ben?”

“Hey, baby,” his voice was like silk. “Miss me?”

“More than you know,” she smiled and tried not to look upset, but it was no use.

“What’s wrong?” a frown quickly replace the smile on Ben’s handsome face as concern filled his voice.

“Nothing,” she replied quickly and tried to think of an excuse that both he and her mother would buy. “I just saw a really sappy movie. You know how I am.” Desperate to change the subject she quickly added, “What are you doing here? I thought you were still in New York?”

“Well,” the smiled returned to his face. “I was actually at the airport when I called you earlier. I thought I would get down here early and help out with the wedding as much as I can.”

“That’s great, honey,” Elisabeth forced a smile as Ben pulled her into his arms.

***

Nick stood in the line at the grocery store impatiently shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He had only come in to get one thing and of course the line was ten customers long. He let out a frustrated sigh and watched as the cashier began to take items out of a shopping cart that was rounded over with groceries. Couldn’t someone else come out and open one of their registers to help get some of these customers? There were three additional people already standing behind Nick.

Checking his watch, he sighed again and the man in front of him turned to look. Nick heard him mumble something incoherent under his breath, but was too rushed to care about finding out what.

After a few more minutes of heavy sighs and foot patting, Nick finally gave in to the fact that no one was going to come help this poor cashier in the next decade. “Damn it, I don’t have time for this,” he said angrily and fished in his pocket, pulling out a twenty. Walking past the other customers in front of him, he handed the bill to the stunned teenager behind the counter and forced a polite smile. “Take this and keep the change, okay? I’m in a hurry.”

Pulling out onto the street, Nick grumbled to himself. “If I had waited any longer, these damn flowers would have wilted.”

A few minutes later, Nick was sitting in his car in front of the Butler residence debating whether or not he was doing the right thing. He wanted more than anything to go back to earlier that evening and do things differently, but he knew it was no use to want to do the impossible. So, now he was staring up at their home, not sure if he should attempt to apologize to Elisabeth (he didn’t really want to get slapped again) or just throw the flowers out the window and go back home. He decided to go with the former and chance it…

Taking a deep breath to try and calm the butterflies, he got out of his car and went up to the door. Now all I have to do is knock, he told himself. Slowly, he lifted his hand and knocked lightly. He was beginning to wonder if maybe he hadn’t been loud enough, but finally heard someone walking in the foyer. A man’s voice rang out in laughter. Finally the door opened. The man on the other side was not Robert Butler…

“Can I help you?” Ben asked looking expectantly at the blonde man on the front doorstep.

Nick stupidly stepped back and checked the house number even though he knew it was the right house. 416 Ocean Breeze Drive… “Uh…well…I…” he continued to stammer on as the man just looked at him with an expression mixed with amusement and confusion.

“Do you have the right house?” Ben smirked.

Nick finally stopped bumbling and looked at the tall, broad man. “Yeah, I have the right place. Who are you?”

Ben was a little taken aback at the question and smirked again. “I’m Benjamin Hyatt; who might you be?”

Nick drove around Sunset Beach for the next hour doing nothing but mentally kicking himself in the ass for being such a “scared little pussy.” He had been standing on the doorstep looking at Elisabeth’s fiancé and when questioned about who he was, he backed out. Of course, he had been caught off guard, not expecting to meet Ben tonight. But he was still quite angry with himself.

Now, he was pulling into one of the parking lots for beach goers; at night they were fairly empty and being it was nearing the end of September, there were far more spaces to park.

“Why couldn’t I tell him who I was? ‘I’m Nick…Elisabeth’s…’” he trailed off unsure of what he would have said. “What am I? Not her boyfriend.”

Making sure his car was locked, Nick headed for the beach. It had been a long time since he had come to the beach at night to think; since Maddie had been born, he really hadn’t needed to. He rubbed his tired eyes and let out a weary sigh; it had been a long day.

Glancing out across the water, Nick couldn’t distinguish where the ocean ended and the sky began. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shivered a little as a slight chill crept into the air.

After a few minutes, he decided that he would turn around and head back. Gram will be worried if I don’t come home soon.

As he pulled off in the direction of his home, he saw that the flowers—looking old and wilted—were still lying in the passenger seat. Without a second though, Nick rolled down his window and tossed them out, watching as the car behind him crushed the already dying petals. So much for second chances, he thought unhappily.

***

“Who was that, Liz?” Ben asked for the hundredth time in 2 minutes. Ever since Nick had come by, Ben had been questioning her nonstop: Who is he? What does he want? Why would he bring you flowers? Is he crazy? She took a calming breath and ignored his question as she began to wash the dishes lying in the kitchen sink.

“He must have had the wrong house, dear,” Abigail reassured Ben as she waltzed into the kitchen. “Jacob is looking for you. I think he wants you to play a game on that fun station thingy.”

Ben laughed at Abigail’s video game illiteracy and left the room to find Jacob, leaving mother and daughter to finish cleaning up.

“What was he doing here?” Abigail questioned after a few minutes of silent dish washing.

Elisabeth rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and let out an impatient sigh. “I should have known your interrogation was coming.”

“Listen to me Elisabeth,” her mother began speaking in a softer tone. “Don’t mess this up. Benjamin is a wonderful man and you deserve to be happy, but that means you have to give him a chance.”

“I told you already,” Elisabeth began through clenched teeth, “I don’t know what he was doing here. Why is it you automatically assume that I’m going to go sleep with any man that shows up at my front door?”

Abigail stopped drying the bowl in her hands and looked at her daughter. “If he had been any other man, I wouldn’t be worried, but I know what happened between you two before. I’m just trying to look out for you, darling.”

“Look, Mother, I’m okay. I can handle this, all right? Just don’t worry about anything,” Elisabeth said as she rinsed the last dish and dropped it into Abigail’s hands.

Walking past the living room, Elisabeth saw that Ben and Jacob were engrossed in one of the many video games in Jacob’s vast library. For this she was quite thankful because that meant she could be alone for a little while. She would be able to think. To cry. To do whatever she wanted.

Quickly and quietly, she grabbed a jacket and ventured out onto the back deck. The temperature had dropped considerably since earlier that evening and it was fairly below normal for a September night in North Carolina. Falling into one of the wicker chairs, she leaned her head back and looked up at the cloudy sky. Big billowing clouds were rolling in from over the ocean and she could see distant flickers of lightening on the horizon.

There was no denying that Nick had come over to apologize to her.

God, she thought, please help me do the right thing this time.

Closing her eyes, she felt the first drops of rain splatter onto her cheeks and she heard the doors open. So much for alone time.

***

*Three Days Later*

“Hey Camden,” Nick greeted his neighbor as he entered the hardware store. “You okay? You look like something’s bothering you.”

“Just the in-laws,” Tyler Camden replied and leaned on the counter. “My batty old mother-in-law is driving me insane, but don’t tell Michelle I said that.”

Nick smirked and nodded. “So, what can I help you with?”

“Nothin’ really, I just had to get away from home for a little while. I didn’t tell anybody where I was going or when I’d be back; and this was just the first place I thought of.”

Nick was about to reply when the bell at the top of the door caught his attention and he turned to greet the customer. He stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth setting into a grim line.

Ben Hyatt smiled politely at Nick and nodded in greeting to Tyler as he waited for their conversation to end. Taking the hint rather quickly, Tyler slapped his hand on the counter and sighed.

“I guess I should get outta here; Michelle might call up here soon. If she does, you didn’t see me, okay?”

“Sure thing, Camden,” Nick laughed. “Can I help you?”

Ben noticed that Nick was acting as though he had never laid eyes on him in his life. “Actually, I just wanted to come by and talk to you about something.”

“Oh, okay,” Nick tried to sound nonchalant, but inwardly he groaned. He thought that by now he wasn’t gonna have to worry about another run-in with Benjamin Hyatt. My luck just ran out, he snorted bitterly to himself. “What about?”

“The other night when you showed up at my fiancée’s house,” Ben didn’t miss a beat.

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that, man,” Nick said casually. “I was at the wrong house.”

“Uh huh,” Ben said unconvinced. “Look, Abby has already filled me in on your little escapade with Liz a few years back. I just wanted to come remind you that our wedding is in a week and a half and I would appreciate it if you didn’t take to turning up on our doorstep whenever you feel the urge.”

Nick could feel his blood boiling in his veins and he took a breath to calm his surging temper. Clenching his fists on top of the counter, he cleared his throat and met Ben’s gaze. “I think you need to leave.” Be the bigger man, he kept chanting to himself.

Ben smirked and shrugged. “Just remember this talk, okay? You had your chance with Liz, and I would appreciate it if you left her alone.”

Before Nick could even think of anything to say to Ben, he had left the small store. “Dickhead.”

***

“You told him what!?” Elisabeth shrieked across the room at her mother. “What made you think you even had the right to bring that up? Even to Ben?”

“Elisabeth, darling, Benjamin has the right to know about this.”

“The hell he does. Not from you, anyway. It wasn’t your place to tell him about what happened between Nick and me; you would give your version. I’m sure it’s quite exaggerated by now.”

Abigail remained calm as Elisabeth continued to rant.

“Why do you always take it upon yourself to handle things that are none of your concern? I mean, do you even know what it means when something is private?”

“Were you ever going to tell him?”

“Why should Ben know about things that happened years ago? What happened with Nick happened when I was at my lowest, and whether you want to realize it or not, mother, Nick brought me back from that point. He saved me. But you just can’t fathom that someone like Nick could be such a Godsend, can you? Just because he isn’t wealthy doesn’t mean he’s not rich. God, you just think you’re better than everyone don’t you? You probably even think you’re better than Dad and me. I think the only person you like is YOU, and that’s just quite sad.”

“You know what I think you’re problem is?”

“What?” Elisabeth asked even though she didn’t want to hear it.

“I think you’re afraid to be happy,” Abigail said as Elisabeth rolled her brown eyes. “I’m serious. You’ve been unhappy for so long, I think you are scared that if you let something or someone make you happy something bad will happen.”

“No, Mom, I’m not scared of being happy, I’m just scared that I’m going to make the wrong decision like I did before.”

“You won’t.”

Elisabeth thought for a moment about that. Then, looking at her mother, she smiled. “You’re right; I won’t.”

The next day, Elisabeth woke to find a beautiful summer-like day; the sky was clear and the temperature was well above normal. Carefully, she slid out of Ben’s embrace and walked over to her window. She stood there staring for a while before she felt his arms encircling her waist.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked as he placed a soft kiss just under her ear.

“Nothing really,” she lied. To be completely honest, she had been thinking about Nick. Wondering where he was and what he might be doing. When Ben began nuzzling the back of her neck, Elisabeth slipped from his grasp and went to her dresser. Sifting through the top drawer, she pulled out a few items of clothing and looked at Ben. He looked a little confused by her standoffishness.

“Why don’t we do something today?” she asked when he didn’t say anything. “You, Jake and me. Mom should be done with Jake before too late this afternoon, so we should all go do something. As a family.”

Ben continued to look at her before finally nodding. “That sounds like a good idea.” His smile seemed strained.

“Okay,” Elisabeth smiled. “I’m gonna go take a shower,” she said and quickly left the room.

***

Later that day, just as Elisabeth had suggested, she, Ben and Jacob went out as a family. Instead of leaving town, they decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and unseasonably warm weather. Elisabeth packed a picnic and they walked down to the beach to eat a late lunch together.

After they finished eating, Elisabeth took off her shoes and buried her feet in the warm sand as she watched Ben and Jacob toss a football back and forth. There were only a few other people out on the beach with them, so it was fairly quiet. Lying back on her elbows, Elisabeth closed her eyes and listened as her son and fiancé played what had become their version of a loud game of one on one football. Shaking her head, she laughed at how silly they looked without other people to help make up a team.

“TOUCHDOWN!” Jacob yelled as he did a victory dance in his makeshift end zone.

Closing her eyes, Elisabeth sighed. She enjoyed the warm sun on her cheeks and being in a family situation was helping to take her mind off Nick.

Suddenly, the peacefulness of the situation was broken when Ben cried out in pain. Quickly jumping to her feet, Elisabeth ran over to find his nose bloody and the football lying at his feet. Even though his voice was muffled, she could distinctly make out the string of ungodly curses that came flying from his mouth. Hurrying back over to the blanket she had been relaxing on, she grabbed a napkin and gave it to Ben.

“Calm down,” she whispered.

“Calm down?” Ben cried angrily. The area underneath his eyes and around his nose was turning a cruel shade of purple. “I think that little shit just broke my nose!”

Elisabeth immediately saw red. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. He aimed that fucking ball right for my face. What the hell was that, anyway, Jacob?”

Turning to look at her son, Elisabeth saw terrified tears glistening in his bright hazel eyes. “He did not do that on purpose and you know it.”

“The hell I do.”

“I-I didn’t, Ben. I s-swear, it was a…an accident!”

“Save it,” Ben glared at Jacob who was now looking rather traumatized.

“Go back to the house, Jake, okay? It’s okay. Accidents happen.”

Nodding weakly, Jacob took off running for the house without bothering to look back.

“What the hell is your problem, Benjamin?” Elisabeth yelled when she was sure Jacob was no where within earshot. “Who do you think you are accusing my son of doing something like this intentionally?”

“Liz, he aimed that fucking ball right for my face. What was I supposed to think?”

“You know what? Just stop, okay? I don’t need this right now.”

“You don’t need this?” Ben scoffed as he continued to mop up the blood dripping from his injured nose.

“Yes, I don’t need this. I’m going back to check on Jacob and I would suggest that you don’t come back right now. You are not the person I want to be around at the moment,” she said in a threatening tone as she picked up her belongings and headed in the direction her son had gone.

***

Nick sat, bored, in his car waiting for Maddie to get out of school. Scanning through the radio stations, he finally decided that they were not going to be playing anything worth listening to, so he turned it off and waited for his daughter in silence.

After a few more minutes, he sighed impatiently and checked his watch. Maddie got out of school at 2:45. It was now 3:05 and he had been sitting there waiting for her for almost half an hour. It seemed like it took Madelyn longer and longer to make it to the car after school every day.

Finally, Nick saw her round the corner. He groaned when he saw she was dragging Ms. Norris along behind her. “Maddie, what are you up to?” he mumbled to himself as he smiled at his daughter and her teacher.

“Hello, Mr. Carter,” Melanie smiled politely though she looked a little frazzled.

“Please, call me Nick,” he reminded her. There was an awkward silence. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m doing well,” she smiled. Looking around to make sure Maddie wasn’t listening and she leaned a little closer to Nick and whispered, “Maddie asked me to come out here with her for whatever reason. I think she might be trying to play a little match making game.”

Nick looked at Maddie then to Melanie. He smiled a little when he saw she was blushing. “She must get that from her great grandmother.”

Melanie smiled again. “Well, I’ll let you go. I’ve got some stuff to do before I leave. It was nice seeing you again.”

“You, too,” Nick smiled and watched as she turned to leave. Then, all of a sudden, Winnie’s words echoed in his mind. Just let go. “Hey, Melanie,” he called quickly. When she turned around, he took hold of Maddie’s had and walked up to her.

“Is something wrong, Nick?”

“Uh, no,” he smiled. “I, uh, I was just wondering if maybe you’d wanna go get dinner?”

Melanie’s cheeks reddened a little more and she smiled. “Sure, I would love that.”

“Okay,” he felt himself grinning. “How about tonight?”

“Tonight sounds great,” she nodded.

“Great,” he grinned wider. “I can pick you up if you want.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I live at 413 Ocean Breeze Drive.”

Nick froze for a moment and then ignored the feeling that had settled in his stomach. “I know exactly where that is. So, I’ll see you tonight at 7. Does that sound okay?”

“That sounds perfect,” she smiled and headed back into the school.

“Yeah,” Nick said to himself. “Perfect.”

Nick pulled his shirt over his head and tucked it neatly into his khakis then sat down to put his shoes on. It was 6:20 and he was getting ready to head over to Melanie’s house to pick her up for dinner. Casting a quick glance in the mirror, he sighed when he saw his unruly hair; no matter what he did to it, his hair stayed messy. He made one last check of the room to make sure he had everything—wallet, keys, cell phone. When he was sure he had everything, he went out into the den where Winnie sat holding Madelyn on her lap, reading a story.

“Are you leaving, sweetheart?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes, ma’am,” he smiled and leaned down to give Winnie, then Maddie, a kiss on the cheek. Looking into his daughter’s innocent blue eyes he smiled again. “Be good for Gram, okay?”

“I will, Daddy,” she let her head fall back on Winnie’s shoulder as she looked up at him. “Gram said we could get pizza tonight.”

“She did, huh? Well, don’t eat too much, okay? And you know my cell phone number if anything happens,” he finished looking at his still smiling grandmother.

“Nick, stop worrying and get going. You don’t want to be late, do you?” Winnie’s eyes glimmered. “Just go and have a good time on your date tonight.”

Nick almost corrected her, saying that it wasn’t a date, but he stopped himself. It was, in fact, a date. The first he’d been on in years. He had to admit that he was more than a little nervous, but he was actually looking forward to it. The more he thought about Melanie, the more he thought this was a good idea.

“Okay, I’m going now. You two be good,” he laughed when they both grinned. “I love you.”

***

“So, how long have you lived in Sunset Beach?” Nick asked as he and Melanie waited for their dinner. They had decided on Chili’s. It had always been a good first date restaurant in Nick’s opinion; not too formal, but not too casual. It was relaxed enough for two people to talk and get to know one another. Of course, there are other places, too. Say, a small seafood place then a boat ride, the thought entered his mind and he quickly scolded himself.

“Well, I’ve lived in North Carolina for about five years now, but I was living up near the Raleigh-Durham area. I actually just moved down here last summer,” she answered almost shyly. “What about you? Are you originally from here?”

“Born and raised. I’ve never really left the area except to go up to up to the mountains or Raleigh. Just for a quick visit, ya know?” he answered with a smile. He could tell she was more nervous than he was and he wanted them both to relax and just forget that this was an awkward first date.

Looking more closely at Melanie, Nick thought she was someone he could see himself with. She wasn’t supermodel gorgeous, but she was quite attractive. She was more of your average girl than the glamorous type. Her light brown hair fell just below her shoulders and was cut to frame her face. She had fair skin with a few freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. If he had to guess her age, he would say she was only about 23 or 24, but he wasn’t going to ask her. I don’t wanna get slapped, he chuckled to himself.

He continued to study her soft features as she talked. Suddenly he found himself comparing her to Elisabeth. Stop it, he heard his mind scream. Stop comparing her to someone from your past. What happened to letting go?

Nick looked away from Melanie was glad to see the waitress finally heading their way with dinner; it was a welcome interruption to his thoughts.

***

Elisabeth paced around her bedroom impatiently. She didn’t know what to do. Today she had seen a side of Ben that she had never seen before; it was someone she didn’t know at all. The events that had taken place were enough to make her doubt their entire relationship.

Question after question flooded her mind. Was this someone she could live with? Would he always treat Jacob the way he had earlier? How would he treat her after they were married?

It was all becoming too much for her, so she sat down at her vanity trying, unsuccessfully, to suppress the anguish that was taking over. It was happening again; Ben seemed to be another Joshua. How could she have made that mistake a second time after she swore she would never let it happen again?

Just then, there was a knock on her door. “Go away,” she said furiously.

“Liz, let me in, please,” Ben’s voice was heavy with emotion.

“No, Ben, I don’t want to see you right now.”

“Come on, Elisabeth, we need to talk about what happened earlier today. I’m really sorry I lost my temper like that.”

He sounded sincere, but Elisabeth couldn’t stop herself. “Are you really? Cause you didn’t seem sorry when it happened.”

“I told you, I lost my temper. It just surprised me, that’s all,” he was practically begging. “I’ve already apologized to Jake. He knows that I’m sorry; now if you would just let me apologize.”

“Ben, I just don’t want to see you right now. Is that too much to ask?” she said harshly. Listening closely, she heard him sigh in defeat as he turned away and headed back down the hall.

***

Slowly opening her eyes, Elisabeth looked around the dark room and realized that she must have fallen asleep. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she tried to get them adjusted to the shadows of her bedroom. The bright red numbers on her clock read 9:04. She had been asleep for more than two hours. She stretched and got up, turning on her bedside lamp. Thankfully, she was still alone.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She did not want to go downstairs and have to face her mother and Ben. The last thing she wanted or needed right now was another confrontation. But I might as well get it over with, right? she groaned inwardly. Still feeling rather sluggish, Elisabeth headed downstairs.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she saw that the entire first floor of the house was dark. That’s strange, she said to herself as she went from room to room. No lights were on anywhere and there was no sign of her mother, Ben or Jacob. Peeking out the window, she saw Ben’s rental car wasn’t sitting in the driveway where it had been.

“Mom? Jacob?” Elisabeth called out.

After rechecking the entire house, she finally found a tiny note on the table in the foyer. It wasn’t detailed. All it said was that Abigail, Ben and Jacob had gone out for a little while and would be back soon; it didn’t say what time they left or where they went.

A flash of lightening followed by roaring thunder made Elisabeth jump slightly and she suddenly realized why there were no lights. “The power must have gone out right after I left my room,” she muttered. Looking out the window at the raging storm that was hammering down on the small beach town, she suddenly had the urge to go out. Even though she was completely alone in the house, it was becoming entirely too confining.

***

“Wow, I didn’t know it was supposed to storm tonight,” Melanie shouted to Nick as they made a mad dash for his car. After dinner they had gone to the aquarium so they would be able to continue to talk. When the storm came up, they decided to try and wait it out, but to no avail. The storm seemed to be sitting right over the town and it didn’t look like it was going to be letting up any time soon.

“Neither did I,” he said once they were safely inside the car. Looking over at Melanie, he saw she was shivering. “Here, let me turn on the heat. You don’t need to get sick.”

“Thanks,” she smiled. Glancing at Nick, she couldn’t suppress a giggle.

“What’s so funny?” he asked quickly.

“You look like a drowned rat,” she laughed again.

“Hey, don’t crack on me…you don’t look so hot yourself.”

“Well, okay, we both look like a drowned rat.” A comfortable silence settled over them.

“Well, I guess we should probably be heading back,” Nick finally said as he shifted into drive.

The drive didn’t seem to take nearly as long as it would have had it not been a good date. In fact, Nick was quite surprised at just how quickly they seemed to make it back to Sunset Beach. When he pulled into Melanie’s driveway, he cut the engine and turned to look at her. She was looking back at him, smiling.

“I had a really good time tonight, Nick,” she said quietly.

Lightening flashed somewhere in the distance illuminating the entire town. “So did I.”

“I hope we can do this again sometime soon.”

“I would really like that,” he said and reached over to take her hand in his. “Tonight was great.”

“I think we established that,” Melanie grinned as Nick began to slowly lean toward her.

“Yeah,” he smiled just before their lips finally met in a soft kiss. It only lasted for a second before it was over, and they both pulled back, smiling at one another. “Is it okay if I call you tomorrow?”

“That would be nice,” she replied as she took out a pen and a small slip of paper. Jotting down her phone number, Melanie leaned over and placed another soft kiss on his lips before braving the rain once again.

Nick had planned on walking her to her door, but she was out of the car before he could even think about it, so he made sure she was safely inside before leaving the driveway. As he drove down the street, he couldn’t help but cast a glance in the direction of 416 Ocean Breeze Drive. Before he could let himself slip into a sullen mood, he redirected his thoughts to his date with Melanie and what he was going to say when he called her tomorrow.

When he pulled into his driveway, Nick sat in the car for a few minutes. He was sure that Winnie and Maddie were still waiting up for him, eager to hear all the details about his night. He looked out the window and saw that the rain had only slowed slightly. “Oh well, what’s a little rain?” He took his time walking from his car to the porch, not caring if he got soaked. He was really happy with himself for getting out tonight; it had been a wonderful night. Just as he was slipping his key into the door, he heard a soft voice behind him.

“Nick?”

Startled, Nick turned to find a completely drenched Elisabeth standing there. “What are you doing here?”

“I…I just had to come see you.”

“You’re dripping wet,” he said as he looked her over. Surely she hadn’t walked to his house in the pouring rain. “You’re gonna be sick if you’re not careful,” he told her, rubbing her arms to warm her.

“I don’t care about that…I just…I needed to see you.”

“What’s going on?” Nick pulled back to look at Elisabeth, concern etched into his features. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know anymore, Nick,” she answered truthfully. “I don’t know anything anymore. I feel like I’m losing control of everything and I don’t know what to do.” Nick watched as Elisabeth pulled away and began pacing the length of the porch. After a few minutes she stopped and looked at him. “I think…no, I know that I made a huge mistake, Nick. And I don’t want to make another mistake that will just be more trouble to fix.”

“Lizzie,” his voice was soft, “what are you talking about?”

“Us…I’m talking about us, Nick.”

“What about us? You’re getting married, Lizzie, there really isn’t an “us” to talk about.”

Elisabeth sighed impatiently and broke away from Nick’s grasp. Walking out into the yard, she looked up into the sky as the rain continued to fall. “I don’t understand why I always make the wrong choices, but I don’t wanna be wrong this time.” She seemed to be talking to herself. “I just feel like everything that was normal for me is spinning out of control…and that only happens when I think about you or when I’m around you.”

Nick didn’t know what to say. She was saying things that he wasn’t sure she meant. Had she been drinking or was she just nervous about getting married again?

“You know what?”

“What?” he asked quietly.

“I hate you. I hate everything about you. The way you turn something into this big deal that shouldn’t make a difference. I hate they way you think you’re always right. I hate that you always know what to do or the right thing to say. I hate your smile. I hate they way I feel in your arms. I hate your kisses. I hate the way your hair falls in your eyes when you sleep. I hate how I feel when I hear your say ‘I love you’. I hate you because I love you so much.”

Nick stood there for a moment, letting her words sink in. He was afraid he’d imagined everything she just said; he didn’t want it to be something he’d just dreamed up.

“I’ve been ‘hating’ your for six years, Nick. I was too scared to come back and face you after what I did, so I decided to focus on all the things that I detested about you. The only problem was that there was nothing at all that I didn’t love about you. Every day I thought about coming back and telling you I was wrong. I wanted to beg you to forgive me; to forget about me ever running away and just start over. But I was too scared.”

“What was there to be scared of?” his voice shook with every word.

“I was scared that you would have moved on and forgotten about me. I was afraid that you’d stopped loving me as much as I loved you.”

“That could never happen,” Nick whispered.

“But I was too scared to think otherwise,” Elisabeth cried as her tears became indistinguishable from the rain. Taking a shuddering breath, she closed her eyes. “Every time it rains, I think about you.”

Nick stood watching as she let the raindrops wash over her. He wanted to take her in his arms and love her, but he held back. She had given no sign that she wanted that tonight. Maybe this was something she felt she had to do before her wedding; to come to him and “clear the air” so she would feel better.

“Most people don’t mind the rain, but I can barely stand it because all I think about when it rains is you. The last day we were together.”

Nick’s mind was suddenly flooded with so many thoughts, things seemed like they were spinning. Just when everything seemed to be getting back to normal for him, something came up and slapped him in the face again. Clearing his throat, he tried to find exactly what he wanted to say to her.

Elisabeth turned to look at Nick. She was anxious to hear what he was about to say.

“Look, Elisabeth, I don’t know what’s going on, but I think you really need to go. It’s getting late, and I need to get inside so I can put Maddie to bed,” he told her, trying his best to be polite even though he was growing angry.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me, Nick? I just spilled my heart out to you!”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. She was being selfish and that bugged him. “No, I really don’t have anything to say to you right now. I actually just got home from a date and I’d like to spend a little time with my family.”

“Please don’t walk away from me again, Nick,” her voice came out a strangled cry. She sounded more desperate than she liked.

Just when he felt himself caving in, a picture of Melanie flashed through his mind and he decided this was the time to put his foot down. “No, Elisabeth, don’t start with that crap again, okay? What happened between us was great, but it is in the past now. I can’t let you run back to me now that you think it’s okay for you; not after the way you left. I have been hanging onto your memory for far too long and I’ve finally started to get on with my life. Do you think it’s fair that timing has to be good for you before it can work for us?”

She could feel the tears rising in her eyes, but stayed silent.

“Look, I love you, Lizzie. That will never change. But I cannot just drop everything now that you’re ready. I mean, how do I know that you won’t just run out on me like you did last time?”

When she still didn’t make an effort to speak, Nick just nodded and turned to go inside. He didn’t look back as he entered the house, but he knew that she wasn’t hurrying to get out of there.

Elisabeth was dumbfounded. When she’d thought about this earlier that was not how she’d envisioned it happening. Taking another deep breath, she finally forced herself to accept the fact that Nick wasn’t coming back out. It was time for her to leave. It was time for her to move on, too.

So that’s what I’m going to do, her mind screamed. And as loud as her mind was screaming, she could still hear the whisper in her heart.

I’ve loved you too much and for too long to give up now…

*One Week Later*

Two days before her wedding, Elisabeth stood over the kitchen stove preparing breakfast. She was the first one awake and decided to treat her family to a nice, big breakfast; something they weren’t allowed to enjoy together very often. She knew that before long everyone but Katy would soon be joining her in the kitchen. Katy, she knew, would want to sleep a little longer since she had gotten in late the night before. Just as she predicted, Jacob came dragging down the stairs within the next few minutes. Her parents closely followed with Ben bringing up the rear.

“Lizzie, this smells wonderful,” Robert grinned and placed a kiss on his daughter’s forehead. “What in the world possessed you to do all this?”

“I just thought it would be nice,” she said with a shrug as they all seated themselves around the table. “Everything has been so hectic this past week and I thought it would be nice just to sit down and enjoy time with one another.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have to cook and clean everything in site,” Ben smiled and nuzzled the back of her neck. “You should be relaxing.”

After Elisabeth left Nick’s one week earlier, she had come home to find Ben waiting. He’d been worried sick not knowing where she had been or what she’d been doing and decided he would wait for her. As soon as she had come through the front door, he’d taken her in his arms. Apologizing profusely and begging forgiveness, Ben carried her upstairs where he begged and apologized for hours on end. Even the next day, he would look over at her and whisper how sorry he was. Seeing his sincerity, Elisabeth knew she couldn’t stay angry at him.

“Morning everybody,” Kaitlyn said cheerfully as she entered the kitchen.

“Katy, I thought you’d still be asleep,” Elisabeth told her daughter as she poured a glass of orange juice.

“Well, I thought the same thing, but I couldn’t really sleep,” she replied with a small shrug. “Besides, I thought we could get an early start and spend the day together.”

Elisabeth practically beamed. Even now after repairing their almost shattered relationship, she still felt as though it was sometimes too good to be true. “That sounds great!”

***

“I dunno. I’m really glad that I decided to take a year off before going to college, but I just feel really out of place sometimes,” Katy said as she and Elisabeth walked through downtown Sunset Beach window shopping. “I mean, it’s not like I’m having trouble adjusting ‘cause I’m not.”

“Well, it just takes time to get back in the swing of thing. College is a big thing, and I know it’s not that easy; especially when you’re going back after taking a break. Just give yourself some more time to get settled in and you’ll be fine,” she smiled reassuringly. After a few minutes of walking quietly, Elisabeth glanced over and smiled. “So, have you met any cute guys?” She didn’t miss the blush creeping into Katy’s cheeks.

“Actually…” Katy paused for a moment, “I was gonna surprise you, but I have a date for the wedding. He’s supposed to be flying in tomorrow.”

“Really?” Elisabeth cried excitedly. “That’s wonderful!”

“So, you don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind, Katy. I’m just a little offended you didn’t tell me sooner,” she answered with a wink. “Tell me about him.”

“Well, his name is Trent Davidson and he’s a junior,” Katy said as she began to tell her mother all she could.

The two continued to chat as they made their way around the small town. Soon, they found themselves on the pier overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Stopping at a bench, they both sat quietly just watching the people around them. It had been a long time since either of them had been on the pier.

“You should have planned to have the wedding here,” Katy said as she stared absently out across the water. “That would be beautiful.”

“Ben wouldn’t have gone for having the wedding here; it was all I could do to get him to agree to the beach. This is a place Nick would have chosen,” the words were out before Elisabeth could even think about them.

“Nick?” Katy asked curiously.

“Oh, well…uh…this would have been somewhere he would have liked. At least, when I knew him,” she stumbled over the words.

Suddenly turning serious, Kaitlyn looked at Elisabeth and took a breath. “Can I ask you something?”

Elisabeth didn’t know if she wanted to hear the question or not, but she nodded regardless.

“Do you still love him?”

Elisabeth had told Katy about what she and Nick shared that summer; not in detail of course, but enough to know what they shared was something special that only comes along once in a life time. At 13 Katy could never have understood the situation, but as she grew older, she became more curious and started asking questions. Finally, one day about two years before, Elisabeth sat down with her and told her what happened. Finally, Katy was able to appreciate exactly what Elisabeth was explaining to her.

Now, with the question still hanging in the air, Elisabeth didn’t know what to say. She wanted to be completely truthful; however, she didn’t want to upset Katy. She finally gave a short nod. “Yes, I do and I’m sure I always will. But time just hasn’t been on our side, and well, you know what they say.”

“Timing is everything.”

“Exactly,” she answered sadly.

***

Nick exhaled slowly while trying to keep from losing his patience. He checked his watch again and decided that he would wait a few more minutes and then leave; he didn’t have all the time in the world to wait for this kid to come whenever it was convenient for him.

One of his neighbors’ kids needed a small, part-time job after school, and he had talked Nick into at least talking to him and seeing what he could do for his son. Now, Nick was waiting in the shop for the kid and it didn’t seem like he would be coming anytime soon. He finally decided that there was no point in meeting him and started gathering up his things when he heard the bell above the door jingle.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” the teenage boy was breathing heavily as though he’d run a mile. “I had to stay after school for a few minutes, but I swear I’m not usually late.”

Nick suppressed a smile and seated himself back behind the counter. Aidan Price wasn’t a bad kid, he knew, but he did tend to get a little jittery every now and then. “That’s okay. I was just jumping the gun, I guess. Bad day.” They had a short talk and Nick showed Aidan how to run the register among other things. “That’s about it; it’s pretty simple. You can start tomorrow if you like.”

Aidan gave a confident nod and smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Carter.”

Nick smiled, internally wincing at the use of Mr. in front of his name. “No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” Walking to the front of the shop, he nodded at Gabe. “I’ve gotta get going. You got everything under control here?”

“Sure thing,” Gabe said in his usual monotone voice.

Nick had begun to realize that the only time he seemed to liven up was when his grandmother happened to be nearby. Grinning to himself, he turned to look at Gabe. “I think Gram is supposed to come by later. Will you tell her where I went?”

Sure enough, Gabe’s aged eyes seemed to brighten up a bit. “Sure will.”

“Thanks.”

***

“Daddy?”

“Hm?” Nick asked as he looked over the day’s paper while Maddie ate her dinner.

“Are you gonna marry Ms. Norris?”

Just as his daughter had asked the question, Nick had decided to take a sip of his soda and he nearly choked in order to keep himself from spitting it all over his paper. Finally composing himself, he looked at Maddie in confusion. “Where did that come from?”

“Mia said that when you really like somebody you marry them,” she said as she wiped her nose on her hand. “Don’t you really like her?”

“Well,” Nick was stumped. How was he supposed to answer this question? “Of course I like her.”

“Then you’re gonna marry her?” she almost looked hopeful.

Folding up his paper and sliding out of the chair, Nick placed himself on the floor beside Madelyn. “Well, no, that doesn’t mean I’m gonna marry her. See, I like her, but in order for two people to get married, they have to love each other for a long time first.” But that’s not true is it? You didn’t know and love Elisabeth for a long time, but you still would have married her, he heard part of his mind saying.

“Oh,” Madelyn said obviously disappointed. After a second she looked up at him, blue eyes shining. “Why doesn’t Mommy love me?”

Nick was crushed by the look in her eyes; his heart wrenched as he tried to find the right thing to say. “Baby, Mommy loves you very much.”

“Then why is she gone?”

“Well, sometimes people have to go away for a while and then come back later. I know that it’s hard to understand right now, but your Mommy loves you and don’t ever think otherwise, okay?”

Maddie nodded halfheartedly and then snuggled closer to Nick. “Daddy?”

“Yeah, Munchkin?”

“I love you.”

Nick smiled and pulled her onto his lap, savoring the moment as though it could have been his last. “I love you, too.”

***

*The Next Day*

Elisabeth woke up with the sun shining right in her eyes. She groaned and rolled over, pulling a pillow over her head. It, however, was quickly snatched away.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Abigail called cheerily.

“What time is it?” Elisabeth asked. She felt like her throat had been through a desert.

“7.”

“In the morning?” she cried as she sat up. “Why are you getting me up this early?”

“Because, dear, we have lots to do. So, come on, let’s get going. Chop chop!”

Falling back onto the bed with an irritated groan, Elisabeth draped her arm over her face. “Oh, I’ll chop chop something for ya.”

“I heard that!” Abigail called from the stairs.

After a nice long shower, Elisabeth finally found her way downstairs. Forty five minutes after she had been woken up, she was sure Abigail would be wonderfully irritated by the time she made her way into the kitchen. “Good morning,” she grinned broadly as her mother frowned.

“You’re breakfast is cold.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m not really that hungry anyway,” she was still grinning. It was so much to do everything the way her mother hated.

“Well, you need to hurry up and get ready because we have too much stuff to get done today for you to take your time at everything,” Abigail’s voice was definitely less cheerful than it had been before.

“Hey, Grandma, why don’t you and I go ahead and get a head start on some things and let Mom rest a bit more? I mean, it’s nothing we can’t handle,” Katy piped up sensing an argument brewing.

“That sounds great, Katy,” Elisabeth offered a thankful smile. “You can handle that, right Mother?”

“I suppose I’ll have to, won’t I?”

Elisabeth’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she watched Abigail leave the room to get her things. “I’ll meet up with you two later,” she said as she gave Katy a kiss on the cheek.

“Okay, but do me a favor, okay?”

“Anything.”

“Try and behave a little better, Mom,” she couldn’t hide her smile.

“Well, I’ll try. Can’t make any promises though.”

Thankful to finally be able to relax a little, Elisabeth made herself a cup of coffee and went out on the back deck. She hoped the weather would stay this perfect tomorrow for the wedding. She was out there for quite a while until she heard the doorbell ringing. Pulling her robe tighter around her, she bolted into the house. “Oh dear lord,” she cried as she caught a glimpse at the clock. 9:38…they’re gonna kill me! She finally made it to the door just as the person was about to leave.

It was a florist.

“May I help you?” Elisabeth asked with a polite smile.

“Yes, ma’am. These are for Elisabeth Walker.”

Flattered, Elisabeth smiled. “That would be me.”

“Here you go,” he smiled and tipped his hat.

Still shocked, Elisabeth carried the lavish arrangement into the den and sat them on the coffee table. There had to be at least two dozen long stem roses there. After searching for a card, she finally found it hidden in the middle of the flowers. Opening the tiny envelope, Elisabeth found not a traditional card, but a piece of paper that had been folded over twice.

I'll give my all or not at all
There's no in-between
I'll give my best, won't second guess
This feelin deep in me

You make me want to love you
With every breath I'll love you, endlessly
I'll give my heart, give my soul
I won't hold back, I'll give you everything
All of me, completely*


I just wanted to let you know how much I truly love you before tomorrow. You are everything a man could ever hope for. I love you.

Elisabeth felt herself smiling. How sweet could one man be? “Now I feel silly for ever doubting him,” she murmured to herself. Just then, as if on cue, the front door opened and Ben rounded the corner. Before he could even get his greeting out, she was in front of him, her lips covering his. “Oh, baby, I love them! You are so wonderful.”

“Whoa…wait,” he chuckled. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“My flowers, silly,” she was grinning from ear to ear, still clutching the note in her hand.

“What flowers?” Ben asked seriously as he looked past her to see what she was talking about.

She could feel her smile falling. “You mean…you…they’re not from you?”

“No,” Ben looked as confused as she felt.

Then it hit her. No, they weren’t from Ben, but she knew exactly who they were from.

***
* “Completely” by Jennifer Day

Nick slowly opened his eyes and groaned; he just wanted the day to be over and it was only beginning. He rubbed his tired eyes and sat up, looking out the window at the cloudless blue sky. Perfect day for a wedding, he thought miserably as he hauled himself out of bed and into the kitchen to make breakfast. Stabbing a hand through his messy hair, he opened the fridge and started looking for something to eat. After a few minutes, he heard Maddie’s soft footsteps on the hardwood floors as she ventured into the TV room to watch Saturday morning cartoons.

“Maddie, what do you want for breakfast?” he called as he continued to look through cabinets.

“Pancakes?” she appeared in the doorway looking hopeful.

“Pancakes it is,” Nick smiled and swept her up in his arms to give her a kiss on the cheek. As soon as he put her down, Maddie dashed from the kitchen before the commercials ended. Twenty minutes and a pile of pancakes later, Nick was calling to Madelyn to come get her breakfast before it got cold.

“So, what do you want to do today, Munchkin?” Nick asked, depositing a plate and glass of juice in front of Maddie. “We have a whole day ahead of us.”

Excitement flushed her young face at once. “Daddy, can we go out on the boat today?”

At her request, Nick glanced uncertainly out the kitchen window. Sure, it was beautiful now, but he knew they were calling for storms before the end of the day. He looked back at Madelyn; she was staring up at him with a pleading look. “We’ll see.”

Throwing her arms around Nick’s legs, Madelyn hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Daddy,” she grinned and out of the kitchen toward the living room.

***

Elisabeth was sitting at her vanity staring at her reflection when there was a soft knock on her bedroom door. Part of her wanted to pretend to be sleeping in case it was her mother. “Come in,” she said quietly after a moment. She watched the door slowly swing open and Katy stuck her head inside.

“Hey,” she grinned. “I didn’t know if you’d be up yet or not.”

“I’ve been up for a couple hours,” Elisabeth smiled. “I woke up around 5:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“Are you nervous?” Katy asked.

“No, not really.”

“Excited?”

“A little,” Elisabeth replied with a slight shrug.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” Katy asked as she pulled a chair over beside Elisabeth and sat down.

Elisabeth stared down into her hands for a minute before looking up. She surprised both Katy and herself when she realized there were tears glistening in her eyes. “I just don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.”

“You mean the wedding? What makes you say that?” Katy questioned and placed an arm around Elisabeth’s shoulders.

“I just want to be sure that this is the right thing for me, and right now I don’t feel that way,” she confessed as her tears turned into quiet sobs. “Up until recently I never doubted that any of this was what I really wanted.”

“What changed how you’re feeling?”

Before Elisabeth could come up with a halfway decent answer, the door opened again and Abigail stepped inside. “Good morning,” she began beaming. “How is the blushing bride this—” she stopped and concern filled her face. “What’s the matter darling?”

Elisabeth groaned inwardly and shook her head. “Nothing. Katy and I were just talking,” she said as she wiped her eyes. Forcing a soft laugh, she sighed. “I’m just being silly.”

“Oh, you’re probably just having a little case of nerves,” Abigail said with a bright smile. “I’m sure you’ll get over them soon enough; you probably just need a good breakfast.”

Elisabeth and Katy both watched as Abigail left the room to go make breakfast. That was her cure for everything in the morning. If something was wrong, just eat a nice, hearty breakfast and you’d be good to go. Right, that’s really gonna help me now, Elisabeth thought sarcastically.

***

“Hello?” Nick breathlessly silenced the ringing telephone.

“Nick? Did I catch you at a bad time?” Melanie laughed quietly.

“No…I’m good. I was just playing with Maddie. I’m gettin’ old so all this running is really starting to get to me,” he chuckled when he heard Melanie snort on the other end of the phone. “What are you up to today?”

“Not a lot. I have some errands to run and then I thought I might head down to get something to eat. I thought maybe you might want to join me.”

“Oh, well, I would love too, Mel, but I promised today to Maddie,” he said. He quickly added, “Can I take a rain check?”

“Absolutely.” Her tone made him almost certain she was smiling. “Well, I should get going. Tell Madelyn I said hi.”

“Okay, bye Mel,” he said then replaced the phone to its cradle. He turned around just in time to see Maddie charging toward him. Nick checked his watch and was surprised to see that it was almost noon. As if trying to let him know it was lunchtime, his stomach let out a low rumble of hunger. “Hey, Munchkin, you hungry?” Madelyn nodded. “Well, then we need to fix that.”

Just as they were about to walk out the door the phone began to ring again. Jogging over to it, Nick picked it up just before the answering machine could come on. “Hello?”

“Nick?” A female voice came across the line.

Nick stopped for a minute unsure of who was calling. “Yeah, this is Nick.”

There was a soft chuckle from the other end before the woman continued. “This is Angie Evans, my daughter Stacey is in Madelyn’s class at school.”

“Oh, okay,” Nick said and waited for her to continue.

“Well, tomorrow is Stacey’s birthday and she’s having a sleepover tonight and wanted me to call and invite Madelyn.”

“Oh,” Nick replied a little deflated. He had been looking forward to spending a little extra time with Maddie. “Let me ask her.” Placing his hand over the receiver, he motioned for his daughter to come over to him. “This is Stacey’s Mommy on the phone. She said that Stacey’s birthday is tomorrow so she’s having a little sleepover party tonight and you’re invited. Do you wanna go, Munchkin?”

Madelyn’s eyes lit up instantly. “Yeah, Daddy, can I? Please?”

Holding in his slightly disappointed sigh, Nick smiled and nodded as he put the phone back to his ear. “Angie? What time to I need to bring her over?”

***

“Knock, knock,” Katy said as she stepped inside Elisabeth’s makeshift dressing room—a tent set up on the sand away from the wedding site. “Oh my god, Mom you look beautiful,” she gushed.

“Thank you sweetie,” Elisabeth blushed and adjusted her dress. “What time is it?”

“A little before 5. Guests are arriving now and everything is on schedule.”

“Good,” she said as she expelled a nervous breath. She could already feel the butterflies forming in her stomach. “Where are Mom and Dad?”

“Nana is going over last minute details and Papa is just standing around looking bored,” Katy laughed. “You know how he is.”

“Yes I do,” Elisabeth said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Katy noticed. “Okay, I’m ready. Now all I have to do is wait.”

Katy looked at her mother, concerned. Shaking herself from her semi-trance, she took hold of Elisabeth’s hand. “I’m gonna go back out there and wait with Papa. He looked like he needed some waking up. If you need anything, just get me, okay?” Elisabeth only nodded. “I love you.”

With tears shining in her eyes, Elisabeth pulled Katy in for a hug. “I love you, too, baby.”

As soon as Kaitlyn had gone, Elisabeth began to pace back and forth. She felt sick. It was normal to be nervous before a wedding, but to have this much doubt? I wish I knew this was the right thing, her heart began to chant.

“It is. I love Ben and he loves me and…” she trailed off. And what? You’re gonna go off and life the rest of your life like a fairy tale? Don’t think so.

“This isn’t right. Why do I doubt this after all this time? I’ve never doubted Ben or our relationship before this, so why should it start now?” Because, Lizzie, you know that Ben isn’t the man you love; he will never be Nick.

Closing her eyes, Elisabeth tried to ignore her last thought. She did love Ben. She was startled to hear someone clear their throat behind her. She turned around and immediately forced a smile. “Ben, what are you doing in here? You know you aren’t supposed to see me before the wedding!”

“Aww, honey, do you really believe in all that mumbo jumbo? I couldn’t wait until the ceremony started; the thought of how gorgeous you must look was killing me and I had to come see for myself,” his eyes glinted with mischief as he began to advance on her.

Stepping back, Elisabeth wasn’t at all shocked to see a mix of hurt and surprise on Ben’s handsome face. “Ben, there’s something we really need to talk about.” Outside, Elisabeth could hear Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” begin to play signaling the beginning of the wedding.

“What could there be to talk about, Liz? I’m supposed to be out there right now; can’t this wait?”

“No,” she said as her tears started up again. “Ben, I-I don’t think I can do this.”

“Liz, baby, don’t you think this is just you being nervous? C’mon, we need to go,” Ben said as he tried to take her hand.

She pulled back suddenly. “No, Ben, I’m sorry” Elisabeth wiped her eyes with her hand and started out of the tent. However, before she could get outside, Ben grabbed her arm and refused to let go.

“You’re going to him, aren’t you?” his forehead creased with anger.

Elisabeth began to sob and looked down at the sand beneath her bare feet. “Yes, Ben, and I’m so sorry, but it would not be fair to you if I went through with this wedding. You have to understand that.” Looking into his eyes, she could see the pain. Placing a hand softly on the side of his face, she ran her thumb gently across his cheek. “You are going to make a woman very happy; she’ll be lucky to have you.”

She did not wait for Benjamin to say anything else as she set off to find Nick. This was her last chance to make things right.

***

Five o’clock. It was five o’clock on a Saturday evening and here he was, sitting at home, alone, with nothing to do. He had taken Maddie over to Stacey’s house an hour earlier and after a quick trip to the grocery store, Nick was back at home and bored out of his mind. He’d called Melanie as soon as he’d gotten his groceries put away, but she wasn’t home. She had probably made plans with one of her friends shortly after they’d ended their call earlier that day. Gram was out with one of her friends from her Women’s Group from church. And he was at home. Alone. Moping.

“Okay, what’s on TV?” he muttered to himself. Ten minutes later, Nick was shutting off the television, exasperated. “Not a damn thing to do.”

Then he had a thought that made him chuckle. “I could always go crash a wedding.” He was only half-serious. “Okay, Carter, time to stop being a bored townie.” Then, he suddenly had an idea. “I’ll go sit on the boat and watch the sunset.”

Grabbing his keys and a light jacket, Nick decided he’d had a brilliant idea. He’d call Winnie and leave a message letting her know where he would be just in case she got home early and called. That’s all he would need to do; no need to take his cell phone since he wouldn’t be gone that long. Locking the front door behind him, Nick stepped out onto his front porch and stopped dead in his tracks. It couldn’t be…

But it was.

Standing at the end of the walkway, Elisabeth had stopped when she saw the front door opening. Now that she was face to face with Nick, she was unsure of what she should say. Nothing she had thought of seemed like the right thing to say.

Nick continued slowly down the steps, but stopped once he was completely off the porch. He wasn’t sure what this was about, but he had a feeling he was going to find out. “I thought you were getting married today.”

Elisabeth noted that his tone wasn’t angry or irritated, but matter-of-fact. “Yeah, that was the plan,” she answered in the same tone and took a few steps forward.

Nick didn’t move. He only asked, “What happened?”

I am thinking of you
In my sleepless solitude tonight
If it's wrong to love you
Then my heart just won't let me be right
'Cause I've drowned in you
And I won't pull through
Without you by my side
I'd give my all
To have just one more night with you
I'd risk my life
To feel your body next to mine
'Cause I can't go on
Living in the memory of our song
I'd give my all
For your love tonight

“You did,” she took another half step forward.

“I did?” Nick asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I couldn’t go through with it because I had to come see you. I had to be sure that what I was doing was a mistake.” She watched as Nick took in her words, but remained emotionless. “I’ve spent the last two weeks, no, the last six years in denial. I have been lying to myself and everyone around me since I left and I just can’t lie about it anymore. I love you, Nick. I always have and I always will.”

Baby, can you feel me
Imagining I'm looking in your eyes
I can see you clearly
Vividly emblazoned in my mind
And yet you're so far
Like a distant star
I'm wishing on tonight
I'd give my all
To have just one more night with you
I'd risk my life
To feel your body next to mine
'Cause I can't go on
Living in the memory of our song
I'd give my all
For your love tonight

Nick’s heart swelled up at her words, but he was determined to show no emotion just yet. “What about Ben and your mother? Don’t you think they’ll have something to say about all this?”

“Damn it, Nick, if I cared, even a little, about what they thought of me being here right now, I wouldn’t have bothered coming,” she said taking her final step forward; they were now just inches apart.

Nick looked Elisabeth over closely. He could see the tearstains on her cheeks and her mahogany hair was billowing in the light breeze. Even now, he thought, she was just as beautiful as she was the first day they “officially” met.

“Well,” she was becoming impatient. “Spit it out.”

“Have we met?” Nick asked as he studied her beautiful features. She had creamy brown eyes, with just a hint of green and her skin was slightly tanned. Upon closer inspection, he could see a slight smattering of freckles across her nose and on her forehead. Her dark chestnut hair was pulled half up and there were a few wisps falling into her eyes. She didn’t look much older than him, but he couldn’t be sure of her exact age.

Placing her hands on her slender hips, the woman sighed in annoyance. “Excuse me?” She was getting tired of playing games with this guy.

“Haven’t I seen you somewhere?” Nick asked, taking in her beauty. He didn’t know what it was about her that made him want to stare, but there was something. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he was sure this couldn’t have been the first time he had ever laid eyes on her. “You just look so familiar.”

“Well, I’m afraid that you’ve got me mixed up with someone else. I’m not from around here.”

As soon as she said that, he knew. She was from Sunset Beach. She was the beauty that he bumped into leaving Pizza Village the night he broke it off with Dee-Dee. The one he had mistaken for the bitchy girl that had plowed him over at the beach that same day. “I knew I’d seen you before! You’re from Sunset Beach.”

Her eyes went wide when he said that. “Well, no, I’m only visiting for the summer. How did you know?”

“I bumped into you the other night. Look, I’m sorry I got so mad; it just doesn’t seem like this day can get any worse. I’m Nick,” he said politely extending his hand. “I’m not always like this, I promise. I guess we both had to bump into one another somehow.”

Smiling at his goofy grin, she placed her petite hand in his. “I’m Elisabeth.”

“Well, it was nice to finally meet you. Now, how ‘bout we figure this mess out?” he asked with his most charming smile.

Now, six years later, here they were again.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Elisabeth’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “God, I must look really pathetic, huh? I know you told me that you had moved on with your life, but I haven’t. And I had to be sure that you know just how much I still love you.”

Pushing all other thoughts out of his mind, Nick wrapped his arms around Elisabeth and placed his lips on hers. Their kiss was soft and romantic, but the electricity flowing between them was undeniable. Slowly, Nick broke the kiss and nuzzled his face into her neck as his tears began to flow. “Come watch the sunset with me.”

I'd give my all
To have just one more night with you
I'd risk my life
To feel your body next to mine
'Cause I can't go on
Living in the memory of our song
I'd give my all
For your love tonight
Give my all for your love
Tonight*

***
* “My All” by Mariah Carey

The bright orange sun was finally dipping lower in the sky and seemed to be sinking into the earth. Various shades of pink, orange and gold mingled with the coming blues and purples to create a beautiful backdrop that looked like a painting. It almost seemed surreal; it was something straight out of a movie.

Nick and Elisabeth stood wrapped in each other’s arms as they watched the sun disappearing out of sight. It was perfect. Nick squeezed his arms only slightly as Elisabeth rested her head on his chest. With his chin atop the crown of her head and her arms encircling his waist, Nick thought he could have stood there forever.

"Marry me," he whispered. It was more of a statement than a question; however, it did not come out demanding in the least. Elisabeth raised her head to look into his eyes and a slow smile spread across his handsome face. "Marry me," he repeated before his lips found hers.

"Nick, you know my answer," her smile matched his.

"Let’s do it tonight. After we go back, let’s just go get married. Why wait? Anything will be perfect," his eyes lit up with excitement.

Elisabeth reached up gently ran a hand through his hair. "You know my answer for that, too," her words became muffled as their lips came together again.

It was no accident me finding you
Someone had a hand in it
Long before we ever knew
Now I just can’t believe you’re in my life
Heaven’s smilin’ down on me
As I look at you tonight

I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
He sure knew what he was doin’
When he joined these two hearts
I hold everything
When I hold you in my arms
I’ve got all I’ll ever need
Thanks to the keeper of the stars

As their kisses deepened, Nick’s hands tangled in Elisabeth’s hair. He had waited so long for this, and he was scared that it was going to be another dream. How many times had he woken up only to find himself alone? But this was as real as it could get.

Elisabeth closed her eyes as his lips left a tingling trail down her neck. In the last few years, she had been able to convince herself that she was happy, but deep down, she knew she’d been lying to herself. It had been so long since she’d been truly happy that she almost forgot what it felt like. But this was it. She knew. Nick was the man she was meant to love.

Pulling back, Elisabeth ran a hand lovingly over Nick’s flushed cheek. "I love you so much," she whispered softly as tears shone in her eyes.

"Lizzie..."

She silenced him with a tender kiss. "Love me, Nick," she murmured.

Soft moonlight on your face oh how you shine
It takes my breath away
Just to look into your eyes
I know I don’t deserve a treasure like you
There really are no words
To who my gratitude

I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars
He sure knew what he was doin’
When he joined these two hearts
I hold everything
When I hold you in m arms
I’ve got all I’ll ever need
Thanks to the keeper of the stars*

***

Elisabeth slowly opened her eyes. The sun had long ago settled into the horizon where it would hide until morning and she found herself surrounded in a blanket of darkness. Sitting up, Elisabeth shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around her body. Glancing toward the sky, she saw that the stars were hidden by thick, rolling clouds. "Nick," she said, gently shaking him from his slumber. "I think maybe we should head back. It’s late."

"What?" he mumbled groggily. "Wha time iz it?"

"I dunno, baby," she smiled at his disheveled appearance. "I don’t have my watch, but I know it’s getting pretty late. And it’s really cloudy, so it might be best if we go back to shore."

Nick woke instantly. Oh, shit...cloudy. There had been storms forecast for tonight. How could he have forgotten that? "You’re right." He quickly threw his shirt over his head and busied himself getting ready to take them back in.

"Nick, do you have a jacket below deck?" Elisabeth asked as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. It had started to sprinkle, chilling her even more.

"Yeah, there should be one draped over the back of the chair."

As Elisabeth disappeared below deck, Nick noticed the wind was starting to pick up, making him a little uneasy. Of course, he had been on his boat during a storm, but never at night. He had always been cautious about taking his boat out after dark; especially if there was a possibility of a storm. Apparently, he hadn’t been thinking too much about the weather.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Elisabeth asked emerging from below. She zipped the jacket and pulled the hood up hoping to quickly shield herself from the sudden chill in the air. "It’s getting really cold."

"I’ve got everything under control," Nick assured her. "You can go back below deck if you want. I don’t want you to get sick."

"Oh, pooh," she poked her tongue out, "I’m perfectly fine. Just let me know what to do."

"I would really feel better if you went below deck, Lizzie," Nick couldn’t hide his apprehension. The wind gusts were picking up and the rain was starting to get heavy.

Worry clouded her brown eyes. "Nick, I’m not leaving you up here in this storm."

"Lizzie, I’ve done this before, okay? I’ll be fine. I just don’t want you to be up here in case it gets worse."

Elisabeth let out an irritated sigh and stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest. "I said I’m not leaving you up here alone. I don’t care how many times you’ve sailed in a storm. Besides, I said I’ll be fine."

"Okay," Nick said, defeated. "Just sit down, okay?"

Elisabeth obediently took a seat close to Nick and braced herself against the side of the boat. She watched as Nick began to steer them back towards the shore. The storm had come up quickly, and she could see the worry etched all over his face. It didn’t make her feel any better seeing how worried he was, but she kept silent. Glancing out over the dark, choppy water, Elisabeth wrapped her arms tighter around her body and said a silent prayer. She was growing more nervous as the wind blew harder and the rain drops fell more steadily.

"Shit," she heard Nick mutter to himself.

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself as she turned her dark eyes on Nick. "Is everything okay?" Nick didn’t answer, but locked his blue eyes on hers. His eyes told her everything she needed to know: No, everything wasn’t okay. This storm was bad and it was just getting started. Elisabeth could feel the boat rocking back and forth with the force of the waves; every now and then a wave would break over the bow of the boat.

"Elisabeth, go down below deck," Nick said firmly not looking at her. He wasn’t trying to scare her, but it wasn’t safe for her to just sit there because he was up there. He was more experienced on a boat and he knew that if he could get them closer to shore, they would be okay, but having her there with him was more of a concern than a help. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her, he thought to himself. "I’m not asking you this time."

Knowing just how serious he was, Elisabeth nodded and slowly stood up. Before she could even take a step forward, the boat violently lurched with the force of another wave and she lost her footing. The next thing Elisabeth knew, she was in the water struggling to break the surface. The unforgiving waves seemed to be fighting her, determined to keep her below the surface. They were taunting her. Just when she thought she would break the surface, another wave would drag her back down.

Upon seeing Elisabeth knocked overboard, Nick’s heart stopped. Without a single hesitation, he dived into the water after her. "Lizzie!" he screamed through the wind and rain. Could she even hear him? "Elisabeth!"

Elisabeth was growing weak fighting against the waves. When she heard Nick screaming for her, she wanted to scream back, but she couldn’t find the strength. She opened her mouth to try and yell for him, but instantly regretted that as her mouth filled with the salty water, choking her and causing her to go back under.

Nick could just barely hear her splashing as she tried in vain to keep her head above the water. Finally, he saw her arms thrashing a few feet away. Swimming as fast as he could, Nick grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. "Come on, Lizzie."

"Nick," her voice was weak and tired. "I don’t think I can."

"Yes, you can, Elisabeth!" he yelled furiously. "Don’t you dare say that...just hold on to me."

It seemed to drain the rest of her energy just to do that, but somehow she managed. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, but finally, Elisabeth felt Nick lifting her back onto the boat. Collapsing onto the deck, she weakly turned around and took hold of Nick’s hand. "Nick, come on," her voice came out a choked sob.

"God, you scared me," Nick tried to sound lighthearted as he started to pull himself back onto the boat. "You can’t go around doing things like that to me. I love you, though, you know that?"

Elisabeth tried to focus her blurry eyes. "Nick..."

Before Nick could get his legs back onto the deck, another wave crashed into him, throwing his body against the side of the boat knocking the breath out of him. Out of nowhere, another wave came smashing down finally breaking his grip on the boat.

"Nick!" Elisabeth screamed shrilly. She searched the breaking waves for any sign of Nick, expecting to see him coming back toward the boat. But through the darkness she saw nothing. He has to surface soon! She began to panic. "Nick!" her voice seemed an octave higher than before. "Nicky?" Still, she saw nothing but wave after wave breaking against the boat. Nick was nowhere in sight.

With a sudden thought, Elisabeth scrambled to the other side of the boat, hoping the waves had carried Nick that way. However, it was the same scene as before. She didn’t want to leave the deck of the boat, but the radio was below, and she had to try and get help. Forcing herself to her feet, Elisabeth looked back at the water hoping against hope that she would see Nick somewhere in the water. Still nothing but the dark, choppy waves. Choking back a sob, she staggered shakily down the steps to the radio.

"I don’t know what to say," she whimpered bringing the radio to her mouth. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" Static crackled for a moment and then someone answered. "I need your help! Please," she sobbed, "He was pulled under and I didn’t see him anywhere. Please...you have to help us." Uncontrollable sobs wracked her body as she listened to the man on the other end of the radio. She knew the longer she had to wait for help, the more unlikely Nick would be found alive. "Please, help," she wept quietly and pulled her knees to her chest.

***
* “The Keeper of the Stars” by Tracy Byrd

Elisabeth slowly opened her eyes. Head pounding, she looked around uncertain of her surroundings. Realization crashed down on her in a rush; Nick had jumped overboard to save her and just as he was about to come back onto the boat… she stifled a sob. Oh my god… she thought as she stood up unsteadily. “No, he’s fine… He’ll be up on deck waiting for me to come back up so we can go home. Everything will be fine,” she whispered shakily.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps on the deck above her. “I knew it!” Taking a deep breath, Elisabeth rushed forward and onto the deck of the boat…

***

Elisabeth slowly opened her eyes when she felt her bed moving slightly. Lifting her head, she smiled as a pair of blue eyes peeked at her from behind a huge pillow.

“Mommy, I had a bad dweam,” the wide-eyed four year old said quietly. “Can I schweep wid you?”

“Of course you can kiddo. C’mere,” she smiled and lifted her covers for him to crawl under. When he started fidgeting around, Elisabeth pulled him to her in a tight embrace. “You’re okay now, sweetie. Just go to sleep.”

Looking down at the now sleeping child cuddled in her arms, Elisabeth couldn’t help but be engulfed by a flood of memories. He was the spitting image of everything Nick had been, and that proved to be both a blessing and a curse for her. She didn’t find out about her pregnancy until almost halfway through her second trimester and though it had been a pleasant surprise, it was a surprise nonetheless.

Now, here she was. Her oldest child, Katy, at 24 was planning her dream wedding with her dream man while Jacob had finally gotten his driver’s license. God help us all, she thought jokingly. And here in her arms was David Carter Walker. They were her saving grace; the only thing that kept her going after that night.

***

“Nick!” Elisabeth cried as she burst onto the deck. Even though the sun was only beginning to peek above the horizon and the sky was a lighter shade of gray, she had to shield her eyes. “Nick?”

“Ma’am?” a large man, obviously with the Coast Guard, asked as he grabbed Elisabeth’s arm, startling her. She turned toward him, but continued to look around looking for Nick. The man gently squeezed her arm and asked, “Ma’am? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but I need to find Nick,” her voice was urgent. “Where is he? Is he okay?”

“I think you need to come with me,” he told her in a grave voice.

***

“Come on Jake, we don’t have all day,” Elisabeth called up the stairs to her oldest son. “We still have to go pick up Winnie and Madelyn.”

“Okay, Mom,” Jacob rolled his eyes as he galloped down the stairs with his baby brother clinging to his back giggling wildly. “Hey, can I drive?”

“Well,” she hesitated for a second, “I guess so.”

“Awesome! Hear that Carter?”

“What?” Carter gave his big brother a quizzical glance.

“I get to be your chauffeur today,” Jake sat him down and ruffled his unkempt blonde hair.

“My what?” Carter cried dramatically and brushed Jacob’s hands away.

“I get to drive you around all day.”

Carter’s mouth went crooked as he appeared to be thinking over what his brother just said. Then, stone faced and serious as ever, he uttered a quiet “uh oh.”

Elisabeth laughed out loud and picked Carter, who was no grinning from ear to ear. Patting Jacob on the back, she stifled another laugh. “Come on, boys. We need to go.”

***

Elisabeth sat wrapped in a large blanket as she watched people bustle around her. Every time she tried to stop someone to ask them a question, they would always assure her that everything was under control. It was the same answer from anyone she asked: “Everything is fine, ma’am. Just sit back down and try and stay warm.”

She was growing impatient and she only wanted some answers. Was Nick okay? Where was he? What happened? So many questions were rushing through her mind and no one would tell her anything. Standing up, she saw one of the men standing alone.

“Excuse me,” she asked quietly as she gently tapped him on the arm. “Can you please tell me if Nick is okay?”

“Lizzie?” Her heart jumped into her throat. Nick? Turning around she found her father and Ben rushing toward her.

“Daddy!” she cried and threw herself into his arms. “Have you heard anything about Nick? They won’t tell me anything.”

“Sweetheart, we need to talk.”

***

Elisabeth smiled as Winnie and Madelyn stepped out onto the porch to greet them. Winnie seemed to have aged a bit more in the past five years, but she was strong and stubborn just like Nick. It was not hard to see where Nick’s personality had come from. And Madelyn was growing up so quickly. Elisabeth made sure she tried to spend as much time with Maddie as possible, and in the past few years, they had become very close.

“I see you let Jacob drive you,” Winnie said with a wink to Jake as she placed a kiss on Elisabeth’s cheek.

Elisabeth chuckled and returned the greeting before she turned to look at Maddie. “Hey, beautiful.”

Madelyn looked up at Elisabeth with tear-filled eyes. “Hey,” she said softly.

Placing a warm hand on Maddie’s cheek, Elisabeth smiled a sad smile and then pulled her into a hug. After a few minutes, she looked around. “You guys ready?”

***

“Lizzie…” Robert stopped unable to find the right words. “I didn’t want to have to tell you this…”

She knew. Before he ever started to speak, she knew. “No,” tears pricked the corners of her dark eyes. “No.”

Robert’s brow furrowed as he only nodded. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

“No,” her voice was a heartbreaking whisper as she shook her head. Ben stepped forward to try and comfort her, but Elisabeth stepped back. “Don’t touch me, please.”

“Liz, come here,” Ben once again took a step forward causing Elisabeth to back into the rail of the boat.

“I said don’t touch me!” she shouted as tears cascaded down her cheeks. “Just leave me alone.”

“Please, Ben, just do what she asks,” Robert said quietly as he pulled his daughter into his arms.

***

At the end of the pier, Elisabeth stood with Winnie, Maddie, and Jacob all stood looking out over the ocean. It was sunset, and the beach was calm and quiet. Elisabeth sat down on a bench, pulling Carter onto her lap, and watched as the others stood each holding a single rose. She silently watched as they one by one tossed it over the railing of the pier.

Winnie stood for a moment longer than the others had, tears glistening in her faded blue eyes. “I miss you both so much,” she whispered. Dabbing her eyes she turned and held her hand out to Carter. “You wanna come with Nana and your brother to get an ice cream cone?”

Carter nodded vigorously and took Winnie’s hand while grabbing Jacob’s hand and they slowly strode back toward the tiny story at the beginning of the pier.

Elisabeth smiled and went to stand beside Madelyn. “Hey again, beautiful.”

“I miss him,” she whispered tearfully.

“I know, sweetie, so do I. But you know what?” Elisabeth wrapped her arm around Maddie and pulled her close. “It’s not always gonna be this hard.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do,” she sighed and gently tossed her rose over the pier into the water. “I love him…I always will, but it won’t always hurt so much.”

“I love you, Daddy,” Maddie followed Elisabeth’s actions and watched as the flower landed atop the water.

“Feel like taking a walk?”

Maddie nodded. “Sure.”

***

Watching the waves break on the shore, Elisabeth wiped her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest. It was February 27th. Exactly five months since Nick had been taken from her and just two days ago she found out she was pregnant. Unable to believe the news the doctor had given her, she had not yet told anyone. The same question kept coming back to haunt her: What on earth am I gonna do? Of course, she had been a single mother for a few years now, but she had never had to raise a baby on her own, and she was having serious doubts about her abilities now.

Wrapping her arms more tightly around her legs, she hid her face and began to sob. What had she ever done to deserve this? The only man she had ever truly loved was taken away from her and now she was faced with raising his child alone.

“I miss you so much,” she turned her eyes toward the water. It seemed so calm and soothing. But she knew what it was really like, and though it was beautiful, she had no intention to ever set foot in that water or on a boat ever again. Some would call it fear, others would call it ignorance. Elisabeth thought it was keeping her sanity.

Standing up and wrapping her arms around herself to block out the cold wind, she walked to the edge of the water and stood just out of range of the breaking waves. Stooping down, she placed a rose down on the wet sand and watched as a wave picked it up and carried it out to sea. “I love you, my darling.”

***

After walking to the other end of the beach, Elisabeth sat down and pulled Madelyn down beside her. Maternal instincts began to kick in once again and she brushed Maddie’s hair away from her face and looked at her expectantly. “I know just how much you miss him. You know you can talk to me about anything and I’ll listen.”

“I’m so angry,” she sobbed.

“Oh, sweetie, I know you are. It’s not easy losing someone you love.”

“I just don’t understand.”

“Honey, no one does. But understand this: I love you like you were my own and you can always come to me for anything. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

Wiping her blue eyes, Maddie nodded. Hearing their names, they both turned to see Winnie calling for them. “Aren’t you coming?”

“You go ahead,” Elisabeth tipped her head toward the others. “Tell them I’ll only be a minute, okay?”

Turning back toward the ocean, she felt as thought she were reliving the same scene again. Now though, it was easier to look out over the water. Taking in a deep breath, Elisabeth stood up and brushed herself off. “Thank you for teaching me how to love. And for giving me such a wonderful family.” A single tear broke free and slipped down her cheek. “Thank you for making me complete.”

Remember that blue crystal sky
The sun reflected in your eyes
Kissed me unexpectedly
A moment I just can't forget
We filled the air with promises
Took them up so tenderly
But life never asks you what you want
It's just gonna have its way
Sometimes it doesn't give like it takes

If I never see your face
If wings take you away from me
And tomorrow never happens, baby
If the world comes tumbling down
And crumbles all around us
Fate turns cruel
You're on your knees
So desperate for one truth
Know that I have loved you

Don't think I'll write another letter
Or watch another pink sunset
Without thinking about you
I take a walk along the blue seaside
How will I sleep at night
How will I wipe the tears from your eyes

If I never see your face
If wings take you away from me
And tomorrow never happens, baby
If the world comes tumbling down
And crumbles all around us
Fate turns cruel
You're on your knees
So desperate for one truth
Know that I have loved you

Without a single hesitation
Without thought or reservation
Baby, I'll be waiting
Even if I never see your face
And wings take you away from me
And tomorrow never happens, baby
If the world comes tumbling down
And crumbles all around us
Fate turns cruel
You're on your knees
So desperate for one truth
Know that I have loved you

I have loved you

If I never see your face
If wings take you away from me
With all my heart and all my soul
The world comes tumbling down
And crumbling all around
I have loved you

If I never see your face
If wings take you away from me
I have loved you*

The End.

***
* “I Have Loved You” by Jessica Simpson