The sun shined brightly in my room. I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. It was 6:30. I haven’t been up this early since before summer vacation. Since I was wide awake I decided to get up for the day. I stretched and got out of bed. I padded down the hall and went downstairs to the kitchen. Coffee was already on, but you wouldn’t catch me drinking it. I grabbed a bottle of juice and went outside.

“Good morning, Nia.” She was sitting quietly holding Tylie.

“Morning, Ash. You want to hold her.” I took my niece and held her in my arms. She was tiny and precious. I missed the days when my children were that little.

“Why are you up so early?”

“Tylie is a morning person. She has me up every day at six. I heard about what your brothers did.”

“They mean well. It’s nice that they care about me, but I need to work this out on my own. I felt bad for Nick. You know he called and told me about it.”

“Don’t feel bad for Nick. He deserves that and more. I can’t believe Kev is staying so calm about this.”

“I know Kevin is pissed at Nick, but he’s an older brother to him. He’s trying to help us both, which means he’s going to stay neutral.”

“Well I hope things work out for you. I always thought you made a great couple. I remember when you first met each other.”

“I never thought I’d end up marrying him. I was such a geek back then.” Tylie had fallen asleep in my arms. “Nia, how do you keep the love going in your marriage?”

“Kevin and I make a point to have time together. We go out on dates once a week. Your mom babysits for us. We talk a lot. If something is bothering me, I tell Kevin. We work out things as soon as they happen.”

“Wow, you and Kevin have a great marriage.”

“We do, but it takes a lot of work. It’s not a perfect marriage. We have our share of problems, but we make sure to never go to bed angry. What is your marriage like with Nick before you separated?”

Nia made me realize that my marriage was not as peachy as I thought it was. I couldn’t blame it all on Nick. I helped cause this separation. “We talked a lot, but never about us. It was either the kids or our careers. I don’t think Nick and I went on a date in over a year. I was just content to let things be. I didn’t think about romance or spending time alone with Nick. I’m a horrible wife.” I gave Tylie back to Nia and ran into the house. Once I was back in my bedroom, I cried into my pillow.

--------------------------

Everyone was enjoying the afternoon. The kids were in the pool. Spencer was showing Jackson and Rachel how to do underwater handstands. My brothers were fighting over who got control of the grill. All the women were enjoying the sunshine. I walked over to the table and sat down.

“Hey sis. Can you tell these two clowns to let me do the grilling?”

“Let me see which of you I trust to not burn my house down.”

“That would be me.” Jerald gave me a hug.

“Buttering me up will not help you. Hmmm….I think Tim is the safest bet. He’s closer to God than all of you, and God won’t let my house catch on fire.” I laughed. Kevin and Jerald pouted. Jerald went over to his girlfriend, Stephanie looking for some love.

“It’s my house, I’ll do the grilling.” Nick stood there looking irritated.

“What are you doing here?”

“It is my house.” Nick replied rudely. I stood up.

“It was until you decided to leave.”

“I still pay the mortgage.” What was his problem? He didn’t have any right to come over here and have an attitude with me.

“Whatever Nick. I don’t want to fight with you.  Is there a reason why you are here?”

“I needed to get something.”

“Well you better get it and leave.”

“Ashton, don’t pull an attitude with me because your family is here. We need to talk. Now. Inside.” He grabbed my wrist and started to pull me into the house.

“LET GO OF ME.” I hissed at him.

“Is everything ok?” Kevin asked as he walked up to us. Nick gave him a dirty look.

“Everything is fine. I need to talk to my husband inside.” I followed Nick into the house. He walked up the stairs to our bedroom.

“Ashton…” He paused.

“What Nick? What is so important that you had to pull me away from my family?” He grabbed my face and pulled it to his. He kissed me with force, slipping his tongue in my mouth. My body was responding to his touch, but my mind said stop. I couldn’t let him do this to me. If he didn’t love me, he wasn’t going to take advantage of me.

“No Nick. You can’t just come here and think you can kiss me. You don’t love me anymore. You don’t want anything to do with me. I wish you would leave me alone. You’re making this harder. This is not fair to me. It’s not fair to the kids. You think you can just waltz in here and do what you want because you’re the great Nick Carter.” I shouted at him.

“Fine Ashton. If that is what you want. I will stay away. You won’t see me unless I’m here to get the kids. You’re such a bitch.” He screamed at me.

“Whatever. I’ve had enough of you. Do whatever you came here to do and then leave.” I started to walk out of the room.

“I came here for some things I forgot. Can I have the kids tomorrow?” He whispered.

“Sure. Pick them up at nine. I’ll have them ready.”