“Nick, what are you going to do with the condo when you move back in?” I asked as we sat on the beach.

“I think I’m going to sell it to Aaron.”

“You mean he’s coming back to Florida?”

“Yeah.” He threw some sand at me.

“Stop it Nick. I don’t want it in my cast.”

“Party pooper.” He stuck his tongue at me.

We sat there in a comfortable silence. Ever since I told Nick I was pregnant things were going well. We haven’t fought or raised our voices.

“Nick, we need to go pick up Rachel and Jackson. I miss them so much. Talking on the phone isn’t enough.”

“I agree. I think we should wait until your casts come off next week.”

“That works. I’m going to call Kevin.” I took my phone out of my purse.

“Now?” I smiled and nodded my head.

“Hello Kevin.”

“Hey sis. What’s up?”

“Not much. I just wanted to let you know that Nick and I are going to be picking up the kids next week.”

“Really?” Kevin asked.

“Yes. Nick and I have worked things out. We’re back together.” I beamed.

“That’s great. It seems like you really took the time to communicate with each other. How’s he been treating you?”

“Like a princess.”

“That’s good.” Kevin said quietly.

“Kevin, you don’t sound as thrilled as I thought you would be. What’s up?”

“I just want to make sure that you didn’t rush into getting back together.”

“Kevin this was your idea. You took my kids away from me, so I could work things out with my husband. We’ve spent the last five weeks together. He never left my side. We talked and worked it out.’ I started to cry. Nick took the phone from me.

“Kevin, stop giving her the third degree. She’s sitting here crying because of you. We thought you would be happy. We love each other and we are staying married.”

“Nick, I’m sorry for acting like a jerk. I’m just trying to protect her.”

“She’s a big girl. She doesn’t need you protecting her. We’ll be up next week. I’ll call you later in the week to let you know the details.”

“Nick, I’m sorry. Kevin won’t let me grow up.” I sniffled. “I’m hungry. Can we order some Chinese and watch movies.”

Nick picked me up and carried me to the car.

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Slowly I opened my eyes. I looked around the room. Nick was no where to be found. I grabbed my crutches and got up. I hobbled into the kitchen. Nick was sitting on a stool at the island talking on the phone.

“I want a ruby in the middle and diamonds around it.”

I quickly hobbled out of the room. I didn’t want to ruin anything he was planning. I sat down on the couch and flipped through the channels. I didn’t see much of the movie Nick and I were watching. My stomach growled. I realized that I hadn’t eaten dinner.

“Hello Sleeping Beauty. Did you get enough rest?” He sat down next to me.

“Nah. I’m still tired. I apologize for falling asleep on you.” I kissed his cheek. He buried his face in my hair. Our arms wrapped around each other, and we sat there holding each other. It felt incredible. I loved having his arms around me.

“Ashton, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. When we go to Kentucky are we going to tell everyone about the baby?”

“If you want to. I hope Kevin doesn’t go off on us.”

“Nick, he’s just being a concerned big brother. You know he’s happy about us working it out. It just takes him longer to digest things. Does it really matter? It’s our life, and we have to do what we think is right.”

“I know. It’s just hard. Kevin is the big brother I never had. His opinion means a lot to me.” He rubbed my back.

“Nick, if Kevin didn’t love and respect you, we wouldn’t be here now. He would have never let you near me. He was so protective of me when I was a teenager. I think I was almost happy he lived in Florida during my teenage years.” I giggled.

“You remember the first time he caught us making out?” Nick was laughing now. Back then, we almost had one less Backstreet Boys.

“Yes. I never saw Kevin so mad. He was thrilled that your hand was up my shirt and you were sucking on his little sister’s neck. I got into so much trouble.” I chuckled at the thought.

“If he only knew how you snuck into my hotel room at night.” He kissed my temple. I cuddled in closer to him.

“Thank goodness for Alex and Brian. They were always helping us. He almost caught us that one time in the dressing room.”

“I think AJ purposely tried to get us caught that time.”

“You know you’re going to be worse than Kevin when Rachel starts dating.”

“She’s not allowed to date until she’s forty.”

“You wish. She’s going to meet some handsome boy, and he’ll sweep her off her feet, just like some boy did to her mommy.” I ran my finger down his thigh.

“Well in that case, I’m sending her to a convent to become a nun. No one would have expected you to be the wild child. You were such a snob when I met you.”

“You were a thirteen year old dork. I didn’t want anything to do with you. You have to watch out for us quiet girls.”  I pulled his face towards mine and kissed him roughly on the mouth. He grabbed my arms and lowered me on the couch.

“Let’s make out like teenagers.” He said and started sucking my ears, as his hand went under my shirt.