Chapter 1
“How was school?”
I scrunched my nose up, “it was school. Nothing special. How was LA?” I hugged him. I had missed him. “I missed you.”
I could feel him smile into my hair, “I missed you too Ally.” He handed me a bottle of water and leaned against the counter top. “LA was fine. Everyone misses you and can’t wait to see you.” I grinned. I couldn’t wait to see them either, especially Alex, my godfather. Everyone said I was his female counterpart – right down to the name.
“I can’t wait to see them either,” I took a sip and looked around the house.
“You got a lot of homework?” I shook my head. School was over in two days, for me at least. The benefits of having a pop star for a father I guess. We were leaving for Europe early Saturday morning and were spending the entire summer there. “Do whatever you do have and then we can take the boat out,” he grinned.
“Are you sure you want to do that? You must be tired.”
“Of course I do, I want to spend some time with you,” he grinned as he threw a manila folder on the counter next to me. “Pick which one you think I should use.”
I opened the folder and smiled. He was in LA for a promotional shoot for the tour. Before he left, he had been so nervous about it. It still blew his mind that the Backstreet Boys were still so popular and that he himself was still considered a heartthrob. He had turned 35 in January but still had girls falling at his feet. I held up a photo of him smiling into the camera and handed it to him, “this one is you.”
“You think?” He frowned, looking at the photo.
“Yep, totally.”
He smiled and nodded, “cool. You want something to eat?”
I sat at the kitchen table and just raised my eyebrows. He couldn’t cook to save his life. “Depends. Are you going to make it?” He burst into laughter and threw me an apple. He sat at the table across from me as he bit into his apple. He flipped through my French notebook as I worked on my Physics homework. “Trying to learn French before we leave?”
“I’ll leave that up to you,” he chuckled but didn’t put the notebook away. “Are you fluent in French?”
“Pretty much,” I said.
“Say something,” he said.
I grinned, “Mon père est un gros neuneu.”
“What’d you say?”
“My father is a big dork,” I laughed when he stuck his tongue out at me. “Are we going to be in a city long enough to sight-see?” I asked. I had always wanted to see Paris but I’d take any city really. I had been to Europe plenty of times before but never long enough to explore anything.
“Not this time,” he sighed.
“Okay,” I tried not to be disappointed. I knew what touring was like. I did it every summer with them. I was proud of him when it came to his career. Without my mother in the picture at all, he had to work extra hard to find a balance between his job and me. During the school year, he made sure he was never out of town for more than a week and during the summers we traveled constantly. I knew how much he had sacrificed for me; I’d do anything to make it up to him.
“Come and get me when you’re done,” he stood up and walked out of the room. I felt guilty all of a sudden. It wasn’t his fault we never got to explore the cities we traveled to. It was his job and I understood; I felt like it was my job in a way too. I closed my textbook and sighed.
He was only 18 when I was born. We never really talked about my mother but he had told me before that she was older than him and when I was six months old, had left a note on his pillow telling him she couldn’t do it anymore. Neither of us has seen her since. I tried not to hate her, or be attached to her. My Dad was my best friend, and he always had been. My social life was almost nonexistent because of the fact that he was my father. I used to get angry with him for it but I knew it wasn’t his fault. Now I didn’t care if I had many friends, just as long as I had him.
Friends.
I was going to miss my best friend Chelsea. She was the only one who stuck around long enough to get to know me, Ally, not Alexandra Carter – Nick Carter’s daughter. He had never let me before but this summer, he agreed to bring her out for at least a week. I was afraid to tell him about Brandon. We had never discussed boyfriends because I had never had any, but I didn’t know how he was going to react. Thank God we had already had the sex talk. I remember I ran screaming from the room when I accidentally walked in on him and some woman. I refused to even look at him for nearly a week before he and Alex sat me down. I still get embarrassed just thinking about it. I swear he walked around with a permanent blush on his cheeks for weeks.
I found him in his office, typing on his laptop, “hi.”
“Hey,” he grinned. “That was quick.”
“Yeah, just had Physics.”
“Go get your suit on and meet me at the dock,” he said. “I just need to finish this up.”
“Okay,” I grinned. I quickly changed and ran out to the boat. “Nick, can you grab me some water?” I called as he walked out of the house. I could see him frown at me but he walked back inside.
“Would it kill you to call me Dad once in a while?”
I laughed, “Yes.” Truth was I had never called him Dad. We were constantly surrounded by people calling him Nick or Carter when I was growing up, so I started doing it too.
“Are you going to let me drive?”
“In your dreams kid,” he scoffed as he pulled away from the dock.
I stepped up to him and pouted, “Please?” He glared down at me but stepped aside, letting me slide in front of him. I took the wheel. I felt so free whenever he let me, which wasn’t often.
“Stop here,” he called and I slowed it down. He pulled the anchor down and I stepped to the back of the boat, when he lifted me over his shoulder.
“Hey! Put me down!” I screeched as he started laughing.
“No way Al,” he gripped me tighter as I started to squirm, “Better take a breath.” I didn’t even get the chance before I was under the water. I sputtered as I surfaced and glared at him as he leaned over the boat, grinning widely at me.
“You’re dead,” I growled as I climbed back onto the boat and started chasing after him. I cornered him and started hitting him.
“Ow! That hurts,” he laughed, trying to grab my hands.
“Say you’re sorry!”
“Never,” he grinned, grabbing my hands. I threw myself at him, giving him a giant wet hug. “Thanks Ally,” he said sarcastically, but hugging me back anyways. Bad move. He lifted me up over his shoulder again and brought me to the back of the boat.
“Not again,” I growled. “No, please!”
“Hold your breath!” He said as he jumped into the water.
“I hate you,” I narrowed my eyes at him and swam back to the boat.
“You do not,” he laughed, grabbing my leg and pulling me back to him. I dunked him under water and laughed as he came back up sputtering. We splashed around in the water for a good hour and both climbed back to the boat, breathless. “You’re getting stronger,” He laughed as he handed me a towel. I wrapped myself in it and smiled at him.
“No, you’re just getting old,” I teased him.
“I am not,” he gawked as he opened the basket of food. “You’re going to pay for that comment kid.”
“Not a kid,” I glared at him.
He just grinned, “You’ll always be just a kid to me Ally.” I rolled my eyes.
Story Notes:
I wrote the first few chapters of this story two years ago on a whim. Ally recently woke up in my head and told me I needed to share her story. I hate when characters take over your head.
You don't have to read, or review but I needed to put her words down on paper...so to speak.
You don't have to read, or review but I needed to put her words down on paper...so to speak.
