Project: nkotBSB

By Dottie

Copyright 2014

Chapter 101

Jessi               

By the time we get to the table, I’m a hot mess.  We sit and Nick takes my hand. “What’s wrong?”

I sigh.  “Your fans.  Apparently it’s on Twitter that Howie and Brian are coming to Hawaii.  And with you and AJ already here, they think it’s a concert.”

AJ groans. “Well, that will make the wedding more interesting.  No matter where we have it we’ll be surrounded.  Once they find us…”

Hanna Jo is watching me. I can feel her eyes.  I shoot her an ‘I’m ok’ look and push my chair back.  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to wash my hands.”  I smile at Nick and wink outrageously.  “Order Sex on the Beach for me.”

He laughs and rubs my thigh.  “Sure thing Babe. I’m willing to skip lunch if you are.”

I giggle outrageously.  Turning to Hanna Jo I say, “Come on, Ho Jo, I have an idea.”

She kisses AJ’s cheek and murmurs, “I’ll be right back.”

As we weave through the tables to the ladies room, I manage to ask, “What’s going on Jessi?”

Once we’re in the ladies room, I check the stalls for feet before saying, “Hanna Jo, I seriously don’t know if I can go through with this wedding if we’re swarmed by Nick’s fans.”

She nods solemnly.  “I feel the same way, but Jessi, we can’t call it off.  I want to marry AJ so badly I can taste it.”

I smile at her.  “I know the feeling.  Nick makes me feel like anything is possible with him. Even with someone like me.”

She shoots me a dirty look. “If you keep talking like that…”

I hold up my hand.  “Look, Ho Jo, no matter what you or Nick say, I know he could do SO much better than me.  Believe me, I’m grateful that I’m the one he wants.  But…I won’t have our marriage become a spectacle for the whole world to see.  Plus…” 

When I stop talking, she grabs my hand. “What’s wrong?”

I shrug.  “What that girl said…about us being after their money.”

She laughs.  “The guys know we’re not after their money.”

I nod.  “They do, but the fans…”

She snaps, “For the love of God would you STOP worrying about what they think?”

I cross my arms.  “I CAN’T! Hanna Jo, I’m the worst kind of whore there is!  I sold my body and they guys didn’t even get fucked. If word about that gets out…”  I shake my head.  “No, I have to make sure the world knows I’m not after Nick’s money.”

She stares at me stubbornly.  “Well how do you plan on doing that?”

I pull out my phone.  “Thad.  He’s a lawyer.  I’m going to have him draw up a prenup to give Nick.”

She sighs. “He won’t like that.”

Even though I know she’s right, I remain firm. “Too bad.  If he won’t take it, I won’t marry him.  End of discussion.”

From the doorway, I hear Nick say, “Oh, it’s far from the end.  I’d say the discussion is just getting started Miss Todd.”

Hanna Jo stares first at Nick, then at me.  She clears her throat. “Umm, maybe I should go back to AJ.”

Nick nods. “Good idea.  Tell him we’ll meet you at the hotel.  Jessi and I have to have a long talk.  See you later.”

Nick takes my hand and pulls me from the ladies room and out of the restaurant.  Once we’re outside, I pull away from him.  When he looks at me, I whisper, “There’s nothing to talk about.”

His eyes are full of fire. “There’s plenty to talk about. Come on.”

We walk down the street in silence.  Finally, he hails a cab and once we’re inside it, he says, “Take us to the Pearl Harbor Memorial.”

We sit in a stony silence.  I knew he’d be mad, but he’s not even touching my hand.  Maybe I have gone too far this time, but I only want to protect him from my past. 

When we get to the memorial, I’m awestruck by the beauty of it and I forget we’re fighting.  We walk in silence for several minutes.  Finally, Nick takes my hand and pulls me to the side.  When I look up and my eyes meet his, he whispers, “Jessi, I don’t want to fight with you about this.  There will be NO prenup.”

I lower my eyes. “Nick, there has to be.  I don’t want the fans…”

He mutters a curse.  “I’m so fucking tired of you worrying about what they think.  It doesn’t matter!  I will not start our marriage planning for a divorce.”

I shake my head. “Nick, that’s not…”

He grabs my face and kisses me to stop my argument.  “Sweetheart, that’s exactly what it is.  And we won’t need it because we won’t be getting divorced.  Ever.  Everything I have is yours and will be from now until the end of time.”

I take a breath to argue with him, but the argument dies in my throat as I stare into his eyes.  I can see us growing old together. I can see my hand in his, both wrinkled and weather-worn.  I see his blonde hair turn to white and crows’ feet adorning his eyes. His neck isn’t firm any longer and the tattoo peeking out from his shirt looks like a crumpled up newspaper…yet I love him with all my heart.

I throw my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest.  He holds me tight, kissing the top of my head.  “You see Jessi, we don’t need it.”

I whisper softly, “I love you Nick.”

As we’re walking away from the memorial, I say, “Nick, the fans do know something is up.”

He sighs. “I know.  I think our beach wedding could turn into a fiasco.”

I tug on his hand to stop him from walking.  He looks down at me and I say, “I’d really like to avoid that.”

He smiles at me, bending to kiss my nose.  “So would I.  And I’m sure AJ and Hanna Jo feel the same way, all things considered.”

We start walking again and I whisper, “What can we do?”

He laughs.  “Baby, I’ve got a plan.”

It takes us several hours to get back to the hotel because we made some arrangements.  When we get to the room we’re sharing with AJ and Hanna Jo, we find them watching The Sound of Music.  Well, Ho Jo’s watching, AJ is snoring. 

Nick walks over to AJ and falls onto his lap, startling him awake.  Wrapping his arms around AJ’s neck he coos in a high voice, “OH AJ, you’re so big and strong!”

AJ pushes him off onto the floor and mutters, “You stupid fucker, what the hell?”

As we’re laughing, Nick picks himself up and says, “Change of plans, Big Mac.  We’re not getting married on the beach.”

AJ and Hanna Jo both gasp and AJ rants, “What? Why?”

Nick flops down in an arm chair and pulls me onto his lap.  “Well, thanks to Twitter, the fans know Brian and Howie are coming to Hawaii.”

AJ nods. “Hanna Jo told me. So?”

Nick sighs.  “AJ, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my wedding to be a circus.  For Jessi’s sake I want it to be just for us so we made a few arrangements today.”

Hanna Jo looks at me. “Are you ok?”

I smile and nod.  “I am.  And I think you’re gonna love Nick’s plan.”

Nick squeezes me. “Our plan.”

AJ kicks back and crosses his legs. “So what exactly is this plan?”