Baylee came to a complete stop, though his face had a somewhat dazed look as he struggled to focus on his father. "Really, Daddy?" he questioned hopefully, blinking rapidly as he fell backwards onto his rear end. "You do it… I t'ick…"
"Well if you'd stop…" Brian shook his head halfway through his chiding, knowing it was useless. Leaning down, he ruffled his son's platinum locks. "You try to make it on our bus and I'll go get Alana."
"Okay! Which one's ours, Daddy?" Baylee inquired, grasping his father's pants legs to pull himself up.
"The one directly in front of us," Brian murmured, taking his son's hands to lead him in the right direction of the bus' door. Though, when Baylee started to walk, he ended up going sideways, farther away from the bus. "Son! Go diagonal! Go diagonal!"
Giggling, Baylee began to walk backwards, squealing when his father finally scooped him up to carry him onto the bus. "Daddy! I flyin'!"
"Scooper! You're drunk as a skunk!" Brian exclaimed with a laugh, setting him on the couch. "Don't move till you can put your feet together without falling backwards."
"Like this?" Baylee asked, clapping his feet together. Lifting them straight out in front of him, he groaned as he rolled to his side, his head resting against a nearby pillow. "I 'tay right here, Daddy!"
"That's my boy!" Brian chuckled, smacking a kiss to Baylee's forehead before jumping out of the bus. He motioned toward the driver of Alana's bus not to start yet, leaping inside when the doors opened. Glancing around, he noticed Howie perched at the dining area with his laptop, PDA, and other fine electronic equipment. "…Where's Alana?"
Howie glanced up from attaching his iPod to the laptop, preparing to download music for the night's trip. AJ had started snoring so loudly it was keeping Howie up, which was a feat in itself. Glancing towards the back of the bus, he casually motioned in the general direction of Alana's bunk. "She said something about dropping her stuff in her bunk before coming up here to fix a snack…"
"She needs to be eating more than a snack…" Brian murmured offhandedly, craning his neck toward the back of the bus, noticing a small rustle of one of the bunk's curtains.
"I'll be sure and inform her of your professional opinion, Dr. Littrell," Howie muttered as he tapped out a quick email to Natalie to inform her of some interviews he had arranged. He was surprised when she almost immediately logged onto the instant messaging system he used, replying to his email with her usual excitement. "Why are you looking for Sweetie anyway?"
"Scooper wants her to ride on our bus for this trip," Brian explained casually, deciding not to mention that he had been the one to put the seedling of an idea into his son's head.
"I see… Sweetie? You have a visitor," Howie called, twisting his laptop slightly so Brian wouldn’t see who he was talking to online.
"Tell them to go away! She's busy!" AJ barked from the rear of the bus.
"Busy with what?" Brian barked back, excusing himself from Howie's presence to travel deeper.
"She's changing into her pajamas, if you don't mind?" AJ answered, peering out of the curtain of Alana's bunk.
"I think I might mind if you're the one watching her," Brian murmured, leaning down to see inside the bunk, noticing the soft stuffed lion that Baylee had bought Alana from the zoo. "What are you doing in her bunk anyway? Those things are cramped enough without having to worry about your bony ass poking you."
"I'm keeping the boogey man out," AJ explained with a grin, though he was pushed out by a sharp shove to his backside seconds later. "Or, maybe, I am the boogey man?"
"That would have been my first guess…" Brian mused with a smirk.
"What do you want, Brian?" Alana inquired as she pulled up her boxers before reaching for the portable DVD player she kept with her at all times.
"Scooper was hoping you'd come onto our bus for the trip… He misses you," Brian explained. "Maybe we could pop a ton of popcorn and watch a marathon of y'all's favorite movies--"
"Boogie spent pretty much the entire weekend with me," Alana interrupted, looking at Brian with an expression of skepticism when AJ slid back in beside her. She didn't understand what Brian was doing on her bus in the first place. They hadn't exactly been great friends at the beginning of the tour. And him throwing her to the coffee table had certainly thrown her through a loop. And demanding that Nick go home was his choice because she was merely a lowly opener had hurt. Even if Baylee wanted her; he wouldn't be the one delivering the message.
"He really wants you to--" Brian cut off into a hard sigh. "Alright, I want you to come over. I think we should talk about everything that's been going on… Preferably without the constant comments from AJ--"
"He wants to get in your pants because Nick diddled in Natalie's," AJ interrupted.
"See?" Brian stressed with a scowl.
"Hey, turnabout's fair play," AJ shrugged.
"I think I can survive being on your bus with Boogie for about four hours," Alana sighed as she moved to climb over AJ. She really didn't have the capacity to watch Brian have a stroke. In essence, his entire world had been yanked out from underneath him. It wasn't fair to make him go through anymore trauma.
"I really appreciate this, Alana," Brian murmured, reaching to take her bag for her.
"Ain't no big deal," she assured, glaring playfully toward AJ when she felt his hand blatantly slip against her breast for a quick feel before helping her out of the bunk.
Leading the way off the bus, Brian paused when Howie quickly slapped his laptop shut. Giving him a cautious glance, he shrugged at the innocence of the older man's expression before heading outside.
"How about you reassemble your phone while you're at it!" Howie called before Brian noticed Alana climbing off the bus. Noticing the battery completely separated from her cell phone, Brian arched his brows in question.
"I didn't feel like talking to anyone," Alana mumbled, climbing onto the opposite bus as the engine revved.
"Have you called to check on--"
"No, but I should…"
"You can use my…" Brian trailed as he set her bag on the sofa, realizing that neither Nick nor Natalie would answer if they saw his number on the ID. Sighing, he shut and locked the door as Baylee leaped onto Alana.
"Hey, Boogie," Alana crooned appreciatively as she helped Baylee hook his legs around her waist, holding him tight against her. She leaned up to rub her nose against his, giggling when he released a giggle. "I get to ride with you this time and, boy, do you have some fancy digs! No bunks! Just one big ol' bed in the back!"
"You sleep with Daddy?" Baylee questioned with a squeal of excitement, curling his arms tightly around her neck.
"I think I'll keep to the sofa and you and your Daddy can have that bed," Alana suggested instead, leaning back slightly when the bus began to pull away from the hotel.
"No!" Baylee disagreed. "Daddy take sofa and me an' you take bed!"
"That's even better!" Alana agreed with a whistle, blowing a raspberry on Baylee's neck before helping him to the floor. Though, Baylee barely gave her time to get away as he clamped onto her hand, tugging her to the back of the bus.
Chuckling softly as he followed them, Brian stopped in the dining area to gather snacks, making sure to grab the extra butter for the popcorn. Hearing Baylee's excited squeals followed by the muffled thumping of his son jumping on the bed, he shook his head with a smile, knowing it would be near impossible to get the boy to calm down. He would be wide open until finally crashing for the night. Gathering everything into his arms, Brian stepped over the sleeping Tyke before heading to the back of the bus.
"I can jump over here! I can jump over here! I can jump here! And here! And here! And here! And--"
"Not on my belly!" Alana finished when Brian stepped into back room with the bed and entertainment system. He found Baylee falling to his knees at Alana's side, who was lying back amongst Baylee's pile of pillows which were mostly used for fort time instead of sleeping. But, Baylee was far more intrigued with the way Alana cradled her stomach for protection. Leaning forward, he carefully peeled her t-shirt up to reveal the small protrusion of her belly. His lips parted in awe, he gently ran the very tips of his fingers over the small change to Alana's usually taut stomach. "…Do you know what's in there?"
"A mon'ter!" Baylee decided. "We get it out? Now? 'Fore it hurts my 'Lana, Daddy?"
"Those monsters have to stay in Alana for about another six months, Scooper," Brian explained with a bemused smile, dumping the field of snacks out on the couch off to the side of the room. Retrieving a bottle of apple juice, he offered it toward Alana as means of apologies so he could sit on the bed as well.
"There's more than one?!" Baylee screeched in shock.
"Two," Brian confirmed with a nod, holding up two fingers.
"But how'd her get two mon'ters in there?" the child demanded, staring at Alana's stomach. "Alien lay eggs in her tummy, Daddy?"
"If this is going to turn into a fertility lesson, I think I'd be safer up front with the driver," Alana decided with a firm blush hinting at her cheeks, attempting to sit up and pull her shirt down. Only, Baylee slid over her hips to keep her firmly planted, pressing two hands against the small bump as if he could push the 'monsters' out of her. She grunted in surprise when he only seemed to succeed in pushing on her bladder. "They're not monsters, Boogie. Your Daddy is just teasing."
"Then… You's just getting' fat?" Baylee decided.
"Scooper!" Brian groaned with dismay, clapping a hand over his son's mouth. "Your 'Lana's going to have babies, okay? She's not getting fat. Remember the rule, Baylee? We never tell a lady she's fat--"
"Might want to run over that lesson one more time there, Brian," Alana drawled, laughing with amusement while Baylee poked at her abdomen. "But, you are right, Boogie. I am going to be getting fat. Probably'll get stuck in doorways and everything. We'll have to bring extra butter everywhere!"
"But, how'd the babies get--"
"Have some popcorn, Scooper," Brian interrupted, not wanting to delve into that discussion just yet. Thrusting the large bag into his son's hands, he motioned towards the TV. "Want to watch something?"
"I can't wait till he's sixteen, still asking about sex, and you're trying to feed him stale popcorn balls to shut him up," Alana mused, watching as Baylee turned onto his back and cradled himself between her legs, using her stomach as a pillow.
"He doesn't need to know about sex until his wedding night," Brian informed, moving to the stack of DVDs on the shelf. "Lion King? Sleeping Beauty? Pinocchio?"
"Don't be 'tupid, Daddy," Baylee sighed, looking up at Alana as if he were apologizing for his father's foolishness.
"You know the rule, Scooper. Nothing above a PG," Brian reminded him. "I don't care what someone let you watch, that's the rule."
"I think he meant put in Lion King," Alana suggested toward Brian, gently running her fingers through Baylee's locks while the boy gave his father an absurd look of confusion.
"Huh… You should've been around on the tour last year," Brian muttered as he loaded Lion King into the DVD player. "I had tons of explaining to do after he spent a little time with AJ on his bus--"
"Porno fest?" Alana guessed, shifting so she was in a semi-propped position. Baylee whined slightly at the shift, but popped a few more kernels of popcorn in his mouth to satiate him. His eyes seemed to glaze over with the beginning credits rolling, allowing Brian to slide back on the bed without much complaint. That is, after he retrieved a handful of snacks.
"Pretty much," Brian grumbled, leaning over to grab George and Simba from the foot of the bed. Placing them next to Baylee, he settled back, offering Alana the large Ziploc bag of Chex Mix. "I made it earlier when Scooper was taking his nap--"
"Aren't you a Mr. Simon Homemaker," Alana mused, holding up the Ziploc bag for inspection. "…Why'd you make that? I thought Boogie was in the phase of not eating anything that don't come out of a wrapper?"
"I had a craving for it?" Brian suggested with a smile, glancing down to see Baylee was already fast asleep. "Scooper told me it was your favorite…"
"You never could tell a lie, huh?"
"I hate dishonesty," Brian answered softly.
"Yeah…" Alana trailed, popping open the Ziploc barrier before offering the bag to Brian. She fell into a soft state of silence, not really knowing how to comfort him on the situation. It had been months of knowing for her and she couldn't even seem to get over it. But, Brian was different. He had known them during that time. Had loved Natalie at that very moment. And for her to say that she was still a virgin… Well, the pain was evident in his light blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Brian…"
"I should have known she wouldn't wait for me," Brian murmured, shifting the pretzels he had taken from one hand to another. The hurt of her betrayal still burned him, making him want to scream with anger and cry with pain at the same time. "Alana, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated Nick the way I did--"
"It's alright, after what he said to you, I didn't really want him around anymore anyway," Alana confessed, reaching to take the popcorn from the slumbering boy's hands so it wasn't spilled. Placing it between her and Brian, she clasped her hands over her abdomen as Baylee turned to cuddle against her legs. She wanted to make a plea for Natalie. To tell Brian that he was mistaken about her intentions. But, somehow, the words couldn't be freed from her aching heart. She was angry at Nick for what he said and angrier at herself for knowing that it was probably true.
"I was just so damn mad," Brian admitted, glaring down at his hands. "I thought Nick was my best friend and then I learn about this… Something that happened ages ago and neither one of them thought enough of me to even tell me--"
"They thought it would be best not to tell you so you couldn't be hurt," Alana murmured softly, reaching to take Brian's free hand into hers for a gentle squeeze.
"This hurts more," Brian whispered, glancing over at her.
"I know," Alana promised with a nod.
"And every time I think of him… Just…" Brian released a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "Getting angry doesn't change a damn thing, does it? I can wish them both to the fiery pits of Hell and it won't make what happened between them go away. God, if she had told me, just sat down and told me in her blushing, hesitant way that she was three sheets to the wind and it just happened, I--"
"Would have probably reacted in the same manner toward Nick, but at least you would have been told instead of being lied to all these years…"
"You're damn skippy," Brian muttered.
"For what it's worth, Natalie said that she'd rather have a female castration than sleep with Nick again… And, Nick… Just relives those moments over and over and over…"
"She is pretty amazing…" Brian trailed softly, then groaned. Nick had taught her everything she knew. Shuddering at the thought, he squeezed Alana's hand gently. "Sorry…"
"I'm just a big, fat, baby oven… Thanks, Brian…"
"I'm sorry! But… If it's any consolation, you're a breathtakingly beautiful baby oven," Brian informed her, hoping to elicit a smile.
"Great, I'd win a whale of a woman pregnancy beauty pageant…"
"Alana…" Brian sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "I'm really sorry--"
"Don't worry about it, Brian," Alana interrupted, tucking her arms behind her head as she swallowed a sigh. She probably would have been better off making out with AJ in her bunk, but that thought was deadened when Baylee climbed on top of her to snuggle against her chest. Smiling slightly, she laid her arms around Baylee, holding the toddler close. "It's not a big deal."
"I just want us to be friends, Alana…"
"I thought we already were?"
"I want us to be better friends, then? Especially now that Leigh's gone… She kind of kept me from getting to know anybody on this tour--"
"I can see why," Alana promised with a shudder at the mere thought of the horrendous woman. Reaching beneath her, she carefully pulled the broken phone from her pocket, using Baylee as a table to fix the gadget. She would have to call home eventually. She just wanted to know that Zachary was in good health. Not saying goodbye to her son had been heart wrenching. "And, I told you she wasn't pregnant."
"I know you did…"
"You're just a good guy. You wanted to do the right thing by her and that's what counts. Even if she was a Nazi cum-catching weasel gobbler," Alana approved, pushing the power button on her phone. She wondered how many text messages would come flying in to fill her inbox.
"A Nazi cum-What?!" Brian squeaked, snorting back a laugh at her accurate description of Leighanne as Alana's phone began to vibrate.
"Nazi cum-catching weasel gobbler," Alana repeated, holding the phone above Baylee till the vibrations stopped, not wanting to rouse him.
"Where in the Hell do you come up with these colorful descriptions," Brian murmured, shaking his head. Glancing towards her phone, he quirked one brow. "Looks like you've got a few messages to read…"
"In my head, because I'm brilliant," Alana suggested, preparing to erase all the messages at once, but Brian stole her phone. "What are you doing?!"
"These are all from Nick," Brian explained as he scrolled through the messages. "Call him, Alana."
"I know who they're from…"
"And… Ignore the angry, jealous ones that bitch about AJ touching you and call him? Check on Zachary, make sure he's doing alright? Even though Nick's a… Nazi cum-spurting weasel gobbler, his son's pretty cool…"
"Zachary is my son, too…"
"And therefore, you need to call and check on him."
"I don't have to call Nick directly for that information. So, give me one good reason why I should?"
"Because he's your fiancé and you love him," Brian answered simply, slipping the phone back into her hand. Offering her a grin, he slid off the bed. "I'll leave you alone so you can do it now. It's only seven thirty in California… If you call now, you may be able to talk to Zachary…"
"Do you think I'd get lucky enough for Zachie to just pick up the phone himself?" Alana mumbled more to herself as Brian left the back of the bus, making sure to close the door behind him. Staring at her slim cell phone, she felt another vibration as the last of her messages seemed to fill. She didn't want to call the man. She didn't want to hear his voice, knowing the hurt it would bring. Exhaling, she flipped her phone open, wanting to read one text message. That would tell her whether or not to call.
"Oh, Handsome," she breathed, reading over the message several times to make sure she had read it correctly. – I would do anything for love / And I'll be there till the final act / I would do anything for love / I'll take the vow and seal the pact / But I'll never forgive myself…
"Oh! Nicky! Look!" Natalie squealed softly as she flopped down next to Nick on the edge of his bed. They had been going through baby catalogues all afternoon, preparing to stock up the twins' nursery. Behind them on the bed were several catalogs, already tabbed with items to order, which Natalie would be doing online shortly. Pushing the catalogue from his lap, she pushed the one she had been flipping through into his hands, pointing out the collection of nursing beads on the page. "See? Bright, vibrant colors for the babies to focus on while they breastfeed. The newborn sets are black and white, and they have brighter colors for older babies, too. They also have these nifty bracelets… Alana's going to breastfeed, isn't she? I mean, she's a nurse, so…"
"Nursing beads?" Nick murmured, looking down at the long, dangling necklaces with confusion. There were several sets splashed over the page. Some black, white, and red and others were an array of colors from the rainbow. They looked simple enough, but Nick was far more perplexed with the thought as to Alana breastfeeding. They had never talked about how the infants would feed. Breast or bottle - Nick hadn't thought about it. Unfortunately, Nick didn't know a lot of the things that Alana wanted for the twins. His conversation with her about the twins consisted merely of congratulations. The first time he had actually felt her belly since the ultrasound had been in Atlantic City, which reminded him to call and make sure that Howie measure her abdomen every day. He wanted to know how quickly she was growing, so he could report to the obstetrician. Though, now that she was upset with him… Nigh sighed, "What the Hell does she need boobie beads for? And what's a nursing bracelet?"
"It's something to catch the babies' attention while they feed," Natalie explained, reaching to place a tab on the page. "She can use them even if she decides to use formula instead of breast milk, though. And, if she uses formula, you can wear them--"
"You mean during my custody weekends?" Nick groaned, knowing there was no way in Hell that he'd be wearing beads.
"Nicky," Natalie sighed, reaching to rub his shoulder gently. It was killing him, she knew, not hearing from Alana. Not even a text message. "She'll call you soon."
"She'd only call me if she could throw the engagement ring through the phone and make me choke on it," Nick mumbled, shifting so he could sprawl out on the bed before reaching for the new stack of magazines. There were dozens of orders to make. Clothing, toys, supplies… Nick suddenly wondered if he could send Howie a check for Alana to go maternity shopping while she was on tour. She needed to build that collection soon, because he was convinced that he'd commit her to the hospital if she wasn't starting to round by the end of the month.
"Zach'll have outgrown his bouncy seat by the time the twins get here, so you only need one of those," Natalie pointed out as she continued flipping through the catalogue, moving to sprawl next to him. "And if all you're going to do is scowl over everything, I can call Kris over and ask her to help me--"
Nick turned to give Natalie an offended glare. "I'm not scowling over everything--"
"You could at least pick up the smiles a bit then. After all, I'm doing this for you. And you're doing it for your children--"
"I'm very happy that you're doing this for me. And I'm ecstatic that I'm doing it for my children. But Beautiful should be here so we can do it for her as well. I don't know a damn thing that she wants to do with these kids. I don't know if she wants to breastfeed. I don't know if she wants to keep them in our room during the first few months. I don't even know how far along we are right now!"
"Almost four months," Natalie murmured with a sigh. "And all you need to do is call Howie's phone and get him to let you talk to Alana. She's going to be coming home in a few weeks, too, you know. Then you can--"
"Help her pack her bags as she curses the very breath I take. If Beautiful doesn't want to talk to me on her phone, then I doubt that she's going to take Howie's phone when she knows that I'm on the other end. Face it. I'm a miserable daddy-to-be and a shitty fiancé. What idiot talks about his fiancée's best friend blowing him right in front of her? I could have at least said you gave me an STD to soften the blow--"
"Can we not talk about our sexual history?" Natalie interrupted. "You always bring it up--"
"I wasn't the one that told Beautiful--"
"And I wasn't the one that told Brian--"
"No, Leighanne did!"
"Well, okay, I did tell her," Natalie conceded. "But I didn't tell AJ!"
"Who didn't tell a damn soul."
"If you consider Howie, Aaron, Denise, your three lovely sisters and management not a soul--"
"They didn't matter."
"Sure. Having AJ's mother look at me like I was the queen of all sluts wasn't anything," Natalie muttered, starting to gather all of the catalogues they had gone through. "You were looked at like you were the master of all cherry poppers--"
"And I was," Nick boasted, grunting when he was pushed off the bed. "Damnit, Natalie--"
"That's all I was to you, huh? Just a random cherry to pop? This is the fucking attitude that causes people to get mad at you Nick. You could at least try to pretend like I was a mistake that you would, if possible, not have made in the first place!"
"Well what the fuck did you want to be to me, Natalie? The love of my life--"
"No! I don't know what I wanted! Hell, even if you'd told me afterwards that it was some sick bet you had with another guy over who would get to me first would have been better than waking up to the sounds of you barfing your brains out and groaning that your dick hurt--"
"Like running into the bathroom and hurling in my hair was a fucking turn on!"
"Just tell me that I was a mistake, Nick, okay? That I didn't turn you on in the least and you have never since wondered what it would be like if we'd been sober--"
"Stop acting like you need my approval for your heated sexuality so fucking much, Natalie, it's sickening. And frankly, you're acting just like Leighanne right now. I have a fiancée who I love very, very, very much. If you want approval, go flirt with JC or Howie," Nick spat, hating the way that Natalie was manipulating the words into a vicious manner. Scrambling up from the floor, Nick stormed out of his bedroom, hurriedly running down the steps as Natalie slammed her bedroom door so hard it rattled. Suddenly, he was thankful that Zachary was snoozing in his playpen downstairs.
Just as his foot touched the floor at the bottom of the stairs, he heard Natalie's bedroom door open. Turning to glance up at her, he was surprised to find her cell phone hurtling towards him as she stood at the landing. "What the fuck--"
"It's for you," she informed him, watching him fumble with the phone for a moment. "I'm certain she doesn't want to talk to a bitch like me."
"Natalie--"
"Go to Hell, Asshole," Natalie hissed, stomping back to her room to slam the door once more.
"YOU WERE A MISTAKE, YOU KNOW THAT?! I HAD TO THINK ABOUT FUCKING AJ TO KEEP IT UP FOR YOU!" Nick bellowed up the stairs before stomping through the house. Checking on Zachary, he assured himself that his son had slept through the noise before going to the kitchen to answer the phone. Glancing down at the screen, he held his breath in anticipation, his anger leaving his system so quickly he began to smile. Hurriedly flipping it open, he took a deep breath. "Beautiful?"
"…Handsome…" Alana trailed on the opposite end with what sounded like a flustered breath. "…Where's Natalie? I was just calling to check on Zachary…"
"She's… Upstairs doing something," Nick murmured, hoping she wouldn't hear his dejected sigh. "But Zachary's doing okay… He's taking a nap--"
"That's good…"
"How are you? Are you doing alright? Beautiful, I'm so sorry about what I said. I just couldn't believe that--"
"-You're that fucking idiotic?" Alana finished form him, her voice laced with sarcasm.
"Pretty much," Nick sighed, sinking onto a stool.
"You told me that you don't even remember what happened that night. That you never think about it. That you couldn't even stand the idea of even starting to think about it. Then, when you think your balls are getting smaller than Brian's, you proceed to spill all these deeply hidden secrets that you suddenly remember from that night? You spin so many damn tales I don't know which way to look. And, damnit, I love you so much but I hate what you become when you get like that."
"I'm sorry," Nick murmured again. "I just couldn't stand how Brian was becoming so damn holier-than-thou on me without even talking to me about it--"
"So, you decided that as long as you were hurting him, you might as well throw a knife in my heart too?"
"I was mad, Beautiful. Mad at him, mad at her, mad at Leigh… I shouldn't have said it--"
"You're damn right--"
"And you had every right to be mad at me and let AJ shove his tongue down to your esophagus--"
"Excuse me?"
"I saw you two in the restaurant when I was leaving…"
"You saw what?"
"You and him! In the restaurant! Arms around each other and mouths attached like vacuums--"
"Just imagine how you would have felt if we went back from the restaurant and climbed into bed together… He is your best friend, isn't he?"
"I'd kill him," Nick insisted immediately, scowling at the very idea.
"We shared a cherry cheesecake after eating. Extra whipped cream and cherries. He pretty much fed me the entire hunk of cake, making sure he only got a few bites here and there. Then he kind of smothered whipped cream on my face, making sure to lick it off and take a photo of it in the process. We went for a long walk afterwards. He helped me collect seashells for my scrapbook of the tour. He made sure to hold my hand and make sure I didn't get swept out with the tide. Then we went back to my room, curled up together, and watched a movie before we fell asleep. There, now you don't have to pick up the new issue of People coming out."
"All that just because you were pissed at me?" Nick questioned carefully, jerking his own phone from his pants to scroll through the messages AJ had sent him over the past days. Pausing on the photo of Alana curled in bed, fast asleep.
"No, AJ initiated the kiss because I bit into the lemon and made some stupid face. I returned the kiss because I was pissed at you. The rest happened because AJ was trying to cheer me up, because you have a recurring habit of making me feel miserable."
"I'm sorry," Nick whispered, not knowing what else he could possibly say.
"Me too. Because having AJ sniffing around me like some lost puppy dog really doesn't make up for missing you like crazy…"
"I miss you, Beautiful… I'm sorry I always fuck everything up."
"You don't fuck everything up, Handsome… You're a fantastic father. You're absolutely angelic to Baylee. Passionate singer. Wonderful big brother. Committed. Intelligent, when you want to be. A fabulous lover…"
"But I always manage to fuck something up… And it's always something between us that gets fucked up."
"…Then you might want to try getting better at making grand, beautiful apologies," she suggested after a period of hesitation, a playful teasing noted in her voice.
"After the last text I sent you, I was informed politely by your service that your inbox was full…"
"Well if you would stop sending me text messages that probably should have been directed at AJ…"
"So the death threats didn't go over too well, huh?"
"Oh, I enjoyed reading how you'd like to strangle me and send the twins into boarding school…"
"I didn't send that!"
"The Hell you didn't."
"That was right after AJ sent me a photo of you topless and straddling his lap!"
"He burst into my bathroom as I was getting ready to take a calming bath snapping pictures! I had to get the phone away from him! What'd you want me to do? Invite him the fuck in for a good shoulder massage and blow?!"
"Of course not! But… Damnit, why am I being punished for something that happened years ago?!"
"Because you insist on bringing it up in conversation as a means to punish me!"
"I don't bring it up to punish you--”
"Then what other sadistic desire could you possibly have to bring that up for, Nick? 'Cause it's killing me."
"Well what do you want me to do, Alana?"
"Stop acting like you're so damn happy that you had sex with Natalie."
"I’m not! Goddamnit, she's a repulsive piece of dog shit that I wish I'd never laid eyes on!"
"Fine, Nick…"
Sighing, Nick ran a hand through his hair, glancing up when he heard the door upstairs slam once more. Wincing with each stomp down the stairs, he saw Natalie storm out the front door, though she at least closed that one gently. Exhaling a hard breath once more, he looked towards the stack of magazines beside him. "I'm sorry, Beautiful…"
"I know you are," she promised softly. "And, I'm tired of fighting. I don't have the energy for it."
"Neither do I," Nick admitted.
"…What's got you exhausted?"
"Worrying about you, worrying about the twins, worrying about Zachary… Just everything, Beautiful. I'm worried that Zachary hates me because you're not around. I'm worried that you're not getting enough rest and not eating enough. I'm worried about the twins because they're so tiny and I'm an overprotective Daddy," Nick answered in a rush.
"I thought you said Zachary was doing just fine without me?"
"He is… As long as he's watching your video, wrapped up in one of your shirts and clutching a picture of you…"
"Handsome…"
"I'm serious… But he's getting a little bit better… He spit up on your shirt today and didn't fuss too much when I had to take it away to wash it… And as long as I let him sleep with me in the big bed he sleeps all night."
"My poor sweetheart…" she sighed with true lament over the situation. "…He doesn't hate you, Handsome. He's just going to resent me for being gone so long…"
"No he won't," Nick argued with the hint of a smile on his face. "He's just going to hold on tight when you get back and never let you out of his sight again."
"I hope you do the same."
"I hope you'll let me."
"…I love you, Handsome…"
"I love you more."
"You're so special to me, Handsome. You're the one that showed me I could love again when I was so afraid to. The one that showed me that I could have a family again and still not forget Colton. That means the world to me. You're the second man that I've ever made love to. The only one I want to make love to the rest of my life. Do you understand?"
"I do," Nick whispered, reaching to brush away the tears that threatened to fall.
Alana hesitated on the opposite side of the phone, seemingly started by the drastic change in Nick's voice. "Handsome--"
"Are you going to breastfeed?" Nick blurted suddenly.
"What the Hell?"
"I was looking in this baby catalogue and it had some Boobie Beads and I had no idea what they were for, then I realized they were for when the Mommy's breastfeeding, and I thought about getting them. But then I realized that I don't know shit about what you plan to do or not do, and I really want to know these things, Beautiful. All I know is that we're having twins and you're like three months along or something…"
"Boobie Beads?" Alana laughed with amusement. "A nursing necklace, right?"
"Yeah, those things. I mean, I get what they're for and all, and I was going to order some, but then I blanked… I have no freaking idea what we really need or don't need and Leighanne's evil sister ain't helping at all…"
"You can use a nursing necklace with bottle feeding or breastfeeding. It helps the child keep focused on eating instead of throwing himself or herself all around the place. But, I breastfed, Colt, so I naturally assumed that I would breastfeed the twins. Tandem nursing is usually pretty easy as long as you have nursing pillows to help support the twins… And, we're about three months along, about to go into four months at the end of this week. I'll be able to find out their sexes when the OBGYN comes, so you'll have to let me know if you want to know or not… And I'd like to try for a vaginal delivery, but I'm pretty sure I'll probably end up having a C-Section."
Diving across the counter to retrieve a pen, Nick hurriedly scribbled the info down as she gave it to him, hoping either he or Natalie would be able to decipher it later on. "I… I'd like the sexes to be a surprise, Beautiful. That way we can just do a unisex nursery theme, you know? When's the doctor coming? How many nursing pillows would you need?"
"We can keep the sexes a secret till birth. The doctor is coming next week when we're in Connecticut. And, I'd probably need two nursing pillows, one for each twin, but I can get them when I get home. You don't have to go out and get anything. …Anything else you need to know?"
"I'm just getting ideas together… Kristin's throwing you a surprise baby shower when you get back, and it's going to be one where men can-Oh shit!"
"And you wonder why people don't tell you secrets…"
"You'll pretend to be surprised, right?" Nick questioned hopefully.
"Come home and start stripping at the door like I always do, sure."
"I love you, Beautiful."
"I love you, too, Handsome. You're my one and only."
