Chapter 41- Giving is Half the Fun

            When Shayla awoke late Christmas morning she was disappointed, but not altogether surprised to find Nick's half of the bed empty. She rolled over to glance at the alarm clock on the edge of night table and saw that it was almost already a quarter to eleven. Typically now that all the Carter siblings were older, Christmas morning was all about sleeping in late and opening gifts after a late brunch. Curious to see what Nick was up to, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and adjusted her shorts. Then she headed down the stairs to see who else was up.

            She froze as she reached the bottom of the stairs and heard voices from the kitchen. The undeniable sound of a high pitched female giggle and Nick's own familiar voice emanated from that direction. Almost as if she were trying to punish herself, she followed the noise to right outside the entranceway to the kitchen. There stood both Alyssa and Nick leaned over the stove working on what looked to be pancakes. The smell of bacon and sausage wafted up through her nostrils. Shayla just stood there watching the two of them and wondered if they were even aware of their subtle interactions with one another. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on his hand at the small of her back. They were both sharing smiles and the way they seemed to steal sideway glances at each other made her instantly feel jealous. She couldn't even remember the last time Nick had looked at her like that.

            Her mind wandered back to the night before and she felt her facial muscles frown at the upsetting memory. She no longer could deny that something was not right between her and Nick. They hadn't made love in weeks and then when she'd attempted to make a move the night before he seemed not at all interested in her. She couldn't even turn him on! Yet, after he'd run out to talk to Alyssa he mysteriously had come back to bed aroused. It definitely made Shayla's mind wonder. He hadn't really been gone long enough for anything really substantial to have happened, but knowing that Alyssa had that kind of effect on him was definitely a major blow to her ego. And then there was the fact that he really didn't seem to care if she realized it or not. She still couldn't understand as to why Nick had gotten into bed with her directly afterwards. Did he want her to know that Alyssa was doing something for him that she wasn't? Was he trying to send her some kind of message? Or it could be the opposite. Maybe he was just so enamored with Alyssa that he wasn't thinking clearly. Maybe he just really didn't care if she figured it out or not, and that's the thought that disturbed her the most.

            Not being able withstand putting herself through much more torture, she cleared her throat announcing her presence as she entered the kitchen. It was amazing how fast the two of them jumped apart and appeared to be working innocently side by side. "Good morning," she greeted the two of them. "What are you two up to?"

            "I thought it would be a nice idea to surprise all of you with breakfast, but Nick woke up and caught me before I could get very far, so he's been helping me," Alyssa answered. "I didn't know that you guys liked to sleep so late on Christmas morning."

            "Oh yea... Well we don't get to sleep late very often with our schedules so we seize the moment when we can," Shayla dryly replied before turning to Nick. "Is anyone else up yet?"

            "Leslie just woke up a few minutes ago. She's in the living room watching TV. The rest of the gang should be trickling in shortly," Nick explained.

            "Oh, okay. Cool." Shayla froze uncomfortably. It felt awkward being in the kitchen with the two of them, but she also didn't want to leave the two of them alone while she joined Leslie in the living room.

            After a few moments of tense silence Alyssa made the decision for her, probably feeling just as uncomfortable. "Why don't you help Nick finish up in here?" she suggested. "We're almost done. I'll go hang out with Leslie for a bit." Without saying another word she left the kitchen not giving Shayla any further choice.

            Shayla looked up at Nick hoping that maybe he'd open up and give her some kind of explanation, but instead he just turned his back and began to scoop the stack of pancakes onto a large serving platter. "Why don't you set the table for me?"

            "Sure," she answered dully as she grabbed a stack of plates from the cabinet still not being able to get over the lack of communication between the two of them. It was almost beginning to feel like he'd fully checked out on their marriage and was already beginning to look for a new relationship.

************

            As Nick had predicted in the next twenty minutes or so the remaining three Carter siblings slowly woke up and made their way downstairs to discover breakfast waiting for them. Once they were all awake, the seven of them sat down to eat together. Everyone seemed appreciative of Alyssa's efforts in the kitchen. Everyone that was except Shayla who ate with a permanent scowl etched on her face and Angel who purposely only picked at her food and made a comment about the pancakes being burnt when no one else seemed to find any fault with them.

            Once breakfast was over they headed into the living room to finish exchanging Christmas gifts. Alyssa was a little worried that Nick's siblings wouldn't enjoy their gifts. Being unsure of what exactly to buy them she'd opted for turquoise bracelet and earring sets for the girls and an iTunes gift card for Aaron. BJ and Leslie seemed to love the jewelry, but Angel just wrinkled her nose up at her set, commenting that she already had something very similar. Then of course she found something to say about Aaron's gift. "Gift cards are so impersonal," she announced as Aaron had opened up his present.

            Nick even appeared annoyed at her ungrateful comment and stepped in to defend Alyssa. "Hey, she did what she could. She only has a teacher's salary to shop with and she barely knows you guys. It's the thought that counts."

            Aaron looked up noticing the hurt in Alyssa's eyes as he chimed in. "Yea and this is a great gift. There are some new albums I've been looking to download anyway. Thanks Alyssa," he made a point of saying.

            Aaron's appreciation of her small gift made her feel a little better. She was very pleased with her gifts from Nick's siblings. Leslie and Angel had chipped in to present her with a spa certificate for a complete day of pampering. "We figured that with the baby coming you could use a little stress relief," Leslie explained.

Aaron had gotten her a really cute pair of the tiniest pair of pink and black checkerboard Vans that she'd ever seen. "For the baby," he told her. "I wasn't sure what to get you, so I figured something for the baby would be a safe bet and I saw these and thought they were adorable."

Alyssa laughed. The shoes were completely impractical and probably cost nearly as much as an adult pair. She knew they'd probably wind up lost within a few days of the baby wearing then, but it was very much an Aaron gift and they really were adorable. "Thanks Aaron," she told him. "They're very cute."

From Shayla she received probably the oddest present. It had come in a flat envelope and when Alyssa first opened it up she looked confused as she read the paper in her hand. "You bought me a gym membership?" she asked, not sure how to react to the gift.

            Shayla smiled wickedly and nodded her head. "I figured what with you giving birth pretty soon you'll have plenty of baby weight to work off. You know a lot of women never completely go back to the way their bodies were pre baby."

            Alyssa bit her lip stopping herself from saying something she'd regret. Kill her with kindness, she reminded herself as she forced a fake smile over her face. "What a thoughtful gift! You know I planned on working out after the baby, but this makes it so much easier for me. My goal is to get down to what I was back in my dancing days." She almost laughed in satisfaction as Shayla's face darkened at her reaction.

            She'd struggled with what to buy Nick. She'd wanted to give him something meaningful, but she knew that whatever it was it had to be something that he could give to him in front of Shayla and his siblings without them becoming suspicious. That factor had pretty much eliminated most of her ideas. Finally she'd settled on a more generic gift to give him in front of everyone else with a more personal gift to give him later in private. For now, she'd bought him a new surfing shirt which she'd learned was known as a rash guard. Who knew? Nick's face seemed to light up when he opened the box. "How did you know I needed a new one?" he gleefully asked.

            "I didn't," she honestly answered. "I just know that you're into surfing now on your downtime, so I figured I'd get you something related to that. I went to a surf shop and they recommended this.  I figured it couldn't hurt to have an extra or two."

            She couldn't help but to secretly beam on the inside as she noticed Shayla's steamed look. Nick seemed to be more excited over Alyssa's gift than the Movado watch she'd bought him and that had certainly cost way more.

            Nick had in turn bought her a complete scrap booking set to start a baby scrapbook for their daughter. Alyssa was surprised by the thoughtfulness behind the gift. It definitely wasn't his style. In addition to the scrap booking set he'd even bought a little baby outfit for the baby. Shayla of course had stuck her nose up in the air, announcing that it was "ridiculous to buy a Christmas gift for an unborn baby."

            The final gift given out was Nick's gift to Shayla. Shayla opened up the large box and immediately started to squeal as she lifted out the latest Fendi bag out of the tissue paper. Alyssa had seen the very same bag in the latest issue of Vogue and knew that it was damn near twelve hundred dollars. Must be nice, she thought as she glared at Shayla's reaction. "Oh my god! Nick, where did you get your hands on this? This is like the bag of the moment. Everyone I know is on waiting lists for this baby. My friends are going to be so jealous when they see this!" She slung the bag over her shoulder, admiring the way it looked on her arm.

Materialistic much? Alyssa wondered. She looked up at Nick and their gaze met for a moment or two. Nick just rolled her eyes at her, which made Alyssa laugh. Shayla was too intrigued with her new purse to notice the interaction between the two. Finally her head shot up as if she'd only just remembered to thank her husband. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard, probably more for Alyssa's sake than Nick's. Alyssa could tell just by the expression on Nick's face that he was surprised by the move. "Thanks baby," she told him smiling seductively. "This is the best Christmas present ever."

Completely and utterly disgusted by Shayla's performance Alyssa began to gather up her presents and excused herself to put them away in her overnight bag. She only wished that she could placate Sean with an over the top Christmas gift. It seemed that now that Shayla had gotten her bag she was more than willing to overlook the events of the night before.

************

            "I got thirty points which makes me the Scattergories champ... again," Alyssa proudly announced. It was later that night and after dinner they'd all piled into the living room for a game which apparently was another Carter tradition. Everyone that was except Angel, who had made an excuse about having a headache and had gone upstairs. Alyssa suspected that her "headache" was an excuse to avoid her. She wasn't sure what she'd done to piss Nick's younger sister off, but it certainly seemed as if Angel had something personal against her.

            "Leave it to Nick to invite a fucking genius over for Christmas," Aaron grumbled.

            Alyssa just laughed. "I'm not a genius. I just have an extensive vocabulary. You're just sore because I wouldn't accept marijuana as a type of tree."

            "It's a legitimate answer!" he argued.

            "Whatever..." Alyssa said rolling her eyes as she stood up. "You guys can start the next game without me if you want. I need to run up to the bathroom. I swear this baby is laying right on my bladder." Without waiting for a response she hurried up the stairs towards the bathroom. Lately she felt like she was constantly running to the bathroom and it would probably only get worse in subsequent months as she got even bigger.

            She reached the bathroom and took care of her business quickly. When she was done she opened the door to find herself face to face with Angel who was wearing a robe and carrying some towels with the obvious intent of taking a shower. "You should really watch where you're going," she snottily replied. "You almost hit me in the face with the door."

            Alyssa stood in the doorway glaring at the younger woman. Over the course of the previous day and today she'd gotten to know BJ, Leslie, and Aaron, and had finally began to feel comfortable with them. Angel was still an enigma to her. She just couldn't figure out why Nick's youngest sister would have so much animosity towards her when they'd never even met before. Alyssa was sick of Angel's cattiness towards her and decided that it was time that someone finally called her out on it. "Excuse me, but what is your problem?"

            Angel looked surprised at Alyssa's question. "My problem? I have no problem at all. Seems to me you're the one with the problem." Her eyes made an obvious glance towards Alyssa's swollen stomach. "Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to take a shower if you don't mind?"

            But Alyssa refused to move. She crossed her arms over her chest, blocking Angel's entrance into the bathroom. "I'm not moving until you tell me what exactly it is that you have against me and why you've been such a major bitch to me from the moment you set eyes on me."

            "I don't know what you're talking about," Angel quickly deflected her request.

            "I think you do and trust me I can be just as stubborn as you," she warned. "If it takes all night so be it. You've been nothing, but rude and disrespectful from the moment you laid eyes on me and I don't know what I possibly could've done to offend you so please, enlighten me."

            Angel sighed, realizing that she was completely serious. "I know."

            Alyssa squirmed a bit in discomfort at her vague answer. "Know what?" She knew that she probably meant that she knew more about her and Nick than she'd originally thought, but how much was still a mystery.

            "Nick told me everything about the two of you. Every last detail.  How you're manipulating him and playing with his emotions," she sneered.

            Alyssa's mouth gaped open. She really couldn't be upset that Nick had confided in Angel because she'd done the same thing with Meg. She was though upset at the way that Angel seemed to interpret things. Did Nick really think that she was playing games with him? Where would she get that idea from? "I don't think I understand what you're getting at. How am I manipulating Nick?"

            Angel rolled her eyes as if to say you mean you don't know? "I know that baby is Nick's and I think it's really shitty of you to put him through what you're doing. He's doing everything that he can for you and you're planning on passing the baby off as your husband's! Not only is that extremely manipulative and selfish, but it's unfair to everyone involved. It's sneaky and deceitful and I believe that the only person that you're concerned about in the situation is yourself!"

            Alyssa reeled backwards almost as if she'd been slapped. Angel's words stung. "I'm sorry Angel, but I really don't think you're in a position to judge when you've only heard one side of the story," she started, trying to defend herself.

            "Why should I listen to your side? How do I know that you're not going to lie to me? You're apparently very good at that. Nick is my brother and I trust him. I'm going to believe him over you any day."

            She sighed. "I'm not saying that you should believe me over Nick. I'm just saying that there's probably more to the story that Nick didn't tell you. When did he tell you everything anyway? A lot may have changed between then and now."

            "Thanksgiving," Angel answered firmly.

            Alyssa just shook her head. "That was a month ago! Look, I admire the fact that you are looking out for Nick's best interests. If I was in your position I'd probably want to do the same exact thing, but I promise you I'm not looking to purposely use Nick or screw him over. I appreciate everything he does for me and trust me, I never ask him to do anything he does for me. That's all voluntarily. The situation between Nick and I is very complicated." She looked down at her hands. "I admit that at one point I did plan on keeping the baby's true paternity under wraps, but I now realize how unfair and selfish a decision that was. I can tell that Nick wants this baby. We've discussed it since Thanksgiving. Once Sean returns home from Iraq I'm going to come clean and leave him. That's the honest truth."

            Angel still looked at her warily. "Why should I believe that? Who's to say that as soon as Sean comes back that you won't lose your nerve and decide that you can't go through with it after all? Then what happens? I'm sorry Alyssa, but until I see some action from you, I just can't trust you."

            Alyssa looked away as she realized that she couldn't really blame Angel for thinking that way. She knew that she was very overprotective of Nick and had seen him hurt by too many girls in the past. It was probably easy for her to jump to conclusions and assume that Alyssa was just using Nick. She realized that getting Angel to warm up to her was something that couldn't be done as quickly as it had with Nick's other siblings. The only way for her to get Angel to like her would be to prove her wrong. She'd have to earn her respect; something that could take a long time.

"Angel, I know it's hard for you to trust me, but I'm different from other girls Nick has dated." She sighed. "I really do genuinely care about your brother and I want to be with him when the time is right. I'd never do anything to vindictively hurt him and I hope you realize that."

Angel just glared at her stone faced. "Then prove it." Without another word she finally managed to push past Alyssa and slammed the door in her face.

Alyssa looked up at the closed door and sighed. As much as the conversation had seemed to have little effect on the way in which Angel viewed her, Alyssa felt a small bit of triumph. Now more than ever she felt a desire to prove not only Angel wrong, but everyone who had been telling her that things with Nick would never work out. She thought about the present she had waiting to give Nick later and smiled. After this confrontation, she knew that her gift to him would be just one step in the right direction to show just how serious she was about him and their relationship.

************

            "Why don't you come inside for a little bit?" Alyssa suggested as she slowly pulled away from Nick's lips. It was later that night and Nick had just pulled into her driveway to drop her back off at her house. Not having much privacy the past couple of days, they hadn't been able to resist taking advantage of Nick's tinted windows to steal a few kisses.

            Nick impishly smirked. "I thought you said that we had to be more careful with me coming over?" his voice teased.

            Alyssa shrugged playing along with him. "Okay... Your loss then, but I guess I can't give you the other half of your Christmas gift if you won't come inside..."

            "Well, I don't see why I have to come inside for that. Sure it may be a little tight here, but I'm sure we can manage."

            Alyssa rolled her eyes and playfully swatted his arm. "Sorry to let you down, but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I really do have some more presents inside for you. I just thought they'd be better to give to you in private. They're not exactly things that I would have been comfortable giving to you in front of Shayla and your family for obvious reasons."

            "It's okay. I actually have something else for you too that I was waiting to give you in private," he agreed, all of a sudden turning serious as he pulled out a small square box wrapped in brightly colored red paper from his pocket.

            "Nick you didn't have to buy me anything extra," she insisted as she took the box from him.

            "And neither did you," he pointed out. "It's just what I really wanted to give you for Christmas."

            She leaned over to give him another light kiss. "Let's go inside and I'll open it up in there." She opened up the car door and began to walk up the concrete driveway with Nick at her heels. She fumbled for a moment or two with her key in the lock until it sprang open. "Wait here," she told him, gesturing to the couch. "I'm just going to run upstairs and get your presents."

            Nick did as he was told and made himself comfortable on the couch. A few minutes later, Alyssa appeared downstairs again holding a gift bag and a flat green envelope. "Open yours first," he begged as soon as she sat down beside him.

            "Okay," Alyssa agreed, picking up Nick's gift from the coffee table where she had left it. She tore open the wrapping paper to discover a small white jewelry box. She picked off the lid to find a shiny gold locket laying delicately against the white cotton lining.

            "Open it," he prompted.

            Alyssa popped open the locket to find on one side a picture of her and Nick already in place. It was an old picture taken a few years ago from when she had gone to visit Nick out in LA after Christmas. The other side was empty.

            "I figured that after the baby is born we can put a picture of her on the other side," Nick explained.

            Alyssa looked up at him her eyes wide with appreciation. "It's beautiful Nick! And such a sweet idea. I love it! Thank you so much." It may not have cost as much as Shayla's Fendi bag, but the thought behind it was so much more meaningful. She knew Nick had just picked the bag up for Shayla only because she wanted it. With her present he'd actually put some thought into it which made a huge difference in her eyes.

            "Wow... Now my presents seem kind of cheap in comparison," she nervously laughed as she handed him the gift bag first.

            "I'm sure I'll love them. It's the thought that counts, right?" Nick assured her as he dug into the gift bag. He pulled out two black t-shirts. One read Drummers Bang Harder and the other Guitar Players Finger Better.

            "I saw these online and I immediately thought of you. Plus I had to one up the Future MILF shirt you got me," she nervously laughed. "I just wanted to give you them in private because yea... Shayla would've gotten the wrong idea."

            Nick just laughed as he held out the shirts. "Well, I think you succeeded. Hmm..." He raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

            Alyssa just innocently shrugged. "Take it as you please. I do have one more gift for you. Well, it isn't exactly a gift, but..." Her voice trailed off and her face reddened. "Just open it." She thrust the envelope into his hand.

            Nick tore it open and pulled out a plain looking white greeting card. He opened up the card and a copy of Alyssa's latest sonogram picture came spilling out onto his lap. "You have to read what's inside the card first," she explained.

            His eyes floated to the top of the card that was covered with Alyssa's neat, dainty cursive and he began reading the card just as Alyssa had instructed.

Dear Nick,

            I'm not sure how exactly I can thank you for doing everything you've done for me these past few months. Not only have you shown me that you're the man that I was meant to be with all along, but you've also been an outstanding friend to me. I know that I have been insensitive to your feelings and how this situation has affected you, and for that I am truly sorry. You've been nothing, but understanding and for that I thank you. I now realize how much this baby means to you and I know that you are going to make a wonderful father. Our daughter is lucky to have someone like you to call Daddy. I'm sorry if I ever doubted you. I now know that you love me and you're no longer the same man you were in the past. I'm ready for us to become a family and to show you how serious I am about this commitment I've enclosed the latest picture of our daughter, since I've just realized that you don't have one yet. Thank you again for being there for me. I can't wait to start a future with you.

                                                                                                                        Love, Alyssa

PS: Look on the back of the picture.

            Nick felt his heart swell with pride as his eyes swept over the words. Finally, this was what he had been waiting to hear from her since almost the first moment she'd told him that the baby was his.  He picked up the sonogram picture from his lap and flipped it over as she had instructed and he actually felt his eyes brim with tears as he read the inscription on the back. Zoey Michelle Carter. He looked up at Alyssa questionably. "Does this mean...?"

            Alyssa nodded. "Yea... I want her to have the name you wanted."

            Nick swallowed hard, trying to put up a manly front and not let the proud tears that he was trying to hold back show, but he wasn't sure if he was doing such a great job. "I don't even know what to say Lyss..." he started off in a choked up voice. "This is probably the best Christmas gift I've ever received." By now he couldn't hold back the teardrops that fell down his cheek and he quickly tried to wipe them away, embarrassed to be caught crying.

            Alyssa grabbed his hands, so that he couldn't hide his tears from her and cupped his chin so that he was forced to look at her. "All you have to do is say thank you," she told him. He noticed that her eyes were also red rimmed.

            "Thank you," he told her. "I mean it. You really have no idea what this means to me."

            Alyssa grinned through her own tears. "I think I can based on your reaction. I'm just happy that I was able to do something special for you. Merry Christmas Nick."

            "Merry Christmas," he repeated, before burying his head against the crevice of her neck. They stayed in that position just holding each other for what seemed like hours before Nick finally pulled away once he realized how late it was. Alyssa sighed, finding herself impatiently waiting for the day that he wouldn't have to leave her to go back home to his wife. The day that he'd be able to call wherever she was home.