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Author's Chapter Notes:
so yes totally short chappie cuz i split my chapter lol. It just made so much sense to split it here but yes thank you all SO VERY MUCH for the amazing response to my last chapter. Keep em coming!!

Chapter Twenty-Five: The River

The earliest signs of dawn spread a small ambient glow throughout the now quiet hotel suite. On the bed draped across each other both Nick and Alyssa began to stir despite only having about two hours of sleep. Nick opened his eyes just as she did and they both smiled sleepily, both emotionally and physically spent from the events of the previous night.

They'd heard from several of their friends and acquaintances over the years, tales of wild nights in Vegas that had unexpected endings. While Alyssa and Nick's night was rather tame in comparison to most of what others had experienced nonetheless the ending was far from what either expected when they stepped off the plane.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they both slowly awoke despite their own exhaustion anything that needed to be said wasn't said with words but through loving looks and soft smiles. With a content sigh Nick scooted Alyssa's body closer to his to lean in and press his lips to hers. Just as their lips met a loud shrill ring came from Nick's blackberry on the night table.

He groaned and rolled over cursing himself for not having turned it off in his haste to get into bed the night before. He answered it seeing that it was Juliette his publicist. "'Lo?" He asked his raspy sleepy voice filling the room replacing the near deafening silence from just moments before.

"Good morning Mr. Carter..." She said her voice sounding razor sharp and almost furious in it's tone. "Care to tell me what the hell happened last night?" She asked making Nick roll his eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Jules." He said trying to brush off her questioning. He knew he didn't really want to get into the details of the previous night with her.

"Cut the shit Nick. For the past two hours I've been fielding phone calls from all the tabloids about you. Apparently the paparazzi saw you and Alyssa..."

"So what if they did?" He asked cutting in not letting her finish her statement.

Juliette took a breath and tried to reign in her anger. "Just tell me one thing..."

"And that would be?" Nick asked wryly looking over at Alyssa who sat up and moved to hug his shoulders pressing her naked body against his back. He closed his eyes and sighed at the mere feeling of her warm skin against his.

"Did you or did you not get married last night?" She asked in turn making Nick chuckle a little.

Did they or didn't they?


That was question du jour after all wasn't it? It's what all the tabloids were clamoring about, calling his publicist in the wee hours of the morning to confirm or deny the alleged union of Nick and Alyssa.

Nick took a breath gathering his thoughts. Starting from the beginning was going to be the only logical place to start and from Juliette's impatient and disapproving tone he better start that all too important explanation now.

The previous night...

"If you win this hand I'll marry you tonight..."

It seemed as if in that moment the entire world froze. Nick turned to Alyssa, his eyes full of questioning surprise meeting her mischievous grin. He grinned and kissed her for luck just as the dealer went to reach for the final card, the river, from the automated shuffler. Nick turned just as the dealer went to place the card down.

An eight of spades. Nick's breath quickened but he tried not to show it trying to play it off as dismay rather than the invigorating thrill that rang through his chest. The other player went all in and Nick called. The dealer signified to show their hands and the business suit wearing man went first.

"A Jack of Diamonds, and Ten of Clubs. Two pair with an Ace high kicker." The dealer announced. Nick smirked at him knowing that this hand was indeed over as he flipped over his cards to reveal a five and seven of spades. Alyssa grinned widely knowing what he'd just pulled off. At the beginning of the hand Nick would have had nothing but the subsequent cards had turned out to show greatly in his favor. "Four, Five, Six, Seven and Eight of Spades, a straight flush. Mr. Carter you win the pot." The dealer remarked as Nick pulled all the chips to himself knocking out the other man.

He'd won...his heart beat rapidly in his chest as he and Alyssa decided to cash out his winnings for the night. She clasped his hand as he took the large rack of chips over to the cashier. Once they were done he led them over to the elevator and kissed her sweetly as they waited for the doors to ding in front of them. "Are you sure?" He asked searching her face for any sign of backing out.

She beamed up at him. "I can't wait any longer, yes I still want to have our wedding in May but it's too long to wait to call you my husband." She said simply in response. Nick's face glowed with happiness as he clutched her hand and entered the elevator. He held her body to him as he leaned against the railing. He didn't think that any moment could be more perfect than this. He wrapped his arms around her and nibbled on her neck making her grin and bat his mouth away from her skin. "I don't want hickeys before the wedding thank you." She said jokingly.

He chuckled and squeezed his arms around her gently. "So you're really sure?"

Alyssa looked over her shoulder at him and rolled her eyes. "My family's here, so is yours, what's there to think about?" She reasoned back.

When they got back to the hotel suite Alyssa tossed a tight fitting white button down shirt and pale pink tie at Nick as she unzipped and slipped off her dress going to her bag finding a pale pink ankle length spaghetti strap dress. It had an empire waist with black squiggles going up to her thigh. Nick changed and smirked watching her as she did as well. He grabbed the box that held the wedding rings and took the two rings out putting them on his long silver chain necklace underneath his shirt. Alyssa grinned at his effort to keep their intentions on the down low.

Alyssa checked her phone, seeing a text message from Kellie, inviting her to a movie night that everyone else was going to in hers and AJ's room. Alyssa grinned to herself knowing that it was now or never to spring her idea upon all their loved ones. Nick and Alyssa slipped their hands together and walked down to Kellie and AJ's room walking in to hear a rather loud clamor of voices.

Kellie looked over and saw Alyssa standing there and she ran over hugging her best friend, "I'm engaged!" She shrieked excitedly. The expressions on Nick and Alyssa's faces were absolutely priceless. Alyssa smiled and shook her head then hugged her again. "And here's the best part..." She stated making the knot in Alyssa's stomach burst knowing what statement was going to follow. "We're getting married tonight!"

Nick and Alyssa exchanged a glance and hugged Kellie and AJ giving them their sincere congratulations before politely excusing themselves from the crowd to talk in the bathroom.

Nick paced the bathroom while Alyssa leaned on the counter. "What are we going to do?" Alyssa asked.

Nick shrugged and sighed, "Fuck...it's not like we can say, no you can't we had the idea first you know? I even encouraged him to propose as soon as possible." He said rambling. He looked over at Alyssa and came over placing his hands on her hips. "I want to marry you...but...maybe this is a sign we should wait until May."

Alyssa sighed and shook her head agreeing with him. "I don't want to wait that long but I guess Kellie kind of stole our thunder."

Nick chuckled and kissed her forehead, "Well it was a great idea for a minute there. I mean, us eloping in Vegas? Not exactly our style is it?" He asked tipping her head up to kiss her.

Just before their lips met, "Not in the least." She replied and kissed him sweetly. She broke the kiss and looked up studying his disappointed expression. "Are you really okay with us not getting married tonight?"

"Honestly I'm a little pissed. I don't want to wait until May either."

"Yeah I get what you mean but..." She sighed again and hugged him. "It's better this way. It won't be hurried, rushed or something we're doing in the heat of the moment. It'll be something we planned together. Not some little quickie wedding. Not to say it wasn't a great idea...but like you said it's just not us." She explained giving him another kiss before they walked out to be with their friends and family. After all they did have a wedding to attend that night...just not their own.

The next couple of hours were a blur between Kellie, Alyssa and Lori getting ready to Mary getting a little weepy that a girl she'd practically raised as another daughter was getting hitched. Olivia and Angela were there, fortunately to hug her and hand her a tissue and to quip that it'd only be a few months before her youngest daughter would be taking the same step in her life.

Just after they arrived at the chapel Nick and Alyssa stepped out of the limousine that AJ had gotten to take them. Kellie and AJ had already gone inside with much of the rest of the group. Just out of the corner of Alyssa's eye as they walked hand in hand to the door of the chapel she saw a few distinct flashes that made her inwardly groan. That was going to definitely cause a scandal and a half she mused to herself.

Disregarding her thoughts she smiled brightly as she walked into the chapel. It was completely what she expected, white lattice work with fake vines of roses intertwined with the wood, a few rows of pews, and rose colored carpeting that led to the small archway at the end of the aisle where the ceremony was to take place. Suddenly she felt rather happy that Kellie decided to surprise them with her own nuptials than for Nick and her to elope. The small chapel wasn't exactly the atmosphere she'd envisioned for her own wedding.

She squeezed Nick's hand and grinned at him when he shot her a questioning glance. He brought her over seeing that AJ's mother had arrived directly from the airport. "Denise!" Nick exclaimed breaking away from Alyssa to give her a hug.

"Nick! My you've changed, you look wonderful." She replied giving him a sincere grin to add to her compliment.

Nick grinned and moved back to Alyssa wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Denise, this is my fiancée Alyssa. She's Kellie's best friend."

Denise's eyes light up at the mention of her now soon-to-be daughter-in-law. "You're Ali? Kellie talks about you all the time. It's really such a pleasure to meet you!"

Alyssa grinned brightly and shook her hand. "Thank you! It's great to meet you too! You've raised a great guy. He treats Kellie like a princess."

Denise beamed and sighed, "She makes him very happy. I am so excited to have her in our family. Honestly she's the first girlfriend of his that I've really been able to bond with and she's just such a great person. Where do you know her from?"

Alyssa grinned happily, "We grew up together, in Arizona. Her grandmother raised her, just down the street from where I grew up. Seems like it's been forever, and now here she is getting married and pregnant."

"Oh yes, it's wonderful that I'm going to be a grandmother." She said excitedly then her face fell for a moment. "Kellie told me, about your loss some months ago. I'm so sorry. But I'm so glad you two seem to be doing better. They were so worried about you."

Alyssa gave a weak sympathetic look. "It's still difficult but we're strong because of it." She said with a growing confidence.

Just then Mary came up interrupting their conversation. "Sorry, but Nick, Alex requests a word with you. And Kellie requests a word with you Ali." Mary announced smiling at them both. Both Alyssa and Nick excused themselves leaving the two women to talk about their children finding some common ground.

Nick walked Alyssa over to Kellie who was standing with Lori, Olivia, Angela and Nick's sisters. Nick kissed her cheek making her grin at him and Kellie snickered in response. "He's out back with the guys." She said smiling at the two of them. Nick left them making Alyssa's attention turn to Kellie.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Kellie took a breath, "I'm having a wiggins." She said nervously her eyes wide with anxiety.

Alyssa cocked her head to the side and hugged her. "Sweetie it's okay I'm sure that's what Alex is doing outside."

"Yeah I'm just really nervous...God this is really happening isn't it?" She said her breathing becoming more shallow. Lori placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Tell me I'm doing the right thing."

Alyssa broke the hug and looked at her best friend. She knew deep down that Kellie was doing the exact right thing for herself and AJ. It was completely their style to do something wild and unexpected as this. They made the perfect match, both wickedly impatient and rather impulsive, however reckless that might seem when it came to each other they were right in their impulses drawing them even closer together.  "Keller Elizabeth you listen to me and you listen well..." Alyssa began in a stern almost mothering tone that had all the girls standing around looking to her in complete shock and an amused sense of awe. "That man out there loves you. You're carrying his child and just earlier today he was asking my fiancé for advice about proposing to you." She saw the glimmer of recognition wash over Kellie's face. "Yeah...he wouldn't have proposed if he didn't know that this is right. You've both been engaged to other people before and does it feel like any other time?" She asked.

Kellie shook her head no silently; she didn't speak that moment for fear of being hushed like a talkative child in a classroom.

"Exactly. You love him, he loves you and you both want to spend the rest of your lives together. I have never seen you this happy before Kel. Please don't let your own fear rule your life." Kellie opened her mouth almost as if she was going to dare to speak during Alyssa's speech but Alyssa held up her hand before any sound other than the draw of a breath. "I learned the hard way what letting your own fears take over can cost you. It almost cost me my life; my fiancé and it cost me my son. If you know in your heart that you love him then you're making the absolute right decision here and I stand by you as your best friend, one-hundred percent." Alyssa said finishing her rather emotionally charged speech leaving all the women surrounding them stunned into silent admiration for her brazen yet heart felt words.

Meanwhile a similar conversation was taking place just outside in the back parking lot of the chapel. AJ paced feeling his heart racing a million times a second. "I'm nuts...She's gonna get sick of me eventually and leave me I know it." He rambled as he paced, now more than ever that itch for nicotine was engulfing him, torturing him relentlessly robbing him of all rational thought making his deepest fears come flying to the surface to second guess every decision he'd ever made, the choice to marry Kellie being no different than any other.

Nick leaned against the wall and chuckled, "Dude calm the fuck down!" He said rather loudly making AJ stop in his tracks looking over to him with a shocked expression as Brian, Howie and Clark looked over as well. Sensing that they were all expecting him to say something more than just his rather loud scolding remark he sighed, "Stop thinking...stop doing everything than just breathing right now and listen to me." He said his words coming to his mind all at once. He looked his friend right in his face and grinned. "It's just Kellie...it's not a death sentence, or an impossible commitment. It's just her...for the rest of your life, after having a family, career, everything. At the end of the day it'll just be the two of you...can you handle that?"

AJ looked around to the pavement at his feet, to the matching black sky above his head then around to each of his band mates, and Alyssa's brother. Each and every one of them had found the loves of their lives by pure chance and now there they all were standing there, supporting him, as he was about to make the commitment to one woman, to have a family with and share their lives together. Feeling a surge of confidence he grinned at Nick and nodded his head. "Yes...fuck yes I can handle that." He said as if the minor speech had revved him up like a pep talk from a coach to his downtrodden team at half time would.

Nick smiled and patted his friend on his shoulder, "The just fucking marry the girl already." He stated rather bluntly making AJ laugh a little at the levity between them. AJ led them all back inside where everyone had gathered.

"I want you and Howie up there with me..." AJ said in a small voice as they reached the main hall of the chapel. Nick nodded agreeing to his request. The three men walked up to the front and looked around seeing Lori and Alyssa standing opposite them. AJ smiled at them and both women grinned excitedly back at him then motioned for him to look over at the end of the aisle where Kellie stood with Clark holding onto her arm.

Clark had always been the closest thing that Kellie had ever had to having a real brother, so it was fitting that she'd asked him to walk her down the aisle. His breath caught in his throat as Nick and Alyssa smiled at each other from across the aisle while Kellie and AJ began the ceremony. Alyssa watched as Kellie nervously took a breath and took the ring from Lori slipping it on AJ's finger during their vows as he did the same just a moment later. What only took about 15 minutes felt like it took hours as Nick and Alyssa kept stealing glances at each other trying to stay as poised as possible for their friends but still every time their eyes met, there was no use in trying to hide their smiles from each other or the others in the room who paid attention to not only the ceremony at hand but the exchange between them as well.

Kellie giggled brightly after AJ kissed her signifying that they had indeed become husband and wife. Alyssa chuckled as well while everyone filed out of the chapel. Getting an idea from the nosy photographers who waited outside for the impending departure from the chapel, Nick and Alyssa decided to use them to keep Kellie and AJ's nuptials off the tabloid radar until they were ready to come clean about it. Thus, Nick directed for Kellie and AJ to meet them around back because he knew that it would keep the paparazzi from finding out exactly who got married that night.

Amidst the flashbulbs going off as much of the wedding guests and part climbed into the limousine Nick and Alyssa laughed to themselves thinking that if they just dug a little deeper, they'd figure out their rouse and run around back to find the bride and groom.

The following morning...


"So you're not married then?" Juliette asked reaffirming the story she'd just heard. It wasn't that she didn't doubt his honesty, but she did need to know the minor details of the night just to make sure when she did make an official statement to the tabloids that it would encompass the true events and not some watered down PR version that she loathed having to write.

Nick sighed and replied curtly, "Yes that's what happened at least the main gist of it."

"Is there anything else you want me to know?" Juliette interjected hoping there wasn't much more to the story.

Nick laughed a little and grinned, "Unless my sex life is an open topic again in the media then no." He said hearing Juliette muffle a groan of slight disgust. She'd been pretty ticked at him when he'd aired all of his dirty laundry in the media almost a year and a half ago and had since convinced him that his candor in that specific category of his life wasn't always welcome despite how much the media and his fans ate up his every word. Alyssa stifled a giggle from behind him and Juliette grinned a little knowing that it was Alyssa's distinct voice. "Warn her the paparazzi are out for everything they can get. She should lay low until this all blows over."

"I'll tell her, but don't think it's going to make her hide in our hotel suite forever now." He reasoned back making Juliette laugh at him.

"I hardly expect her to run and hide from any paparazzi but just make sure she's on her guard, they're out for blood and they're not going to stop until they get what they want, which is proof of who got married that night."

Nick finished up his conversation with Juliette then laid back on the bed and sighed as Alyssa draped herself across his chest. "Sometimes being famous royally sucks." He said with an exasperated sigh for emphasis of his point.  Alyssa grinned and pushed herself up on her elbow tracing lazy circles on his abdomen. She watched him intently and made him give her an odd look. "What?"

"Nothing, just trying to distract you from thinking about being a celebrity in the tabloids and just a normal guy, whose engaged and on vacation." She replied making him smile at her and roll her over.

"You know I think I really like that thought." He said leaning down and claiming her mouth against his, willing all of his thoughts of the impending media drama to be blocked from his mind letting his only awareness become the feel of her lips on his, the feel of her fingers in his hair. He was lost in his own little world, where he wasn't a musician, a celebrity or anything of the sort; he was just a normal guy with a somewhat normal life. Unfortunately, the many paparazzi standing outside the hotel were hell bent that their little escape from reality would be very short-lived.