Chapter 52
Nick woke up the next morning to see a blanket of snow on the ground. After having breakfast, he offered to help shovel the walk and driveway for Amanda's father. Aaron and Amanda helped by cleaning off the buried cars in the driveway. Nick stepped outside and was shocked to discover the snow was almost up to his knees.
"Nick, be careful....its pretty deep, I would say it snowed two feet last night." Amanda cautioned as she and Aaron headed for the cars. Gripping the shovel with both hands, Nick dug into the snow. He was not expecting it to be so heavy, as it was wet snow and not powder. He almost lost his balance trying to lift the shovel but after two tries he mustered enough strength to pick it up.
"Don't overdo it, Nick. This is heavy snow....you can hurt your back." Amanda called. Nick waved at her and kept going. After about an hour or so, Nick finished and his back was so sore he had to walk carefully into the house. Amanda walked into the bedroom and saw him holding his back, trying to rub it one handed.
"Need some help?" she asked with a smile. She walked over and gave him a long backrub.
"That feels wonderful." Nick said, sighing with pleasure. He loved Amanda for this...she always knew just what to do to make him content and happy. He never had to tell her or ask her if he needed anything, she always seemed to know. She knew Nick like the back of her hand. Amanda could tell what was bothering her boyfriend without him saying anything at all, and Nick was the same with her. He knew just what she needed to be happy. After resting a while, Nick spent time with the baby, putting her down for a nap. He sang her to sleep, his voice gentle and soft. When Celine was asleep, Nick turned to walk out of the room, but saw Amanda's father in the hallway.
"Hello," Nick said, his mind already warning him that this was no friendly visit. John's face was without expression as he walked towards Nick, his footsteps heavy on the carpet.
"That's a nice singing voice you have there." he commented.
"Thank you," Nick said, caught off guard by the compliment.
"I would like to have a chat with you, Nick. If that's all right." he said softly. Nick nodded, his heart beating faster as he felt that familiar lump forming in his throat, the one that usually appeared when he was nervous.
"Okay." Nick said, barely audible as he followed John into the open room nearby. The room was a little small, with a desk and chairs, bookcases lined the walls. Nick walked in and looked around, he felt his heart beat faster. Nick had never liked small rooms, they made him uncomfortable.
"Have a seat, Nick." John said with a small grin. Nick sat in the armchair in front of the desk. He watched as Amanda's father closed the door behind them and walked over to the desk, sitting down in front of him like an officer about to start an interrogation. Nick glanced nervously at the closed door, feeling beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Nick did not like enclosed spaces. When he was home he never closed the door in a room, he always left it open slightly. Nick had been locked in enough closets and basements as a child, and he had this claustrophobia as a result of his abuse.
"You wanted to talk to me, sir?" Nick said softly, trying to keep his composure. Amanda's father sat across from him, his arms folded and leaning on the desk between them, his brown eyes boring into Nick's.
"What is your last name?" John asked in a serious tone. Nick knew he was about to be questioned by Amanda's father, and any wrong answer would cause him to screw everything up.
"Carter." Nick replied.
"Nick Carter....your name sounds familiar." John said, nodding.
"Amanda might have talked about me when we were growing up." Nick offered without thinking.
"How long have you known my daughter?" John asked. Nick kept looking at the closed door, knowing there was no way to escape this questioning.
"Since we were ten, sir. We went to school together in Florida." Yes, this answer seemed good. The questioning continued, and Nick answered everything that was thrown at him, just Iike he was in an interview. He felt more confident as the minutes passed.
"So what do you do for a living, Nick?" John asked, standing up, and wandering over to the bookshelf as if he was looking for something to read.
"I sing....I'm a solo artist." Nick explained. He worried if Amanda's father was going to approve of his music career, that he would accept him for who he was.
"Have you been doing this for a
while, Nick?"
"Since I was 19, sir. I'm 25 now." he answered, as Amanda's father paced the room.
"You have quite a gift. Do you plan on doing this as a career for a long time?" he asked. Nick looked at his feet, he had not thought of the day when his music career would end, how he would support his family, but he knew he had enough money put away just in case.
"Yes, I enjoy making music. I plan on doing it as long as I can." Nick replied with a smile.
"How long have you and Amanda been together?" John said after a brief silence. Nick knew this had been coming...when he would start asking about Celine and how she was his daughter when Lance and Amanda were married.
"A few weeks." Nick told him, not meeting his gaze. The lump in his throat tightened again and he swallowed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead once more.
"My wife tells me that you are the true father to Celine. So my question is this. If Lance was married to Amanda when the baby was conceived, then how is Celine your daughter?" Uh oh. Nick had no idea how to answer this question, so he just said the first thing that came to mind.
"A year ago I was married to a friend of Amanda's. She passed away on our honeymoon." he explained with a sigh. He had been trying for nearly a year to block out Tracy's death but it kept coming to haunt him.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Nick. It's not easy to lose someone like that."
"No, it wasn't easy at all. I couldn't bear to make the trip back on my own so I called Amanda. Our emotions got the best of us and we slept together. A few months later she told me she was pregnant with my child." Nick replied.
"So why did Amanda tell us the baby was Lance's?" John asked. Nick flashed back to the day Celine was born and was reminded of how much it hurt to let her go, telling Amanda that he was giving her up.
"I didn't sign the papers....I felt that if I signed those papers it would ruin their marriage. Lance was so happy to be a father, I couldn't take that from him. So I gave away the rights to my daughter." Nick explained, looking at his feet in shame.
"That must have been difficult for you, I see you love Celine very much."
"Yes, it was the hardest choice I ever made in my whole life. Amanda and Lance split up a few months ago, so she gave me the rights back on my birthday." Nick told him with a smile.
"You gave away rights to your daughter to save Amanda's marriage?" John said in surprise. He looked at Nick, raising his eyebrow at him. Nick wondered if he was making a good impression.
"Yes, I did. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, to give up my daughter. I love her more than anything in the world. I'm sure as a father you'd understand." he answered. Nick was feeling slightly more confident as the minutes passed.
"You're a very responsible young man, Nick. But what exactly are your intentions with Amanda?"
"I actually came up here to meet you both because I want to marry your daughter."
"You're asking me for permission?"
"Yes sir. I love her." Nick said. John surprised him by smiling warmly.
"That is wonderful to hear. Lance never asked me for permission to marry Amanda, he never came to talk to me." he explained. Nick had to hold back his smile, act like he wasn't happy to hear this information.
"Sir, I would feel the same way about Celine. She is my only daughter and all I want is her to be happy." he told him. After their conversation, John excused Nick and went to talk to Amanda, to find out what she thought of being with Nick. Nick had made sense to him, and he wanted to make sure Amanda was completely happy.
"Hi, daddy." Amanda said as she hugged her father. She had always had a good relationship with her parents since she was very young.
"Sweetheart, are you happy with Nick? Does he treat you well?" he asked her.
"Daddy, Nick is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He always makes sure I'm taken care of, and he is a wonderful father. I love him." Amanda replied. Later on that day she saw Nick being hugged by her father.
"Welcome to the family, son." he said as he patted Nick on the back and shook his hand. Nick had a big smile on his face, and Amanda teared up. She had no idea how he had done it, but her father liked Nick. That to her meant the world. Nick could finally have a family like she had, her parents seemed to really like him. Everything was going perfectly, she just wanted it to stay that way.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry its been so long since I updated, the site has been down. I also went to see BSB in concert and Weird Al, plus work has been crazy. But hope you guys like this much anticipated chapter!
