by Andrea Hurtt
He loved his little family, but didn't want to listen to them chatter over what they thought would happen when he and Hope reunited.
He was tired, so exhausted.
Nick prayed he’d get a little sleep. He didn’t want to be a hot mess when he saw her again.
The laughter around him was too much, all before they had hit ten thousand feet. He couldn’t drown them out, even when he turned his tunes up all the way.
So much for sleeping.
Someone bumped him, causing his eyes to flutter open.
“You need to join us, Nicky, have a drink,” Thomas teased, handing him a champagne glass. It splashed over the rim when a bit of turbulence sent his buddy crashing into his seat. “Sorry, bro. Just take it before I spill it all over you.”
Nick took the flute and downed its contents.
“I think you need another,” Scott said, refilling the glass.
He had no intention of drinking at all, on what could be one of the most important days of his life.
His flute kept getting filled, and his heart was being lifted as his brothers laughed around him, excited for Blaze’s wedding.
Damn, I should’ve eaten something.
The guys reminisced about all the crazy shit they’d done in their teen years, when everything was so new. They talked about Dwaine and Evey’s wedding, and everything that’d gone wrong there.
“I hope you don’t get a stalker fan at the reception like we did. Remember that one chick, Dwaine, what was her name?”
Nick laughed. Sometimes, it wasn’t a good thing if they could remember a fan’s name. Most of the time it meant they were abnormally outstanding, super caring, or something outrageous to be remembered. There would always be the one that stood out, to the negative.
“I doubt that’ll happen to them,” Nick said, and the champagne was getting to his head. “Their stalker is already in jail.” Heat filled his cheeks. He’d said it out loud. “Ah, shit. Blaze. Dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” He set down his mostly empty flute, shaking his head in disapproval of himself. He’d had too much to drink.
“It’s okay. Nothing can bring me down today,” his buddy said cheerfully.
“Except maybe this plane,” Thomas teased.
“You shut your mouth, boy,” Scott, the eldest brother said. “Don’t you dare jinx us.”
“Sorry.” But Thomas grinned, unrepentant.
“Well, you boys polished off five bottles of the champagne Sarah had the plane stocked with. It’s no wonder you’re all a little loose lipped. Get your shit together, we’re landing soon,” Evelien pointed out.
Nick liked Dwaine’s wife.
As the first wife, she’d put up with a lot of shit from the rest of them. Soon she’d have Grace to help wrangle them.
Too bad Hope won’t be one of them.
Nick looked over at the empty bottles of Mumm Napa Brut Rose.
How did something so girly make me so…
He couldn’t say the words. Sure, he’d had drinks before, years’ worth, but those bottles of champagne hit him way too hard.
All of them. They were giggling like little girls at a slumber party.
Everyone’s happy.
Do I want to be happy?
Duh.
I can’t get you outta my head.
Nick stayed deep in thought when the plane touched ground.
I’ll make her see. She’s never left my thoughts.
Whatever’s keeping her from wanting to be with me, we can figure it out.
Screaming fans filled the airport lobby, just outside the secure area.
Word had obviously gotten out that BJ was getting married in L.A., and they’d come in droves to see the band exit the airport.
There’d yet to be a picture of Grace leaked to the public, which was unheard of in today’s media, but that was about to change.
Blaze’s mom, stepdad, and stepsister were standing toward the front of the crowd.
Jerry, his stepdad, stepped to the side, hugging up against his mom, to allow Grace to step forward.
The airport had put up rope barriers to keep the fans in line. They were doing fairly well, being respectful of each other.
When Grace ducked under the rope and headed to her love, the fans started yelling at her to get back.
Nick laughed. Maybe the other ladies would tackle Grace before she could get her hands on Blaze.
When his buddy opened his arms to take her, no one moved.
Cameras flashed.
Everyone will know who Grace is tomorrow.
He looked around, delving his vision deep into the crowd. Was Hope hiding among the masses?
When Grace took Blaze’s hand and started walking toward baggage claim, his heart sank.
She didn’t even have the decency to meet me here?
What’s she waiting for?
He tried not to let the hurt show. Nick needed to be strong for his buddy.
No, he didn’t hurt.
He was angry.
It burned red-hot in his gut, warring with the liquor flooding his veins.
His internal argument began building the moment they were in the Escalade, flying down the interstate toward Blaze’s house.
Nick sat in the passenger seat, Grace and Blaze in the back. The others were in various other vehicles, rented by management.
“We’re gonna stop by our place first,” Grace said. “I’ve got to grab a few things before we go to the hotel. We need to do a rehearsal, a run through, since Thomas took over that part of the wedding, I don’t know what he…”
Nick tuned her out to listen to his own demons inside arguing.
I should’ve called her a long time ago.
Phones go two ways. She could’ve texted me.
She did.
But it was goodbye.
Was it?
“Don’t you think so?” Blaze said from the back.
“Uh, Yeah. Sure.”
“Nicky, you weren’t even listening. Don’t agree unless you know what you’re agreeing to. We could’ve been talking about shaving your head,” the tattooed man teased him.
“Sorry. I was somewhere else.”
“Well, get back to earth, buddy.”
They pulled into the driveway of Blaze’s home. Nick’s heart slammed against his ribs.
Is she here?
Is she at the hotel?
Be cool.
His palms were sweating from the nerves. Would she be happy to see him? Surely, she knew he was coming. It was their best friends getting married.
She had to be there.
Another car pulled up as they were getting their luggage from the back.
Blaze’s family spilled out to follow them inside.
Nick held his breath as he walked into the house. He slowly let it out when she wasn’t in the kitchen.
His best friend bumped his shoulder. “Bro, you’re in the southwest room. Mom and Jerry are in the floral room, and Lizzy’s in the blue room.”
He tried to head to the room his friend mentioned, to drop off his bag, but Grace stopped him in his tracks.
“Can I see you a minute in the kitchen?”
He set his bag there, pulled his shoulders back, and followed the chestnut-haired beauty.
Time to face the music.
Hope wasn’t in the kitchen like he’d assumed.
Grace sat at the small cafe table, the one he and Blaze had had many conversions at over the years.
He’d never been more on edge sitting there before that moment.
She reached across when he sat and took one of his larger hands into her own. “It means the world to us that you’re here and gonna be Blaze’s Best man. You two have been through a lot. But so have Hope and I. I won’t let you two ruin my big day.”
“I won’t—h”
She held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t know what happened between you two, to cause this big riff. Neither one of you seems to want to take responsibility for w
hat happened. But you will go out there and get your drama out of the way, so I can have a nice wedding tomorrow. Do you understand?”
Nick frowned. “She hasn’t told you what happened?” Didn’t girls always talk about that kind of stuff? His sisters had. So he assumed all women did.
“All she would tell me was, you don’t want her.”
He jumped up from his chair, knocking it backward. “That’s bullshit! It’s her that didn’t want me! Because I’m a terrible brother, letting Charles become the monster he did!”
“You’re wrong. She still loves you. It hurt her to the bone that you walked away. You never even said goodbye.”
Nick wasn’t having this conversation with Grace.
This was between him and Hope.
“Where the fuck is she?”
“Nick, you need to calm down. You are not going outside to yell at her like this in her current state.” Grace’s hand smacked over her mouth the moment the words slipped from her lips.
He didn’t wait for her to move; he pivoted on his heels and beelined for the door to the patio.
“Nick!” Grace yelled.
He threw open the door to see Hope sitting there, on the dark tan wicker couch, her back to him.
She glanced over her shoulder, and her hazel eyes filled with tears.
He took a step forward, his anger overwhelming his senses.
A red haze filled his eyes.
It wasn’t Hope he was furious with.
It was himself.
Until she stood up.
“What the fuck?” spilled from Nick’s lips as he took in her round belly.
Her chest lifted with her deep breath. Then her gorgeous eyes landed on his. “We’re pregnant.”
Air dissipated and his lungs ached. Someone had just punched him in the chest, hadn’t they?
Nick’s head spun, until his brain kicked in an order to get some breaths down, so he wouldn’t pass the fuck out.
Pregnant?
Pregnant!
Of all the things…
He hadn’t seen that coming.
Nick whirled, and went back into the house, and kept walking, until he reached the front door.
He needed air.
Blaze found him on the front porch, gripping the metal rail with white knuckles.
He bent at the waist, his head hanging between his arms.
“You okay?” his friend asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me?" Nick croaked, keeping his head bowed.
“Hope asked me not to. Said it wasn’t my place.”
He closed his eyes. That stung like betrayal, but he didn’t have it in him to be pissed at Blaze. His whole body…hurt.
“Now I understand why she didn’t want me.” Nick looked up at his friend.
“Dude, that’s your fucking baby!” The scowl on Blaze’s face said as much as the tone of his words.
Nick wiped at his face. Until he felt the wetness, he hadn’t been sure he was crying. He was numb. Could he feel anything? “If it’s mine, why didn’t she tell me sooner?” he retorted.
We’re pregnant.
Hope’s statement reverberated and he shoved it to the back of his mind.
“Because she was waiting for you to keep in touch.” Blaze’s voice was calm this time.
“What’re you talking about?” Nick spat.
“Uh, you told her you loved her on national TV, and asked her to text you when she landed after our fateful trip to Denver. Then you never replied. You never reached out to her. I even hinted she was going through something, and told you to call her. But you fucking dropped the ball.”
“I do love her, but it can’t be mine. We haven’t seen each other since...”
We’re pregnant.
Her words haunted him.
“Since August?” his best friend offered. “Dude, seriously? I know you’re hurt, but you just called her a slut. Get your shit together. August to February. That makes her six months along.”
Nick did the mental math. “So it's really mine?”
Why the fuck did she keep it a secret?
Blaze laughed. “You think I’d be yelling at you if it wasn’t?”
Nick collapsed onto one of the concrete steps on the front porch.
We’re pregnant.
Should he be mad?
Happy?
What the fuck was he supposed to feel?
“Oh man, I’m gonna be a dad,” he breathed. It smacked into his chest, and his vision clouded again. “What am I going to do?” Finding Blaze’s dark eyes as panic threatened to overtake him.
“Well, if it was me, I’d go find the mother of my child before she makes the assumption you’ve walked out on her, again.”
Nick frowned.
“She’s convinced herself you don’t want her or the baby, asshole.”
“I’ve always wanted her.”
Blaze crossed his arms over his chest. “Good.” He blew out a breath. “But she doesn’t think so. Go. Fix this. Or Grace will kill us both for fucking up her day.”
He climbed to his feet on shaky legs, and threw his arms around his best friend. Maybe he needed to, to steady himself, but he’d never admit it aloud.
His friend hugged him back.
“Thanks, brother.” Elation washed over Nick. “Dude, I'm gonna be a dad!”
Chapter 28
Hope burst into tears.
This was exactly what she’d expected.
Nick not only wanted nothing to do with her, but he also didn’t want their baby.
Grace opened her arms, and she stepped into them, burying her face in her best friend’s shoulder.
“That went well,” Blaze said, sarcastically.
“You get him, I’ve got her,” Grace said.
“I’m so sorry, Gracie, I’ve ruined your wedding,” Hope sobbed.
“Are you kidding me? This isn’t about me, sweetie. This is about you and Little Bean. Don’t worry about me. Worry about what my soon-to-be husband is gonna do to your baby daddy.”
She couldn’t even smile. “I’ll never forget the look on his face, not for as long as I live.” She hiccupped through her tears. “That’s it. It's over. He rejected me just like I thought.”
I'll be strong tomorrow; today I just need to fall apart.
Grace rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.
It only irritated her.
Hope just wanted to be alone.
“I’m sorry, I can’t…” she pushed out of her friend’s arms and took off into the enormous gardens, on the other side of the pool of Blaze’s property.
Grace didn’t go after her, and for that, she was grateful.
She leaned against a tall tree, trying to hold herself up, but her legs were weak and she slipped down.
Hope pulled her knees as close to her chest as she could, wrapping her arms around them, concentrating on the serenity of the scene before her.
She hissed when a sharp jab came from her stomach.
She placed my hand over the spot. When it happened again, it hit her.
This was why she had to stay strong.
Her little bean had fluttered like a butterfly for a while, but this was the first real movement she could feel from the outside.
She smiled through her tears. It was something she’d secretly been hoping would happen after she reunited with Nick, a first they could share together.
He’d robbed her of that, too.
“Hope?” Nick called.
At first, she’d assumed she’d dreamed his voice up, considering what she’d just experienced. Hope hated that she loved the sound of her name on his lips, and wanted to savor it.
“Hope?”
The second call confirmed it was real.
She crushed her eyes shut tighter. “Go away,” she whispered, not caring if he’d heard her or not.
“No,” he said.
Closer. Too close for comfort,
She opened her eyes.
He was kneeling in front of her.<
br />
His blue eyes were so intense, she had to look away.
“Go away!” Hope said louder. “I don’t want you here.”
“Are you saying you don’t want me?”
She pushed at his shoulders, causing him to fall back on his ass, but she didn’t care.
He stared at her, shock written across his face, and his eyes wide.
“You’re kidding, right?” she screeched. “You left me behind, like the piece of trash I must be. Something you used, then walked away from.” Hope stood, using the tree as leverage. “I did everything you asked! I messaged you when I landed. And you never returned the message. And that kiss at the airport? What was that?”
Nick stood too, dusting off his jeans. “That was you, telling me goodbye! I’ve kissed a million women, and God knows I can tell when a woman is saying goodbye or goodnight. Your kiss was as final as they get, Hope. So don’t fucking blame me for this! You could have texted me anytime in the last six months. How about the day you found out? That would’ve been a great day to call and say, ‘Nick you shithead, don’t fucking ignore me, I’ve having your baby!’”
She walked away, back toward the house.
She needed to leave.
Pack her bag and head to the airport.
Hope didn’t need to be there.
Grace would have to get married without her.
“Hope! Don’t walk away from me!”
“Why not?” she screamed back. “You walked away from me first!”
She spun on her heels and glared with all the anger and hurt she’d built up. “Like you said, you’ve kissed a million women, so what do you need me for? Go find another fat cow to warm your bed!”
“What the fuck is your problem?”
“You!” Hope took another step toward the house, but stopped in her tracks when a sharp pain filled her abdomen, and she had to double over to breathe. Agony engulfed her form, from her back to her distended tummy.
Nick was on her in an instant, wrapping his arms around her. “Are you okay?”
She couldn’t reply.
She couldn’t even push him away.
The pain was so intense.
“Grace! Blaze! Somebody, help!”
Hope looked down at her feet, trying to find some air, when she saw the blood dripping into the green grass.
Oh, dear Lord, I’m bleeding.
“No,” she cried. “Not my bean!”