"Nicky, can I please borrow two dollars... otherwise I'm out," Kindlin frowned, looking over at her husband with pleading eyes.
Nick laughed at her facial expression, "Kindlin, there's interest when you borrow, and I'm not any cheaper than the bank."
Her mouth gaped open.
Nick and Kindlin were playing Michigan Rummy and Poker with the rest of the Backstreet Boys, and their wives, once everyone else had gone to sleep, late that night. Kindlin was normally an awfully good player, but tonight her mind had been on other things, and she hadn't been reeling in the dough like she usually was.
"But Nicky, you're my husband!" she whispered mournfully, leaning closer to him so noone else could hear them. This was serious poker, and she wouldn't be getting any money from Nick if others could hear.
Nick smirked, "Baby, there ain't no husbands in poker."
Kindlin sighed and directed her eyes back to her cards. She had a heckuva hand, but not much money to bet with, and have enough to put in at the beginning of the next Michigan Rummy game. Trying to think of something else to say that would convince Nick to lend money to her, without high interest, she turned back to him, and rubbed her bear leg over his, both of them wearing shorts.
"Nicky," she purred, quietly. Luckily, everyone was busy looking at the hands they'd been dealt. "If you lend me some money, there'll be a repeat, when everyone goes to bed, of the poker game that we played on our honeymoon."
Nick gulped as he remembered it. There had been nothing sweeter than Strip Poker with his new wife. And he hadn't gotten much lately, the two of them having been busy with the kids and getting ready for Christmas.
Nick quickly slid three dollars to her, under the table, an extra dollar to assure that they'd be playing their own little poker game later that night. Kindlin grinned happily.
"Thanks, baby!" she chirped, kissing his cheek.
"You're welcome," he sighed.
"Thanks, for what?" Brian looked up, curious as to what was going on between the two across the table from him and his own wife.
"Nothing," Kin smiled gently. "I'm in."
"Me too," everyone else, minus a few, chorused.
Kin, having been the dealer, put her money in first, "10 dollars."
Everybody who had had a crappy hand groaned and folded, leaving only her and AJ.
"I meet you, and raise you 4," he raised his eyebrows at her.
"I meet you."
They put the money in, and Kindlin slowly fanned her cards out onto the table, "Straight flush, high ace."
AJ groaned. He'd had a straight flush, high King.
Kindlin giggled happily, scooping the money up and handing some of it to Nick, under the table, to pay him back.
Nick pushed it back into her hands with a small smile, "Keep it, sweetie."
"But I thought there were no husbands in poker," she grinned, with a laugh.
"Hey, as long as there's wives in our poker game tonight..."
"Oh, there will be... there will be," she kissed him gently, before handing the deck to Nick, so he could deal.
~ * ~
Nick groaned gently as he rolled over, the next morning, the sun blinding his eyes through the shades. He felt Kindlin stir next to him, and turned to look at her. Wrapping his arms around her groggy form, he watched her until she finally opened her eyes fully.
"Hey," she whispered with a small smile.
"Hey, baby... you know, I was thinking... it wasn't very fair that you bundled up before our game, last night."
Kin laughed, "What are you talkin' 'bout? Is it normal for you to wear three pairs of boxers at once??"
He smirked and looked down, "No, I guess not... Funny how we're married and yet we still choose to play Strip Poker the highschool way."
She sat up and looked down at him with a smile, "C'mmon, let's go make some breakfast. Our guests are gonna be waking up sometime soon," she started to pull him up, but he shook his head, pulling her back down to him, her landing on top of him.
"Kin..."
"Yeah, Nicky?"
He kissed her neck gently, his arms wrapped firmly around her waist, "You know we haven't talked about the fact that you're pregnant, since you told me."
"It's not like we've had much time," she laughed. "It was last night."
"I know..." he looked at her, a very serious look on his face. "But can we talk about it now?"
"Sure," Kindlin looked down, playing with the sheets to busy her fingers.
Nick felt his stomach muscles tighten at the thought, "Kin... why do I feel like this isn't what you want?"
"No!" she gasped, looking up. "Please don't think that way... That's not it at all. Nick, I'm carrying your child again, for the fifth time. Every time's a blessing... I love nothing more than the thought of it! I just... haven't... had real peace of mind since the moment I found out."
Nick looked at her worried face and smoothed down her hair in an attempt to calm her, "Sweetie, what are you saying?"
"I... I don't know," her voice filled with emotion as tears began to fall from her gentle eyes. She wrapped her arms tightly around her husband and began to cry quietly. "I just feel like something's gonna go wrong."
Nick held her gently in his arms, kissing her face soothingly, "Shhh, it'll be okay, honey... I won't let anything happen to you."
Kindlin looked up at him, and ever so quietly whispered, "I'm not worried about me."
