Part 125
"Nick’s here!"
Nick laughed as a blonde whirlwind burst through the door and launched itself at him. He dropped Becca’s hand just in time to save her from being knocked to the ground, and hugged his brother tightly.
Becca watched them embrace and marveled at how closely Aaron resembled Nick. In so many ways he was just a miniature version of his older brother and it was a given that he would be just as devastatingly handsome when he got older.
"My turn, Aaron, let your brother come up for air."
Becca turned as she heard Nick’s mother’s voice and suddenly all her fears and insecurities began to resurface. In spite of the pep talk she’d given Nick, she was downright petrified. She just knew she was going to screw things up and –
"Bec! You look great!" Aaron’s eyes crinkled at the corners just like Nick’s as he looked at Becca.
"Where’s my hug?" she asked him, her nervousness dissipating as yet another Carter charmed his way into her heart. At fourteen he already towered over her and as they embraced he could almost rest his chin on her head.
"Chin up, Bec," he whispered, "you’ll be fine."
Becca smiled at his perception and hugged him just a little tighter. "Thanks, Aaron," she whispered back, letting go and turning to face her mother-in-law.
Time seemed to stand still as both women stood their ground, each waiting for the other to break the ice. Becca dared to glance at Nick in time to see him raise his eyebrows in challenge. At almost the same instant, Aaron gave her a gentle push toward his mother, who stood with Nick’s arm around her shoulders.
"Mrs. Carter, it’s good to see you again, " she said politely, taking a hesitant step forward and extending her hand.
"It’s good to see you, too, Rebecca."
Nick rolled his eyes. Oh God, the full, formal first name. That could only mean trouble.
Jane continued easily, "It appears we have a problem."
Becca blanched.
"Mom-" Nick began.
"Nickolas, stay out of this," Jane instructed.
"But-" Aaron interrupted.
"You, too, Aaron. This is between Rebecca and me." She silenced them both with an icy glance as Becca held her ground. "As I was saying, we have a problem."
"Such as?" Becca asked bravely.
"It appears there are now two ‘Mrs. Carters’, so we need to settle on a different name for me. Don’t you agree?"
Nick, Aaron and Becca were speechless.
"What?" Jane asked. "Really," she continued shaking her head, "I know I have a reputation for being a heartless bitch, but I *can* be nice sometimes."
Becca giggled at the look on Nick and Aaron’s faces and Jane winked at her.
"Nick, I believe you promised your brother a boat ride? Your wife and I have things to talk about, so let’s get going."
All four piled into Nick’s Durango, the bodyguards right behind in a rental car and in no time at all they were at Nick’s house on the coast of Tampa. Becca packed a cooler for the boat as Nick hovered.
"Nick, would you STOP?"
"Bec, you can still come with us."
"No, I can’t. Aaron needs ‘guy’ time, and your mother and I need girl time."
Nick snorted.
"Nick, stop it. I need to do this, okay? Your mom and I need to talk and come to some kind of understanding. For better or worse, I’m your wife and she needs to see that."
"Bec, I’m just afraid that the ‘or worse’ part of our vows is sitting out there on the deck."
"Nickolas Carter! You should be ashamed. Haven’t you learned anything in the last week?"
He looked at her blankly.
"God, spare me," she sighed. "Nick, she’s your mother. She may not be the ideal mother, but at least you have one. Some of us aren’t that fortunate."
Nick ducked his head, embarrassed as he thought about all that Becca and Sarah had been through.
"Nick, I love you," Becca whispered, resting her head on his chest. "I’m part of your family now and I’m carrying her first grandchild. She and I have a lot of things to talk about, and we need to clear the air on some other things; better now than later. I’m willing to give her a chance and you should be, too."
Nick wrapped his fingers through her hair and kissed her. As her lips parted, he touched his tongue to hers and she swayed closer, losing herself in his touch. Who knows how long it might have lasted if they hadn’t heard someone tactfully clear their throat from the doorway. Breaking the kiss, they looked up dazedly to find Nick’s mother leaning against the wall, smiling indulgently.
"Your brother is pacing the docks, you need to get going."
"See you later," Becca whispered, wiping the traces of lipstick from his lower lip with her thumb. "We’ll have dinner ready when you get back. Go on, I’ll be fine."
Nick still wasn’t convinced. As he sauntered out the back door, he kissed his mother on the cheek and whispered, "Be nice."
"Aren’t I always?" she asked with an innocent smile.
After seeing the boys safely off, Becca and Jane settled under a patio umbrella with salads and iced tea. Becca safely steered the conversation to small talk about Aaron's tour, but eventually the silences became longer and it was time to get to the real reason for their visit.
"How are you feeling, Rebecca?" Jane asked, setting her fork down and leaning back in her chair.
"Fine, but I really wish you'd call me Becca. 'Rebecca' reminds me of when I was a little girl and Daddy would fuss at me.
Jane laughed. "From what Nick tells me, I can't imagine you ever misbehaving, Becca."
"Then why do I feel like I've done something terribly wrong?" she asked quietly.
"He's my son. Surely you can understand how I feel?"
"We never meant for this to happen."
"But it DID. Becca, he's only 21."
"I know that, and I'm older and should have been more responsible?" Becca voiced the unspoken accusation that hung in the air.
"I didn't say that, but yes. Nick has his whole life ahead of him. His career-"
"Is in HIS hands now. Jane, he's an adult."
"Then he needs to behave like one, be responsible."
"And getting married and fathering a child isn't responsible." Becca shook her head in amazement. "How can you say that? Haven't you ever been swept away by love, just been so caught up in your emotions that your heart takes control?"
"Yes, I have, and I was praying that Nickolas wouldn't suffer the same fate. I wanted so much more for him."
"More than love? More than family? How can you deny him that kind of love, that kind of support?" Becca asked incredulously.
Jane continued stubbornly, "But his career-"
"Doesn't mean a damn if there's no one to share it with. At the end of the day, what does Nick have in his life if he returns to an empty hotel room each night? Success and accomplishments are hollow victories if you have no one to share it with."
Jane sat back, watching Becca in silence before pronouncing judgment. "You really love him."
"With all my heart," She declared.
Jane watched Becca's unwavering sincerity, then stood and began gathering the dirty dishes. "I'll help clean up, and then I want to hear all about how you met Nick."
Becca watched her walk into the house and smiled. It seems she had passed the test.
Outside once again, Becca made herself comfortable and began recounting the tale that had begun nine months earlier. She left out none of the details, making the decision that nothing less than complete honesty would be acceptable, and by the time she recounted the story of Christmas Eve and Nick's proposal, even Jane's eyes were wet.
"It was perfect," Becca whispered. "Our baby was conceived that night."
"How could you just leave him, Becca, knowing that you were-"
"That's just it, I *didn't* know. I'm the first to admit that I made a mistake by leaving Nick, but he's a good man, Jane. When Sarah convinced me to come home, he took me back with no questions." Leaning forward, she took Jane's hands in hers. Tearfully she said, "I thank God every day for Nick's presence in my life and I swear that I'll never, ever take his love for granted."
"When is the baby due?"
"September 18th."
"I assume you're coming home."
"No, I plan to stay with Nick. We're not anticipating any complications and I want him with me when I deliver."
Jane laughed. "Nick? In the delivery room? You're not serious!"
Becca sat up straighter, her defenses rising. "Why not?"
"I'm sorry, but Nick was the most squeamish child I've ever seen, and I'm fairly certain that hasn't changed. Becca, I understand you wanting to have him there with you, but take my advice and get someone else for a delivery coach."
Becca sighed and rolled her eyes. "Easier said than done, I'm afraid."
Jane thought for a moment and then offered the first genuine piece of maternal advice Becca had heard all day. "What about Howie's wife?"
"Sarah? Jane that's perfect!" If she could have, she would have leaped to her feet and hugged her. "She'll be on tour with us anyway, and I know she had a natural delivery with Jesse."
"Call your doctor Monday morning. My guess is that you can get instructional videos to use instead of traditional childbirth classes. God knows, those buses the boys travel in have everything 'else', surely they're equipped with VCR's, too."
The ice was broken, and the two women spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything from Nick and Becca's wedding to Nick's behavior and antics as a child. From the sound of things, Becca was going to have her hands full when their baby arrived.
Nick and Aaron returned just before dusk to find dinner waiting as promised. To Becca's amusement, Nick watched his mother nervously, watching for the first sign of unrest.
Finding none, he sat back in dismay, listening as his mother and Becca conversed like lifelong friends.
Aaron smirked as he followed the action, his attention darting between Nick and his mother like he was watching a championship tennis match. As they left for the hotel, Aaron nudged his brother with his elbow.
"Knock it off, A.C.," Nick said.
"No way man," he whispered conspiratorially, "you owe me twenty bucks."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll pay up when I see you tomorrow night," Nick grumbled.
"Yes, you WILL, or I'll tell mom you've been encouraging me to gamble," he grinned.
Nick grabbed Aaron in a headlock and dragged him, protesting, to the car, as Jane and Becca hugged good night with a promise to sit together the next night at Aaron's show in Tampa.