Part 516
Becca was breathing deeply when Nick slipped quietly from the bed the next morning. Garrett was beginning to stir and he wanted to let Becca sleep as late as possible, so he picked him up, grabbed the diaper bag and slipped quietly out into the living room.
"Nick? Is everything okay?" Sarah was sitting on the couch, her feet tucked up beneath her body as she watched Nick try to balance the baby and all his things. She grinned when Nick suddenly realized that all he was wearing was yesterday’s boxers and blushed furiously.
"Umm .." Nick stammered, looking around and realizing that Howie and Kevin were there, too.
Sarah saved him from terminal embarrassment by standing and taking Garrett. "Gimme my favorite nephew while you go put some clothes on," she grinned. "Bec still asleep?"
"Yeah, I didn’t want to wake her."
Nick ran his hands through his hair, and Sarah swallowed quickly. Frickin’ hormones, she thought. For pete’s sake, this is your best friend’s husband. "Is there a bottle in the fridge?"
"Yeah, there should be one left. Just make sure you-"
"Nick, I KNOW how to warm a bottle," she chided. "Go on, get some clothes on."
As Nick wandered sleepily back to his room, Kevin decided to have a little fun. "You know, Sarah, it’s a damn good thing Kaos doesn’t sleep naked anymore. That would scar those babies of yours for life."
Nick flipped him off and mumbled something about Becca being the only one allowed to see him that way.
As he got dressed, Howie changed the baby’s diaper as Sarah warmed up a bottle and then settled in to feed him.
"You want to hold him Kev?" she offered with a chuckle.
"No thank you," he demurred. "That’s woman’s work."
Sarah looked at him in shock as Howie cringed. "You know, if I thought you really meant that there’d be hell to pay, Richardson," she said with a scowl.
Kevin laughed as he watched Sarah with Garrett, and then smiled as he watched Howie watching Sarah. The next few months were gonna get very interesting, he thought to himself.
"Want me to take him back?" Nick asked, dressed now, but only in a pair of tight fitting jeans.
"No, I’m good. Did you and Becca talk any more last night?"
Nick ducked his head and bit his lip, remembering the way he’d turned Becca down the night before. "No, not really," he whispered.
The others all exchanged questioning glances but let it drop.
"Nick, is Becca gonna be all right?" Kevin leaned his elbows on his knees and tried to get Nick to meet his eyes.
"I hope so, Kev. Damn, I hope so." He glanced over at Sarah and Garrett and he smiled softly as he watched them together.
"Nick, we have everything set up for the meeting later this morning," Howie reminded him gently.
"That’s cool, D."
Kevin intervened, unsettled by the distant look on Nick’s face. "Becca’s going to need to tell them everything that happened last night, Nick."
"I know, so does Bec." No one said anything else, and finally Nick looked up to find all three of them watching him. "What?"
"Nick," Kevin continued gently, "Becca’s going to have to tell them everything. Everything."
"Shit. I mean, I know that, but couldn’t WE just tell them?" Nick was desperate to avoid putting Becca through any more than she’d already been through.
"Nick, you know we can’t. If we want to make any of this stick against Lou it has to be from Becca, and in her own words," Howie said.
Kevin and Sarah looked down at the ground, avoiding Nick’s eyes.
"I know, I know. I’ll have to tell my side of it too."
"Nick-"
"God, guys, what ELSE?" Nick was not only exhausted, he was frustrated that all of this shit was coming back to haunt them.
"We want to set up a meeting later, with Lou."
Nick was on his feet in a flash, his hands balled into fists at his side and his eyes blazing with anger. "No fucking way, Kevin. I’m not letting my wife or son anywhere near that asshole."