“Hello?” Katelin called, walking into hers and Nick’s house. “Anyone here?”

“Hi Kate,” Angel greeted, walking into the foyer with Kayleigh on her hip.

“Hey,” Katelin said, setting her bag down on the stairs. “Where’s Nick?”

“He just called a little while ago,” Angel answered, following Katelin into the kitchen. “They’re stuck at the studio again. He asked if I could stay for a little longer until you got home.”

“Aw, Ange,” Katelin said, sympathetically. “I’m sorry. You should’ve called me at the office. I hope you didn’t have any plans.”

“It’s cool,” Angel shrugged. “I was supposed to go over Mike’s but I told him I’d just be late.”

“I’m sorry,” Katelin apologized again. “Well, why don’t you get going. And thanks so much for doing this.”

“No problem, Kate,” Angel said, grabbing her jacket and walking out the front door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye!” Katelin called as she closed the door. She glanced around her house. The place was a mess. Toys were everywhere. Laundry was everywhere. Dinner dishes were thrown into the sink. Her kids were a mess. What they needed was a nanny. Katelin hated relying on Nick’s sisters to watch her children every day. It wasn’t fair to them. They had their own lives. It was much better when Nick was home during the day. Before the guys decided to get back together and record a new album, Nick was able to work out of the house. Therefore, he could be home for the kids during the day. Aaron still had about six months until he would start school. And Brian and Kayleigh were still only a year old.

The phone ringing brought Katelin back to earth and she ran over to grab the portable that was sitting on the kitchen table. “Hello?”

“Hey babe!” Nick’s voice filtered through. “How are you?”

“Where are you, Nick?” Katelin ignored his question. “I thought you were supposed to be early tonight. Why was Angel here when I got home and not you?”

“Sorry babe,” Nick apologized. “We got caught up here. I’ll be home in an hour.”

“Nick…” Katelin sighed.

“I’m sorry, Kate,” Nick said again. “I gotta go. I’ll be home in a little bit.” Before Katelin got a chance to argue, Nick hung up the phone. She sighed and hung up the phone, slamming it on the counter.

“God damnit, Nick,” she said to herself, quietly. She was getting sick of this happening every night. Nick always said that he’d be home at a reasonable hour. But lately, he had been coming home later and later. Katelin was getting sick of it but never said anything to Nick. She didn’t want to start anything with him over it because she was just as busy as he was.

“Mommy?” Aaron tentatively stepped into the kitchen. He had heard his mother curse and slam the phone down. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing baby,” Katelin said, bending down to his level. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired. Come give mommy a hug.” She grinned as Aaron ran into her arms. She couldn’t believe how much he was growing. It seemed like just yesterday that she was rushed to the hospital for Aaron’s premature birth. That it was just her and Aaron, on their own, not having any idea where Nick was. She felt like she was almost back to that place. Ever since the guys got back together, Nick was never home. He would leave early in the morning and not return until after nine at night. On weekends, he spent countless hours downstairs in his studio. It was like he had forgotten that he had a family.

At around ten thirty that night, Katelin was sitting in bed watching television and folding laundry. She heard the car pull up in the driveway and the door slam. She was furious. At seven o’clock, Nick had told her that he would be home in an hour and it was now three and a half hours later. She heard him climb the stairs and enter their bedroom.

“Hey babe,” he said, yawning.

“Where the hell have you been?” Katelin growled.

“What?” Nick asked, startled by the tone of her voice.

“Three and a half hours, Nick,” she hissed, wanting to yell and scream at him but not wanting to wake the kids. “You were supposed to be home by eight. It’s ten thirty!”

“I told you I was going to be late again,” Nick defended. “I just didn’t realize how late. We got caught up in one part of the song and it took longer to finish it than I thought.”

“It’s just getting frustrating, Nick,” Katelin sighed. “You’re never here. I’m surprised Aaron still knows who his father is. The house is always a disaster. Your sister’s really don’t want to be our permanent babysitters but you sucked them into it. Something’s gotta give.”

“Well, why the hell should it be me, Kate?” Nick exclaimed. “Why shouldn’t you be the one to stay home?”

“Keep your voice down!” Katelin scolded. “And I didn’t say that! All I’m saying is something has to change. We need a nanny.”

“No way,” Nick disagreed. “I am not having some strange person raise my children. Why don’t you just quit your job and stay home. We don’t need the money, Kate.”

“That’s not fair, Nick,” Katelin said. “It’s not about the money. It’s about what I want to do.”

“What are you talking about?” Nick asked. “You don’t want to do this. You want to go to law school. That’s what it’s been all along.”

“And how the hell am I supposed to do that, Nick?!” Katelin cried, raising her voice, not caring anymore. “We’ll be ten times worse off than we are now if I’m in school! Not only will I be gone all day, but I’ll be studying all night. You’ll be off on tour. I’m twenty six years old and I have three kids already Nick! This is not how I planned my life.” Katelin did not expect the look on Nick’s face. He looked as if his puppy just died.

“I’m sorry that me and the kids messed up your plan,” he told her, softly.

“That’s not what I meant.” Katelin immediately felt bad. She hadn’t meant it to sound so cold when it came out but she was just frustrated. The look on Nick’s face caused a tear to slip down her cheek. “It’s just that, I had some definite goals for myself at one point, Nick. You know I wouldn’t trade you guys for anything in the world but sometimes it’s just hard. The routine is the same everyday.”

“I love you, Kate,” Nick said, crawling across the bed to wrap his arms around her. “You know that, don’t you?” Katelin nodded as Nick wiped her tears away. “When this is all done and calmed down, I’m taking you away. Just the two of us. No children. No work. No interruptions. Okay?”

“Okay,” Katelin whispered, feeling Nick’s lips on her neck. She closed her eyes and got lost in how Nick was making her feel. “I love you too.”

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