“So,” Brian began, slowly, as he set his menu down on the table. “How are things going with Brynn?”

“Great!” Nick smiled. “We’re gonna head down to Marathon this weekend.”

“Really?” Brian’s eyebrows raised. That was ’their’ place. Nick had taken her down there right before she graduated from college and she had absolutely fallen in love with it. “It sounds like it’s getting serious.”

Nick thought for a minute. “Yeah, I guess it is.” Brian nodded, slowly, unsure of what to say next. “Don’t look at me like that,” Nick warned.

“Like what?” Brian asked.

“I know you, Brian,” Nick sighed. “I know that look.”

“I’m not giving you any look, Nick.” Brian defended. He was silenced by the waiter coming over to take their order. “It’s just…” Brian continued after the waiter had left. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I have dated before,” Nick chuckled, taking a sip of his water.

Brian glared at him. “You know what I’m talking about. You have three children to worry about. And then there’s the fact that you’re still married.”

“The kids are fine,” Nick retorted. “They love Brynn. And she absolutely adores them. I’ve been up front with everything since the beginning. She knew what she was getting into from day one.” He stopped, thinking about how to address Brian’s second concern. “And about my so-called marriage…” Brian winced at the bitterness in Nick’s voice. “I met with a lawyer the other day.”

“Really?” Brian was surprised. Finally, after two and a half years, he was going to take that next step. “What’d he have to say?”

“Well,” Nick explained. “The easiest, cleanest way to end it would be to just be able to serve her with divorce papers. The only problem is, I have no fucking clue where in the hell to look.”

“I have to ask,” Brian began, knowing that Nick would not appreciate his question. But it was something that Nick would really have to think about. “If you do find her…I mean, I know you, Nick. I know your weakness when it comes to her. If you do find her, are you really going to want that divorce?”

Nick’s head snapped up, his eyes blazing. “Of course. No matter what I’ve ever felt about her or do feel about her, she’s gone. She walked out on her fucking family, Brian. She doesn’t deserve any of us.”

****** ****** ****** ***** ***** *****

“Hi Mr. Carter,” Aaron’s teacher, Ms. Bryson, greeted Nick as he entered the classroom.

“Hello,” Nick smiled, shaking her hand.

“Have a seat,” she told him. They both sat down at the small desks that the children usually occupied. “I have some concerns about Aaron I’d like to discuss with you.”

Nick’s eyebrows raised. Aaron had never had any problems in school. He had always been a relatively smart, quiet, and easy-going child. Traits that most-likely came from his mother. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve noticed some bruising,” she carefully explained. Basically accusing a parent of hurting their own child never went over well. But it was something that had to be done to get to the root of the problem. “I had some concerns…” she trailed off at the look that crossed Nick’s face.

His eyes widened. “I hope you’re not accusing me of abusing my child.”

The anger in his voice almost frightened her. “I’m just concerned, Mr. Carter. It’s obvious there’s something wrong.”

“I know there’s something wrong,” Nick snapped, grateful for the concern but angered by the accompanying accusation. “The truth is, I have no idea where the bruising is coming from. He hasn’t been in fights with other kids. He hasn’t fallen. His babysitters consist of my mother and my sisters and I know none of them have anything to do with it. But he has random bruising all over his body.” The scenario began to sound all-too familiar to Ms. Bryson. The same thing had happened to her baby sister when they were young girls. “Have you taken him to the doctor?”

“I have an appointment next week,” Nick replied, standing up. “I appreciate your concern, Ms. Bryson. But I would never, ever lay a finger on any of my children.”

Embarrassed, she shook his hand. “I’m just doing my job, Mr. Carter. Thank you for coming in.”

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

“God,” Brynn breathed, as she joined Nick back at the towels, squeezing the water out from her hair. “This place is absolutely beautiful.”

She stared out at the clear, blue water. “This place is gorgeous, Nick. Thank you so much for bringing me here.”

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “When I talked to you last night, you sounded like you needed a break from everything. Even if it was just for a weekend. I thought this would be the perfect time to share my little secret world with you.”

She turned around in his arms, placing a light kiss on his lips. “How many girls can say that their boyfriend whisked them away on a private plane for a romantic weekend in the Keys?”

He chuckled. “Not many, I’d assume.”

“I love it,” Her eyes danced. “Do we have to leave?”

“Never baby,” he replied, quietly. “Just say the word and we’ll stay here forever.”

“Nick,” Brynn chuckled, lightly kicking his foot. “Where were you?”

“Huh?” Nick shook his head, quickly, before focusing on Brynn. “I’m sorry. What’d you say?”

“I was just wondering how long you’ve had this place.”

“Oh wow,” Nick thought back. “Since right before my twenty-first birthday. Wow…I can’t believe it’s been that long.”

“It’s gorgeous,” she commented, sitting down next to him.

Nick lay back on the towel and pulled her close. It was late afternoon but the sun was still blazing. Paradise was the only word to describe this place. This was the first time he had been down here in almost three years. And it was the first time that he had come down here without her since right after he bought it. His children had never even been here. Every time they had come down, they had left the kids back in Tampa. And since…since that day…the day when the world as he had known it had come crashing down around him…he had never come down here. Until now.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

“Yo Brian!!” AJ called as he and Howie entered the Littrell house. “You here?”

“Shh!” Leighanne admonished, coming down the stairs. “I just put Anna down for her nap. Jesus, Jay, you have a child. You should know better than that.”

“Sorry mom,” AJ apologized, following Howie’s lead and placing a kiss on her cheek. “Brian here?”

“He and Hunter are out back,” She answered, before disappearing into the kitchen. AJ and Howie walked out the back door towards the pool area, spotting Brian and Hunter painting the fence around the pool. “What’s up, gentlemen!” AJ greeted.

Brian looked up, seeing his two friends standing on his patio. “Hey guys. What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Howie answered, settling himself down on one of Brian’s lounge chairs. “We were just in the neighborhood.”

“Did Kevin call you?” AJ asked, sitting next to him.

Brian shook his head. “No. Why?”

“He wants to get together later,” AJ replied. “He wants to discuss the possibility of going to New York on Monday to meet with the bigwigs. Apparently they’re pretty serious about a new album.”

“I haven’t heard from him,” Brian told him, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the bottom of his shirt. “How do you guys feel about it?”

“I think it’s a good idea,” AJ told them. “So does Kevin.” He glanced over at Howie.

“Me too,” he agreed. “I mean it’s been what…four… years since we’ve done anything. According to the guys in New York, people want it. There’s a market for it. I’m sure it won’t be like it was back then. But look how much we’ve all changed in the last few years. We have so much more experience to start writing about. Wives, children…”

“I agree,” Brian said, sighing. “Although, I’m not sure how everyone is going to feel about it. I know we’ve all changed in the last few years. But not all of our lives have changed for the better, if you know what I mean.”

“Ah,” AJ chimed in, in realization. “And where is young Nickolas this afternoon? I’ve been calling him all freaking day.”

“Young Nickolas,” Brian mimicked. “Is in Marathon.”

“Really?” Howie questioned. “He finally took the kids down there?”

“Nope.” Brian shook his head. “The kids are home with Jane. Nick is in Marathon with Brynn.”

Howie’s eyes widened, along with AJ’s. “Really? Wow, this is getting serious.”

“Good for him,” AJ remarked, adamently. “Personally, I think Nick has finally found the perfect girl for him.”

“Jay…” Brian warned.

“What?” He asked, innocently. “Brynn is a great girl. The sooner he divorces that little bitch and moves on with his life…maybe even with Brynn…the better everyone will be.”

***** ***** ***** **** ***** *****

“Phone’s for you,” she took the phone from her roommate and held it up to her ear. “Hello?”

“Hey baby,” he greeted.

“Hi,” she answered, stress almost immediately leaving her body at the sound of his voice. “Oh, I’m so glad you called.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m just stressed,” she sighed. “It’s been a rough week.”

“What happened?”

“I had a paper due Monday,” she told him. “And then I have an exam tomorrow morning. I was sick on my birthday. I’m graduating college in a month and have no idea what I’m going to do with my life…where I’m going to be living…” She trailed off, finally taking a breath. “I miss you,” she whispered.

“I miss you too,” he replied. “What time’s your exam in the morning?”

“Nine,” she answered. “Why?”

“Do you have anything else you need to be there for the rest of the weekend?”

“What are you planning?” she asked, suspiciously. He had that mischevous, “I’m-up-to-something” voice.

“You’ll see. I’ll call you back soon.”

“What are you doing?” she asked again.

“Nothing. Just be there when I call.”

She parked her car in front of her house and walked up to the front door. Opening the door, there was a note from her roommate saying that she needed to be ready by eleven thirty. She ran upstairs to her room and began to get her stuff together. Half-an-hour later she heard a knock at the door and dragged her stuff downstairs to greet the limousine driver. “Hi,” she smiled, as she opened the door. “I’ll be right there.”

She quickly left a note for her roommates and left the house. An hour later, she was sitting on a private plane, flying to God knows where. There were a dozen red roses, a bottle of champagne, and a note from him, saying that he was waiting for her when she landed.

Three hours later, she was sitting in another limousine, still having no idea where she was. There were palm trees all around. The car pulled through a gate and up to the most beautiful house she had ever seen in her life. Where in the hell was she?

The driver helped her out of the car and then went to get her bag. She walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. A minute later the door opened up and there he stood, looking gorgeous as ever. “Hey,” he greeted, grabbing her hands and pulling her in to the house.

“Hey,” she replied, her face buried against his chest. “God, I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he told her, sniffing her hair. He pulled her face up towards his and placed his lips on hers. He dragged her inside and kicked the door shut, his lips still attached to hers. Her purse was dropped to the ground, followed by the jean jacket she wore. He disentangled his lips from hers and grabbed her hands, pulling her through the house into the master bedroom.

“God, this house is gorgeous,” She commented, staring out at the water through the balcony doors in the master bedroom. “Who’s is it?”

“It’s mine,” he told her.

“What?” she glanced over at him. “What do you mean, it’s yours? When did you get this?”

“Christmas,” he answered, grinning.

“Christmas?” her eyes widened. “And you never told me about it?”

He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I was waiting for the perfect time to tell you. And the perfect time to show you. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” she smiled up at him.

He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, turning her around in his arms. His fingers wove their way through her hair. "Make love to me,” she whispered, pulling his face back down towards hers.

“Gladly.”

She was shaking violently and yelling in her sleep and he couldn't wake her up. He screamed her name one last time and, finally, her eyes popped open, staring at him in fear. "What happened?"

"You were having another dream," he told her sitting down on her bed and pulling her trembling body. "Do you remember what it was about?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Yeah...God," she buried her face in his chest, tears slipping from her eyes. "When is it going to stop?"

"I don't know, honey," he replied, smoothing her hair down her back. "I just don't know."

"I can't do this anymore," she whispered, tearfully. "I just can't..."

He grabbed her face in his hands. "Look at me." She hiccupped slightly but didn't try to pull away. "You're going to be fine, alright? I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. You'll never go back to this," he held her arm up to her face. "I won't let you do anything like that again. I swear to God, never again. You scared the hell out of me that day." He pulled her close to him again. "I won't let anything happen to you, honey."

“Thanks again for doing this, mom,” Nick told his mother as he walked toward the front door. “I’m sorry I keep leaving them here with you.”

Jane silenced her son by placing a kiss on his cheek. “It’s not a bother, Nick. I love spending time with my grandchildren. Go with the other guys and get business taken care of. We’ll be here when you get back.”

“Thanks,” Nick smiled, gratefully. “And Brynn’s going to stop by later this afternoon and drop something off that I left at her house. Don’t scare her away.”

“Hey,” She slapped his arm playfully. “I happen to like Brynn very much. I wouldn’t do anything to scare her.”

“After all these years you’re still very overprotective, mother,” Nick chuckled. Before she could do anything else, he ran out the door. “Don’t forget to call me when Aaron gets home!” He called over his shoulder as he walked towards the awaiting limousine. Jane laughed at her son and watched as the limo pulled away before closing the front door to his home.

“So,” Brian glanced around the conference table at the rest of his brothers. The execs had left right after the meeting and the rest of the guys were left sitting there. “We’re really going to do this, huh?”

Kevin grinned. “It looks like it. Are we all up for it?” He got a simultaneous ‘yes’ from Howie, AJ, and Brian. Nick, on the other hand, was still staring at the papers in front of him. “Nick?”

His head snapped up, looking around the room until his eyes landed on Kevin. “Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Kevin questioned. Not that they all didn’t have responsibilities at home, but everything in Nick’s life was on his shoulders and his shoulders alone. He didn’t have anyone else besides those kids and Kevin wasn’t so sure he’d be willing to get back into that crazy life that they had once lived.

“I’m not a little kid anymore,” Nick all but growled. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m going to break.”

“That’s not what I meant, Nick,” Kevin defended.

“I’m fine,” Nick interrupted. “And yes, I am completely willing to do this again.” He stood up and pushed his chair back from the table. “Are we done here? I want to go to the Park for a bit.” He barely waited for an answer. Instead, he walked out of the conference room and out of the building. Hailing a cab, he got in and instructed the driver to take him to Central Park.

After watching Nick leave, Kevin turned to the rest of the guys. “What are you all up to?”

“I’m going to call my wife,” Brian answered. “Want to go grab a bite to eat later?” Kevin nodded and then left the room, Brian quickly following.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, Jay,” Howie commented. “What do you want to do?”

AJ shrugged. “Let’s go to Fifth Avenue and go shopping. I want to get something for Manda.” Howie nodded and followed AJ out of the building. They also hailed a cab and took it to 5th Avenue.

They got out of the cab right in front of Tiffany’s. “Are we going in here, Jay?” Howie asked. AJ didn’t answer. “AJ?” Howie asked, again, turning to look at his friend. AJ was staring down the sidewalk at something. Howie watched as his friend’s eyes widened. “Holy shit,” AJ breathed.

“What?” Howie followed his line of vision but he couldn’t see anything.

“It’s her,” AJ explained, starting to maneuver his way through the crowd.

“Who?” Howie took off after him, trying to keep up.

“Fucking Katelin, that’s who!” AJ practically yelled. He could see her, about ten yards in front of him. But all of the damn people were in his way. “Katelin!”

“AJ, you’re on crack,” Howie commented. “There are a zillion people in this city. How many of them do you think have blond hair and blue eyes?”

“It’s fucking her, Howie,” he yelled. “Katelin!”

She stopped briefly, swearing she heard someone call her name. She glanced down at her watch. She wasn’t supposed to meet her friend for another hour. Hearing it again, she turned around, trying to see where it was coming from. And at that exact moment, she locked eyes with one of the last people she ever expected to see running down a New York City sidewalk.

AJ watched as she stopped and turned around. She saw him and stared at him looking like a deer caught in headlights. She hesitated for a second, before quickly turning to her left and jumping into an unoccupied cab.

“NO!” AJ exclaimed, watching as the cab sped away down the street. “Get a cab, Howie. We’re fucking following her.” They tried to hail another cab, albeit unsuccessfully. “Damnit!”

“Are you sure it was her?” Howie questioned, although he knew the truth.

AJ glared at him. “Of course it was her. You saw her, Howie. She heard me call her fucking name. She fucking turned around. Jesus Christ!” He kicked the trashcan next to him. “I don’t feel like shopping anymore. Let’s go back to the hotel.”

Her heart was still pounding as she paid the cab driver. She got out and began walking down the path, leading to the interior of the Park. Tears were pooling in her eyes and she was powerless to stop them from running down her face. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and punched in the numbers. “Hey…” she said, hearing her friend answer. “I don’t know if I can make it tonight…I saw someone today…One of his friends…Actually, he saw me…He’s going to know I’m in New York now…I’m not going to do anything crazy…Will you just come over later? I don’t want to be alone…Thanks.” She clicked off her phone and sat down on the nearest park bench, resting her head in her hands while she tried to get her breathing under control.

He glanced up, looking to his right. A few feet away from him was a young family. The little boy looked to be about Aaron’s age. He was throwing rocks into the pond with his dad while the mother sat on a bench with the little girl. He glanced over to his left, seeing a young woman, with her head resting in her hands. He squinted. Something about her was oddly familiar. Especially the bracelet hanging off her right wrist.

“Hey,” he said quietly, his hands behind his back. “I have something for you.”

She had been staring out at the breathtaking scenery but when he spoke, she turned around and looked at him. “What?” She noticed his hands behinds his back and clapped excitedly, like a little girl on Christmas morning. “What is it?”

“Calm down,” he chuckled. “It’s nothing much. Just something I saw while I was out today.” He brought his hands from around his back and handed her the small blue box.

She opened up the small Tiffany box and pulled the tiny bag out. She turned it over and dumped the contents into her hand. “Nick” she breathed, holding the sterling silver bracelet in her hands. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know a lot of people have this,” he explained, taking it out of her hand and showing it to her. “But I did something a little different.” Instead of the Tiffany logo on the heart that hung off of the bracelet, he had her initials etched into one side and her birthday on the other side. “See?”

“I love it,” she told him, honestly, holding her wrist up so he could fasten the bracelet on it. As soon as he was finished, she grabbed his face in her hands and pulled it towards her. “And I love you,” she whispered before placing her lips on his.

He slowly returned her kiss and pulled back, glancing up at the New York City skyline. “It’s snowing,” he remarked, seeing the first few flakes fall from the night sky.

She put her hands out and spun around, seeing the first flakes of the winter fall from the sky. “That it is.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “You cold?”

“Not really,” her lie given away by the fact that shivered at the same exact time as the words left her mouth.

“Liar,” he laughed, playfully. “Come on,” he grabbed her hand and began walking towards the hotel. “Let’s go back.”

She stopped, pulling on his hand until he turned around to look at her. “I mean it, Nick. I love you so much.”

He leaned in and kissed her, softly. “I know you do, babe. I love you too.”

He quickly shook his head, standing up from the bench and walking to his right, towards the young family. “I’m going fucking crazy.”

“Where’s Nick?” AJ came barging into Kevin’s room where Kevin and Brian where watching a movie, Howie hot on his heels.

“Jesus AJ,” Kevin chuckled. “Where’s the fire.”

“We saw her,” Howie explained.

Brian’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Saw who?”

“Is Nick here?” AJ asked, checking the bathroom.

“No,” Brian replied. “He’s not back yet. Why?”

“We fucking saw Katelin,” AJ barked. “That’s why.” Both Brian’s and Kevin’s eyes widened. “What? You’re kidding, right?”

AJ glared at them both. “Would I joke about something like this?”

“Did she see you?” Brian questioned.

Howie nodded. “Jay called her name a few times. And then she finally turned around…looked right at us. She looked terrified. And then she just jumped in a cab.”

AJ fished into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, opening it up and punching a few numbers. “What are you doing?” Kevin asked.

“Calling information,” AJ quickly replied. “Manhattan…Carter….Yeah, do you have a listing for a Katelin Carter….How about Marciano….M-A-R-C-I-A-N-O…Katelin…Okay, thanks.” He clicked his phone shut and collapsed on the bed, defeated.

“Did you really think she’d list her name?” Kevin all but laughed. “It’s pretty obvious she doesn’t want to be found.”

“It was worth a shot,” AJ retorted.

“Should we tell Nick?” Howie asked. On one hand, Nick would flip out if he ever found out that they saw her and didn’t tell him. But on the other, what would telling him really accomplish? Finding a person who doesn’t want to be found in New York City was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Virtually impossible.

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