“Kate!” Nick walked inside the house and slammed the door. He had noticed his attorney’s car in the driveway and was completely confused as to what was going on. “You here?”
“In the living room!” Katelin called. Nick ran into the living room and stopped short at what he saw. Katelin was sitting in a corner chair, her knees pulled up to her chest, rocking back and forth. He looked closer and noticed her tear-streaked face. She was clutching, in her left hand, Aidan’s favorite stuffed animal. Without even acknowledging his attorney, Nick ran over to Kate, dropping down on his knees in front of her. “What’s going on, Kate?”
“Th…their….gonna take him away…” she hiccuped.
“What?” Nick all but yelled. He turned around and looked at his attorney. “What’s she talking about, Jeff? Who’s going to take him away.”
“No one, Nick,” Jeff stated, standing up and walking over to Katelin. “Miss Taylor you really need to calm down.”
“Calm down?!” Katelin exclaimed. “They’re going to take by baby away.”
“No they’re not,” Jeff answered. “At least not if I have anything to do with it. I won’t let them take Aidan away from you two.”
Nick stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting down. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“The social worker that was here a couple of weeks ago has reported back to the Gerhart’s lawyer,” Jeff began to explain. “Apparently her report wasn’t very good.”
“Why not?” Nick asked. “We did everything right. The three days that she was here were perfect.”
“I don’t know, Nick,” Jeff sighed. “I think she spoke to someone else besides the two of you.”
“Who?” Nick questioned. Katelin glanced up at him, knowing that he was going to flip out when she said what was on her mind. “Lanie.”
“What?!” Nick yelled. “Jesus, Katelin, how many times are we going to go over this? Lanie would never do something like that.”
“Well, I don’t believe it, Nick,” she glared at him. “She wants me out of the picture. She can’t stand the fact that I live here and she knows that the only way to get rid of me is by getting rid of Aidan.”
“Lanie wouldn’t do that to me, Kate,” Nick threw his hands up in the air in frustration. Jeff just sat there, stunned, at the exchange between the two of them. He had personally never really trusted Nick’s girlfriend throughout this whole situation and was inclined to lean a little bit towards Katelin’s side.
“Yes she would, Nick,” Katelin pointed out. “You know it as well as I do. She wants me out of the picture. And she’s got another thing coming if she thinks that I’m going to give up my son.”
“He’s my son, Katelin!” Nick exclaimed. “You don’t have custody, remember? I do. You have no rights here.”
“You asshole,” she hissed. “I knew one day you would pull this on me. He’s as much my son as he is yours. I brought him into the damn world. I went through hours of labor just so he could be born. As much as you think you and your son share a bond, you will never understand what that is like.”
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Brooke stood outside the hotel room door, her hand poised to knock. She didn’t know what she was going to say to him. By now, she knew how he felt about her. She even had begun to realize how she felt about him. But this wasn’t what she wanted, or so she thought. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had no idea what she wanted. She just knew that she felt strongly for two different men. One she had loved for years, was preparing to spend the rest of her life with. The other was new and exciting. A change. Someone who she had more in common with than anyone she had ever met.
Glancing between her watch and the door one more time, she decided that she couldn’t do it. She didn’t know what to say to him. She couldn’t look him in the eyes and tell him that she was leaving. But she had to go back to Orlando. She had to talk to her fiancée. Try to salvage some sort of relationship with him.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Brian walked into the silent and dark house, figuring Ang must have already gone to bed. He decided, before heading upstairs, that he needed a drink and walked into the kitchen. Flicking on the light, he saw his girlfriend sitting on the floor in front of the refrigerator and shaking from head to toe.
“Ang?” His eyes widened and he went running over to her. “Ang, baby, what’s wrong?”
Ang couldn’t say anything. She just cried harder, rocking her body back and forth. To Brian, she looked a wreck. Her hair was still soaking wet and she was wearing only a bathrobe. “Baby, come on. You have to talk to me.”
Shakily, Ang handed the pictures over to Brian. “H…how did they get these?”
Brian looked at the pictures. They were from all different occasions. Brian and Ang together in their house, out on the town, on the beach. Rehearsals for the tour. Out with Katelin and Aidan. Shopping with Alyssa. The settings were endless. And, at the bottom of the pile, there was a note. A note that said that no matter where she was, Ang was never safe.
“Ang, this isn’t funny anymore,” Brian stood up and grabbed the phone. “I’m calling the police.”
“But Brian…” Ang protested.
“No Ang,” he interrupted. “Someone broke into our house. When you were here, nonetheless. Goddamnit, do you realize what could’ve happened to you? I’m calling them, Ang. And we’re telling them everything.”
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
“Thanks Jeff,” Nick said to his attorney about half an hour later as he walked him out to the car. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Call me with the flight plans.”
“Will do, Nick.” Jeff opened his car door. “Tell Katelin I’m sorry.”
“I will.” Nick smiled. “And you have nothing to be sorry about. This isn’t your fault.”
Nick watched him drive away before turning back to walk inside. He paused for a second and glanced up at his sprawling house. The house where he kissed the love of his life for the first time. The house where he never had the chance to bring her home to because her father had ripped her out of his life. The house where, two months ago, he was able to bring his two-year-old son home to. And now, he was about to lose everything. His son. Katelin. Lanie. He didn’t know what to do anymore.
Sighing, he began to make his way inside the house. It was silent when he walked back inside. He walked up the stairs and towards Katelin’s room. He needed to tell her what was going to happen next. “Kate?” He called, quietly enough so he wouldn’t wake his son. When he didn’t hear an answer, he walked into her bedroom. It was dark, indicating that she wasn’t in there. Realizing the only other possibility, he walked into Aidan’s room. There she was, sitting in the dark, the moonlight streaming in the window serving as the only light in the room. She was leaning on the rails of his crib just staring at him.
He walked quietly behind her and touched her on the shoulder, causing her to jump about ten feet in the air. “Sorry,” he whispered. He stared with her for a minute. “He’s perfect, isn’t he.” Katelin nodded but didn’t say anything. In the faint light of the room, he could see the tears glistening in her eyes. “Can we talk, Kate?”
Katelin sighed and followed him out of the room, wiping her eyes along the way. “What do you want, Nick?” she asked, sitting down on his bed.
“I’m sorry about before,” he apologized. “I had no right to say that to you. You are just as much a part of his life as I am. And I always want you to be in his life. Maybe we’re not in the best situation here. And maybe we won’t always live together like this. But we’re both his parents. Always. And I don’t want to ever make you feel like this again.” He stared at her, waiting for her response. “Do you forgive me?”
Katelin nodded. “Yeah. But, God, Nick, do you realize how you made me feel? I know you’ll never understand why I didn’t tell you when I got pregnant. But, I really believed I was doing it for your own good. My father hated you, Nick. He didn’t want you in my life at all and I was afraid of what he would do to you if you had known about this and tried to come back to me.”
“I know, Kate,” he knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hands. “I was so angry when I found out. I still am on some level but I know why you never told me. I don’t want to drag Aidan in the middle of our arguments anymore.”
“Me neither.” They were both silent for a few minutes as they stared into each other’s eyes. Katelin reached out and brushed a stray hair off of his face. “I love you, Nicky,” she whispered.
“Kate…” he began, squeezing his eyes shut.
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I know you have Lanie and, while I may not like her very much, I know that you do. And all I want is what’s best for you. And for Aidan.”
He stared at her for another minute before leaning in and kissing her gently. Katelin allowed a slight moan to escape her lips, partly from the surprise at the fact that he had kissed her. Nick took that as a sign and pulled her closer to him, his hands slipping down her back and up the back of her t-shirt.
Katelin broke the kiss and stared at him. “What are we doing?”
“Shh…” he whispered. “Just let go, Kate.”
Later that night, he laid in bed staring at her face. Her naked form was pulled tightly against his. It felt so perfect to him. How he had missed this. How he had missed her. But, in the back of his mind, there was Lanie. He honestly loved her. She had been there for him when he had hit rock bottom. But he had hit rock bottom only because Katelin was gone. Nick was torn between the two people he loved the most. His girlfriend, who had saved him from nearly killing himself. His angel. Or the mother of his child. The one who had stolen his heart years ago. And he wasn’t sure that she had ever given it back.
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
“Where are we?” Christine asked groggily. She woke up in the passenger seat of Paul’s car and looked out the window. None of the surroundings seemed familiar to her. “I don’t recognize where we are.”
“Gee Chris,” Paul sneered. “Have you really forgotten about this place already? You haven’t been gone that long.”
Christine sat up straight. “This isn’t the way to the hospital. Where the hell are you taking me, Paul?”
“To see your sister,” Paul looked at her with an almost maniacal look in his eyes. A look which terrified Christine. She had no idea what was going on but she knew that something wasn’t right. “What did you do to my sister? And where the hell is my mother?”
“You haven’t figured it out, Chrissy?” Paul reached over and ran his hand through her hair. “Your mom’s perfectly fine. She’s not in the hospital. That was just a reason to get you up here. And Melissa, well, Melissa’s fine. For now at least.”