Kayleigh laid on the couch, watching tv. She knew she should be out doing something productive with her life but that was tough at eight months pregnant. She felt as big as a house and didn’t feel like going out in public. She had turned twenty one years old three months ago and finally been able to access her trust fund. There was over three million dollars in it. Kayleigh was absolutely ecstatic to find that out because it meant she didn’t have to struggle to make a living for her and the baby. She had also withdrawn all of the money from it and set it up in a new bank account, making sure that her mother wouldn’t be able to find out where she was. She wondered if anyone was looking for her. More times than once she had picked up the phone, ready to call Brooke, her mother, or even Nick. Just to hear one of their voices. But before she could dial the last number, she would put it down, reminding herself that she didn’t want to be found. It would only complicate matters. She was starting to get used to the fact that she was on her own. And there would be no way she could face any of them now. It had been too long since she had run away.
Kayleigh and Nicole had become the best of friends. Talking about anything and everything. The only subject that was avoided was Kayleigh’s past. Kayleigh had always gotten very quiet whenever Nicole had asked her about it. Nicole had no idea who the baby’s father was, where Kayleigh was from, and why it seemed she had virtually no family whatsoever. The only thing that Kayleigh had ever told her was that when she found out she was pregnant, she skipped town, not wanting to disappoint her mother and not wanting the baby’s father to find out. Nicole had found the whole situation very odd but never asked about it, in fear of intruding on Kayleigh’s privacy.
“Hey girl,” Nicole announced, walking into the house with her boyfriend, James. “What’s up? How’s my godchild?”
Kayleigh grimaced, trying to sit up. “Extremely restless and driving me up the wall.”
James laughed. “It’ll all be over soon, Kayles.” Kayleigh’s head shot up at the name he called her. No one had ever called her that except Nick.
“What?” James asked, noticing the expression on her face.
“Nothing,” Kayleigh answered, recovering quickly. “I just haven’t been called that in a while.”
“So what’s on television?” Nicole questioned, grabbing the remote off of the table and switching the channel. They stopped on Entertainment Tonight where they happen to be doing a story on the wedding of the one and only Kevin Richardson.
“Oh my god,” Kayleigh whispered, not realizing that Nicole and James did not know she had any connection to the Backstreet Boys. “He married Kristin?”
“A fan?” James asked, laughing, mistaking her surprise for a starstruck fan.
“Uh, yeah,” Kayleigh answered, recovering quickly. Just as she tore her eyes from James and put them back on the tv, a picture of Nick flashed on the screen. It was from Kevin’s wedding and he was holding a girls hand. It didn’t look like Lauren. In fact, it didn’t look like anyone she had ever seen before. Her heart broke at the sight. But she knew that she had no right to feel that way. She was the one who ran away from him. How could she expect that he wouldn’t have a girlfriend?
“You okay, Kayleigh?” Nicole questioned, softly. “You look pale.”
“I’m fine,” Kayleigh answered, a little too quickly. “I’m just tired. I think I’m going to go to bed.”
“Goodnight,” James and Nicole both chorused.
“Night,” Kayleigh responded, disappearing up the stairs. She quickly changed into her pajamas and washed her face before climbing into bed. She turned on the radio, not really wanting to fall asleep just yet. She really wasn’t that tired. It was only nine o’clock. She just needed to get out of there and clear her head. Why couldn’t she get Nick’s face out of her head? Why couldn’t she just get him out of her head all together? She was sick of it. Sick of everything. Sick of knowing that she would never see him again. Sick of knowing that he would never get a chance to know his son or daughter. Sick of being in love with him and knowing that there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.