Karina

"Where'd you go?" he asked, sleepily.

"To get something to drink," she answered, snuggling up to him, pressing her cheek against his warm chest.

"Oh, ok," he said. "Did you see AJ?"

"Yeah," she answered casually. "He was out on the porch smoking."

"Good. I was worried about him. He gets kinda weird when he's depressed. It's scary sometimes."

"What do you mean 'scary'?" she asked, very curious.

"I don't know. He just gets in these moods sometimes, and he starts acting weird. Sometimes I wonder if he might jump off a bridge or something. He hasn't been this bad in a long time," Nick said sadly.

Karina sighed and held Nick tighter. Yes, she would definitely be better off with this one, but damn... AJ was just so... she couldn't even think of the words to describe him.

"Nick, I'm sleepy," she said, yawning. "We can talk in the morning."

"Ok baby," he said, closing his eyes and drifting off.

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

AJ walked down the beach, clad only in his boxers, the cool night air giving him chill bumps all over his body. But he didn't care. At that moment, he couldn't think of anything except Mikayla and their baby. He would win her back somehow. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do. Brian would help him, though. He had to help him. As he walked along the edge of the water, he saw her... Mikayla... standing at the shoreline, watching the inky black water under the full moon. He stopped several yards away, and he didn't approach her. She looked so lonely and sad, looking up at the moon. She was dressed in a thin, white cotton nightgown, and he could tell she was cold as she wrapped her arms around herself. His arms ached to hold her. He saw a dark figure moving toward her, and he started to run to her, to protect her. But then he realized who it was, and he didn't proceed any further.

Brian wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. AJ looked down at the sand, then turned and walked back to the house. For the first time, AJ felt some little spark of hope. If anybody could talk to Mikayla, it was Brian.

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

Mikayla turned to face Brian, and a sad smiled came over her face.

"He called you, didn't he?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. He told me everything," he said, hugging her. "Kay, I'm so sorry all this happened."

"Me too," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I just can't believe it. Two days ago, I was happy and planning our wedding. Now this..."

"I know. It hurts so much, doesn't it?" he said, stating more of a fact than asking a question.

"You have no idea," she said. "Nobody, and I do mean NOBODY, has ever cheated on me and gotten away with it..." Her mind drifted back to the memories of her dead husband... the dumb fuck kept dipping his wick in other people's candles, and one day he picked the wrong girl...

"I know we can do something to work this out. Do you think you could ever forgive him?" Brian asked softly.

"No, Brian... I don't know. Maybe. But I'm afraid it would never be the same again. I thought I could trust him. I mean, I knew he wasn't like YOU, but I thought I could at least trust him not to fuck my best friend..."

"Kay, nobody's perfect," he said, smiling. "Not even me. Remember?"

"Oh, I know. But you're..." she started.

"A cheater," Brian finished her sentence. "Kay, I've cheated with you..."

"Brian, I don't consider that..."

"Kay, I cheated with you. Deal with it, ok? I have." he said, laughing.

Mikayla looked away from him. He turned her face back around. "Do you still love him?" he asked, a serious look in his eyes.

"Yes, Brian. I do. I love him so much. But it just... it hurts."

"I know, Kay. I know it hurts. But you have to forgive him. You love him, and you guys were meant to be together," he said, holding her close again. "I know you were. I can feel it."

"I don't know..." she said, still unsure.

"Kay, what if he swore off drinking and drugs forever. Would that help?"

"It would be a start," she said softly.

"Well, at least it's a start," he said, smiling. "Kay, go to him. He needs you, and you need him."

"I don't know if I can," she said, looking into Brian's eyes.

"Yes, you can," he said, nodding. He kissed her forehead and smiled. "You love him. He loves you. Y'all can work this out. I have faith in you. If for nothing else, do it for Lyric, ok? You know he loves that baby more than anything in the world, right?"

Mikayla smiled at the thought of AJ and Lyric, rolling around on the living room floor, laughing. Then she thought of AJ with Lyric when she had an earache a few weeks earlier. She was screaming, and Mikayla just couldn't do anything with her. AJ had taken her out into the gardens in the middle of the night, singing softly to her, until the baby had fallen asleep. Yes, AJ was a wonderful father. She had to give him that. She would try to make it work... for Lyric... She wouldn't deny her daughter of another father.

She slowly turned and walked toward AJ's house, her insides feeling like jello. As she walked up to the porch, she saw him sitting a chair, a cigarette in his hand, his eyes closed. She silently walked over and placed her shaking hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, fully expecting to see Karina again. A slow smile spread over his face as he sat up in the chair. As he looked up at her, tears filled his eyes.

"Mikayla, I..." he started, but she put her finger on his lips. She knelt down beside the chair and stared into his beautiful brown eyes. He didn't dare try to touch her. She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. He covered her hand with his own, then kissed it. As he closed his eyes, the tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"My God, what was I thinking?" he said under his breath. He slowly put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into his lap. She put her arms around his neck as he held her, cradling his head against her chest. She could feel his body shaking as he cried silently.

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

Karina watched all of this from behind the curtain. Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated her next course of action. She made up her mind then and there that she would have AJ. To hell with everybody else. Mikayla didn't deserve him. Nick? Sweet guy, but he was pathetic, and way too eager. No, AJ would be her conquest. She would have him, no matter what.