*1 year, 10 months later...*
Rayanne finished loading the car and walked back into her apartment.

“Mama?”

“What honey?” She looked at her daughter expecting more babble, but instead got a smile. “Aww..you’re so cute Madi. Mommy loves you so much.” she said as she picked her up out of her high chair and put her on the floor.

“Up!” She felt her skirt being pulled on.

“Wait just a second sweetie, Mommy has to finish cleaning up your breakfast, then we’re going to see aunt Mandy! Do you want to see aunt Mandy?” Madi gave her mother the smile that always brightened her day and shook her head up and down. “OK, play with your puzzle book while I clean then we’ll go, OK?”

Rayanne cleaned her daughter’s high chair and washed the few dishes in the sink. When the kitchen was clean she grabbed Madi’s vest and called her over.

“Come here Sunshine, Mommy needs to put on your vest.”

“No.”

“Madeline Nicole. Come here please, we can’t leave to see aunt Mandy until you’re dressed.”

After a little struggling, Rayanne had Madi dressed and in her car seat.

The trip to New York took about 6 hours from Buffalo. Madi played and told her mother stories most of the way. While she was asleep in her seat, Rayanne looked at her in the rearview mirror. ”You look so much like your daddy. That blonde hair...and those eyes.” she thought to herself. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind for the rest of the trip. When they arrived she gave Mandy a big hug and proudly showed off her daughter.

“Madi!” Mandy snatched her out of her mother’s arms. “You’re so big sweetie!”

Madi threw a concerned glance in Rayanne’s direction.

“It’s OK Mads, remember Mandy?” Madi still looked a little confused but gave Mandy a big smile and a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Help me carry this stuff in?”

“Of course. I’ll carry Madi, you carry the bags.” Mandy laughed.

Rayanne got their bags out of the trunk and followed her inside.

That night was spent reminiscing and filling each other in on what they had missed the past six months. The next day Mandy had to work, so Rayanne took Madi and decided to walk around the park and Times Square.

*Hotel in NYC*
“Come on you guys.” Kevin said.

“I’d follow ya Kev, but Nick and Brian are in my way.” Lyndsey smiled.

“We’re stuck!” they yelled.

“Let me help you.” She pushed the two of them out into the hallway with great ease. “Stuck, huh?” She laughed and took Nick’s hand. They led Brian, LeighAnne, AJ, Amanda and Howie down the hallway to their limo.

“Lyn, you think you’re so cool, don’t you?” Nick teased.

“I know I’m cool babe, and so do you.”

“No, you’re hot.”

“Enough you two.” Kevin called over his shoulder.

“Enough you two.” Nick mimicked.

The eight of them got in the limo and within minutes, they were at the Virgin Megastore for a record signing. Everyone went in the back door, and soon after hundreds of fans were let in the door single file.

*Virgin Megastore*
Rayanne walked by the Virgin Megastore she had always wanted to visit. There was a long line coming from inside, out the door and down the sidewalk.

“Whoa Madi...think we can get in?”

“Mama, in!” Madi yelled throwing her hand in the air.

Rayanne laughed. “If you say so!” She squeezed her way through the other door and started walking around.

Lyndsey, LeighAnne and Amanda were sitting in chairs off to the side of the table set up for the guys. Nick’s chair was next, then Brian, AJ, Kevin and Howie. Lyndsey looked around the store and caught a glimpse of someone she thought looked familiar.

“Leigh, look at that girl. Does she look familiar to you?” Lyndsey asked, leaning close to LeighAnne.

LeighAnne looked to where Lyndsey was pointing and saw who she was talking about. A girl with straight blonde hair down past her shoulders, carrying a child that appeared to be about a year old. Amanda soon saw the same girl, and the three began whispering.

“Is that Ray?”

“It looks like her, but she has a kid!”

“What if it’s not hers?”

“It could be...let’s go talk to her.”

Lyndsey leaned in to talked to Nick as he signed a CD for a girl. “We see somebody that looks familiar, we’ll be back.”

He nodded to show her he had heard what she said, but didn’t take his attention off the fans.

“Thank you Nick!” the girl said as he handed her back the CD.

“You’re welcome.” he responded with a smile.

Lyndsey, LeighAnne and Amanda all walked off in search of the familiar girl.

“There she is.” Amanda said.

“Let’s go!” Lyndsey grabbed them both by the hand and pulled them along with her.

“Ray?” LeighAnne asked as they got close enough.

“Leigh?!”

“Hey!”

“Manders!”

“Hey girl!”

“Hi Lyn.”

“Hi.”

“What have you been up to girl?!”

“I’ve been busy!”

“Yeah, us too!” LeighAnne laughed. Amanda leaned in and whispered something to her. “We’re gonna head back It was nice seeing you!” she said sincerely. She walked away, Amanda behind her.

“What are you guys doing here?” Rayanne asked Lyndsey.

“The guys have a signing.”

“They’re here?”

“Yeah, right over there.”

“Oh.” She paused. “I’m sorry, it’s just been..so long.”

“Yeah. So who’s this little one?”

“Uh..Lyn, this is Madi. Madeline.”

“She’s a cutie!”

“Madi, can you say ‘hi’ to Lyn?”

“Hi Madi!”

Madi babbled ‘hi’ as she clamped down on Rayanne’s hair.

“Ouch Madi.” She pried her daughters fist off her hair. “How have you been Lyn?”

“I’ve been good. Ya know who she looks like?”

“Me?” She flashed Lyndsey a smile.

“Well, you too...but she’s got this look in her eyes, one I’ve seen from Nick. That must just be a coincidence.”

“Must be I have it too!” Rayanne laughed.

“Who’s the lucky father?”

“So how’s Nick?” Rayanne asked at the same time.

“He’s good. Up to the usual goofing around.”

“So you guys are happy?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“That’s good. That’s all I ever wanted for him.”

“Me too.”

“So how long are you guys in the city for?”

“A couple days, not too long.”

“I’m visiting for a week. I like it here so much.”

“Me too. It’s fun, so much to do!”

“So where are the guys now? In Europe I thought. I’m kinda busy lately, I lose track.”

“No, they have a break now.”

“Those were always fun times!” Rayanne smiled.

“Yeah! We get to sleep!”

“Are you guys in Florida?”

“Yeah, I moved in about 3 months ago.”

“That’s nice.” Rayanne said through a twinge of jealousy she refused to believe was there.

“It’s different.”

“Is it hard?”

“It’s not hard, it just...it’ll take some getting used to.”

“Yeah, it’s a big change I imagine.”

“He’s still on this kick where everything is his. I keep telling him everything is not all his anymore.”

Rayanne laughed. “So it’s pretty serious?”

“Yeah.”

“How are the rest of the guys? I see LeighAnne and Amanda are still here.”

“Yeah. They’re all awesome!”

“That’s good. I think about them a lot.”

“They talk about you a lot. We all do. Except when Nick is around.”

“Oh. He doesn’t talk about me at all?”

“If we talk about you when he’s around, we like to let him bring you up. And he does a lot. Just wondering, ya know, what you’re doing.”

“I wonder about him too.” Rayanne smiled as she shifted Madi on her hip.

“Laughing about the past too...that kind of stuff.”

“Aww..what’s wrong Mads?” Rayanne looked at her daughter as she started to cry. “I think she’s getting hungry, we should go soon.”

“You wanna come say ‘hi’ to Nick and the guys quick?”

“I’d love to. Madi, we’re gonna go see some of Mommy’s old friends, OK?” Rayanne followed Lyndsey to the table the guys were at and waited for them to finish up with the last few fans.

“Nick, come here for a minute.”

“Coming.” He stood up, walking to where the girls were standing, Rayanne seeing him for the first time in almost two years.

“Ray?!”

“Hey Nicky.” she smiled.

“Hey! How are you doing?!”

“I’m good. How about you?”

“Great!”

“You look good.”

“So do you. Who’s this wee one?”

“This is my daughter Madi. Madi this is...Nick. Can you say ‘hi’ to Nick?”

“Your daughter?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. She’s cute.”

“Thank you.”

“Blonde hair, blue eyes...” he said, running his fingers through his hair.

“So, how have you been? It’s been so long.”

“You already asked me that.” he laughed.

“Sorry, it’s just, kinda...weird.”

“So, back to Madi. Who’s the father?”

“I’ll let you two talk.” Lyndsey said sneaking away.

“An ex. We’re not together anymore actually.”

“An ex? You sure work fast Ray.”

“What does that mean? It’s been almost two years since I left Nick.”

“I mean, she’s gotta be over a year old. We didn’t break up much longer ago than that.”

“Oh. Well...” she started, but stopped.

“I could be jumping to conclusions Ray, but she looks a lot like I did as a baby. Is there something you forgot to tell me?”

“No.”

“Something you chose not to tell me?”

“What are you getting at Nick?” she asked, starting to fidget a little.

“You know exactly what I’m getting at Rayanne. Is she mine?”

Rayanne looked away from him for a moment before answering. “Yes.” She looked him in the eye.

He hesitated for a moment. “Thank you so much for telling me I had a daughter Rayanne! How could you keep this from me?!”

“Nick, we weren’t speaking! You let me leave, you wanted nothing to do with me!”

“That doesn’t matter! You could have called and told me!”

“I wasn’t going to call and tell you I was having your baby. I wanted her.”

“It would have changed a lot of things.”

Rayanne stopped. “What would it have changed? Don’t say we would be together, because you can’t be together just because of a baby.”

“I can’t say exactly, but I know a lot of things would have been different. She would know who her father is, we could at least be friends.”

“She still can.”

“But that didn’t happen.” he continued. “So I bet if I were to take you from you right now, to hold my daughter for the first time, she would be scared to death.”

“I want you to hold her.” she said as she turned Madi around and held her out for Nick to take.

He took his daughter from her. “It’s OK sweetie, this is your Daddy...can you give him a kiss?”

As Nick turned Madi around to face him she gave him a big kiss on the lips.

“That was wet!” he smiled.

“See? She likes you.” she smiled back.

“When was she born?”

“April third. It was a Saturday.”

“What’s her full name?”

“Madeline Nicole.” She paused briefly. “Carter.”

“Madeline Nicole Carter. I...I have to go Ray.” He handed Madi back to her.

“Nick? Why are you going so suddenly?”

He looked at her with tears in his eyes. “I can’t do this right now. I need to let this sink in.”

“I’d like her to spend time with you.”

“I would like that, but not today. Maybe tomorrow.”

“You don’t know how to get ahold of me.”

“I just found out I have a daughter Ray. This is huge. You have my cell number.”

“I know and I’m sorry. Want me to call you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, whenever. I have to go, they’re waiting for me.”

“Alright.” she said as he turned and walked away from her.

*Hotel*
Everyone had piled into the limo, which, after having to wait for Nick had hundreds of fans around it. It got through the crowd of fans and back to the hotel safely.

“Are you OK sweetie?” Lyndsey asked Nick as they walked back into their room.

“She’s my baby.” He turned to her, tears pouring from his eyes.

“Oh, Nick. Come here.” She pulled him into a tight hug.

“She kept it from me this whole time! Two years!”

“What do you want?” she asked, pulling away.

“I want to be there. I want to be part of her life.”

“That’s good Nick, you should be part of her life.”

“You’re OK with this?”

“Yes! Nick this is fine with me if it’s what you want.”

“Thank you sweetie. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I’m exhausted. I’m gonna lay down for a while.”

“Sounds good, me too.” They lay down in bed together, Lyndsey falling right asleep; Nick having trouble doing the same despite the fact he was exhausted.