Loving you Always and forever
~*~*Chapter 11*~*~
"Nick, where are you taking me?" Monica asked. She fingered the blindfold that blocked her vision. Nick chuckled.
"Well, Mon. Our anniversary is in one week, but we won't be here, we'll be up in New York. So, I want to give you your gift now."
"Nick, don't you think that we could wait until we got back to your cabin?" Monica begged him. Wherever Nick was taking her, she was nervous. She was very vulnerable with no vision.
"Nope. I have to stop at Brian's though."
"Ok. Make it fast. I don't want to be waiting here with a blindfold on forever," she laughed. Nick chuckled.
"Don't worry, babe." He reached over and kissed her lips before unbuckling his seat belt. "Be right back."
Nick waited patiently as he waited for the front door to open. He tapped his foot against their 'Welcome' mat and turned around to watch Monica. She bit her nails with a scared expression on her face as she waited for Nick to return.
"Hey, Nick." He heard a voice say. He turned back towards the house.
"Hey Rok." Brian opened the door and walked inside with Nick behind him. Nick sniffed-it smelled as if something was burning.
"B, what's that smell?" He prompted. He watched from afar as Brian waved away the smoke that was originating from the oven. Brian threw a pile of burnt cookies onto the furnished counter.
"What would that be? A pile of charcoal?" Nick joked. Brian laughed.
"Actually, it was Heather's attempt to bake some cookies," he whispered. "It's her new hobby," Brian said a few moments later.
"Yeah, my mother had a hobby when she was pregnant, too. Except all she did was clean."
"Take a look around you, bud." Brian said, patting Nick on the back. Nick looked around the kitchen and living room and noticed that it was sparkling a crystal clear. It was spotless, except for the dirt on Nick's Nike's. He laughed.
"So where is Heather now?" He asked.
"She's taking a little nap. She wanted to go with you guys today, but her ankles were hurting her and she said she felt a little woozy. But, she did say Monica would love her gift. Monica told her she had been wanting it since last summer." Brain handed Nick a piece of metal- an essential part of the gift.
"Thanks, B. I'll see you later." With that, he turned on his heel and walked back to his car.
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The ride there was only 15 minutes. Nick laughed as he watched Monica's face contort into faces of worry with each turn he made.
"What's so funny?" she asked. Her only response was the shutting of the drivers door. Moments later she felt her side open and Nick's hands unbuckling her from the seat belt. He took both of her hands in his and led her out of his Durango.
"Where are we going?" she asked him. He stopped walking them and kissed her sweetly.
"Well, if you put it that way...." she said. He continued to guide her steps. She felt the cool air from an ocean, she guessed. He made a right and stopped. She heard his intake of breath.
"Monica, this Friday marks a year for us together. You didn't have to tell me, but I knew in your eyes that you wanted this for a long time." He smiled and reached over and took her blindfold off. She looked around and gasped at what she saw. She was standing at the doorstep of Brian's old house.
"Nick? Did you just GIVE me Brian's house? On the beach?" she asked incredulously. He nodded.
"And me."
She smiled.
"How did you know I wanted this?" she asked him. She pulled him into a hug and squeezed him tight.
"I knew it. The day that Brian moved out, you told Heather that this would be your dreamhouse. I just wanted to make your dreams come true, baby." He said. He kissed her. When they broke apart, he handed her the key that Brian had given him and watched with a smile as she opened the door to their new life together. She looked around her new living room. It was empty except for the candles and rose petals that traveled along the stairs. Her eyes widened when Nick scooped her up and slowly ascended the stairs. He stopped and picked up a single red rose and placed it behind Monica's ear and kissed her cheek. She smiled up at him and she wrapped her arms around her neck even tighter. Her heart beat anxiously in her ribs. He carried her to the master bedroom and kicked the door open with his knee. The room was also sprinkled with romance. The air mattress that was blown up in the center of the room drew attention. She laughed and looked up at Nick.
"Figures for you to bring sex into this Nick."
"Isn't it a rule or something for you to have sex on your anniversary?" he questioned as he laid her down on their makeshift bed and gently crawled on top of her. He kissed her lips and moved down to her neck and then her shoulders. Monica sighed.
"No, but I think I could deal with it," she said with a smile.
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Brian returned home from McDonalds just as Heather emerged from her sleeping position on the couch.
"Back already?" she asked him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"There was only one fan there," Brian remarked. The aroma from the bag of food was enough to make Heather's stomach grumble loudly. She pulled out the fries and placed them on her plate that Brian had gotten for them. She took a fry from her meal as she pulled out her chair and sat down.
"So, when will you know about Nick's cabin?" Heather asked while they ate. Brian took a sip from his Coke.
"Well, I think he found out about it yesterday. I'll call him tomorrow," Brian replied. Heather nodded and closed her eyes. She rubbed her stomach slowly. The baby had been kicking a lot lately. At night, Brian and her would lay in bed and just talk about the baby. The baby must have known its parents were near because it would kick Heather constantly. When Heather opened her blue eyes, she saw Brian sitting at the table with a proud smile planted on his lips. He leaned across the table and took Heather's hands.
"Did I ever tell you I love you?" He whispered. He traced her knuckles with his fingertips.
"Only about twice today," She said.
"Let's make it three," he said before his lips captured hers. Unconsciously, his hand slipped to her stomach and it rested there until the baby responded with a slight kick.
"She knows it's her daddy," Heather said between kisses. Brian quickly pulled away.
"She?!?"
"Well, I'm not sure yet. But I would prefer not to call my baby an 'it', " she said with a rub of her stomach.
"She'd like that," Brian said, letting his lips fall on hers again.
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"Good morning baby," Monica heard in her ear late in the next day. She rolled over on the air mattress and smiled when she saw Nick smiling down at her. He looked so cute in the morning: his hair was sticking out in every direction possible. He had a sleepy, goofy grin on his face that Monica kissed his parted lips.
"Morning," she said with a stretch. Nick pulled her back by her waist and he snuggled her up to his chest.
"I love you," he whispered, kissing her lightly on the forehead.
"Not as much as I love you," she replied, giving his hand a kiss. Her eyes slowly began to droop against her own will as Nick hummed a made up tune in her ear. She felt a small tug on her hair, but didn't think anything of it until the tugs came more frequent.
"Nick, what are you doing?" she asked him, sitting up. His arms returned to her waist again and he pulled her to him so he could look at her.
"Just braiding your hair," he replied casually. He kissed her. His hand rested on her stomach while his other caressed her smooth face. Every kiss they shared was different. Each one had a different meaning with a magical touch. A meaning in which only Nick and Monica would understand. No one else. He smiled when they pulled apart and kissed her forehead.
"I love you," he said.
"I know," Monica joked before she let him sample another meaning of theirs.
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Before they knew it, the week had flown by and they were packing for their trip up to New York. Their flight left at 6:30 the next morning, so Brian was running around crazy trying to pack his bag and Heather's.
"Brian, I am capable of packing my own bag," she kidded as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He turned around and gave her a quick kiss before picking her up and sitting her down in the love seat in their room.
"You sit, I'll pack," he said, resuming his packing.
"Since you won't let me HELP you, dear, take my suggestion: Why don't you just take one bag for the both of us?" she asked.
"How are we going to fit all this stuff into ONE bag?"
"I don't need that many clothes. Do you really think a bathing suit is necessary for this time of year?" she said, picking up his black bathing suit.
"If you think you could do better, go ahead!" He snapped with a smile on his face. His competitive smile that he only gave to Nick.
"I'd be happy to," she said, reaching for the bag that Brian held in his hands. He snatched it away from her.
"Nu uh uh, not so fast. There is a toll first, Miss." He said with a hand on his hip.
"And what's that Mr. Littrell?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing really," he said, giving her a breathtaking kiss. "Except that," he finished. They smiled and finished packing their bag together before falling back onto their bed and drifting to sleep.
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