I was sitting at the beach.  I stared out in the ocean and thought about everything.  My mom met a new man and I was meeting him and his oldest son tonight.  I sat there thinking about what to say. I looked up and saw a guy walking down the beach.  He looked upset. I recognized him as Nick Carter. 

       “Nick?” I asked.  He looked at me.

       “Who are you?” he asked.

       “My name’s Bri, why are you upset?” I asked.

       “My dad met a new woman, two weeks after his and my mom’s divorce was finalized, I’m meeting her and her daughter tonight,” Nick said.

       “Weird,” I said.

       “What do you mean?” Nick asked sitting beside me.

       “My mom has a new man and I’m meeting him and his oldest son tonight,” I said.

       “What’s your mom’s name?” Nick asked.

       “Sue,” I said.

       “My dad’s name is Bob,” Nick said.

       “That’s her new man’s name,” I said.

       “I think we just met each other,” Nick said.

       “Oh boy, my mom and your dad,” I said.

       “Yeah,” Nick said.

That night, I was getting ready when the doorbell rang. I went downstairs and saw my mom heading for the door.  She opened the door as I reached the bottom of the stairs. 

       “Hi Bob,” Mom said.

       “Hi there, this is my oldest son, Nick,” Bob said.  I smiled.  I came downstairs.  Bob and Nick came in.

       “Bob, this is my daughter, Bri,” Mom said.

       “Hi,” I said.

       “Hi,” Bob said.

       “Hi Bri,” Nick said.

       “Hi Nick,” I said.

       “You two already know each other,” Mom said.

       “Yeah, we met at the beach,” I said.

       “Okay, let’s go eat,” Mom said.

We ate dinner and talked.  We went into the living room and talked.  I went out the back and sat down by the pool and looked up at the stars.  I heard someone behind me.

       “Bri, you okay?” Nick asked.

       “Yeah, your father’s nice,” I said.

       “Your mother’s nice, too,” Nick said.

       “You’re just like your dad,” I said.

       “You are like your mom,” Nick said.

       “I like you,” I said.

       “I like you, too,” Nick said.

We looked at each other.  He leaned forward and we kissed softly. 

Three weeks later, I went to school.  I was at my locker when Nick came up to me.

       “Hey,” Nick said.

       “Nick, what are you doing here?” I asked.

       “I go to school when the band is on vacation, we are on a long vacation,” Nick said.

       “Oh, okay,” I said.

       “I’m in all your classes,” Nick said.

       “Do all the teachers know?” I asked.

       “First thing this morning,” Nick said.

       “Okay,” I said.

After school, I was getting my stuff out of my locker when Brent, the coolest guy in school came up to me.

       “Hi Bri,” Brent said.

       “Hi Brent,” I said. 

       “How about we go out sometime?” Brent asked.

       “Are you serious or is this a joke?” I asked.

       “No, I’m serious,” Brent said.

       “Fine, okay,” I said.

       “I’ll pick you up at seven tonight, okay,” Brent said.

       “Okay,” I said. 

That night, seven came and went and no sign of Brent.

       “Honey, did you have a date tonight?” Mom said.

       “Yeah, he’s not coming, the coolest guy in school wanting to go out with me, yeah right,” I said.  I flipped channels as I laid down on the couch.  The doorbell rang.  I got up and opened the door and saw Nick standing there.

       “Nick, hi,” I said.  He pulled me out the door and closed it and pulled me to his Durango.

       “Nick, what’s going on?” I asked.

       “Something you have to see,” Nick said.

Nick took me to the Moon Beach where all the high school kids hang out.  We walked in and I saw Brent sitting in the corner booth with a blond girl.

       “So, I don’t care about him,” I said.

       “He stood you up for her, you aren’t mad,” Nick said.

       “Nope, I’m used to it,” I said. I walked out.  Nick followed me.  I leaned against the wall of the café. 

       “What do you mean?” Nick asked.

       “It means I’m not popular, all the cool guys would ask me out and then stand me up, I’m used to it and I act like it doesn’t bother me,” I said.

       “I don’t see why no one likes you, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and that’s coming from a guy who has a lot of beautiful women throwing themselves in my direction, everyone wants me, but they know they can’t have me, but you can,” Nick said.  I smiled.

       “You want me,” I said.

       “Will you be my girlfriend, Bri?” Nick asked.

       “What about our parents, what about your dad and my mom dating,” I said.

       “You mean what if they get married, we will have to make sure they don’t get married,” Nick said.

       “Then yes, I’ll be your girlfriend, Nick Carter,” I said.

He smiled and we kissed passionately. We didn’t notice that Brent came out without the girl he was with and he saw me and Nick kissing.  Nick’s lips moved to my neck.  I opened my eyes and saw Brent looking at us.  I saw the look on his face.  He looked upset. I smiled as I enjoyed Nick’s lips on my neck. I pulled Nick close.  My hands roamed Nick’s back.  Brent came over.

       “What’s going on here?” Brent asked.

       “What does it look like, I’m kissing her,” Nick said.

       “We were suppose to have a date tonight,” Brent said.

       “Yeah, and you didn’t show up, you were with another girl, you stood Bri up,” Nick said.

       “Bri, I’m sorry, me and that girl were working on a science project, I was on my way to pick you up,” Brent said.

       “It’s too late, Brent, Nick asked me to be his girlfriend,” I said.  Nick wrapped an arm around my waist.   

       “What, he can’t make you happy, he’ll be gone most of the time,” Brent said.

       “I will do everything I can to be with her, she can come on tour with us and get tutored,” Nick said.

       “Oh, I see, so you pick him, huh,” Brent said.

       “Like I had a choice, it was always him, he really cares about me,” I said. 

       “I see, well, Bri, you are going to regret this, you better get enough courage to show your face in school tomorrow,” Brent said before walking off.  Nick pulled me close.  He took me home.  He walked me in.  Mom was pacing back and forth.  Bob was sitting at the table.

       “Where have you’ve been!” Mom said.

       “I took her to the Moon Beach where Brent was, he was with another girl, that’s why he stood her up,” Nick said.

       “Are you okay?” Mom asked.

       “I’m fine, Mom, I can’t go to school tomorrow,” I said.

       “Why not?” Mom said.  We told them the story. 

       “You two are together,” Mom said.

       “Yeah, Mom, we are, we couldn’t deny it any longer,” I said.

       “We can double date,” Bob said.

       “Oh boy,” Nick and I said.

       “What,” Mom said.

       “Nothing, nothing, it’s just that, we are 18 years old and going on double dates with our parents, oh joy,” Nick said.

The next day, Mom allowed me to stay home while Nick went to school.  She called school and talked to them about the problem.  I was in my room when the phone rang.

       “Hello,” I said.

       “Hey Bri, it’s Nick,” Nick said.

       “Hey, what’s going on?” I asked.

       “You better be glad you aren’t here, it’s really bad, Brent’s been spreading rumors all morning, saying stuff like you are a slut and you sleep around and well, I can’t tell you the rest over the phone, I’ll come by after school, okay,” Nick said.

       “Okay, see ya,” I said.

       “Bye babe,” Nick said.  I hung up.  I told my mom what Nick said.  She called Brent’s mom.  They talked for a long time.  That afternoon, Nick came over.  We were in my room.  I closed the door and locked it. I sat on my bed. Nick sat down.

       “What did he say?” I asked.

       “That you aren’t a virgin and that you are easy, that’s a lie, I know it,” Nick said.

       “Damn right it’s a lie, I am a virgin, I haven’t slept with anybody, that jerk, my mom called his mom, I so much want to hurt that jerk,” I said.

       “I’ll call AJ, Brian, Nick, and Kevin, they will know what to do,” Nick said.

       “Do it,” I said.   Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the bedroom door.  I opened it and saw Brian, AJ, Howie, and Kevin. They came in.  I closed the door and locked it. 

       “Bri, Nick, what’s going on?” Brian asked.

We told them the story.  We were talking when a brick came flying through my window.  It landed on the floor.

       “Bri!” Mom called.

       “I’m fine, Mom!” I called back.  I picked up the brick and saw a note.  It said:  YOU’RE DEAD!  I dropped the brick and sank to the floor.  Nick wrapped his arms around me.  Brian picked up the brick. He read the message.  Kevin, Howie, and AJ saw the message.

       “Howie, call the bodyguards, you will be okay, Bri, we won’t let anything happen to you,” Brian said.

Kevin went downstairs and told my mom the news.  She came up and hugged me. 

       “Lonnie, Tom, Marcus, Billy, and Jimmy are on their way,” Howie said.  Bob came to the door. 

       “Someone’s in the backyard,” Bob said.  We all ran downstairs.  Nick, Brian, Howie, AJ, and Kevin ran out the back.  Nick saw Brent standing there.  Nick ran to him and tackle him.  Kevin and Nick held him down.  Brian and AJ tied him up.

       “Why are you doing this, Brent?” Nick asked angrily.

       “Her mother called the school and my parents! I’m in so much trouble,” Brent said.

       “Then you’ve shouldn’t of spread those rumors about Bri around school, if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be in trouble,” Nick said.

       “Nick!” I shouted.  Nick turned and saw Chris holding a gun to my head.  He had an arm around my waist.

       “Let him go or she dies!” Chris said.

       “Chris, what are you doing!” Brent said.

       “I’m helping you,” Chris said.

       “This isn’t helping, okay, I don’t need any help, I’m not going to do anything,” Brent said.

       “We had a plan, remember,” Chris said.

       “No, I don’t,” Brent said.

       “We came up with a plan to take her somewhere and kill her,” Chris said.

       “I’m not going to do that, Chris, I’m not a murderer, I wasn’t going to kill her!” Brent yelled. 

       “Yeah, right, you were talking about it all night,” Chris said.

       “I was not! Let her go, Chris!” Brent shouted. 

       “Let her go, Chris!” Nick yelled.

       “Let me go, please!” I cried.

“Can’t do it, sorry,” Chris said as he started pulling me towards the driveway.  He bumped into something and he turned and saw Lonnie and Tom.  With Marcus, Billy, and Jimmy behind them.  Lonnie grabbed the gun.  Tom and Marcus grabbed Chris while Billy and Jimmy grabbed Brent.  I stood there shaking.  Nick came over and hugged me close. 

       “Are you okay,” Nick said.

       “I am now,” I said burying my face in his chest as he held me.

The police arrived and got our statements.  Lonnie, Tom, Marcus, Billy, and Jimmy left.  Brian, Howie, Kevin, and AJ went home.  Nick and I were in my room.  Bob and Mom were in the kitchen.   Nick and I were talking while boarding up the window. 

       “What a day,” Nick said.

       “Yeah,” I said.  I sat down on the bed. He sat down next to me.

       “I was so scared that I was going to lose you,” Nick said.

       “Well, I’m here,” I said.  He smiled and hugged me close.

       “Prom’s coming up and I will be here, want to go?” Nick said.

       “You know I would definitely go with you,” I said smiling.  He leaned in and we kissed.  We laid down on the bed and kissed.

       “Where’s the prom at?” Nick asked.

       “At the Orlando Hotel, why?” I asked.  He smiled.

       “Oh, that’s why, you want to get a room,” I said.

       “Yeah, if you don’t want me to, I don’t have to,” Nick said.

       “Go ahead, I want to see what a suite looks like,” I said. 

We continued kissing.  Three weeks later, I was in my room getting ready for the prom.  There was a knock at the door. 

       “Who is it?” I asked.

       “It’s me,” Mom said.

       “Come in, Mom,” I said.  She came in and saw me.

       “Bri, you look gorgeous,” Mom said.

I was wearing a knee length black dress.  It had spaghetti straps.  My hair was up in a bun with couple of pieces hanging down and were curled.  I put perfume on.  I was looking in the mirror.

       “Thanks Mom,” I said.

       “So, you are spending the night at the hotel,” Mom said.

       “Yeah, everyone is staying there,” I said.

       “Okay, be careful, honey,” Mom said.

       “Okay, Mom, I love you,” I said.

       “Love you, too,” Mom said.

       “What do you have planned for tonight, Mom,” I said.

       “Me and Bob are renting movies and ordering pizza,” Mom said.

       “Okay,” I said.  The doorbell rang.  I looked outside and saw a limo in front of the house.  I saw Bob pull in.

       “That’s Nick,” I said.  My mom went downstairs and opened the door and saw Nick standing there.  Bob came up behind him.

       “Hi Nick, come in,” Mom said.

       “Hi Sue,” Nick said as he came in.

         “You look very handsome,” Mom said.

       “Thanks, Sue,” Nick said.

       “Hi Bob,” Mom said as they kissed hello.

       “Hi, I got the movies,” Bob said.

       “I’ll order the pizza,” Mom said.

       “Is Bri ready yet?” Nick asked.

       “Yeah, she was looking at herself in the mirror when you came, Bri! Nick’s here!” Mom called upstairs.

       “I’ll be right there!” I called back.  Nick was talking to his dad when Mom cleared her throat.  Nick looked at the stairs and saw me and his mouth dropped.  I smiled.  I stood in front of him.

       “You look gorgeous,” Nick managed to get out.

       “Thanks handsome,” I said. We walked outside and got into the limo and went to the hotel.  We got out and walked in hand in hand.  My best friend, Alicia, came up to me.

       “Bri, hey,” Alicia said hugging me.

       “Hey,” I said.

       “Hi Nick,” Alicia said.

       “Hi Ali,” Nick said.

We danced and talked to people.  We were dancing to a slow song. I had my arms wrapped around his neck and his were around my waist.  One of my hands were raking through the hair on the back of his head.  He pulled me closer.  We were dancing to Backstreet Boys.  The song was Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely.   I looked at Nick.  He was looking at me.

       “I love this song, it’s my favorite song,” I said. He smiled. 

       “I love you, Bri,” Nick said.  I smiled.

       “I love you, too,” I said.  He smiled. 

After the song was over, we looked at each other.

       “Want to go check out the suite?” Nick whispered in my ear.

       “Yeah,” I whispered back.  We walked towards the elevators and went to the top floor and walked down to a door. Nick got out the key and opened the door.  I went in and looked around.  Nick closed the door and locked it. 

       “Oh man, this looks so cool,” I said.

       “Yeah, it is,” Nick said.  I turned and looked at him and went over to him.

       “What do you have planned, Carter?” I asked.

       “Nothing, what do you want to do?” Nick asked.

       “I want you,” I said.  His eyes widened. 

       “You’re serious?” Nick asked.

       “Yes, I know what you have planned, Nick, I want you to be my first,” I said.

       “You sure?” Nick asked.

       “If I wasn’t, would I be up here?” I asked.

       “I guess you are sure, I love you,” Nick said.

       “I love you, too,” I said.  We began kissing passionately. 

       “Wait, do you have protection?” I asked.

He pulled out his wallet and pulled out a silver package. 

       “The guys always told me to keep one to be prepared,” Nick said.  I smiled and kissed him again.  We moved over to the bed and laid down and kissed.  Nick began kissing my neck.  I pushed his jacket off.  He unzipped my dress. My hands went up to the buttons on his shirt.  I began unbuttoning his shirt.  Once it was open, I pushed it off of him as he continuing kissing my neck.  He pulled my dress off, along with my underwear.  I pushed his slacks off, along with his boxers.  His kiss descending down to my chest.  His lips brushed across my breasts.  He sucked on one of the nipples.  I moaned with pleasure.  His hands were exploring my body. He pressed kisses on my stomach and moved up to my lips.  We kissed passionately.  I helped him slide the condom onto his body and he settled himself in the cradle of my thighs.  My legs wrapped around his waist.

       “Now, Nick, now,” I begged.  Pressing his lips to mine as if it was his last kiss to me, he thrust himself inside my untouched womanhood, my moan escaped into his mouth, urging him on.  Our hips moved together, back and forth as if choreographed.  My hands started as roaming his back but were soon gripping his shoulders, my fingernails digging into the flesh.  My head fell back into the pillows, pressing my chest tighter against his as my hips arched to him.  The kisses on my neck only heightened my desire and the sensations running through me.  My body temperature rose as my heart started to beat so fast that I couldn't tell it was still beating.  My breaths grew ragged and short as short groups of words left my mouth, begging him to increase the pleasure. My body tingled and rise to the peak, tangled with the sweat-slicked muscles of Nick's body.  We clung to each other as the bodies exploded together, as I contracted around him, screaming his name into the on-coming night.   He braced himself so he wouldn’t fall on top of me, afraid his large body would crush me.  He rolled to lay beside me, cradling my head to his chest as he slowly exited my warmth.

       “Bri,” he whispered, his heavy breath sweeping across my face.  He held me close, not wanting to ever let me go as I pressed a kiss to his damp chest.

       “I love you,” he whispered.

       “I love you, too,” I whispered back as I shifted to look into his eyes.

        “That was…” I started to say but he silenced me with his fingertip before bending down to brush his lips across mine.  We shifted positions so that he was laying on his back.  Resting my head over his heartbeat, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me.  We both fell asleep in each other’s warm embrace.  The next morning, I woke up and saw Nick looking back at me. I smiled.

       “Morning, beautiful,” Nick said.

       “Morning,” I said. 

       “Last night was amazing,” Nick said.

       “Oh yeah,” I said.

       “You don’t regret anything, do you,” Nick said.

       “Nope, I don’t, do you?” I asked.

       “No,” Nick said.

We got up and got dressed and he took me home.  He walked me to the door and we kissed.  I noticed Bob’s car in the driveway.

       “Looks like your dad was here all night,” I said.

       “What, let’s check this out,” Nick said.

We went in and looked around and saw no one in the living room or kitchen.  We quietly went upstairs and saw the door to my mother’s room open. I peeked in and saw Mom and Bob in bed, naked but covered with a bedsheet.  They were asleep.  I backed away and looked at Nick.  He looked at me and peeked in and saw them.  We looked at each other and went in.

       “Hello!” Nick called.  They woke and sat up.  Mom clutched a sheet to herself.

       “What’s going on here?” I asked.

       “Um, well, we,” Mom said.

       “You two slept together,” I said.

       “Yes, Bri, we did,” Mom said. 

       “I don’t believe this,” I said.

       “Let’s get out of here,” Nick said.

       “Yeah, let’s go,” I said.  I went into my room and changed and came back out and Nick and I left.  We went to Brian’s house.  Nick opened the door.

       “Frick!” Nick called.  

       “In the living room, Frack,” Brian said.

We went into the living room.  Brian lying on the couch in his pjs.

       “Hey, how was the prom?” Brian asked.

       “It was great, it’s what happened this morning that’s bad,” Nick said.  He looked at us.

       “What happened?” Brian asked.

       “We went to Bri’s house and found my dad and her mom in bed, naked,” Nick said.

       “Oh man, what did you do?” Brian asked.

       “Walked out, they woke up and saw us and we couldn’t believe it and left,” Nick said.

       “What are you two going to do?” Brian asked.

       “I want to hurt my mother,” I said.

       “Why,” Brian said.

       “Because she’s letting a guy come between us,” I said.

       “Hey, that guy is my dad, I want to hurt my dad, too, he’s letting a woman come between us,” Nick said.

       “That woman is my mother!” I said.

       “So, maybe your mother should get a life and give my dad a break to be free,” Nick said.

       “Maybe your dad should get a life and give my mom a break to be free,” I said. 

       “You are pushing me, stop talking about my dad, your mother needs to get a life and move on, you are just like your mother,” Nick said.  I looked at him.

       “You are just like your father, stop talking about my mom, your father needs to get a life and move on, I don’t know what my mom sees in him,” I said.

       “I don’t know what my dad sees in your mom,” Nick said.

       “I’m leaving,” I said.

       “Good!” Nick said.  I turned and walked out.  The door closing behind me.  Once outside, I felt tears in my eyes.  I walked down the sidewalk. I walked to the beach. I sat down and cried. 

       “Bri,” Alicia said.

       “Hey Ali,” I said.

       “What’s wrong?” Alicia asked.

       “Nick and I had a fight, about my mom and his dad, we found them in bed and we went to Brian’s and we had a huge fight and I walked out,” I said.

       “Oh Bri,” Alicia said.

       “Last night was the best night of my life,” I said.

       “What happened last night,” Alicia said.

       “We got a suite and we made love, it was amazing, then this morning, we find my mom and his dad in bed and we go to Brian’s and have a huge fight about it, this is one huge mess,” I said.  Alicia hugged me.

       “I’m here if you need to talk to someone,” Alicia said.

       “Thanks, Ali,” I said.

I went home and saw Mom sitting in the living room.

       “Bri, can I talk to you?” Mom asked.

       “Yeah,” I said.

       “Bob and I decided to stop seeing each other, we felt what it was doing to you and Nick so we ended it,” Mom said.

       “Mom, Nick and I had a huge fight about everything,” I said.

       “How was the prom, honey,” Mom said.

       “It was great,” I said.

       “How was the suite?” Mom asked.

       “It was great,” I said.

       “Did you two use protection?” Mom asked.

       “Mom!” I said.

       “Honey, you can’t keep anything from me,” Mom said.

       “Yeah, we used protection, it was amazing, Mom, now, we had this huge fight and aren’t speaking,” I said.  She hugged me close. 

Three weeks later, Nick and I still weren’t speaking to each other.  I wasn’t feeling good.  Mom took me to the doctor’s office. 

       “Bri, you’re pregnant,” Dr. Kelly said.     

       “Pregnant, how, I only slept with one guy and we used protection,” I said.

       “Apparently it didn’t work,” Dr. Kelly said.

       “Thank you,” I said.  I walked out.  Mom stood up.

       “Bri,” Mom said.

       “I’m pregnant,” I said.  She hugged me close.

       “Bri, you two did use protection, right,” Mom said.

       “Yeah, we did, Mom, Dr. Kelly said that it didn’t work, what do I do?” I asked.

       “Do you want an abortion?” Mom asked.

       “No, Mom, I want this baby, I can’t give it up or kill it,” I said.

We went home.  I went to my room. I laid down on the bed and thought about everything.  I laid down on my back and put my hand on my stomach. 

       “I can’t let your daddy know about you, I can’t, he doesn’t have to know,” I said quietly. 

       “Know what?” I heard Nick say.  I looked and saw him standing at the door.

       “What do you want, if you want to talk about my mom, you can leave,” I said sitting up.

       “Actually I came to apologize,” Nick said.

       “What,” I said.

       “Bri, I’m sorry that I said all those things, I was just angry about finding them in bed,” Nick said.

       “I’m sorry, too,” I said.  He sat down.

       “Now is there something you want to tell me,” Nick said.

       “What do you mean?” I said.

       “I heard what you said before I came in, you were talking about daddy,” Nick said.

       “Nick, I’m pregnant,” I said.

       “But how, we used protection,” Nick said.

       “I guess it didn’t work,” I said.  His hand caressed my cheek.

       “I won’t leave you, baby, I’m here for you,” Nick said.

       “I love you,” I said.

       “I love you, too,” Nick said.  We went downstairs.  Mom looked up and saw us.

       “What’s the news,” Mom said.

       “We’re okay, we’re together,” I said.

       “And I’m not leaving her,” Nick said.

       “Okay,” Mom said.

Three weeks later, Nick and I had our own house.  I went to visit my mom.  She was sitting at the kitchen table.

       “Hey Mom, you okay?” I asked.

       “No, honey, I’m pregnant,” Mom said.

       “You what!” I yelled. 

       “Honey, sit down, okay, I’m pregnant, I told Bob, we are going to raise the baby, we’re getting married,” Mom said.

       “Mom, you can’t!” I shrieked.

       “Honey, it’s the right thing to do,” Mom said.

       “Mom, I’m pregnant with Nick’s baby, if you and Bob get married, then I will be pregnant with my stepbrother’s baby,” I said.

       “Honey, calm down, you will lose the baby if you keep acting like this,” Mom said.

       “I’m never talking to you again, if you marry Bob, I will make you pay!” I yelled before leaving.  I drove home and walked in.

       “Hey, baby, what’s wrong?” Nick asked.

       “What’s wrong, you want to know what’s wrong, your father got my mother pregnant!” I said angrily.

       “WHAT!” Nick yelled.

       “And what’s worse, they are getting married,” I said.

       “Come on,” Nick said.  We went to Bob’s house.  Nick walked in.  I walked in behind him.

       “DAD!” Nick yelled.

       “Nick, what is it?” Bob said. 

       “I just found out that Sue’s pregnant and you two are getting married, that can’t happen,” Nick said angrily.

       “And why’s that?” Bob asked.

       “Because I’m pregnant with Nick’s child, that’s why, I can’t be pregnant with my stepbrother’s child, okay, Nick and I are together as a couple and we can’t be stepbrother and stepsister if we are in love,” I yelled.

       “Bri, I’m sorry if I hurt you, but I have to take responsibility for my actions, okay, I love your mother, I want to be with her forever,” Bob said.

       “Then you lose me,” Nick said.

       “What,” Bob said.

       “If you marry Sue, you lose me as a son, I don’t want to see you or even know you, if you marry Sue, I will make you pay,” Nick said.

       “I have to marry her,” Bob said.

       “Then I guess we are no longer father and son, goodbye, Bob,” Nick said walking out.  I walked out behind him.  Nick and I went home.  I sat down on the couch.

       “I can’t believe this, we are going to be brother and sister, no matter what,” I said.

       “I know, let’s do something, let’s change our names,” Nick said.

       “Baby, you can’t change yours,” I said.

       “I know that, dammit,” Nick said.

       “I’ll change mine,” I said.

       “Bri, baby, let’s just move somewhere,” Nick said.

       “Nick, we can’t, you need to be here for the band,” I said.

       “Let’s never talk to our parents again, let’s get away for awhile, let’s go to New York, go to Jamestown and visit my mom, you haven’t met her yet,” Nick said.

The next day, we arrived in Jamestown and pulled up in front of a house.  We got out and walked up to the door.  Nick rang the doorbell.  The door opened and revealed a tall blond girl who looked 17.  She smiled and she and Nick hugged.

       “Bri, this is BJ,” Nick said.

       “This is Bri, it’s so good to finally meet you,” BJ said hugging me.  I hugged her back.

       “You, too,” I said.  We went inside and I was introduced to the rest of the kids. 

       “Where’s Mom?” Nick asked.

       “She went to the grocery store,” BJ said. 

The front door opened and closed and a woman came in and saw Nick and they hugged for a long time.  She saw me.

       “Is this Bri?” Mrs. Carter asked.

       “Yeah, this is her,” Nick said. She came over and hugged me.

       “Hi,” I said.

       “It’s so good to finally meet you, you can call me Jane,” she said.   I smiled.

       “Okay, Jane,” I said.

BJ took Aaron, Angel, and Leslie outside.  Jane sat down.  Nick and I sat down on the couch.

       “So, what’s the news, is your father seeing anyone?” Jane asked.  Nick and I looked at each other.

       “Yeah, he’s seeing Bri’s mother, in fact, I’m dating Bri, we are living together, and Bri’s pregnant,” Nick said.

       “I see, how’s the relationship between your father and her mother?” Jane asked.

       “Mom, Bri’s mother is pregnant and she and Dad are getting married,” Nick said.

       “Oh boy,” Jane said.

       “Mom, I’m never talking to Dad again, I gave him a choice, me or Bri’s mom, he chose her,” Nick said.

       “I told my mom if she married Bob, I would make her pay, I don’t want to be Nick’s stepsister and pregnant with his child at the same time, I want to be with Nick as his girlfriend, not sister,” I said.

       “And I want to be Bri’s boyfriend and not her stepbrother,” Nick said.  Jane smiled.

       “I’m calling your father,” Jane said.

       “Mom, don’t,” Nick said.

       “Nick, he has to know my opinion, I won’t tell him you’re up here, I will just tell him that you called and told me,” Jane said.

       “Hello, Bob, it’s Jane, the kids are fine, Bob, Nick called and told me everything, look, Nick doesn’t want to be Bri’s stepbrother, he wants to be her boyfriend, Bob, they are having a baby, look, you either call off the wedding or you will never see the girls and Aaron anymore, I don’t care what the courts say, I will fight for full custody and make damn sure you never see them again, I will just take them somewhere where you can’t find us, fine, goodbye,” Jane said.

       “What did he say?” Nick asked.

       “He’s not calling it off,” Jane said.

       “Bastard,” Nick said.  Suddenly I felt pain in my stomach.

       “Oh my god,” I said.

       “Bri,” Nick said.     

       “Something’s wrong,” I said.

Nick and Jane took me to the hospital.  I went in.  Nick went with me.  I was lying on a bed as the doctor examined me.  Nick held my hand.  I looked at him.  He kissed my forehead.

       “What is it?” I asked.

       “You had a miscarriage,” the doctor said.

       “The baby’s gone,” I said.

       “I’m afraid so,” the doctor said.

       “Oh god,” I said crying.  Nick hugged me close. 

       “You can go,” the doctor said.  Nick picked me up and carried me out.  Jane stood up.

       “Nick,” Jane said.

       “She lost the baby,” Nick said. I cried.  Nick kissed my forehead.  We went back to Jane’s house.  Nick carried me up to Jane’s bedroom and laid me down on the bed. 

       “You rest, okay,” Nick said.

       “I love you,” I said.

       “I love you, too, sweetheart,” Nick said kissing my forehead.  He went back downstairs.  Jane was on the phone.

       “Bob, it’s Jane, just shut up for a minute,  Nick and Bri are up here, they were here when I called you before, look, there is some bad news, Bri lost the baby, she had a miscarriage, she was sitting with me and Nick, talking, she felt something and we took her to the hospital, just me and Nick took her, BJ was watching them, Bob, she’s seventeen, she’s watched them before by herself, remember, okay, you do that, bye,” Jane said.

       “Mom,” Nick said.

       “I told your father, he’s going to tell her mother, are you okay, honey,” Jane asked.

“I’m a little upset, I mean, you would if you knew you created something and it was taken away, Bri and I created a new life and it didn’t get a chance to live,” Nick said.  Jane hugged him close.

       “I’m here if you need me,” Jane said.

       “I know,” Nick said.

Three weeks later, Nick and I went back to Orlando.  We walked into our house.  I sat down.  Nick sat beside me.  He hugged me.  I rested my head on his chest as he held me.  He rested his head on top of mine.  

       “I love you, sweetie,” Nick said.

       “Nick, I love you, too, you can call me baby if you want, I miss that,” I said.

       “I didn’t want to because I thought it would upset you,” Nick said.  I looked at him.

       “I’m fine, Nick, I can get pregnant again, I may have lost a baby, but look on the bright side, we can try again, later on,” I said.

       “We can try, let’s wait for awhile to see what happens, okay,” Nick said.   The doorbell rang.  Nick got up and opened the door and saw his father and my mother standing there.  They came in.  I stood up.  Mom came over to me and hugged me.

       “Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry,” Mom said.

       “Thanks, Mom,” I said.

       “We need to talk to you two,” Mom said.  We all sat down.

       “Sue and I decided to just live together and raise the baby, we aren’t getting married,” Bob said.

       “Why did you did this?” Nick asked.

       “Because I don’t want to lose BJ, Leslie, Angel, and Aaron, or you, Nick, I know your mother would probably win the court battle, I can’t stand not seeing the girls and Aaron,” Bob said.

       “I see, Mom’s threat had something to do with this,” Nick said.  

       “And the fact that you two are in love, I can tell, we both can, we know what you guys want, and we are going with it, you two won’t be brother or sister or related, you two can be together like you want,” Bob said.  We hugged him.

       “I love you, Mom,” I said.

       “I love you, too, honey,” Mom said.

That night, Nick and I were sitting on the couch, cuddling in front of the TV.  Nick’s arms were wrapped around my shoulders and my head was resting on his chest.

       “I love you, baby,” Nick said.

       “I love you, too,” I said.

Nick watched TV and looked down and saw me asleep. He gently picked me up and carried me up to our bedroom and laid me on the bed.  I woke up.

       “Baby,” I said.

       “Yeah,” Nick said.

       “Don’t go,” I said.

       “I’ll be in bed shortly, I’m going to go lock up and turned the TV off, okay,” Nick said.

He went downstairs and locked the doors and turned the TV and lights off and went upstairs and came into the bedroom and stripped to his boxers and got into bed and held me close.  I rested my head on his chest. 

       “I love you, baby,” I said.

     “I love you, too,” Nick said.  We went to sleep.