Chapter Four
Tina gaped at him.
Nick laughed at her stunned expression, and gently closed her mouth. "Surprised?"
Surprised? More like shocked. Stunned. "Yes," she said when she could breathe again. "You could say that."
Nick reached over, brushed his hand over her cheek. "I guess I must have hid it better than I thought."
She had to steel herself from leaning into his touch. How long had it been since someone had shown her such tenderness? AJ hadn't...
It had been Nick.
Nick had listened to her, laughing with her as she updated her webpage, worked on her fan fics.
Nick had stayed with her when AJ had partied with the dancers until the crack of dawn, helping her with AJ when he finally stumbled into the room, too drunk to make it to bed.
Nick had been there for her when she and AJ had had their first fight. She didn't remember what the fight had been about, but she'd never forget AJ's parting words, "I wish to God I was still with Amanda." She had fled to the sanctuary of the buses, beyond caring who saw her tears. She hadn't seen Nick as she'd hurried past him. He'd followed her. Seeing her tears, he'd pulled her into his arms, holding her as she cried and babbled about AJ and Amanda. She remembered the way he had held her, kissing the top of her head, gently wiping away her tears.
And she remembered the black eye AJ had sported for a couple of days.
Tina blinked, looking at the man sitting next to her as if for the first time. Nick had always been there for her. How could she have not seen... She swallowed hard. His heart was in his eyes. "Nicky, I don't think that you hid it, I just didn't see it." His hand trailed over her cheek. She surrendered to his touch, leaning into the warmth of his hand. "Oh, Nicky, she said softly, "what am I going to do with you?"
"I've got a few ideas," he chuckled, "but we might want to wait until after the baby's born."
She laughed at the outrageous expression on his face. "Nicky," she said, slowly sobering, "I don't want to hurt you, but..."
He kissed her quickly to silence her, then took advantage of her gasp of surprise by slipping his tongue into her mouth. He teased her, and she found herself kissing him back. He groaned when her tongue tentatively touched his, and deepened his kiss, pouring all his passion into it.
The baby kicked in protest at being squished between them.
Tina smiled ruefully when Nick reared back. She opened her mouth to say something when the phone rang. The shared a smile. "Can you get the phone for me?" she asked instead.
Nick turned, picked the phone up off the table, and handed it to her. She answered it as it rang a third time. "Hello?"
"Hey, Tas, remember me?" Kat asked.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Dorough," she laughed. "Took you long enough."
"Well, we had to iron out some...details."
Details? Tina thought, then shook her head. She was curious, but had a slight idea what might be going on. Kat was too independent by half. "So, how are you?"
"I could ask you the same."
Tina blanched, and Nick mouthed the words, What's wrong? Tina shook her head. "What do you mean, Kat?"
"Well," Kat hesitated, and Tina frowned worriedly. Kat never hesitated. "You weren't feeling well when you left, and we haven't heard from you, and..."
"I'm fine, Kat," she interrupted.
"Are you pregnant?" Kat blurted.
Tina closed her eyes, groaning silently. She had thought Kat too engrossed with Howie, but apparently she had been wrong.
Nick snatched the phone out of her hand. "Kat? What did you say?"
Tina snatched the phone back. "Kat? You still there?"
"Nick's with you?" Kat asked, incredulous.
Tina blushed. "He just showed up today."
Kat was silent for a long moment. "So, you and Nick..."
Tina sighed. "No, Kat." Not yet, she amended silently.
"Are you pregnant?"
Tina bit back a sigh. Kat was just not going to let this go.
"You are, aren't you?"
Tina gave up. "Yes, Kat, I am...but you can't say a word."
"Why? Haven't you told AJ yet?"
"No, and I'm not going to."
"You have to tell him, Tas, he's the father!"
Nick grinned as she pulled the phone away from her ear as Kat yelled. Tina stuck her tongue out at him.
He grinned at her, unrepentant.
She rolled her eyes.
"Tina, you still there?"
"Yes, I'm still here, Kat." She had to look away from Nick, who was still grinning.
"Why haven't you told AJ yet?" Kat demanded.
"He never loved me, Kat," she repeated what she'd told Nick. "It's not like he'd give a damn anyway."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
Tina's dark brows pinched in a frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing."
Tina gritted her teeth. "You can't throw out a cryptic remark like that, and not expect me to be curious."
"What cryptic remark?" Nick wanted to know.
Tina shushed him. "Well, Kat?"
"Amanda doesn't want to have children."
Tina shrugged. "Her career is just starting, why should she? In a couple of years..."
"No, Tas, I mean ever."
"Ever?" Tina squeaked.
"Ever," Kat emphatically reaffirmed.
"What's going on?" Nick demanded.
Tina shushed him again, and he glared at her. She didn't glare back, her thoughts awhirl. "I...I can't..." she sighed. "I need to think. Can we talk later?"
"Howie and I will be over later."
"Kat, I didn't mean..."
"Don't thank me. I'll see you later." She hung up, and Tina found herself looking at the receiver.
"What's going on?" Nick asked, taking the phone from her.
"She hung up," Tina said, and Nick growled low. She didn't notice. "She said she and Howie will be here later."
Nick grasped her shoulders. "That's not what I mean." He forced her stunned gaze to his. "What did she say?"
"Amanda doesn't want children...ever," Tina quietly repeated Kat's words.
Nick stared deep into her dark eyes, but he didn't let her go. "So I guess you and AJ will be getting back together...after all, it's his baby you're carrying."
She could see the hurt in his eyes as he let her go. She watched him rise, turn away from her. "Nicky..."
His shoulders hunched at the sound of her voice, but he didn't turn around as he said, "You still love him, don't you?"
She struggled up off the couch. Nick turned as she was halfway up, then rushed to her side, forcing her back down. She held his hands, and pulled him down with her. "I don't know what I feel anymore," she honestly replied. Her hands were on his cheeks, gliding into his blond hair. "You were always there for me," she said softly, watching his eyes slide shut as she touched him, caressed his face. "You, Nicky, not AJ." The baby kicked, and she sighed. She didn't want to be alone anymore. "Just stay with me, Nicky, please?" Her voice soft, she added, "I need you."
Blue eyes opened, and stared into hers with all the love he felt for her. "I'm not going anywhere."
Kat and Howie showed up later that night. Tina and Nick were snuggled on the couch, her head on his shoulder when the doorbell rang. Nick kissed the top of her head, and got up to answer the door. Kat breezed past him, only to stop dead in her tracks upon seeing Tina. Her mouth formed an O of surprise, and Tina chuckled, "Well, I see I managed to surprise you, too."
Gathering her wits about her, Kat came over, and hugged her. "I swear, you've finally lost your mind," she said, pulling back to glare at her. "How could you not tell anybody?" Nick and Howie came in at that moment, and she glanced at Nick before turning back to Tina. "Or did Nick know?"
Tina sighed. "Nicky didn't know...no one knew. I haven't told anyone."
"Including the father," Howie said, pulling up a chair as Nick sat on the other side of Tina.
Howie never noticed Nick's wince, but Tina did, and gently took his hand. To Howie, she said, "No, I haven't told AJ, and I don't plan on telling him."
"It's a good thing I did, then."
Kat winced as Tina exploded, "What!?! You had no right!" She turned to glare at Kat. "Hell, Kat, did you hang up with me and run right to him?"
"No! It's just that Howie overheard us, and I didn't know he'd told AJ until..."
The doorbell rang.
Tina groaned, and Nick squeezed her hand before rising to answer the door. She could hear the raised voices, recognizing one she knew all too well. She was glaring at Kat as AJ marched into the room, then her gaze fastened on him.
She watched his dark eyes widen when they spotted her rounded belly. "It's true," he said softly.
Tina glanced over his shoulder, saw Nick holding back. She smiled at him, and he came forward, sat beside her. She turned her gaze back to AJ. He hadn't moved. Was still staring at her, mouth open in shock. "Yes, AJ...I'm pregnant."
AJ shook himself, noticing then that there were others present. His eyes fell on Nick and Tina's joined hands. His gaze flew back to Tina's. "Is it mine or Nick's?"
Nick bounded up off the couch before Tina could stop him. Howie caught Nick before he could launch himself at AJ. After a moment of struggle, Nick relaxed. "I never laid a hand on her," Nick said, glaring at his rival.
By this time, Tina had struggled her way off the couch, even though Kat tried to keep her there. She went to Nick's side, and glared at her former lover. "You know damned well that the only Backstreet Boy I bedded was you."
"We should leave these two alone," Howie suggested, tugging on Nick's arm, "they've got a lot to talk about."
Tina refused to let go of Nick. Her eyes on AJ's. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Like hell there isn't!" AJ snapped. "If you think for one minute that I..."
"If I'd thought at all, I would never have gone to your bed!" Tina spat back, moving away from Nick. "I knew you loved Amanda, and I thought that maybe, just possibly, I could help you move on...that maybe you might love me."
"So you decided to get pregnant to force my hand?"
She slapped him, the force of the blow snapping his head to the side. Kat gasped and tried to step forward, but Howie held her back. Tina glared at AJ. "When I realized I was pregnant, I left. I knew you'd never feel anything for me."
His eyes burned with dark fire. "Oh, I'm feeling quite a few things at the moment."
She trembled as her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "I loved you, God knows why, but I did." She took a deep breath. "You've got Amanda now, so why the hell are you even here?" She knew the answer, deep down she knew he'd only come for the baby, but maybe...
"I came to see if you really were pregnant." His eyes roamed her body. "You are." His dark eyes held hers. "I want my son."
Tina fell back a step, then stopped, one hand clutching her rounded belly. Retreat was not an option. "You can't have him."
He strode forward, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'm not leaving until our baby is born."
"Yes, you are," Tina said calmly, reassured by Nick's hands on her shoulders. "Nick will be with me..."
"Nick's not the father, I am."
Her own eyes shot dark fire. "Nick loves me, and I'd rather have someone near me that I care about than someone who doesn't give a damn whether I live or die."
AJ paused. "I never said I didn't care about you."
Tina took a deep, shuddering breath. "Maybe not, but you always preferred Amanda to me, calling out her name when we were in bed. You went out of your way to compare me to her over and over, and I always came out lacking." She reached up, her hands covering Nick's where he held her. "Nick's always been there for me when I needed him, and he's here for me now."
"Just trading in one Backstreet Boy for another?"
"No," she retorted, feeling the tension in Nick's touch at AJ's words. "Just finally realized exactly who the better man really is."
The doorbell rang again.
"Gods, who can it be now?" Kat asked no one in particular, throwing her hands up in the air and striding to the door.
They waited, a frozen tableau. Tina and AJ glared at each other. Her heart slammed painfully in her chest when a new voice intruded. "Baby, is this going to take much longer?" Amanda asked, striding into the room.
Tina turned to her old rival, watching as Amanda went to AJ's side. "I've said all I need to," Tina said, turning away as unexpected pain clutched at her heart. "Maybe it's time you take him home," she suggested.
AJ's hand spun her around. One hand flew protectively to her belly as the baby kicked. AJ's eyes bore into hers. "This is far from over."
Tina sighed, defeated. She was tired. So very tired. All she wanted was her bed, especially since her back had started to hurt. "You're the baby's father, AJ," Tina ignored Amanda's gasp, "I admit that...but I've said all I mean to say tonight. Go home."
AJ stared at her, then abruptly turned on his heel and marched out of the room.
Amanda stared openmouthed at Tina, unmoving.
"Boo!" Tina said to her, and actually smiled when the other woman jumped. "He won't wait for long," Tina told her.
"You're carrying AJ's baby?" she asked, taking one tentative step forward. Tina nodded. She drew herself up. "Why couldn't you have done the decent thing, and gotten an abortion? This ruins everything!" She stormed out of the room.
Tina watched her go, mouth agape. Dimly she could hear the squeal of tires, and knew that AJ and Amanda were gone. She looked at Nick. "What..."
Nick came to her, hands on her shoulders. "I don't know," he said, holding her in his arms. "I don't know."
Her arms came up, encircling his waist. "Me, either," she said softly. "Me, either."