Miley sat cross legged on her bed and refreshed the image of the glamor covered ring she had seen the other day. It was more than a figment of her imagination- it was the glimpse of reality, a shimmer of her future with Nick. She felt her happiness bubble throughout her body, rushing through her veins and pumping straight into her heart. She curled her toes and looked out the window to see the wild blue ocean staring straight at her. Her room's phone murmured through the air, causing Lily to stir in her sleep and mumble incoherent pieces of her dreams. Miley's tan hand flew to the white object as she tried to contain her excitement.

"Hello?" she pressed into the receiver.

"Hello beautiful," Nick responded back, careful not to miss a beat. She beamed into the phone, allowing her happiness to touch Nick and leave him with a wonderful morning.

"Hello there handsome," she retorted, swinging her legs over her bed and carefully placing them quietly on the floor. She didn't want to wake up Lily just yet. "What's up?" she whispered even more quietly.

"I was just making sure that its cool if I spend the day with your dad..." Nick trailed, unsure if she had other plans.

"No, not at all?" Miley's hopes were rising, trying to pry out the exact reason he was spending time with her dad...it didn't have to do with a certain piece of jewelry. Did it?

"Yeah, I think we're just going to go out for drinks or something," Nick mumbled back effortlessly. He scratched his neck as he drowsily looked for new clothes to slip into after he showers.

"Oh?" Miley's heart dropped as he didn't sound excited or anything.

"Yeah. You okay?" he asked as he heard her voice falter. Miley sucked it up and blew back into the receiver.

"Yeah. I'm fine. There was nothing important you needed to ask him or anything?" she prodded on. Nick's eyebrows arched up in confusion.

"No?" he wondered. What was she trying to hint at?

"Nothing," she mumbled, sighing as her chest built up with frustration. Now that she knew he had the ring, she was on the edge of her seat waiting for the actual proposal. "Have fun," she added in a cheery voice.

"Yeah, we will," Nick said a little skeptically. They both nodded and hung up their respective phones. Nick pressed the phone back to its place and crunched his forehead in confusion. He shook all doubts away from his head as he grabbed a black t shirt and normal jeans, laying them out on his bed. He looked over at Oliver who was busy playing video games.

"So, does she suspect anything?" Oliver asked, letting his controller nod off to the side as he turned towards Nick.

"I think its safe," Nick said slowly, trying to decode Miley's behavior. "Whatever, I have to go meet up with Billy Ray. Don't worry about it," he added as he grabbed a towel and hopped into the shower. Miley couldn't have known about it...they took extra precautions.

"I hope so," 'Oliver murmured to himself, turning back to his game, a little too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Nick brushed up quickly and grabbed his comb, tangling through his unruly curls. He walked out of the bathroom and looked at his watch. It was almost noon and he had told Billy Ray he would meet him at the bar for a casual lunch. He grabbed the room key and gave Oliver a quick nod before ducking out of the cabin.

He plunged his hands into his pockets and stepped into the wooden bar only to see Billy Ray already sitting at a table. The two made eye contact and Nick smiled, slipping into the chair opposite to his girlfriend's dad.

"Hey, son," Mr. Stewart said cheerfully. He slipped out the menu and scanned his eyes for a good sandwich that would full his stomach.

Nick followed his lead and grabbed the red menu, looking over the different food.

"What are you getting?" Billy Ray peered over his menu to see Nick's chocolate eyes darting along the slanted words. Nick creased his forehead in a final decision and looked up.

"The turkey delight sounds good," Nick commented, grinning for effect. He grabbed his glass of water to quench his quick thirst. He signaled the waiter over once the older man set down his menu, displaying the fact that he was ready to eat.

"I'll have the chicken pasta," he said. Nick mumbled his order seconds later and the two ordered good old fashioned beers.

"So, whats up?" Nick asked awkwardly. He took a chug of his beer to loosen up in his own surroundings.

"Just relax, its not like I'm going to grill you or anything," he chuckled back at Nick's nerves. Nick visibly relaxed and Billy Ray leaned in. "Now tell me. What are your intentions with my daughter?" he narrowed in his eyes and let his brown eyes sharpen.

Nick choked on his drink from the directness of the quote. His eyes widened and he started to stutter out as much as he could get out.

"Relax!" Billy Ray belted out, laughing in hysterics as Nick starting gaining back his composure. Their food was delivered and they ordered two more drinks, already finished with their prior ones.

"You sure know how to joke," Nick commented lightly, digging into his food. He heard the older man chuckle lightly back and munch on his own food.

"Sorry, we just like playing with people's minds," he grinned back, referring to his entire family in the process. They bantered back and forth until they ate up their meal. The bar was empty so the two lounged in their chairs, continuing their conversations for hours.

"So you play music?" Billy Ray inquired. His ears perked up, ready to listen to the full details of Nick's conversation. Granted he was getting a little light headed from all the drinks they had consumed, completely ignoring the time that was passing by and losing a bit of his consciousness.

"Yeah," Nick sighed, trying to regain a clear eyesight, but was unfortunately not successful. "You should come tour with me. Open for me," he joked.

"That sounds great," Billy Ray slurred, not catching the joking tone.

"Yeah, it isn't a bad idea," Nick nodded. He looked at his companion intently and breathed out a heavy breath, looking at his watch for the exact time. It was nearing the late hours of the night and he yawned, completely confused to as how the time could pass by so quickly.

"Its getting late," he commented, looking around the bar. He perched his head up and nodded at Nick's watch to her the time out loud.

"Its almost twelve," Nick chuckled. "I can't believe we passed half a day without realizing the time that had skipped by," he stumbled up. He couldn't keep track of the drinks they had ordered. He signaled for the check and signed his name quickly.

"Let's go?" he questioned Nick. Nick let his curls bounce in a nod and the two stumbled through the hallways. "You tricked me into getting drunk," he joked. Nick smirked and quietly slipped the Stewart's room key into the door. The two walked into Billy Ray's room. They peeked over to see a sleeping Jackson, completely enveloped in his own sleep.

"It was nice getting to know you," Nick outstretched his arm as a final goodbye. As Billy Ray reached up to grab his hand, Nick felt something rise up from his stomach. His eyes widened and he darted towards the bathroom, throwing up everything that was held in before.

Nick eyes rapidly blinked as he felt himself give out. He lifted himself off the floor and walked towards the bathroom sink to wash himself up. He splashed water on his face and tried to regain strength to move on. Did he really drink that much? He shook his head. He stepped out the door, ready to say goodbye to Miley's father.

His eyes flickered around the room to see an open door and an empty room. He whipped his head around and his eyes bulged out. He darted out and snapped his head through the hallway. He was now wide awake as he ran through the corridor, searching for any sign of the old country musician.

"Do not panic Nick," he said to himself. "You did not just lose Miley's dad," he soothed himself. But a little voice in his head was itching around. Yes, you did. Nick gulped. Miley is going to be so mad.

I