A/N: Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome.

It had been a month since Miley revealed the Hannah secret to Nick, and they had officially been dating for two weeks. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy. They were taking things slow, of course. They both knew that it would be better in the long run that way because she simply couldn't afford to dive into anything again. Not only did he completely understand, but he made it clear that he wouldn't have it any other way. And God, help her. That just made her fall for him even harder.

It was one of those days that she lived for. He had taken off work to spend the day with her. The kids were back in school now. Lilly and Joe were at a doctor's appointment. It was just the two of them. Well, unless you counted Bessie, who barked every ten minutes just to remind them of her presence.

"I think she's lonely", Miley remarked, though still not moving her head from his shoulder. She had quickly found that this was her favorite position in the whole world. Just curled up next to him on the couch, while they watched TV. Even when that sports crap that him and Joe liked so much was on.

A smile slowly formed on Nick's face. "You know, she probably wants a bath. Have you seen her? She looks like she's found a mudhole somewhere."

She sat up, her wide eyes expressing surprise. "Are you suggesting we try to bathe her?", she asked, her tone letting on that she thought it was a bad idea. In her experience, dogs really really really hated baths. Like even more than kids do.

He shrugged playfully. "Yeah, why not?"

"But then I would have to change, and my hair would get all messed up, and..."

"Miley", he cut her off, smiling. "You could wear a paper bag, and you would still look beautiful. Come on."

"Oh, I have one", she informed him, getting a puzzled look in response.

"Lets just say my Uncle Earl was a Saints fan before it became cool to be a Saints fan", she explained. "This bag has got googly eyes that pop out of it and everything."

Nick laughed. "Maybe I'll take you to a game sometime, and you can wear it."

"Oh, noooo...they don't wear them anymore. That was just when they were really bad. But if you took me to a Jaguars game, I could totally wear it."

"How do you know which teams are good or bad? I thought you hated sports."

Miley sighed. "I do. But I had the misfortune of catching a few minutes of one of their games. It was sadder than a dog without a bone", she said, shaking her head.

He smiled, secretly loving it when she got all southern on him. "Well, speaking of dogs. Bessie still needs that bath."

"Yeah, okay."

Nick prepared the washtub, and got the water hose and the soap ready. He had thrown on some of Joe's old clothes, knowing his brother wouldn't mind. He glanced at the dog who was suspiciously eyeing him. Almost as if to say, "I know this fool doesn't think I'm getting in there."

"Come here, Bess", he said, patting his knees. The dog was still looking at him suspiciously. She had probably figured out what he was up to by now. This would certainly be interesting.

"Okay, let's do this", Miley said, stepping out onto the patio. She had a pair of raggedy jeans on, paired with an old T-shirt. Her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail, with loose strands that she had tucked behind her ears. There was absolutely nothing that this girl didn't look amazing in.

"Whoa", he breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

She rolled her eyes. "Nick, this is the raggediest thing I could find. There is nothing whoa about it."

"Speak for yourself. So, which one of us is going to get the honor of holding her down?", Nick wondered, glancing at the dog who still wasn't within five feet of them.

Miley looked at the dog and then back at him. "This was your idea."

"Okay", he relented. He slowly began to approach the dog. Bessie immediately scampered in the opposite direction. They were very lucky that the backyard was fenced in.

"Bessie! Come here, girl", he said, making that distinctive clicking noise with his tongue. The noise that dogs simply could not resist. She slowly pranced over to him, and he quickly scooped her up, and ran to the washtub.

Miley had the sponge ready when Nick dropped her in it, causing a monumental splash. Water went all over the place, drenching both of them.

"Nick!", she yelled, as the dog kept trying to get out of the water. "Hold her still!"

"I'm trying!"

But that was easier said than done. Miley managed to shampoo most of Bessie as Nick tried to keep her still. But then, she managed to escape his grasp, and retreated to the other side of the yard. Soapy bubbles flew off of her as she ran.

"Sweet nibblets", Miley muttered, wiping some of the soap off of her shirt.

"I think I have an idea", Nick said, eyeing the dog. He took the water hose into his hands.

She shook her head, realizing that the neighbors were watching with amusement. "Nick, maybe we should..."

"I got this, Miley", he assured her. Then, when he had gotten the dog cornered somewhat against the fence, he turned the water hose on full-force. And of course, Bessie started howling and running across the yard.

"Bessie!", he yelled, chasing her around the yard in circles, drenching everything in his path. Miley couldn't help but laugh. Until he accidentally got her with it.

"Okay, okay, okay!", she grinned, snatching the hose away from him. "I think she's clean now. And now, you will be too!"

The force of the water blew Nick backwards onto the ground. "Miley!", he yelled, as she toppled over on top of him, stil giggling.

He grinned as he stared up at her. Slowly, he pushed her tangled curls out of her face. "God, you're beautiful", he said softly. And she was. The way the sunlight was hitting her, from his position on the ground. She looked like an angel.

She smiled, and leaned her head downwards, capturing his lips with her own. The kiss was long, slow, and gentle. At least it was before it was rudely interrupted by Bessie jumping on top of them.

"Lord, Bessie. You have some bad timing, don't you?", Miley laughed, petting the dog affectionately. She looked at Nick who was smiling at them. He was falling so hard for this girl. And he knew that there was no stopping it now.

When Lilly walked into the kitchen later that afternoon, she was a bit surprised to find Miley and Nick preparing about five different dishes for dinner. Was there some kind of special occasion that she had forgotten about?

"Uh...hi, guys", she uttered, making her presence known. The smell of a chicken cooking suddenly made her realize that she was starving. She wanted it. Now.

"Hi", Miley chirped, turning away from the stove. "How did the appointment go? Is everything okay with my baby goddaughter?"

"They don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet", she reminded her friend. "But yes, he or she is doing great. What is all of this?", she asked, motioning to all the food.

"It's a long story", Nick sighed, continuing to slice a tomato.

"This is me making sure Nick doesn't get bored again, and suggest something crazy like giving the dog a bath", Miley said, giving him a playful glare.

Lilly laughed. "You two tried to bathe Bessie?"

They gave her tired nods. "On the upside, she should be good for a little while", Miley remarked.

Joe walked into the kitchen, and slipped his arms around his wife's waist. "God, it smells good in here. What are we having?"

"Salad, baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and cornbread", Miley said, naming all the foods off on her fingers. "Y'all are getting some real southern cooking tonight."

"Well, it smells awesome", Joe commented.

"Yeah, so when will it be done?", Lilly asked impatiently, as the aroma of the chicken got to her once more. "You can't tempt a pregnant woman for too long."

"Uh, about fifteen minutes", Miley answered.

Lilly groaned dramatically. "But that's such a long time!"

"Hey, you guys wanna see the baby?", Joe asked excitedly, pulling out one of the photos from the sonogram. Nick and Miley eagerly gathered around to look.

Miley smiled at the creature that was just beginning to resemble a baby. "Awww, that's her?"

"No, that's him", Nick corrected her. "That is definitely a boy."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Hey, you know they tried to give Bessie a bath?", Lilly informed her husband, interrupting the two of them.

Joe looked at them like they were crazy. He had to have at least three people holding the dog down the last time they had tried to give her a bath. "Why?"

Miley crossed her arms, and smirked at Nick. "Because your baby brother got bored."

"There was nothing on TV!", Nick pointed out as everyone laughed.

Later that night, Nick found himself sitting cross-legged on a carpeted pink rug because of Belle's insistence that he meet the famous Hannah. Very gently, like she was holding a real live baby, the little girl placed the porcelain doll in his arms.

"So, this is Hannah, huh?", he commented, looking down at the doll.

Belle nodded happily. "Isn't she pretty?"

"She is very pretty", he agreed.

Honestly, he always thought that porcelain dolls were rather creepy. He didn't know how girls slept with them in their rooms, knowing that their eyes were open...just staring at them while they slept. The idea gave him chills. But this particular doll had a certain warmth about it. Something that he just couldn't place. It had curly blond hair, and bright blue eyes. Maybe it was the skin. It wasn't that vampire white like most of them were. Or maybe it was the smile that actually looked natural.

"I don't let most people hold her", Belle informed him. "Cause mommy says that she would break easy. But I know you'll be careful with her."

"I will absolutely be careful with her", Nick assured her.

He knew that the little girl was referring to her doll, but he couldn't help but think of Miley as he said those words. In many ways, Miley was much like Belle's doll. Strikingly beautiful, but undeniably fragile. She was not the same broken girl that he had met all those weeks ago. The girl that he knew now smiled, laughed, loved...but she could also break. Nick would not let that happen.

"Uncle Nick, do you love my mommy?", Belle asked innocently, tilting her head in the same adorable way that her mother did.

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Especially to a six-year-old. Whatever he said would most likely be relayed to Miley. If he said no, it would hurt her immensely. If he said yes, she would feel pressured to say the same thing, even if she wasn't ready. But he knew that he did love her. So, what was a guy supposed to do?

"Of course I do", he replied as casually as he could. "How could anybody not love your mom?"

The little girl sat down next to him, deciding not to press him further. "I hope you and mommy get married", she remarked, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

"Why's that?", Nick wondered.

"Because you're so nice, and I love you a lot", Belle replied.

He fought back the tears that were threatening to fall, and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too, princess."

That's when he realized how much he wanted this to work. He wanted to spend the rest of his life making Miley happy. He wanted to be this beautiful little girl's dad. And it filled him with joy to realize that it could all happen. His future was right there.

He didn't see Miley standing right outside the door, listening to their entire conversation. She wiped a tear from her eye, and smiled to herself. She was starting to think maybe...just maybe...she might love him too.

So, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially Niley's little adventure with Bessie. Ha ha. But I want to know what YOU think. So, please review!