There was a guest who asked if Nick will propose. To answer that question, I've been pondering it a lot. I'm not too sure simply because most Rollaro stories end with proposals and babies, I like to be a bit different. Stories aren't as much fun when they all end the same. However, I do want them happy.
Amanda watched Nick carry his daughter to her room. She wore a permanent smile; the day had been perfect from the beginning. Nick and Zara picked her up and they drove over to the Bronx Zoo, Zara served as their tour guide once Amanda told her she had never visited the Bronx Zoo. Even now, she laughed to herself as she remembered the look of disbelief Zara gave her. Zara ran ahead guiding them throughout the Zoo while Nick and Amanda walked hand in hand behind her. Zara often caught them giving each other quick kisses; she pretended to vomit each time. She told Amanda her Dad had cooties and she shouldn't let him get too close. Amanda was amazed at the abundance of energy the young girl had. She thought about one day needing Zara's energy if she ever had baby. Hell, she would need that energy every time she hung out with Zara.
Nick came back from laying Zara down and stopped to watch Amanda, she was lost in thought with a smile on her face. He took that as a good thing. He walked up behind her and held her hips close to him, "What are you thinking about?"
Amanda relaxed her body against his and tilted her head to let him kiss her neck. "Just thinking about our day."
"Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked and continued to suck on her neck.
"I had a great time." She turned around to face him, "Zara is so smart and respectful. You're an amazing father." She kissed his lips.
"Are amazing fathers sexy to you?" He kissed her back through his smile.
"Incredibly." She let him engage her in a full mouth to mouth kiss. Nick lightly nipped her upper lip and Amanda parted her lips, allowing his tongue entrance. He held her face in his hands and kissed her so hard she felt like he was sucking out her soul and filling her with his own. When he pulled back, she was left breathless, utterly speechless. She felt so connected to him, he consumed her entire being.
He stared her in the eyes with a devilish grin and without saying a word he knew she had surrendered to him. He held her by the hand and walked her to his room; he locked the door behind him. She looked at him with desire, licked her lips and that was the only invite Nick needed before he was attacking her mouth. He stuck his tongue deep into her mouth and swirled it over every available space. He withdrew his tongue, nibbled on her ear, neck and collarbone. He dropped to his knees, raised her blouse exposing her smooth belly and softly planted wet kisses, stopping to nibble and suck in certain areas. Amanda reveled in the sensation his lips created, her skin burned in every place he touched; she ran her fingers through his hair. She felt wetness spreading between her thighs and an intense need to feel him in her, to penetrate her deeply and reach her in places no other man had ever touched.
Nick slowly undressed her and lowered her onto the bed; he took a step back and slowly undressed himself. He wanted her to see the physical reaction his body had for her. He lowered himself on her, took her hands in his, entwined their fingers and held them above her head, Amanda spread her legs for him and he slowly entered her, giving her time to adjust to his length and thickness as he penetrated deeper with each thrust. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he made love to her in a slow and steady rhythm. He felt a much deeper connection with her than ever before. They had made love plenty of times before but this time was different, knowing she fully accepted his daughter; he felt a deeper love for her.
No words were needed; she could see what his heart felt through his eyes. Amanda had never made love with her eyes open but something she saw in Nick's eyes put her in a trance. It was as if they could both see straight into each other's souls. It was such a beautiful feeling, she felt tears spill from her eyes each time he gently thrust into her. Her breathing got heavier; she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from yelling out in pleasure. Her abdomen tightened and she tightened her kegals around Nick's cock, her legs shook uncontrollably as the tears continued to pour out. She let out a loud moan; Nick broke their gaze to muffle her sounds of pleasure with his kisses. He released his sweet nectar inside of her but instead of pulling out when he finished, he pulled her to him and they lay on their sides breathing in each other's air. Quietly they drifted off to sleep with Nick still inside her.
Nick woke up early the next morning, he kissed Amanda's sleeping face and quietly got out of bed, he pulled on pajama pants and a t shirt then quietly opened the bedroom door. He was relieved to see Zara still sleeping; he had a nosy daughter and didn't feel like answering awkward questions from her this early. He knew Zara would be waking up soon, she was an early riser like him, but Amanda usually slept in a little. He went into the kitchen and started on breakfast. But was surprised when he felt Amanda hug him from behind, she ran her hands over his chest and arms, feeling his hard muscles.
"Hey, you're up early." He turned his body so he could hug her with one arm.
"I didn't feel you next to me." She rested her head on his shoulder.
He noticed she was fully dressed, "Leaving so soon?"
"I need to go shower and change. I didn't want someone to know I stayed over."
"Ok. But are you coming back?"
"Yes, of course. I got a text from Liv asking if it was okay to get together for lunch. Her, me, and Casey, she said to invite my friends so we could all get to know each other."
Memories of the argument they had after Amanda had last hung out with her friends ran through Nick's mind. "What did you say?"
"I told her I was game but I wanted to check with you first."
He nodded his head acknowledging he heard her.
"So…Is it cool with you?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure. Just lunch, right?"
"Yeah." She looked at him and knew what he was thinking, "I won't be drinking and when I invite Emily and Laurel I'll make sure they only bring themselves. Oh, and you're babysitting."
Nick smiled, "Do I have another option?"
"Nope." She giggled and walked away but not before he slapped her ass.
Zara groggily walked into the kitchen, waved at Amanda, and held onto her Dad's legs. "Good morning, Daddy."
"Morning, baby. Are you hungry?" He reached down and tousled her dark, messy hair.
"Yes. Pancakes, please?"
"Way ahead of you, baby doll."
She beamed at him when she saw the few chocolate chips he offered her, "You're awesome!"
"Sit down so I can serve you."
Zara did as her father asked and he set down her glass of milk and a plate of chocolate chip pancakes with no syrup, just how she liked. He set a plate in front of Amanda, too.
"Aren't you eating?" She asked Nick.
"Yeah but first I need a shower. Jesus is sticky." He winked at her and smirked.
"Daddy, that's not nice. Jesus was sticky and dirty because he carried the cross for a long time and it was heavy. I'm going to tell Abuela."
Amanda and Nick both laughed at his daughter's innocence and nosiness. "Sorry, don't tell on me." He bent down and kissed her hair. "I'll be out in a few minutes."
"Did you sleep okay, Zara?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah, like a baby." She giggled at her own reference. "How did you sleep?"
"Like a rock." Both girls laughed at their coriness.
"Did Daddy invite you for breakfast or are you picking him up for work?"
"Uh…he invited me. We don't have to work today."
"That's nice. Daddy works a lot sometimes and Mommy gets mad. But when she wasn't home, I would stay with Abuelita."
Amanda waited to see if Zara would offer more information about what her parents were like together.
"Oh my goodness! I just remembered what Olivia told me!" Zara looked at Amanda with ecstatic eyes, "I'm so silly! I can't believe I forgot!"
"What did she tell you?"
"She told me that you like nail polish and I asked Daddy if you could polish my nails but Daddy said I had to wait to see what you said."
Amanda chuckled at the little girl's advanced social skills, "Well Zara, I would love to polish your nails. When I come back I will bring my polishes over and you can pick out some colors, okay?"
"Where are you going?"
"You and your Dad are so much alike. I need to go home to feed my dog and I pick up the nail polish."
"Does your dog eat a lot?" she eyed Amanda curiously.
"Yes. She eats 3 times a day, just like people. Why?"
"Just asking." She shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating.
Once Nick was out of the shower, he went to check on Zara, she was casually draped on the sofa watching cartoons with Amanda. He glanced at the clock, it read 7:30am so that gave Nick plenty of time with Zara before he had to drop her off at the airport, or with Maria. He realized he was going to have to call her sooner or later.
Zara noticed him and jumped in his arms, "You smell good, Daddy."
"Thank you, Baby."
"I love when you shave, your face feels good." She rubbed her check against his.
Nick chuckled, "Zar, I was trying to think of a nice way to tell you this…but…umm…"
"Tell me what? Is it a surprise?"
"Hmm…it could be." Nick tried to look like he was thinking real hard.
"Just tell me!" Zara squealed.
"You stink!" Nick erupted in laughter and tickled his daughter. He caught Amanda's eye and they briefly smiled at each other.
"You're such a stinky boy, Daddy!" Zara playfully pushed her Dad away.
"I'm gonna get going. Liv's gonna call you and let you know when she'll bring Noah by." Amanda walked towards the door, Nick followed to open it for her. He leaned in to kiss her goodbye.
"Okay. Call me." He kissed her again. They turned and laughed at Zara who pretended to gag.
"I'll see later, Zara!"
"Don't forget the polish."
"I won't." Amanda was surprised when Zara initiated a hug goodbye.
"Oh, and don't forget to change your clothes. Mommy said girls who don't change every day are cochinas."
Amanda's face turned red, "I'll be sure to change then." She gave Nick a dirty look but laughed it off with him.
Amanda left and Nick sent Zara to gather some clothes while he started her bath.
"Ready for my bath." She called as she walked into the bathroom with an armful of clothes and toys.
"Okay, you know the rules."
"Yes, Daddy. I can play only until my fingers look like raisins."
"Good girl." Nick washed Zara's hair while she washed her own body, rinsed her off and let her play in the bath while he sat on the bathroom counter and checked out the latest sports news.
"Olivia!" Zara squealed as she ran into Liv's apartment and hugged her tightly. "Where's Noah? I can't wait to hug him and kiss him and tell him I love him."
Liv laughed at how wound up Zara was, "He's napping but you can love on him when he wakes up." Turning her to Nick she said, "What did you give her?"
"What haven't I given her?" Nick rolled his eyes, "You know I can't tell her no."
"Yeah! She has you completely wrapped around her finger! You gonna be okay with both of them?"
"I'll manage. Have fun with the girls." He kissed her cheek on her way out.
"We'll be a couple of hours, not long."
He nodded his head and closed the door behind her. "So Zar, let's watch a movie until Noah wakes up."
Amanda and Emily met up with Liv and Casey at the bar and grill they agreed upon. They exchanged a round of introductions and sat down to enjoy each other's company.
The waitress quickly made her way to their table and took their drink orders, all the women ordered some type of alcohol infused drink, except Amanda. "So Amanda is there something you're keeping from us?" Liv asked her excitedly.
"Um…no. Why?" She asked with a scrunched up brow.
"You're the only one who didn't order alcohol" Casey chimed in, "And I know you drink so don't try to make us look bad."
The girls laughed and Amanda finally got what Casey and Liv meant, "Oh God, no! I'm not pregnant!" Her face turned a deep shade of red.
"Not yet!" Liv teased.
"I can't imagine creating a little person with mine and his stubbornness, his anger, and my emotions! I wouldn't do that to a kid!" She laughed
"Hey bitches!" Laurel grabbed a seat at the table, as usually arriving after everyone else. Amanda introduce Laurel to Liv and Casey.
The girls exchanged pleasantries before Casey put Amanda back in the hot seat, "So why aren't you drinking?"
"I promised Nick I wouldn't drink." She glanced at her friends, "I know, it's crazy… but a promise is a promise."
"Liv mentioned you and Nick were a couple, congratulations! Nick's hot! You did good, girl!" Casey high-fived Amanda, while Liv and Emily laughed.
"Why doesn't he want you to drink?" Laurel asked with confusion. "Don't let him tell you what to do."
"Well the last time I went out and drank it did nothing to help our relationship. I don't want to go through that again so I told him I wouldn't. It's not a big deal, girls."
"Are you talking about that night we went to the club?" Laurel asked Amanda.
Amanda nodded yes and Emily sensed Amanda's uneasiness, "So how are things going at work?"
"No work talk allowed." Liv threw in her two cents, "It's our day off."
"Do you always do what Nick says?" Laurel asked with a little annoyance.
"I think what Laurel meant was, do you always do what he says?" Casey batted her eyelashes at Amanda.
The girls roared in laughter, some of the other patrons turned to look at them.
"I will tell you one thing; Nick is the biggest baby when I don't give it up."
"I can totally see him being a baby about something like that." Liv laughed.
"Wait, Amanda, why would you say no to Nick?" Casey looked at her flabbergasted, "All he would have to do is look at me and I'd jump on him."
Amanda turned to Emily, "Remind me to buy Nick sunglasses before we leave."
"Just wrap him like a mummy so women can't look at him and he can't look at them." Liv joked.
"Normally, I don't say no but a few times when Aunt Flow is over, I say no and he sulks and looks at me with sad eyes! It's just too cute."
Liv turned to Casey, "She says it like nothing 'It's just too cute.' Like we all have men begging us with puppy eyes to have sex with them!"
The ladies held their hurting bellies and tried to catch their breath.
"No, seriously though, how are things going with him?" Casey asked.
Amanda blushed again, she felt surprised at how interested the girls seemed to be about her and Nick, "Things are going great, I spent some time with him and his daughter this past weekend. It was definitely different but I loved it. Zara is amazing."
Casey turned to Liv, "Aww, you were right! They are little love birds!"
"Sorry Amanda, I kinda let the cat out of the bag with Casey. You can trust her though." Liv placed her hand over Amanda's to apologize.
"It's ok. People are bound to find out anyways."
Liv turned the table on Casey and asked about her love life. Casey told them how horrible the sex with her last date was and the few prior to him. Casey was pretty harsh with the jokes but the girls laughed until their bellies ached. They gabbed for a couple more hours before Casey realized how late it was getting, "Sorry ladies, but I need to leave. I have to prep for pre-trial tomorrow morning." Casey shook Emily and Laurel's hand but gave Liv and Amanda a hug, "Amanda give Nick my best. I'm so happy for you two and I better be one of the first ones invited to the wedding!"
Amanda laughed nervously, "Don't go marryin' us off; I can't marry him until he learns to pick up his underwear from the bathroom floor!"
"Do you think he'll propose?" Laurel asked Amanda with a bit of suspicion in her tone.
"I don't know. That's not on my mind right now."
"What's his number? I want to text him." Laurel pulled Amanda's partially expose phone from her jacket pocket.
"Why do you want to text him?" Emily asked a bit defensively.
"Yeah, what do you want to ask him?" Amanda asked.
Liv sat back and took in what she was hearing. She didn't get a good vibe from Laurel; the fact that she knew Laurel tried hitting on Nick made her not trust her even more. But there was something about her she didn't like.
"I want to ask him if he plans on marrying you." Laurel tried to unlock the screen but Amanda grabbed the phone from her hand. "Sorry Laurel but I'm not letting you text Nick."
"Jealous?" Laurel asked Amanda with a sneaky face.
"Not at all. I just don't think he'd be comfortable with my friends having his number.
Liv sensed some tension. "Hey let's head back to my place. Nick has probably lost his mind by now."
"Yeah, okay. Do you guys want to hang out at Liv's? Her son is adorable!" Amanda asked her friends.
"Yeah, as long as you have some type of alcohol." Laurel grinned at Liv.
"Laurel, you're such an alcoholic!" Emily giggled.
"I'm sure I can dig something up." Liv put on her jacket and led the girls out of the bar and grill.
The ladies took a cab to Liv's apartment and were surprised to find it empty. Amanda called out to Nick and Zara, but got no response. "I'll call him." Liv said over her shoulder to Amanda. She quickly scanned the place and nothing looked out of the ordinary, the detective in her was always present.
"Hey Liv." Nick answered.
"Hey where are you guys?"
"We're heading back to the apartment, brought the kids out to the park."
"Okay, well we're here. Hurry back with my babies, I miss them." Liv tossed her phone onto the kitchen counter. "He's on his way back from the park, Amanda."
"Okay, thanks Liv." Amanda pulled a few glasses of wine from the cabinet as Liv brought out a mostly full bottle of red wine.
"Olivia, you have a beautiful home." Emily said as she looked at the array of photos Liv had of Noah, Nick, and his kids.
"Thank you, Emily. Do you live in Manhattan?"
"No, I live closer to Amanda in Hell's Kitchen."
"That's nice to have friends nearby. Laurel, where do you live?"
"I live in a condo in Flushing. Doesn't Nick live in Manhattan?"
Liv pursed her lips and looked at Amanda who seemed a little uneasy with Laurel's constant mention of Nick, "Yeah."
Liv's apartment door flung open and Zara somersaulted her way inside, Nick put Noah down and he crawled after Zara, giggling hysterically. The girls looked at him and all the noise he and the kids made as they came inside. He dropped the diaper bag, the he called a "man bag" and a few bags of small towns they kids suckered out of him. Amanda laughed at how he was able to control but at the same time, not control Zara, Noah, their luggage, and a pink box.
"What?" Nick asked when he noticed all four women looking at him like he had three heads.
"Nicky, you can be so clueless sometimes." Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, "What do you have?" she asked and took the pink box from him.
"Those are my cupcakes." He took the box back from her and plopped down on the sofa.
"So you're going to leave all those bags in the doorway?" Liv threw a sofa pillow at him and picked up Noah's diaper bag.
"Hey girls" he waved to Emily and Laurel with a smile, "Yes, the bags will stay there because my job was to take care of the kids, not anything else." He swallowed a whole cupcake.
"Fat ass" Amanda teased him.
"It's your fault my ass is getting fat, I told you I don't like to have sex often because it would make my ass fat. Fat with an F, not a PH." He looked at Amanda with a smirk she found irresistible and popped in another cupcake.
Nick was surprised when Laurel plopped down next to him, "Share with me, Fatty." She grabbed a cupcake from the box on his lap. Nick looked with raise brows at Amanda and then at Liv. He stood up and offered a cupcake to the girls.
"I'm gonna check on the kids." Liv went further into her apartment following the noise coming from Noah's room.
Nick left the box on the table, took three cupcakes with him to the barstool and pulled Amanda onto his lap. He stuffed his mouth and then fed her a cupcake that she took a small bite from.
"NICK!" Liv yelled, "YOU ARE EVIL!"
Everyone laughed and Liv gave him a dirty look, "What happened in Noah's room?"
"Kids happened to his room. I let them do whatever they want, you know that." He smiled at her.
"Don't smile at me. I'm mad at you!" She punched his shoulder.
"You know, Liv, I would offer to clean it up but I gotta take my baby to the airport. Sorry!"
"C'mon Liv, I'll help you clean up." Amanda headed towards Noah's room.
"I'll help, too" Emily offered.
Zara came hopping out of the room, Nick sent her back to help clean. He realized he was now alone with Laurel, he looked at her and she stood up, so he stood up and went for the rest of the cupcakes on the table.
Amanda walked out holding Noah at arm's length, "Here Nicky, the least you can do is hold onto him. And stop eating those cupcakes! I'll feed you and Zara before you leave." She headed back to the room.
"Nicky, huh? Is that her little pet name for you?" Laurel looked him over slyly.
"Yes." He politely answered her and took Noah around the room for an airplane ride.
"Have you been working out more?"
Nick's phone went off and for once he was thankful to see Maria's name flash on the screen. He carried Noah outside with him while he took the call.
Amanda and Zara came back to the living room with nail polish, "Where's Nick?"
"He took a call outside." Her friend answered, "Mandy, I gotta get going but let's go out this weekend. There's a new club called Salsa's, let's go. Bring Nick so he'll be comfortable with you being there."
"I'll let him know, he's not really a club guy."
"Alright, girl. Love you, call me during the week and let me know what he says."
Laurel walked out of the apartment, Nick had his back to her but it didn't stop her from running her hand across his lower back, he turned to see who it was. She looked at him over her shoulder with a sexy smile and swayed her hips from side to side. Her desperation was a turnoff, he focused on Noah and utter "uh huh" a few times to Maria. He hung up the phone feeling angry, "Don't ever get married." He told Noah and went back inside.
"Zar, baby, it's time to go. You ready?"
"Yes, Daddy. Amanda will you come with us?"
"Sure, sweetheart."
Zara gave her hugs and kisses to Noah and Liv then took hold of Nick and Amanda's hands.
At the airport, Maria wasn't happy to see Amanda with them. "Why did you bring her?"
"Maria, don't start. This is not the place and not in front of my daughter."
"Our daughter, Nick, our daughter."
"Maria, I heard what you said earlier. Zara already knows and so out of courtesy, I wanted to let you know Amanda is my girlfriend. I would appreciate it if you would show her some respect, she's done nothing to you."
"Fuck you, Nick! I pour my heart out to you, then you bring your new girlfriend with you to drop off our daughter. You're a bastard."
"Mommy, stop yelling!" Zara began to cry, Amanda knelt down and pulled her into a hug.
"Maria, calm down. Can't you act grown for once?" He told her in a low, threatening tone.
"C'mon Zara." Maria grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her to their terminal entrance.
"Daddy!" Zara cried.
"Shit! Zara, I love you, I'll call you tonight!" Nick stood in disbelief; he didn't wish divorce upon anyone.
Amanda pulled him away towards his car; he sat willingly in the passenger seat. Amanda got in the driver's seat; she glanced at him he leaned on his knees with his hands in his hair. Her heart broke to see him hurt like that.
She pulled up to his house and walked him in. He sat on the sofa and pulled her into him, she knew he needed comfort so she rested his head on her chest and ran her fingers through his hair in an attempt to soothe him. A few tears fell from her eyes as she listened to him cry quietly.
She allowed him time to cry, to hurt, before she raised his face to her, "I love you, Nicky."
"I love you. Amanda, I've been thinking…" he trailed off and seemed to get lost in his thoughts.
"What have you been thinking?" she whispered.
"I want you to live with me. I'm selling my house and I want us to make a home together. I love you and I need you."
"What about Zara and Gil?"
"I talked to Zara, she's okay with it. Gil will be too." He kissed her lips.
"Yes, I'll make a home with you."
Sorry for any mistakes, I banged this one out today and I'm seeing triple right now. I will go back and correct in the morning.