It had been a long day. Fiona had lost steam and fallen asleep in Nick's
arms somewhere between the elephants and the petting zoo, so Nick and Sara
had decided to call it a day.
When they had arrived back at the house, Chelsea had just returned from picking the boys up from school. With a firm voice, she had made Aiden and Conner apologize to Nick for taking the mattress out of the hide-a-bed.
Conner's lip quivered. "I'm sorry, Uncle Nick." He glanced at his brother and then back at Nick. "It was Aiden's idea."
"No it wasn't, Conner." Aiden slugged his brother in the arm.
Chelsea narrowed her gaze at the two boys. "To your rooms. NOW!" Her patience had worn through.
The boys made a beeline for the house and ran, still arguing about whose idea stealing the mattress was.
It was all Nick could do to not laugh.
"How long has she been asleep?" Chelsea turned her attention to Nick who held a still sleeping Fiona.
He thought about it for a minute and then turned to Sara. "What would you say? About an hour?"
Sara nodded. "We were near the petting zoo around two and she fell asleep before that."
Chelsea stepped forward and took Fiona out of Nick's arms. "I might as well let her sleep. Kevin and I are taking the kids over to Mom and Dad's so we can go to dinner with his boss. We'll probably be home pretty late."
"Uh, Nick and I could watch them." Sara offered.
Nick and Chelsea both looked at her with surprise.
"What?" Sara looked at them curiously.
Chelsea looked at her with a completely serious expression. "Sara, I like you. There's no way I'm letting you do that. You might never speak to Nick again." The tiniest flicker of a smile flashed across her face.
"No, really, Fiona was fine. How hard can two more be?" Sara was completely serious.
Nick started laughing.
Sara shot him a curious stare.
Chelsea smiled. ''As much as I appreciate the offer, Sara, my boys are no angels. There's a reason that no teenager in the neighborhood will baby- sit them after football season is over."
Nick chortled. "You bribe them with Cowboy's tickets?"
Chelsea let out a sigh. "Whatever works." She finally noticed the matching shirts that Nick, Sara, and Fiona were wearing. "What's with the elephant shirts?"
Nick gestured towards Sara. "Someone had a little accident when I was carrying her on my shoulders."
Sara smacked Nick on the arm and smirked at him.
"Sara, incontinence is nothing to be ashamed of." Nick was enjoying teasing Sara.
Chelsea chuckled and looked at Nick apologetically. "Sorry I should have warned you that when she says she's got to go, you've got about thirty seconds."
"Thanks for the warning, Chels." Nick teased.
Sara raised an eyebrow at Nick. "You're pretty sassy for someone who smells."
Nick's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean I smell?"
Sara crossed her arms in front of her body and looked at him with amusement. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"
Chelsea stepped toward him and sniffed. She glanced at Sara and smiled. "She's right, you do smell."
"Maybe you should take a shower." Sara suggested.
"That's good idea." Chelsea smiled conspiratorially at Sara. "I'm sure it's safe, that cheerleader from high school lives in Georgia now."
Nick chuckled. "I told Sara the pieces of that story that you left out."
Chelsea raised a doubtful eyebrow. "All the details? Even, you know?"
Nick just grinned and nodded. "Even that."
Chelsea glanced at Sara and grinned. "I'd better go put Fiona down." She turned and disappeared down the hallway.
Nick raised a single eyebrow. "Do I really smell?"
Sara's lips twitched into a smile. "Maybe a little."
Nick reached up and rubbed his neck, wincing slightly. "Maybe a shower would help this out too."
"Sore?" Sara asked with concern.
He nodded. "Yeah, and having Fiona bouncing on my shoulders like that didn't help either." They headed downstairs toward the apartment.
"I could give you a neck massage." Sara offered.
Nick looked a little surprised. "Are you serious?"
Sara nodded as they entered the apartment. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. You look like you're in pain, and I've been told I give a pretty good massage."
Nick grinned. "You're on then."
When they had arrived back at the house, Chelsea had just returned from picking the boys up from school. With a firm voice, she had made Aiden and Conner apologize to Nick for taking the mattress out of the hide-a-bed.
Conner's lip quivered. "I'm sorry, Uncle Nick." He glanced at his brother and then back at Nick. "It was Aiden's idea."
"No it wasn't, Conner." Aiden slugged his brother in the arm.
Chelsea narrowed her gaze at the two boys. "To your rooms. NOW!" Her patience had worn through.
The boys made a beeline for the house and ran, still arguing about whose idea stealing the mattress was.
It was all Nick could do to not laugh.
"How long has she been asleep?" Chelsea turned her attention to Nick who held a still sleeping Fiona.
He thought about it for a minute and then turned to Sara. "What would you say? About an hour?"
Sara nodded. "We were near the petting zoo around two and she fell asleep before that."
Chelsea stepped forward and took Fiona out of Nick's arms. "I might as well let her sleep. Kevin and I are taking the kids over to Mom and Dad's so we can go to dinner with his boss. We'll probably be home pretty late."
"Uh, Nick and I could watch them." Sara offered.
Nick and Chelsea both looked at her with surprise.
"What?" Sara looked at them curiously.
Chelsea looked at her with a completely serious expression. "Sara, I like you. There's no way I'm letting you do that. You might never speak to Nick again." The tiniest flicker of a smile flashed across her face.
"No, really, Fiona was fine. How hard can two more be?" Sara was completely serious.
Nick started laughing.
Sara shot him a curious stare.
Chelsea smiled. ''As much as I appreciate the offer, Sara, my boys are no angels. There's a reason that no teenager in the neighborhood will baby- sit them after football season is over."
Nick chortled. "You bribe them with Cowboy's tickets?"
Chelsea let out a sigh. "Whatever works." She finally noticed the matching shirts that Nick, Sara, and Fiona were wearing. "What's with the elephant shirts?"
Nick gestured towards Sara. "Someone had a little accident when I was carrying her on my shoulders."
Sara smacked Nick on the arm and smirked at him.
"Sara, incontinence is nothing to be ashamed of." Nick was enjoying teasing Sara.
Chelsea chuckled and looked at Nick apologetically. "Sorry I should have warned you that when she says she's got to go, you've got about thirty seconds."
"Thanks for the warning, Chels." Nick teased.
Sara raised an eyebrow at Nick. "You're pretty sassy for someone who smells."
Nick's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean I smell?"
Sara crossed her arms in front of her body and looked at him with amusement. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"
Chelsea stepped toward him and sniffed. She glanced at Sara and smiled. "She's right, you do smell."
"Maybe you should take a shower." Sara suggested.
"That's good idea." Chelsea smiled conspiratorially at Sara. "I'm sure it's safe, that cheerleader from high school lives in Georgia now."
Nick chuckled. "I told Sara the pieces of that story that you left out."
Chelsea raised a doubtful eyebrow. "All the details? Even, you know?"
Nick just grinned and nodded. "Even that."
Chelsea glanced at Sara and grinned. "I'd better go put Fiona down." She turned and disappeared down the hallway.
Nick raised a single eyebrow. "Do I really smell?"
Sara's lips twitched into a smile. "Maybe a little."
Nick reached up and rubbed his neck, wincing slightly. "Maybe a shower would help this out too."
"Sore?" Sara asked with concern.
He nodded. "Yeah, and having Fiona bouncing on my shoulders like that didn't help either." They headed downstairs toward the apartment.
"I could give you a neck massage." Sara offered.
Nick looked a little surprised. "Are you serious?"
Sara nodded as they entered the apartment. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. You look like you're in pain, and I've been told I give a pretty good massage."
Nick grinned. "You're on then."