Even Chelsea was speechless. She stood there with her mouth slightly agape
not quite sure she had heard what Nick had just said correctly.
Nick just stood there grinning with his arm around Sara's waist.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Several hours before, Nick and Sara had returned to Dallas. When they walked into Chelsea and Kevin's house Chelsea appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown because the kids had gotten into the cake she'd picked up that morning for Fiona's birthday party the next day and now that they were wired with sugar, they seemed to be bouncing off the walls.
Nick glanced over at Sara and grinned before turning to his sister and propelling her toward the front door. "Chels, let Sara and I watch the kids for a couple of hours. Go do something; anything. We'll have everything cleaned up by the time you get back. Ok?"
Chelsea hadn't waited for Nick to repeat himself, she just took the keys to the Miata that he held out in his hand and walked out the front door, only to return a moment later to grab her purse.
Once she was gone, Nick stared his nephews down. "Aiden. Conner. I think now would be a really good time to go in the other room and watch 'Sponge Bob'."
"I don't like 'Sponge Bob'." Aiden was pouting.
Nick raised a single eyebrow. "Bud, that wasn't a suggestion. It's 'Sponge Bob' or your room."
Aiden's lower lip was on the verge of quivering. Conner just stood there with wide eyes for a moment before making a beeline for the family room. Fiona on the other hand, was covered in cake from head to toe. Despite the sticky mess that she was, she was grinning at Sara. "Kitty got away."
Sara looked at Nick quizzically. "Did the kitten get out?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know."
Just then a flash of gray fur covered in cake and frosting dashed from under a chair to hide behind a potted plant where it was flicking its paws in an effort to get the frosting off.
Nick and Sara exchanged an amused glance and then went into action. Nick gestured toward Fiona. "Sar, would you mind helping Fiona get cleaned up? I'm going to try and catch the cat."
Sara smirked at him knowing she'd gotten the better end of the deal. She propelled Fiona toward the bathroom and started the water to give her a bath.
Fiona looked at Sara with glee on her face. "I get to play in the water! I get to play in the water!"
Sara was thoroughly amused and wondered how Nick was making out in the next room trying to catch the kitten, who had appeared to be less than thrilled at its predicament.
The water had been running into the tub for a few minutes when a loud curse word rang out from the next room and Fiona's eyes widened as she looked at Sara. "Unca Nicky said a bad word."
Sara tried to restrain a smile. "I know, honey. Let's get you in the bathtub and I'll tell Uncle Nicky that he needs to watch his mouth. Ok?"
Fiona nodded vigorously and let Sara help her out of her frosting laden clothes and help her into the tub where she immediately began playing with the bubbles.
Sara stood up and poked her head out the door. "Nick?"
"Just a minute!" Nick called out. "Damn, ouch! I'm gonna get you, you little bugger."
It was all Sara could to not laugh at Nick's difficulty in capturing the cake and frosting encrusted feline.
The little girl grinned at Sara as she turned around to face her. "I'm playing in the water!"
Every couple of minutes Sara could hear another choice word being uttered.
Fiona was engrossed in playing with the bubbles in the tub and Sara hoped that she didn't hear Nick. As she watched Fiona, Sara noticed the bathroom door being nudged open by the very same kitten Nick was searching for. He walked right up to Sara and let out a loud meow.
Fiona giggled. "Kitty wants a bath too."
Sara picked up the kitten and put it on her lap. "I don't think the kitty needs the same kind of bath you do."
"Why?" Fiona tilted her head to the side and looked at Sara curiously.
Sara smiled. "Kitty just needs a little wiping up. They don't like to play in water like you do." She grabbed a towel and began wiping the cake and frosting off of the cat.
"Oh." Fiona looked at her as if she just shared the cure for cooties.
Just then Nick poked his head into the bathroom. "I can't find the kitten." He let out a chuckle as he noticed it sitting in Sara's lap. "Be careful, he has teeth and claws and he knows how to use them." He held up his hand as evidence. A large scratch ran across the back of his hand.
Sara smirked at him. "Maybe he just doesn't want to be chased."
He rolled his eyes at her. "You're funny."
Sara stood up. "Fiona heard you swear. I told her that I'd tell you to watch your mouth." She leaned over and kissed him.
A sheepish expression crossed his face as he looked over at his young niece. "I'm sorry, Fiona. Your kitty gave me a couple of owies."
Sara furrowed her brow in mock concern. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
Nick smirked. "Very funny."
Sara chuckled. "Hey, I was serious. It's scientifically been proven that kisses make everything better."
"Kisses make my owies better." Fiona added.
He grinned at her and raised both eyebrows. "Oh, really."
Fiona nodded furiously. "Uh, huh."
Sara leaned in conspiratorially, her lips inches from his. "See what I mean."
Nick leaned in and kissed her softly, smiling as he pulled away. "When do you want to spring our surprise on them?"
"When do you think we should?" Sara queried him. The kitten seemed to really like her and had relaxed as she held him.
"How about when we can make the maximum impact." He suggested.
She grinned. "Ok." She handed him the kitten. "Maybe you should check on the boys. I'll finish up with Fiona in here."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Chelsea arrived home a while later, she looked like a much more calm refreshed woman than she had when she'd left. She was amazed that not only had Nick and Sara managed to clean the house, but that they'd managed to clean up Fiona and the cat as well. In fact all three kids were sitting in the family room watching 'Air Bud'.
"I invited some of the family over for a barbecue tonight." Chelsea informed Nick and Sara.
Nick raised an amused eyebrow. "Really."
Chelsea rolled her eyes. "Nick, we hardly ever see you, and now that you and Sara are dating, we'd like to get to know her a little better."
Nick glanced at Sara with a grin. They were about to let their secret out of the bag.
Throughout dinner, Chelsea watched Nick and Sara with interest. There was just something she couldn't quite put her finger on that was different. She reasoned that it was simply because they'd finally realized that they should be dating each other, but that didn't fully explain the looks of unrestrained adoration that passed between them.
And then just before dessert, Nick stood up and made an announcement with his arm around Sara's waist that left everyone speechless.
Even Chelsea was speechless. She stood there with her mouth slightly agape not quite sure she had heard what Nick had just said correctly.
Nick stood there grinning with his arm around Sara's waist. As for Sara, she looked positively radiant.
Chelsea fumbled and finally managed to say what all of them were thinking. "What was that you just said?"
Nick looked at Sara for a moment and pulled her closer before turning back toward his family and smiled. "Sara and I eloped."
Nick just stood there grinning with his arm around Sara's waist.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Several hours before, Nick and Sara had returned to Dallas. When they walked into Chelsea and Kevin's house Chelsea appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown because the kids had gotten into the cake she'd picked up that morning for Fiona's birthday party the next day and now that they were wired with sugar, they seemed to be bouncing off the walls.
Nick glanced over at Sara and grinned before turning to his sister and propelling her toward the front door. "Chels, let Sara and I watch the kids for a couple of hours. Go do something; anything. We'll have everything cleaned up by the time you get back. Ok?"
Chelsea hadn't waited for Nick to repeat himself, she just took the keys to the Miata that he held out in his hand and walked out the front door, only to return a moment later to grab her purse.
Once she was gone, Nick stared his nephews down. "Aiden. Conner. I think now would be a really good time to go in the other room and watch 'Sponge Bob'."
"I don't like 'Sponge Bob'." Aiden was pouting.
Nick raised a single eyebrow. "Bud, that wasn't a suggestion. It's 'Sponge Bob' or your room."
Aiden's lower lip was on the verge of quivering. Conner just stood there with wide eyes for a moment before making a beeline for the family room. Fiona on the other hand, was covered in cake from head to toe. Despite the sticky mess that she was, she was grinning at Sara. "Kitty got away."
Sara looked at Nick quizzically. "Did the kitten get out?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know."
Just then a flash of gray fur covered in cake and frosting dashed from under a chair to hide behind a potted plant where it was flicking its paws in an effort to get the frosting off.
Nick and Sara exchanged an amused glance and then went into action. Nick gestured toward Fiona. "Sar, would you mind helping Fiona get cleaned up? I'm going to try and catch the cat."
Sara smirked at him knowing she'd gotten the better end of the deal. She propelled Fiona toward the bathroom and started the water to give her a bath.
Fiona looked at Sara with glee on her face. "I get to play in the water! I get to play in the water!"
Sara was thoroughly amused and wondered how Nick was making out in the next room trying to catch the kitten, who had appeared to be less than thrilled at its predicament.
The water had been running into the tub for a few minutes when a loud curse word rang out from the next room and Fiona's eyes widened as she looked at Sara. "Unca Nicky said a bad word."
Sara tried to restrain a smile. "I know, honey. Let's get you in the bathtub and I'll tell Uncle Nicky that he needs to watch his mouth. Ok?"
Fiona nodded vigorously and let Sara help her out of her frosting laden clothes and help her into the tub where she immediately began playing with the bubbles.
Sara stood up and poked her head out the door. "Nick?"
"Just a minute!" Nick called out. "Damn, ouch! I'm gonna get you, you little bugger."
It was all Sara could to not laugh at Nick's difficulty in capturing the cake and frosting encrusted feline.
The little girl grinned at Sara as she turned around to face her. "I'm playing in the water!"
Every couple of minutes Sara could hear another choice word being uttered.
Fiona was engrossed in playing with the bubbles in the tub and Sara hoped that she didn't hear Nick. As she watched Fiona, Sara noticed the bathroom door being nudged open by the very same kitten Nick was searching for. He walked right up to Sara and let out a loud meow.
Fiona giggled. "Kitty wants a bath too."
Sara picked up the kitten and put it on her lap. "I don't think the kitty needs the same kind of bath you do."
"Why?" Fiona tilted her head to the side and looked at Sara curiously.
Sara smiled. "Kitty just needs a little wiping up. They don't like to play in water like you do." She grabbed a towel and began wiping the cake and frosting off of the cat.
"Oh." Fiona looked at her as if she just shared the cure for cooties.
Just then Nick poked his head into the bathroom. "I can't find the kitten." He let out a chuckle as he noticed it sitting in Sara's lap. "Be careful, he has teeth and claws and he knows how to use them." He held up his hand as evidence. A large scratch ran across the back of his hand.
Sara smirked at him. "Maybe he just doesn't want to be chased."
He rolled his eyes at her. "You're funny."
Sara stood up. "Fiona heard you swear. I told her that I'd tell you to watch your mouth." She leaned over and kissed him.
A sheepish expression crossed his face as he looked over at his young niece. "I'm sorry, Fiona. Your kitty gave me a couple of owies."
Sara furrowed her brow in mock concern. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
Nick smirked. "Very funny."
Sara chuckled. "Hey, I was serious. It's scientifically been proven that kisses make everything better."
"Kisses make my owies better." Fiona added.
He grinned at her and raised both eyebrows. "Oh, really."
Fiona nodded furiously. "Uh, huh."
Sara leaned in conspiratorially, her lips inches from his. "See what I mean."
Nick leaned in and kissed her softly, smiling as he pulled away. "When do you want to spring our surprise on them?"
"When do you think we should?" Sara queried him. The kitten seemed to really like her and had relaxed as she held him.
"How about when we can make the maximum impact." He suggested.
She grinned. "Ok." She handed him the kitten. "Maybe you should check on the boys. I'll finish up with Fiona in here."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Chelsea arrived home a while later, she looked like a much more calm refreshed woman than she had when she'd left. She was amazed that not only had Nick and Sara managed to clean the house, but that they'd managed to clean up Fiona and the cat as well. In fact all three kids were sitting in the family room watching 'Air Bud'.
"I invited some of the family over for a barbecue tonight." Chelsea informed Nick and Sara.
Nick raised an amused eyebrow. "Really."
Chelsea rolled her eyes. "Nick, we hardly ever see you, and now that you and Sara are dating, we'd like to get to know her a little better."
Nick glanced at Sara with a grin. They were about to let their secret out of the bag.
Throughout dinner, Chelsea watched Nick and Sara with interest. There was just something she couldn't quite put her finger on that was different. She reasoned that it was simply because they'd finally realized that they should be dating each other, but that didn't fully explain the looks of unrestrained adoration that passed between them.
And then just before dessert, Nick stood up and made an announcement with his arm around Sara's waist that left everyone speechless.
Even Chelsea was speechless. She stood there with her mouth slightly agape not quite sure she had heard what Nick had just said correctly.
Nick stood there grinning with his arm around Sara's waist. As for Sara, she looked positively radiant.
Chelsea fumbled and finally managed to say what all of them were thinking. "What was that you just said?"
Nick looked at Sara for a moment and pulled her closer before turning back toward his family and smiled. "Sara and I eloped."