They pulled into the driveway of Chelsea and Kevin's home and as they
unloaded Warrick's luggage and brought it into the house, he queried Nick.
"So which one of you is giving up your place?"
"Huh?" Nick looked confused and then as he glanced at Sara he realized that there was quite a bit that they hadn't talked about. Sara looked equally confused.
An expression of concern mixed with amusement flickered across Warrick's face. "You two haven't even talked about it have you?"
Nick looked a little sheepish. "I guess we haven't."
Warrick just shook his head. "You know, you might want to sit down and figure out a few things before you actually get married." He glanced at Nick and then over at Sara. "What about kids? Do you want kids?"
Sara didn't know what to say. The thought of having kids had never entered her mind, but then she hadn't ever really expected to get married either. She looked at Nick with confusion on her face.
Warrick continued his inquiry. "All I can tell from what you two have said is that you're getting married Saturday and you never want to own a minivan. Don't you think you should have a few more things nailed down before you take the plunge?"
Panic flickered across Sara's face as she really began to realize some of the implications of getting married and that it was more about real life than this fantasy world they'd been living in for the last week and a half. She looked at Warrick and then at Nick and fumbled with her words. "Uh, I'll be back in a few minutes." She wasn't sure where she was going, but ended up locking herself in the bathroom of the apartment and sitting on the floor with her back against the tub.
Nick didn't know what to make of the situation. Warrick was right; things had moved at such hyper speed that they hadn't taken the time to talk about the things that would affect them day to day. From the expression on Sara's face, he concluded that Warrick's questions had brought reality straight to the surface and had scared the crap out of her.
Warrick's brow furrowed as he watched Nick's face. "Hey, man, I'm not saying that I don't think you and Sara should get married, all I'm saying is you might want to talk about a few things first. I can tell that the two of you are in love with each other."
Nick nodded and gestured in the direction that Sara disappeared. "I should probably go find Sara."
Warrick smiled. "It's all good. I'm gonna catch a couple hours of sleep, just wake me up when you want to get going."
"Thanks, man." Nick was grateful that Warrick was there. He may not have wanted to hear what Warrick had to say, but he knew that both he and Sara really needed to. He made his way down the stairs into the apartment and glanced around in search of Sara. He heard sniffling coming from the direction of the bathroom. He knocked gently on the door before trying the knob. "Hey, Sara, open the door."
"I want to be alone, Nick." She sounded upset.
"Babe, let's talk about this, ok?" Nick hoped he sounded calmer than he felt.
"I'm scared, Nick." She confessed through the door.
"I am too." Nick felt a knot forming in his stomach.
She pulled herself up off the floor of the bathroom and unlocked the door, opening it to reveal a worried Nick. "You are?"
He nodded at her. "Yeah, I am. But I love you, and I want to marry you."
"Warrick's right, isn't he?" Sara knew that there were many things that they needed to talk about that up until a short time ago, she'd been able to ignore.
He smiled at her and reached over and brushed a tear from her face. "Yeah, he's right, but it doesn't change the fact that I love you."
She sniffled and tried to smile. "I love you too. I'm just scared that maybe we're doing this too fast. We haven't had time to see what it's like to be together in the real world."
Nick put his hands on her shoulders, resting his forehead against hers. "Do you want to call off the wedding?"
Sara looked like she was on the verge of crying again. "No, I'm just scared."
Nick wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "We don't have to get married on Saturday, babe. We can wait as long as you want."
"I want to marry you. I don't want to wait. I'm the one that wanted to elope, remember?" Sara sniffled against his chest.
Nick chuckled. "I always knew you wanted me."
Sara giggled and pulled away. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a very healthy ego?"
Nick smiled as he leaned down and kissed her, looking into her eyes as he pulled away. "I guess we should talk about a few things, huh?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess we should."
They ended up lying curled up together in the middle of the bed in the bedroom. Nick's arms rested securely around Sara's waist and her head rested against his chest.
"So where are we going to live?" Nick began.
"Your place is bigger, but mine is closer to work." Sara replied offering the facts.
"We could rent one of them out." Nick suggested.
"Or we could sell them both and buy a new one." Sara suggested.
Nick was quiet for a moment. "We should probably talk to a real estate agent. I mean, I've had my place for a while, but how much equity do you have in yours? If we sell too soon, it's going to take a loss."
"Ok, so let's talk to a real estate agent then." Sara was quiet for a moment. "But we still haven't settled where we're going to live when we get back next week."
Nick smiled. "Where would you rather stay?"
"Nick, you're not making this easy." Sara had a hint of a whine in her voice.
"Do you want me to just tell you where we're going to live because I have a feeling you wouldn't like that?" Nick observed gently.
"No, I just don't want to decide this minute." Sara confessed. "There are things I really like about my condo, but I think it's probably too small for two people."
Nick took a minute as he studied her face. "Ok, why don't we try this; we stay at my place and try and rent out your place until we find something we both like."
Sara looked at him in surprise. "You'd sell your condo for me?"
Nick chuckled. "Sara, you are way more important to me than a condo."
She furrowed her brow. "I could sell mine."
Nick chuckled. "Why don't we just talk to a real estate agent when we get back and see what our options are?"
"Ok." She fingered the buttons on his shirt. "We can stay at your place."
"Technically, it's going to be our place." Nick smiled.
"I like the sound of that." Sara breathed a sigh.
They were quiet for a while and then Nick broached another subject. "Sara?"
"Yeah?" She replied, snuggling her body closer to his.
"What about kids? Do you want kids?" Nick sounded tentative.
Sara lifted her head and studied his face for a moment. "You want them, don't you?"
"But what do you want?" Nick smiled at her and ran his fingers down the side of her cheek.
She let out a sigh. "I don't know. I never really thought about it before to be honest, but then I never thought I'd be getting married either. I like kids; I've just never really been around them much."
Nick looked into her eyes. "I think you'd be a great mom. I've seen how you are with Fiona."
Sara smiled, somewhat surprised. "Do you think so?"
He nodded. "I know so."
Sara looked at him for a few minutes. "I'm not sure I'm ready to be a mom quite yet, Nick. Not that I'm ruling it out; I just need to think about it."
He smiled at her. "We'll just have to make sure we use protection then."
She giggled. "Maybe I should check into getting onto birth control, so we don't have to worry so much about that."
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "I think we've got enough protection to get us through at least another week."
Sara rolled her eyes and quipped. "I think you got enough for the next month or so."
Nick grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows. "It's all a matter of perspective, Sara."
"Huh?" Nick looked confused and then as he glanced at Sara he realized that there was quite a bit that they hadn't talked about. Sara looked equally confused.
An expression of concern mixed with amusement flickered across Warrick's face. "You two haven't even talked about it have you?"
Nick looked a little sheepish. "I guess we haven't."
Warrick just shook his head. "You know, you might want to sit down and figure out a few things before you actually get married." He glanced at Nick and then over at Sara. "What about kids? Do you want kids?"
Sara didn't know what to say. The thought of having kids had never entered her mind, but then she hadn't ever really expected to get married either. She looked at Nick with confusion on her face.
Warrick continued his inquiry. "All I can tell from what you two have said is that you're getting married Saturday and you never want to own a minivan. Don't you think you should have a few more things nailed down before you take the plunge?"
Panic flickered across Sara's face as she really began to realize some of the implications of getting married and that it was more about real life than this fantasy world they'd been living in for the last week and a half. She looked at Warrick and then at Nick and fumbled with her words. "Uh, I'll be back in a few minutes." She wasn't sure where she was going, but ended up locking herself in the bathroom of the apartment and sitting on the floor with her back against the tub.
Nick didn't know what to make of the situation. Warrick was right; things had moved at such hyper speed that they hadn't taken the time to talk about the things that would affect them day to day. From the expression on Sara's face, he concluded that Warrick's questions had brought reality straight to the surface and had scared the crap out of her.
Warrick's brow furrowed as he watched Nick's face. "Hey, man, I'm not saying that I don't think you and Sara should get married, all I'm saying is you might want to talk about a few things first. I can tell that the two of you are in love with each other."
Nick nodded and gestured in the direction that Sara disappeared. "I should probably go find Sara."
Warrick smiled. "It's all good. I'm gonna catch a couple hours of sleep, just wake me up when you want to get going."
"Thanks, man." Nick was grateful that Warrick was there. He may not have wanted to hear what Warrick had to say, but he knew that both he and Sara really needed to. He made his way down the stairs into the apartment and glanced around in search of Sara. He heard sniffling coming from the direction of the bathroom. He knocked gently on the door before trying the knob. "Hey, Sara, open the door."
"I want to be alone, Nick." She sounded upset.
"Babe, let's talk about this, ok?" Nick hoped he sounded calmer than he felt.
"I'm scared, Nick." She confessed through the door.
"I am too." Nick felt a knot forming in his stomach.
She pulled herself up off the floor of the bathroom and unlocked the door, opening it to reveal a worried Nick. "You are?"
He nodded at her. "Yeah, I am. But I love you, and I want to marry you."
"Warrick's right, isn't he?" Sara knew that there were many things that they needed to talk about that up until a short time ago, she'd been able to ignore.
He smiled at her and reached over and brushed a tear from her face. "Yeah, he's right, but it doesn't change the fact that I love you."
She sniffled and tried to smile. "I love you too. I'm just scared that maybe we're doing this too fast. We haven't had time to see what it's like to be together in the real world."
Nick put his hands on her shoulders, resting his forehead against hers. "Do you want to call off the wedding?"
Sara looked like she was on the verge of crying again. "No, I'm just scared."
Nick wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "We don't have to get married on Saturday, babe. We can wait as long as you want."
"I want to marry you. I don't want to wait. I'm the one that wanted to elope, remember?" Sara sniffled against his chest.
Nick chuckled. "I always knew you wanted me."
Sara giggled and pulled away. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a very healthy ego?"
Nick smiled as he leaned down and kissed her, looking into her eyes as he pulled away. "I guess we should talk about a few things, huh?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess we should."
They ended up lying curled up together in the middle of the bed in the bedroom. Nick's arms rested securely around Sara's waist and her head rested against his chest.
"So where are we going to live?" Nick began.
"Your place is bigger, but mine is closer to work." Sara replied offering the facts.
"We could rent one of them out." Nick suggested.
"Or we could sell them both and buy a new one." Sara suggested.
Nick was quiet for a moment. "We should probably talk to a real estate agent. I mean, I've had my place for a while, but how much equity do you have in yours? If we sell too soon, it's going to take a loss."
"Ok, so let's talk to a real estate agent then." Sara was quiet for a moment. "But we still haven't settled where we're going to live when we get back next week."
Nick smiled. "Where would you rather stay?"
"Nick, you're not making this easy." Sara had a hint of a whine in her voice.
"Do you want me to just tell you where we're going to live because I have a feeling you wouldn't like that?" Nick observed gently.
"No, I just don't want to decide this minute." Sara confessed. "There are things I really like about my condo, but I think it's probably too small for two people."
Nick took a minute as he studied her face. "Ok, why don't we try this; we stay at my place and try and rent out your place until we find something we both like."
Sara looked at him in surprise. "You'd sell your condo for me?"
Nick chuckled. "Sara, you are way more important to me than a condo."
She furrowed her brow. "I could sell mine."
Nick chuckled. "Why don't we just talk to a real estate agent when we get back and see what our options are?"
"Ok." She fingered the buttons on his shirt. "We can stay at your place."
"Technically, it's going to be our place." Nick smiled.
"I like the sound of that." Sara breathed a sigh.
They were quiet for a while and then Nick broached another subject. "Sara?"
"Yeah?" She replied, snuggling her body closer to his.
"What about kids? Do you want kids?" Nick sounded tentative.
Sara lifted her head and studied his face for a moment. "You want them, don't you?"
"But what do you want?" Nick smiled at her and ran his fingers down the side of her cheek.
She let out a sigh. "I don't know. I never really thought about it before to be honest, but then I never thought I'd be getting married either. I like kids; I've just never really been around them much."
Nick looked into her eyes. "I think you'd be a great mom. I've seen how you are with Fiona."
Sara smiled, somewhat surprised. "Do you think so?"
He nodded. "I know so."
Sara looked at him for a few minutes. "I'm not sure I'm ready to be a mom quite yet, Nick. Not that I'm ruling it out; I just need to think about it."
He smiled at her. "We'll just have to make sure we use protection then."
She giggled. "Maybe I should check into getting onto birth control, so we don't have to worry so much about that."
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "I think we've got enough protection to get us through at least another week."
Sara rolled her eyes and quipped. "I think you got enough for the next month or so."
Nick grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows. "It's all a matter of perspective, Sara."