A/N: Thank you for the reviews from last chapter. The response toward Maria has been very much appreciated; thank you for giving her a chance. I don't think Nick would've married her had she always been the "bitchy ex-wife".

On another note, I feel like I have to get something off my chest. I see my story compared to others here and I can see that it's not as popular in terms of reviews and favs. As a writer, it's hard to ever be satisfied with my work. I always find things to change or improve on as I read over drafts and even final copies; but I think my writing is quite decent. Please feel free to tell me otherwise and provide constructive criticism if you feel differently (that's also why reviews are there). I guess, it's just a little discouraging to see fics that are way OOC with poor grammar get so much praise and reviews because it goes straight into the ship. Not naming names, and I'm certainly not blaming the writers. They're sharing their content for free and for our entertainment, so kudos to the writers. My only gripe (and it's not even really a gripe) is that I'm getting the impression that people prefer simple, easy stories where their ships get right into the action, over stories that require some thoughtful development. I know it's ultimately up to the readers to decide whether a story is worthy of a review/follow/fav. I can't change that. This doesn't make me less likely to upload a story (I don't want to force people to review in exchange for an update - that tactic has always rubbed me off the wrong way). It just discourages me from trying harder, writing better, and giving the story more time to develop. I wish I could do those things, but I'm getting the sense that to most readers, it will go unnoticed. Does that make sense?

*Exhale*

Anyway, here's Chapter 5.

February 28, 2015

Interrogation rooms were cold and dark to make suspects uncomfortable. A desk separated them from an incriminating line of questioning that could send them behind bars. Victims needed a calming space where they didn't feel like they were being questioned about the assault that happened to them. They needed a comfortable couch, the shades drawn over the windows, and walls that separated them from the chaos of the squad room. Anything SVU could do to make the victim feel like she was believed and she had people in her corner, this squad of detectives would do.

"Hi, Lena," Liv smiled warmly the moment she entered the room. It was warmer in there than it was in the rest of the precinct. She noticed that Lena had shrugged off her coat, and she was wearing a standard issue NYPD sweatshirt that overwhelmed her frame. "I'm Sergeant Benson, and this is Detective Rollins."

Lena set her cup of water down the table. Her hands trembled as she shook their hands, but she refused to make eye contact.

"Lena, we have some questions about the events that transpired this morning." Liv led the inquiry as Amanda sat back and took notes.

"I already said everything I know to the two cops."

"Officer Desmond and Officer Brooks?"

Lena nodded, "yeah, and I said the same thing to your two other detectives." She leaned back on the chair and closed her eyes. Amanda and Liv exchanged a look before they turned back to the victim. "Look, I don't even know what I'm doing here. I don't want to press charges against Tom."

"Tom?" Liv's brows creased. "No one told you the name of the withheld suspect."

Lena shook her head and shrugged, "maybe I know him."

"You know him, or you don't?" Amanda bluntly asked. Liv shot her a bitter look that didn't go unnoticed by their vic.

"I know Tom from college," she started, "but he wasn't the one who raped me."

"You pointed to him in a small crowd and told police that he raped you."

"That was a mistake." Lena's palms planted on the table and her chest held up high.

Liv leaned forward and leveled with her, "the nurse at the hospital said you have bruises consistent with sexual assault. You weren't lying about the rape, Lena. Now can you tell us if you knew your attacker?"

Her voice broke, "he didn't attack me." She tentatively took the cup in her hands and lifted it up to her parched lips. "He was rough but he didn't do anything I didn't want." She looked away, unable to meet Liv's eyes.

"Lena, he can't hurt you. We have him."

"You're safe here with us." Amanda tried to assure her that she was protected and that he had no way of getting to her if, indeed, she refused to cooperate because she was scared of him. Oftentimes, domestic abuse victims withheld their accounts of the assault in fear of their partners further hurting them. It was clear by her body language - the way she looked away when she said she didn't know her attacker - that she was lying. Tom could have been a boyfriend or an ex, for all they knew.

"I—I'm not scared of him," she shook her head, defending him. "Tom is a friend." tears started to fall and Lena buried her face in her hands.

"Lena, can you tell us how you and Tom became friends."

It took her a minute to wipe her tears and control the shallow breaths. "We met during frosh week in 2010. We lived in the same residence; his dorm room was down the hall."

"Do you remember how you two met?"

Lena contemplated the question. "It was the day before classes started. I was eating by myself at the meal hall and he saw me reading Jane Eyre. He quoted something from the book, and then he sat down with me and we talked for hours." Amanda could see that her mind was racing with thoughts, like she was playing back those early days of their blossoming friendship. But she ended it there. "We've been friends ever since."

Amanda considered the long pause between Lena's sentences, but Liv was quick to get straight to the point. "Has your relationship with Tom ever gone beyond friendship?"

Lena's eyes widened before she shook her head, "No, it was never like that. Tom is like a brother to me."

"Was the feeling mutual?"

"He never made a move, if that's what you mean." Lena finished the last drop of her water. "I had a boyfriend for three and a half years while I was in Fordham. When my ex broke up with me just before graduation, Tom was my rock. He saved me from doing something really stupid that night," she chuckled darkly before she exhaled deeply. "I was about to slash my wrists when he found me. Tom saved me."

Amanda exchanged a look with Liv. This couldn't be the same 'Tom' they just interrogated in the room next door. The same 'Tom' that claimed that Lena had chosen to play a victim and make false rape accusations against him because he was a white male in his twenties. It didn't seem like that scumbag could be the same person who stopped Lena from ending her life less than a year ago. But they looked at her eyes and could see the perplexity of her situation. There was no doubt it was Tom that trapped her in that alley and raped her. They had her initial admission. They had the video to, more or less, prove it. But she also looked like she was telling the truth about this same Tom - her friend, her rock, her savior.

"We asked Tom if he knew you," Amanda began, "and he claimed he didn't recognize you."

"He said that?"

Amanda and Liv nodded. "He said you were a minority who wanted to play a victim and point to a perfect candidate – a white male in his twenties – and cry rape."

It felt like someone had punched Lena's gut. "What? No! That can't be… That doesn't sound like him at all!"

"Look, Lena, it's your choice whether or not you want to press charges," Amanda started. Liv shot her another pointed look. She was really wearing thin on her boss, but at this point she didn't really care what Liv thought of her. Liv... Nick... they were all the same. They saw these cases as black and white; where she saw things in varying shades of gray. Not that she sympathized with rapists; she just didn't think all bad guys were created equal. Likewise, all survivors didn't have to be the cliched powerless victims that SVU was set out to save. Some people just needed to handle their shit on their own. Maybe that's what Lena wanted.

"But there's no question that Tom Fischer raped you. We believe that's what happened, and if you want justice, you'll need to press charges. In order for this to move forward, they need to test that rape kit and find his DNA." Liv said, stating the facts and refusing to let Amanda get the last word. She didn't need one of her detectives convincing a rape victim to let it go and allow a guilty man to walk the streets.

"I don't want to hurt him."

"But Lena, he hurt you." Liv reached out to her.

"I just… can you give me a minute." She held up her finger, and in a second she started hyperventilating. Immediately, Liv and Amanda got up and led their victim towards the couch by the door. They set her down and soothed her until her breathing calmed and color returned to her face. When Amanda came back from the cooler with a cup of water, Liv was standing over their vic and watching. She mussed up the back of her hair and sighed, before she gestured for both of them to step outside and give the 22 year-old some space.

"She had a panic attack," Liv explained. "We'll give her until Nick and Fin come back, then we go back in there and talk to her."

"Look, Liv," Amanda shrugged and scrunched up her face, "it seems she's already made up her mind about dropping the charges."

"You too?" Liv asked incredulously. "It's bad enough our victim has a blind spot for a friend who saved her in a dark period of her life, but it doesn't explain why you think he's not guilty for raping her."

"That's not what I said," Amanda could've almost snapped back, but she held her tongue. "All I'm saying is we lay off the pressure on her," she held up her hands and backed away towards her desk. Liv heaved a heavy sigh, hoping Fin and Nick would come back with something that could convince Lena that Tom was not the same man she thought he was.

August 26, 2006

"You're a cop; you should know how to tie a tie."

"First off, I work in Narcotics," Nick started, "second, I know how to tie a necktie, but I don't think I've worn a bow tie since my sixth grade confirmation."

His cousin, Frank, chuckled as he shook his head. Frank stood in front of him and tied the knot perfectly. Frank new the ins and outs of wearing a tux. He spent years in the penguin suit waiting tables at fancy restaurants on the Upper East Side. Now that Frank was married to Jen and, by extension, married to her agent, he found a lot more auditions and scripts coming his way. He didn't have to serve $500 bottles of Merlot to snooty New Yorkers anymore, but the sequence of twists in a bow tie was a formula that must've imprinted itself on his procedural memory.

Frank took a step back and admired his handiwork. "There ya go, Nicky, you handsome bastard."

Nick grinned from ear to ear. Today was the day he was finally saying 'I do' to his fiancée, Maria Grazie.

He remembered that fateful day. It was Christmas Eve; she had convinced him to watch a play about Mormons or something. It was pretty funny, but he couldn't really focus on the story because he was so damn nervous about what he had planned. They had dinner at her favorite Italian restaurant in midtown, and he didn't even cheap out on the wine this time. They watched the show; she laughed while he sat agitated for two hours plus intermission. The cheesecake and coffee they had after the play calmed his nerves, but only until they stepped back outside in the biting, winter air. They took a short cab ride up to Rockefeller Center. The rink was closed since it was after midnight by then. But, by the power of pulling strings with certain members of the NYPD, they crossed the gate. Maria looked at him like he was crazy – you're a trespassing cop?

He secretly loved the worry etched on her face; he was usually the paranoid one. But he knew he had to assure her that he knew the guard watching the rink that night, and he had pulled in a favor. He helped her into her skates. She had skated before and was quite capable of gliding on her own, but she still held onto his hand the entire time. He spun her around and tried to catch her, but they both ended up falling on their asses.

Had he caught her, mid-spin, that would've been his cue to go down on one knee. Instead, they cried from laughter as they sat on the ice. Just the two of them in this giant, empty rink with looming buildings overhead. Nick knew he could've given the trick another shot, but what was the point? He was going to ask her anyway. Tentatively, he got on his knee, which was no easy feat on the cold, slippery ice. Maria was still down, her legs sprawled, her hair a tangled mess – but she was as beautiful as the day he first laid eyes on her. That yellow puffball of a dress that would've been distracting on anyone else; but he only had eyes for her.

Nick asked Maria to marry him in that giant, empty rink with looming buildings overhead. Tiny flurries of snowflakes fell on their lashes. A bevy of Christmas Carols played at the same time in an unmelodious symphony. He asked her to be his wife. And she said 'yes'.

The light gleamed through the stained glass windows and the choir was singing like angels. Not like his angel, but they were at least better than Nick's compulsory choir boy days in Catholic school. Nick stood at the bottom of the altar and watched as the bride's entourage walked down the aisle. He saw his twin nephews, the ring and coin bearers, chase after each other. Their wedding planner held onto her headset as she raced after them herself and steered them down the center aisle.

He cast a look back at his best man and saw that same smile. It felt like it was just yesterday when he and Frank were running amuck in family functions. It was always Frank getting into trouble, and Nick was stuck talking their way out of it. Now, Frank was married and in less than an hour, he would be too.

Nick looked around the church and saw his parents, putting aside their differences, and sitting together. If it were up to him, his Papi wouldn't have even been there. But Cesaria and Maria assured him that it would be easier fending off a boisterous Nicolas at the reception, than fending off questions about the old man's whereabouts. He caught Nicolas cast him a smirk, and had he not been in the house of God, he would've probably rolled his eyes or grimaced. But he didn't want to spend another second thinking about his father - the husband he would never be to his wife.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Frank leaning into his ear, "Nicky, how you feelin?"

"Nervous but excited," he admitted. Maria had convinced him to write personal vows (nothing stolen from the internet, she was adamant about that). It had taken him weeks to write something that he was happy with; his squadmates at Narco even managed to jack the legal pad off his desk. They made copies of his drafts and posted them up all over the squad room. Now everyone knew just how terrible he was at conveying his feelings into writing. But worse, they teased him about how much she had him whipped. But he wasn't actually nervous about reading out his vows; he was actually excited that he had churned something that was sincere without being too corny.

"Nervous?" Frank asked skeptically, "I'd be more nervous about my marriage with Jen than with what you have with Maria."

Nick scoffed, "come on… you and Jen are great together."

"We are," he started, "but you and Maria are perfect together. It's like you two are cut from the same cloth."

"Yeah?"

Frank squeezed Nick's shoulder and gave him an assuring look. "She's the one, Nicky."

The music stopped briefly as the maid of honor, Maria's sister, joined the bridesmaids. The organ started playing the wedding march, and her silhouette appeared at the church doors. Nick felt like he had the wind knocked out of him when he saw her. And as she walked down that aisle in General Grazie's arm, he could only think of one thing to keep himself from crying and making a fool out of himself in front of friends and family. She's the one.

February 28, 2015

The trip to Fordham turned out to confirm what they already knew. Tom and Lena were pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, until Tom made the switch to Business Management in the winter semester of his second year. In those first two years they were general intro type stuff, so class sizes were often in the hundreds. Tom and Lena also lived in the same residence building on campus, but on opposite wings. They did have the same meal hall, which fit in with Lena's story of their first encounter.

Fin and Nick spoke to professors but they could barely recall either of the students; they could only retrieve transcripts, which wasn't helpful to the detectives. It wasn't until they spoke to Lena's thesis advisor, Professor Brown, when they were getting information pertinent to the case.

"Lena Rodriguez?" He flipped through his folders and pulled out a file, "yes, I remember her. She's a bright girl and a good writer, but quite shy. I don't think I've ever heard her participate in class until we worked on her thesis together."

"So you spent quite some time with Lena during her last year here?"

Professor Brown scratched his beard. "We met a few times to talk about her ideas, work on her draft, and make the final edit. But it was mostly email correspondence."

"You two never talked about anything besides her thesis?" Nick asked.

The professor shook his head, "No, like I said, she was quite introverted - in class and in our meetings. Why? Has something happened to Ms. Rodriguez?"

Fin and Nick exchanged a look. "She was raped this morning by an old classmate. We're just investigating to see if they had any connections and if there was motive, or if it was just a random coincidence."

"Oh dear," he held his hand to his chest. He adjusted his tie and leaned back down on the leather wing chair. "Is she all right?"

"She's shook up" Fin answered.

The two detectives were about to leave Professor Brown's office, when the old man held up a finger. "Wait, detectives. I don't recall Lena telling me about her personal life but I've seen her sit in class with another student of mine." He didn't have to look through folders to figure out the student. "Lauren Winston - one of my brightest - she's a grad student and she lives in the grad residence on campus. They always sat together in my classes, and I'd see them walking around on campus all the time."

"Thanks, professor."

Nick and Fin walked across campus to the grad student dormitories. "I don't know about you, man, but after four years a place like this, I'd just wanna get out. Don't even get me started with PHDs and all that shit," Fin shook his head. "Why do you think I never took the Sergeant's exam? I'm done studyin' for tests."

Nick chuckled. He recalled his college days. He wasn't fortunate enough to live in campus, but he had a lot of friends with couches he could crash on. It also helped that he played football and pledged at a fraternity. Making friends and keeping his grades up were never an issue. He actually enjoyed college, but he couldn't say he missed it. Like Fin, he just wanted to get out to the real world. And nothing gave him quite the education like the eight collective years he spent as a UC in Narcotics. Even the wildest frat party paled in comparison to the things he saw undercover.

They walked down the hall of the grad residences and found her door. Fin knocked and a petite redhead answered the door. She was dressed in an oversized Fordham hoodie, and a pair of round glasses framed her freckled face. She was supposed to be the same age as Lena, but she could pass for a high school senior.

"Lauren Winston?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

Nick and Fin flashed their badges, "Detective Amaro, and this is Detective Tutuola. We're from Special Victims. We have some questions regarding Lena Rodriguez," said Nick. "Do you mind if we come in?"

Lauren let them into her tiny dorm room. There was one twin bed, a desk and chair, and two walls covered in shelves filled with books. Fin picked up a book and grimaced at the title, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. He had picked this book up several years ago and tried to read it, but he couldn't get past the first few chapters before he wanted to shoot the narrator.

"I'm sorry there's not much room in here," she tried to rearrange the pillows and lone teddy bear on her bed, so Fin could have a place to sit but Fin was satisfied standing by the door.

Fin raised his head, "don't worry about it, Lauren."

"You said you had questions about Lena," she trailed off.

"Lauren, how well do you know Lena?"

"I know her pretty well. We were roommates freshman year and we've been friends ever since. Though, I have to admit, we've lost contact since graduation last May. We've texted a handful of times and tried to make plans, but they always fall through. I'm busy with grad school and she's been looking for work... I think. She might have mentioned it when I last texted her."

"What about Tom Fischer?"

"What about him?" Lena doubtingly furrowed her brows, "he's also a good friend. Lena and I met him during frosh week and we've hung out since then."

"Do you still talk to Tom?"

Lena wavered on her response. "Not really. Actually, Tom and I were friends because he was so close to Lena. When you left me and Tom alone, it was kind of awkward to be honest. I always got the feeling he wouldn't have been friends with me had Lena not been in the picture."

"Were Lena and Tom involved?"

"No," Lauren's eyes grew in complete surprise. "Lena and Tom hung out all the time but it was always platonic. She said he was like a brother to him. Lena had a boyfriend by Thanksgiving our first year here. They were together until April last year – the night we finished all our exams."

"This boyfriend got a name?" Fin asked.

Lauren nodded, "Ben Crowe."

"You know where we can find him?"

She shook her head, "he's an engineer; got a job right out of graduation and he moved down to Houston. It was the reason why he broke it off with Lena. She was devastated."

Nick and Fin exchanged a look. They had heard from a phone call from Liv that Lena admitted to a suicide attempt back in April. It was Tom that had stopped her. "Lauren, did you know about the suicide attempt?"

She nodded somberly, "I was there in her apartment that night. Lena, Tom, and I came from the bar that night and we went to her place. Lena was drinking a lot trying to forget about Ben. She went to the bathroom and when she didn't return, we got worried. Tom broke the door down and saw her pressing a razor blade on her wrist. She hadn't drawn blood yet, thankfully. But I was in shock. I couldn't believe it; I didn't know what to do so I left. Good thing Tom was there, because he stopped her."

"You just left?" Nick asked warily.

"Look, I didn't know what to do—"

"Be there for your friend? Maybe you should've called the hospital so they could put her on suicide watch? You were 21 at the time; you should've known-"

"Nick," Fin interrupted. He cast a glare at his partner before he turned to Lauren. "What happened after?"

"What do you mean? Lena was fine. She wasn't hurt. The next time I saw her was graduation… and I told her I was sorry that I panicked and bailed. She said she forgave me, but I didn't really believe her. I don't think she saw me the same after that. She dodges my calls and cancels plans to meet up. I can't blame her. I ruined our friendship."

"And Tom?"

"I never saw him after that night. We had different convocation dates. He never tried to make contact with me, and honestly, I was too embarrassed to contact him."

"You said Lena felt that Tom was like a sibling to her," said Nick. "Did he feel the same way about her?"

Lena shrugged, "at first I thought he was into her, but then Lena met Ben and it was obvious how she treated them differently. And how differently they treated her."

"Different, how?" Fin asked.

"When things were good, Lena and Ben were sweet around each other. But Ben often got busy with school and sports, and he'd drop off the face of the earth for weeks before he'd show up and beg for forgiveness. Lena always took him back. Tom was always there for her. They hung out all the time and talked about books, music, old films… They liked the same things. They talked about 19th-century English literature, um, they liked the same indie bands, and they watched these old Spanish soap operas together. I was actually surprised he understood Spanish, since he's from Ohio," Lauren chuckled lightly, "It was like they were soulmates, but they just weren't into each other like that."

"That what she told you?"

"No, it's what Tom said, actually. I was teasing them to get together after Ben had been such a jerk to Lena. He said he couldn't see her as his girlfriend."

Nick nodded, "Well, thanks for all your help, Lauren." He stood up from the chair and motioned to Fin to open the door.

"Wait," Lauren stood up from the bed, "you still didn't say why you're here. Is Lena ok? What about Tom?"

Nick tapped his notebook against his palm. "Um, Lena was raped this morning and we believe—"

"Wait," Lauren sat back down on the bed, and released a heavy sigh. She looked back up to meet Nick's eyes. "She was raped? Again?"

December 20, 2006

Slumped against the closed door, Nick drew his knee up to his chest. The last year had been a whirlwind of wedding plans, transfer papers from Narcotics to Warrants, and a shared mortgage with his fiancée. It was supposed to culminate the day of their wedding, which was a modest yet memorable affair. They exchanged their 'I do's and promised to love each other for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, 'til death do them part.

He managed to rack up enough vacation days, and Maria found a week in her busy schedule, to spend their honeymoon in a resort in the Dominican Republic. Frank and Jen highly recommended it, and Nick was no experienced traveller (not so much by choice) so that's where they ended up. They signed up for snorkelling and other water sport activities, but only made it to a failed session of windsurfing, because they spent most hours of the day laying in bed. They made love all day, danced under the stars, and returned to their villa in a state of intoxicated bliss. Rinse in the cerulean salt water, and repeat.

The NYPD and the Army felt so distant, like an alternate universe where they were less tanned and their libido was not through the roof. While the vacation days only lasted as long as that plane touched down in La Guardia, the honeymoon still endured. Maria was gone for a month in October and on Halloween night when she returned, he made certain he reminded her that he still knew all her weak spots.

Nick pressed his forehead against his knee as he waited outside the bathroom door. He heard the flush. The faucet turned on and he could hear the water splash against the porcelain sink. The water stopped. The doorknob turned and the fluorescent light slowly filled into their dim bedroom.

"So? Are you?"

Maria rolled her eyes at him, but smiled, "give it a minute, Nick."

He got off the floor and looked at the white stick in her hand. The paper strip encased in plastic was still blank. He shook it; but no dice.

"It's not a polaroid."

Nick grumbled. "Fine," he set the stick down on their bedside table and turned back to his wife. His wife. He was married for four months now, and he could see himself doing this for another 400. The idea that she was actually married to him still astonished him at times. It seemed so surreal to have gone through the wedding, buying their first house, and flying off to the Dominican for that week of carnal bliss. But then he'd check their joint accounts, and then reality set in. Still though, it was all worth it. Every penny.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to bed. He laid her down, not letting his eyes wander away from those green irises of hers.

"Take off your shirt."

Nick did as he was told, taking off the white tee. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and he could feel her tug at his bicep as he pulled away. Moving his hands down her body, he held onto the hem of her tank top. He pushed it up until it revealed her flat stomach and the bottom curve of her breasts. Maria's breath hitched in her throat as his hands cupped her, pushing her breasts above the neckline of her shirt.

"Nick," her voice was strained.

He listened to the quiet hums of her body as he brushed his lips against the underside of her breasts. He trailed his tongue up the curve until he found her hard nipple. Swirling and sucking, he had her arching her back and pressing her hips to his. Maria wrapped her arms around his neck to push him harder against her. She coiled her fingers around the thick, dark curls on his head and he became more aroused as she pulled on his hair.

"Mmm…" he tugged her nipple between his teeth.

She gasped. Nick squeezed her other breast before he trailed his lips down her sternum, and onto her abdomen. He pressed soft kisses on her stomach and whispered something in Spanish that she couldn't hear. She had picked up some Spanish, but mostly filthy words he used in bed. With his free hand, Nick pulled down the silk pajama shorts down to her knees. She bent her legs, letting her ankle rest on the back of his shoulder. He kissed her calf, and helped her pull the shorts off her legs. Before she could set her limbs back down on the bed, he let his lips graze down her inner thigh, locking her in a vulnerable position.

That night, they made love like they were only steps away from Caribbean blue waters and fine, white sand. She wrapped her legs around his back as he drove into her in strokes that would put Paganini to shame. He gently pushed her hair away from her face as her channels rode wave after wave of unbridled pleasure. Nick held her eyes until he couldn't hold it anymore and he emptied himself inside her.

His heart was going down to a more stable rhythm as he laid face down on their bed. Nick watched as Maria pulled the sheets over her body and barely exhaled a laugh. He was quite satisfied with himself just how much he wore her out.

"What?"

She placed her hand on her forehead and let out a breathy chuckle. "We forgot about the pregnancy test."

"Shit," he said surprised, getting off the bed on his elbows. He tried to reach over her to get the stick on the night stand, but she was closer and much quicker.

Maria waved the stick in the air to taunt him. He tried to reach for it, but she held it against her back. Nick kissed her deeply, trying to distract her, as he reached for the pregnancy test. She pushed him off and smiled as their lips parted. "Let's find out together."

His smile reached his eyes. Maria had an internal moment of panic because she was afraid if the test said she wasn't pregnant, that smile she had fallen in love with would disappear. Damn, the moment would seriously be ruined if the test turned out negative. If she could just freeze time and have Nick's smile locked up in her memory, she knew she could do just about anything – including the utterly terrifying, yet exciting prospect of motherhood.

Maria pulled the stick between them and flipped to the side with the results.

Positive.

She couldn't even register a thought, much more, come up with an exclamation before she felt her husband's arms wrap around her. He pressed kisses on her forehead and a torrid and tender one on her lips. He pulled away from her but still held her in his arms. He did that sexy thing with his mouth where he'd press his lips together, trying to suppress a smile.

"M, We're going to have a baby."