A/N: Alright, get your tissue boxes ready...are they ready..? Cause I've got some saddening news...The book is coming to a end (ducks under desk as objects are hurled at her) Yikes! Calm down! I'm doing a sequel...the book is getting too long...it's a big sexy beast! Lol...so, this will one of the last chapters...I think I'll take it up to the funeral, then the funeral will be in the next book, picking up exactly where this leaves off. Okay? Okay. On we go...

Chapter 38

With a flip of the switch, the room was illuminated in light, causing a grin to spread on both faces. "Oh. My. God." Riley said slowly as she slid her bag off her shoulder and looked around her childhood room, kept the same was as she left it.

"Wow...it's so...not you." Nick replied as he walked slowly around the room, taking in the memorabilia he had no idea the significance of.

"How so?"

"It's a girl's room." She slapped his arm and rolled her eyes as Nick recoiled playfully and laughed. "I mean, it's girly...too girly to be your room."

"It's not girly..." She replied.

"It's girlier than your room is now..."

"That's because I live in a house full of guys...and when I'm not there I'm with you...doesn't leave much room for foof."

"What?"

"Foof...foofy-ness...girly-ness..." She said doing a weird shimmy-like dance as if that would help explain the odd word.

Nick laughed. "Did you just make that word up?"

She smiled. "Baby, I make up about 50 percent of the words I say..."

Nick smiled and looked around the Royal purple, lilac, light green and sky blue room. He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I'm kinda freaked out..."

She slapped his arm again. "Lay off. I'm sure your room was pretty different than it is now..."

Nick shrugged and smiled at the posters he saw. "Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, ACDC, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffet, Z Z Topp, The Who, The Beatles, Queen...shit girl." He replied and nudged her making her smile.

"Born in the 80s but I loved the 70s, and 60s..." She said while shrugging.

"Ah...Albert Einstein too. He fits nicely with the group." Nick said while gesturing to the picture of Albert Einstein making a funny face with the equation for energy floating around him. "Were you a science geek lil' lady?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Not really...I think I was 'under the influence' when I got that...either that or Shaun got it for me."

Nick chuckled. "What's the difference?"

She joined in the laughter and plopped down on her king size bed and laid back, stretching her arms above her head and sighing as she did so. Nick did the same and grabbed her hand as he stretched out. He smiled and looked over at her. "Ya know...this is a pretty big bed for one lil' lady...sleepin in this must be lonely..." Nick replied waggling his eyebrows. She laughed and shook her head.

"Nah, not with all the men I've shared it with." She responded, causing Nick's face to fall ten feet. She laughed and shook her head. "C'mon Nick, you set yourself up for that one." She laughed and Nick began to pout. "Oh you big baby...quit pouting. You know its not true."

"Eh..."

"Chill out, this bed has never seen any action, from me at least, I don't know about Tom and Paige..." Riley replied and Nick raised an eyebrow at her.

"You never 'did it' in this bed?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "God, be more seventh grade please." She requested sarcastically.

Nick waggled his eyebrows and rolled over so that he was laying on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. "Hmm...so...wanna christen the bed?" Nick drawled in a deep voice as he kissed her neck lightly. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Oh no. No sex in my bed, my parents would kill me." She replied and pushed him off of her.

"Be more seventh grade please." Nick mocked and tried to climb back over to her. She laughed and pushed him away again, but, being the relentless man that he is, he tried again. This time he grabbed her hands and held them to her sides as he nibbled her neck. She giggled and squealed and tried to get away from the tickling sensation, only making Nick laugh and tickle her more.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" She begged and squealed as he continued. "Nick!" She laughed and tried to squirm out of his grasp. He maneuvered her arms so that he was holding her arms down his one hand and tickling her sides with the other. She squirmed and kicked as Nick dodged her legs and continued tickling her. "Ah! Mercy!" She screamed and Nick laughed.

"Say the magic word..."

"Please!"

"Noooo..." He teased.

"Abra Cadabra!"

"Nope. Try again."

"Bipity Bopity Boo!"

"What?" Nick asked in utter confusion. The distraction worked, and Nick loosened his grasp enough for her to slip free and dash from underneath him.

"Ha! I win!" She declared.

"Like Hell you do!" Nick declared playfully and ran towards her. She squealed and hauled ass through the house, and ran down the long hallway to the stairs which she flew down, through the living room, and out the back door. They passed the crowd of her family all gathered in the backyard, laughing and joking. They turned their heads to watch the two running around the backyard and chuckled. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Riley being chased around the backyard by someone.

"Mama help!" She laughed as she continued to peel through the yard, Nick laughing and pumping his legs faster behind her, gaining on her by the second.

"No fair! No family involved!" Nick declared. Riley came to a short stop, not giving Nick enough forewarning so he crashed into her, sanding them both to the ground. The family 'ooh'd and laughed as they watch Nick jump up off of his girlfriend worriedly. "Oh God! Riley are you hurt! Oh God I'm sorry! Are you alright?!" Nick asked fretfully.

Riley let out a moan/laugh and squeezed her eyes shut. "Ooooh Man! I'm seein stars!" She drawled and laughed as she hugged her ribs. "Geez fat ass, break my ribs why don't you."

Nick knelt down next to her cautiously. "Baby I am so sorry."

"'Eh, she'll be fine! She's had worse falls than that!" Logan declared from the sidelines. Nick took Riley by the hand and helped her up.

"What hurts besides your ribs?"

"My ass...wanna kiss it and make it better?" She teased, wincing from the pain and causing everyone but Nick to laugh. He smirked and shook his head while leaning in to whisper in her ear,

"I don't think now is the time or the place Darlin...maybe later." Riley smirked and waggled her eyebrows at his suggestive comment. "So you sure you're not hurt?"

"I'm hurt, but it's nothin a beer or strong glass 'a whiskey won't fix." Riley diagnosed as the two of them joined the social gathering.

"I think you've had enough alcohol Bee-Bop." Riley's mother called and Riley rolled her eyes.

"Bee-Bop?" Nick asked with a smirk on his face. "That's so adorable."

Riley rolled her eyes and swatted his arm. "Watch it Dallas." She threatened.

"Why do y'all call her Bee-Bop?" Nick asked, ignoring the warning.

"Cause she's always getting into scuffles and getting bop-ed with somethin." Ryan informed him.

"That's so you." Nick said smiling and pinching Riley's cheeks. She scrunched her nose and swatted his hands away.

"Fuck face. That's so you." She replied playfully.

"Bryn...I can deal with the other language, but not that word." Hope informed her youngest. Riley chuckled and shrugged.

"What? It's Nicky's nickname."

"Well give him a new one." Her mother reasoned. "I'm sure his mother doesn't appreciate you calling her son a...what you called him."

Nick tried not to think of the fact that his mother still didn't know Riley existed...

"Alright, how about Dip Shit?" Riley suggested.

"Hey! That's my name!" Dennis defended and everyone laughed.

"Can't I have a nice nickname?" Nick asked and Riley shrugged.

"Nicknames can't be misleading." She ribbed and Nick shook his head and smiled.

"You're mean." Nick accused.

"Yeah, she's a bitch, but unfortunately for you, you can't pop her one so she'll leave you alone." Ricky replied.

"That doesn't work anyway." Paige replied, causing them all to laugh and Riley to roll her eyes.

"I'm not that bad...am I?" She turned to Nick. "Nick am I that bad?"

"'Course not." He said and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, you would say that, considering the fact that she's been givin you- OW!" Logan exclaimed when his mother whapped him upside the back of the head. Nick and Riley both blushed at what had been insinuated.

"By the way Nick, there are no secrets with my family..."

"Not that it was really a secret anyway." Brandy replied and Riley shot her a playful glare.

"Don't be jealous cause my man puts out." She said smirking and snaking her body in a sassy manner. Everyone laughed and 'ooh'd.

"Bryn! Are you tryin to give Larry and I heart attacks!?" Her mother exclaimed and put her hand over her heart. Riley laughed.

"Just be glad y'alls father ain't out here." Terri pointed out, gesturing to them with the bottom of her beer bottle.

"Speak of the Devil..." Dennis replied, looking towards the door. All the heads snapped in that direction in worry, only to find it empty and Dennis snickering. 26 hands reached out to slap Dennis, making him wince. "Damn y'all! I was only jokin!" He rubbed all the wounded parts of his body and shook his head.

A few hours later the family still sat out in the backyard, yet this time they were all gathered around the fire pit, watching the orange flames roar and stretch upwards. The crackling of burning wood, the smell of smoke, charred trees, beer, and Texas nights hung in the thick air. The flames cast magical glows on the surrounding patrons, and the smiling faces and old family stories made Nick grin.

Now meeting the family of the woman he loved, he understood her so much more. He saw mannerisms she and her siblings portrayed; how she and Paige, much like she and Kiersten, knew what each other was saying without having to say it. The same way Riley and her mother rolled their eyes at whatever the men of the family were saying. They also had the same smile and laugh, though Riley's was louder. She got the outrageously blue color of her eyes from her father, yet the softness, understanding, and wild spirit he saw reflected in those baby blues came from her mother.

He saw most similarities between her and her father though. She pursed her lips to hide her smile the same way he did and ducked her head then closed her eyes and shook her head silently at whatever idiot move had been portrayed. They had the same way of speaking and story telling. Both of them liked to simply sit back and watch the festivities going on around them, studying each person and the group as a whole, and then tossing in their two cents when the occasion called for it. He also caught them both making the 'Riley-thinking-face' which he had guessed originated as the 'Keith-thinking-face'.

Nick felt Riley shift on the double-seated camper chair beside him and he looked over at her. She was smiling and denying whatever story was being told about her, then rolling her eyes when no one believed her and smiling guiltily. Nick slid his hand across the rough material of the chair and grabbed hers resting next to her thigh. She squeezed his hand back and sent a wink his way, making him grin wider.

"...So she finally gets out of the dryer and starts complaining about how her hair smelled like fabric softener and was now frizzy." Riley's Cousin Tabitha finished and everyone laughed.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to smell like laundry soap and look like a giant red poodle when I'm going out with my friends." Riley defended, only making everyone laugh harder. She rolled her eyes and scoffed playfully. "I don't have to take this abuse anymore, I'm goin to bed." She finished and stood up to exit the gathering. Nick stood with her and followed her as she made her way around the large circle, pecking all of her family members on the cheek. "I'll see y'all in the mornin." She drawled sleepily.

"Yeah, I'm gonna turn in too." Hope replied and Keith stood with her.

"Yeah, Candice fell asleep about an hour ago, but she's too big to move." Russell joked and finished his beer as Ryan came over to help his older brother from underneath the sleeping form of his six month pregnant wife.

Slowly the people filed out and the fire died down. The commotion didn't settle down until most everyone had gotten into their cars and left, leaving only Hope, Keith, Paige, Tom and all five of their children as well as Nick and Riley. The kids were put into Riley and Paige's brother's old bedrooms as Paige and Tom took Paige's old room and Riley walked down the hall with Nick towards her room.

"Riley." The stern baritone drawl of her father sounded.

Riley sighed and turned around, knowing what this was going to be about. "Daddy, Mama already said that Nick and I had to share a room 'cause Paigey and Tommy's kids are in every other room." Riley immediately defended.

"I did say that Keith." Hope confirmed, coming up behind her husband and laying a hand on his arm.

"I don't care Hope. We have a perfectly fine guest room that the boy can use." He declared and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Daddy I'm not a little girl anymore. You do know that Nick and I share a room most of time at his place anyway right?" Riley replied, making Nick shift uncomfortably at the glares he was getting from Riley's father for 'defiling' his baby girl.

"Keith just," Hope began trying to get him to leave the two be.

"No." He said firmly. "Nick can take the couch or the basement for that matter but I will not have y'all in the same room."

"This is friggin ridiculous! You act like we're gonna have sex like wild animals. We're just sleepin!" Riley declared harshly.

"Watch your tone with me young lady." Keith boomed.

"I am almost 25 years old. I'm grown up Daddy. Quit treating me like I'm some little girl that needs to be watched over 24-7."

"I don't care if your 100, as long as you're in my house, y'all are gonna abide by my rules! And I will not have some hot blooded boy all over my daughter under my house!"

"Fine! We'll go to a hotel." Riley countered and Keith's eyes widened at the thought of her being in a hotel room, alone with Nick.

"Riley, no. Both of y'all need to stop it now 'fore y'all someone up and we have another cryin baby on our hands." Hope snapped and both parties were silent. "Riley, you can stay in your room and Nicholas can have the spare room." Hope replied and held up her hand to silence the rebuttal she was going to receive from her youngest. "It's settled Riley."

"But Mama, you said before-"

"I know what I said before." Riley sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly and looked over at Nick standing awkwardly in the hallway, too nervous to give his opinion on the matter. "Alright...go to your rooms."

"Um...my bag is in your room." Nick whispered.

"What was that boy?" Keith drawled harshly.

"Stop it Dad. His name is Nick, not 'boy'. He just needs his bag outta my room." Riley replied tiredly and shook her head as she motioned for Nick to follow her. Hope shook her head and went back to her room as Keith waited in the hallway for Nick to reappear. Sure enough he walked back into the hallway a few moments later and Riley stood in the doorway.

"Um...where's the guestroom?" Nick asked softly, about ready to crawl under the nearest bed and cry in fear and wish the much bigger man away like a little boy. Riley gestured towards the door a few doors down from her parents and quickly gave him a chaste peck on the cheek. "Nite Nick."

"G'nite Darlin." He drawled and hurried off towards his room and away from her father. Riley turned to see her father watching her every move like a hawk, and shook her head and glared.

Looks like we're picking up just where we left off... She thought bitterly as she walked towards her room and slammed her door, hopefully making the point to her father.

(Riley's Room 2:01 a.m.)

Riley lay on her side, facing her open doorway sleeplessly. The moon from the window by her door cast a white glow on the darkened room, making trees dance in the shadows case down across the hardwood floor. She heard a creak outside her door and a tall figure appeared in her doorway. A deep sigh was heard as the figure leaned against her door. The figure stayed there for a few minutes watching what it thought was her sleeping form. "I love you." The southern whisper came.

She squeezed her eyes shut and let a silent tear slip down her cheek. The floorboards creaked as the figure turned to walk away. "Daddy...love you more." She whispered back. Her father paused a minute, then continued down the hall and back to his room. She heard his door close and she felt another tear fall down her cheek and she rolled over on her back and stared up at her ceiling.

WHAAAA!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE SO EMOTIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is no stronger love and sense of protection than a father and his baby girl...

Whew...

Alright, review and let me know what ya think!

DO IT YA HEATHENS!! XD

-Futuremisscsi60