Epilogue.
7 years and 7 months later.
"Congrats, Macy! Rumor has it you're next in line for the position as lead anchorwoman," exclaimed Bethanny. "With O'Connor out, you're going to be the next fresh face of the network. You'll be huge!"
Macy smiled and tried to be modest.
"Oh, I don't know about that," she answered. "There are so many other people qualified."
"Are you crazy!" her secretary replied. "That documentary you did on the Gulf Coast was a journalist masterpiece. And to think you're only twenty four! You're definitely a shoe-in for the job."
Macy just smiled again and this time said, "I hope so. I'm going to cross my fingers."
"Oh, puh-lease," Bethanny answered. "With your luck, they're probably putting your name plate on the desk already."
Macy shook her head but deep down inside she knew that there was a great chance for her to land this promotion. She drove home from work in high spirits. She needed to be at Stella's place in three hours but she decided to make a quick detour before heading home. The mall was packed that Friday afternoon. She tried to ignore all the people wearing navy blue shirts with the familiar New York logo that Macy despised so much. If she could have it her way, she would show her true allegiance to her favorite team but since she was in the minority she tried to be discreet about it. She didn't want to be hated in her home town. But despite all this, she made her way to the clothing department store. She headed for the sports section and tried to look for the particular jersey she wanted to buy. Much to her dismay, the sports section decided to overstock on the New York jersey but she found what she was looking for all the way in the back. There were only two left but thankfully one of them was the right size. She was happy even though the cashier gave her a scornful look when she noticed her purchase.
Macy knew she had to be discreet so she wouldn't be caught. She promised him that she wouldn't buy it but Macy couldn't help it. The house was quiet and she slowly crept up the stairs eager to show him her purchase but when she opened the door to his room, he wasn't there. Where could he be?
"Nick!" she called from upstairs.
"Down here in the kitchen!" he called from below so Macy hurriedly went down the stairs and saw a sight that just melted her heart. Then changing her voice to a higher pitch she said, "There's my precious wittle boy! You're so cute! Yes, you are!"
"Ma-ma!" the young boy greeted Macy.
Macy continued to express her complete adoration in her best baby voice as the child Nick carried with one arm shrieked with delight. She gave Nick a quick kiss but concentrated more on the young boy that was now giving her a toothy grin.
"Mace, he wouldn't take his nap," Nick complained as he continued preparing the baby food for their son. "I tried everything but he just wouldn't sleep."
"Was it because you missed your mommy? I bet it was. You're so adorable! Yes, you are!" Macy cooed at her son who was now stretching his arms out indicated that he wanted his mother to hold him. Nick couldn't help but chuckle because he found it very amusing when his wife spoke in her baby voice to their son.
"Mace, he doesn't understand what you're saying," Nick pointed out. He had to tighten his grip on their child because he was squirming a lot from the attention Macy was giving him.
"Sure, he does," Macy said still in her baby voice. "He's a smart boy just like his momma. Right, Evan?"
But Evan just continued to shriek in delight as Macy kept making faces at him. Nick knew Macy wanted to hold him, so as much as he wanted to have more quality bonding time with his son, he turned around ready to give their son to her but Macy paused and frowned before she received him.
"Nick, what is MY SON wearing?" Macy said now in a serious tone when she noticed that Evan was wearing the familiar yet despised New York Yankees jersey.
Nick was expecting this to happen but he tried to play it cool and say, "MY SON is only wearing the best shirt ever known to man."
"Nick," Macy said in a reprimanding manner. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't influence him with our allegiance to opposing teams during the World Series game!"
"Like you're the one to talk!" Nick pointed out. "What's that in your hand?"
Macy quickly hid the jersey she bought at the department store behind her back.
"Nothing!" she said quickly but she knew she was caught.
"Doesn't look like nothing to me," Nick said as he quickly reached over with his other hand and grabbed the shirt from her grasp. "You were so going to do the same thing!"
He stared with disgust at the Boston Red Sox jersey Macy bought for Evan.
"It isn't for Evan," Macy lied and tried to seem offended by his accusation but she unsuccessfully thought up of an excuse. "It's for…uh…me…yeah that's right! I bought this shirt for myself."
Nick looked at her skeptically and said, "Macy, you may be small but I highly doubt you're going to fit into an 18-months-old t-shirt."
Although, now that he thought about it, the idea of Macy in a rather tight shirt, was definitely a major turn on for Mr. Nick Lucas. But he knew Macy didn't buy that shirt to seduce him.
Macy pouted and finally confessed, "Fine. You're right. I bought it for him but that doesn't change the fact that you also went behind my back and bought Evan that shirt."
This time it was Nick who scoffed at her accusation, "This thing? I didn't…um…buy it. It's my old shirt. Yeah, that's right. It used to be mine. And Evan didn't have anything else to wear so he needed to wear a shirt so I found this one. You don't want our child to go around naked and catch a cold, do you?"
Macy narrowed her eyes at him and said, "Old shirt? If that's your 'old shirt' than why does it still have the tag on it?"
Crap. He got busted. Nick quickly pulled out the tag but it was useless to defend himself because he knew that both of them were equally guilty.
"Okay, fine we're both guilty," Nick confessed. "I'll change him before we head over to Joe's."
Macy agreed and took Evan into her arms as she planted small kisses on his face and cheeks. She continued to cuddle him as Evan played with her hair.
"Besides, it's not going to be much of a game," Macy said matter-of-factly as she continued giving Evan Eskimo kisses. "We know that the Red Sox is the far superior team."
"You got to be kidding me!" Nick argued as he finished heating the baby food for Evan. "Yankees are so going to kick your team's butt. No questions ask!"
"Whatever, Nick," Macy said as she put her son in his high chair. "Red Sox all the way! Boston is going to teach New York a lesson by the end of the night."
"You're delusional, Macy," Nick said as he joined her and put the food in front of Evan.
He grabbed a spoon and began feeding him. Macy wanted to continue their argument about who was the better team but she had to stop as she watched Nick feed Evan. It just touched her heart as she marveled over her family. Evan was almost two but he was small for his age because he was a very picky eater and he won't touch his food if Macy or Nick didn't do the airplane routine where they pretended that the spoon was an incoming vessel ready for landing. Macy smiled as Nick attempted to make airplane noises for Evan to enjoy.
"So how was work?" Nick finally asked her when he finished feeding Evan.
"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you!" Macy said excitedly. "I think I'm up for that promotion as lead anchorwoman for ABC news!"
"That's great, Mace!" Nick said as he went over and gave her a hug. "When will you find out officially?"
"Well, I have a meeting with the executive producer on Monday," Macy continued. "But everyone's saying that I already have the position."
"Mace, that's awesome!" Nick said before he planted a kiss on her lips and he continued washing the bowl he used to feed Evan.
"I know," Macy said as she gave him a side embrace. "It's like a dream come true."
"I'm so proud of you, honey," Nick commented happily as he finished washing the rest of the utensils. "Now, Evan and I can watch you on TV during the 6 o'clock news."
Macy beamed up at him and looked over at Evan who was now busy clapping his hands. It's like he understood that something good happened to his mommy.
It was almost time to head over to Stella's so Macy needed to ask Nick something. It was a tradition they had every time one of their teams played a game.
"So what's the bet this time?" Macy asked him. "For me, if Red Sox wins, I want to have the whole week off from cooking and cleaning and have breakfast served to me in bed."
She always started with something over the top so that she can lessen her demands if Nick deemed it fit. She was expecting him to protest and change her request but she was surprised when all Nick said was "Fine."
"Really?" Macy asked him incredulously. Was Nick becoming soft after all their years together?
"Yes I'll do all of that, but if the Yankees kick your butt…then I want us to start trying for a little Macy," Nick confessed as he looked into her eyes because he wanted to see her reaction. He wasn't joking.
"Are you serious, Nick?" Macy asked him equally as serious as he was. "You want another baby?"
"Yeah, I mean Evan is almost two," Nick pointed out. "I think we can handle one more. Besides don't you want a little Macy, too?"
She really did want one but she wasn't sure if now was the right time.
"I do but, Nick, I'm on the verge of getting that promotion and I'm not sure now is the good time to juggle a job and two kids."
"Well, of course I'll be here to help and another baby can work for your benefit," Nick offered.
"How so?" she asked him curiously.
"I mean you can give the news one night and then add as breaking news, that you're expecting another baby with me," Nick explained shyly. He knew using his fame was a long shot to convince Macy that another kid was a good thing.
They both remembered the media hoopla that arose when Macy, a little known newswoman at that time, revealed that she was expecting her first child with the world-known rock-star Nick Lucas. Her popularity sky-rocketed and she instantly became the #1 most Google-searched person at that time.
"Nick, you want me to announce my pregnancy as breaking news?" Macy repeated because it really was an absurd notion but Nick really wanted another kid.
"Okay I know that's a little bit too much but please, Mace, just consider it for now," Nick pleaded. "Wouldn't it be great if we added a girl into the mix?"
She bit her lip as she thought about it. A little Macy did sound nice.
"Fine…I'll think about it," Macy said hesitantly.
Their discussion ended when Evan decided to take it upon himself to spill his drink all over his shirt much to Nick's dismay but Macy was secretly pleased because the dreaded jersey was rightfully soiled.
They put Evan into his car seat and drove across town to Joe and Stella's place but along the way Nick and Macy continued their argument about whether or not the Red Sox or Yankees would come out victorious at the end of the night.
"Macy, you know you're like the black sheep in all of New Jersey?" Nick pointed out. "Everyone here hates the Red Sox."
"I can't help it," Macy added. "I was born in Boston so I'm just appreciating my roots. Red Sox all the way! Right, Evan?"
"Reddy Sockies!" Evan squealed. "Reddy Sockies!"
Macy eyes went wide in delight as she turned around to look at her son. She was beyond happy that he was supporting her team but Nick groaned in disappointment.
"No, Evan!" Nick said. "Say Yan-kees! Yan-kees!"
But it was useless because both Macy and Evan were now chanting "Reddy Sockies" throughout the whole ride to Stella's and Joe's home.
"STELLA!" Macy said as she hugged her best friend in the whole world.
"MACY!" her blonde haired friend yelled back excitedly and then added in her best baby voice. "There's my adorable nephew! You're such a handsome boy! Auntie Stella made some new clothes for you! Yes, she did!""
While the girls were talking excitedly with one another, Nick and Joe had a less than enthusiastic greeting.
"Hey, bro," Joe simply greeted Nick.
"Hey," Nick said. "So how far along is Stella now?"
"She's in her second trimester," Joe said as he stared admiringly at her. "She keeps sewing clothes for him. I swear his closet is going to be packed even before he's born."
"It's a boy?" Nick said surprised. This was his first time hearing this.
"Yup," Joe said as he chuckled softly. "Isn't it the Lucas trend to have boys?"
"Yeah," Nick said quietly but he really wanted his next child with Macy to be a girl.
"Hey, Nick, can you take Evan? I need to help Stella in the kitchen," Macy called after him.
"Da-da!" the little boy yelled when he saw Nick.
"Sure. Come here, little guy," Nick said as he took his energetic son into his arms and then he said to his son, "Why don't you say hello to your Uncle Joe?"
Nick took his little hand in his and waved it at Joe. Evan shrieked in delight when he saw Nick's brother.
"Jo-jo!" Evan squealed. "Jo-Jo!"
"Hiya kiddo!" Joe said as he ruffled the young kid's thick mane of curly brown hair. "Nick, I swear to god he looks just like you. He's like a mini Nick Lucas."
"Yeah," Nick said proudly as he looked at his son. He gently kissed his son's forehead. He really loved his little guy. And yes, Evan really did resemble him when he was at that age. It was so uncanny. But Nick really wanted another kid that resembled more of Macy rather than him.
"Well, come on," Joe said. "Let's turn on the game. Kevin and Danielle are stuck in traffic but they want a play by play update before they get here."
The guys settled themselves in the living room while the girls chatted amongst themselves in the kitchen.
"Mace, I don't know how you did it," Stella sighed as she placed her hands on top of her growing belly. "I feel like I have to pee every five seconds."
Macy laughed and remarked, "One of the pitfalls of being pregnant."
"And my ankles are so swollen!" Stella complained. "They look like tree stumps."
Macy just laughed.
"But its okay," Stella said quietly. "I don't care how fat I get because I know in the end Joe and I are going to be rewarded with a beautiful baby boy just like your little Evan."
"Oh, I didn't know you were having a boy!" Macy exclaimed excitedly.
"Yup, we found out last weekend," Stella replied happily. "Evan is going to have a playmate soon. They can join little league together and do other boy stuff as they grow up."
"Speaking about playmates, you might want to add a little girl in the picture," Macy said casually.
"Macy! No way! Are you pregnant again?" Stella asked her amazingly.
"What! No!" Macy quickly replied. "But I was just talking to Nick before we got here and he mentioned that he wants to try for a little Macy."
"Awwww!" Stella said. "A little Macy sounds so cute. You should go for it! That way I can sew baby clothes for a girl!"
"But Stella I don't think now is the right time since I'm on the verge of getting that promotion I've always wanted," Macy pointed out.
"The lead anchorwoman spot?" Stella asked excitedly.
"Yup!"
They both squealed in delight.
"Oh my gosh, Mace!" Stella cried out happily. "I'm so happy for you! CONGRATS!"
They would have continued squealing in delight if it wasn't for the guys calling for them to the living room. Stella and Macy grabbed the chips and sandwiches and both of them sat with their loved ones. Macy took Evan from Nick and let him sit on her lap. Kevin and Danielle came moments later without their kids because as Kevin put it, "They are at that age when they rather hang out with friends than go to family parties."
The game started off in Nick's favor. The Yankees were leading 4-1. But then after half-time the tide turned and much to everyone's dismay except Macy's, the Red Sox persevered and won the World Series with a final score of 9-8.
"I can't believe it!" Nick groaned in disappointment as he looked over at Macy and Evan who were now both clapping their hands and yelling, "Red Sox! Red Sox!"
"Scratch what I said earlier," Joe said to Nick. "Evan may be you on the outside but he's definitely Macy on the inside."
The young boy continued his chant of "Reddy Sockies! Reddy Sockies!"
"Great. I already failed as a dad," Nick lamented as he stared disapprovingly at his son. "I never thought my son would be a supporter of that team at such a young age."
After more catching up with everyone, Nick and Macy left around 9 at night. Macy was talking excitedly about the highlights of the game and Nick, because he was too tired to argue with her, listened patiently as she praised her favorite team. He gave up trying to teach Evan how to say Yankees because it seemed like the young boy already solidified his team allegiance.
Nick needed to take a shower so Macy was stuck with the task of putting Evan to bed. But the young boy was always full of energy. She tried rocking him back and forth and even attempted to sing him a lullaby but that made it worse because she wasn't blessed with singing talent like her husband. So when she heard him turn off the shower, Macy didn't waste any time calling for him.
"Nick! A little help over here!" she called.
"Coming," he replied and in a matter of minutes Nick was in the nursery with her. He was already in his pajamas and his hair was still dripping wet. He ran his towel through his hair while he asked her. "What is it, Mace?"
"Can you please sing him a lullaby?" Macy asked as she handed over their son to him. "He won't sleep."
"Sure thing," Nick said as he cradled Evan in his arms and began singing him a lullaby.
Macy smiled at them. She loved moments like this when she can just stand back and watch Nick interact with their son because never in a million years would she have believed that she would marry Nick and have a child with him. If her 16-year-old self could see her now, she would have definitely felt like she won the jack-pot, which was true because Nick and Evan were two of the greatest things that ever happened in her life. Nick's voice quieted down once he noticed the young boy was drifting into slumber. Macy reached over and kissed Nick on the cheek as she ran her fingers gently through Evan's hair.
"I swear, Nick," Macy said quietly as she wrapped her other arm around Nick's waist. "Evan is a spitting image of you."
Nick looked over his shoulder at her and then stared at their sleeping child and said, "Oh I don't know about that. He has some of you in him."
"Really? Like where?" Macy asked him skeptically because Evan was completely, 100% a mini Nick Lucas—his thick curly hair, his intense eyes, his nose, and even his facial expressions.
"Well, he has your chin," Nick pointed out.
"My chin?" Macy said as she looked at that particular spot on the young boy. "That's not really much. Besides I bet once he grows up his chin will suddenly change to resemble yours."
She pouted her lips because there really was no trace of Macy Misa in their adorable son.
"Mace, don't say that," Nick said almost reprimandingly because he could tell that Macy was a bit disappointed that none of her features made it to Evan. If anything, people could say Evan was a clone of Nick. However, Nick wanted to point out that this was another good reason why they should try for another baby so that Macy can have another chance to have a fair share in the gene pool of their next child but he didn't want to press the matter since Macy already expressed some apprehension. He carefully put Evan into his crib so he wouldn't wake up. They both stared admiringly at him and he said quietly to Macy, "There's your answer."
"What?" Macy asked him curiously. "What's my answer?"
Nick sighed and smiled at Macy.
"Remember that day when we got together?" Nick asked her. "And you were scared that we wouldn't last?"
Macy remembered that day clearly. It was the beginning of her life with Nick so she could never forget that fateful night at the dance.
"Yeah, I remember."
"Well, there's your answer," Nick repeated as he looked at the sleeping child again. "We lasted Macy and we'll always last. And if Evan isn't proof of that then I don't know what is."
Macy looked at Nick who was still staring at their son. She loved both of them so much that it was impossible for her to look back at her younger self when she was so full of doubts about her relationship with Nick because right now, there was nothing that could ever tear them apart. Nick was right. They lasted and will always last.
"I love you Nick," Macy said as she tilted her head up for a kiss which Nick gladly returned.
"I love you, too, Mace."
Macy was thinking about something and finally said, "Nick?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Let's try for it," Macy said slowly because she knew her words carried a lot of weight.
"Huh?"
"Nick, I want a little Macy, too," she confessed as she looked up at him.
"Yeah?" Nick said as a smile crept on his face.
"Yeah," Macy confirmed as she smiled back at him. Nick kissed her passionately on the lips again.
They both left Evan's room quietly and headed towards their room.
"Nick, I hope you have a lot of energy left in you," Macy teased him. "You're going to need it if you want to make another Red Sox fan."
"Red Sox fan! As if!" Nick replied. "Isn't one enough? Besides, I'm going to make sure her first word is Yankees and we'll go to all the ball games together."
"Nick, you got to be kidding me!" Macy argued. "If she's a little Macy then she's going to be me inside and out."
"We'll see about that," Nick retorted and then he added in a mildly serious manner. "Mace, you better get ready because I'm going to make this one intense practice session."
"Oh, Nick, we'll see about that," Macy said seductively as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside their room. "I'm going to tire you out first by the time I'm done with you, Nicky-boo."
Macy and Nick may be complete opposites who often disagreed with each other but once they entered their room, they were no longer arguing with one another because they both wanted one thing that they could agree on—another child to add to their growing family and that's why when they reached their room, they kissed and kissed some more until they closed the door and took comfort in each other's embrace.
And this concludes the tale of the Great Pretenders because in the end they found something that was real. Nick and Macy no longer had to pretend because the love they had for one another blossomed and there was no point in hiding it any more. And because of the true love they had for each other, they got married and started their own little family. And from their love they were able to make a child, Nicolas Evan Lucas.
And even though their relationship started off as something completely fake, it steadily evolved into something so real and genuine that they both couldn't deny the true love that existed between them. Thus, the relationship between Nick Lucas and Macy Misa lasted and will always last and nothing can be more real than that.
THE END.
Closing Remarks:
And there you have it! That's it! It was a pleasure writing this story because I really like the Nick and Macy interaction here. For me, I like when couples can have playful banter back and forth with each other. Seriously, the most fun I had when writing this story was the dialogue between the two of them. I'm so glad many of you enjoyed this story. I'm also happy that you all followed the journey of the Nacy romance here because I know this story took longer to update than most of my other stories. I'm not sure when I will be able to start a new story (which can mean a sequel or continuation) but I'm going to wait it out and see what the results are in the poll . Maybe I'll give it two weeks. In the mean time, I might just go ahead and start concentrating on Trust Me since that was my original plan. But I wanted to put a poll on my page just to see what my readers were interested in. So hopefully you guys will enjoy my future stories as well. Seriously, I hope my creative streak doesn't run out any time soon. I swear, writing for me is such a joy.
Thanks again! REVIEW! and VOTE!
-Penelope36
