"Everything is okay, baby," Miley whispered to her son, "Time to go back to bed." She lifted him up into her arms and kissed his head. "Where's Ben?" Luke asked, eyeing the strange man as his mother carried him into his room. "He went home. Try to go back to sleep sweetheart," She laid him back down and pulled up the covers. "I'm not tired," the little boy protested. "Then just lay there and close your eyes, okay? I'll come in and check on you in a couple of minutes."
Luke closed his eyes. Miley stared down at her son with all the love in her heart. She had ruined everything, if only she had told Nick the truth from the beginning. "I'm not sleeping," Luke reminded her when she turned of his light and quietly shut the door behind her.
In the living room, Nick was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands. "He's mine," he said when he heard her come back into the room. It wasn't a question. "Yes," Miley said weakly. He looked up at her. "And who was that guy?" "My neighbor, he was babysitting." Nick stood up and cautiously approached her. In just a few seconds, a multitude of emotions played across his face, from disbelief, to anger, to pleading. Then abruptly, his face turned stony, not revealing anything of what he was feeling. He looked so calm, that Miley wasn't sure if she had imagined what she had just seen on his face.
Nick was staring at her like he had never seen her before, "Were you ever going to tell me?" "Yes," She pleaded, "I was going to tell you, I was just scared." "What's his name?" "Lukas. Lukas James." "Lukas," Nick tested the name out, and shook his head slightly. "When's his birthday?" "March 7." He paused for a moment. "Who—where does he think his father is?" "He hasn't asked about his father yet. I haven't told him anything." Nick sat down on the couch again, staring at the blank screen of the little T.V.
"We'll get married." "What?" Miley almost fell over with shock. The statement was so abrupt; she hadn't been expecting anything like that at all. "What-what do you mean?" "I mean exactly what I say. In three weeks time, no more, we will get married. You and Lukas will come to live with me." "B-but, I can't!" Miley protested, mostly out of shock than anything else. You couldn't just decide to get married, just like that. "Why not?" Nick demanded, "I have enough money to take care of you and our son comfortably. He needs a father, and I'll be damned if I let any other man be that to him."
He didn't mention anything about love. He wasn't even asking her, he was telling her. Miley wondered if he really meant what he said earlier that night, if he really loved her. With a sinking heart, she knew that if he reassured her of his feelings, and promised to love her and their son, she would gladly throw herself into his arms and marry him in a second. As it was, it was just his pride that was talking, not his heart. He wanted to prove that he owned her. Miley shook her head, "I can't." Tell me again, she was screaming silently, tell me you love me.
There was a long pause. "Miley," Nick said calmly but sternly, "I'm getting my son one way or another. You've deprived me of the first four years of his life, but you won't take away the rest from me. Now I'm giving you the chance to come with him, take it or leave it." Miley shook her head desperately, "You can't!" she almost shouted, horrified, "You can't take my son away from me!"
"I don't want to, but I will if I have to, and don't think that I won't." Miley was almost in tears again, and Nick added more gently. "Do it for our son. You'll be giving him a good home, with two loving parents-even if they don't love each other."
So that was it. He didn't love her anymore. He wasn't giving her a choice, really. He knew she couldn't leave her son, or take a risk of losing him. "Yes," she answered him quietly. "I'll marry you." What normally should have made her ecstatically happy put a deep gulf of worry in the pit of her stomach.
Miley stood nervously by the door. Normal for a bride to be nervous, she thought, but then there wasn't anything normal about this wedding, really. All it needed was a shotgun, the thought. Just as Nick had promised, it had been three weeks, and they were getting married. During that time, he had treated her, for the most part, as any fiancé would. He took her and Luke out places all the time, was polite and courteous. They hadn't slept together again, hadn't even kissed, except for the chaste, formal kisses goodbye and hello.
Luke did seem pleased to have a father figure around, at least. When Miley had sat him down and told him Nick was his father, it didn't seem to faze him at all. He took it like a little champ, probably because he was still so young. He seemed a bit wary of Nick, considering what happened the first time he met him, but due to Nick's careful attention, Luke warmed up to him pretty quickly. Indeed, Nick seemed fascinated with his son, doting on him at every turn.
"Time to go, sweetie," Jennifer, the wedding planner, opened the door and gently spoke to her. Miley gave a brave smile and stood up. She didn't have anyone to walk her down the aisle, but that didn't really matter. Fran was her only bridesmaid, and was already standing at the front of the church, beaming at her as she walked into the room. She didn't know anything about the situation, she thought they were the most perfectly happy couple. Everyone else was staring at her, too, but Miley tried to avoid their faces. Most of them were Nick's guests anyhow.
Little Luke was standing up there proudly with his father. Because Miley had nowhere else to look, she glanced at Nick's face. He was staring at her, his expression unreadable. She quickly looked away. For the past three weeks, it hadn't really hit her that she was actually going to marry him. Not when he took her out and bought her an engagement ring, not when he introduced her to his family.
Finally she was standing beside him, and he grasped her hand. For Miley, the whole ceremony felt like it took a matter of moments, she just couldn't seem to keep her mind focused on what was really happening. She was startled when the minister spoke her name, and spat out the perfunctory "I do" when asked for it. Nick slipped the ring onto her finger.
At the reception, Nick made sure that no one could guess that they weren't the happiest, most in love couple to ever take their vows. Everyone seemed surprised that they weren't going on a honeymoon. When Nick asked her about it, Miley had instantly spoken against it. She didn't think she would be able to spend all that time alone with him, not when every time they were together, Miley thought she would burst from the level of stress in the room.
But even without the formal honeymoon, there was still their wedding night, which couldn't be avoided. Miley flitted nervously about her new room, avoiding the ominous presence of the king sized bed. She had already checked on Luke, settled snuggly in his new bed. Nick had gone out of his way to make Luke's new room everything a little boy could dream of.
"Don't look so scared," Nick demanded harshly from where he sat on the bed. "I'm not scared," Miley said defensively, but the slight tremor in her voice gave her away. He suddenly stood up from the bed and walked over to her. "It doesn't have to be like this," he said gently, wrapping his arms around her waist, "You were happy with me, before. I can make you happy again." He tugged her gently over to the bed. Miley let his stronger body control hers, letting him gently push her back down onto the bed.
"W-wait," Miley said when he started to kiss her neck. "Stop thinking so much," he said gently, stroking her hair. "Just relax." He was being gentle, but still she couldn't get her anxiety to pass. Her body wanted him to make love to her, but she couldn't get her head to stop screaming "no!" "Stop it," She said, pushing him away from her and sitting up. "I don't get it, Miley. What's changed? You enjoyed this before." Nick growled angrily, sitting inches from her. Miley couldn't take his close proximity, and stood up. "What's changed?" she said angrily, "You forced me to marry you! That's what's changed."
Nick also popped to his feet. "You kept my son from me!" He accused right back. Then he seemed to calm down, getting himself back under a tenuous control. "Can't we just forgive each other? Start anew?" He asked gently. Miley looked at him, incredulous. "Start over again? We can't just keep pretending like the past never happened. I can't forget that easily." "So that's it, is it? You still haven't forgiven me for what happened four years ago?" Miley shook her head in denial. She hadn't meant that, not at all. Nick took it as a confirmation, though.
"Miley—" his voice was pleading as he took a step toward her. She automatically took as step in back. This seemed to enrage him more than anything else, and he stomped toward her in three long strides. He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her roughly against his chest. "You gave yourself to me." His voice was full of accusation. "You begged me to make love to you, and you enjoyed it. Don't pretend like you don't forgive me. Don't pretend like you don't want me."
He bent his head and angrily started kissing her. Miley stood pliant in his arms, hating what he was doing, refusing to kiss him back. Nick seemed to sense her passive resistance, and he gentled his kiss. He started coaxing her mouth, his kiss full of passion now, instead of anger. He encouraged her to kiss him back, teasing her lips. Miley had to struggle not to respond now, but she managed. She wouldn't give into him that easily.
Nick pulled his head back, not loosening his grip on her shoulders, though. "Are you going to rape me again?" Miley's voice was full of acid. He abruptly released her, stumbling backwards. She knew she had hurt him, but she didn't care. He kicked the bed as hard as he could, then stomped out of the room.
Miley listened to him go down to the living room, guessing that he was going to sleep on the couch. She didn't know why he didn't just sleep in the guest room, but she didn't think too much about it. How had things gone so wrong? She knew it was her fault, Nick had been more than willing to forgive and forget. Why couldn't she do the same also? Why couldn't she make love to him?
Because she loved him, and he didn't love her. Not anymore. Miley climbed into the bed that they had once made love in. The night before things had gotten so messed up, when they were still happy together. She couldn't fall asleep for the longest time that night. She kept thinking about their marriage. How would she be able to survive it? Things couldn't go on this way forever, could they? Nick would get tired of her. He would leave her.
Miley woke up the next morning, feeling tired. She didn't feel like she had even gotten any sleep last night, but after laying in bed for a couple of minutes, she realized that she wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. Reluctantly, she got out of bed. She didn't know what to do, it was like being in a stranger's house. Should she go downstairs? Should she get dressed first? She came to the conclusion that she couldn't face Nick looking without first taking a shower and getting dressed. She quickly did both, and walked downstairs with her hair still wet.
"Morning mommy," Luke greeted her, clapping his butter-covered hands. He and Nick were obviously making pancakes, and Nick seemed to have no qualms about letting Luke get into as much mess as possible. "We're making blueberry pancakes." Luke said proudly. "That's great sweety," Miley smiled at her son. She wanted to go over and give him a kiss, but Nick was all too close. She avoided his eyes. "Why don't you have a seat," Nick asked her. Miley nodded and sat down at the kitchen table.
"Go take these over to mommy," Miley heard him tell Luke, who a moment later arrived by her side with a plate full of blueberry pancakes. "These look delicious," she told her son, taking the plate from his hands and setting it on the table in front of her. Luke climbed onto her lap, and reached for a pancake. He started to happily shove pieces of it into his mouth.
Miley grabbed a couple for herself, drenching them in syrup. Nick sat down across from her with another batch, which he hungrily started to devour. "I promised Luke that we would all go to the zoo today," He said casually, looking at her, "If that's okay with you?" Miley couldn't believe how casual he was acting, like nothing had ever happened.
"Yay, mommy," Luke started bouncing on her lap after being reminded of the special day ahead, "The zoo!" He turned to her and wrapped his little arms around her neck. Miley found that she couldn't really say no, although she didn't know how she could get through spending the whole day with Nick. At least Luke would be there as a buffer. "That's fine with me," she answered Nick, and Luke smiled shouted happily and gave her a kiss. At least he seemed to have adjusted quickly to his new home, only took him a day.
"I'm gonna get dressed," Luke shouted and ran for his room. "Wait for me," Miley said, following her son as he ran up the stair on his little legs. She thought maybe she should stay and help with the dishes, but she didn't want to be alone with Nick.
Luke was ecstatic the whole way to the zoo. You would think that kid had never been there before, Miley thought. She couldn't get over her son's endless energy and enthusiasm. She hoped that was something that would never change for him, as well as his ability to adapt. "Hurry mommy," Luke grabbed her hand and started tugging on it in his impatience to travel the parking lot. Once Nick had paid the tickets, and they were inside, he turned to Luke.
"What do you want to do first?" "The monkeys," Miley and Luke both said at the same time, Luke's voice undeniably more excited than hers. Miley turned in the direction she knew well. The monkeys were Luke's favorite exhibit, and they inevitably stopped there first and last upon every visit to the zoo. "Come on daddy," he said, grabbing Nick's hand. Despite how uncomfortable things were between Nick and her at the moment, Miley felt her heart give a warm little flutter when Luke called him "daddy."
Nick seemed to like it, too, because a sappy grin soon came to his face. "Okay," his voice sounded as eager as Luke's, "lead the way."
The whole day was pretty wonderful. it felt like they were a real family. At the end of the day, Nick ended up carrying a sleepy Luke, the boy's little head resting on his father's shoulder. Their identical curly hair mixed together, and Miley couldn't stop staring at the two people who meant more to her in the world than anyone else.
"I'm going to just put him in bed," Nick said quietly as he took Luke out of Miley's arms so that she could unbuckle herself and get out of the car. "He's had a long day, sleepy little thing," She said affectionately, stroking Luke's hair and kissing the top of his head. She disconcertedly found that she wanted to do the same to Nick. He carried the little boy into his room and tucked him in. Miley was already undressed and in her pajamas when Nick walked into the room. Would he try to sleep with her again? She wondered. Would she let him?
"I really enjoyed today," Nick finally said. "Me too," and she found that she was being completely honest. "I'm glad," he said, taking a step closer to her. "I'm sorry about what happened last night." Miley didn't say anything, only stared at him in amazement. "I know it was completely my fault. I shouldn't have tried to push you." His voice was full of chagrin. "I know now that I can't take you for granted, you're still wary of me, and that's completely understandable." He was slowly approaching her as he spoke, as though she were a wild animal that he was afraid might bolt if he moved too fast. He was right in front of her now.
"Just let me prove to you that I won't push you. Let me earn your trust back," and he hesitantly lifted his hands, gauging her reaction. Miley was too surprised and confused to move. He was treating her as cautiously as he would a live bomb. He put his hands on her waist and took a step forward, hugging her unresisting body. When she didn't try to pull away, he let out a long breath. "Let me hold you tonight, okay? Nothing more, I promise." He looked down at her face.
Miley could only manage to nod. "Get in bed," he told her, pushing her the step it took her to reach the bed. She obediently climbed in under the covers and watched him. He had already taken his shoes off, and now he pulled off his shirt, revealing his lean, muscled chest. He unbuckled his belt and kicked his pants off to join his discarded shirt. In nothing but his boxers, he climbed into bed beside Miley. Eagerly he took her and pulled her back into his arms, molding her body into his. "Comfortable?" he asked her. "Yes." And she was, the most comfortable she thought she had ever been.
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