"Nikolas Cassadine, you better let me take this blindfold off right this minute. You don't know these roads, you need me to navigate," Nadine demanded impatient, tugging uselessly on the sturdy knot keeping the black silk handkerchief securely over her cornflower blue eyes. She let out a frustrated grunt and threw her hands in the air before throwing herself back against the leather seat. "Would you at least give me a clue? I am supposed to be showing you around."

Laughter echoed deep in Nikolas' chest as he glanced sidelong at his girlfriend. He reached over and grabbed her hand. They had been in Texas for three days now, and he had liked living in her world. Things were much simpler here, miles away from anyone and everything they knew. He had enjoyed watching her danced around in the meadow of wildflowers in her favorite sundress, laughing as the silky grass tickled her bare feet. She had taken him horseback riding through the trails that wound around the bed and breakfast where they were staying and to a few favorite haunts from her high school days. Nadine had even managed to coax him to go wading in the creek with her despite the chilly water. Of course, using her body to warm him up as an incentive had made the task pretty easy, but he had still liked just doing something so normal that he had missed out on as a kid.

"You haven't let me plan a single thing so far, so I thought that I would take a little initiative," he declared before turning the luxury truck off the main highway and onto the quiet gravel road leading them to their final destination. It had taken a little digging to find this place, but thanks to a persistent research assistant at Cassadine Industries, he had managed to find exactly what he was looking for. "Besides, if I tell you now, I'm going to miss the look in your eyes when you finally see your surprise. Trust me, I'm only doing it for that look."

A slow smile spread across her lips as she moved closer to Nikolas on the bench seat. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he managed to negotiate the steering wheel and hold onto her at the same time. The two of them had decided to come to Texas alone this time around with a promise to bring Spencer when they returned in the spring. Nikolas had wanted a little time away from Port Charles with Nadine, and this was their first time going away together. She had made sure that every detail was perfect, from planning their travel arrangements with his agent at the company to finding the right accommodations. It was a simple, cozy hotel with just a dozen rooms, mostly couples taking the weekend away from their children. None of them had any idea that he was a wealthy billionaire or that she was a neurotic nurse. In fact, no one here knew anything about them. To their fellow guests in Texas, they were just a young couple that appeared to be madly in love with each other.

Nikolas reached forward and flipped on the radio. Nadine started to hum along to the familiar country song instantly, her sweet voice filling the small cab of the truck. As he took another turn, she stopped singing and turned her head to look up at him. "Hey, Nik?"

The truck slowed down to let a tractor cross between fields, and Nikolas turned to tilt her chin so that she was looking in the right direction. She turned her face instinctively to rest in his palm. It was a small, sweet moment that Nikolas was determined to remember. He had been taking mental snapshots during their entire visit to Texas and cementing the memories in his mind. He had never seen her this happy or free. She had barely even rambled since she had been home. "Hmmm?"

"I love you," she murmured, reaching up timidly in search of his face. He reached for her fingertips and guided them to his rough cheeks. The pads of her thumb traced over his unshaved jaw line. She tilted her mouth up in anticipation as he swooped down to meet her. A ragged moan escaped past her lips and into his mouth. When he had swallowed every ounce of air from her lungs, he pulled away and pulled the blindfold up slightly so that he could see her intense azure eyes. "Hey, you."

"Hi," he whispered back before leaning into kiss her again. The corners of her lips curved up into a smile as she inched toward him, her hands wandering down to his jean-clad thighs. He knew how easily they could get out of control and that he could have her pinned beneath his body within a matter of seconds. However, he hadn't brought her all the way into the country just to make love to her. He really was after that delicious twinkle she got in her eyes whenever she was really and truly happy. He knew that his surprise would guarantee that he got what he'd come for. Nikolas reluctantly pulled away and yanked the silk sash back over her eyes. "Nice try, honey, but you're not going to find out until we get there."

Crossing her arms over her chest in defeat, Nadine muttered under her breath and tried to ignore the pounding of her racing heart. She hadn't exactly intended to seduce the truth out of Nikolas, but if he just happened to let it slip in the throes of passion, she wouldn't have really minded. "How much longer?"

"I love you, too," he simply retorted, answering her sentiment earlier. It was only a few more miles to their destination, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He wanted her to anticipate this as much as he had since he'd started planning it. The truck crossed over a one-lane bridge that ran over a small creek and then turned into a long private drive. Tall oak trees lumbered overhead on both sides of the rocky path, casting a shadowy ceiling above them. Nikolas turned the truck back toward the road before throwing it into park. Finally, he reached for the knot of the blindfold and carefully lowered it from her eyes. "Surprise."

A barely audible gasp was the only reaction Nikolas was given as her eyes widened on the beautiful scenery around them. She looked at him aghast, her jaw dropped as she tried to find her voice again. Leaves of bright scarlet and deep gold and burnt orange littered the still green grass around a simple white clapboard house. A wraparound porch hugged the exterior of the house with the ornate oak front door set perfectly in the middle. "How did you…"

"I have my ways," he announced as he slipped out of the truck. He reached for her hand and dragged her out of the truck. Nadine looked up at the house in amazement, trying to remember how many years it had been since she had stood in this very spot. Her hand found Nikolas as she clung to him tightly, trying to take in all the familiar smells and sounds at once. "When you told me that you wanted to come home, I really wanted you to go home. I wanted you to show me the place where you grew up."

Nadine felt Nikolas transfer a small piece of metal from his palm to hers. She lifted the key and inspected it curiously. After all this time, she couldn't believe that she was going to have the chance to go inside her childhood home. This was the place where Aunt Raylene had taught her how to cook, Jolene had chased her up and down the stairs, Matty Tompkins had kissed her after homecoming and Sheriff Wilkins had dropped her off when she'd had one too many drinks the night of graduation. Without waiting for Nikolas, she sprinted toward the front door and slid the key into the lock. She opened the door and headed into the living room anxiously. It was a little different from when they had lived there, but it pretty much still looked like the same house.

He followed her into the cozy kitchen as she rushed toward the pantry. Nadine ran her finger along the smooth trim, grinning as she looked at the penciled numbers lining the pale yellow wall. "She used to measure us every year on our birthday," she told Nikolas, showing him where her aunt had kept their measurements. "Afterward, she would make our favorite cake and dinner. I always had strawberry cake with strawberry icing. Jolene liked chocolate cake with fudge frosting."

Taking his hand, she pulled him toward the back staircase that led to the pair of bedrooms that had belonged to her and her sister. "Jolene liked this room because it overlooked the road. She used to lean as far out the window as she could just so that she could hear the cars passing by," she remembered. The walls in this room were a light lavender with white trim. A small desk sat in the corner opposite a child's canopy bed. "This is the same bed she had growing up. I guess the current owners didn't get rid of everything."

Up until now, she hadn't thought about the fact that someone actually owned the house. She wondered how Nikolas had gotten hold of the key but knew that he wouldn't likely tell her. Rather than question him, she just led him across the hallway to her bedroom. Tears sprang to her eyes as she took in the room where all of her childhood memories and dreams were stored. "I liked this room because I could sneak out and sit on the roof. Jolene was always too scared but not me." Nikolas grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the window. Crawling out ahead of her, he helped her step out carefully so that she could sit on the black shingles. He managed to sit behind her and wrapped his legs and arms around her. Leaning back against him, she smiled up at him over her shoulder. Nikolas leaned down and kissed her briefly before straightening back up. "I'd sit out here for hours and dream of the day when I would live in New York City. I loved Texas, but growing up in this little town made me want to get a million miles away sometimes."

"I know that feeling very well. In fact, substitute Greece for Texas and you just described my entire childhood," he replied. Nadine started to point out different features of the sizable backyard, including the nearby barn where she'd broken her arm in the fourth grade after she jumped from the hayloft. She also told him about the patch of grass where they had kept the garden in the summer and the small metal shed that had housed their bicycles. "You really are a country girl."

"Born and bred!" she exclaimed proudly, a wide grin taking up her entire face. He smoothed her hair back affectionately. "I love Port Charles, don't get me wrong, but this will always be where I come from. It's my roots, part of my insides."

Nikolas almost wished that he felt a deep connection to a place, but most of his devotions were rooted in people. Besides his son, he was tethered to Lucky and Lulu as well as Alexis and the girls. Now, he had Nadine, a woman whose life was completely entwined with his. "I actually have one more surprise for you," he confessed, pulling out a single piece of white paper that had been folded in half a few times. He had really thought hard before making this decision because he knew that it had the potential to blow up in his face. She could so easily be offended by what he did, but he wanted to do it for her. "Here, look at this."

She took the piece of paper from him and unfolded it carefully. He watched her eyes scan the page, widening and then squinting as she took in each word of the typed text. "Does this say what I think it says?" she asked rhetorically. Nadine was looking up at him now with a look on her face he'd never seen before. He couldn't tell how she felt about this. "Did you buy me this house?"

He nodded slowly as he pointed out the place where the owner was listed on the deed. He'd put the house in her name because even if they weren't together for the rest of their lives, he wanted her to have this place to come home to. "It belongs with you, with your family. You love this house. I just wanted to give the woman I loved something she loved."

"Nikolas," she shook her head. She felt frustrated that he was always doing these grand gestures and wanted to be mad at him for doing something this big without asking. However, as she looked into his chocolate eyes and thought about the fact that he'd just bought her childhood home simply to see her smile, she couldn't help but grin. "You are so going to get lucky later."

"Oh, really?" he teased with a chuckle. She nodded cheekily at him and winked as he turned her around in his arms. Pressing his forehead to hers, he reached up to play with the wisps of blonde hair framing her face. Nadine read the hunger in his gaze and pressed her palms against his chest before diving in for his mouth. They wrestled for control as she maneuvered him onto his back and covered his body with the entire length of her lean frame. "I've never done this on a roof. Maybe we should…"

"Shut up?" she suggested between kisses, her fingers working his belt buckle white her lips worked his mouth. She stood up, smoothed her skirt and stepped out of her panties, tossing them to the side before unbuckling his corduroy trousers. They couldn't get completely undressed because the farm wasn't completely private, but Nadine could find ways to work around that. Nikolas gasped as she stood straddling his body and settled herself onto his lap. Guiding her by the waist, they began to move in sync, her body against his. Every once in awhile, she would let the stray curse word or strained moan of encouragement slip. Nikolas buried his face in her chest as she threw her head back in delicious bliss.

As their breaths became more and more ragged, Nikolas increased the speed so that her body was bucking against his. He held her tightly against his chest, wanting them to stay locked together as they rode out the waves of mutual pleasure together. She called out his name, begging for release until finally he gave in. As they came down from their high, he kept their bodies entwined and rolled them over so that they were lying on their sides.

When a few minutes of silence had passed, Nikolas laid soft kisses over both of her eyelids and lips. "You okay?" he asked, as he often did after they'd made love. She liked that he was always so protective and aware of her feelings. Nadine promised that she was fine as he slid from her body and helped her sit up. "That was…wow."

"Yeah," she laughed nervously. She had never been this adventurous with any other man, but sometimes, Nikolas would just do something to inspire her. "I just wanted to show you how appreciative I was of your kind and wonderful gift. It's not everyday that a girl gets her childhood home handed to her on a proverbial silver platter."

"Anything to make you smile."

"Well, you might want to look in the mirror, buddy, because I am not the only one who is smiling here," she pointed out. Nikolas had a very pleased grin plastered on his handsome face, one that she was proud to know she had put there. "I can't wait to bring Spencer down here. He'll love the farm."

Nikolas nodded in agreement as his eyes swept over the impressive backyard. He was actually surprised by how at home he felt here considering it was unlike anywhere else he'd ever been. Maybe it was having her there or hearing all her stories, but he just felt safe here. "Maybe we could invite Lucky and Liz to bring down the boys. We could make a week of it," he thought aloud. "I'm sure that Alexis would love to bring Kristina and Molly here, too. She's always talking about taking them to the country."

"I can't imagine Alexis in Texas," Nadine confessed. She would probably show up with her Starbucks travel cup in one hand and BlackBerry in the other. "Then again, I never thought that you would fit here so well."

"Ah, does that mean I get my honorary Stetson soon?"

"Hold on there, Tex," she laughed. "You have to work your way up to that one."

Laughing to himself as he buckled his belt, Nikolas helped Nadine stand up and crawled back into the house. She finished giving him a tour of the house, filling each room with years of stories. When they finally came back downstairs into the living room, she sat down on the red velvet couch in the middle of the room and pulled him down with her. "I'm really glad that we came to Texas, but I'm happy that this trip is almost over," she confessed. "It's a good thing we're going back to Port Charles tomorrow because I miss Spencer."

Nikolas felt his heart swell at her little admission. Up until their little escapade on the roof, he had been thinking about what his little boy was missing out on here and what they were missing out on by not having him there. "Me too," he agreed, "but I'm still glad we came on our own. We needed this time alone."

"Yes, we did," she concurred with a kiss. They had grown much closer during their little jaunt to Texas, something she wasn't sure was even possible. For the first time, Nadine had let herself think that she might have a future with Nikolas that extended beyond the next few months. In fact, last night as they'd sat at dinner, she'd actually thought that they just might actually get married. However, she knew that it had just been a year since Emily died, and she couldn't rush things. They were still so new, and no matter how right her heart insisted that this was, she couldn't be the one to take it there. It needed to be his idea, and all she could do was trust that it would come. "Let's go home."