Jess snuggled against Nick's chest for a few minutes in silence. His arm was around her and he was methodically tracing his fingers up and down her upper arm.

Jess murmured with her eyes closed. "Nick, I need to take my contacts out, but I don't even want to move."

He squeezed her arm, smiling. "Hmmm, then don't."

She lifted her head slowly, and stared at him sleepily. "I love you."

"I love you too, Jessica."

She let out a loud sigh and moaned as she sat up. His hand trailed down her back, gently scratching it. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes again. "God, that feels so good."

Nick let out a small growl and gave her back a tap. "You better get moving before we end up in another one of your challenges."

Her eyes darted open and she laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Wouldn't want you to fall asleep during your speech tomorrow." She turned around and smiled at him as she stood up.

"Right, don't remind me." He rubbed his eyes.

She walked to the chair and put on her pajamas, grabbing a hairtie off the dresser and pulling her hair back in a messy ponytail. She motioned to the opposite side of the bed where Nick was laying. "Hey, throw me my makeup bag, would ya?"

He sat up and leaned over the bed. "Shit, I dumped it out getting the condom."

She threw up her hands and ran around the bed. "Nick, all my jewelry for the wedding was in there!"

He swung his legs over and leaned over to start picking up the contents of the bag off the floor. "Sorry Jess, would you rather get pregnant?!"

Jess looked up from her squatted position in front of the mess and her head snapped back just a little. His voice had such a harsh tone to it, and for some reason, it made her a little emotional. "Gee Nick, be a little more sensitive, would you?"

"Excuse me?"

She shook her head and looked at the floor, scooping up the last of the contents and holding the bag out for Nick to put the things he had picked up back in the bag. "Nevermind. Just. Don't be so...I don't know..." Her voice trailed off.

Nick looked at her confused. "I'm sorry Jess, I don't know what I just said to get you so upset."

Her eyes started to well up a little and she started walking toward the door. "Just forget it."

Nick jumped out of bed and grabbed her arm, just as she was ready to turn the doorknob. "Hey, what's happening here?" He was incredibly confused as to why she had tears in her eyes, and he definitely hadn't set out to upset her. He still wasn't sure what he had said.

Her voice softened to a whisper. "Obviously I don't want to get pregnant right now. But...well...I just." He tried to get her to look at him, but she turned away. "I just don't like when you talk about it as this horrible thing."

His frustrated glare fell and he rubbed her shoulders. His right hand moved to the side of her face and he gently coaxed her head upward. "Hey, I don't EVER mean that I NEVER want kids. You know that, right?" He searched her eyes, hoping he would see some understanding in them. This was new territory for him, and definitely a conversation that they had never had before. "I just meant NOW."

She stared into his eyes for a moment before he continued, his voice cracking. "When we're ready, I want kids with you."

Jess felt her breath catch in the back of her throat. Did she really hear him correctly? Had he thought about this before? It wasn't her intention to have this conversation right at this moment, especially at this point in their relationship. But hearing him say it, made her realize how much she wanted to hear it.

"Wait, so, you've thought about it before?"

He swallowed hard. Was this too soon? Should he really be admitting all of this right now? "Yes, Jess. I have. I think...No, I KNOW that this is serious for me. And, for me at least, that means," He paused looking for some indication as to whether he had already taken this conversation too far. "...that means marriage and kids and maybe a little house someday." He saw her eyes start to sparkle, and he slowly smiled. He waited for her response, but she just stared at him. "I probably sound like a nut, right? Seven months into this and I just blew it, didn't I?" He was half joking, but half terrified that she would turn around and bolt out the door. She was still frozen in front of him and his arms started to drop from her shoulders. "Damn it, I'm sor..."

She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him to her lips for a kiss. She tried to will herself not to cry, but she felt a tear run down her cheek. Nick pulled back when he felt something wet hit his cheek and quickly reached up to wipe it from her face. "Jess, I'm sorry. Don't be upset. Look, we don't need to think about this right now, especially with the wedding."

She shook her head. "No, no I'm HAPPY Nick. I just. I think I really needed to hear you say that this was serious for you too, because... well, I feel so overwhelmed sometimes with how fast we've fallen into this." She paused, but quickly continued when she saw doubt creep into his eyes. "No, it's good. It's VERY good. I just...I don't think I was ready to feel this way." Nick smiled. "But, well I do." She shrugged her shoulders and let out a laugh.

Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her hair. "I'm just going to say I love you, right now, because I think we're both way too tired for this conversation".

He felt her body shake with laughter as she pulled back and started toward the door. "I love you, Miller. Go to sleep." She flashed him one more of her infectious smiles as she moved into the hall and closed the door.

Nick walked back to the bed and laid on his back staring at the ceiling. He knew he had just said too much. How did all of that end up coming out just now? Since getting together with Jess, he had tried so hard to be conscious of how unconventional their relationship really was. He felt like he was constantly having to rationalize his feelings to himself, especially the ones that seemed far too intense this early in a relationship. The fact that they had been best friends and roommates before all this began, while making most things easier, seemed to put them into a serious and long term relationship almost from the second they left Cece's wedding. They woke up together every morning, spent evenings on the couch together, and did mundane things like go grocery shopping with each other. In some ways it felt as if they were already married, so it was hard for him to ever imagine going backwards again. He had reached a point where his heart already knew he was spending the rest of his life with her, but how ridiculous of him to not ask her if that's what she wanted. What if she really didn't?