BreeTico – Whoa, sudden name change. Lol, talk about my confusion. (: And yes, it will be complete, total agony waiting for Independence. But Mrs. Crane has proven to be a fairly prolific writer (and so I'm hoping that the last installment in the series doesn't take too long. There's nothing like an uncertain date to make you sad.)

The Significance Series belongs to Shelly Crane.

Chapter Fourteen

I basically slid out of sleep, awareness coming over me like a blanket on a cold night. I squeezed my eyes shut a little tighter and snuggled closer into Nick's side. It was funny, how awkward sleeping next to him had been that first night. It had been exactly what I needed to relax and stay safe, but it had been a huge step in our relationship. Now, I felt like this was the norm, like I' stayed by his side for the last few years. I stayed where I was, face buried into his chest, but I couldn't lay there for long. I was hot in his jacket. Last night, it had been the best thing ever because of how cold I'd been, but now it was like a heater had been blasting on me for the last ten minutes. I slowly managed to pull away from him.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I stretched out my arms, just for the movement. I never felt stiff or unrested in the mornings, but the fact that I'd barely moved throughout the night made me want to stretch or go for a long walk. After another few minutes, I stood up and headed for my dresser, pulling out one of my nicer pairs of jeans and a slightly dressier shirt. It ran my fingers over the frilly fabric flowers that adorned the only strap it had, stretching all the way down my neckline. I figured it was nice enough for a picnic with Nick's family. Even though he accepted and loved me, and his family were pleased to have me, I didn't know what the rest of the Jacobsons were thinking. And just because he loved me didn't mean his family did. I bit down on my lip and smoothed my thumb over the rhinestones on the back pocket of my jeans. Regardless of if they liked me, they were stuck with me. But I still wanted them to like me.

I slipped out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. The mirror was still fogged up, probably from Rodney. I quickly got dressed and then opened the door to air out the room, rubbing a circle onto the mirror with the side of my fist. With my hair still wrapped up in a towel, I put on my makeup, trying to even out my skin tone and line my eyes. Once my hair was blow dried, I didn't look too bad. Hopefully I would be enough to impress Nick's family, including the ones that I had briefly met when they explained what Aces were to me, and ones that were going to be there today but hadn't been there last time I'd been around the Jacobsons. I bit my lip and forced myself to give the me in the mirror a smile. My nerves were sudden, and they would disappear eventually, but for now they ran rampant. I brushed my fingers through my blonde hair and assessed the different shades of brown in my eyes.

I was so focused on trying to make myself look perfect for Nick's family that I didn't even realize when I picked up on the steady run of his thoughts when he woke up. There was the hint of a split second of panic when he realized – almost immediately – that I wasn't beside him, but he calmed down when he picked up on my presence in the bathroom. I focused on him, trying to block my thoughts while picking up on his. He was picking through his closet, trying to find a shirt that didn't have any holes in it. I held back the smile. We needed to go out and buy him some shirts that he could wear out in public, because a good half of his shirts he'd worn for work around the ranch were now torn or stained. In my mind, I saw him pull a pair of jeans from his dresser and a shirt from his closet.

After a few more minutes, I left the bathroom and headed for the bedroom. I could hear Alexandra in the kitchen, and it wouldn't surprise me if Daniel was already out at the stables. Apparently he and Rodney, and usually Nick, woke up at the crack of dawn to feed and take care of the horses. It seemed that, of late, they'd all decided that Nick's presence with me was much more important than the duties he'd had in the early mornings. I was still thinking about his immediate family when I stepped into the room. Nick had his back to me. He was only wearing his jeans. His back was well muscled from working long days outside, and it made me bite down on my lip. Nick was tanned and strong, while Paul, whom I only saw shirtless when we went swimming, was a little more lanky (more like twiggy) and definitely more pale. It was probably best that my thoughts where blocked from Nick, because when he turned around I was sure that my cheeks had flushed. I pretended to be straightening up the top of my dresser by the door while secretly looking at his defined abs out of the corners of my eyes.

Nick pulled his shirt over his head while I finished pretending to clean up. There wasn't much to clean, so I had ended up just pushing dust and my photographs around. I didn't know if Nick had been able to pick up on my blush or not as I pulled the comforter on the bed tight.

Together, we stepped out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. The two of us had slept in late, so we'd missed breakfast. Daniel and Rodney were nowhere to be seen, so I figured that they were out in the stables or somewhere else outside. It seemed like Nick's immediate family really liked the outdoors, although Rodney was really the only one who embraced the cowboy outlook, with his hat and boots. It wouldn't surprise me if he had George Strait on his iPod.

Alexandra glanced up when we walked in. Nick paused in the living room to make sure our shoes were dry from the night before and I continued on. I hadn't spent much time alone with his mother, and I figured that it was as good a time as any to start to build some sort of relationship with her. It was clear to me that I was going to marry Nick one day, and that would make her my mother-in-law. I had no interest in having one of those awful relationships with her, the kind portrayed in movies. I didn't want to hate her or have her hate me. I gave her a smile as I walked in. She was busy over the stove, stabbing a toothpick into a chocolate cake that she had just pulled from the oven.

"Good morning, Elsie." She said to me, glancing at me from behind the toothpick, which she held close to her face as she inspected it. Since it was dry, she tossed it to the side and turned off the oven. I assumed that she'd been in here since breakfast, since it seemed like she never left the confines of the kitchen. Caleb's mother had been one that was apparently good in the kitchen. I wondered if she and Alexandra shared that, or if it had just been a coincidence.

"Morning," I said, brushing a hand through my hair nervously. "Do you need any help?"

"Oh, you're such a dear. Sure, I need to make my cheesy noodle casserole. The recipe is on the counter. Can you start to pull out the ingredients?"

I nodded and picked up the recipe, heading to the pantry to pull out the dry noodles and the fridge for the cheese and the milk. Alexandra told me about her casserole, and how the first time she made it Nick had been in pure awe over it. She continued to tell me stories, mostly about Nick and Rodney when they were children. Embarrassing stories. I was laughing about it as he walked in, imagining him as a shorter, skinnier, slightly nerdy little boy, with big blue eyes and a quirky, mischievous smile. He glanced between his mother and me, clearly amused and pleased that we were getting along. Apparently, he'd been worried about the same thing I was – whether or not his family would approve of me.

Alexandra continued to talk to me, telling me all the funny things that the boys had done when they were younger, from building forts in the living room to pretending that they were pirates in the front yard. I giggled at it all, and Nick flushed with the memories. He was only slightly embarrassed by the fact that he'd been a weird little kid, but I had been pretty strange, too. I'd been the type of little girl that carried around a bright pink microphone, which I sang nearly every word I said into, whether or not it needed to be sung. It made me wish that I'd known him when we were younger. If my family – my real, biological family – had kept me, I would've known Nick from the time I was a little girl. It was funny, how much I craved those imaginary memories that didn't belong to me.

Before I knew it, an hour had passed. Daniel and Rodney stepped in, both of them a little sweaty from working. It was time for us to head out – Alexandra was leaving early to help set up, while Nick wanted to stop by the videogame store. Apparently, he owed his cousin, Kyle, a game. He'd stepped into the store to buy him the game when he'd imprinted with me. He'd left without the game, and Kyle had been borderline upset with him. The store was on the way into town to Caleb's house. I shrugged and agreed to go with him, since I didn't want to be separated from him.

Alexandra got into her car and left while I grabbed my purse and slipped on a pair of sandals. Nick's sneakers were still wet, so he borrowed a pair from Rodney, who apparently hadn't worn anything but boots in a long time. We headed out to his car, heading straight into town.

The videogame store was empty when we pulled up. Nick's car with the only car in the parking lot, which put me at ease. Once we pulled into town, I started to think about the fact that the store was the one favorite of Paul's, and if I was going to see him anywhere, it would be there. But we were only going to be there for a few minutes. I planned to hide away in Nick's car if Paul was there, but he wasn't, which left the coast clear.

What I didn't think about was Martin, sitting behind his counter, chewing his bubblegum just like the day Nick and I had imprinted. Seeing him sitting there, his eyes on me, made my blood run cold. He would certainly tell Paul that I'd been in here with Nick. It didn't bother me because I wasn't over Paul – I was, the fact that I moved in with Nick and planned to marry him was pure proof – but it was because I'd lied to him. I'd flat out told Paul that I wasn't sure I was breaking up with him because of Nick, but I had been. At the time, it was just a white lie that I'd told myself, but now I knew that, the moment I'd broken things off with Paul, I'd already been hopelessly in love with Nick.

Nick picked up on my emotions as he put the car in park. He turned to look at me, reaching over to brush my bangs out of my eyes. "Elsie, you don't have to go in. It will only take me a few minutes, and then I'll be back out here and we can go on to Caleb's."

"No," I said, shaking my head. I had to face these emotions. The people I went to school with would surely find out, if gossipy Mrs. White hadn't already told them herself. It wasn't going to be a big secret, and I needed to not be ashamed about it. "I want to go in. Who cares if people see me with you? I love you, and that's all that matters." I told him.

He appreciated the gesture, but he knew that I was still worried that someone would tell Paul, who would tell his mother, who would not hesitate to add my latest transgression to the rumor mill. I was sure that she gossiped about me while I'd been dating Paul. The woman, while I had liked her, had absolutely no digression when it came to secrets. She was not someone that I would trust with my deepest thoughts, while I could picture myself confiding in Alexandra. Nick's mother just beamed a sense of understanding and matronly care.

"You still don't have to go inside." Nick said, looking at me. His eyes lingered on my one bare shoulder. My shirt was a single off-the-shoulder, something that my mom had bought me before she died. It had gotten a little tighter in the past few years, but I couldn't bear to throw it out when I hadn't truly outgrown it. It always made me think of her, and I almost never wore it unless something important was coming up. I considered my impression on the Jacobsons to be important, so it was the perfect fit.

"I'll be fine," I told him, reaching for my door handle. Nick reached out to take my arm, but he knew that I was stubborn and that I wouldn't back down from this. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, but he climbed out of his side of the car and met me at the front. Martin looked up, his interest piqued. Of course he would be interested. He had never liked me, and he was probably relieved when I didn't show up at the videogame store with Paul anymore.

Nick didn't want to touch me because he didn't want Martin to create any problems for me, but I seriously craved the calm that he would bring me. I wasn't usually a nervous person, but today was going to end up killing me. First I had to deal with bubblegum-smacking Martin, and then I had to do my best to prove worthy of him at his family picnic. My nerves were shot.

Nick walked in front of me, and when he reached for the door, I took it as a chance for me to brush my hand against his. It wasn't as good as when he held my hand or kissed me or even hugged me, but it was enough to give me a breath of calm. Martin's eyes were on us as Nick headed straight for the new release shelf. Kyle was annoyed that he hadn't gotten the game yet, since apparently he and Lynne had an ongoing bet about who could win the most rounds of something. I just wanted to get in and get out.

Are you sure you're okay?

I'm fine, Nick. It's just a videogame, and it's just one of Paul's friends. I told him, biting down on my lip. Nick knew that I was feeling exceptionally anxious, but there was nothing that he could really do about it. He doesn't really care that I'm gone, anyway. Besides, I'm happier with you.

Whatever you say. Nick glanced over his shoulder at me. I liked the fact that he was so worried about me. It was interesting because I hated it when my brothers or anyone else tried to protect me, but when it came to Nick, it felt completely different. It almost made me proud that he wanted to protect me, that he worried about me so much.

Nick plucked the game off the shelf, and I bit down on my lip as I glanced around the room. It was so weird to be back here. I'd associated this place with Paul for years, and to suddenly be here without him was strange. It was also weird because I'd just flat out hated this place so much because it was physical proof that Paul found his games more interesting or more important than me half the time. Nick brushed past me when he walked by, still keeping up his casual façade while trying to calm me down at least a little bit. I stayed where I was for a moment, staring at the rack of games in front of me so it didn't seem like I was glued to his side.

Nick paid for the game, and I took a step towards the door. My eyes had been on him the entire time, but when I turned to the front door I recognized the car that had just parked. My heart immediately dropped in my stomach, and Nick, who had tried (and was failing) to make some sort of small talk with Martin, paused mid-sentence to look over his shoulder at me. I was sure that he felt the sudden change in my heartbeat and was wondering what had happened to make me freak out. His gaze followed mine, and I could practically feel the burst of anger from him. I was so shocked to feel that from him that I stood there for a second, completely frozen. Nick really didn't like Paul. In his mind, I could see that it was partially because Paul had been my boyfriend when I'd met my significant, and Nick didn't like to think of me belonging to anybody else. But there was more to it than that. He hated that Paul "didn't see what he had" when I was still dating him, that he made me cry, that he didn't trust me when all I ever did was trust him, and he hated that when I'd broken up with him, Paul hadn't tried to make me stay at all. He hated the fact that I'd spent almost three years with a guy who, in his mind, didn't deserve me.

I watched as Paul stepped out of his car. He was looking down at his cell phone and flipping through his wallet, probably to see if he had any cash on him. Paul was always looking for money, because he blew it all on games. The gift card that he'd given me was still in my wallet – maybe I would give it to Kyle on his birthday or something – and I was suddenly very aware of the fact that the last time I'd been here with these same people, my life had completely and drastically changed. Nick picked up his purchase, now bagged with the receipt, and I lowered my head, as if I could make myself disappear.

Paul looked up into the windows and paused for a moment. He hesitated for half a second before continuing on, stepping onto the sidewalk and reaching for the door. My heart was trying to work its way out of my chest, I was so panicked at seeing him again. Part of it was the fact that I'd broken up with him not that long ago, and it had been for another guy – the very guy who I was in here today with. The other part of it was anger. I didn't know if it was fueled by me or Nick, but I was angry at Paul for not really caring about me to fight for me when I broke up with him. He didn't even try to get me to stay with him. He didn't even want me to explain anything to him. In fact, he almost seemed relieved that I'd broken up with him, and that had hurt me far worse than the fact that he and his mother would gossip about me.

With the door opened and the three of us standing in the same little bubble of space, I felt like I was going to throw up. There wasn't any guilt on my part, because it hadn't been my fault that Nick and I had imprinted, and it wasn't my fault that I'd fallen in love with him. There wasn't any unresolved romantic feelings for him – I was completely over him, and there wasn't even a chance that I would turn around and ask him to take me back. It was just that feeling that this shouldn't have happened, that this was going to be awkward. It was the sort of scene that people see in movies to reveal the love triangle, though this really wasn't a triangle of any sort, because Paul generally lacked the love required for a love triangle.

Still, I had no idea what I was supposed to do, say, or act. Nick, thank God for him, pretended that we were just friends. He opened his mouth and said, "I guess we'll get this to Kyle so he'll stop complaining about it."

"Yeah," I agreed. We didn't touch as we moved towards the door. Paul had stepped inside, and he was watching me quietly. I was sure that he and Martin were sharing glances as Nick pretended not to recognize Paul. I kept my gaze adverted. We were almost out the door, and to the safety of Nick's car, when I heard him say it.

It was so uncharacteristic of him that I thought I hadn't heard right. Paul had never been flat out rude before. Sure, there were times when he got mean to the players that he talked to over his headset while he was playing a videogame, but he rarely said anything rude to me. The most he'd ever said against me was to comment on Hanna's lack of understanding or my nagging. But he'd never directed a cruel comment to me, which was why I was so caught off guard. "So, are you having fun with my sloppy seconds?" He said it under his breath, like he didn't intend for either of us to hear it. But Paul had always been bad at making those types of comments, and now it had come back to bite him.

Nick stopped. We had almost made it, but now Paul had done it. Nick tensed, not only physically but also in his mind. I could see that he was getting ready to spring into action, because he was going to defend me no matter what. "As I recall, she broke up with you. You're her sloppy seconds." Nick replied. Martin was instantly interested, leaning forward on the counter. His gum popped loudly in the awkward silence of the room. I reached out and grabbed Nick's arm, hauling him towards the door with me.

"This is the guy you broke up with me for?" Paul asked, turning to look at me. I could tell in his eyes that he was annoyed that Nick had said that about him, but the rest of his face was hiding the emotion spectacularly. Paul openly looked at Nick in the fashion that said he wasn't impressed with what he saw. It was all bravado, of course. Paul couldn't take Nick if his life depended on it. The most he could win was a thumb war. Maybe.

I wasn't sure what to say to that, and Nick, who was now annoyed that Paul had had the guts to say anything, seemed to snap. He reached out and put an arm around my waist, drawing me into his side. "Funny, huh? I see it as pretty logical, since I treat her ten times better than you ever did." Nick's words were simple and to the point, but they cut Paul like a knife. He knew that he wasn't the best boyfriend in the world, but he'd wholeheartedly agreed with me on my terms of perfectionism. When I looked back, I could tell that he liked to use that little part of me against me. Paul had always kept me around because I was safe and I wouldn't try to change who he was. But for someone else to come in and start talking about our relationship had set him off.

Paul was the one who reached out first. I had no idea what he was planning to do, but I slid in between the two of them and put a hand on Paul's arm. I was shaking, but I didn't sound scared when I spoke. "Just drop it, Paul. Everyone knows we're over. Now you can go find someone that will accept the fact that you like TV games better than them, okay?" With that, Nick and I stepped out of the store.

Quickly, we headed straight for the car. I climbed in the passenger side without looking back up to the store. Nick sat down heavily in his seat and slammed the car door shut. His hands were shaking, he was so angry. It turned out that Paul, who hadn't really cared about me all that much, had an animosity towards me, and it was clear that he hadn't hesitated to say that I'd left him for someone else. It didn't matter to me anymore, whether or not he talked about me. It was clear to almost everyone that our relationship hadn't exactly been high school sweetheart worthy. It was only a matter of time before Paul and I went our separate ways. And if they ever met Nick, who could blame me?

I reached out to touch Nick's hand, which was squeezing the steering wheel so tight I thought that maybe he'd indent it or something. He sighed and looked up at me. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. You're not his sloppy seconds, Elsie. You're perfect the way you are."

I gave him a smile. "I love you," I told him in a whisper.

"I love you more." He answered, leaning towards me. He caught himself last second, because even though we'd made it clear in the store that we were together, he still didn't want me to be upset over the fact that the women of the town might think that I was some sort of cheating girlfriend. But it didn't matter to me anymore, because the only people that mattered was Nick and his family, and they understood. I leaned in, closing the distance between us, and kissed him in the car. If Martin or Paul looked up, they see the two of us lip-locked in our parking spot, but it didn't matter to me. Nick reacted to me, his hand resting on the side of my neck. My mouth opened under his, and he didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss.

We pulled away from each other, and I leaned my forehead against his. "I love you most," I told him, and he smiled before giving me a quick kiss on my forehead and leaning back to put the car into reverse.

Not only will they have Ace problems, but they'll also have regular past-relationship/brother problems. AHH. Look forward to the next chapter, because something very important is happening (DOUBLE AHH.) Let's see if you can guess what it is. (;

Thanks for reading. Please don't forget to leave me a review! Peace. (: