Confession - My daughter has fallen in love.

”Nick, what are you doing here?” I whispered, staring at him. He smiled at me, holding onto a huge pink teddy bear. “Nick, I told you not to come tonight.”

”Nick!” Nichole yelled, running to the door. “Hey Nick! Is that for me?!”

”Yeah it is,” Nick said as he walked into the apartment. He kneeled down, handing it to her. “Do you like it? I figured you would since your bedroom was all pink.”

”I do Nick, I love it!” she exclaimed as she reached up, giving him a huge hug. I sighed, looking away. I looked at the clock to see that it was almost time for Austin. “Mommy’s boyfriend is coming to dinner tonight.”

”Austin isn’t my boyfriend,” I replied, shutting the door back. “Not yet anyway, so yeah we’ve got company coming over don’t we Nichole?” She nodded her head and Nick looked at me. How dare he come over especially when I told him not to. “So tell Nick you will see him later.”

”No mommy, I want Nick to stay and eat too,” Nichole begged, giving me her best puppy dog look. I sighed in return, knowing that there was no way she would let Nick leave. The kid always got her way. “Please Mommy…”

”Okay,” I replied, looking up at Nick to see him smile. “He can stay and eat and then you two can go watch a movie while I spend some time with Austin, how’s that?”

”Mommy wants to kiss Austin a lot,” Nichole whispered to Nick as he laughed. I rolled my eyes, looking away. I walked back into the kitchen, finishing up the lasagna that I had cooked for dinner. I kept looking over, seeing Nick and Nichole, sitting on the living room floor playing with her miniature doll house.

He did look like he was having fun with her. She looked like she was in heaven. I, on the other hand, was about to enter the fiery gates of hell. I wanted it to be just Austin, Nichole and I tonight, but that plan has been shot to hell. There would be no night with just us. Nick would be included. I almost wish I had never given him some people that did good investigative work.

Then when I think about it, it’s evil of me to think that. I would never want someone to keep my child from me if I was in that position. I keep remembering that Nick never gave her up, if she is in fact his. The fact that I’m standing here smiling at them, I already know that she is. There’s no denying it.

“Mommy! I’m ready to eat,” Nichole yelled, running into the kitchen. “My tummy is making noise. When is Austin going to be here?” I sighed, looking at the clock. He was late.

“I don’t know sweetie, I’ll go call him and then we can go ahead and eat okay?” I said as Nichole smiled, nodding her head. I watched her run back into the living room with Nick as I walked towards my bedroom. I was actually read to eat too and wished Austin would hurry up. Maybe if he got here, Nick would feel out of place and leave himself.

Just as I began walking towards the phone, it rang. I sighed, knowing that it was him calling to say that he was running late. “Hello?” I asked, answering the phone.

“Hey Savannah, are you okay?” Austin asked as I smiled. “I had one of my weird feelings that something was wrong.”

“Yeah I’m fine,” I replied, smiling even more. Austin had told me before that he had weird feelings sometimes and when he does, something bad usually happens. “Are you running late because everything’s ready and god forbid, Nick came and Nichole won’t let him leave –“

”Babe, I’m having to stay at the hospital because one of the main doctor’s had a emergency so they need some extra help,” he said as I sighed. “I really want to be there but I just can’t leave right now. How about I come over when I leave tonight?”

“How late will it be?” I asked, looking at the clock, “Nichole will be in bed by nine –“

“Well, how about I spend the night maybe?” he replied, causing me to freeze. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to say. Did he think that we would sleep together or did he actually mean to just sleep over? “It’ll probably be late when I get off here. I’ll probably leave around ten or so, and by the time I get there to see you then it’ll be so late –“

”Yeah, you can stay over,” I replied, hitting myself in the head. “I guess it’s a good thing that Nick came over tonight so he could eat this food I cooked.”

”I’m so sorry Savannah –“

”No it’s fine, really. I’ll see you later okay?”

”You sure will,” Austin said as I smiled, “Bye babe.”

”Bye,” I whispered, hanging up the phone. I smiled, looking over to see Nick in the doorway with a smile on his face. “What?”

”Company tonight?”

“It’s not like that,” I said, as I walked past him to go to the kitchen, “Come on Nichole, it’s time to eat. Austin isn’t coming because he has to work late.”

“Austin is a doctor Nick,” Presley said as she ran up to the table and sat down in a chair.

“Mommy gonna play doctor tonight with Austin?” Nick asked as I paused, looking at him. “Well he did say that he was going to stay over.”

”Mommy, Austin is staying over?” Nichole asked, looking at me. I looked at Nick who looked away. “Mommy, is Austin staying over like Joe Don did?”

“He’s going to sleep on the sofa sweetie,” I said as Nick snorted. I glared at him. “He’s just getting off really late and instead of coming here to see me and then going home, he’s just going to sleep on the sofa so we can have breakfast in the morning.”

“Okay Mommy.” Nichole said, looking over at Nick. “Nick, sit beside me please.” Nick smiled, sitting down beside Nichole at the table and looked at me. I glared at him, putting the napkin in my lap.

I didn’t know how much of his presence in my life I could take. His little smug looks make me almost want to reach across the table and slap the shit out of him. As I sit here, having the dinner that I made originally for Nichole, Austin, and I, I watch Nick eat it and talk with my daughter. When I’m not sitting here, plotting his death, I’m wondering what Austin’s intentions were about tonight.

I want a man so bad. I want to experience being with a man right now. I just don’t know if I want it to be with him. It’s not that I don’t like him, but I don’t know him well enough yet. This is something I’ve kept for years, and I don’t know if I want to waste it someone who I like right now but could possibly walk out of my life at any moment when he snaps out of it and realizes he could do better than me.

“Mommy, the phone!” Nichole yelled as I jumped, looking at the phone on the wall. I jumped up, running to pick up the phone in the kitchen and answered it.

“Hi, Miss Shiver, this is Dr. Phillips. I’m working a late shift here and the test results came in from the blood test today.” He said as I froze, looking at Nick. “I can’t seem to get in touch with Mr. Carter though –“

”Oh, he’s right here,” I said, telling Nick to come there. “Here, use this one and come in my room with me.” I handed Nick the phone and told Nichole to sit at the table as Nick and walked into my room. I sat down on the edge of my bed and picked up the other phone.

“Okay Doc, we’re here. This is Nick,” Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck. “So what did the results say?”

”Well without a doubt, you’re blood matches Nichole’s. You are definitely her father.” Dr. Phillips said as I watched Nick’s jaw drop. My heart skipped a beat. “They ran the test twice and it’s one hundred percent positive that you are.”

”Thanks Dr. Phillips. I think Nick’s kind of speechless right now,” I said, as Nick turned the phone off. I told the doctor goodbye and then looked back at Nick. He looked away and I thought I saw him crying but I wasn’t sure. “Nick, are you okay?”

”I just,” he said as he paused. “I knew it but now that it’s really confirmed, I can’t believe it.” He looked outside of my bedroom door at Nichole who sat there breaking little pieces of bread off of a breadstick. “I can’t believe she’s mine. How are we going to tell her?”

”I don’t know,” I said, twisting my fingers together. “I have to think of a good way. I know how to deal with her more than you do.”

“Right,” he said as he pointed at me. “I get the feeling that you hate me though, or at least me coming here tonight.”

”Well, I had plans but its okay now that Austin has to work later.” I replied, walking past Nick and closer to the door. “We just need to come up with some arrangements.”

“Right,” Nick said as he nodded his head. I walked out of the room, looking at Nichole as I walked back to the table. I sat down, telling Nichole to sit up and watched Nick as he walked back to the table slowly. He paused, staring at her and then looked at me. I know the news is a lot for him to absorb. Hell, I don’t think it’s actually hit me yet.

Nichole isn’t just my daughter anymore. She’s his, a pop star, whose life revolves around something I hate: music. I could forbid that he sees her, but I don’t want to risk loosing her all together. She’s everything to me and she’s all I have. As I sit here, seeing her joke with him, I realize that maybe her having a father won’t be such a bad thing after all. I think that Diana may have been right. Maybe Nick needs does need her in his life right now. He does seem like a nice guy.

It’s just not what I had in mind for my future. I pictured finding a guy one day, and settling down with Nichole and my future husband and be a little family. Then she could have a little brother or sister, and we could live happily ever after. I never imagined having an extra father in the picture. It’s just something that I’m going to have to learn to deal with it for Nichole’s sake.

She’s crazy about him. I see how she interacts with him and I realize that she’s head over hills in love with him. I’ve never seen her taken to a guy as much as she’s so enthused with him. She didn’t take to Joe Don this quickly. She’s usually shy around strangers but not with Nick. Maybe it’s some instinct that she has and knows that he’s her father. Not that she actually knows. I have no idea how or when to tell her.

“Savannah,” Nick said a few hours later as I stood at the window, looking out at the street. “Nichole’s asleep. I sung her a song to make her sleep and I have a question.”

”What?” I asked, closing my eyes.

“She says that you won’t let her listen to music at home. She can only listen to it at school or when she’s with someone else. She says you hate music and won’t listen to it.” Nick said as I snorted. “What’s the deal with that?”

”Nothing really but it’s just personal,” I said, turning around to look at him. “I’m going to talk to Austin tonight. I wanna see what his opinion is on telling Nichole and how to do it since he’s actually going to be a pediatrician. So, I’ll let you know what he says, okay?”

“Alright,” Nick said as he walked up closer to me. I sighed, looking at him as he reached up and wrapped his arms around me. I had no idea what was going on but I decided to hug him back. I didn’t want to look like a cold hearted bitch. “Thanks for this. I know you don’t have to do it and I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”

“Just be a good father to her.” I replied as he stopped hugging me. He looked at me and smiled as I looked away.

“Don’t worry, I will. Trust me,” Nick said as he smiled even more and started walking backwards. “I guess I’ll go now so that you can get ready for your company and get your groove on.” He started doing some little dance move and I rolled my eyes. He really looked like an idiot. “Just lock the doors so she can’t walk in.”

”It’s not like that, trust me.” I walked behind him, so that I could lock the door back and he smiled at me again. “It’s not okay? Just I don’t know what we are really, me and Austin that is. I really like him though and I could see this relationship going somewhere.”

“Well cool,” Nick said, putting his jacket on. “It’s good to have someone in your life. You have a man and I have a new woman.”

”How are you going to tell your new girlfriend that you have a daughter?”

”The new woman was Nichole.” He said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and he laughed. “I’ll see you later. Have fun with Austin.”

”Thanks, night.” I said as I shut the door. I locked it and turned around, leaning against it, sighing. It was cute how he called her his woman. I don’t know why it was cute, but I found it oddly cute.

Oddly is the keyword. Then again, from what I know about him, Nick is odd anyway.