Chapter Three

“What?” Mike asked as he sat up, “Jamie?”

“Hey.” Jamie said as she layed her head on her bed, with the phone against her other ear, “What’s up?”

“I haven’t heard from you in a while. Me? Nothing, just watching TV.” Mike said as he continued to cough, “What’s up with you?”

“At my parents.”

“Really, why?”

“My sister and her husband were in a car accident today.”

“Oh damn, are they okay?” Mike asked, as Jamie didn’t say anything. They both sat there on the line, listening to silence until finally Mike spoke up, “I guess they aren’t?”

“Nope. Michael died time it happened and Michelle died right before I got to the hospital with Dylan.” Jamie said as Mike shook his head, “She wants me to keep Dylan.”

“Oh man, are you?”

“Well, yeah. Of course.” Jamie said as she rolled over, laying on her back and looking at her ceiling, “I mean I’ll get used to it.”

“Yeah, damn I’m sorry about -”

“It’s okay. Nick sent me something today.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.” Jamie said as she wiped hear tears away, “He sent me his album, telling me to listen to every song and then read the thank you’s.”

“Yeah, um -”

“I’ve listened to um 3 songs I think.” Jamie said, “Each one has like -”

“Made you think of something?” Mike asked as Jamie looked around and then back at the ceiling, “You’re not saying anything. I take that as a yes.”

“Yeah, I’m scared to listen to anymore.”

“Go ahead and listen to it.”

“He told you he sent it?”

“Just got off the phone with him. I thought it was him calling back.” Mike said, “Do you want me to tell him about -”

“Um -”

“What?” Mike asked, “I mean he knows about Dylan now and you’re going to be well -”

“Raising him now.” Jamie whispered as she shook her head, “Yeah, tell him. When you talk to him, but that’s all.”

“Okay.” Mike said, “If you need anything, let me know alright?”

“Okay I will.” Jamie said, “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” Mike said as he hung up the phone and looked at it, “Now Carter, call back dammit.”

______________________________________

Light a fire so sweet

Make the man with in me

Desire the woman in you

Miss America, yes that’s what you are

All my dreams they come true

When you do what you do

I just gotta get next to you

Miss America

Take me where you are

In the land of the free make a prisoner of me

Close my eyes and you’re all that I see

Miss America

“That’s even more wrong.” Jamie said out loud as she layed there on the bed, eating some chocolate candy and closed her eyes.

[ 1999 ]

“Hey, look!” Jamie said as she walked into the room wearing a little plastic tiara with fake rhinestones on it that made it look like diamonds.

“What are you doing?” Nick asked as he started to laugh.

“Like my crown?” Jamie asked as she started to laugh.

“Looks stupid.”

“Oh come on.”

“I’m Miss America.”

“Sure you are.” Nick said as he started to laugh, “Who am I then?”

“Mr. America?” Jamie said as she sat down beside him, crossing her legs and Nick looked at them, and back up at her, “What?”

“What are you trying to do?” Nick asked as Jamie started to smile innocently, batting her eyelashes, “Are you being bad?”

“I’m an angel.”

“I thought you were Miss America?”

“Oh hell I’m both.” Jamie said as Nick started to laugh, leaning over to kiss her.

“Ugh.” Jamie growled as she sat up on the cover, putting her hands over her eyes. She moved her hands and looked over at the stereo. She picked up her remote, putting the CD on pause. Standing up off of the bed, she walked over to her closet. She looked at the door knob for a minute before turning it, opening it up. She kneeled down, picking up a shoe box that was in the corner and turned around, walking back over to her bed.

“Let’s see what I see in here.” Jamie whispered as she sat down on the bed and lifted the top off, to see a picture of her and Nick at her senior prom. She picked it up, looking at it for a minute until she looked down to see another picture when the CD went off of pause automatically and another song came on.

Girl I don’t know what to say

I feel so insecure

So I start off by saying a cliché

Like I’ve seen you before

But why play games and all these things

Who needs flowers?

When all you wanna say is..

I just wanna take you home

We can make a story of our own..

“He’s lost his mind.” Jamie said out loud as she started to laugh, while listening to the song.

Don’t you love it when you sweat

Like it feels like your going numb

Then you get that feeling of regret

And it makes you wanna run

But there I am.. playing nice

Meeting your parents when all I wanna say is

I just wanna take you home…

“Oh god.” Jamie thought as she looked back down at the pictures, “Reminds me of when he first met my parents before our first little date.”

[ 1997 ]

“Jamie! Your date is here!” Michelle yelled as she stood at the door looking at Nick who just looked around.

“Michelle, why don’t you invite him in?” Mrs. Marshall said as she walked over to the door while Nick walked in, “Jamie’s told us a lot about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”, she said as they shook hands.

“She did?” Nick asked as started to look scared, “I hope it wasn’t anything too bad.”

“Not to them anyway.” Michelle said with a smirk on her face as her father walked into the room, “Oh Dad, this is Jamie’s boyfriend.”

“Well, not really boyfriend yet - ” Nick started to say as Mr. Marshall interrupted him.

“Where do you plan on taking Jamie tonight?” Mr. Marshall asked as Nick started to look scared.

“Uh well, it’s this fancy place. I don’t know how to pronounce it, I just know how to spell it and where it’s at.” Nick said as Michelle started laughing at him when Jamie walked downstairs wearing a nice black dress that came right above her knees with thin spaghetti straps, “Oh wow.”

“Oh god, what?” Jamie asked as she looked down, “Do I look stupid?”

“No, you look nice.” Mrs. Marshall said as her husband was giving Nick an evil eye. Nick kept looking back over at him and would start to get even more scared.

“Yeah you look great.” Nick said as he looked down at his watch, “Oh man. We’re going to be late for our reservation.”

“Oh okay. I’ll be later.” Jamie said as she walked over beside Nick and looked back at her father.

“9:30.”

“11:30.”

“10.”

“10:45″

“10:30.”

“Fine.” Jamie said as Nick told them goodbye and they walked out of the door, “Good god, treating me like I’m 5.”

“Dude, he scared me. He was giving me the evil eye.” Nick said as Jamie started to laugh.

“I’m his baby girl. What do you expect?” Jamie asked as Nick laughed.

“The beginning of a wonderful relationship.” Jamie said softly to herself as she looked down at a picture of her and Nick that was taken not long after that night.

_________________________________________

[ 2002 ]

“What?” Jamie whispered as she moved his hair out of his eyes.

“Can’t believe it.” Nick said smiling, “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“You’re not dreaming. Atleast I hope not.” Jamie said as Nick was laughing again as he moved off of her and laid down beside her.

“Come here.” Nick said as Jamie rolled over on her stomach and moved up beside him, laying her head up on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her back and she looked up at him, “What’s gonna happen now?”

“Go to sleep.” Jamie said as Nick started to laugh, “I was already tired from not sleeping and you wore me out.”

“I wore you out?” Nick asked as he looked down at her, “Please.”

“Yeah you did.” Jamie said laughing as she leaned up, closer to him, giving him a little kiss.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Aren’t you glad that we ran into each other at the airport the other day?” Nick asked as Jamie smiled again, leaning up to kiss him on the lips again.

“Yes. Well, I wasn’t at first, but now I definitely am.” Jamie whispered, “Maybe it was fate trying to tell us something.”

“Maybe so.” Nick said, “I dunno.”

“Either that or weird luck.” Jamie said as she laid her head back down on his chest and moved her fingertips across his skin lightly, “I missed you a lot.”

“I missed you a lot too.”

“I missed you calling everyday.”

“I missed you period. I missed everything about you.”

“I missed everything about you too. You know what it was almost like?”

“What?” Nick asked as Jamie lifted her head back up and looked at him.

“It was like, as if, you know, you were on tour for the past two years and never called or write or e-mailed or anything else, but now your back.”

“I’m back.” Nick said as he smiled, “I never wanted to go away.”

“I never wanted you to either, but I was mad at the time and -”

“Yeah, I know.” Nick whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair and started to laugh.

“What?” Jamie asked as she looked at him.

“Your hair is so long.”

“Yeah I know.”

“I remember you telling me that you thought about growing it out.” Nick said as he smiled at her, “I like it like this.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. It’s sexy.” Nick said as Jamie moved up and straddled him. She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips, tucking her hair behind her ears.

“How much do you love me?” Jamie asked as Nick looked her in the eyes.

“More than anything.”

“Anything?”

“Yeah.” Nick said as Jamie smiled, leaning over to kiss him deeply.

“I love you more than anything too.” Jamie whispered as she laid her head down on his chest and Nick wrapped his arms around her back smiling.

“I love you more than anything.” Nick thought as he sat there in his car, looking at Jamie’s parents house, “I should have just stayed at the hotel.”

He cranked up his car, and began driving towards Mike’s apartment. He kept flipping the channels on the radio until finally he reached one and decided to listen to it.

Sometimes the snow comes down in June

Sometimes the sun goes around the moon

I see the passion in your eyes

Sometimes it’s all a big surprise

“I don’t need that mushy shit.” Nick muttered as he pulled up to Mike’s apartment building, which wasn’t far from Jamie’s parents house. He took his keys out, and stepped out of the car, turning the alarm on.

“Sometimes the very thing you’re looking for, is the one thing you can’t see. But now we’re standing face to face, isn’t this world a crazy place. Just when I thought our chance had past. You go and save the best for last.” Nick sung as he shook his head, climbing the steps up to the second floor where Mike’s apartment was, “I really need to stop singing this shit.”, as he knocked on Mike’s door.

Knock Knock

COMING!

“Hurry up.” Nick muttered as Mike opened the door to see Nick.

“NICK!” Mike yelled as Nick looked scared and Mike pulled him into the apartment, shutting the door behind him.