Oreos for Breakfast: Chapter 38

Oreos For Breakfast: Chapter 38
By the Paperbag Princess and Pumpkin Coach

EPILOGUE

My heart was pounding inside my chest as I looked over at Rachel, the bright lights of the Vegas strip alternately lighting her skin and casting shadows over her face. She smiled over at me as James and JC walked ahead of us. Try as I might, I couldn’t lose them tonight. Didn’t they want to be alone?

I did. Well, alone with Rachel. All day we’d been surrounded by people. They’d been recording in New York all month and I’m pretty sure Sudden Silence only agreed to perform at the show tonight so that she could see me. They didn’t even do their new single. The record company had already promised that exclusive to some morning show.

With Backstreet back in the studio, it meant we were back to not seeing each other much. Try as I might I couldn’t get the guys to leave LA.

“Penny for your thoughts, Bunny?” she teased as we stopped in front of the Bellagio fountains…our typical pilgrimage whenever we were in Vegas. There was still a crowd gathered from the last show, and Rachel pulled me back from moving forward.

“Nothing… just… I wish I could get the guys to record in New York. I hate having to steal moments with you.”

“I know. But you’ve got some great stuff happening out here. I don’t want to jinx it!”

I laughed at that. She and AJ had been joking earlier that she was our group’s Yoko Ono because we’d delayed the release date so it didn’t coincide with Sudden Silence’s. The Backstreet fans were getting restless. But at least we still had fans. I think we were all a little surprised by that, after more than two years without a release.

“You could never jinx anything,” I laughed, pulling her into my arms and kissing her forehead lightly. “Thanks for coming.”

She shook her head. “My boys do not have to be convinced to come to Vegas, you know. Wonder if Jeremy and Darien have left the blackjack table?”

James overheard her and laughed. “Doubtful. They have a new system they wanted to try out.”

“Should we hit the tables? Anyone feeling particularly lucky?” she said, moving her hips against mine and licking her bottom lip seductively.

My stomach flipped and I felt in my pocket for the little box that had been there all night – in the limo going to the hotel from the airport, throughout the hotel as we wound our way around to the different radio station tables for interviews, down the red carpet and throughout the lame awards show that had dragged on for hours. And now - finally - to our coveted spot in front of the Bellagio fountains.

I’d picked out the ring when I was recording in Europe before we’d done the whole “surprise AJ on Oprah thing.” I saw it in a window of an estate shop and just knew Rachel had to have it. It was delicate like her. A large square cut diamond surrounded by sapphires that were embedded throughout the band. Her mother told me that it was called an eternity ring when I’d made a trip to see her last month and I thought that was pretty perfect.

Eternity with Rachel… sounded right.

The operatic music started again and Rachel pulled me over to the fountains. As the water danced, we could feel the cool spray on our faces and she shivered just a bit. I shrugged out of my suit jacket and placed it over her shoulders as she stood in front of me, leaning back against me to capture a bit of my warmth.

Nick’s arms felt so good around me as the cool air from the fountains made me shiver. I leaned my head back against his chest and sighed at the familiar scent of his cologne. Maybe I’d steal the shirt he was wearing before we left tomorrow. I could wear it to bed while we were apart for the next few weeks and fall asleep with the faint smell of him on my body.

Being apart from one another never got any easier and I hated that. There were days I wished I was just a normal person with a normal 9 to 5 job. I could come home in the evening and he’d be waiting for me or we’d talk on the phone and decide no one wanted to cook so we’d order pizza and sit around in our pajamas watching television. He’d fall asleep during the news and I’d have to wake him to go to bed.

Instead we got midnight calls and stolen minutes between meetings or recording sessions. And then when our album dropped next month, it would be nonstop press and touring after that…

“Are you okay, baby?” Nick whispered, his head bent down to mine and I shrugged.

I didn’t want to complain… again. I felt like that was all I was doing lately. I should be happy we both had careers we loved and people who wanted to hear our music.

“Just tired, Nick. I couldn’t sleep on the plane ride out here.” He wrapped his arms tighter around me and I leaned back against him. “Let’s go inside…”

I started to move, but he didn’t move with me. Turning around, I just blinked when I saw him. My mind raced back to… a year ago.

Hell. How could I forget today? This was it. A year from the day he’d asked me to marry him and I’d said no. Well, before I said yes.

“Rachel Katharine Connor…” he started, falling to one knee and looking up at me hopefully.

I heard a few distinctly female “awws” and gasps as people realized what was happening. Then there was James’ voice behind me. “No way! How did I not know about this?”

Nick ignored him, his eyes never leaving mine even when a flashbulb popped nearby. “A year ago we stood here and you said you thought this was forever, but to ask again – with a speech and a ring. Well, here we are. A year to the day. I love you more than anything in this world. We waited and this is forever. Will you marry me?”

I couldn’t see him through the tears welling up in my eyes. We were all but married already, but I couldn’t believe he was down on one knee and holding the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.

She didn’t say anything or even move and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. My hands were shaking, too, as I opened the ring box and I heard several women stifle their screams. Just our luck there’d be a crazed Backstreet fan in the group and she’d start crying… or worse yet taking pictures on her cell phone and sending them around to her friends.

I wanted to wait until everyone had moved on, but I knew that look in Rachel’s eyes. She was tired and just wanted to go inside. My little rock star was worn out and needed to recharge her batteries.

But tomorrow wouldn’t be the right day. The right day was today.

“Yes!”

Was that a yes? She was smiling down at me and I heard screams and clapping. Yes, definitely a yes!

“Yes?” I asked just to be sure and she joined me, kneeling down with me and taking my face in her hands.

And suddenly we were kissing and the ring was on her finger. “Yes, yes, yes… a million times yes!” she whispered against my lips as we paused to breathe.

“Where’d you disappear to after the big event?” James voice demanded as he found Nick and me at breakfast the next morning. I rolled my eyes and Nick laughed.

“I told you so!”

“I wanted you all to myself,” he answered seductively kissing me thoroughly before James and JC joined us.

“G’morning, James!” I said cheerily, holding out my hand to him. Nick had whisked us away in a cab before the crowd could get any more pictures, and we’d lost James and JC for the night.

Not that I minded. I needed to be alone with Nick and just… process everything for a bit. I knew I’d have to share everything with James on our flight back to New York tonight anyway.

“Wow,” JC said, holding out a hand to Nick to congratulate him officially. “Nice work for the straight guy. When do I get a ring, James?”

“The tattoo isn’t enough? They don’t let our kind marry in Nevada, honey.”

JC pretended to pout and we all laughed.

“You’d think they’d want the revenue,” I commented. For half a second we’d considered going to the Elvis Love Chapel, but then decided my family might never speak to us again.

“They legalize everything else in this state,” James agreed. “I think Rachel and Nick should refuse to actually get married until we can, too.”

“Double wedding!” I laughed and JC giggled with me over what kind of dresses we’d buy.

“Dude, why is JC the girl?” Nick asked James.

“He is the one with the penchant for sparkly things.”

“Hey! I heard that!” JC protested. “I was forced to wear those jeans! Forced!”

James leaned over and patted his back. “You keep telling yourself that, baby.”

“So we need to hear everything… And you! Is it too much to ask that the best friend be informed of important life events?”

Nick didn’t have a chance to answer as Jeremy’s voice interrupted our conversation, “You aren’t pregnant are you, babe? Because that would just suck timing-wise.”

“At least we’ve done the promo shots for the cover. Em would kill her if she had to hide the huge belly with a guitar or something,” Darien added as he stole a piece of my toast and pulled up a chair.

I rubbed my hand over my stomach protectively. I was not fat! Or pregnant!

“Who invited you? And get your own breakfast!” I chastised as I took my left hand back from James who was still examining my ring. I was pretty sure that JC had counted the stones. He probably knew the carat weight – he was a freak that way about sparkly things.

“Didn’t answer my question, babe. Is there champagne in that orange juice, James?”

James tasted my orange juice and then shook his head. Jeremy narrowed his eyes at me and Nick accusingly like we were a couple of teenagers caught out after curfew.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I am not pregnant. We are just… “

“Engaged,” Nick finished for me, a huge grin on his face as he took my hand in his and kissed my ring finger. I could tell that he loved to say that word. Especially to Jeremy. It was the ultimate “fuck you” to all the insecurities Nick had over the years we’d been together.

Engaged.

“Shit! I have to call my mom!”

“You didn’t tell your mom?” James laughed, and I just waved him away.

“We might have had more important things to do last night than call my mom. Besides, she knew it was coming.”

At James’ incredulous look, Nick told him the story. Of all the things that a man had ever done for me, I think Nick flying to New York to see my mother and brothers and ask their permission to marry me was up there as the sweetest. I know the feminist in me should be outraged, but she was too busy swooning over the pretty diamond on her finger.

Before Nick could finish his story Lola had joined us, throwing a paper down on the table. “Great timing, Nick. Now we’ll get tons of publicity for the new album.”

What the hell?

I groaned. “How’d Page Six know already? There goes any hope of having some privacy.”

I quickly scanned the article as Nick read aloud over my shoulder. They had all the basics right – fountains, Nick on his knees and my tearful acceptance. Damn, they were good. Was someone following us just waiting for something interesting to happen?

Just then Nick’s phone rang and he looked down at the display. “Mom,” he sighed, getting up from the table so he could take the call.

My stomach lurched a bit as I thought of Jane and our wedding. Would she insist on a big, extravagant wedding? Would Nick? We hadn’t really talked about it. It was still too new, and I don’t think that either of us believed it was true. Was I really getting married? I felt a bit lightheaded… maybe I needed to actually eat some of my breakfast.

“Nice rock, babe!” Jeremy said as he got up, too, taking Lola with him to a nearby table so they could have breakfast in peace – or talk about me. I wasn’t sure which.

At least the tabloid didn’t have a picture of the ring or Nick asking me.

“Are you taking his name?” JC laughed as he finished reading the paper. “Connor-Carter is too much alliteration to hyphenate.”

“She won’t take his name,” James dismissed JC’s question and I just stared down at my ring.

“We haven’t talked about anything…” I said, my voice sounding weird, even to me. “I haven’t gotten farther than the fact that I’m getting married. This is a little weird for me.”

Suddenly the room was spinning. There were so many questions and decisions to make… and I didn’t want to deal with any of it. I just wanted him. Could we make it that easy?

Doubtful.

Mom didn’t even let me say more than hello before she started in on me. Was it too much to ask that I tell her when I was going to do something this big? And then she was crying. Apologizing for being such a bad mother these past years. I should have felt like I could call and ask for her advice…

“MOM!” I shouted and the waitress passing by glared at me. I mouthed “sorry” and moved farther down the hall. “Mom, just stop and take a breath.”

“Did your father know?” she sniffed.

“No, Mom… no one. Just me. Believe me, I didn’t want the world to know if Rachel rejected me.”

She laughed at that. Why did everyone in my life think it was a foregone conclusion that Rachel would say yes to me? If only they knew the truth… guess third time’s the charm?

“I told her mother and brothers,” I explained. “Went to see them last week because… well, yesterday was kind of an anniversary for us and I wanted to ask her then. But because her father’s not around, I knew I should tell her mother and brothers.”

“You are such a thoughtful boy, Nicky. You are the best thing I ever did with my life,” she gushed and I wondered if she’d already been drinking this morning. Then again, it was afternoon in Florida.

“Don’t let Aaron and the girls hear you say that.”

“You know what I mean! So when do we get to meet Rachel’s family? Have you talked about the big day? Too bad we don’t have the house in Marathon anymore, that would be a perfect place for the wedding…”

I hadn’t thought about any of that. Especially Rachel’s picture perfect family meeting my… no. Could I avoid that? Any way we could get married, have a family and never have her family meet mine?

“Mom! Take a breath again. No, we haven’t done any of that. We’re just figuring things out, okay? I’ll call you when I know more, but I gotta get back. Rachel’s flying out this afternoon.”

“Well, tell her I love her and can’t wait to call her my daughter!”

Great. That’s just what Rachel is hoping for, I’m sure.

By the time I got back to the table everyone but James had left and my coffee was cold. Sliding into the booth beside Rachel again, I draped my arm across her shoulders and she snuggled next to me.

“You’re breakfast is cold, bunny.”

“Yeah, Mom had a million questions. She says she loves you, by the way. I didn’t ask if free therapy came with having Jane Carter call you her daughter.”

She laughed at that, “Didn’t happen for the girls.”

“True. Any way we can not have our families meet, Rachel?” I whined, taking a bite of my cold toast and motioning for more coffee from the waitress that had glared at me in the hallway.

“Doubtful,” James said. “But I want to be there when they do. Wonder what Ma and Pa Carter will make of the Connors.”

“More like the other way around,” I said. “I can just see it now. It’s going to be horrible.”

“As long as your parents don’t start throwing phones at one another, it’ll be fine,” Rachel joked, alluding to the last fight my parents had where phones and chairs and who knows what else was thrown.

Both my parents had criminal records because of their stupid divorce. I couldn’t even imagine them at Rachel’s mother house at the vineyard.

“We should call your mom,” I told Rachel as the waitress brought me a fresh cup of coffee. I wanted something stronger than that after talking to my mother, but coffee would have to do.

Although we were in Vegas.

“You know the Elvis Love Chapel is still a possibility, Rache.”

“Over my dead body!” James chastised Nick. “This is going to be an amazing wedding.”

“I know that look, James, and no!”

“No?” James said, acting all innocent.

“No. No fluffy white dress and million attendants.”

I turned to Rachel. “I thought you wanted the big dress and church wedding?”

She shrugged. “Don’t you think it will be weird? Who will give me away?”

It all came back to her dad, didn’t it? I hadn’t even thought about that until now. Is that why the thought of marriage always freaked her out so much?

“I will!” James said. “Or your brothers or your mother… or you’ll walk yourself down the aisle. C’mon, Rache, this is what your dad would want

Rachel sighed. “I don’t want to think about that now. Maybe later? Can’t we just be happy with being engaged for a bit?”

I bent my head down to kiss her. “Absolutely.”

Two months of craziness later here we were. The Carters and the Connors, plus a few friends. We’d finally gotten everyone in one room to discuss the wedding and it was like we needed to negotiate a peace treaty or something. Bob and Jane couldn’t be seated next to each other at dinner last night even though Nick had convinced him at the last minute to not bring the girlfriend. That would have been a disaster.

Anna and Em were teasing Aaron about something and I heard the girls ganging up on him. Katie had been quiet last night at dinner. I didn’t know if anything did ever happen with them. She wasn’t telling me if it did.

“Ready, baby?” Nick whispered in my ear as he came up behind me, wineglass in hand. The sun had just started to fall in the sky and it was a perfect summer day. So much like that day three years ago when I’d brought him here for the first time.

I smiled up at Nick, and everyone fell away but us. “Everyone’s here,” I whispered, and he nodded, biting his lip.

“Are you sure, Rache?” he asked quietly.

I searched his blue eyes for a moment, just looking at him. He was a little nervous, but excited, too, I could tell. “Are you sure?” I asked back.

“It’s not white dresses and a million bridesmaids and stealth helicopters. Are you sure you don’t want that?”

“I just want you,” I told him honestly.

He grinned, leaning down to kiss me. “I love you.”

“Then let’s do it. Got the props?”

He nodded and I took his hand, walking into the room. I don’t even think that anyone noticed us. Mom was talking to the Carters, Nick’s sisters were playing with my neices, my brothers were refilling everyone’s wine glasses, and James had joined Em and Anna on the sofa deep in conversation about something now that Aaron was finally talking to Katie. I sat on the arm of the sofa, leaning down to listen in on them.

“Well, it was nearly a fucking disaster,” Em was saying, waving her hands around. “About two weeks before the big event, Alex and I had this fight to end all, because he was convinced that I was obsessed with napkin colors.”

“What color were the napkins at your wedding, Em?” James asked.

“Ivory,” she answered quickly before catching herself. “Fuck you, James! I was not obsessed. I only know that because we fought about it!”

“Do you need ivory napkins to have the perfect wedding?” I wondered, and she scowled at me.

“Of course not.”

“What do you need for the perfect wedding?” I asked loudly, catching Nick’s eye as the room quieted slightly. “You need food, right? Food is important.”

He nodded, slipping me one of the ring boxes. “We have lots of food in the kitchen thanks to Darien.”

“You need friends,” I asserted, taking James’ hand and putting the ring box in it.

It took him a second, but he blinked up at me and I grinned as the room fell truly silent.

“You need family,” Nick said, grabbing Aaron and handing him the other box.

“You need someone to take pictures, right?” I asked Nick, and he tossed a disposable camera to Em, who caught it with a giggle.

“You need a good place to have the wedding,” Nick said, and I grinned at him.

“How about the spot where we decided to get together?”

He gave me such a look of mock surprise that nearly everyone laughed. “That’s such a good idea, Rache. And it’s right here, on the beach.”

“Let’s see…” I went on, considering. “You need a marriage license.”

Nick whipped it out of his pocket. “I just so happen to have one. But we need someone to perform the ceremony.”

“Is that why you had me do that Universal Life Church thing last week?” Anna clued in and Nick grinned at her. “I’m a minister… well, on paper!”

“Well, there!” Nick said. “We’ve got everything we need, I think.”

“Why wait?” I asked. We shrugged at each other and then looked at our stunned families.

“Are you serious?” James asked, and I nodded at him.

“Right here, right now. C’mon, before it gets dark!” I started towards the door, but then all hell finally broke loose. We couldn’t move for the hugs and questions.

“When did you plan this?” Mom asked, hugging me, and I pulled away to grab Em’s hand.

“When she said she’d be in the States. Em taking pictures was the only thing we couldn’t quite figure out.”

“Thank god I brought some cameras. This thing is crap,” she informed me. “Don’t start without me!” She wiggled through the crowd, running up the stairs towards her room.

“And are you getting married in that?” James asked before JC could stop him. “There will be pictures!”

James followed me up stairs and I caught Nick’s hand, pulling him with me. “I knew he’d do this, so I prepared.”

I opened my bedroom closet and handed Nick and James a pale blue linen suit, crisp white shirt and pink tie that I’d bought especially for the day. Nick shook his head, “I don’t need him to help me get dressed!”

“Oh, yes you do!” James insisted and I could barely stop laughing long enough to kiss Nick as he disappeared into the blue room to get ready for our big moment.

Turning around to my room, I found AJ standing there. “You’re doing this?”

Nodding, I hugged him. “I don’t want this to sound bad, but thank you for going into rehab, AJ.”

He had to laugh at that and then left me alone to get ready. The sky had a hint of orange in it so I hurriedly found my dress in the back of the closet. I couldn’t believe that the one person who did know what we were doing today was Kate Sutton, but she’d kill me if she found out I’d gotten married in something off the rack.

I pulled the dress over my head and turned to look in the mirror. I hadn’t let myself try it on yet, knowing that Kate would have sent me the perfect dress and I was right. She’d heard Nick call me ‘buttercup’ too many times and there were tiny yellow flowers lining the bottom hem. The lining of Nick’s jacket had bunnies on it, too.

Where was she? My knees were practically shaking as we all waited at the point for her. We’d gone over this last night lying in bed and listening to our various family and friends snoring and dreaming. I’d lead everyone down to the point and have her brother, Jon, wait for her in the house.

Had he talked her out of it? The sun was definitely setting now and if we waited too long Em wouldn’t be able to take pictures… screw the pictures, I’d never forget what Rachel looked like in that dress.

I was the first to see her and they must have known from the look on my face that she was coming down from the house. She was amazing… a pretty sundress that was perfect for her figure and cute little shoes with… were those flowers? Buttercups.

Kate. I’d noticed that my suit was a Sutton original when I was complaining about the bunnies on the lining. Rachel must have told Kate about our plans.

It was like time stood still. Jon lead Rachel over to me and shook my hand before I took hers in mine and we turned toward the waiting sunset. I faintly heard people talking and Em’s camera clicking away, but all I could really hear was my heart pounding in my chest.

Everything we’d been through was worth it for this moment. For this feeling. Forever with Rachel… starting now.

The End....

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