Nick almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the knock on his hotel door. He continued to sit on the couch as Larry opened the door. In walked his father and he jumped to his feet,
�Pop, I thought you were going to call when you made it in?� He shrugged,
�Its no big deal.� He glanced around the room quickly and looked back at Nick. They gave each other an uncomfortable hug.
�So, why don�t we go out and get some dinner? Maybe hear some live music somewhere?� His father looked at him curiously,
�I thought you would be anxious to show off this kid of yours.� Nick smiled. Maybe it was a good sign his father brought up Mac first. Maybe that meant he was interested.
�Uh, its late. Visiting hours are over. They want to be careful with her. But first thing in the morning we can go. Hold on a minute.� He ran to his bedroom and went through his suitcase. He carried the pictures of Mac, Quinn and him in her backyard. He cared about his daughter, loved his daughter more than anyone gave him credit for. Of course, he made it hard by not looking like �Dad of the Year� but he felt like he was coming around.
He walked back out and sat down next to his dad,
�Here, this was taken about a couple of months ago. She�s grown so much. She�s even more gorgeous.� He watched anxiously as his dad looked through the pictures.
�You guys actually look like a family.� He saw one of the pictures Larry took of the three of them. Actually, he thought the same thing when he saw the pictures of the three of them.
His father handed the pictures back to him and yawned.
�We�ll order room service and stay here. I�m tired from the drive up I don�t want to go out.� Anything was fine with him just as long as he and his father were getting along.
�Nick, if you don�t need me I�ll go out for a while and handle a few things for tomorrow and give you some privacy.�
�Uh, sure, sure Larry. That�s fine. In fact, that�s all for today I�ll see you in the morning.� Larry liked to play Mr. Professional when he was around Nick�s parents and the record label. It made them all feel Nick (and the rest of the guys) had bodyguards who were no-nonsense. For some reason that made them think the guys were straight-laced and all that crap. But to be honest, their bodyguards were just as fun-loving and foolish as they were. Sure, they knew their craft and they were the best in the business but they were more child-like than the guys.
He grabbed a menu and sat down next to his father.
�I already know what I want, here.� He handed the menu to his father.
�What are you getting?�
�Steak and eggs with hash browns.� His father smiled at him,
�Still like to eat breakfast for dinner huh?� He laughed,
�That�s never going to change.�
�Make it two. Go ahead and place the order and then we can talk.� He dreaded talking because he knew whatever his dad wanted to say he didn�t want to hear.
�Ok, so she didn�t try to trap you for your money. It�s of your own solo effort that you have a kid. Does she know?� He shook his head,
�No, she doesn�t. With all the stress raising a kid has put on her, the last thing I want to tell her is that its my fault that she got pregnant.�
�So you know you are going to have to deal with this girl until your kid turns eighteen right?� There was something about the way he said �this girl� and �kid� that didn�t come off as the most respectful.
�Yes dad and its not going to be a problem.� His dad shook his head,
�Its an even worse situation when she is married to another man.� Nick imagined his life was going to be full of drama as long as James was around. He would have to talk to Quinn about that, seriously.
�That�s why your older sister and I didn�t even talk to each other until she moved away from her bat of a mother.� He couldn�t imagine talking about Quinn the way his father had always talked about Ginger�s mother.
�Quinn and I have talked. We both want me to be there for Mackenzie.� Bob nodded,
�Yeah, everything always starts out the best in the beginning but it doesn�t go that way.� He shifted with his bourbon in his hand,
�So what do you really know about this girl?�
�She�s smart�she went to University of Miami. She�s a computer engineer. Her brother is an engineer too�and her dad. Both her parents work at NASA. She�s funny, she�s sweet, she always thinks about other people.� He stopped when his father began to shake his head and wave his hand,
�Not that Hallmark shit Nick. I mean, what do you really know about her? Do you know for sure she won�t take you to court and try getting a crap load of money? How do you know she wont get some fancy lawyer to go through all your finances and get eight or nine thousand a month from you? You know, courts feel the child should live the exact same lifestyle as the father. And you know how expensive your lifestyle can get at times. It could be cheaper to fucking marry this girl.�
�Dad, she wouldn�t do that. And we�ve already settled on an amount.� As soon as he said it he regretted it. His father looked at him intensely,
�How much are you giving this girl?� He looked down and mumbled,
�Three thousand a month.� He watched as his father looked as if he wanted to scream,
�Three thousand? Part of me is happy she�s dumb enough to take that and the other half of me is mad you're giving her that much. What's wrong with you paying five or six hundred to cover daycare?� She just shrugged.
�Well it wont be long before someone gets in her head and tell her she deserves more.� His father wasn�t going to understand. He didn�t know Quinn. Nick did and he knew that Quinn would never screw him over. No matter what he did, she would never hurt him.
�And what do you know about raising a black kid?� Nothing. He knew absolutely nothing about raising a black kid and he didn�t care. He just knew her needed to be there for his daughter. Its not like he had to be there for all the black people in the world.
�I don�t. I�m her father, not anyone else�s.� His father rolled his eyes,
�Don�t think you aren�t going to get shit. Especially from black guys who don�t want to see you with a black kid and her black mother.� He felt like he was in some device that was squeezing his head. The pressure was unbelievable.
�How are the girls and Aaron taking it? Being aunts and an uncle.� He hadn�t heard from any of his sisters and Aaron had only called once. They had their own lives and they didn�t seem to give a damn about his; even when something exciting was happening.
�Leslie thinks you were dumb for getting a girl you don�t know pregnant. BJ didn�t give a damn. Angel thinks the whole thing is gross and Aaron thinks you�re cool and I think he wants to have a mixed baby too now.� Sometimes his brother took the big brother idol worship a little too far. He would have to make a mental note to talk to his brother and tell him not to go around trying to get girls pregnant.
Chapter 102
Reunited
Stories