�Are you really going to marry him?� She didn�t want to tell him the truth, he had the look in his eye that made her think of he knew she was available that he would take advantage of the opportunity. She wasn�t sure if she was strong enough to make him keep his distance.
�Nick I don�t want to talk about it.� She didn�t want to tell a lie either. Her life since she met him had been full of them.
�Come on Quinn. Are you going to marry him? You slept with me. More than once.� She stood up and turned to him,
�I know I slept with you. I don�t need to be reminded. I suppose you don�t want me to marry him because you want to be with me.� She looked at him expectedly. That would surely put him in his place and shut his mouth,
�You want me to make these concessions�not be with James�do what you want me to do for your own selfish reasons.� She waved her arms around, �Whatever they may be but you don�t want to give anything. Are you going to be in a real relationship with me? Are you going to tell me you love me? Introduce me to your world? Acknowledge me�make me more than some after thought, side thing?� She had said so much but she didn�t know why. It wasn�t like it would make a difference to Nick. Everything went in one ear and out the other. He just didn�t show any signs of growing up, of wanting a real relationship.
He just sat there with nothing to say, just as she expected. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly and loudly,
�Look, I don�t want to do this. I don�t want to go on some backward slide. We�ve come a long way from all the arguing and stuff. Lets just agree to stay out of each other�s personal lives.�
�Ok, that�s fine. Whatever. I just don�t want him giving me a hard time.� Part of her wanted to tell him she and James were no longer together just to shut him and his macho man act up but she thought better of it,
�Nick, stop. OK? Really just stop. I said James isn�t going to be a problem and I meant it. I�m Mac�s mother.� He looked like he finally understood.
�Ok, alright.� The phone rang and she grabbed the cordless then went into her bedroom,
�Hi daddy.� She didn�t want them to hear Nick in the background,
�Hey baby. Listen, we were thinking we should stay�� After Nate told her he was leaving she approached her parents and suggested they do the same. It made no sense for them to continue to miss work and put their lives on hold. She could handle things with Mac.
�Daddy no. I will be ok. There is nothing to worry about. There�s nothing you can do here that you can�t do at home. All I need is your support and anytime I need it I�ll call you.�
�I don�t know baby.�
�Dad, Mac is getting better. You heard her doctors. Things are still serious�yes. But, everything looks like she�s on her way to a great recovery.�
�Don�t hesitate to ask James for anything. He loves you. Let him take care of you. Let him be the man.� She didn�t dare tell her parents that she and James were no longer together. First, it would lead to them telling her what a mistake she had made. Even though the break up wasn�t her fault. If James wanted to get married still she�d do it. She loved him. She hoped once the stress of Mac�s situation was over they could try to make things work. Maybe they could spend some time, just the two of them.
�Daddy, I promise, I won�t push James away.� If he ever came back, she most definitely would not push him away.
�Is everything ok?� She had left Nick alone for quite a while as she talked to her parents.
�Yeah, things are fine. It was my parents. They�re leaving tomorrow afternoon.� The smile on his face couldn�t be hidden,
�Gee, can you get any happier?� She smiled at him as he tried to swallow the happiness,
�Sorry.� She shook her head,
�Don�t worry about it.� She knew it had all been hard for him. Her parents, her brother, James, Elliott�she knew they had all given him a hard time and made it tough for him. She watched as he stood up and stretched,
�I�m hitting the bathroom. I�ll be back.� She nodded her head. She heard a buzzing sound and looked on the coffee table. Nick�s phone was on vibrate. She decided to answer,
�Hello?� She could tell there was hesitation,
�Hello? Did you want to speak to Nick?� The person on the other line cleared their throat,
�Um, yes please.� It was a female and she sounded young. Not too young that she was some random fan that got his number off the Internet but not too old that she could be mistaken for some record label secretary or one of his mother�s friends.
�He actually just stepped into the restroom.� She didn�t want to say that Nick couldn�t come to the phone. The girl might think she was trying to keep Nick away from her. �Want to leave your name and I�ll tell him to give you a call back?�
�Yeah, just let him know that Ashley called.� Ashley, she instantly thought of the confrontation she had with her at the hospital. At least she thought that was the same girl,
�Is this the Ashley that came to see Nick at the hospital?� There was hesitation,
�Yes, um who�s this?�
�This is Quinn. I need to tell you that I�m really sorry. I was going through a lot�I know that�s no excuse but I let the stress get the best of me and I took it out on you. I had no right, I�m sorry.� She knew she needed to apologize for her behavior. It was inexcusable and showed no class.
�Oh, um, that�s really ok, uh, Quinn. I know you�re a nice person. Nick did nothing but tell me great things about you even before all that stuff happened. He really cares about you. You�re lucky.� Nick talked about her to Ashley? Did he talk about her to other girls? Maybe he didn�t hide her. Maybe he did care about her. Having said that she knew she couldn�t get involved with Nick again.
�Thanks, so�do you and Nick�are you guys dating?� She wasn�t even sure if she wanted to know the answer.
�Oh, no Nick and I are just friends�we met a few months back and uh, you know�� She could tell the poor girl was embarrassed and a bad liar as well. Nick wasn�t just friends with girls. He always got the girl or kicked her to the curb if she wasn�t willing to give it up. Quinn knew it was very likely if she and Nick didn�t start sleeping together he would have lost interest in her. It wasn�t like there would have been a reason for her presence in his life. She wasn�t some dancer, she didn�t have any professional ties, she wasn�t the relative od a friend. Nick�s personal circle of friends did not include a girl. What need did Nick have for a girl who wasn�t willing to give him what he expected from a woman?
�Ashley, Nick and I have nothing between us except our daughter. There�s nothing going on�trust me. I think you�re a nice girl and I think you�d be good for him. If I can help in any way�talk to him if you want, I would.�
�Oh yes! Would you?!� There it was, the truth. This girl most definitely wanted Nick. She had ulterior motives. Eventually it was going to come out that she and James were no longer together but until distracting Nick was the best thing. Besides, seeing Nick with other girls might disappoint her enough to make her stay away from him.
Chapter 104 cont'd