--chapter one - page three--

It was two days later, the day Nick and Malu had agreed to meet. Nick had done a lot of thinking over the past two days, although not a lot of thinking was necessary in making his decision. He couldn't let her have bring a baby into the world, his baby, and not play a part in its life. It wasn't fair to Malu- she had let him have a choice regarding his future. She herself didn't have that option. She had to have this baby, because it was her body. And it wouldn't be fair to Nick, knowing he had a baby, not being able to play a role in its life. He would always be wondering about the child he never knew. But most importantly, it wasn't fair to the child. Nick saw the pain AJ had gone through, growing up without a father. He never wanted to cause that same kind of pain.

So that decision was made. But with that conclusion came a million more questions. How would his parents react? How would her parents react? How would Kevin react? How would this baby affect his career?

There was a knock on the door. Malu. Before opening it, Nick smoothed down his clothes. He'd tried to dress responsibly, as if his appearance could fool Malu, and himself, into thinking he could handle this situation. Khaki pants, button-down shirt, even his silver-framed glasses.

The door swung open. Malu obviously hadn't been on Nick's conservative-dress wave-length. She wore a skimpy camisole tank top, cut off above her belly. Her stretch jeans were worn ultra-low, a hint of her rhinestone-studded thong barely peeking out. Loads of gold jewelry, dark make-up and a high ponytail. Funny, Nick didn't remember her looking this cheap in the Keys.

"You look like you're ready to hit the clubs, not become a mother." It wasn't the most friendly greeting, but it was the first thing that came to Nick's mind.

She shrugged, pushing past Nick and entering the room. "I figured I should have fun while I still have the figure."

And what a figure she did have. She was slim, but athletic-looking. Toned arms, flat stomach. Now Nick remembered why he found the girl so appealing that night. But he also remembered something he hadn't given much thought to that night: how young she looked. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," she avoided his eye contact, knowing what he was thinking. "Nineteen in August."

At least she was legal. "And you’re a college student?"

"Just finished up freshman year at UC Berkeley." She was walking around the room, taking in the sights. Fingering the room service he'd ordered, just in case she was hungry. "A lot nicer then my motel in the Keys. Maybe I should have gone back to your house with you, if it’s as nice as this room."

"You can eat that food if you want," Nick offered. "I ordered it for you."

Malu shook her head. "I ate a big breakfast. I was just looking."

"You know, you're eating for two now." Nick reminded her. Like she could forget.

Her nerves flared up. "It’s my body, and I'm not hungry."

"Well, it’s my baby too, and I want to make sure your taking care of her." Nick retorted.

"What makes you so sure it’s a her?"

"I don't," he admitted. He shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I just want a baby girl."

"Well, I want a boy." Malu replied stubbornly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She didn't care really, but she was in the mood to disagree with whatever Nick had to say. "So that means you want to be involved?"

"Every step of the way."

Malu threw herself down on a leather couch. Nick winced, thinking of his little baby bouncing around inside her. "So what do we do first?"

"We have to tell my parents, tell you're parents, tell my band mates and my management," Nick listed items off his mental checklist.

"Band mates and management," Malu echoed. The whole concept of Nick being a pop star was completely foreign to her. "How will they react?"

Nick shrugged. "Kevin will yell, Brian will be disappointed in me, AJ will have the hots for you, and Howie will stay quiet. Management will run around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to figure how to spin the PR. It won't be pretty, but we'll survive."

Malu covered her face with a pillow, moaning loudly. "How did we ever get ourselves into this situation, Nick?"

Nick collapsed onto the couch next to Malu. He picked up her feet, placing them in his lap. "All I know is that I'm never having sex again."

...to be continued...
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