The Story of Us (Book 1 of "The Story of Us" Series) [Completed]

Chapter 32 - Lie To Me

[Harley]

Thinking about it at the time, I couldn't believe that I was pregnant. Messing around with Nick was supposed to be fun and it was, but getting pregnant was the last thing on my mind because we were so careful. But after the idea of having a baby settled in, I was excited for it. I've always wanted to have a baby, even as a kid. Sure, carrying around a Cabbage Patch kid isn't the same as carrying around a newborn, but I was ready. And if I was going to have a baby with anybody, I would have wanted it to be with Nick.

I honestly couldn't imagine myself having anybody's baby but Nick's.

After telling my father to leave Nick alone outside, my Dad eventually came up to my room that next morning, on Christmas, to apologize. Granted, he was not happy to find Nick in my bed with me, but it was strictly platonic. He just fell asleep in my room with me because we had stayed up talking so long that night before. But my father came around and even got a little excited about it but we told him he had to keep it to himself. He couldn't tell anybody, not even my brother.

Nick and I became serious about keeping the pregnancy a secret. I debating on telling my management, but I just asked for them to postpone my European tour until the next summer. They didn't want to at first until I threatened that I wouldn't do a tour at all. That's when they postponed it to start in late August. When news came out that European tour was being postponed, a lot of rumors starting circulating.

There were rumors that I was going to quit singing for acting, which obviously wasn't true. There was another rumor that I was really sick and yes, there was even a pregnancy rumor because I had gained some weight, obviously. But my management shot them all down. Then there were rumors that Nick and I were back together because he visited me at least once a week on the tour, sometimes staying for a week at a time. And I won't lie. We still had sex some. Not every single time we saw one another like before, but every other time. But we had come to another agreement... when I had the baby, the original arrangement would be over. Sex was going to be the least of my concerns when the baby came.

Then an "insider" revealed to the press that I had previously had problems with stress, which lead to migraines and high blood pressure and that's why I was postponing the tour to take some time off. I'm not sure who this "insider" was but not that many people knew about my health problems. I questioned my management, but they swore they didn't release anything. Regardless, it stopped the rumors because it was the truth, I had those problems but they were under control.

By the time that my tour ended in the middle of February, I was six months pregnant and thankfully, I was just really starting to show to the point that I couldn't hide it. My Dad said my Mom didn't start showing until late in her second trimester and thank God, that happened with me too. Thankfully my outfits hid most of it and playing the guitar for 80 percent of my show definitely hid my slowly expanding tummy. By the time I arrived home in Atlanta, I could actually act like I was pregnant. I could sit, be lazy and eat as much as I wanted.

I had my Dad and Nick waiting on me hand and foot basically, which was awesome. Nick and I were getting along great. He was being supportive as hell with me. The first thing I thought when the doctor told me I was pregnant was that Nick would freak out and we would stop talking again. I really thought that would happen, but I gave him a choice and I think that's what has made him so comfortable with the situation. I had given him a choice of being the cool uncle or actually being a father and at that point, he still hadn't decided. To me, it didn't really matter because I knew he was going to be there regardless. It was up to him what role he wanted to play.

But he was there for me and not freaking out. That's all that mattered, or at least that's what I thought.

[/Harley]

[March 2006]

"Give me another!" Nick yelled at the bartender as he started bobbing his head to the music that the DJ was playing in the club. He looked over, watching the bartender fill up his glass of Vodka and sighed, wishing he would just give him the whole damn bottle. "You know, you could just give me the bottle and we can call it even."

"And you can also just go ahead and go to another club," the bartender said as Nick rolled his eyes, taking his glass from the bartender. Being without Paris Hilton in one of the L.A. bars or clubs definitely wasn't the same. Before they would bring him bottles of whatever he wanted. Now he just kept asking for alcohol and whatever else he could get his hands on.

He was doing that a lot those days. He partied when he was away from Harley but with her, he was the perfect best friend and father-to-be. It was like Dr. Jekyll on his own and Mr. Hyde with Harley. But he had to party. He had to take out his fears somehow because he couldn't take them out on Harley and he knew that. There was no way he could freak out on her because as strong as she seemed to be, if he freaked out on her, it would crush her.

Nick was fine with the idea of Harley being pregnant until he felt the baby kick. Then it all became real to him. She was in Tacoma, Washington doing a show and he was visiting her that week. She was in her private dressing room and she felt the baby kick. She yelled for Nick who was next door, talking with her drummer and she grabbed his hands, putting them on her stomach before he even asked what was wrong.

And that's when he freaked out.

"Hey Nick, you want to go to this house party up on the hill?" a strange guy asked as he walked up to Nick, wrapping his arm around his neck. Nick knew he looked familiar but wasn't exactly sure who the hell he was.

"Well I'm kind of just staying here I think," Nick started to say, looking down to see the little baggie of white powder the guy pulled out. "But if you insist..."

"There's some fucking hot girls at this party too," the guy said as Nick finished off his drink, slamming the glass on the counter. He felt his phone vibrate and took it out of his pocket. It was Harley. "I mean some hot pussy, man." Nick looked at the guy and back at his phone. He had talked to Harley before he went out and she was fine. She had to be fine now. He put the phone back in his pocket and looked at the guy.

"I don't know," Nick said as the guy, who somehow reminded him of AJ, slammed his hand on the counter, telling the guy to give him another drink. "Nah, I'm good."

"No, give this man another one!" the guy shouted, looking at Nick. "The party starts in an hour. You coming, Carter?"

"Yeah," Nick said, drinking the Vodka so fast that he could feel it burning his throat. He wiped his lips with his hand and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll fucking be there."