Chapter 1

I remember it was a Sunday morning in June. I was moving into my own place. Nick and I had been married for almost 2 years. He was touring and spending a lot of time on the road and I couldn't take all the stress of it anymore. I never knew where he was anymore. He stopped calling. I had to call his managers and ask them where he was. We had no children and no life together. Maybe we should have never gotten married.

<Flash Back>

I met Nick at the beach 4 years ago. I was there with a friend. We always hung out at the beach on the weekend. There was a volleyball game going on beside us. Nick dove to try to save a ball and he came tumbling right into me. I was thrown completely out of my chair. He was so embarrassed. His buddies were laughing so hard that Nick couldn't keep a straight face. He was embarrassed and laughing. I told him I was all right and he retrieved the ball and fell out laughing with the rest of his friends. I had my eye on him all afternoon. My friend Annie teased me about the whole incident. "I like to be swept off my feet, not thrown out of my chair." She laughed at that. I got up and walked down to the water. It was too cold to go in but I enjoyed the beach . I turned around and headed back to my chair. I watched as Nick was talking to my friend. I don't know why I was jealous, but I was. As I got closer he stood up and walked away. I sat down in a huff and wouldn't even look at her. "Aren't you even going to ask what he wanted?" "No I'm not interested." "Well he is in you." I turned to face her. "What do you mean by that?" "He came over and asked if you were single. I told him you were. Then he asked if you were mad. He has the most amazing blue eyes did you notice?" "I was face down in the sand how could I notice?" "Just chill out." "So where did he go?" "He went to the snack shack." "He asked what you liked to drink and I told him Diet Coke. He'll probably bring you back something to drink." I looked at her. "Are you serious? Do you really think he'll come here? How do I look?" I fished out a mirror and checked my hair. I grabbed my dark glasses so that my eyes could wander all over his body if he did come back. She told me again to chill. "Get out of your chair and sit on that towel. That way if he sat down he'd sit in your chair right beside me." "What's the matter with you? Why are you acting like this?" "Did you see those amazing blue eyes? Not to mention, the chest, the legs, the butt." Annie was laughing at me. She got off the chair and placed it beside my chair and sat on the towel. She put on her dark glasses too just in case he brought one of his friend's with him. I pulled a magazine out of my bag. I asked if she saw him coming. "I see him but he's not heading this way yet." "Damn, what's taking him so long?" Annie was laughing. "What's so funny?" "You are. He's not even that cute. Didn't you see the acne on his face?" "I can clear that up in one weekend." Her mouth flew open, "You're horrible." "So what's a little acne? He has an awesome body. I noticed when he talks, he uses his hands a lot. That's the first thing I noticed about him." "You noticed his hands first?" "Yes, didn't you?" We both laughed. "Oh my god here he comes. He's bringing a friend." "Just act cool." I could hear them talking as the approached. I felt the shivers go up my spine and then I couldn't stop smiling. I was nervous, but why was I nervous? I looked at Annie and whispered, "I can't stop smiling." She started laughing. Then I heard Nick, "so ladies what's so funny?" I turned to see him standing with two drinks in his hand. I was still smiling but was trying to disguise it as a squint. "Oh, nothing really, just this readers poll in Cosmopolitan Magazine." "I hear you like Diet Coke?" "Yes, it's all I drink." He handed me one of the sodas. "Would you mind if I sat down?" I patted the empty chair next to me and said, "sure, who's your friend?" "Oh yeah, hee hee, this is Brian." "Hi Brian. I'm Stacy and this is my friend Annie." "Nice to meet you ladies," Brian said. Nick took one of the boxes of food out of Brian's hands and sat down in the chair next to me. He offered me some of his chili fries. I said no thank you. "I'm sorry for knocking you out of your chair earlier. I really do feel bad." "Yeah I could tell. It really tore you up inside." Brian choked on his hamburger and we all started laughing. "Oh, you heard us?" "The whole beach heard you." "I like your sense of humor." "It's hard not to be humorous when you have a mouth full of sand." We sat together and made small talk. After a while they had to go, they had plans for the evening. "I'd like to call you sometime." "Why?" He was real timid and I liked playing with him. He squirmed a little. "I'd like to ask you out." "So ask me out and then. I'll give you my phone number so you can know where to pick me up." Nick looked at Brian. Brian had this smile on his face and his eyes were darting all over the beach. "OK, tomorrow night. I'll pick you up at 8." I wrote down my phone number and handed it to him. "Thanks for the Diet Coke." He waved the slip of paper in the air and said thanks for this.

Chapter 2

I remember Annie watched them leave and when they got far enough away she said, "you were awesome." "I was? I don't know where that came from. I'm so embarrassed." "Do you think he'll call you?" "We made a date he has to call. He might call and cancel, but he still has to call." We stayed another hour and finally we packed up our stuff. I dropped Annie off at her apartment and drove back to my condo. I stored beach gear in the garage and dust busted out my trunk. I drove a convertible mustang. Compliments of my hard work. I worked hard for my money. I paid my way through life. Not like some of my friends whose parent's still paid for everything. I'm 23 5'6 with long brown hair. It usually gets a man's attention so I let it keep growing. It's a pain in the ass to wash and set though. I went inside and checked my machine. Still no call from Nick so I went upstairs and took a shower. I got dressed and went downstairs to get something to eat. I fixed a salad and sat down to watch TV when my phone rang. I spilled my salad onto the rug. "Shit!" I grabbed the cordless and said hello. "Is Stacy there?" "Speaking." "Oh you sound different on the phone." "I do?" "This is Nick from the beach." I thought, Duh! "Yes I recognized your voice." "I'm calling for directions to your house for tomorrow night." "OK." I was scooping up the lettuce from the floor. "Hold a minute." I had oil in my bowl and was trying to clean it off my couch before it stained. I picked up the phone and heard him whispering to someone. I held out the phone from my face and said, "I'll be right there Nick, don't hang up." I acted like I was picking up the phone. "I'm so sorry, I spilled my salad with dressing on my couch when I reached for the phone and I didn't want it to leave a stain." "That wouldn't be good." "Anyway, do you have a pencil and paper?" He said he did. I started reciting directions. He repeated them like he was saying them to someone else. I asked him to read them back to me. He or someone else, wrote them down correctly. "So, what do you like to do for fun?" "I love the beach. But dancing is nice, or a movie. I'm easy, I mean, well you know what I mean." I was so embarrassed. "I'll pick you up at 8, dress casually." "Jeans casual? Or dress casual?" "Jeans would be fine." We said goodbye and immediately called Annie. She was laughing. "He actually called?" "Yes, he's picking me up at 8 and said to dress casually." "He didn't tell you where he was taking you?" "No, he asked what I liked to do so I gave him some suggestions then I told him I was easy." We both had a good laughed. "I was trying to tell him I would like anything, instead I said I'm easy. He must think I'm so desperate." "We we'll see tomorrow." I hung up after promising her I'd call her no matter what time I got in. I fixed myself another salad and went back to watch TV. I paid a few bills and then went up to bed. I woke up early the next morning and started cleaning my house. I had Journey blaring from my stereo. I lived in the end unit and the condo next door was empty. I dusted and vacuumed. I washed floors and windows. I cleaned both bathrooms. Like he was going to even make it upstairs. I stopped for lunch I was starving and I had slept through breakfast. I made a chicken sandwich and had a Diet Coke. I watered my plants and cleaned the picture frame glass and TV. I flipped the cushion on my couch. It stained. I even did my laundry. I left nothing to chance. With all that done on a Saturday afternoon I headed out to get my car washed. It was so funny. Nick was there too. "Are you preparing for tonight?" "Hi, um, yes. My car's a mess." "Which one is yours?" "The green Expedition." "Mine is the gold Mustang." "Very nice. What have you been doing all day?" "House work. I must look a mess." "You don't." "I'm sorry for being a jerk yesterday." "You weren't a jerk. It was fun talking to you. I've never had an experience like that before." I didn't even ask what he meant by that. The man waved a towel and Nick stood up. "See you at 8." I waved, "see you later." A few minutes later another guy waved his towel and I stood and went to get my car. I stopped on the way home and bought a chicken salad. I was too tired to make anything. I ate my salad and listened to my Journey CD. I went upstairs and took a shower. I spent too much time looking for something casual to wear. I barely made it. Nick was early and I wasn't ready. I opened the door and invited him in. I turned down the music and told him I'd be right back. I ran upstairs and put on some jewelry and ran back downstairs. "OK, "I'm ready."

Chapter 3

We exited my condo and I locked the door behind me. Nick helped me into his car. He opened the door and started up the engine. "Your car is so clean," I joked. He laughed. "Where we were going?" "You said you liked the beach. I thought we'd spend our first date on the boardwalk." My brain was now flashing "First Date" in my head. "Oh, it's been a long time since I've been to the boardwalk at night. "Good you'll have fun then." We drove down to the pier and Nick parked his car. He came around to my side and helped me out. As we walked across the street he placed his hand in the small of my back. "Which way?" I asked? "To your right. We walked past a lot of concession stands and we wound up at a bar. "Let's go in here." I walked in with him and we found am empty table. "So what do you want?" "Sex on the Beach." He blushed, "I mean to drink?" I laughed, "That is a drink." It was too funny watching him order. "Nextt time can you order something else?" "Okay, next I'll order a blow job then." "Is that really a drink? "Do you do this with all your dates?" "I don't date much." "I wonder why?" We laughed. We had a great chemistry. We talked and danced and talked some more. He sat a lot closer to me now. "Should I order more Sex on the ?" "I haven't finished yet." He waived the waitress over and held up two fingers. She came back with another beer for Nick and another drink for me. "What's in that?" "I don't know exactly, but it's good. Do you want to taste it?" "That is definitely a girl's drink. It was too sweet for him." "I don't like the taste of alcohol so I order them sweet. They are lethal to me this way." "By all means order another one." I laughed. I finished my drink and Nick finished his beer. We left the bar and walked out on the pier. I was cold so Nick let me where his jacket. He had on a black turtleneck underneath. We walked out to the end of the pier holding hands. "It's so dark out here, it's almost spooky." "Look up." I looked up and saw so many stars. "I like to take my boat out at night and drop anchor and lie on the deck and just stare up at the stars." "We'll have to do that next time." Then I caught myself and said, "I mean I'd like to do that sometime." "Are you blushing?" "Why?" "I'd like to take you out on my boat next time." "I'm blushing now." He let out a little giggle laugh. That's the only way to explain it. He led me by the hand back up the pier and he ordered a pretzel. "I'm not hungry," I said. We walked back out to the car and Nick drove me home. I invited him in for coffee. He parked his car and we went inside. I asked him if he was still hungry, "I can make you a chicken sandwich if you want?" "No, I'm fine. We sat on the sofa and talked more about ourselves. "You like Journey?" "No, I don't like Journey, I loved Journey." "I like them too." My phone rang and it was Annie. "I'm sorry you have the wrong number." That was our signal that our date was still here. She laughed and hung up. I sat back down on the couch. "Your couch didn't stain." "I flipped the cushion over and showed him." He laughed. We were both very nervous and didn't know what to say. "Do you work?" "Yes I work." "What do you do?" "I'm a model." "Really? Wow!" "What do you do?" "I'm a musician. I play the drums." "I play the piano we could do an act." He laughed. "You are so funny. Can I kiss you?" I was caught off guard. I was thinking, why is he asking me? "If you want too." He leaned in and pecked my lips, then he inserted his wet juicy tongue in my mouth. He is a great kisser. He kisses with so much passion. I had to stop. "Whoa!" My heart was racing and I was breathing hard. I stood up and said, "I think it's time to go." "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." "I'm not uncomfortable." He looked at me and then I guess he figured it out. I walked him out to his truck and he kissed me again. "Can I call you tomorrow?" "You better call me tomorrow," I joked. He got in this truck and drove away. I walked inside and called Annie. I told her everything from the Sex on the Beach to the kisses. She couldn't believe it. "So do you think he'll call you back?" "I know he will." "How can you be so sure?" "I'm still wearing his jacket." She laughed. "When you see him tomorrow ask about his friend Brian. That was one sweet man, I haven't stopped thinking about him." I promised I would. I hung up the telephone and went upstairs and took a shower. I dressed for bed and smelled Nick's jacket. Damn he smelled good. I hung the jacket on a hanger and put in on the hook of my door. I climbed into bed and went to sleep.

Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning and went to do some grocery shopping. When I returned I had a message. It was from Nick. He left his phone number. I grabbed my Rolodex and wrote it down. "I had a great time last night and I want to take you to the beach today. Here's my number call me when you get this." I called Annie and played the message. "He didn't even mention the jacket." "What's that supposed to mean?" "He's interested in you, not the jacket." I laughed. "I'm going to call him right now and I'll ask him to bring Brian and I'd invite you, blah, blah, blah, I'll call you back OK?" "What are you going to wear?" "A swimsuit silly. I'll call you back." I dialed Nick's number and he answered. "Hi it's me," I said. "Good morning." "I got your message, what time did you want to go to the beach?" "Soon. I was going to come over if you didn't call me in the next ten minutes. You must have sensed that." Yeah, now reading each other's minds I thought to myself. "I planned on going to the beach with Annie, can you maybe bring Brian along?" "Hold on I'll ask him." "Sure he'll come." "I'll pick you up in twenty minutes and then we'd go get Annie." "OK, I'll call her and let her know then." I couldn't control my excitement, I had to dial her number twice. She was on speed dial too. She picked up the phone before I heard it ring. "Brian's coming and Nick is picking us all up. I think Nick and Brian live together, roommates or something." True to his word Nick was at my door in 20 minutes. "I forgot to give you your jacket back." I ran upstairs and smelled it one more time and brought it back down to him. grabbed my beach bag and slipped on my flip flops and headed out to Nick's car. Brian was sitting in the back seat. I told him how to get to Annie's apartment. We got there in 5 minutes. I ran upstairs to her apartment and told he to hurry up they were waiting. She grabbed her beach bag and put on her dark glasses and we hurried back to Nick's car. Brian opened the door for Annie and she slid in. He closed my door for me and rushed around to the other side. "Everyone all buckled in?" We all said yes. We got to the beach and the guys carried our bags and chairs. They went back and got a huge ice chest and volleyball. "You guys wanna play?" "I better play, I don't want him to knock me out of my chair again." "Besides she likes to be swept off her feet not knocked out of her chair." I couldn't believe she said that. She was nervous so I let it pass. Nick laughed. "That sounds like something you would say, Stacy." I smiled and said, "it does?" Annie apologized under her breath. Nick and I teamed up against Annie and Brian. We were having the best time. Nick was very competitive and wanted to win. I love sports, I'm just not athletically inclined. I'd try to hit the ball but it would always go through my arms. "I think I have a whole in my racket." Brian busted out laughing. Nick was laughing too. I was good at serving though. Nick let me serve all the time. Brian hit the ball and I was close to the net and I started backing up and Nick was running up. We both had our heads up watching for the ball and we collided. I ended up on top of him. I was laughing so hard I couldn't move. Brian and Annie came over to us because they thought we were hurt. We were laughing so hard no sound was coming out of our mouths. When the saw us they lost it too. I finally managed to get up and I held out my hand for Nick. He took hold of it and pulled me back on top of him. "I like it better down here." I kissed him quickly and got up and walked back to my chair. They guys decided to go into the water. I sat in the chair and asked Annie if she noticed the size of Nick's feet. "No, why?" "They are huge. You know what they say about a guy with big feet." We busted out laughing. Annie said, "did you notice the size of Brian's feet?" "Yeah, and I'm sorry." We were laughing so hard. We couldn't control ourselves. Nick and Brian came back and asked us to come in. "Not now, in a little while." Before I even knew what happened Nick had me up in his arms and was running into the ocean with me. I looked over my shoulder and Brian had Annie. The water was so cold. My nipples immediately got hard. I tried to keep my shoulders under the water. I was so embarrassed. We swam out deeper into the ocean. Nick pulled me to him and he hugged me. "Are you cold?" "I'm freezing!" Annie and Brian were having a good time too. Annie was hanging on to Brian's back. We got out of the water and I did the old hide your nipples with your forearms trick, all the way back to the chair. I sat down and grabbed a towel and hugged it to my chest. Once I warmed up I put the towel over the back of my chair. We played another game of Volleyball, this time the girls against the boys. We were losing badly, but we were having fun. We ate lunch on the beach and Nick dropped Annie off at her apartment about 3:30 and took me home right after that. He walked me to the door. "Can I take you to dinner tonight?" I said, sure. "I had a great time today." "It was fun." He leaned in and kissed me. "I've wanted to do that all day." "Then why didn't you?" "You were barley wearing any clothes and I didn't dare touch you." I laughed. "Where are we going for dinner?" "Dress casual. No jeans though." He kissed me and then he left. He'd be back in an hour.

<End Flash Back>

Chapter 5

Things went on like that for months. We did a lot of things together. When I go on photo shoots he would come along sometimes. When he wasn't traveling that is. Annie and Brian had really hit it off too. We rarely did things together anymore. Nick and I enjoyed spending every minute together. We'd been dating about a year when he proposed to me. It was such a beautiful moment.

<Flash Back>

"The wedding was beautiful wasn't it?" "Brian was so happy. Annie was a beautiful bride." "Yes she was." Nick and I stood up for them I had caught the bouquet and Nick caught the garter belt. We were destined to be the next couple. It was a fun wedding. Nick wanted to take out his boat again. The sun was setting it had been a beautiful day. It was quite cold though. Nick usually kept blankets on board. We still hadn't had sex yet. Despite what comments I made, I was still a virgin and saving myself for my husband. "I wish more women thought like you." We boarded the boat and Nick guided her out into the ocean. We parked about a mile off shore. Nick grabbed a blanket and turned on the radio. He wrapped us both up in this huge blanket. He was in a very good mood. He was kissing me so passionately. I couldn't breath. He got up and grabbed two glasses and poured us some Champagne. "Why the Champagne?" "Brian gave it to him. It was left over from the wedding." The sun was setting and I could barely see. Nick made a toast to "Happy Endings." I didn't have a clue what that meant so I drank the Champagne. I was good Champagne. "Finish your drink so I can pour you some more." I lifted the glass and drank all the Champagne. I heard a clink and felt something fall into my mouth. I spit it into my hand and Nick turned on a flashlight. There in my hand was a diamond engagement ring. I nearly fell overboard. "Oh my God Nick! What's this!" He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! "Yes!" I screamed. "I will marry you!" I jumped on top of him and kissed him all over his face. "Let me put the ring on your finger then." I sat up and Nick slid the ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit. We finished the bottle of Champagne and laid on the deck of his boat. He spread the blanket over us and we stared at the stars. "There are so many of them. I can't pick just one to wish on." "Then wish on all of them." "I don't want to wish on all of them because what if one fell? That would be one less wish that would come true." "What wishes do you want to come true?" "That we would really get married and stay together forever." "Oh I'd wish on all of them. That's going to happen anyway, I promise." I made the promise. Not 5 minutes later we saw a shooting star. Nick felt my body tighten. "That's just God saying he heard you." I laid my head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of it. We fell asleep. We were awakened by a passing ship. "Are you all right down there?" "Yes, thank you for asking." I sat up and looked at my hand. There was a ring there. I looked up at Nick and he was smiling down at me. The sun was up behind him so I couldn't see his face. I could only see his outline. He bent down and kissed me. "Was I dreaming or did you say yes last night?" I kissed him. "I'll say it again. Yes Nick, I'll marry you." We cleaned up the boat and Nick pulled up the anchor. He parked the boat in it's slip and tied it to the dock. He lifted me off the boat and we headed back to his car. He drove me home and came inside. I went upstairs and took a shower. I came out and Nick was asleep on my bed. I laid down next to him and fell asleep. I woke up a few hours later and Nick was gone. I called his house and he picked up on the first ring. "Why'd you leave?" "I woke up and saw you lying there and I new if I didn't leave I'd be in hot water." "Well I'm awake now. Come over now." "I'll be over in an hour. I'm in the middle of something." "I'll be waiting." I got out of bed and went downstairs and fixed myself a sandwich. I looked at my hand and was so happy to see this beautiful ring on my finger. I grabbed a Diet Coke and checked my messages. I had a photo shoot on Tuesday. I wrote that on my calendar. I didn't want to forget another one. I was out having fun with Nick and I forgot once. I wished I could reach Annie to tell her the news. She was on her honeymoon though. Brian took her to Italy. She's always wanted to go. I heard Nick's key in the door. He looked at me and said, "Honey I'm Home!" I laughed and he came to kiss me.

<End Flash Back>

Chapter 6

I started to unpack my clothes but was so overcome with emotions I couldn't do it. I ran down to the store and bought one of those cubes of Diet Coke. I still had my rings on. I paid the checker and got into my car and drove back to my condo. I'm glad I never sold it. I wondered where Nick was. He still doesn't know I left. I haven't heard from him in 10 days. When he went on tour this time I told him if he didn't call me I wouldn't be here when he got back. It's now been more than four weeks. I still had no idea where he was. I loved him with all of my being but I just couldn't live like this anymore. I went into my condo put my groceries away and opened a Diet Coke. I went upstairs and removed my wedding rings. I place them in my jewelry box. I started to unpack a box and found my wedding picture. The tears rushed over my lids and fell on the photo. It was such a wonderful day.

<Flash Back>

Nick and I were married at First Trinity Church of Christ on June 24th. We were surrounded by our family and friends on the happiest day of our lives. We held our reception at the Marina. We rented a huge yacht for our reception. Nick and I love the water. So for us this was the perfect place for a reception. We danced and made total fools out of ourselves. We didn't care we were in love and that's all that mattered. Nick took me to Fiji for our Honeymoon. It was so exotic. We stayed two weeks and when we returned home I moved into Nick's house. About 2 years into the marriage I asked Nick to slow down in his career a little bit. "Let's take some time off and go away. I want to start a family." I thought that with Nick traveling so much it would be nice to have a little one running around, to keep my mind occupied. "We'll try after this tour." Then there was always another tour. The last six months I rarely ever saw Nick. He'd come home every other weekend and then he'd stopped coming home. We never argued our sex life was great. I just don't know what went wrong. I was dying inside not knowing.

<End Flash Back>

I was miserable in this house. I called Annie. "Can I come over? I drove over to her house. She and Brian had two children already. I knocked on her door and she invited me in. "I'm sorry about the mess the house is in." Brian came down the stairs. "What are you doing home?" "We just flew in this morning. Didn't you see Nick?" I sat down and let the tears flow. "What's wrong ?" Brian asked. "I left Nick." They were shocked. "Why?" They both asked in unison. "He doesn't love me anymore." I felt really guilty about being here now and I got up to leave. Brian sat me down. "Why would you ever think that? Nick loves you, you have to know that." "Then why doesn't he ever call me from the road? Why didn't he ever come home anymore?" "Stacy, he's addicted to his work. If you think he's cheating I can tell you right now that he's not." "I believe you but sometimes people just fall out of love and that's what happened to us." "Stacy your wrong." "Where are you staying?" "I'm back in my condo." Brian said, "just call him Stacy. I wouldn't want you to make any drastic decisions." He grabbed my hands in his. I looked down at my left hand. "Where are your wedding rings?" I turned and ran out of the house. I drove down to the beach. There weren't many people there for December. It was a week before Christmas. It had just dawned on me why Brian was home. It was their anniversary today. It was also the second anniversary of the day that Nick proposed to me on this day. There was no stopping the sobs that took over my body now. I spread out a blanket and laid down. Why did it hurt so much? The sun was setting and the stars were starting to make an appearance. I stayed until I could really see them. I made another wish on the stars and prayed that this pain would somehow subside. I got up and made my way back to my car. I drove back to my condo and let myself in. I went upstairs and collapsed on my bed. I was alone in the world. I missed Nick more than I ever imagined. Just the thought of knowing he was in town made my heart ache. I fell asleep on my tear stained pillow. I woke in the middle of the night to a pounding on my front door. I had no idea what time it was. I didn't have a clock. I walked downstairs and opened the door. It was Nick.

Chapter 7

Nick rushed in and swept me into his arms. I couldn't control my tears and let him hold me. "Where did you go?" he cried out. I didn't answer him. "I've been looking all over for you. Oh baby, I'm so sorry. I was just trying to make a better life for us. I didn't see that I was destroying our marriage. Please forgive me Stacy." I was exhausted and confused. I slipped out of his arms and sat on the sofa. "Nick, I can't live like this anymore. I tried and I can't." "I'll cut down on the gigs." I just shook my head. "No, Nick it's too late for that now. You've broken that promise already." "But I love you." I just cried, I didn't believe him. "Brian called me after you left their house and I came to the condo but I didn't have the key and you wouldn't answer the door." "I wasn't here." "Where were you?" "I was looking at the stars. I went to the boat." "I didn't got to the boat, I was on the beach. I didn't see you." "There's a lot of that going on lately." He was begging me now. I got up and started for the stairs. He grabbed me by the arms and I shook him off. I told him to leave me alone. I went upstairs and took a shower. I had a lot of sand in my clothes and in my hair. I showered and washed my hair and I got dressed all behind a locked door. I opened the door and Nick was lying on the bed. I surprised him by sprinting downstairs and heading out the front door. Nick was trailing behind me and I just kept running. I didn't want to talk to him. I was in too much pain and he wasn't making it any better. I ran the 6 blocks to the beach. I sat on a bench and before I knew it Nick had caught up to me. I got up to run again and grabbed my jacket. I slipped out and kept running again. I finally stopped, I couldn't run anymore. Nick was right there with me. I was crying and out of breath. Nick pulled me down on his lap and just hugged me. He was crying and telling me he was sorry. He just kept telling me he loved me, he really loved me. "Please don't leave me, I'd die if I don't have you. Please give me another chance." "I've given you chances. I've given you 2 years of my life. You gave me nothing." "When I gave you this ring," then he noticed I wasn't wearing my ring. "Where's your ring?" I told him I pawned it. He cried, "I can't believe you pawned your ring." I stood up and took off running back to my condo. Nick wasn't following me this time. I ran as far and as fast as I could. I knew I'd hurt him with that. It was about 7am when I got back to the condo. Brian was inside the condo. "We got here and the door was wide open." He could tell I had been crying. "Where's Nick?" I told him I didn't know. "His car is outside." "I left him at the beach." "Nick's been worried sick looking for you." "If he only looked in his own home for the last 2 years he would have found me. He chose to ignore what he had. Now it's over. I can't go through this again. I just can't." Brian held me in his arms. He said, "Nick is a good man. I promise you he loves you. You have to give him another chance." "I'm too tired to try." Nick walked in the house. He said, how dare you throw my love away." Brian told him to calm down. "You won't solve any problems with raised voices." Nick was crying, "B she pawned her rings." "Is that true?" I couldn't look at his face. Nick was crushed. "Stacy where are your rings?" "Upstairs in my jewelry box." Nick flew off the chair and ran upstairs. I stood to leave the condo again but Brian made me sit. Nick came downstairs with the rings and fell at my feet. "Please let me put them back on." I sat on my hands. "Nick I can't. It hurts too much. You don't know how you made me feel." We were both crying that we were having trouble speaking. Brian felt very uncomfortable being there but he wasn't about to leave us. "We married to young Nick. You're not ready for commitment. You were scared from the beginning. I should have realized that. You always did what you wanted to do and I'm the fool for wanting you to change. I'm just so tired of feeling like a widow. I had your rings on my fingers but I was grieving for the love we used to have. I can't start over and live like that again. You promised we'd start a family. Brian and Annie have two children. They were only married six months longer than us. Now we are one week away from Christmas and we still don't have any children. You weren't even around yesterday." "What was so special about yesterday?" I stood up to leave. Nick pulled me down, "I'm sorry I just can't think right now, I'm so afraid of losing you. Brian what's today?." "The 19th of December." He kept saying December 18th, December 18th. They he said, "oh my god. I proposed to you on the 18th." I just dropped my head in my hands. Nick stood up. "I blew it. I really blew it." "What?" Brian asked. "B I promised we'd always be together on our anniversary. I blew it. I broke a promise." "So make it up to her." Nick walked out of the house and drove back to his house. B said, "what just happened? Stacy, what just happened here?" I went upstairs and climbed into bed.

Chapter 8

Brian went home to Annie and told her what had happened. "It all ended so weird." "What do you mean?" "Nick couldn't remember what was so important about December 18th." Annie shrugged her shoulders. "Nick proposed to Stacy on the 18th. Right after our wedding. Nick kept saying he broke a promise to her. I asked why he couldn't just make it up to her. Then he walked out." Annie was in tears. "Why are you crying?" Brian asked. "He broke his promise." She got up and walked around the house. Brian right behind her. "Can you clue me in here?" "It was Nick's wedding vow to Stacy. Remember how they wrote their own vows?" "Yes I remember that they spent a lot of time with that." "Nick promised on his life that he'd be with her on the anniversary that he proposed and she said yes. He asked her every year to marry him on the 18th and every year she said yes. He didn't ask her this year." "But they've only been married two years!" "Exactly!" "What?!" Brian didn't understand. "If Nick couldn't keep a promise past the first year of marriage what does that say for all the other promises he made to her?" Now Brian was beginning to understand. "It's a girl thing. This is bogus. Nick also made a lot of other promises to her and he's kept every single one of them." "No, he's broken other promises. He always promised to start a family. He didn't keep that one and he he didn't keep this one either. This was a cymbal of his love. Just like this ring on my finger." "There has to be something we can do. We can't let them split up, Annie they are miserable." "Let me call my mother. I'll see if she can take the kids." "I have to go check on Nick. I've never seen him like this. Call me on the cell. I love you baby." Brian drove over to Nick's house. He found Nick on the couch just staring at the ceiling. He had my wedding rings on his pinkie finger. Brian sat down and tried to talk to Nick but Nick wouldn't even look in his direction. Brian said, "We've got to work this out. OK so you forgot one date. You're human. This marriage can't end over this." There was still no response from Nick. Brian's cell phone rang and Nick instinctively reached for his. Brian said hello and Nick returned to staring at the ceiling. Annie's mother had taken the kids to her house. "She's keeping them over night. You get Nick here. Make up any excuse and I'll go get Stacy." Brian said OK and hung up. "I can't just leave you here. Come back to my house Nick." Nick didn't move. Brian headed upstairs and packed an overnight bag for Nick and put it in his Cherokee. He walked back in Nick's house and pulled Nick up off the couch. "C'mon man, I got a bad heart, help me here." Nick stood up and reluctantly went with Brian. "B what am I going to do with out her in my life?" "We'll get her back. I promise Nick, and that's a promise I intend to keep. If it weren't for you two, I wouldn't have my Annie." Brian grabbed Nick's bag and set Nick up in the guest bedroom. "I'll give you some privacy." Meanwhile Annie was with me. She had a key to the condo and let herself in. She found me on the couch staring at the ceiling. "Stacy are you OK?" Annie sat down beside me. I had our wedding photo on my chest and I wasn't responding to her. "Stacy, come on Stacy talk to me. Brian told me what Nick did. I would have been here sooner, but I had to take the kids to my moms." I looked at her and said, "what did Nick do?" "He broke his wedding vows." I don't know where the tears came from. They just spilled out of my eyes. I sat up and hugged her. "You can't stay here Stace. Come home with me. My mom has the kids so it will be peaceful." I'll be fine here." Annie went upstairs and packed a bag for me. She came down and said, "let's go." I was back to staring at the ceiling. "If you don't come with her I'll call your mother." I flew off the couch so fast I was at her car before she was. She locked up the condo and opened the van for me. We drove back to her house and she tried to get me to eat something. "Is there anyway to forgive Nick?" "If Annie slept with another guy, could he forgive her?" "That's not the same thing." "Annie said she would forsake all others in her wedding vow to you. Nick said he would always be there on our anniversary and he wasn't. It was still a wedding vow just the same." "But Nick came home to be with you on the 18th. You moved out and he couldn't find you." I was really mad now, "so it's my fault then? All this time I was mad at Nick. What a fool I've been. I destroyed my marriage all by myself. God forgive me, but Brian you just don't get it." "All I know is that two people we care about so deeply about are in pain right now. I just want to help." "I don't need his help. This isn't going to work out. Can you please take me home?" "I'm sorry Stacy, please stay. Why don't you go up to the guest bedroom and rest awhile?" Annie took me to her guest bedroom She opened the door and pushed me inside. I heard the door lock behind me. "What the hell is going on?" Nick stepped out of the bathroom. "Stacy?" I turned and faced Nick.

Chapter 9

I banged on the door and asked them to let me out. I heard the music turn on downstairs and I knew I was trapped. Nick walked across the small room to me and tried to hold me. I walked away and sat on the bed. "Nick please, I can't do this." Nick was kneeling on the floor in front of me. His eyes were swollen and blood shot. "I'm dying inside." "Welcome to my world." I stood up and he held me down. "Stacy, can't you please give me one more chance? We belong together I know it and you know it." "I don't know anything right now." "Our friends obviously know it or they wouldn't have gone to all this trouble." I just sat on the bed with my head in my hands. "They know it Nick, but how you don't know it? It's wasn't our friends who put us in this situation to begin with." "I know that. But if you could just listen to me, and let me explain. Will you please listen to me?" "I don't have much of a choice right now do I?" "I just wanted to provide a better life for us. I was struggling with the finances and didn't want to worry you. So I would pick up every gig I could get. Just to make me happy." "All I ever needed was your love and that made me the happiest woman on the earth." "It was my pride. I wanted to give you everything." "I had everything at one time. You should have told me this a long time ago." "I realized that a long time ago." I heard someone outside the door. Brian asked, "Are you OK in there?" "Yes." I was crying again. Nick was wiping my tears. Do you doubt my love for you?" "I just don't know what to believe anymore. I don't even know if I loved you anymore. It's just been so long." Nick's tears were falling now too. "You don't know if you love me? There is no doubt in my heart, I love you." He screamed it so loud the window's shook. It scared me. "Are you scared?" I nodded my head. "That's what I've been feeling since I read your note. I'm scared Stacy. I can't live without you. I don't want to live without you. Please can't you forgive me one more time, I promise you that this will be the last time I ask you. Stacy please." I lied down on the bed and just let my sobs take over. Nick lied down beside me. It was so good to have him next to me again. I faced the wall and scooted over so that he could fit on the bed with me. He reached down and covered us up with the blankets. I sat up to remove my shoes and Nick sat up and took them off and placed them on the floor. I laid back down and Nick covered me and lied next to me and wrapped his arm around me. That's how we fell asleep. I remember waking up and not knowing where I was. I tried to get out of bed but bumped into the wall. Nick was still lying next to me. I climbed over him and went into the bathroom. I came out and Nick was sitting up. He just held his arms out for me. I walked to him and embraced him. "Nick I do love you. I'm just so scared that I'm going to have to go through this again. My heart can't take it." Nick just squeezed me tight. "I know I have to earn your trust back, but I swear to you, if you give me one more chance I won't let you down. "I'm just so tired." He scooted in towards the wall and I laid down next to him. He covered us up with the blanket and I rested my head on his shoulder. He smelled of the same cologne, I remembered smelling his jacket on our first date. "How can we ever get back to the happier times?" "Just let me try." We fell asleep again. We woke up and it was daylight. The door to the room was opened. I sat up and looked at the open door. Nick was awake now too. I sat up. "If you want to leave me, I'll let you go. I don't want to force you to love me. But I want you to stay. I love you with my whole heart. But it has to be your choice." I laid my head back down on his chest. I'm not going anywhere." We must have laid in that bed all day. Brian and Annie would peek in at us. We would just pretend to be asleep though. At one point Brian was checking for pulses. I opened my eyes and startled Brian. I couldn't help but laugh. Nick opened his eyes and was wondering what was so funny? Then he didn't care. I was laughing and that's all that mattered. Brian got up off the floor and I sat up. He sat in the chair and was trying to shake it off. "You scared the shit out of me Stacy." I was still laughing at the site of him falling backwards. Nick asked, "what happened?" "Brian was checking to see if we had a pulse and I guess he wasn't expecting me to open my eyes." Nick was laughing with me now. Brian stood up and said, "go ahead and laugh." We did. It was a long deserved laugh. Nick and I dressed and went downstairs. We found Brian and Annie embracing. Brian was crying in Annie's arms. "What's the matter?" "He thought you guys killed yourselves. He really believed it. We heard Nick scream last night. Brian went up and checked on you and well, it just got so quiet. We opened the door around midnight. Then this morning you two were still sleeping. You were still sleeping when Brian went up there this time and scared him to death." We both apologized to Brian. "Can I have the keys to Your car B." B threw them to him. "Where you going?" Brian asked. "I'm going to take my wife home."

Chapter 10

Nick and I spent the next few months together rebuilding our marriage. It took lots of time and patience. I eventually learned to trust Nick again. Brian was right after all, it wasn't as serious as I had made it all out to be. We reorganized our finances and made a few adjustments and we were fine. Nick didn't tour much anymore. I retired from modeling and became a full time mother. That's right, we finally became parents. We would eventually go on to have 2 more children. Nick never gave me another reason to doubt his love for me. We made it. We won in the end. We are so very grateful for the friends we have in Brian and Annie. Today as Nick walks our daughter down the aisle, it just all rushes back to me. This wedding has been hard on both of us. The kids had decided to write their own vows too. Nick and I told them our story, and how what they say in their vows. "You have to covet that. If you make a promise, keep it. Don't go through what we went through." Our daughter said, "but mom how long have you been married now?" "22 years ,"I said. "But it worked out in the end." "If it wasn't for your Uncle Brian, you wouldn't be standing here right now." That hit home. My tears began to fall and Nick wiped them away. I was remembering so much as I waited for my first born to come down the aisle. Finally the wedding march started. I stood and turned to meet her eyes. She was beautiful. Nick was just as handsome today as he was the day I married him. Nick finally took his place beside me and we sat and witnessed our daughter marry her prince charming. We listened ever so closely to their vows. They promised to love and honor each other. The promised to try to put each other above all others. Nick squeezed my hand. We were both crying as the pastor asked them if they promised to love honor and cherish each other as long as we both shall live? Nick and I looked at each other and said I do. The reception was down at the Marina, Nicole had inherited Nick's love for the water. Once we got her off to her honeymoon Nick and I got in the car to go home. Or so I thought. He had a bottle of Champagne and two Champagne glasses. He drove down to the dock and grabbed a few blankets out of the trunk and we boarded the boat again. The sun was setting and Nick poured the Champagne. I drank the Champagne and listened for the familiar sound of the ring sliding down and into my mouth. Nick asked me to marry him again. I said yes. We lied on the floor of the boat and waited for the stars. "Did you make made a wish?" "All my wishes have come true. I had nothing left to wish for." Nick grabbed my hand. We sat up and Nick again toasted to "Happy Endings." After all it was December 18th.