Cover Girl [Completed]

Chapter 14

Just when I thought I had it figured out
Just when I thought I had the answers
You came along so full of promises
Full of grace and second chances

For a while I tried to shut it out
For a while I tried to fight it
But now I see that there just ain't no use
There ain't no reason to deny it
Oh - ya just never know, no you don't

[Nick]

The last 24 hours of my life have been... I don't know how to describe it. How do I do describe it? Last night, with Macie, I felt like I connected with someone for the first time in my life. You know, the way you're supposed to connect with someone when you sleep with them, have sex, or, well even make love.

I don't know if it was because it's been so long and was her first time or if it was because of who I was with, but it was nothing like I had experienced with Christy. Nothing about it reminded me of when I would sleep with Christy. Nothing about it reminded me of what I would hear guys talk about.

It was fucking amazing and was ruined by Zach waking us up as if he had won the lottery.

I don't know what to think about my son. He's way too wise beyond his years and I'm afraid I'm going to have my hands full once he hits puberty. He's so girl crazy, like I used to be, that I'm afraid he's going to end up like me and get some girl pregnant.

But he called me out on something I always said to him and Zoey. I always thought he never listened but I guess he did. I always told them that they should be in love with a person before they ever get intimate with them. I always regretted that about Christy, you know, me not loving her. And Zachary Andrew Carter - yes, his initials is ZAC - called me out on it, making me think about something that I hadn't even considered.

It was never a secret that I care about Macie. That was pretty obvious. I knew it, the kids knew it, Macie knew it, even the guy at Chuck E. Cheese could see it when he thought we were a family about two weeks ago. But when Zach asked me this morning if I loved her, something hit me like a ton of fucking bricks and after sitting there for a few minutes, thinking about everything... I realized I did.

Then I walk downstairs and Zach being the master schemer that he is, had Macie tell him she loved me so that I could hear her. She loves me, too. I knew she liked me, that was obvious, too. I mean, hell, we slept together last night. I knew we would probably start dating now but I never once thought about her loving me.

Now I'm not sure what I should do. We finished filming the movie this evening and we had pizza to celebrate with the crew. But now they've gone home and I'm in Macie's office, looking over the footage that we shot today. I don't know if I should tell her that I love her so that she doesn't think that she's alone with feeling what she's feeling or just wait for her to tell me herself.

Then again, she's made most of the first moves in this relationship. Maybe I should just be a man and take a chance?

[/Nick]

Macie sat on Zoey's bed in Indian style with Zoey sitting in front of her as Macie French braided her hair. Zoey was looking through an issue of Teen Vogue that Macie had subscribed her up for so that she would stop reading Cosmo. Things had been quiet since everybody from the crew left after the pizza party and Zoey hadn't said anything about what happened the night before.

But she knew because Zach had told her everything and it was killing her to ask Macie about it.

"I like this bag," Zoey said, holding the magazine up to show Macie a tote bag with huge letters on it. "You can get your initials on it. It's cute."