Lips That Need No Introduction

"I still can't believe him." I grumbled to Val the next morning as we drove to the famous San Diego Zoo. What was so famous about it I don't think I will ever know but oh well. It was fun none the less. Val and I were sitting in the back seat with Tevan between us, Matt and Zacky sitting up front. The guys were talking loudly and therefore allowed for the two of us wives to carry on a quieter conversation.

Zacky had brought me breakfast this morning. He could tell I was still pretty angry and disappointed over what had transpired last night. I had a right to be mad though and he was well aware of that.

Val patted me on the arm and gave me a sympathetic look. She knew today was going to be a hard day for me. I wanted nothing more than to stay locked up in the hotel all day by myself but that wasn't going to be allowed. Despite what happened last night everyone was still wanting to go to the zoo. Val said it would be good for me to get some fresh air.

"Just remember to be nice today." I rolled my eyes since that had been the third time she had told me that this morning. The hell I was going to be nice. Zacky didn't deserve for me to be nice.

"I mean it Katie." She whispered harshly. I just nodded as I rolled my eyes again and turned to stare out the window.

It was going to be a long day.

We arrived at the zoo not long after the exchange with Val and I hastily climbed out of the car while helping Tevan out of her carseat. I couldn’t even bring myself to look up at Zacky as he put Tev's stroller in front of me. I didn't want to meet his eyes because I would see the regret and remorse in them. I wanted to maintain a reason to be mad. It serves him right. I buckled Tevan in and she clapped her hands. Standing up I avoided looking at Zacky altogether and turned on my heel heading toward the entrance.

The others followed behind and I could hear their chatter even though it was mostly in hushed tones. Some of it sounded concerned while others sounded frustrated. I didn’t really give a crap though.

"What's the hurry babe?" Brian asked as he jogged up to where I was. I felt bad for Brian in a sense. He was caught in between Zacky and me when it came to arguments on a regular basis. He would listen to both sides and did a good job of maintaining the peace. He never took sides because he claimed he cared about the both of us equally and didn’t want anyone to get pissy because of a choice he would make. It was nice to have a neutral party sometimes.

This was not one of those times though. I wanted nothing more than to see Brian lash out at Zacky for what he did but I knew that would never happen. The thing that upset me even more was the fact that Brian had somewhat let the event happen right before his eyes. Didn’t even say boo about it.

I suppose that was why I was in an even worse mood. I felt betrayed and I really didn’t know how to get over that feeling.

Deciding to ignore Brian I just kept walking at my fast pace. He kept up and even slung an arm over my shoulder to slow me down a bit. "You can't ignore me forever." He said softly.

"Wanna bet?" I mumbled back.

"Oh come on. Why are you mad at me?" I turned my head to give him an incredulous look. I seriously couldn’t believe he just asked me that.

"Why am I mad at you?!?" I hissed at him. "Gee Brian, let's think about this for a moment. You go and let Zack practically cheat on me right in front of you and you don’t say anything about it. You didn't even attempt to get him to stop. And now you're asking why I'm mad at you? Hmm I wonder why? You're supposed to watch out for me." I hissed at him while I crossed my arms over my chest.

"But you didn't Brian. None of you did. As far as I'm concerned you're all in as deep shit as he is." Brian removed his arm from my shoulder as my words seemed to register with him. He could tell how hurt I was; the new knowledge to him was evident in his eyes. His eyes locked with mine before he nodded lightly and turned to walk off back toward where everyone else was buying tickets.

I watched as he said something to Zacky who was now holding Tevan. He handed some money to Brian and then also handed Tevan over to her uncle. His gaze fell upon me and he hesitantly walked over to where I was standing in my huff.

I sat down on one of the stone benches that were behind me and Zacky casually sat beside me.

I let out a sniffle of pent up frustration and sighed as he wrapped his arm around me. It seemed nearly impossible to stay mad at him for too long. I loved him too much for that. I was however, still frustrated and he was going to know that.

I leant my head onto his shoulder as he pulled me closer into him. "What can I ever do to make all of this up to you? I feel like I've totally ruined the shit out of not only our vacation but somewhat our relationship as well." He pressed his head against mine and I sniffled some more.

"Just show me you love me Zacky. I feel like I can so easily be replaced after last night. All it took was one girl for you to forget about me." I told him as I wrapped my arms around him and he hugged me tightly to his chest.

"I could never forget about you. I was drunk and stupid and it was absolutely irresponsible of me to do that. Never again. I promise."

"But that's the problem Zack! You get with the guys and then you all drink! And it's not just a few drinks either, you get hammered! I don't want to be on your case but I can't stop you from getting hammered. You need to be more responsible for what you do when it's a guys night out. I'm trying so hard to be a good wife to you and I just am having trouble trusting you lately."

Zacky let out a sigh as he hugged me tighter against his chest. "I know. You're the best wife I could ever ask for and I'm not showing my gratitude in the best way."

His breath fell steadily over my neck and then became jagged as he chuckled lightly.

"So much for the perfect couple. Nobody's perfect and we all go through rocky times. I just hope this will make us stronger. I can't lose you. Ever."

"I know Zack. We still have a long ways to go. But I think we can do it."

"Me too."

Zacky leaned down and captured my lips in a much needed kiss. It held an apologetic feeling to it and when I pulled away for air he gave me a soft smile.

"Are you two finished yet?" Brian called as Tevan waved at us from inside of his arms.

"Yeah. Hold your fucking horses." Zacky said earning a slap on the arm for his language. Tevan giggled as we walked back over to the group and reached for Zack when we were close enough.

Once we were inside Jimmy immediately asked to go see the elephants. We didn't really have a plan so we figured we might as well start there.

"Elly! Elly!" Tevan squealed as our group stopped beside the elephant enclosure. Brian was pushing Tevan's stroller and he got her right up beside the fence so she could see. Zacky had his arm around me and we were standing beside the stroller and Matt and Val who were in a similar position as we were.

"Damn look at all those wrinkles. He's got a wrinkly ass." Jimmy laughed while Leana just shook her head.

"He's got wrinkly balls too." Matt snickered making all of the guys laugh.

"Yeah and someday you guys will have wrinkly balls as well. Don't be laughing guys." Val giggled as looks of horror came across each face of the men.

"Way to ruin the mental images." Matt grumbled as he playfully clicked her nose.

The excitement of the elephants quickly died down and we were soon walking off to some other attraction nearby. I was watching people who passed us and my eyes caught a group of girls that were walking toward us. They were all a sitting image of a fake plastic Barbie. Platinum blonde hair, oversized boobs, tanned skin that reeked skin cancer and oddly enough, tattoos and piercings comprised their appearance. The giggled as they spotted the guys and I prayed they didn’t say anything to us because chances were I wasn't going to be nice back.

Brian scoffed under his breath at their lame attempt to gain some attention from the guys. Zacky however failed at ignoring them and I caught him eyeing one of them up. My jaw set firmly in place and I removed myself from his arms. He couldn’t even not look at them.
"What the hell is your problem Zacky?" I asked loudly once we were past the group of skanks.

"What?" He asked cluelessly.

"You were totally checking them out!" I hissed as my eyes narrowed at him.

"I was not!" He insisted firmly as we both stopped walking.

"You were too! I saw you!"

"Donkey! Unkie look!" Tevan's voice interrupted our argument as she pointed out the animal that was walking along the fence we were next to.

"That's not a donkey. That's your daddy; a jackass." I scoffed as everyone's eyes widened. I very rarely made comments like that but they knew when I did I was not in the best of moods. Brian let out a small laugh at my statement but then quickly shut up after earning a vicious glare from Zacky.

"Oh come on Katie! I wasn't checking her out!"

"Then what the hell do you call your eyes roaming her body then?" I spat as I placed my hands on my hips.

"So I looked! Alright? Happy? But I didn’t like what I saw." He finished quietly. "I never do unless it's you." He whispered so as not to draw any more attention than I already had.
Zacky had rendered me speechless at the moment. I think he was beginning to see just how hard it was for me to now trust him when it came to other girls. His eyes had softened up and held some sadness in them.

"Alright you two. I've had enough." Val stated as she marched over to us with her hands on her hips. "All you guys have done today is bicker and I'm sick of it! For fucks sake finish hashing things out. Katie, yes we know Zacky fucked up royally last night. He apologized and needs to watch himself more. Zacky, keep your damn eyes on your woman only."

Her words weren't harsh but they were firm and told us she meant business.

"Now," She continued. "Katie, Zacky loves you very much and he's going to screw up. He's a guy afterall. Cut him some slack. Zack, she's your wife and doesn’t deserve to deal with your fuckups. Be more careful."

We both stood in shock as she told us off for our actions. "Now kiss and say you're sorry so we can enjoy the rest of our day." I looked at Zacky and still stood planted in my spot.

"Don't make me make you…" Val trailed off while motioning to Matt and Brian who were now making their way toward us with a playful stance.

Zacky was quick to wrap his arms around me and pull me into a big kiss. No verbal apologies were needed. Our eyes said it all.

"Now, your daughter wants to see the pandas. So if you two will behave then we shall be on our way."

"Remind me to never piss Val off again." Zacky whispered in my ear making me smile softly.

***

Things between Zack and I had gotten better as the day went on. There was no more bickering after Val's speech. I was still frustrated with Zacky but I was more calm about it. He had treated Tevan and I to ice cream and then cleaned up Tev's face when the cone ended up all over her instead of making it to her mouth. I really didn’t have to do much of anything thanks to Zacky doing it for me.

We were currently all camped out inside of the polar bear exhibit watching the big bears swim in the water. Zacky and I were side by side on a bench while Tevan was pressed up against the glass in front of us.

My feet were throbbing after having walked all the way to the back of the park to see the polar bears. While they were my favorite animals and I would do anything to see them I was so thankful to be off my feet for a bit.

I watched with a grin as Tevan placed her hands flush against the glass and let out a gasp as one of the bears got in the water making a splash. It went over to one of the balls in the water and began pushing it around. Her small eyes widened in the reflection so I could see her and I took a moment to marvel at the little girl.

The joy of having a child in your life was really something I was truly treasuring. The fact that you gave life to something that lived and breathed just like you do was just something that was impossible to ever wrap your head around. Perhaps the best part was realizing that you weren't the only one that took part in the process.

Zacky is my other half and without him I wouldn’t have her. Without him I would just be another random girl trying to make something of my life. He's sacrificed a lot for me and I need to be grateful for what he's done. We aren't perfect and I don’t expect us to ever be. Life just doesn’t work that way unfortunately.

Zacky's Pov

I couldn’t help but think about how I had royally fucked things up yet again between Katie and I. Things probably appeared to be alright as we sat here watching Tevan and the polar bears while the rest of the group sat nearby but in reality things were on a very rocky point at the moment.

I honestly have no idea what had gotten into me over the past few days. I don’t remember much from last night other than Katie getting entirely pissed because I got a lap dance and kissed some girl's neck. The look on her face was still sketched into my brain and it was upon seeing her that I came to my senses and realized what I was doing. I was utterly disgusted with myself to be brutally honest. How could I do that to her? I almost fucking lost her for fucks sake!

I couldn’t lose her; not now and not ever.

I held her close to me as I watched Tevan bounce up and down while she stood at the window that was several inches thick. Her tiny diaper clad butt bounced up and down cutely as she jumped with excitement upon seeing the bear play with one of the balls in the water.

Her tiny body just amazed me as I thought about how she was a product of a very passion filled night.

I couldn’t possibly imagine having kids with someone other than Katie. She was just perfect and I really wasn't doing a good job at showing her just how much I cared about her.

I was being a shitty husband and she didn’t deserve that in the slightest. I love her more than anything and I need to show her more often. I can't afford to make any more mistakes.

These two girls are my life now and I need to shape up. I know Katie doesn’t expect me to not be the rockstar because it's who I am and that's who she married. But the thing is that the rockstar doesn’t need lap dances and doesn’t need to be getting drunk for fun anymore. There are other things more important than that in my life now and there are other ways I can have fun with the guys.

"I love you." I told my wife beside me as I shifted my gaze over to her instead of on our daughter. She turned to face me too and gave me a soft smile that melted my insides.
"I love you too Zacky." She told me quietly. "My feet hurt." She grumbled as she leaned into my side.

"I'm sorry hun. I'll massage them for you when we get back to the hotel. Sound good?" She nodded against my chest.

It was funny how perfectly she fit into my side. It was like she was created to complete me, to be with me and I with her.

"Mama! Dada!" Tevan said as she turned around to look for us. Her eyes locked with the two of us and she toddled over before holding her arms out to be picked up. Katie sat up some and I bent down to pick up Tevan before standing her on my thighs.

"Bear!" She said as she pointed at the polar bear that was swimming.

"Yeah baby. That's a bear." I confirmed.

"Big bear!"

"It's a big bear. I know. You're so smart." I said as I poked her nose causing her to giggle.

"Dude. We need to take her to the petting zoo." Johnny piped up as he and Lacey came over hand in hand.

"Think that's a good idea? Remember last time one of those damned goats nearly ate Brian's fedora." I chuckled as I thought back to the last time we came here. Brian was good and pissed for a fucking week before he finally bought a new hat. The wind had blown it off of his head and right into a goat's mouth. I thought it was hilarious, Brian, not so much.

"Ah come on. It's not going to eat Tev." Johnny said firmly. I looked to Katie to see her stifling a laugh at the story that had just been told about the goats.

"I think it would be fun." She said through a grin.

After her approval we left the polar bear exhibit and walked back down the hill to the sky tram that would take us back to the front of the zoo to where the petting area was.

I piled into one of the little cab type things along with Katie, Tevan, Michelle, and Brian while the rest of the gang got in the one behind us with the stroller all folded up.

Brian gave me a knowing look before he shifted his gaze to Katie who was oddly quiet still. Katie and quiet didn’t go well together. It usually meant she was still upset which clearly made plenty of sense. I wrapped my arm around her and Tevan and kissed the top of her head.

"You ok?" I asked quietly while Brian and Michelle made small conversation across from us.

"What do you think Zacky?" She replied in a calm tone. Calm was good.

"I think I fucked up still." I admitted with a grim facial expression.

"I'll get over it. You told me it won't happen again and I just have to take your word for it. It's just taking me some time is all." She assured me with a smile. I nodded in return and helped her and Tevan out of the small cab once we arrived at the other side.

I was going to focus all of my attention on her. I missed the way we used to be. The small jokes that would make her blush, the sly suggestive comments, the tiny touches that would cause her to get goosebumps, everything. I needed to get the spark back that I had caused to disappear and I was going to do everything possible to find it again.

Katie's Pov

I snickered lightly as Brian shivered as we entered the petting zoo. There were goats running around and roosters running from kids. Tevan was clinging to me tightly but held a curious glint in her eyes. I carefully approached one of the smaller goats and squatted down as I petted its head.

"You want to pet the goat babe?" I asked as she carefully reached her tiny hand out to touch the top of the goats head. She was moving it very slowly across the fur in a semi-scared way. She wiggled out of my arms once she realized the goat wasn't going to hurt her and stood on the ground beside it.

The small animal moved away as it chased after a rooster and Tevan decided to follow it. I glanced around as I followed her and instantly froze at the sight that was off to my left.

Zacky was hopping away from a larger goat that was trying to chew on the leg of his pants. Johnny on the other hand was hiding behind Brian who was shooing off another goat that was advancing on them. Jimmy was busy acting like a rooster and the girls were all seated on a bench away from the action. Matt was standing against a fence and was laughing hysterically at his bandmates who were all having trouble with the small animals.

I brought my hand up to my face as I laughed behind it but was stopped once I heard a small groan and then a sniffle. I turned quickly to see Tevan was sitting on the ground in front of a goat with her eyes welling up with tears. She had been knocked over by the goat she was chasing after.

I hurried over and picked her up as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Shh it's ok baby. You're alright." I cooed softly as she continued to sniffle into my ear. I was trying to keep the tears at bay and seemed to be doing a good job.

"Fucking goat! Let go of me!" I heard Zacky yell in a very frustrated tone. A few mothers gave him glares but he didn’t take any notice as he continued to try and rid of the goat that had grabbed onto his pants leg.

"Tevan look at daddy." I whispered causing her to turn her head and look at Zacky. She stopped sniffling and let out a small laugh as she watched her father struggle with the goat still. Her eyes held some amusement as she wiggled out of my arms again and back onto the ground. I watched as she ran over to Zacky and carefully reached her hand out to pet the goat that was attached to his leg. Zacky watched with interest as the goat released his pant leg and leaned into Tevan's gentle touch. Tevan removed her hand and then turned to face Zacky after the goat had scampered away. He stared down at her in shock and then picked her up over his head.

"You're my hero baby girl!" He said while she laughed. "Shall we go save your uncles?" He asked her as they headed off in the direction of Johnny and Brian.

I made my way over to the girls and sat down beside Val.

"How ya holding up? You seem to be better." She asked and stated at once.

"I'm doing alright. Gotta forgive him sometime. He's still got a lot to prove though." She nodded lightly as Matt came up behind her and started to rub her shoulders gently.

I was still frustrated with the rest of the guys. They were just all so careless last night and it really bothered me. I can tell the girls didn’t see it that way but their husband wasn’t the one who had screwed up and had no one stop him. Had it been Matt and I believe Val would be reacting differently to the situation.

Oh well. I was getting over it slowly.

"Dude, that goat slobbered all over my jeans." Zacky complained as we left the petting zoo a few minutes later once the gang was rounded up. Sure enough, he now had several wet spots on the legs of his black jeans. Tevan was tucked gently into his arms and she was happily humming randomly as we walked toward the gates of the zoo. We girls were rather pooped after a long eventful day and I could honestly say I was ready to go lay down for a bit.

We covered most of the zoo and got pictures of the group with various animals. It had been pretty fun despite the drama. I really just wanted to go back to the hotel and relax poolside for a bit.

Zacky got Tevan buckled into her carseat and we were soon off back toward Coronado. I was pretty quiet the entire car ride and when we pulled into the parking lot I got out quickly. I carried Tevan toward the entrance with the group but once we stepped inside she was taken from me and pulled into Michelle's arms.

"You two go enjoy your night. We'll watch the little one. I think you guys need some alone time." I shook my head in protest not wanting to just dump her on the two for the night but Brian didn’t seem to want to listen.

"We're not taking no for an answer." He told me firmly before taking a keycard to our room from Zack. I opened my mouth a few more times before bring taken by the shoulders by Brian. "Go." He told me firmly. I nodded numbly and waved to Tevan before I was guided down the hall by Zacky toward our room.

"What would you like to do?" He asked me gently as he opened the bedroom door for me.
"I really would like to just relax somewhere. I don't care where." I yawned as I sat on the edge of the bed. Zacky opened up my duffle bag and pulled out my bikini before tossing it to me.

"Poolside sound alright?" I nodded and went into the bathroom to change. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and was beginning to doubt my appearance for the first time in a long time. Was Zacky not happy with me? Did I need to lose more weight? Should I get blonde highlights or something?

The door swung gently and Zacky's head poked in. "What's taking so… are you alright?" He asked upon seeing me staring in the mirror. I turned and nodded before giving him a fake smile. He read it for what it was though and came in fully with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong babe?' He questioned as he came to stand behind me and rested his hands on my hips.

"Am I not enough for you Zacky?" I asked in a small voice as I stared at the reflection of the two of us.

"Katie don't ask that. You are plenty for me. I love you very much." He paused to turn me so I was facing him. "There isn't one thing about you I would ever change. You're so gorgeous and I ask myself all the time what I did to deserve you. You could do so much better than me but somehow you still put up with my shit. I'm truly blessed and there is no one else I would rather be with." He told me firmly before pulling me into his chest.

"Now no more worries. Alright?" I nodded and allowed myself to be pulled from the room and down the hall toward the elevator.

I plopped down in a lounge chair beside the pool, which was strangely empty, but didn’t settle in before I was picked up and placed on Zacky's lap as he sat in my place.

His arms rested around my waist and I curled into his chest. I closed my eyes as I listened to his heartbeat and it was comforting to my thoughts. His hand stroked my hair gently and ran through my short locks that he said he loved very much.

I leaned up slightly to look into his deep green eyes for a second. His hand moved from my hair to my cheek and he cupped it gently. My face was guided to his until our lips met in a soft lock. The calloused fingers that belonged to him moved to the back of my head as my own found his black tousles. His tongue grazed against my bottom lip and I let him have entrance in an instant. I moaned as he bit down on my lower lip and he pulled away with a slight tug.

I sighed as he rested his forehead against mine.

"We'll get through this Katie." He murmured against my lips.

"I know Zack. I know."