If I Lay Here

Sophie glanced at the clock, her body shifting on the couch. She tried not to wrinkle her casual dress, her heels clicking against the floor as she turned. She could hear Jason laughing, his phone glued to his ear as he pranced out of the bathroom in nothing but his boxers and a towel around his neck. She rolled her eyes. Turning her attention back to the TV, she flipped through the channels aimlessly. Nothing interested her, but her finger kept at the button, even when she glanced down at her phone. Joe would be here soon. She smiled at the thought, running her fingers through her bangs. They were long and could be pinned up easily, but they gave her a sense of coverage. If his family stared at her like she had two heads then she’d let them act as her wall. If not, she’d push them back and smile. It was simple.

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Carrie. Bye,” he sighed, ruffling his hair. He clicked off the phone and glanced up to see Sophie staring at him, her expression waiting. He smiled. “Carry said she’s bringing Eve to the shop tomorrow.”

“Oh no,” Sophie grumbled, rolling her eyes. She shifted, turning her body to face her brother. “I’m supposed to watch her while I work again?” It wasn’t that Sophie didn’t like watching Eve. She loved her niece dearly and, without admitting it, she knew she wanted to have a little child running around some time. Jason never took her for the mother type, though. She never understood why.

But Sophie had to work. She had three weeks off from college for Thanksgiving break, but she still needed money. She sighed and opened her mouth to speak but Jason was already gone, humming some tune as he shut the door to his bedroom. She fixed the sleeves to her dress and jumped when her phone began to ring, her eyes immediately meeting the three letter word on the screen: Joe. She smiled. Picking up the object, she hit the screen and pulled the phone to her ear, immediately being greeted by his happy voice.

“Hey Soph.” She could just picture him grinning. “I’m on my way; just a block down, actually,” he chuckled. She could hear the cars in the background, his window no doubt rolled down.

“Okay. I’ll be down in a minute,” she answered, smiling as he agreed. She hung up and threw the phone into her small purse, pulling the strap over her shoulder. Clicking her way to the door, she grabbed her keys off the table and called out to Jason, earning a grunt from him.

Sophie stepped out into the hall and shut the door tightly behind her, taking her eager steps towards the elevator. She could feel her nerves kicking in, her finger constantly jamming the button. When the doors dinged open, she sighed with relief and stepped in, quickly pushing the bottom floor. She let out a sigh and glanced around nervously, hoping the elevator didn’t get stuck again.

The numbered buttons flashed one by one and she arrived at the bottom floor faster than she expected. Clutching her purse to her side, she strolled out of the elevator and out into the small lobby, her eyes immediately settling on Joe standing by his car through the window. She couldn’t help but smile as her eyes danced over his dark hair that was styled into the perfect mess of a faux-hawk. His usual bright eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses, even though clouds filled the sky, and his suit was casual.

She pushed past the door and embraced the cool air with a smile, her waves bouncing with every click of her heels. Joe’s head turned immediately, his lips stretching into a goofy grin. His thick eyebrows raised and he touched his chin in mock thought, quickly glancing around.

“Excuse me beautiful, but have you seen my date? I’m afraid I’ve missed her.”

Sophie quickly rolled her eyes at his comment, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as he continued to stare. Sophie had learned that Joe was quite the charmer. It gave him character.

“I do believe she’s quite angry with you for hitting on another woman,” she played along, scrunching up her nose as he laughed lightly. He brought his hand up and slid his sunglasses down gently, his amber eyes locking with her bright hazel ones.

“Well, we won’t tell her then,” he winked, pushing himself away from the SUV to grab her hips. She smiled and allowed him to lean forward, his lips inches from hers. She let out a small laugh and snaked her arms around his neck, slowly leaning forward to connect their lips as he continued to stare at her. Her eyes shut at the contact and she sighed with contentment before pulling back. “Ready?” he grinned, quickly pecking her lips again.

“Do I have to be?” she groaned somewhat playfully, but her nerves began to act up again. She smoothed out her dress and slipped past Joe as he opened the door for her, nodding sympathetically. “Then, sure!” she grinned with fake enthusiasm. He rubbed her shoulder gently, placing a cool finger underneath her chin.

“That’s my girl.”

• • • •

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Nick breathed as he rushed into the house through the open front door. He let out a grunt and pulled Isabelle up farther, her face flushed due to her recent crying. She let her short legs dangle as he tried to carry her, but she wasn’t allowing it. He sighed heavily and ignored the gazes of his family, wishing that they would stop staring. They had often thought that Nick needed help taking care of Isabelle. They knew he was responsible and caring; they knew he was the best father he could be, but he wasn’t allowing himself to recover, even after a year. He seemed like a ghost, always keeping him and Bells away until it was absolutely necessary.

They missed their Nick.

Isabelle flailed her legs suddenly, twisting her body in his arms as she tried to get away from the sudden crowd. She was a shy little girl and although she knew and loved everybody in the room, she still liked being alone with her father. Nick blamed himself for her bad behavior and her want to be antisocial for such a young age. He had kept her away, made her think it was okay to just be with him since Sarah had gone. Although he was okay after his meltdown this morning, he was quickly losing his patience with the little girl, his own health not being as good as it should be. He felt irritable and he knew it’d take time to get his levels down.

“Isabelle, stop!” he growled, holding her away from him as she continued to kick. She bit her quivering lip and he sighed, his eyes staring into hers which were now glazed over with ready tears. She didn’t like being yelled at by Nick, but she always got over it quickly. He was prepared to apologize but her sudden cry made him jump. He winced at the sound, his heart breaking as he watched his little girl cry for reasons he didn’t know. He felt like a failure and, glancing up, he realized everyone was watching. “Please,” he whispered, his voice pleading.

He set her on her feet and clasped his hands over his face, grunting loudly. Denise, his mother, watched sympathetically as her son slowly began to fall apart and he hadn’t even been in the house for more than five minutes. She set her hand on her husband’s shoulder and he held her comfortingly, sighing in defeat. Nobody knew what to do when Nick was having a bad day. One comment and he could snap and run off into the unknown to be alone. It wasn’t healthy and he knew it, but he had to make sure Isabelle was alright. She was all he had.

“Isabelle, please stop crying. What did daddy do this time, huh?” he asked softly, dropping his arms to his side. His face looked worn already, but his hair was neat and his outfit was crisp. Nick tried so hard to seem okay, to present himself as assuring, but his eyes always gave him away. The chocolate orbs that were once bright and youthful now seemed dead and lost all the time, saddened when they should’ve held happiness.

“I-I don’t like these shoes!” she squeaked, tears running down her rosy cheeks as she opened her wide eyes. He stared at her in shock, his mouth almost hanging open. He wondered if he had ever cried over something so insignificant but quickly shook the thoughts away, dropping down to his knees. Kneeling in front of her, he placed his warm hands on her cheeks, slowly rubbing his thumbs over the tears to banish them away.

“You don’t like the shoes?” he asked, his voice holding disbelief. She shook her head, ready to cry again in fear that he’d be angry with her. Nick sighed with defeat and shut his eyes tight, pursing his lips together. “Doesn’t like the shoes. Okay,” he mumbled to himself, heaving out a breath. He could understand Isabelle though. She wasn’t comfortable and she was so fragile to him; he had to make her happy. “Here, I’ll fix it,” he cleared his throat, trying to sound a little bit happy. She watched him cautiously, allowing him to grip her leg gently.

Nick undid the Velcro straps on her tiny white sandals and slid them off her cool feet, scolding himself for not making her wear socks. He let her leg drop, her little toes curling around the soft carpet of his parents’ house as he repeated the action to the other foot. He was still well aware of everyone around--Nick was always analyzing everything--but he didn’t care at this point. He was used to his family watching, happy that they never outright judged him or tried to help without his asking. He didn’t need his mother telling him, although she was very polite, that he wasn’t being hard enough on her, and he didn’t need Joe telling him that he was being too harsh either. He knew how to take care of his daughter and he was doing just fine on his own.

He hoped.

He swallowed hard and switched the sandals to one hand, smiling lightly as he caressed her hot cheek with his other. She sniffled, her small red nose twitching, but she smiled happily at him. His heart melted at the sight. No matter what happened, Nick knew Isabelle would always be there.

“Is that better?” he murmured, his eyes darting between hers. She nodded quickly, her thick curls bouncing against her back with the movement. “Good, but you can’t go outside that way. If you go in the backyard you need to tell me and I’ll grab your shoes, okay?” he said slowly, his serious eyes staying connected with hers. He had found that eye contact gave her a better understanding of how he was feeling and they often communicated silently between each other, even if she didn’t quite understand everything he was trying to tell her.

“Okay, daddy,” she sniffled again, all her tears long gone. She smiled her closed-lip smile and flung her short arms around his neck, giggling when he picked her up. It was his turn to smile. By this time everyone had stopped staring and went on with their business, creating the perfect time for Denise to welcome her son. She missed him.

“It’s good to see you, sweetie,” she said lovingly, slowly pulling away from her husband. He followed as she made her way over, immediately enveloping her son and granddaughter in a tight hug. Nick was amazed at how she was still so strong; with four boys, she had to be. Denise placed a kiss to Nick’s cheek, happy to see that it still made him blush, and then did the same to the giggling Isabelle.

“You too, mom,” he said sincerely, allowing his lips to twitch up into a smile. She smoothed her hand over her curls gently, eliciting a sigh from him.

“How are you, Nicholas?” Kevin Sr. asked gently, holding out his arm as an invitation. Nick smiled at his father and gave him a quick hug that held all the meaning of a full one.

“Good,” he answered shortly, though he knew it was a partial lie. Everyone could see through it, not at first, but eventually. After Sarah had passed Nick had been odd. He had thrown himself into his job, his face almost always emotionless, and he spent even more time with Isabelle. Nick had forgotten how to interact with an adult as he isolated himself for the first three months, but they quickly caught on. Nick’s fine meant he was terrible and Nick’s good meant that he wasn’t too good. No one had ever brought it up though. They were afraid Nick wouldn’t be able to take it. They all knew he just needed time, but one year seemed to do nothing but send him further hurt.

“How’s the little princess been?” Kevin Sr. smiled, ruffling the little girl’s perfect curls. She grinned and set her head on Nick’s shoulder, locking her legs tightly around his waist.

“Go on, Bells; tell grandpa how you’ve been,” Nick encouraged lightly, giving her tiny body a squeeze. She nodded slowly and began to twist her fingers in Nick’s curls, her eyes narrowing as she thought of what she wanted to say. Both Denise and Kevin smiled as they stood, waiting for the little girl to speak her mind. She was intelligent already and once she started school they knew there would be no stopping her.

She was just like Nick.

“Good,” she finally settled, closing her lips together. Nick’s face dropped a little and he sighed, trying to find something to say as he looked at his parents and his older brother coming closer. But he left it at that. They were both good, okay, fine. That’s all they would be.

“Hey bro,” Kevin smiled, his arm gently wrapped around Danielle’s waist. He managed a smile, his eyes darting between the two of them. Kevin didn’t ask him how he was; he already knew.

“Hey Kev, Dani,” he greeted softly, glancing around at all the familiar faces.

“Hey cutie,” Kevin smiled at his niece, happy when she smiled right back.

“Uncle Kevvy, Aunt Danni,” she greeted lightly, holding out her hand. Danielle took it with a smile, her fingers gently running over her light skin.

“Linny and Matt are in the basement if you want to join them,” she informed the girl, hoping Nick wouldn’t mind. He involuntarily clutched to his child but quickly dropped her to her feet, telling himself to let go. She couldn’t always be his security blanket.

“Can I, daddy?” she asked sweetly. Isabelle was almost four, but she enjoyed the company of her older niece and nephew. Nick smiled.

“Sure, just be careful.”

She nodded quickly, not quite paying attention to anything after the word “sure,” and she quickly ran barefoot towards the hall. He clutched the sandals in his hand and chewed his bottom lip nervously, letting out another sigh as the four stood around him. He felt compelled to speak.

“Where’s Joe?”

Kevin, Nick, and Joe were the closets brothers anyone had ever seen. His younger brother, Frankie, was also part of that group, but the three older boys were always inseparable. Joe had made the most efforts to get Nick back to normal. He set up dates, which Nick canceled; he set up brotherly bonding time, which Nick tried but failed to full enjoy; he even tried to get Nick another job, but Nick--always thankful--said he was working on something else. He never told anyone what exactly he was doing, but he wasn’t slacking. He had a lot on his plate and the little three year old was at the top of his list.

“He should be here any second, actually,” Kevin said quickly, glancing round the room for a clock. Nick looked down to his watch and nodded, rubbing his neck with discomfort. The air was filled with awkward silence for a moment as Nick chewed the inside of his cheek, looking down shyly.

“Um,” he mumbled uncomfortably, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Excuse me.” Denise smiled at his politeness and nodded, all of them turning to watch as he slowly strode away, heading towards the bathroom. He just wanted to be alone.

• • • •

“Just be yourself, Soph,” Joe said reassuringly, placing his hand flat against the small of her back. She nodded with a convincing smile and allowed her heels to take her towards the front door. She glanced around at all the floating leaves, taking a step back to allow Joe space. He opened the door for her and smiled again, letting her enter the warm house. She could smell food and her stomach immediately growled. She wondered if it was like this all the time in the Jonas household considering it was so close to Thanksgiving anyway.

She entered the house cautiously, taking her time to look around. The living room that she was standing in was rather large and open, a large TV nestled into a cherry oak cabinet. The set of three tables matched, two on each end of the large sage green couch and one coffee table in front, a few books and magazines scattered on top. The lamps all matched, the gold tones blending in with the cream walls, and the large square rug had the same green as the couch. She had never seen such a clean carpet before and she had the urge to take off her shoes, but she quickly wiped them on the mat instead.

Her eyes darted towards the sound of laughter that came through an open archway, some counters and a window looking out onto the backyard being seen from her standpoint. She stepped farther into the room slowly, letting her eyes roam down the hall and over all the pictures that hung. She smiled.

“This is beautiful,” she said politely, turning to give Joe a serious look.

“Mom would like hearing that,” he chuckled, linking his arm with hers. She nodded.

“It kind of reminds me of my house growing up. My mom went all interior designer whenever she and dad had a fight,” she mumbled, glancing around again as her fingers pressed against her glossed lips.

Joe nodded but refrained from asking questions. He had learned not to get too personal with people; he wished Nick had learned that early on. He sighed lightly and put on his smile, his eyes dancing across Sophie’s soft features.

“Come on; let’s see who’s in the kitchen.”

She nodded slowly and allowed him to lead her into the room with all the wonderful aromas, taking the time to glance around at the simple elegance of the place. Her eyes locked on a woman with beautiful curls and a shorter man with glasses, both of them smiling as they engaged in a conversation with a pretty tan girl.

“Hey mom, pops,” Joe grinned, letting go of Sophie to hug his parents. They immediately turned with grins, mumbling things that Sophie zoned out of. The pretty tan girl smiled kindly at Sophie and pushed her hair, back, waiting for Joe to hug her next.

“Is this your date, Joseph?” the curly haired woman asked, smiling at Sophie.

“Yeah,” Joe nodded, taking his place by her side again. She smiled awkwardly, trying her best to make a good impression. Sophie was never good at meeting new people. She remembered her father dragging her to work in her younger years and how he introduced her to all of his office staff. She didn’t know what to do or say. She wanted to groan out loud as she remembered her first kiss. She had almost screamed at the boy because it was new to her. She wasn’t so bad now though. She had mellowed through the years spent with Jason. “This is Sophie. Sophie, this is my mom and dad, and my older brother’s wife Danielle,” he pointed out, giving her hip an encouraging squeeze.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she smiled, holding out her hand politely. Denise was the first to shake it, her gesture warming her nerves.

“You too Sophie,” she replied, “I’m Denise and this is my husband, Kevin.”

Sophie nodded quickly and shook his hand before moving onto Danielle, happy when the introductions were over. Joe kissed her temple and stepped away, slowly backtracking. She stared at him with wide eyes.

“I have to use the restroom,” he informed, pointing his thumb in the direction of the hall. Sophie stared at him as if he were crazy for leaving her just a few seconds after meeting his parents, but she sent him a glare soon after he stepped out of view. She bit her lip, waiting for the awkward silence, but Danielle decided to be nice to the poor girl.

“So Joe’s snagged a young one, huh?” she joked, her smile nothing short of beautiful and kind. Sophie blushed and gripped her purse tighter, sighing lightly as the light laughs erupted through the kitchen.

“I’m, uh, twenty-one actually,” she informed softly, hoping to let people know she wasn’t just some big joke. She wasn’t a child like her mother had portrayed her to be. “It’s my last year of college.”

“Do you mind me asking about your profession?” Denise asked, analyzing the girl carefully. She couldn’t help but wonder how she attracted Joe. She seemed quiet; not quite his type. But she noted that she seemed to be a lovely girl.

“Um, fashion. I’ve always wanted to be a clothing designer, to have my own brand someday,” she smiled lightly, afraid of what they would think. It was a wide-shot dream, but she had had it for so long.

“Oh? That seems very goal oriented. It’s a nice thing, seeing commitment,” Kevin added thoughtfully, fixing the glasses atop of his nose. She nodded, her breath coming out as a light and nervous laugh. Danielle eyed her carefully, smiling as she locked her gaze onto the small purse Sophie was clutching to with ghostly knuckles.

“I don’t recognize that,” she pointed out suddenly, her interest piqued. Danielle was all about fashion and to think that she hadn’t recognized a handbag was something odd for her. “Is it new?”

“What, this?” Sophie asked, glancing down quickly. She held out her purse and smiled as Danielle nodded. “It’s actually my own design.” The three looked shocked.

“Seriously?” Danielle asked with her smile widening. She held out her hand timidly, her eyes asking if she could touch it. Sophie allowed her to take a hold of it, dropping her arms to her side nervously.

“Umm, yeah. It was a prototype, I guess you could say. It was something I designed in class and it was directed to be made. I had it made again for my sister,” she informed them, hoping she wasn’t rambling. Danielle turned the light bag in her hands, eying it carefully.

“Wow. This is amazing Sophie. I wish I had a sister who made me handbags,” she laughed jokingly, handing her the bag back.

“I could make you one,” she said quickly, biting her lip. “I mean, I have something in the process already. Maybe I could show you sometime…”

“That would be amazing,” she nodded happily, letting out a sigh. “If you’ll excuse me, I should go check on Linny and Matt,” she excused herself, mumbling something to Sophie about her talent again. Her cheeks flushed.

“If you’ll excuse us too, we have to get the food ready to eat,” Denise sighed, “It’s nice knowing Joseph has someone so pleasant to be around.”

Sophie thanked them lightly and watched as they grabbed a few things and exited, the sudden silence overtaking her. She held her bag close to her and slowly spun around, allowing herself to take in every possible aspect of the house. She wasn’t as nervous anymore, but she knew that was because she had already met his parents. She smiled to herself and began to play with her hair, taking a few useless steps around. She didn’t quite know what to do now.

Sophie’s ears perked up when she heard a small thump-thump repeating itself, the sound getting closer and closer by the second. As she spun around her eyes widened and settled on a small girl running towards her, her head turned as if she we were watching something behind her. Her curls swayed and bounced as she ran, her quiet giggles sounding just before Sophie could gasp.

“Isabelle!” a soft voice shouted, the velvety tone filling the air. She blinked in surprise, her ears focusing on that pair of footsteps before she had time to move out of the way.

The girl hit a pair of legs suddenly, “oomph’s” coming from both of them. Sophie’s eyes widened and she reached out for the counter to steady herself, her knees ready to buckle beneath her. The girl squeaked in surprise and stumbled backwards, her face flushing red as she fell onto her butt, the sound of her dress ripping echoing through the room.

“Isabelle, when I said no running in the house I meant any house-” that voice sounded again, the footsteps halting as he entered the room. The figure froze by the doorway, his wide eyes scanning over the girl leaning over the counter and his child on the floor.

Sophie turned her head quickly, trying her best to blow her scattered hair away from her face. She blinked in surprise as she spotted the stranger by the door, his eyes locking hers for only a split second before he quickly stepped forward. She noticed his thick head of curls, the neatness now being taken over by the unruliness. He sported a baby blue button up shirt, a white tank being visible through the top where the buttons stayed undone, a silver dog-tag hanging from his neck. She didn’t have time to notice much more before a cry sounded through the room, making her jump and almost slip on what was now a broken heel.

“Shoot,” she heard the young male mutter, his body now closer, his scent lingering. She sniffed the air without thought, her senses taking in the mixture of sweetness and musk. She hadn’t really smelt anything like it before. If anything, her Joe smelt similar to this stranger, but definitely not the same. She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to steady herself, but her legs wobbled underneath her. “I’m so sorry; I assume she ran into you?” that soft voice sounded again, though it was strained, trying to speak over the escalating cries. Sophie nodded and bit her lip, taking in the sight of him again.

The stranger was kneeled down beside the little girl, pulling her into his body gently as she tried to fight him off only halfheartedly. His eyes were locked on Sophie though, the soft seriousness holding only a glint of light - his sincerity.

Her cries continued, grabbing the male’s attention, and he held her face in his hands gently. “Hey, why are you crying?” he whispered, trying not to make scene in front of this girl. Isabelle allowed him to stand her up and pull her into his chest as he stood to his full height again. “Are you hurt? Did you hurt yourself? You aren’t supposed to be running around in the first place,” he grumbled, wrapping his arm around her bottom, supporting her as her little fists clenched his shirt.

“M-my dress!” she whined, crying even harder. He winced at the sound and turned his head, blinking to try and get his hearing back. Sophie had managed to stand up and glance down to find that part of her heel had been broken off from the impact. She sighed.

“What’s the matter with your dress?” he asked quickly, bouncing her up and down in his arms.

“She ripped it when she fell,” Sophie answered softly, gaining his attention. His intense eyes landed on her as he continued his action, noticing that Isabelle nodded her head with agreement. She cried out again.

“Oh, dear God,” he sighed in relief, shutting his eyes with an almost bitter laugh. “Isabelle, it’s just a dress. I’ll get you a new one,” he tried, gently brushing his hand over her frazzled hair, smoothing the curls back down. She stopped her crying and sniffled, opening her eyes to see her father’s serious face.

“Y-you aren’t m-mad?” she hiccupped, pouting out her red bottom lip. He shook his head and sighed again, allowing his head to tilt to the side. Sophie watched the actions before her and couldn’t stop the small smile from stretching over her lips, despite her broken heel.

“No,” he said quietly, unable to keep on his stern face. He allowed himself to smile, the creases around his mouth giving him a boyish look. Sophie stared awkwardly, slowly bending down to pick up the broken part of her show. Nick spotted her action as he pressed his lips to Isabelle’s head and sighed. “I’m really sorry about that,” he said with a tired sigh, turning Isabelle around to face Sophie. She opened her mouth to speak but he quickly cut her off. “You should apologize, Isabelle.”

The little girl looked up at her father with wide eyes, silently begging him not to make her. She was a polite girl, but strangers weren’t something she liked to deal with. He gave her a stern look and smoother her hair out again, gently squeezing her shoulders as a prompt. The little girl sighed and looked down at her bare feet, her tiny fingers clutching the bottom of her dress where the rip had happened.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered softly, her voice barely audible, but Sophie smiled.

“It’s okay,” she reassured, glancing up at Nick quickly before looking back down at the little girl. She was glad when she caught her eye. “Isabelle… is it?” The little girl nodded shyly. “You know, I used to name all my Barbie dolls Isabelle. I even begged my dad to let me change my name, but he said Isabelle didn’t fit me,” she chuckled lightly, using her fingers to smooth out her own messy hair. Isabelle smiled suddenly, her cheeks rosy.

“Do I look like a Isabelle?” she asked hopefully, her wide chocolate eyes deep and excited. Sophie smiled.

“You look like an Isabelle. A very pretty Isabelle,” she nodded, wrapping her fingers around the broken off heel. It was only the tip of the heel; it wouldn’t create much problem for her, but now she’d have to hobble. “Is, um, she your daughter?” she asked suddenly, directing her attention to the lean male in front of her. He glanced up at her through his lashes and pursed his full lips. “I mean, I don’t want to assume, but she’s beautiful. She looks exactly like you.”

Nick didn’t know why, but this stranger’s words made him blush. He tried to stop the heat flooding to his cheeks by telling himself that she wasn’t necessarily calling him beautiful, just her. He reached for his curls, twisting them around his finger with a few tugs.

“Yeah, she’s my daughter,” he replied, his smile soft. Sophie smiled and stepped forward slowly, holding out her hand as she took in his tense figure.

“I’m Sophie.”

Nick glanced down at her hand before pushing his forward, locking a firm but gentle grip on hers.

“Nick,” he said, his hand warm as it engulfed hers. She smiled. Sophie took the moment to get a better look at him, her eyebrows slowly drawing together as she saw a small similarity. She didn’t know who resembled him or even why she was thinking this, but he seemed familiar in a way, warm.

“Do you, um… do you come around here often?” she asked, slowly dropping her hand from his. He blinked in surprise but quickly remembered that he had never seen her in this town let alone this town before. Who was she?

“Yeah…” he trailed off, not bothering to say this was his parents’ house; that this was the house he grew up in.

“Do you know Joe then?” she asked quickly, hoping that she could find a way to break the sudden awkwardness. Nick stared at her for a short moment, his head tilting to the side. Isabelle wiggled from his grasp and glanced at the two adults, slowly creeping towards the sliding door. Nick was oblivious.

“Yeah, I know Joe,” he answered slowly, wondering if this was the girl he had heard about.

“Are you guys friends or something?” she smiled, finally loosening her grasp on her purse. Then it dawned on him: she didn’t know he was Joe’s brother. He almost smiled, but he didn’t want her to think of his as weird, for it would come off as forced and dry.

“Something like that, I guess,” he answered, his tone almost holding a snicker. He glanced over Sophie’s shoulder and narrowed his eyes at the little girl pulling back the sliding door. “Isabelle!” he snapped, though his voice was still light. She froze, quickly spinning around with wide, innocent eyes. “I told you that you had to put your shoes on if you wanted to go out.”

“But daddy, I hate those shoes!” she whined, emphasizing the word hate. He sighed and almost rolled his eyes.

“Come here,” he smiled, reaching for his back pocket. Sophie watched him pull out a pair of tiny white sandals and smiled, watching as the girl trudged over to him with her fingers in her mouth. “Don’t do that; you don’t know what germs your hands have,” he whispered absently, pulling her hand away. She sighed and allowed him to grab her ankle again, careful not to twist it with his larger hand. He slipped the sandal on and quickly secured on her foot, repeating it to her other foot. He placed a swift kiss to her forehead; she giggled. “Stay with Uncle Kevin.”

He got a simple nod from his daughter before she darted out the door, the fabric of her dress hanging down and flapping as she ran. Nick shook his head and dug his hands into his pockets, Sophie’s eyes now on him. She didn’t mean to stare, but she was trying to figure out how old he was. She didn’t want to judge him for having a child, but she was also curious. Before she could open her mouth her eyes settled on Joe as he waltzed in, a sigh escaping his lips. Nick’s attention was quickly caught at the noise.

“I didn’t think you’d still be in here. I was looking for you,” he chuckled, sauntering over to her with his movie-star grin. She smiled in return and closed her eyes as he kissed her temple, his smile only widening as he took in Nick’s appearance. He didn’t look too irritable like his father had explained. “Hey bro,” he greeted, not shying away from a hug like Nick did. He tensed up as Joe wrapped his arms around his younger brother, finally eliciting a sigh and a hug back.

“Joe,” he mumbled, not quite liking the display. He was never the touchy-feely guy.

Sophie watched in confusion and wondered if “bro” was just a slang word, but then it dawned on her: they were brothers. No wonder Nick seemed familiar to her, she thought. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she placed her hand on her forehead, laughing lightly as Nick eyes her. Joe faced her in confusion.

“What is it, babe?”

“It’s just - I didn’t realize Nick was your brother. I feel like an idiot,” she admitted, earning a more genuine smile from Nick. He almost felt like smiling. Joe’s eyes darted between them, confused but happy at the same time. He didn’t bother to ask as the two stared at each other, just simply shrugged and let out a sigh.

“Where’s Izzy?” Joe asked suddenly, using his own nickname for her. He found it odd that Nick hadn’t kept her attached to his hip.

“She’s outside,” he answered, always knowing where she was and what she was doing. He didn’t think of himself as overprotective, just on guard.

“Joe, you don’t have any adorable little girls that you’re keeping a secret, do you?” Sophie joked, getting him to laugh his contagious laugh.

“One or two here and there, you know how it is,” he winked, pecking her lips as she rolled her eyes. Nick took one look at them and immediately felt sick. Not because he wasn’t happy for his brother or because he was jealous, but because it brought back so many memories of how he and Sarah interacted. He used to smile and laugh when he was around her. He used to peck her lips and hold her close, even though he had never liked to cuddle before. He used to sing her to sleep and wake up to her in his arms.

He could feel his jaw clenching and he shut his eyes, telling himself to breathe as the familiar knots in his stomach began to grow and the pang in his heart made an appearance. He inhaled deeply but refused to let it out in case a sob accompanied it. Nick wasn’t a weak man, just a broken one.

Sophie eyes Nick with immediate concern and nudged Joe, showing her wonder with her eyes. Joe licked his lips and glanced over to his brother, who seemed shut down, and wondered if he was even still breathing.

“Hey… Nick, are you okay?” Joe asked cautiously, turning his full attention to his younger brother. Nick slowly nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat, his eyelids fluttering open to reveal blank eyes.

“Uh, yeah,” he almost croaked, silently clearing his throat. “Fine. I wasn’t feeling good earlier… I guess it’s catching up to me.”

That was Nick, always trying to make light of the situation.

Joe nodded, though his concern was still present, and refrained from asking anymore questions in fear of upsetting his already fragile brother. He needed to protect him, not hurt him. But Sophie was less convinced. Though she didn’t say anything, finding it not be her place, she continued to eye him suspiciously, hoping to maybe see inside him. But as their eyes locked, she almost gasped at how hard they looked, how fiery and emotional they seemed. She couldn’t see anything and she wondered what had happened to that glint of sincerity he had moments ago.

“Um, excuse me…” he trailed off, quickly making his way to the sliding glass door. He needed to see Isabelle, to make sure she was still real.

The two watched him exit abruptly, the cool air against his face doing nothing to faze his blank expression, and she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong with Joe’s brother. But the words didn’t form. Instead she was left to wonder about the mysterious Nick Jonas and what exactly had changed him so quickly.

But none of them knew what exactly was going on through his mind. Not even Nick.