All he could think about was I'm too young for this.
Got my whole life ahead.
Heck I'm just a kid myself.
How am I gonna raise one.

Nicholas walked off the stage he and his brothers had just performed on. He could still hear the screams of hundreds of girls in the crowd. Even though he was singing for all of them, he only wanted to be with one girl. His girl. The girl he was in love with, and he had proved it to her about two weeks prior to this day. Nick hadn’t seen her since that night, and that might have been why he was so happy to see her now. She was walking towards him with a small smile on her face. It was nowhere a big as the grin that was on Nick’s, though. Nick wrapped his strong arms around her thin body, she closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms. “I love you so much, Emily.” He whispered in her ear. She didn’t reply and Nick sensed something was wrong. He let her out of his grip, noticing a single glistening tear running down her cheek. “Babe, what’s wrong?” He asked her worriedly. She looked him straight in his chocolate brown eyes, the ones she fell in love with. “Nick,” She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear over the rest of the commotion that was happening around them, “Nick, I’m pregnant.” She said as more tears formed and dropped from her blue eyes. Nicholas was speechless. Pregnant? But how? Well he knew how, but he didn’t think that it could be possible for it to happen to them. At least not now. “Oh my God.” He said quietly and obviously shocked at what his girlfriend had told him. “Is this for real? You’re really, well, you know.” He asked, looking at her stomach. He couldn’t imagine what it would look like months from now. This didn’t seem possible. She nodded with a sad and scared look on her beautiful face. She began crying a little harder now. Nick wrapped his arms around her again, trying his best to keep her from crying and to protect her. Only problem is that the thing he was trying to protect her from was apart of the hug, it was apart of her. “Nick what are we going to do?” She asked him softly with her head resting on his shoulder. “I don’t know.” He said, still not fully aware of what was happening. “We’ll get through this, together.” He assured her as he ran his hand up and down her back. He was doing his best to calm her down and let her know that it would be okay, but he wasn’t so sure of it himself. Millions of thoughts were running through his mind. He was too young to be a father. Fifteen years old. How could he take care of a baby, he wasn’t even old enough to drive. What was he suppose to tell his family? His friends? His fans? He barely even knew what to tell himself. “Nick, I’m sorry.” Emily cried. “No, don’t apologize when it’s not your fault. We can do this, we will do this.” Nick said, he felt a lump forming in his throat but held back the tears. He knew Emily wouldn’t believe that he was okay with this if he started to cry now. “I love you, Nick.” She whispered in his ear. Nick tightened his grip around her and blinked back the tears that were trying to come out. “I love you, too.” 

All he could see were his dreams goin' up in smoke.
So much for ditchin' this town and hangin' out on the coast.
Oh well, those plans are long gone.

Nick and his family were back at their home now, after a long tour across the country. While his brothers and parents were glad to be back home, all he could think about was Emily and the baby. Oh God, the baby. No one knew about it except its parents; him and Emily. Nick couldn’t get his mind off of all the possible bad things that would happen because of it. What would this do to the band? Would he have to stop performing and being with his brothers all the time? Would the band break up? What about all of his other plans for the future? Basically they wouldn’t be possible any more, is what he thought. Nick sat on the corner of his bed. His face buried in the palms of his hands. Emily wasn’t here, he didn’t have to be strong for her right now. He let the tears out, and they fell slowly to the ground. “Nick? Are you okay, man?” His older brother Joseph asked as he walked into the room. He was genuinely concerned about why his brother was crying alone in his room. Nick shook his head, no, and laughed slightly just because he was so confused, he didn’t know what to do. “Joe, you’ll never guess what I’m gonna be.” Joe looked at Nick, puzzled with what was wrong and what he was talking about. “I don’t know, I give up.” He said shrugging his shoulders. Nick sighed, “A father. Joe, I’m going to be a dad.” More tears fell from his eyes as Joe sat next to him, shocked at what he had just heard come out of his little brother’s mouth. If it weren’t for Nick’s tears and seriousness, Joe wouldn’t have believed him in a million years. “Come here.” Joe said and hugged his brother tight. He felt as if he were going to cry himself.


And he said,
There goes my life.
There goes my future, my everything.
Might as well kiss it all good-bye.
There goes my life…

“Joe, what am I going to do?” Nick asked through tears, “I’m too young for this. I’m not ready.” Joe really didn’t know what to tell his brother. He was still shocked that it was true. “Maybe you should have thought about that before.” Joe told him. Nick looked like he had become even more upset and Joe immediately regretted saying that. “Nick, it’s going to be alright. If anyone is responsible and mature enough to raise a child at fifteen, it’s you.” He said honestly. Nick sighed. “Even if that’s true, what about the band? What about my future?” Nick ran his fingers through the brown curls that sat on top of his head. “Don’t worry about that, man. The band will be fine. I mean, come on, we are your brothers. We’ll support you with anything you do. And you still have a good future ahead of you. It just involves one more person now.” Joe said, trying to convince Nick that it would be okay. He hated seeing his brother upset. Nick laid back on his bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling. “Joe, I made a huge mistake. Now I might as well forget about everything.” He sighed and then whispered, “There goes my life.”

A couple years of up all night and a few thousand diapers later.
That mistake he thought he made covers up the refrigerator.
Oh yeah....
He loves that little girl.

It had been about four years since Nick had found out about the baby. Now little Natalie was three years old. “Hey babe.” Nicholas said to his wife, and mother of his child, as he walked into their home. “Hey.” Emily said and smiled as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “How was Nat today?” He asked using his nickname for his little girl, as he opened the refrigerator in search of a bottle of water. “She was great. I can tell she’s going to be a smart girl already.” Emily said with a smile on her face. “Just like her mother.” Nick grinned at her and she playfully rolled her eyes, the smile not leaving her face. “Oh, I almost forgot. She made you something.” She told Nick and then turned in the direction of the living room, “Natalie, Daddy’s home!” She called to her daughter. In a matter of seconds, the curly-haired and smiling girl ran into the room as fast as her little legs could carry her. In her right hand she held a drawing for her father. “Daddy!” She exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as Nick lifted her up and gave her a huge bear hug. “Hey there Nat.” He said with a happy tone in his voice. “Daddy, I made this for you!” Natalie said with a big smile on her little face. She handed him the picture and anticipated for his reaction. Nick’s brown eyes scanned the paper. It was a drawing of himself and his little girl. It wouldn’t have been easy for anyone else but him to make out what it was. In the picture she was holding her teddy bear that he had brought back for her from a little shop he visited when he was away doing a short tour with his brothers about a year earlier. To someone else, this drawing might just look like a child’s scribbling, but to Nick, it was the best drawing that he had ever seen. “Do you like it daddy?” Natalie asked him with hope in her little blue eyes. He smiled at her, “Baby, I love it.” He said honestly. Natalie grinned with joy at his answer and gave him the tightest hug her little arms could possibly give. Emily smiled as she watched the two people she loved the most in the whole world. “How about we put that masterpiece up on the fridge?” She said cutting in. “That sounds like a great idea.” Nick smiled and grabbed a magnet shaped like a little blue person and hung the picture up next to some of her other drawings. “I love you, Daddy.” The little girl said happily. Nick regretted ever thinking that she was a mistake. “I love you too, Nat.”

Momma's waiting to tuck her in,
As she fumbles up those stairs.
She smiles back at him dragging that teddy bear.
Sleep tight, blue eyes and bouncin' curls.

“Natalie, time for bed.” Emily called from upstairs to her daughter who was sitting on her father’s lap while he was watching a hockey game on their television. “Okay Mommy.” She replied and looked up at her dad who was smiling down at her. “Night my little Angel.” He told her and gave her a hug. “Night Daddy.” She said and kissed him on the cheek. He set her down on the ground and she made her way to the steps, her teddy bear dragging behind her. Nick watched with a smile on his face as she fumbled up the stairs, her bear bouncing up and down on the steps. She had his brown curls, and they bounced as she made it up higher. Right before she was out of his sight, she turned around and waved her tiny fingers at him. Her blue eyes that she inherited from her mother were twinkling in the dim light. She smiled at him, showing her little white teeth.


He smiles.....
There goes my life.
There goes my future, my everything.
I love you, daddy good-night.
There goes my life.

Nick smiled back at his daughter. She was his life. He couldn’t dream about loving her more than he already did. She was everything to him and he couldn’t imagine living without her. “I love you Daddy. Good night.” She whispered and disappeared up onto the second floor of the house. Nick chuckled to himself at the little girl he was proud to call his daughter. He laid back on the couch and sighed with a smile on his face, “There goes my life.”


She had that Honda loaded down.
With Abercrombie clothes and 15 pairs of shoes and his American Express.
He checked the oil and slammed the hood, said you're good to go.
She hugged them both and headed off to the West Coast.

Years had past since that night little Natalie crawled up her steps as her father watched with loving eyes. Now she was no longer the little three year old that drew pictures that were proudly hung on the refrigerator, she didn’t sit on her father’s lap when he was watching TV, and she didn’t drag her teddy bear around the house with her anymore. Her short brown curls grew out and were occasionally straightened. Her eyes had become a deeper shade of blue and she had all of her permanent teeth. She was tall and thin like her mother had been at her age, which was now nineteen. Nick shut the trunk of her car that was packed with all of her clothes and the dozens of pairs of shoes she had to have. Natalie smiled at her father as he took out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. He handed her his American Express card with a smile on his face that was hiding his true feelings. After she checked to make sure she had everything and Nick made sure the car was ready for the long trip ahead of it. “You’re good to go.” He smiled as he slammed the hood. Those four words caused both of the girls to get emotional. Emily hugged her daughter tight as a few tears fell from her eyes. “I’m gonna miss you, Mom.” Nat said, getting teary-eyed. “I’m going to miss you too, hun.” The two hugged and said their last words in person for at least a few months. Once they were done, Natalie turned toward her father. Her eyes let out a tear as he wrapped his strong arms around her. Nick kissed the top of her head. “Dad, I’m gonna miss you so much.” Natalie said sadly with her head on her father’s shoulder. “Hey now, don’t sound all upset. I’m going to miss you too, Nat, but I don’t want to see you leaving with a sad look on your pretty face.” Nick said with a smile, trying to comfort his little girl who was going off to college. He didn’t want her to be sad, but honestly, he was pretty upset himself. Of course he had to be strong for her and try not to show his emotions, though. “Thanks Dad, for everything.” Natalie said with a smile on her face. “No, Nat, thank you.” He said back and hugged her tight. “Now, I want you to have fun, but use your common sense and be careful.” Nick added with a serious tone to his voice. Nat smiled, “Don’t worry, I will.” She replied. Natalie gave both of her parents a final hug, and she got into the driver’s seat of her car. She started it up, blew a kiss to her parents, and waved good bye.

And he cried,
There goes my life.
There goes my future, my everything.
I love you.
Baby good-bye.

Natalie’s car was out of Nick and Emily’s sight. Nick placed his arm around his wife’s waist and they stood, looking at the place their daughter’s car once was parked. “Can you believe she’s gone?” Emily asked, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. “No. I can’t.” Nick replied, shaking his head slightly. His little girl was going off to college. It seemed like just yesterday that she was still running around the house playing with dolls. She grew up so fast. “We raised her well, she’s a good kid.” Emily said and looked up at Nick as a tear fell from his cheek. “She is.” He whispered, just barely loud enough to hear. He smiled, even though tears were falling from his eyes, “There goes my life.”


There goes my life.
There goes my life.
Baby good-bye.