***This is THE best cover of Taylor Swift's "The One". I like it even better than the original (sorry Taylor!). It's beautiful. *sniffs* And it's also the theme song for this book!***

***(Jay's POV)***

I brush a hand through my curls, padding out to the back porch. I feel like all I've done the past two days is chase Nya down and make her talk to me, but we need to discuss something.

Nya has been on edge the past week – what with just now getting back home and interacting with her brother and the activity at the girls' home – but from what she said earlier, there's something else on her mind.

She's worried about me.

And she doesn't do that often. Neither of us are chronic worriers, but I'm typically the one who freaks out when we run into trouble. For her, it's...really unusual.

I slowly pull open the patio door, observing her quiet position seated on the back steps. Her shoulders are hunched over as she stares off into the distance.

I softly close the door behind me. "You know, bad posture is a recipe for future back pain."

She turns her head over her shoulder slowly, not giving me any sort of response but for a worried stare.

I come to sit beside her on the porch, clasping my hands in my lap. "Nya, I know you're upset because you got worried about me earlier. I should've stayed on my phone during our mission so I could've been there for you and Skylor immediately."

She looks down at her sneaker-clad feet. "You're right, but...it's okay." She kicks at a piece of gravel. "There's nothing we can do about it now."

I watch her pensive expression, my own brows furrowing in concern. "Nya, why were you worried about me? It's not like I don't goof up during missions on a somewhat regular basis. I...I kind of thought you were used to my snack runs and occasional lack of communication. Not that it excuses my behavior or anything." I pick a piece of lint off her sleeve.

She turns her face away from me, resting her chin in her hands. "Just forget about it, Jay. And...keep a better eye on your phone next time." She tries to smile, but it's forced.

I frown. "Nya...you really have been acting weird the past two days. I know you're stressed and all, but being worried about me is unusual. And I don't think it's just compounding events, you know? There's a reason you're concerned." I place my arm around her shoulder.

She closes her eyes. "How annoying does it get when you come after me to make me talk, but get absolutely nothing out of me?"

"A little," I admit. "But I'm more scared of why you're scared." I study her features. "We have each other, Nya, and no anti-elemental mayor or crazed android is going to take that away from us. I know you were worried that something had happened to me today, but nothing did, and...I won't let anything like that happen to us."

"You can't promise that." She opens her eyes and turns to look at me, and for the first time I notice the very raw fear emanating from her.

Compassion fills my chest, and a lump forms in my throat. "Nya...what aren't you telling me? What happened?"

She looks away from me again. "It's stupid."

I debate for a moment before I just decide to spill my thoughts. "Look...don't take this the wrong way or anything, but...I was thinking things over earlier, and with your mood swings and stress levels and – oh, I'm butchering this." I run a hand through my curls. "You have good reason to be stressed, but you've been kind of distant the past week."

She sighs. "You're right. This has been going on for the past week, and...I haven't told you why."

"It's okay." I run my free hand over the finished wooden step. "I'm either going to make this easier on you or land myself another day in the doghouse, but...oh, what the heck?" I capture her hand with one of mine. "Are you pregnant?"

She stiffens, then slowly turns toward me. "I'm sorry?"

My cheeks flush bright red. "The only thing that makes sense to me is that you're pregnant, and you're really on edge because of it. And Nya, if that's true, then I want you to know that first of all, there's no way you can hide something like that forever. And second of all, I'm really happy for us. This is way earlier than either of us ever wanted to have kids, but that doesn't even matter to me anymore. I've spent a few hours thinking about this, and though it at first freaked me out, I'm super excited for us now and –,"

Nya holds up a finger, her eyes surprised. "Jay...I'm not pregnant."

I blink. "O-oh. You're not?"

She shakes her head. "Um, no. I would've either told you by now or at least left a pink stick somewhere where you could've found it."

"Sometimes, I can't tell with you," I defend myself. "And a pregnancy would explain why you're so stressed." Someone plaster an 'L' to my forehead right now.

"So would moving back home, trying to reconcile with my older brother, and helping Skylor defend her girls from a bunch of crazed elementals."

I bite my lip. "Okay, maybe." I toe the ground. "But why are you worried about me then?"

She buries her face in her hands, sighing. "Jay...do you ever just know something bad's going to happen?"

I shrug a shoulder slowly. "Um...I mean, when I eat too many beans, I know I'm going to have an upset stomach and some noxious gas later." I raise an eyebrow. "Something tells me that's not what you're referring to, though."

She shakes her head. "Something really bad is going to happen to us soon. I can just feel it."

I reach over and pull her hands away from her face. "To...us? Like, you and me?"

"It sounds stupid, but it's a gut feeling." Her bottom lip trembles, but she steadies it between her teeth.

I smile gently. "Nya, maybe you're just apprehensive because so much is going on right now. Have you considered that?"

"Yes, Jay," she insists, "and this is different. I can't shake the feeling that something really horrible is going to happen to us." Tears gather in her eyes, and she turns her face away. "I'm not losing you, Jay."

"Aww, Nya, don't – don't worry about me." I lean forward and wrap my arms around her in an awkward side hug. "Feelings aren't necessarily reality, and it's possible you're psyching yourself out over –,"

"I've heard that crap before, but this is different." She lowers her head to her chest. "You don't have to believe me, but you asked what was wrong, and I told you the truth. Happy?"

"Not really," I frown. "Nya, this could be nothing. You know I've been apprehensive about losing you on many occasions – you're great at getting yourself into trouble – and it's all come to nothing." I rest my head on her shoulder, hoping she's hearing me out.

She lifts her chin to look at me with teary eyes. "This is different." She rises to her feet, pulling away from my embrace. "Whatever. I should've just kept it to myself." She starts to step away.

I rise after her. "I'm glad you told me, Nya. I just think you're taking this too seriously."

"You said the same thing about accidentally stabbing yourself with a pencil while writing my anniversary card last year. Turns out you hit an artery and had to go to the ER." She looks at me over her shoulder and fakes a grin, swiping her tears away. "Forget what I said. Let's go get some rest. We have an early morning tomorrow."

I catch her fingers as she begins to leave. "Wait up, Nya."

She turns and shakes her head. "Look, I get that you don't believe me. I'm being stupid."

I take her other hand in mine and tug her back toward the porch steps. "No, you're not. And we're not done talking. We haven't come to any kind of an understanding yet."

"You're not going to understand," she sighs. "You've already said I'm just overthinking things, and I refuse to believe that. We're going to have to agree to disagree."

"No, we aren't." I plop down on the first step. "Sit down. Tell me everything that's on your mind." I tug her hands down in invitation for her to sit with me.

She sighs, relenting, and plops down on the ground. "It was just a bad dream, Jay."

"What about?" I pull her hair out of its ponytail, then run my fingers over her scalp in a gentle massage.

"You died. I couldn't do anything about it." She slowly leans back against me. "And now I can't shake the feeling that it's actually going to happen."

"I have that same dream about you sometimes, mostly when I'm stressed." I lean toward her and press a soft kiss to her cheek. "And then I wake up, and you're right there next to me. And I know it sounds creepy, but I just like to watch you sleep for a little while."

"We're married, Jay. I don't think it's that creepy." She tucks her cheek against mine, and her vulnerability makes my heart twinge.

Nya's not very open. She's learned not to be over time. She was an emotional mess when we first started dating, and if things had continued that way, I think we both would've been caught up in a toxic relationship. Neither of us were ready for love back then.

It wasn't our time until five months later, when Nya and I up and eloped so her evil aunt couldn't steal her elemental power.

At that point, we were willing to make a promise – a promise to never leave each other. Yeah, we still had old scars we carried around with us, and after quite a few heated arguments, those scars began to heal over.

And I know Nya's still recovering from years of not receiving the love she needed from a family. All she had was Kai, an older brother turned father figure who eventually chose to step out of her life.

But for me, I've seen her blossom. She trusts me with every part of herself now.

"I can't lose you," she says softly, her voice carrying gently over the evening breeze. "And I won't. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"Nya..." I shake my head. "What are you saying?"

"I'm your unofficial bodyguard." She sighs against me.

"Conventionally, they say it's supposed to be the other way around," I smile, stroking back her hair. "I'm supposed to protect you. The night before our wedding, Cole gave me a long talk about being your guardian. And Lloyd cornered me afterward and threatened to sell my sperm to –,"

Nya's laugh tickles my neck. "I've never needed that kind of protection," she admits, "and if we're being honest, I think you've always liked that about me."

"It's true. You're very independent." I inhale deeply, breathing in her familiar scent. "But I still save your skin whenever you get into trouble. Don't even make me go into how good you are at landing yourself in tough situations. Remember last year, when that duke in Shintaro tried to –,"

"Whatever." She closes her eyes.

I hold her close against me, enjoying our proximity in the warm night air. "Nya, we need a vacation."

She chuckles. "We just got back from traveling Ninjago in a self-defense crusade, Jay. I'm vacationed out."

"We'll have a staycation then," I pacify her. "But whatever the case, you and I are going to spend a week together and just enjoy each other's company. And talk over our future – because, Nya, with you as my bodyguard, we'll have many happy years together." I rub my hand over her shoulder. "We're going to be just fine."

***(Skylor's POV)***

***Music Cue***

I smile ruefully at Kai. He's currently standing at my glass back doors, watching his sister and Jay as they sit together on the porch. It's not as though they're doing anything interesting, or anything at all for that matter – they're just cuddled up outside, staring at the starry night sky.

But Kai's brotherly instincts seem to have kicked in. He really cares about his sister and her marriage.

I shake off the hollow feeling in my chest. I don't care about Kai. I'm over him, and if I had the time and lifestyle for it, I'd have multiple guys hotter than him on speed dial.

Right. I think hot is pretty much the definition of that roguish look in Kai's eyes right before he pulls a girl in and whispers something low and chill-inspiring –

Nope. I don't miss those days. Kai's my ex.

Keep him at arm's length, Skye. Treat him like he treated you.

Not to mention that I'm supposed to be mad at him right now for staying at the girls' home. Or totally championing my girls against my ex, or calming me down when I was about to break down at our meeting, or cooking Cassie pancakes this morning, or watching sappy romances with the girls to make them feel better.

I clear my throat, pretending like I'm just now entering the room. "You left your phone in the movie room earlier. Someone kept trying to call a few minutes ago."

He jumps almost imperceptibly, but by the time he turns to face me, he's schooled his expression to his flirtatious mask. "Probably just last week's date. She's the clingy type, and apparently she can't get the memo that guys like me don't have to settle for that."

I raise an eyebrow at his chauvinistic, self-confident tone. "You were on a boat last week, Numbskull."

He waves me off. "She was from some remote island we stopped at. It's a wonder they have phone service."

"She probably had it installed just so she could call you up." I hold his phone in the air, then toss it toward him. His eyes bug as he makes a dive to grab it before it hits the ground, his body landing on the floor with a thud.

He holds up his barely-saved phone in one hand, scoffing. "Skylor, I get that money grows on trees for you, but not so for me. These things are expensive."

"Says the guy who tried to pick up on me yesterday with some line about working for the modeling industry." I plant my hands on my hips. "I wouldn't have let your phone hit the ground, Hothead. I happen to be the master of smoke, meaning I can teleport to grab falling objects if necessary." I motion toward his device. "I also have the power of mind, which means I knew you'd spotted the phone correctly and would launch yourself in such a position to catch it before –,"

He rolls his eyes. "Spare me the particulars. And would you decide whether you love or hate me already?" He sits up, brushes his arm off, and rises to stand defiantly.

"Definitely leaning toward the hate you option." Don't do this to yourself, Skylor. Don't let down your guard.

"Then act like it," he snarks. He powers on his phone for a moment before turning it back off and stuffing it in his back pocket.

"Out of curiosity, who was actually trying to call you?" I ask. I keep my tone nonchalant, but inside, I'm sort of wondering if it's another one of those bimbos he picks up like leeches in lake water. A fitting comparison.

But then, it doesn't really matter, does it? I hate him, he's no good for me, and he can go out with whoever he wants. Yep.

Kai arches a brow, not missing my moment of insecurity. "Gosh, Skylor, are you jealous? Gee, I'm sorry I gave you the impression that there might be anything between us. I'm just not interested in being exclusive right now, though."

I try not to let his words rile me, closing my eyes to contain my frustration. "Just tell me who called you. Who's to say it isn't one of those elementals who tried to break in today?" I open my eyes again, feeling more collected.

"It's not. Happy now?" He reaches an arm over his head, trembling his muscular body in a stretch, before padding toward me.

My throat goes dry, and I step out of his way. If he gets too close, I swear I'll replace his leather business shoes with some of those sparkly high-tops from the dark ages of fashion.

Triumph flashes in his eyes as he stops before me. "Sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable?" He inches just a little closer.

I cross my arms and determine to stand my ground. "No. I just...don't like you." Keeping with juvenile insults, allow me to stick out my tongue here and call you a 'sissy'.

His lips quirk. "You don't like me, huh? That's the best you've got?" He studies me for a moment, his eyes roaming my face appreciatively.

When he speaks again, his voice is pitched low and sexy. "You're also a terrible liar."

Heat pools in my core, warring with the caution lights flashing in my mind. "And you're great at it, because after all the crap I went through with my dad and Shade, I still believed you loved me."

It takes me a moment to realize what I've said, and then my cheeks flame like a match to gasoline.

Oh snap. That did not come out right.

He blinks, surprise and compassion washing over his features. "Skylor –,"

"I'm kidding." I shutter my eyes and turn to go. "I meant to add more kindergarten jabs to our stupid sparring match. You're a fat poopy-pants who can't have sugar after four p.m. Better?"

Kai snorts. "And you're a bully." He kicks my foot softly. "But seriously –,"

"I'm not up for a serious conversation," I smile curtly. "So...bye." I start to turn right as I feel a warm, calloused hand on my shoulder.

"It was my agent," Kai says gently. "My agent – he was the one calling me. For the sake of transparency." He clears his throat. "I'm telling him that I'm occupied around here for the next few days. My company can live without me for that long."

"Yeah...whatever." I swallow back relief that it wasn't some hot female calling with a cleared schedule for Friday night. Not that I should feel relief. "Uh, thanks."

"You're welcome." He releases me slowly. "Get lost, Miss No-Serious-Conversations."

I keep my face turned away. "Yep." And I hightail it out of there faster than a mouse from a cat's lair.

I can't let myself care about Kai. Our relationship won't go anywhere. We're different people than we were back in high school.

Yet something in my heart says that maybe Kai's changed for the better. Maybe?