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I followed Jason quickly through the backstage area, trying to remember the avalanche of information that he was launching in my direction. In the distance, I could hear the boys working the crowd and the girls shrieking their approval. I had wanted to stick around and experience the sound check, but Jason had insisted that we needed to go over some logistics.

“Are any of their wives currently on tour?” I asked, as I hurried to keep up with Jason’s long strides.

“Baylee is one of their opening acts, so Leighanne is always around. Lauren is also on tour for the first time.” Jason replied, slowing his pace a little.

“Lauren is Nick’s fiancée and Leighanne is Brian’s wife” I questioned.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the Backstreet Boys. I enjoyed their music, and I had purchased In A World Like This on my own accord. I had to admit that they weren’t bad to look at either. However, I didn’t keep tabs on their personal lives. Although I had Googled them all extensively the minute that I had been given the assignment, I was still a bit fuzzy on some of the details.

“That’s right.” Jason answered. “Rochelle, Kristin and Leigh are all busy with their respective babies, but they may show up at some point.”

Ugh! There were too many names! “Leigh is married to Howie?” I guessed.

Jason laughed. “That’s right.” He confirmed. “Why don’t you just ask the guys for yourself?”

“Ask the guys what?” a deep southern voice drawled.

I turned around and my heart immediately leapt into my throat. There they were. All five of them were strolling towards us, looking exactly like I had pictured them. I could have been staring at a magazine photo, except for the fact that they were moving. I swallowed hard and tried to maintain my composure. I was NOT some crazy fan. I worked for their fan club. I was part of their promotional team. I was NOT supposed to be nervous about meeting them. What was wrong with me?!

“You must be fan-connection-Amy?” The voice continued. “I’m Kevin.”

“Yes. Although, I would prefer to be known as just Amy.” I replied, accepting his outstretched hand.

“Fair enough ... Just-Amy.” He joked, gazing down at me warmly.

I immediately noticed that he had aged exceptionally well. His strongly defined features paired well with his striking green eyes. His expression exuded genuine warmth, and I found myself beginning to feel more at ease around him.

“Ignore my cousin. He’s still trying to get back into the swing of things. You know? Being on tour, being able to meet new people without creeping them out?” A second, softer southern voice interjected.

“Nice to meet you, Brian.” I laughed, letting go of Kevin’s hand and extending mine to Brian. “For the record, I don’t find your cousin overly creepy ... yet.”

“Ahhh. You already know my name then.” Brian grinned, accepting my hand.

“I did my research.” I shot back, forcing myself to get over my nerves and look him in the face.

His blue eyes stared intensely back at mine. We were practically the same height and I couldn’t help but notice the fine lines that appeared around his eyes as they crinkled at the corners. His jaw line was just as pronounced as I remembered from the posters that had hung on my friends’ bedroom walls a long time ago, and his smile was stretched into a boyish grin. Damn, he was attractive!

“So, you must know who I am then!” Nick interrupted, pushing his way in front of Brian and grabbing my hand. “After all, I am the most popular one of the group!” he joked.

I laughed fully as I accepted Nick’s rather vigorous handshake. “I think most people know who you are, Nick.”

I could feel my nerves settling slightly as I gazed up into his face. He was gorgeous; no doubt about it. Only a few years older than me, his face maintained the boyish charm that had driven millions of girls wild fifteen years ago. He had also matured in a way that gave him a smouldering quality; a look that now drove thousands of thirty-something women over the edge.

“Give it a rest, Nick. The important thing is that she knows who I am.” A raspy voice quipped, batting Nick’s hand away from mine. “I’m AJ or Alex. Whichever you prefer.”

“Amy.” I replied as I swiveled to face him.

His hand was warm and his grip was firm. I liked that. I also liked the way his brown eyes seemed to burn into mine, and the way that his arm muscles rippled as he shook my hand. His beard was so pronounced and soft looking that I had to resist the urge to reach out and touch it.

“And I’m Howie.” The final voice interrupted.

“Nice to meet you, Howie.” I said, turning my attention away from AJ.

I was surprised to see how short Howie was in person as he often appeared taller in pictures. Although he only stood about an inch taller than my 5’6” frame, he oozed confidence as he made his introduction. At 40, I decided that he had changed the most since the early days of the boys’ career. His Latin features were soft, but he had a definite masculine quality that made it easy to understand why so many women were drawn to him.

“We have a meeting scheduled to discuss this whole fan connection thing tomorrow morning, is that right?” Kevin asked.

“That’s right.” I answered. “I won’t be doing much tonight, except for sending out a few tweets and uploading some pictures of the show.”

“We appreciate that.” Howie said. “The first night of the tour is always a bit stressful.”

“Don’t worry; she won’t be bugging you guys tonight.” Jason piped in. “I still have some stuff to go over with Amy, and then we’re going to watch the show from an inconspicuous location. In fact, we have to meet with some of the crew in about five minutes.” He added, glancing hurriedly at the time on his phone.

“No worries. You guys enjoy the show. We look forward to tomorrow.” Kevin said, shaking my hand one more time as he and the rest of the band shouted their goodbyes and sauntered off into the maze of backstage areas.