June 23, 2014
The Forum, L.A.
“I’m going to puke.”
“It’s not that big, mom. You’ve played bigger.”
“He-he-he.”
I jab Nick in the stomach and feel the blush coming on. I feel like a teenager with him. My lips are puffy from kissing him until I fell asleep. I’m pretty sure his plan had been for more than kissing and didn’t involve me falling asleep, but he didn’t complain this morning. Instead, I woke up to him staring at me and playing with my hair. The first thing he said was, ‘I love you.’
Sigh.
I would have given anything for a day to just bum around the house of my dreams, but instead we were at the Forum at 11:00 a.m. before anyone else except for some staging and lighting guys.
“You usually do choreography,” Nick says nonchalantly as he follows me around the stage. Ben jumps off (making my heart stop) and begins to monkey climb over chairs. I look at Nick in panic. He grins.
“The good news is this isn’t a typical concert. We’re both going to do acoustic sets. That means you just get to sit on a wooden stool and look pretty. Oh, and play guitar.”
“Play guitar?!”
“You can pretend.”
“Nick,” this whole thing is sounding worse by the minute. “I can’t even pretend to play guitar. People that play will know that I’m not playing. I’m going to die. I can barely remember the words to all the songs from yesterday let alone--”
“Relax,” he throws his arm around me. “We’re going to pull a Tim and Faith.”
“A who-see-whatsa?”
Nick tosses his head back and laugh. “I’m going to strum my guitar and look at you like I want to rip your clothes off with my teeth. Meanwhile you can clutch the microphone stand for dear life and just sing your pretty little heart out.”
I exhale. “You’re my hero.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d say that,” he teases. “After concert hero-worship is always fun.”
“Gag me. Can’t you two stop for even a minute? Jesus, you guys give me fucking heartburn. How’s the playmate for Ava coming?”
I turn around in surprise. Nick wraps his arms around me and nuzzles my neck as if this is an everyday occurrence. Then again, it probably is. “Work in progress. Give me another couple days.”
“Make sure it’s a girl,” AJ smirks. “The world can’t handle another dongle running around.”
“My dongle could date your daughter. We could be family.”
AJ looks horrified. “You’re already family,” he shoots back after getting the look of vomit off his face. “So that would be incest.”
“Why…..why do I always walk in at the wrong moment? Holden, go with mama!”
“We keep it in the family already. Look at how much Holden’s looking like me!” Nick grins. “C’mere, buddy!”
The most adorable blonde little boy that I have ever seen (well, besides Ben’s baby pictures), freezes. He looks off where I suspect Howie’s wife Leigh is and then back at Nick and then up to Howie.
“C’mere,” Nick sing-songs. He lets me go and crouches down, holding out his arms.
Holden starts running, a big lop-sided, nearly toothless smile lighting up his face.
“He is not yours Nick and stop saying that! Someday someone’s going to hear you and--”
“Who’s my buddy? Who’s my little buddy?”
“What is he, a poodle? Hey Court, you’re looking beautiful as always.”
AJ kisses my cheek. AJ-fucking-McLean kisses my cheek. I am tongue-tied.
“Court, I don’t know how you handle this guy,” Howie hugs me. “No wonder you go on tour so much. Where’s Ben?”
I struggle to regain my voice. “I--”
“Hey D! Hey Uncle Trombone!” Ben is lounging in the sound booth about halfway back. The only reason I can tell is that I see his gigantic shoes up on the board.
AJ laughs. “Shithead!”
“Monkey trucker!”
“Bubblenose!”
“Mount Baldy!”
“That hurts!”
“Grow a pair!”
“BENJAMIN THOMAS LITTRELL!”
AJ snickers. “Nick’s teaching him well.”
“He started it mom!”
“Listen to your mom!” Nick calls out as he flips Holden upside down to a burst of squeals.
“But you said--”
“I’m always wrong!”
AJ cracks up. Howie laughs. “Baby Nicky’s gotten wise.”
“It only took me 34 years,” Nick quips. “Go tackle daddy!”
He sets Holden down and he immediately falls, his chunky legs halfway between a baby’s and a toddler’s easily giving up. Howie scoops him up. “You got me!”
I’m realizing quickly how bad the combination of men and babies are. I glance at Nick and he meets my eyes.
Shit.
It only gets worse. Five minutes later Kevin walks in holding Max.
“There’s my other illegitimate child now,” Nick says quietly, but loud enough for Kevin to hear. Kevin looks at Howie.
“He’s still doing it?”
“Have you ever known him to stop doing anything that’s remotely annoying?”
“Court should kick your butt. Hey babe.”
I am in the presence of Kevin Richardson and I am graced with my second (well, third counting Nick) Backstreet Boy kiss of the day. “You’re looking good considering you have to put up with this guy all the time.”
“It’s my pleasure,” I say. Nick grins at me. Max smiles at me. There are so many blonde boys in the room that it is cuteness overload. “Hey handsome.”
“Go see Aunt Court,” Kevin says calmly and gently. It’s the way I’ve always thought of him even though I’ve heard he has his explosive moments. I’m sure that I’m going to drop the little guy but suddenly he’s in my arms and touching my face. He isn’t even crying.
“Hard to believe Ben was ever that little, huh?”
I smile at Kevin. “Yeah, I don’t remember a time he was this little,” I laugh. Yet, inside I grow sad at the thought. I will never have those memories like other moms.
“A perfect picture,” Nick says as he comes over to us. He kisses Max’s forehead and does this weird handshake thing with Kevin that reminds me of Will and Jazz on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
“You’re gonna have to get your own,” Kevin warns. He holds out his arms and I transfer Max back into them.
“I keep telling them I need time to corrupt the kid before I head off to college.”
Ben’s climbing back onto the stage, his blonde hair falling forward. His hair curls at the nape of his neck like Brian’s used to.
“I hear University of Kentucky has a good program,” Kevin says. Ben runs over and they hug tightly.
“I’m thinking more University of Tennessee or Vanderbilt,” Nick says.
“Vanderbilt has a sweet science program,” Ben agrees.
“Science?”
Ben shrugs. “It’s interesting.”
My heard practically dissolves. “It is interesting,” I agree. “You’d be a great metaphysicist.”
Ben laughs. “No idea what that is. UC Berkeley has a great physics program though.”
“I’ve heard University of Georgia is even better.”
It’s a new addition to the conversation. I turn my head and look behind me.
Brian smiles.
“Hey Court.”
