[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Story #3: Back to the Studio

-- Nick --

"Backstreet's back...alright!"

"That never gets old for you does it?"

Bri grinned. "Never."

I leaned back in my chair. We had been in the studio for five hours and had accomplished nothing.

That was always how it went on the first day.

"How's Brookie's tour going, Nickers?" AJ asked.

I grinned. "How do you think it's going? She's a pro."

"How many male groupies does she have following her?" Bri teased. I made a face.

"I'm not thinking about that."

It felt like a different dynamic in the room. I glanced around. Kevin was missing. Again. He had decided not to join us again.

He claimed he was too old.

I stopped thinking about age years ago.

"You're awfully quiet D," Brian remarked.

Howie was hunched over the mixing board. He looked up at us. I noticed quite a bit more 'salt' appeared in his 'pepper' hair. He also had deep bags under his eyes. Out of all of us, he had been aging the best (well, besides me - haha). Now, he looked his age. Or older.

"Stefie's sick," he said.

"Still?" AJ asked. I knew that Ally and Stefie had gotten pretty close lately. That's what happened when all of us decided to have kids at the same time. Friendships formed. And in some cases...romance.

"We have an appointment with the doctor in a few days," How said. He rubbed his forehead.

"So let's talk about producers and our vis--"

"BUTTONS! LOOK AT ALL THE BUTTONS!"

Howie turned around. I knew the moment I heard the little voice that we had visitors. Landon's bright eyes peeked into the room. Liv was right behind him.

She looked like a walking zombie, albeit a beautiful pregnant walking zombie.

"What's up buddy?" I asked. I walked to the doorway and squatted down. Landon ran over and threw his arms around me.

"Mommy said she's gotta poop," he said seriously. I glanced up at Liv. She smiled.

"I said I'm pooped," she explained. "We just got done at the doctor's and I figured I'd show Landon what daddy was doing."

I hadn't really done a lot of outside studio work since he was born. I scooped him up.

"Want the tour?" I asked. He nodded. "Yup!"

Liv sank down on the couch. Each of the guys took turns showing Landon something. He was especially interested in the pitch sliders that AJ demonstrated.

"You can sound like a mousie!" he shrieked. His little hand went and shoved the thing to max. A screech filled the room that made my eyes water. AJ quickly shoved it back down.

"Where's your girl?" Landon asked as if nothing had happened. AJ smiled.

"What girl?"

"The red one!"

I smiled. My sons were all about the girls. Like father, like son.

AJ looked at me. "She's in Kentucky."

"Why's she there?"

"That's where she lives."

"Why?"

AJ sighed. "Because that's where her mommy lives now."

"That's stupid!" Landon exclaimed. AJ smiled.

"Tell me about it."

Landon wiggled off of AJ's lap. He took AJ's sunglasses that were sitting in an empty chair and slid them on.

"Alright, we're out!" he said. He flapped his little hand in the air. "C'mon mom!"

I glanced over to the couch. Livvy was fast asleep. I didn't know how she could have dozed off with the screeching and the loud voices, but she had.

I didn't have the heart to wake her.

"Mommy's taking a nap," I explained. "Come with me."

"Okay!" he chirped.

Unfortunately, now that Landon knew how everything worked, he wanted to play with it. That made putting any vocals down impossible. The four of us sat around narrowlisting producers, and listening to some demos already sent in. After awhile Landon got bored and crawled up next to Livvy.

"Daddy!"

I leaned back in my chair and glanced over at him.

"What?"

"The babies are growling!" he said. He pressed his ear close to Liv's stomach and squinched his eyes shut. From the moment we explained to Landon about the babies, he had become obsessed with Liv's stomach. Even so, I knew babies didn't growl; Livvy's queasy stomach meant she was probably running on just crackers.

"Babies?" AJ said. I looked at the guys and smiled sheepishly.

"Surprise," I said lightly.

"Again?" Howie said.

"Babies?" Brian added.

"Twins."

AJ grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Now you're the little old man who had so many kids he didn't know what to do," he chided.

"Liv told Leigh she was pregnant but she didn't mention twins," Brian said. "I'm surprised you're not dead."

I snorted. "Of course I'm not dead."

"He's not dead because he's getting neutered."

I glanced back at the door. Landon was dancing around Liv. She was rubbing her eye. I had a feeling that while my back was turned Landon ended up poking her to see if she was still alive.

He always did that whenever either of us were asleep and he wasn't.

It was the cause of many early mornings.

Liv walked over and kissed me. "I'm gonna go home with goober. Love you."

"Love you too. Eat something," I said. "Landon said you were growling."

"The babies were," he corrected. "I jabber-ed them with my elbowy bone."

He held up his arm. I laughed.

"Alright, crazy. Go take care of mommy."

He puckered up and gave me a noisy kiss. The guys started in on me the second the door closed behind Livvy.

"Neutered, huh?"

I scowled. "It's nothing."

"I think Nick's going to be singing our soprano parts this record," Brian said. He threw out his arms and bellowed like an opera singer.

I folded my arms and let them go.

"Hey, you know what a Christmas tree and a man who's had a vasectomy have in common?" AJ said. Everyone looked at him.

"They both have ornamental balls!"

Brian fell out of his chair laughing. Howie actually seemed to relax.

I stared daggers.

"It's not funny," I said.

"No, what would be funny is if that still doesn't work," Brian said. "Livvy will become Ms. Hatchet."

He made slicing motions in the air.

"Can we just get to work?"

AJ was still chuckling. I was so glad he could amuse himself.

"The best part is it's probably genetic. I feel sorry for the girl who ends up with Noah."

The look on Brian's face was priceless.

It was my turn to grin.