Howie offered his most gracious smile as he welcomed the reporter into his home after the chiming of the door had roused him from his bedroom. It had been havoc trying to muster some of his remaining dignity after plummeting into the tub in front of Keveney. He had hoped to exude some elegant charm on her behalf, but only seemed to befoul any vain attempt he made. He had darted down the stairs as if he were on an impossible mission, praying that Keveney would not appear. But he had no need to worry, collecting himself when he realized she was still taking care of Jillian. Now, he could only hope that his suave appearance would do justice on both Keveney and the reporter and that he would conquer any outrageous embarrassments that were known to precede him.
Yet, as worried as he was about making a wonderful impression, Howie found himself equally mesmerized by the lovely, petite brunette as she entered. She exuded such a beautiful quality that actually hazed with a mysterious essence of fiery excitement. And something about her gray eyes immediately reminded him of Keveney, but Howie shook those thoughts free, knowing he had to focus. It was his first true interview without the boys somewhere on the premises, so he had to be utterly fantastic. Kevin was grouchy enough; Howie wasn’t about to suffer under his brutality for a minor mishap during a simple interview. Focusing his straying thoughts yet again, Howie led the woman into his living room.
“It’s nice to meet you… Mrs. Moore?”
“Miss Moore,” she corrected with a delicate smile. “Just in case one of you boys needs a date to an awards show…”
“I’ll pass the word along,” Howie chuckled, offering her a seat. The mysteriousness of the fiery flicker that wrapped around her aura quickly faded into a simple personality trait, so he continued to study. Howie watched in awe as she primly sat upon the couch, crossing her legs delicately at her small ankles while retrieving a tape recorder in one fluid motion. She seemed to be all about the business at hand with a sweet touch of old-feminine charm, which comforted Howie.
“Let’s get down to business,” she declared, furiously scribbling upon her tablet, giving Howie a striking conclusion that she might be slightly upset about the obvious lack of people within his home.
“Upset that it’s only me, Miss Moore?” Howie dared to comment, hoping she wouldn’t become offended.
“Huh?”
“You are a fan, correct?”
She finally blushed, glancing down. “How’d you—”
“I’ve read your column.”
“Oh, yes… I do appreciate your music very much. I find it quite…comforting… But please, my name’s Stevanie,” she laughed when Howie wrinkled his nose at the feminine form of such a masculine name. It was the usual response she received when announcing her proper name. “My father’s name is Steven and my parents had a hard time conceiving. It was a pure miracle that I was even born, so I got my father’s name just in case... Needless to say, we ended up adopting two children and having three more, two being twins…”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, quite the Lifetime story, but please, call me Stevie.”
“Okay, Stevie,” Howie approved, settling back on the opposite couch. He folded his hands into his lap with a kind smile, anxious to tell his story. He listened to Stevie set up the tape with the proper names and dates before placing it between them upon the coffee table.
“So, Mr. Dorough—”
“Please, call me Howie.”
“Okay, so Howie, where’s this bundle of joy that’s barely been in the papers?”
“She’s upstairs with a good friend of mine. She’s kind of like a nanny of sorts… But they’ll be right down, I promise.”
“Perfect, could I get a picture for the article?”
“Of course. My friend is making sure that she has the perfect outfit for her debut.”
“Great!” Stevie enthused, settling back onto his couch yet again. She titled her large notepad and immediately started to jot furiously in a cryptic language as they spoke. “So, it’s official! We finally have the first Backstreet Baby?”
“Yes,” Howie chuckled.
“Boy or girl to follow in Daddy’s footsteps?”
“A baby daughter as surprising as it seems.”
“Congratulations,” Stevie immediately cooed.
“Thank you very much.”
“What’s her name?”
“Jillian Luz Dorough.”
“That’s gorgeous…”
“AJ actually helped me out with her name if you can believe it…”
“Hardly,” she laughed, “What’s her birth date?”
“October twenty-fourth, so she’ll be two months on Christmas Eve next week.”
“Quite the Christmas present, huh?”
“Couldn’t have asked for a better present,” Howie enthused with a soft smile, deciding to weave a quick white web for the public’s benefit. “I know most single fathers would find it Hellish, but I couldn’t be happier having my daughter. I just love the idea of starting my own family, even if it’s a little smaller than what others are used to. Besides, my family, especially my mother and sisters, are always stocking my cabinets full of food. And the guys actually have stepped up to act as surrogate fathers, giving Jillian all the love she needs and more.”
“But what about a mother-figure? Haven’t you parted from your latest girlfriend—”
“My girlfriend was out of the picture before Jillian arrived…” Howie explained softly, delicately treading around the false portions of his tale. “And I’d like to keep her mother’s name private since she left, because she did the right thing. And don’t worry about Jillian being too over-loaded on testosterone. My good friend has been filling that position. She’s so tender with Jillian and they’re inseparable. So, she has all she needs—”
“Miss Dorough is ready for her debut!” Keveney drawled dramatically as if she were Marilyn Monroe, carrying the small infant into the living room. She swept with a great elegance, pretending to fan herself and Jillian. Though, Jillian seemed more interested in chewing her upon her small fingers, her eyes fixed upon Keveney’s beautiful face. Howie immediately stood to bring Jillian into his arms, offering a kiss to the cooing infant’s cheek. Keveney then smiled when Stevie shakily stood from her position on the couch, knowing that chaos was about to erupt.
“Stevie, I’d like you to meet Jillian, my daughter. And my good friend—”
“Keveney Marie Moore!” Stevie exploded in a furious shock, interrupting Howie’s introduction. She pointed accusingly toward the younger sister as all the color seemed to drain from her face. “You… I… You… You… Little… You…”
“You’re not interviewing Eminem, Evie,” Keveney giggled.
“YOU—
Howie looked flabbergasted at the exchange as he turned to Keveney in wonderment. “You know her, Kevie?”
“Yeah, that’s my big sister,” Keveney grinned with delight
“I honestly had no idea you two were related!” Howie reflected in awe as he gazed between the two sisters. Needless to say, Howie was still utterly perplexed over the information he received that day and naturally the interview had died from its intended purpose. Though, instead of parting ways, the trio of adults transformed the interview into a small get together when Keveney revealed the exciting news. Not that Howie truly cared, because he was absolutely fascinated with the revelations at hand. Just connecting with another member of Keveney’s family gave a tangible edge to Howie’s passionate dreams of claiming Keveney as his own. And he found a keen interest in watching their hilarious interactions, proving that not all sisters mirrored one another.
“Well, Kevie didn’t even bother mentioning that she knew you. So, we’re even with Kevie’s sneakiness,” Stevie offered, glaring to her younger sister with an overwhelming sense of contempt. The shock of seeing Keveney in the Dorough household had been earth-shattering and deathly detrimental to Stevie’s sanity. Yet, as crazy as she felt, Stevie had to keep a cool exterior for the sake of her job. She didn’t want to be too informal with a client, because her job was highly important in her life. So, she simply just planned to throttle Keveney within an inch of death at home.
“Whoops?” Keveney innocently mocked, resting Jillian in her playpen for a nap. She knew it might not have been the smartest idea to turn away from Stevie, because she could almost feel Stevie’s sharp glares piercing into her flesh. Though, Stevie’s deadly glares that unnerved her coworkers and friends only seemed to egg Keveney’s mischievousness further. Keveney knew her life was in danger tonight, but it was well worth the consequences just to see Stevie’s stunned face.
“Yeah, whoops,” Stevie retorted sarcastically, only making Keveney smile further.
“But I should have known!” Howie laughed, not really understanding the knowing exchange between the sisters.
“Because both our last names are Moore? Or the fact that I told you my sister’s name was Stevie and she told you to call her Stevie?” Keveney quipped, obviously unable to resist.
“She’s such an imp!” Stevie laughed in shock, admiring her sister’s boldness.
“Ouch,” Howie groaned, clutching his heart. Keveney passed a sweet smile, causing chaos within Howie as much as outside. He returned the smile before glancing between the girls. “Okay, okay, okay! True, but I had other hints…”
“Like?” Stevie pondered.
“You have the same mannerisms, but are separated into the extremes… Like Kevie always slouches and you sit like you’ve gone to charm school. Kevie’s smile is mischievous compared to your sly grin… And your eyes twinkle where Kevie’s glitter… Am I making any sense?”
“Not really…” Stevie laughed.
“But that’s okay!” Keveney continued.
“Because have medication for that,” they finished together, causing a stir of laughter within the house.
“Keveney Marie Moore! You’re dead! Do you hear me? Absolutely, utterly, no doubt from God himself, dead! You better make your peace with God, stick your head between your legs, and kiss your ass goodbye! Oh! And write up the will! Leave everything to me as payment for your stupid prank today! You made me look like such a freak!” Stevie exploded as she entered the apartment, kicking her shoes across the length of the living room. She had just returned from submitting the Dorough article to her editor. Needless to say, it was the perfect piece, but Keveney’s antics had been utterly ridiculous. So, when Stevie returned to see Keveney’s car in the driveway, she prepared to deliver a sharp speech that would make Keveney’s ears ring.
“Why is it whenever you see me that you feel the need to threaten my life?” Keveney yawned, focusing on her current task without paying much mind to her sister. She sat on the living room carpet, surrounded by bows, gifts, paper, and tape. Thankfully, Keveney had shopped early for the Christmas holiday as to decrease the unneeded tension in her life. So, she planned to have all her Christmas wrapping done that day, including Howie’s gift and Jillian’s gift.
“Because you’re a bad seed and need punished!”
“A bad seed?”
“Yes! A child of the Devil himself!”
“Oh, I’ve been a bad, bad girl! Punish me, Master! Punish me!” Keveney giggled with amusement, wiggling her behind at her sister with a delighted moan.
“You’re impossible!” Stevie fumed with a sharp growl, delivering a kick to Keveney’s exposed rump. Keveney fell into a pile of pillows, actually laughing hysterically at the series of events. Her beautiful laughter only seemed to infuriate Stevie further. She leapt onto her younger sister with a sweeping attack, tickling her excessively. “WHAT IS SO FUNNY? DO YOU NEED A VISIT TO THE INSANE ASYLUM AGAIN OR WHAT?”
“The look on your face when I brought Jillian down!” Keveney snorted.
“You made me look like such a goober!”
“It’s not hard—”
“KEVENEY!”
“Then that’s the job I applied for?”
“But in front of a celebrity?” Stevie groaned.
“Oh, please! Off the high horse, you’re giving me a neck-ache! He’s a normal person, Evie. Puts his pants on one leg at a time and actually even stands up to pee! And, most importantly, he’s a normal father with a heart of pure gold,” Keveney enthused with a soft smile, finally growing serious as Stevie relaxed. “And he’s a terrific friend.”
“I bet...” Stevie drawled with a click of her tongue, already sensing the sexual tension stirring between her sister and the celebrity.
“Whatever,” Keveney groaned, deciding not to focus on her sister’s ill-conceited thoughts.
“Have you met the others?” Stevie countered curiously, obviously awed.
“You mean the one in your underwear drawer, specifically?”
“Keveney!”
“Yes! Okay? Yes, I’ve met them!”
“What are they like?”
“Hmm, normal men… But damn they’re in desperate need of a good screw! Hell, that’s why I got such a good price on your number—”
“Keveney Marie!”
