AJ smirked with amusement as he glanced down to his watch, watching the second hand furiously fly around the bolder numbers marking every hour. Five minutes had actually passed since Keveney left and Howie still stood in the doorway, looking out at the night sky with pure wonderment. He was poised in the stiffest fashion, a hand still fixed on his warm lips as it had been when Keveney parted that night. Keveney’s Christmas kiss had thrown Howie into a blurred sense of delight, completely shielding him from the realities around him. He seemed to forget everything, causing a slight annoyance to fix among his visitors. Though, AJ found it slightly endearing as he studied his older friend. None of them had ever been so mystified by a woman, but there always had to be a first. Besides, there had been an instant connection between Keveney and Howie at the store – AJ had seen that first hand. It was as if God had molded their hearts together Himself the second their eyes met. Now, AJ just watched God’s creation of love unfold with childlike wonder.
“He’s acting like Keveney just flashed her boobs!” Nick hissed with a snort of amusement, shattering AJ’s silent reflection over his friend’s Christmas blessing. He quickly blinked away his own daze, glancing to the youngest band member in shock. Usually, AJ was the one to divulge with the raunchiest of jokes. It seemed as if Nick might be taking his place for the New Year.
“Like you wouldn’t be the same way,” Brian suddenly scorned, taking Kevin’s position in the group since Nick had stolen AJ’s place. He prepared to offer the bitterest glare to the blonde, until he heard the softest whimper from the playpen. Brian hurried to Jillian’s aid, peering down at the small infant. She was furiously wrapped within her blankets, her face flushed with the brightest of pinks. Brian assumed she was aching for her father, so he brought her into the most secure hug to his chest. He then gently bounced the infant, carrying her back to the group while speaking in soft tones.
“No!” Nick defended with spite, puffing his chest with arrogance.
“Dude, he’s right… We’d need a bucket for his horny juice and a fresh pair of pants,” AJ mused with a snicker, quickly seizing back his title.
“Hey!”
“Someone’s getting fussy!” Brian interrupted as Jillian actually started to whine from Brian’s embrace. She was obviously unpleased with his attempts at consoling her, wanting something more. She squirmed wildly, flailing her legs with discomfort. Brian shifted uncomfortably as Jillian finally cried out, obviously not familiar with this shift in moods. Jillian was always a pleasant baby, loving to be cradled. Yet, she wanted no part of that this evening. Brian hurriedly gazed to Howie, immediately kicking him gently within the back of the leg. “Daddy, come conscious, please!”
“Whoops, sorry,” Howie murmured, stumbling slightly against the doorway. He immediately snapped out of his giddy daze once he heard Jillian’s obvious distress. He swiftly moved to bring Jillian to his chest, soothingly rubbing her back. Her painful cries muffled into his chest, flailing just a few more moments before slowly relaxing. Howie was surprised at her rough outburst, noticing the slight increase in her body temperature. He frowned as he placed several kisses to her downy curls. “Jillie Bean just misses her Kevie, huh?”
“She’s not the only one,” Nick commented with a wry smile.
“Hush!” Kevin quickly reproached, pushing sharply on Nick’s forehead. The younger man didn’t seem to expect the force behind Kevin’s action, stumbling backward in surprise. He couldn’t maintain any type of balance, hitting the couch with a loud thump. Kevin didn’t seem to care, though, just continuing to focus on the unhappy Jillian. She had been soothed within her father’s arms for only a moment, but quickly broke back into the softest whines and whimpers that hurt worse than the piercing wails. All the men noted the bizarre change in the child’s behavior, though none seemed to know how to comment upon it. “Maybe she’s just tired, D?”
“That, too,” Howie agreed uneasily, settling back onto the couch. He released the softest sigh, rocking Jillian from side to side. He kissed her forehead yet again, praying her disgruntled nature was just due to the craziness of the holiday. Doing his best, her whimpers were replaced yet again with just the smallest of hiccups. He gently patted her back, gazing to his friends. “So, how were your Christmas’s?”
“Great, but we’re more interested in yours,” AJ responded, launching himself onto the couch like a missile departing from its aircraft.
“Huh, why?” Howie deadpanned with suspicion.
“Because… We want to know how many times you purposely pushed Keveney under the mistletoe?” Brian pondered with interest, wiggling his light brows with an animated humor.
“Why would I do that?” Howie blushed, knowing his feelings had finally been caught within the brightness of the limelight.
“Oh, don’t play the stinky shit!” Nick scoffed loudly, causing the others to cringe at his crudeness. He plopped down next to Howie, jostling Jillian from her light sleep. Howie did his best not to curse, soothing Jillian back to sleep. Nick didn’t care, however. “We know you’ve got a major hard-on for the chick. And, Hell yeah, you deserve a good screw—”
“We just mean to say that you look quite interested in Keveney,” Kevin corrected.
“Me?” Howie gasped, blushing furiously. He had hoped to keep his emotions private as to not startle Keveney. He still was unable to read her thoughts regarding him, so he stayed within the safest zone possible. Yet, with the boys aware of his feelings, everywhere would be considered a red-hot zone of trouble. “No! No way! That mistletoe thing was just a fluke. I didn’t really know that I had one of those up there. It was a friendly kiss. Besides, we’re just good friends. She’s such a sweetheart; I wouldn’t even think to make anything physical out of our friendship...”
“Oh, yeah?” AJ laughed, obviously not buying the manure.
“Yes,” Howie answered, not liking the glint in AJ’s eyes.
“So, you think she’s a great person?”
“A terrific person. She’d be a wonderful girlfriend… For someone else that is!”
“Oh…” AJ drawled, clicking his tongue. “I have to agree with you on that one, D.”
“Really?”
“Yes, sir. She’s got a great personality. She’s funny, smart, and extremely sharp. She always seems to keep everyone on their toes when she’s around. The best part is that she’s absolutely gorgeous.”
“Any man would be lucky to have her,” Kevin commented, catching AJ’s drift.
“Yes, any man would be lucky to have her…” Howie drawled carefully.
“And, you’d only want the best for her, right?”
“Of course…”
“So, she’s fair game for us, right? Since she’s such a sweetheart and all, you should only hope that one of your best friends would fall in love with her. And, if you’re good friends, you should hope that she would fall in love with someone who desires her greatly. Which I guarantee is every single one of us. And we’re not bad guys, right?”
“Well—”
“And you’re not into her, so it just makes sense that we should get first dibs at this wonder girl. One of us has to be compatible with her—”
“She’s not a piece of meat!”
“We know, but if she should happen to have any interest—”
“No way! We’re not passing her around like some party favor!”
“D, just tell us you dig her,” Brian laughed. “We’ll leave her alone.”
“I don’t dig her,” Howie fussed.
“Then she’s fair game?” AJ contemplated yet again.
“You son of a—”
“Hey, now,” Kevin laughed.
“Fine! She’s…fair…game…” Howie swallowed after a long moment, still unable to confess his feelings. He wasn’t brave enough after leaving Roxie. He feared falling into another relationship, no matter how much he desired Keveney. Though, the boys could already see the truth reflecting in Howie’s dark eyes. They would never step into Howie’s obvious territory, but tormenting the older man was just second nature to the younger boys. And the thrill of the chase was unquenchable.
Howie yawned softly as he eased himself onto his plush king-sized bed. It had been quite an exhausting Christmas, but also extremely joyous. It was the first Christmas in many years that had actually been filled with a pure joy that left Howie’s heart warm. Howie almost didn’t want it to end, but was quite thankful that the boys had left a few hours ago and Jillian was dozing peacefully. It had been quite a chore to soothe the infant into a night’s sleep, which seemed odd. But, Howie didn’t worry, still attributing to the abnormalities to extreme exhaustion. The whole family had fawned over Jillian that day. Howie figured he would be weary if he were fondled so much in one evening, too. Besides, she was still sleeping, so Howie was left to his thoughts which mostly revolved around Keveney those days. She seemed like such an intricate part of his life. He had loved the way her violet eyes sparked with his gift. And the kiss, oh the kiss had been joyous, leaving a permanent mark on his heart.
Sighing, Howie retrieved the new baby book to pass the time till he could sleep. Even though exhaustion gnawed at every single synapse of his brain, his body refused to slip into that mystifying, unconscious state. He was too caught within the excitement of Keveney’s kiss, continuing to pray that she thought of it too. Yawning softly, he flipped through the pages, carefully detailing every portion of Jillian’s life. It started by simply listing her family tree, which seemed easy enough. Though, Howie became quite stumped on her mother’s name. He wasn’t even sure how to work around that missing link within her life.
Not wanting to make himself sick with thought, Howie quickly turned to the Baby’s Firsts. He instantly smiled at that point, excited that he could actually fill in several of the infant’s firsts. Hurriedly writing all of Jillian’s accomplishments and how they occurred gave him such a large sense of pride, actually excited that he would be able to show Keveney his efforts.
“You lifted your head when you heard Kevie come in our house. She was asking for her Jillie Bean and you perked right up. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Keveney’s eyes lit like the moon itself that day,” Howie breathed, furiously writing down his thoughts before continuing to the next.
“You cooed when Daddy and Kevie were teasing each other with your bottle. You were sitting in your car seat, just watching us. I asked if the milk was too warm, Kevie told me to test it out. She squirted me, then I attacked, and you just cooed.”
“Oh, that gorgeous smile happened when Kevie sang you to sleep with me. You were cuddled in her arms while she was sitting in the rocking chair. Your beautiful emerald eyes sparkled happily as I stood beside you, just singing. Then Kevie started singing with me. Her voice was so gorgeous and you just smiled like you knew… When… Kevie…”
Howie leaned back in awe, glancing over his writing. Every single line held Keveney’s name. It was slightly amazing because it was true, Keveney had been involved in every single first in Jillian’s life. She had already been so intricately woven into the family package. Howie smiled thoughtfully, realizing that if he hadn’t troubled himself with thinking, Keveney’s name would have been written above the mother line.
“Now if I could only ask her out,” Howie lamented with a groan as a shrill cry erupted from the baby monitor. He instantly tightened with a cringe, realizing tonight would not be as peaceful as he had hoped. Quickly, he boosted himself from the bed and shuffled into the nursery. “Sad part is… My own daughter thinks I’m a pussy.”
Yet, Howie’s light and airy attitude shifted to a sheer state of panic when he reached Jillian’s crib. Everything seemed to scream an Emergency in his mind, causing the adrenaline to pour into his body and rush with an intense fever. The small infant was screaming hysterically with a fitful pain as her entire body broke into spasms. She wildly thrashed about as Howie tried to console her, heaving her into his arms. He noticed that she was soaked with a heavy sweat as her skin almost burnt through Howie’s cool flesh. He stepped back in absolute shock, numbed by her shrill screams of agony.
Jillian needed a doctor.
