“So, what’s the verdict? You stayed out late, woke up late, mismatched your clothing (which you never do), your hair is wild, you almost missed the bus to rehearsals, screwed up every dance move known to God (even the easy ones), and, despite our smartass remarks, you still sit there with that look of a grinning jackass. So, what happened with Kevie to make you look like such a loser?” AJ finally inquired through the silence of their return to the grand hotel and three favorite girls. They had been working practically all morning and half of the afternoon on their choreography and set-up for the two day show in Ohio and everyone was exhausted. Given a few hours of down time without the necessity of public appearances, the boys decided on eating dinner at the hotel and inviting the girls to watch the show. Since Jillian was nine months, it was easier to keep her in the dressing rooms with some of the body guards while Keveney attempted to watch some of the show and Stevie critiqued them. But, many mysteries still remained between the boys concerning Keveney and Howie’s changing relationship. And, unable to do as Kevin said, AJ burst, aching to know the knowledge so he could spread the gossip at the next few interviews. He loved getting Howie in trouble with the media, almost more than Nick.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” Howie murmured, unable to wipe the broad grin from his face. As cliché as it sounded, his first date with Keveney was magical and had quickly progressed the seriousness of their affections. Not that he minded the acceleration, because his romantic emotions for Keveney had been brewing for nine long months. To start as best friends and progress to something more made it an easier transformation. It was just such a release to hold her properly in his arms, knowing that each kiss and caress she provided to his body were his only. And, to think of her would always bring a gentle smile to his face as he counted the seconds to be reunited with her and his gorgeous child.
“Could you sound anymore like a gigantic sissy?” Nick smirked, glancing up from his new handheld game system. They had learned earlier on that staying at hotels father away from the venue sights was in their best interest. They would at least have a forty five minute travel and Nick constantly needed to be entertained, hence the new game system. Of course, Kevin had actually purchased it, mostly to give himself peace of mind from Nick’s constant badgering.
“At least he has someone to sound like a sissy with,” Brian mused with a lopsided grin.
“Don’t even get me started on your twisted relationship, ‘Rok,” Nick snorted.
“And don’t get me started on your triangle of twisted love affairs with Brian and Stevie that would cause Jerry Springer to blush,” AJ snapped lightly toward the youngest, causing his sapphire eyes to widen in shock. Once Nick had been subdued with clever wit, AJ immediately turned back to Howie. “Look, Mr. Latin Lover, we’ve been watching this relationship like a freaking soap opera and as a loyal viewer, I demand the details!”
“Has he been reading your dictionary again?” Howie groaned toward Kevin, who simply shrugged his shoulders and attempted to muffle a laugh. Brian just smirked uncontrollably, sinking back into his own seat to text message Stevie. Rolling his eyes at the uselessness of the other ‘older brothers,’ Howie fixed his gaze back to AJ. “I wasn’t that pathetically desperate for Kevie—”
“Oh yes you were,” the four instantly contradicted with groans of laughter.
“You guys can be such—”
“Ah, ah, ah, D, we nixed those kinds of words when we became Daddies,” Nick tempted with a stereotypical slur in his voice, flicking his wrist to complete the look.
“He’s the freaking Gay Pride Police now,” AJ snickered.
“Guys…” Kevin warned, glancing up from his novel.
“Yeah, J, you’re getting sidetracked from your original topic,” Brian commented.
“Oh…” AJ grinned wickedly. “So what did happen with Kevie on your date, D?”
“Thanks, B,” Howie groaned.
“It’s just paybacks for all the hassles Stevie suffers from her little sister,” Brian laughed, shrugging his shoulders to show he paid no mind to spite.
“We could totally turn that around on Stevie for the countless amount of times that she’s harassed Kevie—”
“Just answer the damn question, D,” AJ demanded.
“How the date was with Kevie?” Howie redirected with a sigh of defeat.
“Yes!”
“It was fantastic,” Howie stated simply.
“That’s it?” AJ scoffed.
“You asked him how the date was and didn’t signify the length of his answer, AJ,” Kevin murmured, never bothering to glance up from the intense pages in his novel.
“And that’s why he needs laid!” AJ growled, gesturing toward Kevin before glaring back at Howie. “And you, too.” Only, Howie didn’t snap back quickly enough with sarcasm, causing AJ’s dark eyes to glitter brightly with delight at the omission. “You and her ruffled feathers all ready?! You’re a damn dog, D!”
“I am not!” Howie groaned, blushing furiously as he sank deeper into his seat. Keveney was quite a passionate woman and he could hardly contain his passion for her, especially after nine years of wanting. She had consented quickly to his needs, reciprocating her own wants and desires within the kisses and caresses she offered to his body. And it truly had been magnificent experience with the cool waves lapping at their burning bodies. He couldn’t have asked for a deeper connection nor a better memory. “We’ve been best friends for nine months, J. Nine long months when I already knew how much I loved her. And it wasn’t ruffling feathers. It was making love. Making love with a gorgeous woman that I’ll forever cherish in my heart. She’s someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, not to mention an absolutely fantastic mother to Jillie Bean—”
But Howie’s explanation was cut short by a peel of curses from their driver, who immediately slammed on the breaks and the horn. Everyone was thrown forward at the sudden jolt, causing a collective round of groans as they fell into the front seats. Each immediately popped upward, glancing out the front window for a source of the stop.
“What the Hell is up, man!” AJ instantly fired.
“Damn airheaded women,” the driver growled, gesturing toward whatever he had almost injured.
“Excuse me?” Brian called.
“Oh, no big deal, we just almost hit a fan…” Nick trailed with a shrug of his bulky shoulders as if nothing too tremendous had occurred, glancing up from his game momentarily to catch the commotion along the outside of the small shuttle bus.
“A fan?” Kevin choked, immediately lurching from his seat. Stumbling just a few steps from the halt of the brake, he pushed forward as he hollered for the shuttle doors to open. “Would you stop the bus before we get sued, how ‘bout it?!”
Nick jumped from his seat as Kevin hopped off the shuttle to check on the dazed girl. His dark blonde brows naturally arched when he caught sight of her, glancing back to the others with a devilish grin. “She’s pretty cute… Can we try for another?”
“Do you know that I am the hottest and most tracked journalist in the United States to date? Everyone wants a piece of this sugar’s talent, Baby,” Stevie announced with a proud grin, glancing up from her recent entry for the music magazine. She tapped her blue French tipped, manicured fingers lightly across the small keyboard of her expensive laptop, smiling with true approval. Writing jointly for her music magazine and the Backstreet Boys had been nothing short of amazing. They had been such a terrific muse that caused her fan base to at least double not only on the presses, but also the World Wide Web. Dozens of fan sites dedicated to Brian’s lady, Stevie, had popped up over night. She was proud of herself, briefly glancing over what she had just written. She considered it a true masterpiece, but wouldn’t brag too much until Brian gave her his opinion (which would be nothing short of golden).
“And so modest, too,” Keveney flared dramatically toward Jillian, causing the little girl to giggle. At nine months, Keveney couldn’t have named a prettier or more adorable infant. She had sprouted an abundance of creamy blonde ringlets that settled just beneath her tiny ears in a pixie style, which seemed to electrify the color of her bright emerald eyes. Her motor skills and vocabulary had even sharpened on the months. Jillian now crawled with ease around the hotel rooms, faster than any of the adults running after her. She drank freely from her personal pink sippy cup, loving it more than she loved her bottle. And she was cheeky, developing a playful personality that everyone found endearing. She had even started on solid food, which proved difficult when Nick was babysitting… But, it was true. Jillian was Keveney’s pride and joy and already considered her daughter among their tight circle of friendships.
“You’re just jealous,” Stevie taunted.
“Of what, you picking on the boys’ fatherhood blunders that I so genuinely call to their faces?” Keveney quipped back without much difficultly, smiling as Jillian disappeared behind Stevie and Brian’s hotel bedroom door. She assumed the child wanted to play peek-a-boo – her favorite game.
“Why must you ruin my thunder, Keveney Marie?”
“Because it’s so easy to rain on your parade, Stevanie Hollie.”
“You…” Stevie fumed in silence, unable to conjure the appropriate artistic words to catch her sister in surprise. After many years of living with her, nothing seemed to compare to whatever improvisations popped out of Keveney’s mouth.
“What’d you write about this week?” Keveney quipped, glancing up to see Jillian toddling backward with a CD case in her mouth. She instantly moved to seize the little girl into her arms, allowing Jillian to present her with a CD.
“Just the normal… AJ and Nick were fighting over a diaper to see who could change Jillian the fastest. Only, they ripped the diaper in half and fell backward. Nick fell onto the baby powder, exploding it all over AJ’s expensive new pants. AJ got hysterical, wrestled Nick to the ground and basically made him a giant version of a Backstreet Baby… Complete with pacifier and cloth diaper. Captured with several photographs!”
“Why does all the chaos always involve AJ and Nick?” Keveney laughed, smiling when she recognized the album art on the CD as the boys’ newest release – Black and Blue. Her philosophical question lingered in the air of laughter as she glanced to Jillian with excitement. “Need some music, Jillie Bean?”
“Dada,” Jillian agreed with a firm nod of her head.
“We’re borrowing your CD, Stevie,” Keveney announced, waving it toward her older sister.
“I think you two listen to that more than me,” Stevie laughed.
“Jillie Bean just loves to hear her Daddy’s voice.”
“Yeah, sure…”
“Excuse me?”
“You know you’re aching to hear Howie’s voice. He’s been gone the whole day and you’re missing him like crazy. You know hearing his singing gives you that little knot in the pit of your stomach as your heart skips a beat. Gives you this burning sensation between—”
“That’d my urinary tract infection, thank you,” Keveney groaned with a laugh.
“You don’t have a urinary tract infection!”
“True… But I doubt you’d want to hear about my sex life… Might make you a little jealous and that’s just not fair to Brian, who’s trying so hard to please your insatiable appetite without resorting to those dirty whips and chains—”
“Keveney Marie—”
“She’s never going to win, Jillie Bean,” Keveney grinned toward the infant, settling her on the baby blanket sprawled in the middle of the floor with her toys and Keveney’s personal affections. Sprawling beside the infant, Keveney pushed the ‘play’ button on the small stereo system she had bought for when she and Jillian took long baths. Keveney had always considered music her life and passion, as did Howie. So, it only made sense that they surround their child with music at every given opportunity. And, much like her family, Jillian had come to adore it also. So, she was pleased when the first track of Black and Blue began to play:
Hi, it’s me! What’s up, Baby? I’m sorry, listen, I’m gonna be late tonight. So, don’t stay up and wait for me, okay?
Jillian instantly wrinkled her button nose, covering her face with both hands at the sound of AJ’s raspy voice. Keveney had to laugh, knowing all the manic faces that AJ constantly made toward Jillian had probably scarred her. She hurriedly clicked to fourth track to appease Jillian’s ears.
“I was always scared of Daddy AJ in that music video, too,” Stevie snickered.
“Ever notice how he kind of resembles a manic clown stirred up on various recreational drug substances?” Keveney mused as the music began to play again.
Baby, when you do the things you do / I wanna be close to you / ‘Cause I need to feel your every move / Baby, I can never say how much / I need your touch / I can’t get enough / ‘Cause you know what to do to turn me on, yeah…
Jillian instantly blew a large, wet raspberry at the CD player, shaking her head furiously at the sound of Nick’s voice. Her emerald eyes locked with Keveney’s soft violet eyes as she puckered her bottom lip. “Dada, Mama!”
“Okay, okay,” Keveney laughed, flipping toward the end of the CD.
You don’t run with the crowd / You go your own way / You don’t play after dark / You light up my day / Got your own kind of style / That sets you apart / Baby, that’s how you captured my heart…
“Dada!” Jillian delighted with a proud coo, clapping her hands at the sound of her father’s beautiful voice.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Howie announced, finally deciding that the boys could enter the living room. He smiled proudly toward his daughter, who instantly squealed for his attention. He waited for her to crawl to him, layering her cheeks with soft kisses.
“Such a show off,” Keveney laughed, reaching to turn off the CD.
“I resent that raspberry!” Nick instantly growled.
“And that manic clown remark!” AJ added. "I hate clowns!"
“You two take things way too personally,” Brian chuckled with approval, sauntering in to fall into Stevie’s arms for affectionate kisses.
“Bye, guys!” Kevin mumbled as soon as he got through the doorway, hurrying toward his hotel room as he concentrated on a piece of paper gripped firmly in his hands.
“What’d Nick do to him this time?” Keveney mused.
“Oh, no, you’ve got it all wrong!” Brian instantly laughed, sitting up in his girlfriend’s arms. “We were coming back from the venue when our driver just slams on the breaks. We all go flying forward because this fan accidentally walked into the street as our bus is coming by. Kevin has a complete bird about getting sued as he runs out to check on her. Only to find out that she’s—”
“Hot as hell!” Nick interrupted.
“…As he so bluntly puts it, really adorable. Kev just went down like an oozing puddle of puppy love. He scored her digits so he could set up a special backstage tour as an apology for the almost killing her fiasco... Her name is Ashley and she’s actually coming to the show tonight”
“That is so romantic,” Stevie cooed proudly.
“I should have had first dibs on her, not the old ape,” Nick scoffed.
“Poor kid,” Keveney laughed, glancing toward Howie with a warm smile. “Did you enjoy practice as much as the others?”
“I enjoyed the part where it ended so I could come home to you,” Howie answered with a grin as he pulled Keveney close to offer a warm kiss to her lips. She purred with delight in response, loosely draping her arms around his neck. She attempted to lean in for another kiss, but Jillian instantly squealed with disapproval. Howie stepped back as Jillian pushed on Keveney’s chest to separate them. He glanced down at his daughter in wonder. “What has gotten into you, Jillie Bean?”
“My!” Jillian growled, gesturing toward Keveney.
“But she’s mine, too…” Howie frowned with hurt.
“No, Dada! Mama my!”
“Guess that beautiful honeymoon is over! Praise the Lord!” AJ cackled before getting ransacked with dozens of thick pillows.
