The weeks leading up to the tour were hectic and uncharacteristically perfect. Leighanne was still working on her new movie, leaving plenty of time for Brian and I to be together. I also spent a fair amount of time with Baylee, either with Brian or by myself. Additionally, each of the Boys would call me up every few days to hang out or meet for lunch. By the time they had finished rehearsals and were getting ready to head out on the road, I had grown close to each and every one of them. Brian and I both knew the tour was going to be hard on us because it meant we’d have to be apart for awhile. Leighanne was meeting Brian in Atlanta for the third show of the tour, and she would be joining him until the end of the American/Canadian leg in November before promotion for her movie began.
“I’m going to miss you and Baylee so much,” I told Brian the night before he was scheduled to fly out to Florida.
“I know. We’re going to miss you too. Baylee has become so attached to you already. I hate that I have to take him with me. I wish I could just leave him with you, but then Leighanne would get suspicious. She knows I have to have him with me whenever I do anything with the Boys,” Brian sighed in frustration and annoyance.
The entire time Leighanne had been working on her movie, she called Brian and Baylee twice. Once was on Brian’s birthday, the other was when she called to say she wouldn’t be coming back in May like she originally thought. Apparently, it was taking them longer to get the shots they needed that they originally planned, so she called to tell Brian she would meet him in Atlanta on July 24 instead of in L.A. in May. It’s not that I was complaining because it just meant I got to spend more time with my boys, but I was disappointed that after making a big deal about keeping Brian and getting Baylee, she obviously didn’t care about them. Brian had sacrificed everything for her, but she didn’t feel the same. That much was obvious.
“Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you. I know I’m always late, but, happy birthday,” Brian wished, giving me a kiss on the cheek before handing me a small, wrapped gift.
I looked at him, a gasp leaving my mouth. I slow pulled the wrapping paper away from the box, smiling the entire time as my mind swirled with thoughts of what he could have gotten me. When I was finally able to open the box, my heart stopped for a second and all the air left my lungs. Inside the small Tiffany & Co. box was a diamond heart pendent made out of platinum. “Oh Brian, you shouldn’t have. This must have cost you a fortune,” I breathed, my eyes never leaving the sparkling diamonds.
“Well, it’s not like I couldn’t afford it. Plus, I wanted to get you something special so that you had a piece of me with you at all times. Every time you look at this heart around your neck, think about how you are the only one who has my heart. Think about how you are the only one who can make my heart race and stop at the same time. Think about how you are the only one that I will ever love. You’re my past, my future and my present. I want you to remember that while we’re apart. I love you, Mel, and someday, I promise, I will tell the entire world that you’re my girl. Until then, remember that you are always on my mind and in my heart, and I am always with you,” he professed.
“Oh Brian, I love you so much. I don’t know how we’re going to get through this tour,” I sighed in misery.
“We’ll talk every day. The guys are already trying to think up ways to get Leighanne away from the tour for awhile so that you can join us for a week. We’ll work it out somehow,” he soothed.
“I hope so. I don’t want to lose you again,” I whispered, my heart remembering the pain I suffered last time we were separated.
“Never again, I promise,” he told me, pulling me into his arms and reassuring me through his kiss. That night we spent our first night together since Atlanta all those years ago. As he made love to me, he showed me through his actions that he meant every word he said. His heart was mine – that much was obvious. No matter what, I would not let him go this time without a fight. And if Leighanne tried to stand in my way, I was ready.
*three weeks later*
“John!” I called, hearing my phone going off. “Do you know where I put my phone?”
“Here you go, babe,” he said, handing me my phone.
“Hello?” I answered, slightly out of breath from running around trying to find my phone.
“Hey baby!” I heard Brian’s honey-sweet voice greet me through the phone. “How are things going over there?”
“John and I are almost done working out the kinks with the songs you sent us. What about on your end?” I questioned. Brian and the guys had been brainstorming the last few nights, thinking of ways to get me on tour and Leighanne off it… at least for a little while. Both Brian and I were miserable without one another, and the guys were getting tired of hearing our complaints at one in the morning… every morning.
“I think we figured something out. One of Leighanne’s friends is pregnant, and so I’m going to offer to pay for Leighanne to have a baby shower for her friend… that way, she can go back to Atlanta for 2 weeks to help her friend plan the baby shower and spend time with her and you can join us here,” he told me their idea.
“That just might work,” I smiled, getting excited at the prospect of seeing Brian again.
“She’s supposed to be back within the hour, and I’ll ask her then what she thinks about the idea. I’ll call you tonight when I find out what she says,” he promised. “I have to go now, though, so I will talk to you tonight. I love you.”
“Love you too. Bye,” I responded just before he hung up.
That night, Brian called me back telling me the plans had been made. In a week, Leighanne was flying out to Atlanta. That same night, I would be flying in to spend the next two weeks with the Boys. We even went as far as to have a story in case the press saw Brian and I or Baylee and I together. As far as the press was concerned, I was Baylee’s on-tour babysitter. I also dyed my hair black so that if anyone saw any pictures of me with Brian, they’d be unable to recognize me.
A week later, I could not sit still as my flight descended into the Loveland, Colorado area. In less than 20 minutes, I knew I would be seeing Brian.
“Thank you for flying Continental. We hope you enjoyed your flight and will consider us for all your future travel needs,” the captain said over the intercom, signaling the end of the flight. I immediately darted out of my seat, carry-on in tow, to be the first one off the plane.
I walked straight to baggage claim, knowing that was where Brian said he would be meeting me. As I looked around, searching the endless sea of faces in front of me, I felt someone sneak up behind me and a pair of familiar arms wrap around my waist. His colon was comforting, and I sighed as I sank into his warm embrace. “You know, a gorgeous woman like you shouldn’t be wandering the airport alone. Someone could try to take advantage of you,” a sexy, Southern, huskier-than-normal, but familiar voice whispered in my ear.
“Well, sir,” I played along, “I’m not exactly alone. See, I’m waiting for this handsome blonde-haired, blue-eyed man to come sweep me off my feet and have his way with me tonight. Do you know anyone who fits that description?”
I heard Brian clear his throat in an attempt to speak as my words had an obvious affect on him. “I think I can accommodate the lady,” he spoke, his voice strained from the intensity of his desire. I felt his lips gently trail down the side of my neck, making me shiver in delight and anticipation of what tonight would bring.
I turned around, finally able to look into the eyes of the man I had missed the last month we had been apart. His hat made it difficult for me to see his eyes, but I knew it was also the only reason he had not been recognized yet. The hat he wore hid his face well, and he had used temporary hair dye to color his visible hair black as well. He also was wearing one of Alex’s Jack Daniel’s jackets and a pair of his pants, chains coming from every belt loop, it seemed. “I missed you, handsome,” I told him, running my hand down his cheek in a loving motion. I was blind to his outfit because all I saw was the man I loved standing in front of me, a smile on his face and his blue eyes shining with love.
“I missed you, too,” he told me, leaning in and giving me a deep kiss. I had missed his kisses the most while we were apart. They always told me everything I needed to know about how he was feeling. Every kiss was so filled with passion and promise, that he always left me wanting more.
I heard the conveyer belt behind us start, and we turned to catch my suitcase so that we could leave before anyone spotted us. As soon as we had my suitcase in hand, we made our way out to Brian’s rental car. While he drove, concentrating on the road, I took this time to study him. His blonde hair was sticking up all over the place because of the hat he had been wearing. His blue eyes, which had a childlike gleam to them at the moment, stared straight ahead at the road, only occasionally veering to change lanes. His chiseled jaw was set in a determined expression as he fought to get us to the hotel so we could have some time together before the show. And his mouth held the faintest hint of a smile, his laugh lines clearly visible as he sang along softly to the radio.
Suddenly, as if he felt my intense, scrutinizing stare, he turned to me, flashing me one of his famous Litrrell smiles. “What?” he asked, noticing the look of wonder I had on my face, like a child seeing a dog for the first time.
I shook my head, smiling back at him. “Nothing. I was just watching you.” He shot me a look, trying to understand what was going through my mind, but gave up, smiling at me before turning his attention back to the road. “I love you,” I told him, just needing to tell him.
“I love you, too, Mel,” he told him, his eyes filled with more love than I had ever seen before.
We finally made it to the hotel, where Marcus was waiting for us. He quickly ushered us in, not stopping until we were safely in the elevator. Brian looked at me, sending me a shy smile now that we were almost back to our room. “I didn’t get you a room because I figured you could just stay with Baylee and I, but if you want your own room, I can….” Brian rambled, wanting to make sure that I didn’t feel uncomfortable or like I was being forced to do something I didn’t want to.
“Brian, it’s fine. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. We’re a family,” I soothed. He nodded, grabbing my hand and leading me silently to our room. After unlocking the door, he led me in before knocking on the door connecting to our room. After a couple minutes, the door opened to reveal AJ and Baylee, both with suspicious grins on their faces. Before I even had time to question it, though, Brian and I were attacked with silly string.
“What the…?” I cried, trying to hide behind Brian who was trying his hardest to hide behind me.
Alex and Baylee stopped, giving each other a high five. I shot Brian a look, and we silently counted down before turning our attention to the two miscreants in front of us. Before they had time to react, Brian and I were after them, tickling them both until they were crying for mercy, begging us to stop.
“I don’t know, Brian. Should we stop?” I asked, continuing to tickle Alex while Brian tickled our son.
“I think they’ve had enough,” he laughed, finally letting up on Baylee while I let Alex go.
Alex got up, straightening his shirt before reaching out and pulling me into a hug. “Welcome home, sweetheart,” he told me, still not releasing me.
“Thanks,” I mumbled into his chest.
He finally let me go, smiling down at me like a proud older brother, which is pretty much what Alex had become to me. I had called him almost as much as I had called Brian while they were on tour. I missed them dearly, and I was glad to be back where my family was. “I missed you, Bro,” I told him, nudging him with my elbow.
“I missed you too, Sis,” he told me, nudging me back.
I went over to Baylee, giving him a hug and asking him about the tour. He started telling me about all the times he got to go onstage and sing during the Soundcheck Parties. I looked over at Brian, who was talking softly with Alex while they watched us. I saw Alex nod in response to a question Brian asked, but I was unable to hear anything they were saying.
Far too soon, there was a knock on the door, signaling that we had to leave for the venue. I looked at Baylee, telling him to grab his stuff so we could go to the venue for the concert. Brian waited by the door for us, wrapping his arm around my waist while I held onto Baylee’s hand. “When we get down to the lobby, you’re going to have to pick Baylee up so that you can get to the van quickly,” Marcus told me in the elevator.
I kneeled down to Baylee, lifting him into my arms just as we reached the bottom floor. As soon as the doors opened, we rushed through the lobby, where, luckily, there were no fans. When we got outside, it was a different story. There were fans all around, and I could feel Brian’s hand on my back the whole time urging me to go faster. When we reached the safety of the van, we all breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Now that we were safely in the van, we relaxed, laughing and joking the whole way, until we reached the venue. The boys were immediately rushed off to join Howie and Nick for some last minute adjustments while Baylee and I made our way to Brian’s dressing room to spend some quality time together.
