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Author's Chapter Notes:

Thank you to those of you still following Morgan and Alex's story. Hope you enjoy this chp. As always, I love hearing your thoughts. :)

 

“So, you had fun today, huh?” Alex questioned later that evening, once they were done with their studio work and we were back at his place, stretched out together on the sofa. My head was against his chest and he was smoothing his fingers through my long hair.

“You know I did.” I peeked my eyes toward him and smiled. “Watching you record was so amazing; your voice gives me shivers.”

He smirked and tickled lightly at my neck. “My voice isn’t the only thing that can do that.”

“Hush,” I gently pushed his hand away and he continued to play with my hair, “you know what I mean. I’m really glad you took me and it was great finally getting to meet your band mates and Leigh and Leighanne. Everyone seems really great.”

“Yeah, I like ‘em.” He chuckled and shrugged a shoulder. “They like you too; especially Nick. He doesn’t pick on just anybody.”

He was referring to the entire time that I was there, Nick kept throwing a comment here or there. I hadn’t minded one bit because they weren’t cruel things he was saying and I found myself laughing more than I was embarrassed. “Nick seems really cool.”

“Yeah, that’s what they all say.” He chuckled and leaned his head back against the sofa. “I’m glad you liked the wives; sometimes they can be a little standoffish. I was slightly worried that’d be the case today.”

I looked up to him. “They both seemed very nice. They were filling me in on all the lovely details dealing with the album, the tour and the promoting. My head felt like it was swimming.”

Our eyes met. “Aww, what about it was so overwhelming?”

“Everything,” I chuckled low then shifted off him and sat up straight, drawing my legs up Indian style to face him, “there was so much and I didn’t realize everything that went into an album and the tour.”

“Well, what did they tell you?”

I thought back on our conversations. “Well, they said the album will probably come out in the spring, unless you guys really focus and get it out in the winter. And then you’ll be doing promotional touring and traveling back and forth to different places to promote the album. And once it drops, then you’ll do the official tour, which you’ll be gone for extended periods of time and that it can be hard because we’ll be apart for so long and it can really take a lot out of a relationship and I don’t even know what touring is like and the entire conversation really overwhelmed me and-”

“Whoa, Morgan, love,” he cut me off, reaching over and taking both my hands in his, “take a breath.”

I blinked then did exactly that. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He gently tugged me over and into his lap. “I’m glad you’re talking to me about this. I know we haven’t really talked about it. I should have prepared you more before you met the women.”

“I like them.”

“I know you do.” He wrapped me close in his arms and kissed my neck. “They can be a little much sometimes though, especially if you have no idea about any of what they’re bombarding you with.”

“Then make me aware; tell me about it.”

He pressed his lips together in a thoughtful manner and nodded. “Alright, what do you want to know?”

“How long do you tour for?”

“That depends on where we go. If it’s a World tour then it can take a year or more, if it’s just places here or there, then it’s broken up over a period of six months to a year, depending on where we go. We usually try to get to Japan, some spots in Europe and Asia, maybe one or two Australia shows and then of course Canada and the United States. Of course, depending on how our promotional tours and how our singles are doing in the different areas, we may add to or take away from.”

I listened closely, nodding my head. “So it sounds like it’s gonna be pretty lengthy.”

“Well, they usually are but we try to break it up. Brian and Howie have families and we try not to keep them apart for too awfully long. So we’ll be gone a few months then come back for a little bit then head out again somewhere new,” as he spoke, he massaged my shoulders in an attempt to relax me.

It was working; I could feel myself melting more into his body. “How often do their families go on tour with them?”

Alex tilted his head some. “Well, that depends on a lot of things; where we’re going, how long we’re going to be away, what’s going on in the lives of the wives and children and how badly they miss each other.” He gave my shoulders a squeeze. “But you won’t have to worry about any of that because I plan on taking you with me.”

“For the whole tour?” I turned my head to look at him.

He smirked. “For the whole tour.”

That made me smile. “I’ll definitely join you as often as I can, but I have a job and Daisy. What would I do with her? I can’t leave her for long periods of time. She’d go crazy.”

“She can stay with Bernie and Ozzy, I think with Bernie around 24/7 she won’t even know you’re gone.”

I chuckled. “That’s not helping. I suppose I could leave her with-” I made a face, “No, I can’t leave her with Dianna because they’ll have the babies and it’s going to be hard enough dealing with the two, I can’t add a rambunctious dog into the mix.”

“Hey,” he squeezed my shoulders and our eyes met again, “I leave Bern and the Ozz with some friends of mine, they’ll take Daisy too.”

“How much would I have to pay them?”

His lips curled into a smirky grin. “You’re sleeping with a Backstreet Boy; you wouldn’t have to pay them a dime.”

I laughed and pulled away from him. “Whatever, Mr. McLean.”

He laughed and pulled me back against his chest. “I’ll pay them, don’t worry about how much. I always give ‘em something for the food and toys and whatever else arises. They probably wouldn’t take money from you anyway.”

“When are you guys thinking about touring?”

“Oh, it wouldn’t be for awhile yet.” His hands smoothed around to my tummy and slipped under my shirt. “If I had to guess, I’d say the album will be out sometime in February and we’d start the tour by April. May at the latest.”

“And you want me to go with you?”

“I most certainly do.” He began to nibble my earlobe.

I didn’t know where I was going to be in my life come April, but I was planning on being with Alex still. The idea of getting to travel the world with him and listen to his amazing voice every night was exciting, but it would mean leaving my life at home on standstill until I got back. I didn’t know what would happen with my job, my house, all my bills and my friends, but I couldn’t let myself start worrying about it all quite yet. It was still a long way to April.

“Are you okay?”

I hadn’t even realized he’d stopped his assault on my ear and was now peering into my face with a concerned expression in his eyes. I pulled myself from my thoughts and smiled at him. “I’m alright, just processing all the information.”

“It can be a lot.”

“It’s already making my head hurt.” I reached up and touched my forehead for effect. “And I still haven’t asked you about the promotional tours and what they’re like.”

“We don’t have to discuss it all tonight.” He was back to massaging my shoulders. “There’s plenty of time from now until we would start those and I don’t want to throw too much your way.”

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. “I appreciate that, but I’ve had lots thrown my way and survived. I’ll manage.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he teased gently, kissing the top of my head. “But alright, the promoting of our album. What would you like to know?”

“What do you do?”

“Lots and lots of interviews; radio, television, magazines, press conferences. You name it, we do it. Some can be done from the comforts of our own homes, but lots of times we have to travel around; New York, Florida, Tennessee, Texas…Canada. And when the album comes out in Japan and Europe, we head over there as well.”

I relaxed as his fingers worked their way down my back and my eyes closed. “How long do they usually last?”

“Depends on where we go and how high the demand is from the public. We aren’t gone for extended periods of time like a tour, but if we go overseas, it’ll be a week or two. But we’re usually in and out of LA.”

He began to massage my lower back and I gave a soft groan. “That feels so good.”

He smiled and kissed my shoulder, his fingers never stopping. “Good. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Anything for you, baby.”

I smiled at the tenderness in his voice and reached a hand back, smoothing it over his cheek. “I wish I could go back to the studio with you tomorrow, but Zoe only gave me one day off.”

“Remember when you used to work part time?”

“I do.”

He peered around into my face. “You should go back to that.”

I forced my eyes open and met his. “I wish, but I’ve taken on too many clients and there’s no way for me to do that unless I dump some of them. And I can’t do that.”

He looked like that solution was the easiest thing. “Why not?”

“Because, they’re depending on me to sell their home or find them a home, or cut some deal with the homeowners on the price. I can’t leave them high and dry or push them off on someone else.” I drew a shoulder up. “It’s like, they’re my people and I can’t give them away.”

He chuckled and relented. “Alright, but I don’t want you working yourself to the point of exhaustion.”

“Yes, honey.” I reached back and patted his arm.

“Thank you.” He slipped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck again. “I’m glad you came with me today.”

I grinned and snuggled into his chest. “Me too.”

“You’re definitely going to have to come back.”

“Oh, I will. Next chance I get.”

“Mmm.” He kissed my neck again then lifted his head when the doorbell rang. “Go away.”

I laughed. “They can’t hear you. You have to actually get up and go to the door and open it to speak to them.”

“Smartass.” He shifted me to the side then stood from the couch and tugged his jeans up some.

I smirked and watched as he sauntered from the room, then stretched out on the couch with my socked feet on one end and my head the other. Bernie rose from his place beneath the coffee table and stuck his head in my face, nuzzling at my cheek before trying to lick it. I laughed and gently shoved his head away. “Behave, you silly dog.”

He listened and settled himself down on the carpet right next to the sofa. Ozzy was nowhere to be seen and I was sure he was trying to figure out who was at the door and what they’d want. Then he would try to jump all over them because he loved people and wanted to be in on all the action.

I chuckled low and stretched an arm up over my head when a shrill voice rang out from the foyer.

“Where the hell is she?!”

Pulling myself into a sitting position, I stared at the open archway of the living room. I could hear Alex’s voice, but it was too muffled to make out what he was saying. Frowning at the sharp tone of a reply his guest made, which was a woman by the high pitched sound, I rose to my feet and slowly made my way from the room and to the foyer to investigate.

Immediately, I wish I hadn’t.

Sarah Martin stood there with eyes raging. Steam would have been billowing from her ears had it been a cartoon. Instead, her fists were clutched at her sides and she looked like she wanted to swing at someone. “I cannot believe you are pulling this bullshit!

I winced some at her words and realized what she had come storming over about; the bills my boyfriend was no longer paying for her. Alex had been right she’d be pissed off, though that sounded like a much nicer term then her current state of mind.

“Sarah, it’s not bullshit.” My boyfriend was trying to keep his cool, but I could tell he was feeling frazzled. “I don’t see why I should have to pay your bills for you; they’re your bills, you pay them.”

“Alex, we had an agreement!” Hatred spewed from her eyes and I thought about diving behind one of the plants in the foyer, though I thought it a moment too late, for she spied me and suddenly I was the object of her wrath. “You!

She sounded like Satan and I would have laughed had I not felt like wetting myself from the evil on her face. “Um…hi,” I squeaked out, giving a wave in an attempt at pretending I didn’t know what was going on.

Alex looked at me like I should not have come into the room and he made an attempt at getting her attention again. “Sarah, I’m sorry you’re so upset-”

But she had no intentions of letting him distract her. “You bitch!” She shouted at me, interrupting him.

I blinked and jerked back some, expecting her to be hurling herself in my direction. But she stayed in her spot. “Excuse me?”

“You get your claws into my Alex and turn him on me! I should bust you up.”

Alex frowned. “Sarah, that’s enough!” He reached for her arm, but she pulled away.

“She’s filling your head with lies, Alex, lies! What kind of shit has she spewed at you?”

My eyes narrowed. “This has nothing to do with me,” okay, maybe a tiny white lie considering I was the reason Alex was getting his butt into gear on this matter, “and for the record, he’s not your Alex. You two broke up a long, long time ago.”

She pointed a finger at me. “If you knew what was good for you, you would shut your trap.”

I know she was like, three times my size, but I suddenly wanted to punch her in the mouth. Though if I tried, she’d easily get the upper hand and sit on me and that’d be the end of that. “I think you need to shut yours and get out of this house.” I was trying to keep myself calm, because she would just love to know how angry she was making me. Bullies and bitches got their rocks off knowing they could make others feel as miserable as they did. But I was not about to give her that kind of satisfaction.

“I know you did not just say that to me.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “I think I did.”

“Ooh, you are going to regret that.” And she started for me.

Alex quickly stepped in and grabbed her arm. “You aren’t going to do anything, Sarah. Stop acting like you’re twelve and in junior high, still.”

The brunette with chubby cheeks growled and tried to yank her arm from his grasp. “Let me go! Someone needs to teach that bitch a lesson.”

My wonderful boyfriend managed to remain calm. More calm than I was at the moment. “The only bitch I see in this room is you.”

She went still and turned to face him. “What the fuck, Alex? You’re going to treat me that way after everything we’ve been through?”

“Which was like, a lifetime ago,” he shot her way. “I don’t owe you anything and you don’t owe me anything. We went our separate ways years ago and I should have manned up and stopped paying for your shit long before now.”

“You owe me your life, you bastard!” She hissed at him.

“I don’t owe you shit!”

“This is because of her, isn’t it?” She jerked her head in my direction.

I could see the muscles in his jaw flexing. “No, this is because I finally saw what a prick and a pushover I was being and decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore.”

“You aren’t going to get away with this,” she was trembling now, “anything that happens to those puppies will be on your hands.”

“I love those pooches, Sarah, the Lord knows I do, but I’m not going to let you hold them over my head anymore. You need to take care of your own business like I take care of mine.”

“I’m gonna take care of my business right now.” And she tried to start for me again.

Luckily, Alex kept her at bay, his grip on her arm tightening some. “You are not going to threaten my girlfriend. I don’t even want to see you looking at her wrong, let along putting your hands on her.” He gave her arm a shake and forced their eyes to meet. “Do you understand me?”

She was quiet for a moment, her entire body rigid, then she turned her stony eyes on me. “You better be careful, honey, Alex can be quite a violent man.”

I rolled my eyes. “Your scare tactics don’t work on me.”

“I’m not trying to scare you; I’m trying to warn you.”

“Yeah, after you threaten to kick my ass you’re gonna suddenly try to help me out. Like I believe that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Believe what you want.” Giving her arm another tug, she frowned at Alex. “Let me go, I’m so out of here.”

“Well, we’re so glad.” He guided her to the door then yanked it open. He didn’t release her arm until she was out on the porch and out of my sight. Then he slipped back inside and shut the door securely, making sure the locks were in place and the alarm set.

I sighed and watched my boyfriend rest his head against the door before finally turning to me.

“I’m sorry,” we both spoke at the same time.

“You don’t have to be sorry.” He reached me and drew me into his arms. “I’m sorry I let her into the home and I’m sorry you had to witness it. I’m also sorry she said those things to you.”

I tucked my head against his chest. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

“I knew she was going to explode like that.”

“Yeah, it was pretty ugly. You weren’t kidding when you warned me.”

He chuckled low and peered to my face. “You held your own pretty well though.”

“Did I? Good, because on the inside, my knees were knocking together. I kept thinking all she’d have to do is sit on me and I’d be done for.”

That made him laugh and he took my hand and led me back into the living room. Once on the couch, he wrapped his arms back around me and kissed my head. “She’s definitely not a force to reckon with. I don’t think she’d try anything with you, but you should be careful nonetheless. She might just lie in wait and lunge when you least expect it.”

“Great, that sounds like loads of fun. Maybe I’ll hire a bodyguard.”

He chuckled. “I love you.”

I lifted my head and kissed his lips softly. “I love you, but can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.” He smoothed his fingers through my hair, pushing it from my face.

“What the hell did you see in her? I mean, seriously?! She is evil and has to be like the daughter of Satan or something.”

He laughed again. “I don’t know; I ask myself that quite often. But when we were together, I was drunk or high nearly all the time, so I think it was the drugs and alcohol that were in control.”

“It had to have been, because she is nothing like me. And you saw something in us both, so it just makes me wonder what it was about her that you liked so much. Because, seriously, how can you like two very different people.”

“Well, I was young and stupid back then too. I’ve matured and wised up and realized that you,” he touched the tip of my nose with his finger, “are what I want and she is not.”

I smiled and smoothed my arms around his neck. “That’s good to know, because men who want her are not the men I want to be with.”

“The only man that you should want to be with is moi.” He arched a brow.

I giggled then covered his face in kisses. “Of course you’re the only man I want to be with.”

“You know,” Alex spoke as he dipped his head and began to kiss along the soft skin of my neck, “seeing you and Sarah nearly go at it was actually kind of hot.”

I shivered and tried to peek to him. “You think so?”

“I really do.” His teeth began to nip my skin.

“How enough to take me upstairs and do to me the thing you do best?”

He chuckled then suddenly had me in his arms and was standing. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

I smiled and kissed his jaw as he started for the stairs. “Good, because after today, I could really use some you and me time.”

“You and me time coming right up. Maybe we can have you and me time all night long.”

I smirked and smoothed my fingers over the back of his neck. “If you think you have that much stamina.”

“Oh baby, you have no idea.”

And I didn’t. At least not until the next morning and my head was spinning and legs were quivering. Talk about being in love. Best damn feeling in the world.