“They’re here! They’re here!” Chrissy came tearing through our dressing room doors clutching her cell phone and looking like a kid on Christmas morning.

“What is this? Some kind of strange ‘Poltergeist’ reference? Halloween was yesterday.” Mel turned away from the mirror where she was applying her lip gloss and looked at Christina with a raised eyebrow.

“Who’s here?” Cassie asked, her voice muffled by the shirt she was pulling over her head.

“Nick! Their cab just pulled up to the loading dock! Let’s go!” Chrissy grabbed Mel’s hand and yanked her into the hallway.

“Didn’t she say ‘they’? And I thought Nick told her he was going to be in Sweden until tomorrow.” I remarked as I slid on my black pants.

Amelia came out of the bathroom looking pale. “Are you still sick?” Cassie asked her.

“I’m fine now. Must have been something I ate,” she replied quickly, grabbing her costume off the clothes rack.

“Okay...” Cassie sighed. “I’m going to go watch Chrissy and Nick try not to touch each other when the teenyboppers at the N’Sync VIP event see him.”

Amelia laughed. “Take pictures!” she called after her as she walked out the door.

“You sure you’re okay?” I asked Amelia as she stepped into her dress and I stepped behind her to help zip it up. For the past several weeks, Kevin, Amelia, and I had managed to keep the pregnancy “our little secret.” I’d been covering for her, explaining away her mood swings as PMS and her morning sickness as bad Chinese and stomach bugs. She was prone to gastroenteritis as a child, so that fact had worked to my advantage when others in the group would question why she was so sick so often. Kevin called her about every other day to make sure she was getting enough rest and taking her prenatal vitamins.

“I’m fine,” she promised. “It’s actually not been so bad this week. I think maybe the worst is finally over.”

“Uh oh.” I stared down at the zipper in my hand in horror.

“Uh oh?”

“It’s stuck.”

“Well un-stick it!” she shrieked.

“I’m sorry Amy, but it won’t go any further,” I bit my lip and tugged harder on the zipper of the short, black strapless dress. The zipper wouldn’t budge past the small of her back, leaving the dress gaping open in the back and extremely loose around her chest, though skin-tight around her hips and waist.

“Maybe if I suck it in....”

I laughed. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. You don’t want to squish him do you?”

“Him?” Amelia turned with her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

“Just a hunch. Kevin Junior,” I said matter-of-factly. Though I was still heartbroken over this, and even a little jealous that Kevin and Amy would forever share something so precious, there was no use in dwelling on it. She would be having a baby in 6 months, and we were going to have to deal with it eventually. “I’m going to get Stuart.” I turned on my heel and marched down the hall. Our stylist had worked his magic with a needle and thread that night, and nobody else had to know that Emily’s dress wouldn’t zip earlier that evening due to her thickening waistline, but Stuart’s comments didn’t go unnoticed. They were ignored, but not unnoticed.

“Geez , as sick as you’ve been lately, I’d never imagine your dress would be too tight! Eating bon-bons to stop the nausea? You’re not late are you?” He’d only been kidding with the last question but would soon eat his own words.

We finally went to the green room to meet up with the rest of the girls and found Nick and Chrissy making out on the couch. The Backstreet Boys had been in Stockholm for about a month recording new material for their next album, and Chrissy and Nick had been moping around like lovesick teenagers. Actually, I guess that’s what they were. Apparently, he had decided to fly home a day early and surprise her, and now they appeared to be more or less dry-humping each other in front of us. “Geez guys, get a room!” I shielded my eyes dramatically, and neither of them even acknowledged my presence.

“We suggested that already,” a male voice teased from across the room.

My eyes widened in surprise. “Howie!” I cried cheerfully as I bounded across the carpet and threw my arms around his neck. “How are you?” I asked, turning serious for a moment. Howie and I had talked on the phone a lot since Caroline’s death but this was the first time we’d seen each other.

“I’m good.” He nodded reassuringly. “It’s great to see you! We’re really excited for the show.” He gestured behind him, where Kevin, Brian, and AJ were all sitting on a couch.

“Dude, you’re going to an N’Sync concert!” Mel doubled over in laughter.

“Yeah, we’ll probably slip out before it’s over. Can’t go ruining our reputation,” Brian deadpanned.

“I can’t believe all you guys are here!” Cassie exclaimed.

“Well, we finished up in Stockholm a day early and Nick said he was coming here. None of us had any plans until tomorrow, so we decided to come with him. He’s not the only one of us who was missing one of you,” Kevin chimed in as he glanced over at Nick and Chrissy, who still hadn’t come up for air.

“Well, I’m stoked, but...” I put my hands on my hips. “Where exactly do you guys think you’re going to watch from?”

Marcus stepped into the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “These idiots are going to stand in the shadows with security and bow out as soon as you ladies are finished,” he declared. He turned around and walked out shaking his head and muttering.
“Stupid Backstreet Boys thinking they can show up at an N’Sync concert. I’m gonna be asking for a raise tomorrow.”

We all shared a collective laugh, and Nick and Christina finally pulled apart and looked around, confused. “What just happened here?” Nick asked.

“Oh, just keep kissing your wife.” AJ got up and walked over to where Amelia stood propping herself against the wall. “Cassie said you’ve been sick. You okay?” He placed his hand on her cheek and stared into her eyes thoughtfully. I glanced over to Kevin and his eyes flashed with......something. It wasn’t jealousy exactly.

“I’m good, Aje.” She nodded.

“Go out with us tonight after your set?” AJ pleaded with her.

“Okay. Sure.” Amelia ended up convincing us to slip out after we performed and all go out together. I tried to find Joey before we went on to invite him to catch up with us later, but nobody seemed to know where he was. I finally managed to track him down after we finished on stage and right before they were getting ready to go on.

“Joey?” I reached out for his shoulder as he was situating his earpiece and cordless microphone.

He jumped and whirled around. “Oh, hey babe. I watched you guys in the monitors while we warmed up. Great job tonight!”

“Thanks! I just wanted to let you know know we’re going to slip out and go hang with the guys. Call me later and you can catch up with us?”

“Guys? What guys?”

“Oh, Joey, I know you’ve heard by now that they’re here.”

“Huh?”

Chris slapped him on the back. “I figured when we couldn’t find him earlier, you two had sneaked off for a little somethin’ somethin’. That’s why he doesn’t know the Backstreet Boys are here.”

Joey’s eyes widened in surprise just as the stage manager started ushering him towards the stage. “The Backstreet Boys? Are here?” He was asking as he was led away. My boyfriend was so weird sometimes. I held my hand up to my ear in the shape of a telephone and mouthed “Call me.”


“Damn baby, are those getting bigger?” AJ was ogling Amelia’s breasts as he placed his hands on her hips and moved closer to her on the dance floor in the VIP section of the night club we’d gone to. Her eyes grew wide and she immediately wrapped her hands around his wrists and shoved him off of her. Her eyes filled with tears and her nose started to twitch as she grimaced and turned to walk away. She stopped at our table to get her purse.

“I’m going to bed,” she huffed as she hurried off.

“Man, what’s with her?” Brian commented as AJ sauntered over and grabbed his drink. Kevin looked down at his Jack and Coke praying his cousin would hold his tongue. “You know, Cass says she’s been like an entirely different person these past few weeks. Moody, tired, hungry, sick...” he rambled on.

Nick innocently chimed in. “She reminds me of my mom when she was pregnant with the twins.” AJ’s highball hit the floor and shattered as he jerked the sunglasses off his face.

“Wh...what did you say?” He stammered. In his head, he was recalling the past couple times they’d been together. Their couplings were few and far between and almost non-existent since Vegas, as they were never officially a “couple,” plus in the few times he’d approached her before they went to Sweden, she’d usually turned him down, saying she was too tired, had a headache, etc. He knew he’d used a condom every time, though.

“I’m sorry, AJ.” Nick held up his hands in defense. “I wasn’t implying she was pregnant. That would be ridiculous!”

“Shut up, Nick.” Kevin slammed his glass down on the table. I jumped from my seat at the table next to them and placed my hand on his shoulder hoping to quiet him, but he was already drunk and it was too late. “What if she is?” he snapped

“I think I need to sit down...” AJ eased himself onto the stool at the bar top and buried his face in his hands. “We were always careful! Shit!”

“Don’t worry about it AJ. It’s mine.” I squeezed Kevin’s shoulder hard, most definitely leaving a bruise, and kept him from falling to the floor when AJ’s fist connected with his jaw.