Dinner was uneventful, but nice. It had been a long time since I had eaten dinner with anyone other than DJ or Marcy, and it was nice to be able to have a conversation with another grown up who wasn’t my best friend.

I actually learned a lot about Brian and his past over dinner. I also learned that Baylee was just like his father in a lot of ways. He was hyper and mischievous, but he was always trying to find new ways to make others laugh. He told me all about his adventures around the world with his dad, and he even showed me some pictures from his trips – most of which I had already seen on the Backstreet Boys’ fansites.

It was easy to see the love Baylee had for his father, and it made me long to have a father figure for DJ to look up to. That had been one of my biggest regrets in ending my marriage to Ryan. I had feared that DJ wouldn’t have a man to look up to while he was growing up, and that he would, someday, resent me for not staying with his father. I shook my depressing thoughts away, deciding to just enjoy the evening – wherever it ended up taking me.

After a great deal of insistence from my part, I finally convinced Brian to let me help him with the dishes. After all, he was the chef – and guest of not, I was raised never to let the chef clean up after the meal. But of course, Brian wouldn’t let me do it by myself, so we compromised and agreed that we would both help. We had just finished clearing the table when there was a knock on his door. “I wonder who that could be?” he inquired out loud, drying his hands and disappearing to answer the door. “Hey man, what are you doing here?” I heard Brian ask from the entry way as he greeted his guest.

The next voice I heard, I recognized immediately as another member of Brian’s group, AJ McLean. I listened closely as their footsteps drew closer and closer to the kitchen. Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, which sounded important, I concentrated on finishing up the dishes.

“Man, I don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s too late to try to find someone else to fill in. No one would agree to our terms with this late notice,” AJ was telling Brain as they entered the room. “We’re screwed, man.”

“We’re not screwed, Alex. We’ve just got our work cut out for us,” Brian responded, trying to calm his friend’s worries. I started humming softly to myself, trying to stop myself from eavesdropping on their conversation. They both stopped, turning their attention to me. “Oh, Alex, I want you to meet Nicki. Nicole, this is my band mate, Alex,” Brian introduced.

“UNCLE AJ!” a tiny voice exclaimed, the excitement easy to hear, as a blur rushed into his arms. “What’d you bring me?” Baylee asked, his whole face lighting up in his excitement. AJ lifted him into his arms, hugging his “nephew” close.

“BAYLEE! You do not ask people what they brought you. That’s rude,” Brian reprimanded, causing Baylee to look down in shame. “Apologize to Uncle AJ and then greet him properly,” Brian instructed.

“I’m sorry, Uncle AJ. I missed you. I’m glad you’re here,” Baylee apologized, using his biggest weapon to break down his father’s defenses.

“That’s better,” Brian approved, turning his attention to the shy boy who was now using me as a shield from the scary looking stranger in front of him. DJ had never seen tattoos before, so I don’t think he knew what to do or how to react. “DJ, I want you to meet one of my best friends,” Brian soothed, trying to get him to come out from behind my legs.

“Put me down, please, Uncle AJ,” Baylee requested, seeing his new friend’s discomfort. As soon as he was on the ground, he walked over to DJ, grabbing his hand and pulling him to stand in front of where AJ was now squatting to their level. “DJ, this is my Uncle AJ. He’s in my daddy’s band. Uncle AJ, this is my new best friend, DJ,” Baylee introduced.

I looked over at Brian, trying to hold in my tears at how cute our children were acting at that exact moment. I was so touched by Baylee’s introduction, when he called DJ his new best friend. It gave me hope that maybe DJ had finally found a true friend – someone he could count on to be his friend for years to come. Looking at Brian, I could see he felt the same way.

“It’s nice to meet you, DJ,” AJ responded, smiling brightly at my son.

“What is that?” DJ asked, pointing to AJ’s tattoos.

“They’re called tattoos. But they’re only for grownups. I don’t think your mommy would be too happy if I told you about them,” AJ laughed, looking up at me as he spoke to my son. At the shake of my head, he returned his attention back to my son. “Hey! Baylee, why don’t you go look in the living room. I might have left a surprise of two there for you,” AJ bribed, needing to talk to Brian.

“Brian, I think I should go,” I interrupted before they could begin their business discussion again.

“What? Why? We haven’t even finished the dishes yet,” Brian argued, pleading with me to stay a little longer.

“I don’t want to intrude on yours and AJ’s business,” I argued, looking between the two men who were now watching me.

“Oh, no. Don’t leave on my account. It’s nothing, really. Well, I mean, it’s terrible, but – well, it’s just that – see, the new graphic designer we hired to work our websites was in an accident last night, and um, he died – ” AJ fumbled over his words.

“Hey! What about you? You could do it!” Brian interrupted his friend’s continuous mumbling.

“What about me, what? I could do, what?” I asked, giving him a skeptical glance before returning my eyes to the still nervous AJ, who was now rubbing his t-shirt between his thumb and his fingers.

“You could be our new graphic designer! We could hire you. I mean, that is unless you’ve already found your next job,” Brian suggested, his enthusiasm waning during his last statement.

“No, I haven’t found another job yet, but you don’t even know what my work is like,” I stated, unsure of why I was turning down the chance to work with DJ’s favorite group. Quit kidding yourself, I lectured. The only reason DJ is a fan is because YOU were a fan first.

“Well, you have to come by tomorrow to pick up DJ, right?” Brian asked, knowing he had me. “So when you come over, just bring your laptop with you. You can show us your work. It’ll be like an informal interview. We can even get a conference call going with Howie and Nick.”

“Brian –” I started to protest, but AJ cut me off.

“That’s a great idea! What time should I be here tomorrow?” he asked Brian, as they both completely ignored my protests. Finally, I just gave up and listened as they made the arrangements. “I’ll call Nick and Howie tonight and let them know what’s up,” AJ concluded, turning his attention back to me. “Nicole, it was a pleasure to meet you. I’ll see you tomorrow at 8.”

“Tomorrow at 8. Goodnight, AJ,” I responded, not even bothering protesting to the early hour. I may be kid-less for the night, but I still didn’t get to sleep in. The life of a parent – always the adventure.

“Goodnight,” he returned, heading for the door. Just as he was about to close the door behind him, he turned back around with a mischievous smile crossing his face. “Try to keep the noise down, will you? There are kids in the house!”

“ALEX!” “AJ!” Brian and I exclaimed at the same time, our faces turning beet red at the insinuation behind his words. And with that, he was gone, leaving Brian and I to face each other and our embarrassment alone.

I heard Brian clear his throat, trying to break the awkward mood that had settled over the house at AJ’s comment. “So, ummm, I guess we should finish the, ummm, dishes,” he nervously stuttered.

“Yeah. Dishes,” I agreed, returning to my previous duty of washing, while Brian returned to his position, rinsing and drying the dishes I handed him. “So, ummm, what would this job include – if I got it?” I asked, trying to make conversation. The mood was nothing like it had been BEFORE AJ had showed up, and the silence was killing me.

“Well, we are completely reinventing ourselves this time around. We kind of have to with Kevin leaving the group. And we wanted to make our official site more interactive – maybe by using more Flash or videos or something. Plus, we were thinking about creating individual sites for our solo careers. Both Nick and I are working on our sophomore albums. Alex and Howie are working on their debut albums. So we thought we would start promoting now, through our websites,” Brian explained, relaxing into the conversation and losing his uneasiness.

“Wow. You weren’t kidding when you said you were screwed if you didn’t find another designer soon, were you?” I kidded, giving him a genuine smile.

“Oh yeah. We’re slave-drivers, you know?” Brian laughed, his eyes sparkling even brighter than normal in his state of amusement. “That’s why no one wants to work with us. We drive all of our employees away with our intense expectations and impossible standards.”

“Oh. I thought everybody was just jumping ship before you tanked on another album, dragging everyone down with you,” I picked, laughing at the crestfallen look that suddenly appeared on his face. “I mean, Never Gone DID get less than mediocre reviews, didn’t it?”

“Oh that’s it!” he exclaimed, throwing down his dish towel and giving me his most threatening stare. “You’re in trouble now,” he taunted, getting ready to pounce. I didn’t give him the chance to attack, though, running out of the kitchen as fast as my legs would carry me. “I can’t believe you insulted our music! Of all the things to pick on, you had to pick the music?” Brian’s shouts followed me down the long, narrow corridors.

“I guess I could have picked on your nose or AJ’s lack of an ass,” I yelled back, not daring to slow down in fear that he would catch me. “But then I figured there was no point in bringing up the obvious.” I finally stopped running when I lost track of the footsteps that had been pounding behind me just moment before. I turned around, a confused expression crossing my features as I searched the empty hallway for my pursuer. “Brian, where – “ I started to question his whereabouts, just before I felt myself run into a warm, hard chest, followed by a pair of arms encircling me, leaving me trapped and defenseless.

“Ah ha! Gotcha!” he crowed, pulling me over to the awaiting couch to commence in his tickle-torture punishment.

“Brian, you don’t want to torture me,” I told him, using my most innocent and persuasive tone of voice to convince him I was right and to avoid the impending agony that comes from a good tickle.

“Oh, I don’t, do I?” he asked, clearly amused by my sense of logic. “And why, might I ask, don’t I want to torture you? After all, you did insult my group’s music – not to mention you insulted my nose. My nose is a very sensitive subject for me,” he argued, letting me know he was not going to give in without a good reason.

“Well, you don’t want to torture me because you need me. I’m pretty much your last hope as far as graphic designers. And how do you think the other Boys would react when I tell them I can’t come tomorrow because, and I quote, ‘Ask Brian. It’s all his fault,’” I threatened, smirking at my captor.

“Well, you do make a good argument,” Brian conceded, releasing some of the pressure he was using to hold me down. Just as I was about to revel in my victory, Brian surprised me by speaking again. “But, it just wasn’t convincing enough,” he smirked before he began his assault on my sides, his experienced fingers knowing just where to touch to cause me to roar with laughter. It seemed that no matter where I turned, he was waiting, his fingers attacking every free inch of my stomach I wasn’t able to protect.

“Ok, ok. You win… just… STOP!” I cried, my breath coming out in short, panting breaths from the lack of oxygen in my lungs. “Please!”

“I don’t know. I don’t really think you’ve learned your lesson, yet,” he chuckled, watching as I tried, in vain, to move my body away from his torturous advances on my side. “Have you learned your lesson yet?” he asked me, wiggling his fingers for effect, showing me that if I answered this question wrong, he would resume his tickling.

“YES! I’ve learned my lesson,” I shouted, willing to do anything to save my precious sides from further torment.

“I don’t know. That didn’t sound very convincing to me,” he teased, giving me a cocky grin as he watched me squirm under his restraint.

“I promise. I really have learned my lesson. I will never again insult your music. Nor will I ever insult your nose or AJ’s ass,” I told him, praying he would let me go and shower me with mercy.

“Apologize to my nose,” he joked, leaning down so said nose was just above my face. At my hesitation, he pulled back, giving me an evil grin. “Apologize to my nose, or I continue punishing you,” he warned, giving me an ultimatum.

“Alright!” I gave in, embarrassed by the situation, but at a point of indifference – as long as it meant getting out of my current position and away from his taunting fingers. He once again returned his nose to its previous position, so I could complete my task. “I’m sorry for insulting you, Brian’s nose. You are a very handsome nose, and I won’t offend you again,” I apologized, going beyond the required instructions and kissing his nose softly after my apology.

Brian finally released me from my human-made confines, and helped me off the couch. He was still laughing softly when we re-entered the kitchen to finish the remaining two dishes we had left soaking in the suds. “You know, you can insult AJ’s ass all you want. In fact, I encourage it,” he told me after a moment of silence, giving me his most serious look. It didn’t take long, however, before both of us were breaking into another bout of laughter, holding onto each other just to keep upright.

“I don’t remember the last time I laughed so much in one evening,” I confessed, wiping the tears that had fallen down my face in my amusement.

“I’m glad I could be of service,” he grinned, the tears of joy in his eyes reflecting the overhead lighting, giving the illusion they were twinkling.

“I really do need to be going. If I have to be back here at 8 in the morning, I need to get home and at least prepare a small presentation,” I told him, trying to convince myself in the process. I didn’t want to leave. Tonight had been the first time I had let loose and truly enjoyed myself in a long time. And I didn’t want it to end.

I watched Brian wage an inner-war, as I fought a similar battle within my own mind. Finally, I met his gaze with my own, our eyes exchanges more in that single glance than words alone could have ever done. “Please stay,” he quietly requested, his eyes pleading his case. “We could tuck the boys in and then just watch a movie and talk. I don’t want this to end just yet,” he admitted, reading the thoughts that had been racing through my own mind.

“Me neither,” I found myself involuntarily confessing.

“Then stay,” he asked again, breaking down my resolve with every gentle touch of his hand on my own – every lingering gaze. “Please.”

“Okay,” I gave in, listening to my heart for the first time in a long time.

No words needed to be spoken as we stood there, caught up in the moment, and just losing ourselves to the feelings surrounding us. However, all good things must come to an end.

“Mommy!” I heard DJ yell, breaking my gaze with Brian as I felt him wrap his little arms around my legs, using me as a shield. “Baylee’s going to get me!”

“DJ!” Baylee yelled, bursting into the room, a toy gun in hand and a bandana wrapped around his head. “I found you!” he exclaimed, trying to get to DJ who was now using me as a barrier between his attacker and himself.

Brian was of no help as he just watched on in amusement, laughing at the scene in front of him. “Brian!” I scoffed, using my best mommy-voice to get him to snap out of his little, carefree world.

“Alright, boys. Time for bed,” Brian announced, coming to my rescue.

“Awwww man! Do we have to go to bed,” Baylee whined, turning to his father with his infamous pout.

“Yes, little man, you HAVE to go to bed,” Brian laughed, not even flinching at his son’s expression, evidently immune to its effects after 4 and a half years.

“Oh, alright,” Baylee sighed, giving in without a fight.

“Go change into your PJ’s and brush your teeth. We’ll be up there in a minute to tuck you boys in,” Brian instructed, as I just stood there in amazement, watching as both boys did as they were told without so much as a single protest.

It hit me then just how much DJ had been missing in his life with the absence of his father. He didn’t have a male role model to look up to and raise him like Baylee did. He didn’t have someone he could go to and ask the questions he was too embarrassed to ask me. I began to wonder if I was doing the right thing in raising DJ the way I was. It’s not like I had been given much of a choice in the matter, but I still wondered if maybe I could have done more – if he would have been better off with a father figure in his life – even if it meant moving in with my parents.

“Hey, you okay?” Brian asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine,” I answered, responding to his concern with a reassuring smile. Well, maybe things weren’t so bad, after all. I mean, here I was, tucking my son into bed at his new best friend’s house, joined by one of the nicest – not to mention most handsome – men I had ever met in my entire life. And on top of all that, I had an interview lined up for the following morning for the opportunity to work for my all-time favorite musical artists. Things could be a lot worse. In fact, things hadn’t looked this good in my life in years. So why was I complaining. “Life is good,” I whispered to myself, following Brian up the stairs, pushing all the troubling thoughts out of my mind.