Part 188
Kevin, Alex, and Brian had taken Vanessa, Ali, and Sonja to the airport for their flight home so Howie and Sarah were the first back to Kevin’s.
Howie took Jesse to her room to get into her pajamas while Sarah went to their room to change. As she was climbing into bed, Howie came in and sat on the edge of the bed with her.
"How do you feel, Angel?" he asked brushing her hair back.
"Worn out."
"I’m sorry that you’re gonna miss…."
"Don’t be, D. I’m tired and you’re right. I need my rest. Is Jesse in bed?"
"Not yet. I’m gonna let her watch a little television and then I’ll put her to bed. Don’t worry about her. I’ll listen for her," he said giving her a kiss. "Thank you for not arguing with me about this."
"Why argue? You’re right. Do me a favor…don’t be too hard on Becca and Nick."
Howie grinned, "Am I EVER hard on Becca?"
"Becca, no….Nick, UNMERCIFUL."
Howie laughed, "Guilty. Now, get some sleep, Angel."
Sarah pouted as Howie started to get up. "Aren’t you gonna sing to me?"
Howie lay down beside her wrapping her in his arms pulling her close. Softly, he began to sing to her and in not time at all, he heard the slow, steady breathing of her sleep. He kissed her tenderly before carefully getting up and heading downstairs.
********************
"Popcorn's ready!" Brian carried two huge bowls of steaming, buttery popcorn into the living room.
"I've got dibs on the couch," Nick called, leaping onto Kevin's huge leather sofa. Winking at Becca, he patted the spot next to him and motioned her over. He reached for her hand and pulled her down, settling her against his front as he lay back, one long leg propped up on the back of the couch.
Becca giggled, using him as a backrest and kicking her shoes off, propping her feet up on the glass coffee table. Alex sat beside her on the floor, reaching out to rub her feet.
"You okay, Bec?" he asked noticing how puffy her feet were.
"Sure, Alex. Just one of the hazards of pregnancy." She sighed as his fingers pressed deeply against her ankles. "Oh mercy, that feels good." She moaned, leaning back against Nick.
"Hey now, none of that," Brian grinned. "The video isn't even on yet."
Becca smiled thinly, doing her damndest to ignore them. They'd been teasing her all day and she'd totally embarrassed herself at the studio. She flinched inwardly remembering the things she'd said to Howie and Kevin. Oh, it had all been in fun, but she wasn't accustomed to baring her soul like that in front of everyone. Watching Nick perform had been the highlight of the day and she so wanted to just be alone with him. She'd barely been in the mood for sex lately, but damn it, tonight she needed him. And here they were, stuck on a couch at Kevin's.
"Becca?"
"What?" She suddenly realized that Brian was talking to her.
"Popcorn?"
"Oh, no, I really shouldn't."
"Nope, no popcorn for her," Alex agreed. "Salt is a no-no. Look at those ankles, Bec, you sure you're all right?" He twisted around to look at her.
"Cross my heart. I'm being good, right Nick?"
"Yep, Bec gets a gold star for good behavior." He patted her back and reached around to rub her tummy. Stroking gently he felt her tummy tighten drastically and heard the swift breath she took. "Another one?" he whispered.
"Yeah," she said, releasing the breath she'd been holding. "A good one." She'd been having 'practice' contractions for a bout a week now and was finally learning how to breathe through them. The first one had scared them both silly until Sarah had explained what was happening. Now they simply took them in stride.
"Here, Bec." Kevin handed her a plate of cookies and a glass of chocolate milk.
"Kevin?!"
He shrugged. "A little bird told me what your favorite snack is." In casual conversation Nick had mentioned Becca's late night ritual of chocolate milk and oatmeal cookies.
"No fair," Alex argued. "How come SHE gets special treatment?"
Nick reached down to thwap him on the head. "Idiot, she's pregnant. When YOU get pregnant, we'll treat YOU special."
Brian chortled. "Yeah, Bone. I'd like to see that tummy tat of yours at about nine months. Your '69' would be more like '690'."
"Bite me, Rok," he said, tossing a handful of popcorn across the room.
"Daddy, Uncle Alex is making a mess," Jesse said.
"Maybe we should send him to his room. What do you think, princess?" Howie smiled down at his daughter.
Jesse thought about it. "Well, if he's bad he needs to be punished," she declared.
"Oh yeah," Alex grinned. "Punish me, baby."
"Hey clowns, there's a child here, be careful," Kevin warned.
"Aw come on, Kev, Nick's heard worse," Alex cracked causing Brian to choke on his popcorn.
"Very funny," Nick said, scowling as Becca giggled. "Start the tape already."