Part 213
In the hall, AJ took her in his arms and held her tight. "It’s okay, baby."
"My daughter hates me…my husband doesn’t think I need to be there when he talks to her. HOW in the HELL is THAT gonna be okay?"
"She’s just upset about something, Sarah, and she’s JUST like you. Howie knows how to handle her," reassured Becca.
"Oh, goody! NOW you’re saying I act like a five year old."
"Yeah…YOU DO!" said Nick.
All four of them, Brian, AJ, Kevin, and Becca, glared at Nick for that comment and Becca said, "No…you don’t. She acts like you. And given your hormones, it’s probably best that you let Howie handle it anyway."
AJ pulled Sarah tighter and whispered, "Focus on tonight…and tomorrow you can worry about Jesse. D will make things right for you…like he always does."
Kevin rubbed her back. "Yeah, baby! It’s gonna be okay. Hey…you’ve
got the surprise for him and he’s going to love it."
Sarah looked at her friends, "Thanks, all of you. So Howie has NO clue about the song?"
"All Howie knows is that it’s one you and AJ did together and that we’re introducing you," said Brian.
Nick grinned, "He has NO clue that we’re gonna show YOU singing live."
"And YOU managed to keep a secret?" teased Sarah. "Miracles DO
happen."
Inside the room, Jesse grinned, "Did I do good, Daddy?"
"Excellent, Princess…. Now I just need to order the flowers for her while you and Chelsea get ready. Raoul will make sure you get backstage."
Howie made the phone call and then said good-bye to Chelsea and Jesse.
"Daddy…give Mommy a kiss and tell her I love her."
"I will, Princess. I’ll see you later."
Out in the hall, the group was waiting for Howie at the elevators. AJ had held Sarah the entire time and when Howie came out, he kissed her on the ear and whispered, "It looks like he worked things out…. Go to him."
Howie saw Sarah and he took a deep breath to prepare himself to face her. As Sarah approached, he put his hands on her waist and gave her a kiss. "Jesse said to tell you that she loves you."
"Is everything okay?"
"It’s fine, Angel. I told you I’d handle it. We’re gonna spend some FAMILY time together. She’s feeling a little neglected, that’s all."
Howie hadn’t lied to Sarah about that. Jesse had talked to him while Sarah was in the shower that morning but he’d reassured her that everything would be fine.
The trip to Radio City Music Hall was light with the guys bantering back and forth about various things. Sarah and Becca were both quiet, listening half way to the guys’ conversation as they both were deep in their own thoughts.
Becca couldn’t get Willa out of her mind. Sarah had told her that Willa would be on the red carpet doing interviews for MTV that night and Becca still hadn’t gotten over Baton Rouge. There was also her present condition…FAT. How could she compete? Oh, she knew Nick loved her and thought she was beautiful. He’d made that abundantly clear on the trip from Dallas to Virginia. Two weeks! That’s ALL she needed…two weeks and she’d have the baby and could get back to the girl Nick had fallen in love with. In the mean time, she wondered if it would be justifiable homicide if she killed Willa?
For Sarah, her thoughts raced between what had happened at the hotel with Jesse and the fact that she was going to be performing that night. She knew what Howie had said and that everything was fine but she still felt guilty. She should be taking care of Jesse…not Chelsea or some nanny.
Howie was watching Sarah the whole time and he leaned over now to kiss her. He whispered, "You are a good mother…stop doubting yourself."
Sarah smiled, "How’d you know?"
"Not hard to figure out."
Sarah leaned against Howie and began to play with his wedding band as Howie watched her. He knew she was still bothered by Jesse’s actions and he was beginning to feel somewhat guilty but he knew when she saw Jesse backstage everything would be okay.
Howie reached over and lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. "Stop worrying. She loves you very much…and so do I."
From across the way, Nick started making kissing noises and in a high shrill voice, "Oh, Howie…I love you too. Howie dear…kiss me."
Sarah glared at Nick, "You know…you REALLY need another tattoo…on your forehead…and it should say ‘IDIOT’."
Kevin growled, "YOU TWO STOP IT!! Sometimes, Nick…I think you’re stuck on stupid and how you managed to find someone as wonderful as Becca is beyond me."
Just as easily as she snapped at him, Sarah spoke up to defend him, sort of. "Sometimes he manages to show SOME signs of intelligence….like dumping Willa."
AJ laughed, "God, woman! I’ll be SO glad when you have those babies and your hormones get back to normal."
"What’s THAT suppose to mean, Alexander?" growled Sarah switching again.
Knowing Sarah was more nervous than anything else, Howie said softly, "Calm down, Angel. He didn’t mean anything by it."
"I MEANT…one minute you’re picking on Nick and the next you’re defending him. And DO NOT CALL ME ALEXANDER!"
"Alexander…BITE ME."
"If you wouldn’t ENJOY it so much, I would."
Brian shook his head at the exchange. "Howie…you have my DEEPEST
sympathies. Is she like this ALL the time?"
Howie squeezed Sarah’s hand. "Not all the time but it’ll be WELL worth the trouble in the end. The payoff in a few months is gonna be wonderful."
"Not to mention the immediate payoff with the make-up sex," snarked AJ.
The limo pulled in behind a line of others and each one stopped to allow their passengers to get out. Becca looked around in awe. There were THOUSANDS of fans waiting just to catch a glimpse of their favorites. And the press…there was almost as many reporters as there were fans.
Sarah laughed, "You’ve never been to one of these, have you?"
"No!! This is crazy!"
"Yeah, it is! Ain’t it great?"
Howie asked, "Becca, are you okay? There’s a lot of press."
Kevin offered, "We can get you inside without having to go through all this if you want."
"Nope! Becca needs to walk the red carpet, WITH Nick," said Sarah not giving Becca a chance to get out of it.
Nick agreed, "Sarah’s right."
AJ looked out the window, "Nope…no storm clouds."
"What are you talking about, ‘Bone’?" asked Brian.
"Sarah and Nick agreed on something."
"Why does Becca need to do this?" asked Kevin ignoring AJ.
"She’s gotta face Willa, especially after Baton Rouge."
"I don’t understand."
Howie explained, "Willa threw herself on Nick at a bar in Baton Rouge."
"The next day, there were pictures all over the Internet with the story that Nick had grown bored with ‘playing house’," finished Sarah. "Becca needs to face Willa…and the press…to show them all that she and Nick are just fine. Bec, you don’t have to say anything, just smile and wave. Let Nick answer the questions. And Nick, keep her close."
Nick looked down at Becca. "Not a problem."
With that, all seven piled out of the limo to flashes of cameras and the screaming fans. As the guys made their way up the red carpet, Nick held Becca’s hand in his, their fingers laced together, and a goofy grin all over his face. Nick made it clear to the press and all that saw him that he loved Becca with all his heart.
Howie walked with Sarah, his arm around her waist or his hand on her lower back, not letting her far from him. As they did the interviews, he proudly told of her singing career that was taking off.
As Kevin talked to John Norris for MTV news, Howie and Sarah stood with Becca and Nick waving to the crowd while AJ and Brian signed some autographs.
Becca whispered, "You do this as well as they do."
"There’s nothing to it. You’re doing FINE!"
"Thanks," blushed Becca. "Have you seen her?"
"She’s near the door," nodded Sarah. "And she’s eyeing Nick."
Before Becca could say anything, Sarah and Howie were drawn into the interview with Kevin. When they were done, the group headed for the door and Willa.
As Nick and Becca approached, Willa called out to Nick for an interview but Nick calmly and coolly pulled Becca closer to him ignoring her.
"That wasn’t very nice, Nickolas," ranted Willa.
Howie and Sarah looked at each other and laughed as they followed the others in. Howie did wave to her as they passed.