Part 256
Mr. Taylor and Jesse along with Chelsea sat in the arena watching as Sarah got ready to go through her set. Kevin and Howie were standing with her talking over the list of songs she was going to do.
"Kevin, I want to make a couple changes."
"What do you want to do?"
"Two songs…by Faith Hill. ‘Let’s Make Love’ and ‘The Way You Love Me’."
"Angel, ‘Let’s Make Love’ is a duet."
Tucking her head, scared that Howie wouldn’t want to do it with her or that Kevin wouldn’t let him, she said hesitantly, "I know. I want you to do it with me."
Howie put his hand under her chin. "Look at me, Angel. I’d love to and DO NOT ever be worried that I’d say no! Kevin, I like what she wants to do. We can put them near the beginning to give me time to get ready for our show."
Kevin looked at the couple as Sarah gazed at Howie with pure, unconditional love, as if he hung the moon. There was no way Kevin could say ‘no’ to them.
"Sounds good. How about using ‘Let’s Make Love’ to slow things down? You’ve got a couple slow songs in here and it would be a good lead in."
Sarah hugged Kevin excitedly. "Thank you, ‘Boo’."
Kevin gave the new list to Mook and the band got ready to run through the set with Sarah.
The two men moved off to the side where AJ, Brian, and Nick were hanging so they could all watch Sarah. As they watched, Dusty joined them.
"She’s really good," Dusty said watching his sister.
"Yeah, she is. Kevin, she needs to do that line over. It didn’t sound right," said Nick.
Kevin stopped Sarah as the others watched in silence. Kevin returned and silence prevailed again until Dusty said, "She is so much like Mama. I never thought she’d live to see her dreams come true."
Howie looked around at Dusty. "You’ve got something you need to get off your chest so spit it out."
"You’re to the point. Sure you don’t work for the government?" joked Dusty.
"Just get to YOUR point," said Howie a little irritably.
"Dad is a lot clearer when Sarah’s around. I…we want her to come back to Virginia and stay with him…until your tour is done."
All four men looked at Howie expecting him to blow up but he maintained his typical calm demeanor. "Sarah’s place is with me and I made arrangements for someone to stay with him. That was to take the pressure off you and the rest of your family as well as keep Sarah from worrying. What’s wrong with the nurse I hired?"
"We fired her. Dad doesn’t like her."
Howie could tell he was holding back something but didn’t have time to get into that now. "So find someone he does like. Sarah’s NOT going anywhere without Jesse and me."
"Fine. Then can Dad stay with the two of you until we can find a new nurse?"
"Man…you’ve got some fuckin’ nerve!" said AJ. "Waltz in here after almost losing your sister and wanting HER to LEAVE her life to keep you from shouldering some of the responsibility!"
Howie spoke calmly, "AJ, that’s enough. Dusty, the road isn’t exactly the best place for Dad to be giving his medical problems."
"But he’d be with Sarah. You can’t sit there and tell me you can’t see he’s better being with her?"
Howie looked over at his father-in-law as he sat with Jesse watching Sarah rehearse. Dusty was right on this but how in the hell would they travel with a four-year-old, his niece, and his father-in-law on a bus?
Sarah was now standing in front of Howie trying to get his attention. "Howie, come on. It’s time to do the song."
"Huh…oh, Angel! Are you done?"
"No! I need you to come do the song with me."
Howie looked at his wife and his whole relationship…all the heartache, all the joys…flashed before him. He’s promised to protect her, make her happy. What the hell was he suppose to do? What would make her happy now…having her father with her and running the chance of his mind slipping?
Kevin nudged him, "D, go do the song. You can decide later, after you talk to her."
Sarah looked at Howie curiously. "D?"
"Come on, Angel. Let’s do the song."
As Sarah and Howie worked through the song, Dusty asked, "What’s he gonna do?"
AJ’s blood boiled as he started to speak but Nick cut him off. Calmly, he said, "He’s gonna make her happy."
"What’s THAT suppose to mean?"
This time the guys couldn’t keep AJ quiet…actually, they didn’t want to. None of them thought much of Dusty after what had happened in August with all the secrets being revealed.
Getting in Dusty’s face, AJ growled through clenched teeth. "That means, you asshole…that he’ll talk to her first to see what she wants and then he’ll make a decision that will make her happy…not keep anything from her!"
"Damn…if I didn’t know better, I’d swear my sister had 5 husbands instead of the one," mumbled Dusty.
AJ shot back, "No…we just love her a hell of a lot more than her brother seems to."
With the song done, Howie turned to Chris and asked, "You got her?"
"Yeah, but…"
Howie cut him off and looked at the band. He instructed, "Guys, the rest of the list is what she’s been doing. Take a break and Mook, tell Krystal to come on out and do her sound checks." Then taking Sarah’s hand, he said, "We need to talk, Sarah."
"Okay, but what about Daddy and Jesse?"
"We’ll be where they can see us if they need us," he answered. Looking over at Brian, he said, "Rok…keep Jesse and Mr. Taylor company while Sarah and I go talk."
Brian waved okay and Howie led Sarah up into the seats off the wing opposite where the guys were sitting. They sat alone holding hands watching as Krystal came out and started going through her set. Howie played with her fingers trying to collect his thoughts.
Sarah knew by the tone of his voice on stage and his silence now that this was serious so she waited patiently for him to speak.
Finally, Howie spoke softly but firmly, "Sarah, Dusty wants you to go back to Virginia with your dad."
Sarah bristled waiting for the rest. She knew there was more and that on this point at least, he’d made up his mind. It was what he had to say still that bothered her.
"I told him ‘no’, your place is with me and that’s when he asked that your father stay with us for a week or so…until they can hire a new nurse."
"What was wrong with the one we hired?"
"He claims your dad didn’t like her."
"But you don’t believe that?"
Howie looked at her, "Do you?"
"No. We both saw the interaction when we were in Virginia."
"Whatever the reason, they want your dad to stay with us but I have my reservations. The road’s hard enough on us having Jesse with us but having your father along given his health is going to be even harder." Howie was watching Mr. Taylor talking to Brian and Jesse. "Sarah, your father adores you, almost as much as he did your mother and you’re his life now. He’s fine for the short periods we’re with him but how long is that going to last? I don’t think I can stand to see what it’s going to do to you the first time he slips and thinks you are your mother or if he wanders off like he did after she died."
Sarah thought about what Howie had said and then asked, "What do you want me to say?"
"What do you want to do?"
"You’ve already decided, haven’t you?"
"No," answered Howie looking at her again. "You know we don’t have that kind of marriage. You have a say in all this and whatever YOU want…whatever makes you happy…is what I’ll do."
Sarah sighed and rested her head on his shoulder as she played with his wedding band. "His mind is clear, but Howie…he’s aged. He looks so damn old."
"Yeah, he does."
"A week?"
"Yes."
"Maybe it’ll do him some good to stay with us."
"Can you handle it if his mind slips?"
"I don’t know."
"Do you want him to stay?"
"If it’s okay with you."
Howie leaned to her kissing her. "It’s fine, Angel. Come on. Let’s go tell Dusty."
"Maybe I can find out why they claim Daddy didn’t like the nurse we hired," said Sarah as she held on to Howie’s hand and they headed down to talk to Dusty.
"Maybe Denise can talk to him," suggested Howie. "At any rate, he’ll be someone she can talk to."
Sarah groaned as she got a mental picture of her father and Denise. "Oh, good god! AJ’s mom and my dad…that would make him my step brother if they got together!"
Howie laughed, "Don’t EVEN go there, Angel!"