"I'm back!!" Gwen hollered when she came in.
"Hey baby," AJ greeted her. He wrapped his arms around her and covered her with kisses. While they kissed, she reached into one of her many bags and pulled out the pants. She pulled apart and held them up.
"Here babe," she said.
"Thank you baby! They’re sweet," he said, admiring his new pants.
"They should be. They cost 200 bucks," she said. He laughed and looked at all her bags.
"Damn, does the mall have anything left?" he asked.
"Barely," Gwen smiled.
"Oh yeah, there are a bunch of messages on the machine from Ashleigh," AJ said. Gwen sighed. "What happened?" he asked.
"She got herself in a big mess and wants to fly out here...is that okay?" she asked.
"Of course," AJ said. "She can stay in the other guest room. But we're leaving on tour soon," AJ said.
"I know...I've been meaning to talk to you about that..." Gwen said.
"Uh-oh, this doesn't sound good," AJ said. They sat down on the couch and she faced him.
"I don't think I can come," she said, gently. AJ's smile faded. "It's just that...I can't take off work for three months..." she said.
"Baby, we've been talking about you moving in with me and if you are going to do that, you don't need those jobs," AJ said.
"I know AJ, but I've worked too hard to throw all of that away," she said, getting upset. "In a month I'm going to be general manager of Gap," she said. He sighed. He hated talking about this.
"Gwen, I love you. You know that. I want to be with you all I can. I can't go on three months without you. I know you've worked hard for where you are at and I can understand not wanting to give it up...but baby..." he pleaded.
"AJ...I'm sorry," she said.
''I want to take care of you. Why won't you let me?" he asked.
"Taking care of me and paying for everything are two completely different subjects," she said. He sighed. This wasn't going anywhere.
"I'm not leaving until Friday so we have almost a week," she said, trying to cheer him up. He forced a smile.
"Okay," he said, kissing her forehead.
~~later that week~~
AJ had convinced Gwen to stay long enough for his birthday and for their first show in Ft. Lauderdale. The tour was beginning and the boys had rehearsals everyday. Gwen mostly went and watched. Today, she was watching and talking with Leighanne who was tagging along as well.
"This tour is going to be awesome," Leighanne said as they watched the guys goof off on stage.
"I know," Gwen said.
"And it's going to be so much fun on the road. You'll love it," Leighanne told her.
"Actually, I'm not going," Gwen said, sadly.
"You aren't?! How come?" Leighanne asked.
"Work," Gwen said. She nodded.
"I bet AJ's disappointed," Leighanne said.
"He's been trying to convince me and I really do want to come but I just can't give up all I worked for," Gwen said.
"Well, I don't just sit around on tour, I was in charge of the guys makeup last time," Leighanne said.
"What could I do? I don't dance, I can't do makeup, and I can't do tech," Gwen said.
"Hey Leigh, how does this shirt look with these pants?" Brian suddenly asked from on stage. The guys were working on costumes and he was wearing a blue shirt with black leather pants. Before Leighanne could say anything, Gwen spoke up.
"I like the shirt but make sure its not too tight. Since the pants are tight, it'd look dumb if the shirt was too. And make sure the bandana is tied in the back and not the front," Gwen answered.
"Thanks Gwennie," Brian said, running back to his dressing room. Kevin came out dressed in one of his suits.
"Hey Kev! Un-tuck that shirt and change your shoes. You should put on the black ones, they look nicer with the tie," Gwen said. Kevin nodded and went to change. Gwen looked over at Leighanne who looked like she had an idea.
"What?" Gwen asked.
"I've got it! You could be the fashion consultant!" she said.
"What?!" Gwen laughed.
"Listen to what you just said, you'd be perfect! We all know the guys can't dress themselves and Kathy, the old consultant, left on maternity," Leighanne said.
"Really?!" Gwen asked.
"Of course!" Leighanne said. "I'll go talk to Denise," Leighanne said, running off.
"What was that about?" AJ asked, jumping off stage and walking up to Gwen. His tie was left untied around his neck. Gwen took the tie and started tying it.
"Well...it looks like there is going to be one more on this tour..." Gwen said, smiling. AJ looked at her in disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, admiring his now tied tie.
"I'm going to be in charge of costumes and the fashion consultant," Gwen smiled. AJ gasped.
"You're perfect for that!" he yelled, grabbing her and swinging her around. He kissed her and looked into her eyes. "Damn, I never thought about how good you are at that. It will be good for your résumé for your own store one day," he said, kissing her forehead. Leighanne walked up to them.
"You are hired honey," she told them. Gwen cheered and AJ grabbed her hand and pulled her onstage.
"Where are we going?!" Gwen asked.
"You gotta come backstage and help Nick pick out his costume. You gotta do your job babe," AJ said, smacking her butt. She whirled around.
"Watch it McLean," she warned.
~~a week later~~
Gwen was waiting at the airport and watching people walk out of the terminal. She searched the crowd for her sister. She spotted her wearing a hat and dark sun glasses.
"Ashleigh!" she cried. Ashleigh saw her sister and ran toward her. She removed her glasses and Gwen saw her sister's tear stained face. It was obvious she was crying the whole way here. Her sister collapsed into Gwen's arms and Gwen held her tight.
"Its okay...you're here now," she comforted. Ashleigh sniffled.
"Thank you so much," she said. Gwen nodded.
"No problem," Gwen said, as she and her sister walked to the baggage claim.
"I brought Rex," Ashleigh said. Gwen gasped.
"Really?! When did you go to my apartment?" she asked.
"Right after I got into the fight with mom and dad. You had given me an extra key a while ago so I stayed in your apartment until I could book a flight," Ashleigh explained. They grabbed a cart and loaded Ashleigh's bags. Gwen looked at her sister and felt her heart ache for her. She felt so bad for her.
"While we're here, I'll take you out. You need to meet some more people," Gwen said, trying to heal Ashleigh's broken heart.
"If I feel like it," Ashleigh replied. They walked out to the one of many cars AJ had that Gwen was borrowing. They loaded her luggage in the back and climbed into the big Expedition.
"We leave for tour next Wednesday. Opening night is Thursday," Gwen said. Ashleigh was going to come with them.
"Okay," Ashleigh said, gazing out the window.
"How are the girls?" Gwen asked, about their younger sisters.
"Maddy and Olivia are still upset I left but Whittney understands. I feel bad for leaving her," Ashleigh said. Gwen pulled up to AJ's gate and he buzzed them in. She parked in the driveway and they hopped out. AJ came outside to greet them.
"Hey honey," AJ greeted Ashleigh with a big hug. She hugged back and they pulled apart.
"How was your flight?" he asked, going over and kissing Gwen.
"It was good," Ashleigh answered. AJ and Gwen opened the trunk and got out her luggage. They helped her settle in and Ashleigh said she wanted to take a nap. AJ helped her settle into her room and quietly shut the door behind him. Gwen stood in the hall and shook her head.
"I could kill that bastard," she whispered.
"I know baby, I know," he said, hugging her. Ashleigh's ex-boyfriend was the cause of all her pain. She was involved with this guy for over three years and Ashleigh's heart was a big wound. Gwen and AJ quietly walked downstairs to play pool.
