Back at the hotel, Howie went to his room to shower and Misty went to hers. Laura called her as soon as she got in.

"Mis," Laura spoke quietly.

"Yeah."

"It's Laur--"

Misty interrupted her. "I know. Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I don't know what got into me. I just..."

"Don't worry about it. I was calling to apologize, too. I shouldn't have stuck my nose in. And for the record, Kevin asked what was going on and I kept my mouth shut."

"Thank you. But, you'll be happy to hear..." Laura detected the change in Misty's voice. She sounded extremely happy. "You'll be happy to hear that I think it's gonna work with me and Howie. I think we'll make it this time."

"Wow! That's great. I knew it! You just had to give it time."

"Well, we're not officially back together, but its heading that way."

Laura was so excited for them. She wanted nothing more than for those two to be happy. Misty told her about the talk she had with Howie and the song, and everything else. But their conversation was cut short when there was a knock on Misty's door. She hung up the phone and went and opened the door to find a dozen purple roses lying in front of her. She knew they had to be from Howie.

She brought the flowers inside and read the card, which read simply, "XOXO". She immediately called Howie's room, but no one answered. Then she called his cell phone and again no one answered. Now her curiosity was getting to her. Just like a man to keep me waiting, she thought as she smelled the roses. They were beautiful, now if she could only find Howie.

Ten minutes later there was another knock at the door. This better be him, she thought, walking to the door. Once again, no one was there, but there were more roses... one dozen pink. She stood there for a minute, shocked, then finally brought them in. The card again said, "XOXO". She didn't even have time to put the card back before there was another knock on the door. Again more roses. A dozen white and a dozen red, all mixed together. This time she almost cried. Whoever was doing this cared for her a lot, she just hoped it was Howie. Then she realized that it was way too late for any florist to be open. Whoever was sending the roses was also delivering them.

The card to these was different. It also read "XOXO" but below it was the little smiley face that Howie always signed with his autograph. Just as she was about to tear up again, someone knocked again. She looked around the room wondering where she was going to put more flowers. She opened the door to find no roses, but instead it was Howie.

Misty flung her arms around him the minute she saw him. She had never seen him look so good. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans and had his hair pulled back in the usual ponytail, which was still wet from the shower.

"Gee, I've never gotten a welcome quite like this!" he laughed, then stepped into the room. "Wow, Mis, who sent ya all the flowers?"

She looked at him for a moment, confused at his remark, then remembered the last card. "You did, silly."

"Yeah, what gave it away? You like them?"

"I love them." She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek... a little less than he'd expected and hoped for.

They sat down in front of the TV and just talked for a while. They were even holding hands. "So did you like the show?" he asked her.

"Of course I did! It was awesome. But you have got to be so tired," she rubbed her hand softly down his cheek.

"Yeah, I think I'm the only one still awake. I just had to see you though."

Misty smiled at him. "Thanks, Howie, and thank you so much for all the flowers. They're beautiful. But you need to go get some sleep. You've got another show tomorrow."

"Yeah, and an interview for a newspaper or something, in the morning." Howie leaned over and hugged her, telling her goodnight. Their cheeks brushed each other as they slowly pulled apart. Without thinking, Howie tilted his head and kissed her.

It shocked Misty at first, but she had hoped it would happen. She eagerly kissed him back. Howie broke the kiss, "Misty, there's something I have to tell you," he held her hands in his. She looked at him with a worried look in her eyes. "Remember the night we broke up?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Do you know why I came over there?"

She thought about it for a minute, "No, come to think of it I don't."

Howie squeezed her hands in his, "I went to see you because I wanted to tell you..." he trailed off.

"Tell me what?"

"That I love you," he said softly, searching her face for her reaction.

"Oh, Howie. I am SO sorry," she looked at their hands, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

"Why?"

"That was one of the reasons I wanted to end it. I didn't think you loved me."

"I know. I’m sorry. I should've said it sooner. I regret that. Misty, look at me." She slowly raised her head up to see a tear roll down his cheek. "That's why I'm telling you this. That feeling never left. I still love you. Misty," he paused to put a hand on her cheek, "I love you."

"Howie," she was so happy. She immediately kissed him again. "Come here," she whispered, standing and walking into the adjoining room, the bedroom. She held both of his hands in hers. "Howie, I love you, too." She slipped her hand under his shirt, rubbing his chest as he leaned to kiss her.

She nudged him to get him to break the kiss. He helped her to pull his shirt over his head. He paused for a minute, lightly ran his fingers alongside her face. "You sure about this?"

"Howie, I love you so much. I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

Howie sighed deeply, "I love you," then he carried her over to the bed and began to make love to her.

The next morning Misty woke up before Howie. She had already taken a shower and was standing in her robe, putting on her makeup, when finally Howie woke up.

"Good morning," Howie yawned and stretched.

"Good morning sleepyhead, two hours 'til your interview."

Howie twisted the sheet around him and moved so that his head was at the foot of the bed. He was laying on his stomach, propped up on his elbows, looking at Misty. His hair was down and hanging slightly over the front of his bare shoulders. His hair had grown so much since Misty last saw it down, she loved the way he looked.

"You know, Mis, you don't need that stuff. You're beautiful without it."

Misty walked over to the bed. "Yeah, well you wear it, too!" she teased, knowing how he hated being made up for photo shoots, interviews, and concerts.

"Oh, yeah!" Howie turned on his back, grabbed the top of her legs and pulled her down on the bed. He got on top of her and pinned her down, tickling her. She was laughing so hard she barely had the breath to plead for him to stop. Just when she thought she couldn't stand it anymore, he pressed against her and started kissing her. He moved one hand up her leg and under her robe.

"Howie! Quit! You've got that interview. You have to get ready and so do I!" she started laughing at him.

"Oh, alright! Can't a guy have any fun?"

Misty got off the bed, "You had you're fun last night!"

Howie stood up and slipped on his boxers, "Yes. I did."

Misty laughed and threw his jeans and T-shirt at him. "Now go get ready!"

Misty, Laura, and Leighanne stood behind the journalist, off camera, and watched their men get quizzed about everything. Then finally that same question came up: "Do any of you have girlfriends?" Misty was curious as to how AJ was going to handle this. Nick answered first, "Nah, I don't. I'm just dating casually right now."

Then Brian: "Yes, I'm in a serious relationship. I have a girlfriend that I love very much." Leighanne sighed and looked at him, lovingly.

Next was AJ: "I don't have a girlfriend at the moment, but I am in love with someone, if that makes sense. We're just not a couple at the moment." Misty felt everyone looking at her. She was glad that all the attention soon focused on Kevin.

"Yes, I, like Brian, am in a serious relationship. I have been for a while, but we never wanted to go public until now. She's my life. I love her."

Leighanne and Misty both smiled and looked at Laura, who was crying tears of happiness as she mouthed, "I love you," to Kevin, who nodded in acknowledgement.

Then came Howie: "No, I don't have a girlfriend. But I am kinda seeing someone, nothing serious."

Misty's heart was broke once again. Without a word to anyone she left the interview and took a cab back to the hotel.

Laura and Leighanne saw Misty leave, neither of them knew what was wrong, but they had a good idea that it had something to do with that last question.

Thankfully the interview was over. Everyone wanted to know where Misty was, but she had said nothing before she ran out. Leighanne told them that she had just left in a hurry without explanation. They all decided that she had probably went back to the hotel, so that's where they went. They had a couple of hours before the soundcheck.

At the hotel, the receptionist stopped Howie as they walked in. "Um, Mr. Dorough," she handed him a slip of paper. "Your guest has checked out of her room. This is the bill, you can pay when you leave. “Howie looked at the paper, thanked the receptionist, and hurried to catch up with the rest of the guys.

Everyone gathered in Brian's room. Howie just sat and starred at the paper, while everyone else threw out ideas as to where she could be or why she left.

Kevin walked in the room, turning off his cell phone. "Well, I found her. She's sitting at the airport. She said she's going back to Orlando and the first flight she could get leaves in an hour and a half."

"What? Did she say why she was going back?" Howie stood up.

"Yeah, she did," Kevin took a seat beside Laura. "Apparently she was under the impression that you guys were back together."

"We are, so why would she leave?"

"Are you forgetting about that interview. You said that you..."

Howie finished for him. "Didn't have a girlfriend. I only said that because I wasn't sure if she wanted me to say anything about us. We hadn't had time to talk about that yet."

"Well, you need to explain it to her, not us," Kevin added, holding Laura's hand.

"Yeah, D, we've got like three hours before soundcheck. Go after her." Nick was trying to get Howie to hurry.

"Okay. Laura, have you turned in the rental car yet?"

"No, here." Laura tossed the keys to Howie and he hurried out the door.

Howie didn't want Misty to give up on him again. He knew he could explain it to her and hopefully she'd understand. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't see the next traffic light turn red. He drove through the intersection just as another car was turning. The other car slammed on their brakes, but skidded into his. Howie was knocked unconscious.

Nick was the first person Misty saw as she rushed into the hospital. Kevin had called her and told her what happened.

"Nick! How is he?" She ran up to him.

Nick put his hands on her shoulders and tried to calm her down. "Mis, it turns out he's fine. Just a few cuts and bruises, but they want to keep him overnight for observation."

"Where is he? I want to see him? Will they let me see him?" Trying to calm her down hadn't worked. Nick nodded his head and guided her down the long hallway to Howie's room. Brian was walking out of the room when they got there.

"Anyone with him?" Misty asked Brian.

"No, go on in. He's sleeping right now. The nurses gave him a sedative."

"A sedative? Why?"

Brian chuckled, "Because after he came to he kept trying to leave. He tried to refuse treatment to get to you." He patted her on the shoulder, "You've got yourself a winner, Misty Dawn. C'mon Nick, we've go a show to do."

"Hey, Mis, you gonna be alright?" Nick asked as Brian walked off.

"Yeah, I'll probably see you back at the hotel after the show tonight. I'm just going to stay here for a while."

Nick hugged her and then followed Brian outside to catch up with AJ and Kevin who were in the lobby. Misty quietly opened the door to Howie's room and walked in.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. She sat down beside his bed and lightly caressed his cheek. "I love you, Howie," she whispered, taking his hand in hers as she started to cry. She sat beside him the entire night. She fell asleep holding his hand, with her head leaned against the bed.

The sedative had worn off and Howie was waking up. He saw her and smiled. He whispered her name and rubbed his hand down her hair, gently waking her up.

"Misty, you're here." His voice was raspy from this being his first words of the day.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Kevin said you were leaving me." He looked at her worried, but she reassured him.

"No, baby. I was, but Kevin explained everything to me. I'm sorry I overreacted. I know we hadn't discussed our relationship."

Howie smiled, "I just want us to be together. I love you so much."

"That's all I want. I love you, too."

Just as they were about to kiss, a nurse walked in. "You've got your walking papers Mr. Dorough. You've been released."

"Alright!" Howie and Misty laughed and he signed the papers handed to him by the nurse.

Being on the road and the entire hectic lifestyle of touring was already getting to Misty. They were on their way to another city, and Misty had been napping in Howie's bunk. She woke up to the sound of AJ's voice. He was on his cell phone talking to Amanda. It sounded like he was in his bunk which was directly across from Howie's. She could tell they were having another one of their usual arguments. She heard him bring the conversation to a close and turn off the phone. She decided to talk to him, since once again, they seemed to be avoiding each other.

"Girl problems?" Misty asked, getting out of the bunk.

AJ laughed, "How'd ya guess?"

The two of them made their way to the back, away from the others. "We broke up again. I do love her, but I just can't seem to make it work."

Misty patted AJ on the leg. "Sounds to me like y'all are great friends, but horrible at being a couple."

"You know, I think that's it. I never really looked at it that way." AJ laughed, "You sound just like Brian did when he first got to Florida!"

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Misty smiled, at least they could still talk. Nick interrupted them to come to the front.

Everyone was sitting around and Laura and Kevin were standing. Laura flashed Misty a big grin while Kevin began to speak.

"We just wanted to tell you guys that you are all very important to us. And at this point in our career, we can't afford to have any drastic changes."

Everyone looked at each other. Then Laura picked up the conversation. "What Kev is saying is, we've finally gone public with our relationship, but we are trying to stay ahead of the fans."

Kevin finished, "So what we mean is, although it will be a while before anything happens, we do want you to know that, I have asked Laura to marry me."

There was a dead silence on the bus followed by a round of applause. Laura quickly added, "But this will be a long engagement. At least a year or year and a half."

Misty was so happy. She knew they loved each other. She was also first to ask to see the ring, which of course Laura had no problem showing off. It was the exact ring she had always wanted. It was a simple one carat marquee diamond with a thin gold band. Kevin would have bought her any diamond, but that was what she wanted, and that was what he gave her.

Misty, Laura, and Leighanne spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and giggling and talking about the future.

Two months had past and the tour was finally coming to a close. The guys were off for Christmas and very thankful for that. Kevin and Laura got to formally announce their engagement to their families and no one was any less than thrilled for them.

During the tour the guys had done another show in Kentucky and Howie had gotten to meet Misty's family. She had been a little worried, but everything went well. Her family loved him. Misty had also agreed to meet his family and stay with them on Christmas Eve.

Everyone was back in Florida, Misty had went to Laura's.

"Laur--I am so nervous about next week. What am I going to wear? How should I act? Will they like me?

Laura had been unpacking while Misty followed her from room to room talking away. "Misty! Relax! Okay, let's see, something festive, yourself, and yes because Howie does. Remember when he met your family?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he was nervous as hell and everything went fine."

Misty laughed, "Yeah, he was so quiet around my parents! They still don't know what a chatterbox he is."

Laura raised an eyebrow at Misty, "And you're not? Geez! Trust me, you'll be fine. Howie loves you and so will they. Just be yourself."

"I guess you're right. Well, I do have to go. Howie's making dinner for me tonight."

"Oooh, how spiritual."

"Shut up."

They both laughed and Misty left for Howie's.

When Misty pulled up the driveway she noticed that Nick wasn't home and all the lights were out. That's odd she thought, letting herself in the house.

"Howie?" she called out. No answer. She looked on the floor and saw a trail of roses. She picked each one up, following the trail. By the time she reached the dining room, she had picked up eighteen roses.

The room was entirely lit by candles. Howie was standing by the table, pulling out her chair.

"I'll take those now," he said putting the roses in an empty vase on the table.

They ate dinner in almost complete silence, glancing at each other every few minutes. When they finished Howie stood and walked over to her. "I'm sorry, madam, but dessert will not be served in the dining room."

Misty, playing along, "Oh, really?? Where will it be served?"

"Right this way. Follow me."

Misty tried to act serious, but as she walked behind him she had to cover her mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter. He had on a nice shirt and khaki's with his hair pulled back. Whenever he used his "waiter voice" he arched his back and stood very straight. Misty couldn't help but giggle. He glanced over his shoulder at her as they went upstairs, and she quickly regained her composure. He took her to the end of the hall, to his bedroom. Again the room was glowing in candle light. She took a look around the room. She saw where the other six roses to complete the two dozen had been placed. The bed was entirely covered in rose petals. On the nightstand were strawberries and chocolate. And in the center of the bed was a small package wrapped with red shiny paper with a huge bow tied around it.

Misty sat on the end of the bed. "What's this?" she said picking up the gift.

"Open it." Howie smiled, sitting beside her.

Misty looked around the room again, down at the gift, then back at Howie. "Howie, you didn't have to..."

Howie smiled at her, "Shhh. Just open it."

Misty took the top off the box. Inside was a small, delicate, light purple negligee. She blushed and grinned at Howie.

"Why don't you go try that on. Be sure to let me see it on you." Howie leaned over and kissed her.

"I'll be right back. Don't move." Misty traced his lips with her fingers as he kissed them, then went into the bathroom to change. When she pulled it out of the box, she noticed that it felt a little odd. Like it was heavier on one side than the other. She didn't pay any attention to it, and quickly put it on. Then she noticed something cool on her shoulder. She stepped over to the mirror and almost passed out the minute she saw what was odd about the negligee. The small straps were the kind that tie on the shoulders. On the left shoulder, Howie had tied a ring in the strap. She went back to the bedroom, and pointed at her shoulder. "Howie, what's this?"

Howie walked toward her, took her by the hand and led her to the bed, where she sat down on the edge. "You look so beautiful." He kissed her then kissed is way down her neck and over her left shoulder. "And this," he untied the strap, took the ring off and tied the strap back, "is a ring." He then knelt down in front of her. "Misty, I know we've not been dating that long and Laura and Kevin just got engaged a couple of months ago. I don't want to take the spotlight away from them, but ever since the accident, I've wanted to do this. I don't want to lose you again, ever. Misty..." he took her hand in his, "will you marry me?"

Misty just sat there. Her hand trembled as she slipped out a "yes" and he placed the ring on her finger. He then rose from his knee and kissed her again. They spent the rest of the night in each others arms.

The next morning Misty and Howie laid in bed until the afternoon, talking. She told him about how nervous she was about meeting his family and they talked about how they were going to tell everyone about their engagement.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that as much as I do." Howie said as he pulled her closer to him. His arm was around her shoulders. She had her head resting on his shoulder as she gently rubbed her fingers over his chest.

She raised her head up to look at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I wanted to do this right, so I called and got your father's permission to ask you."

"You did what? Howie, that's so sweet."

He kissed her forehead, "And Mom and Dad kind of expect this, with me bringing you home and all. I told them that I had been thinking about it for a while."

"Can I ask you something? How long do you want to wait until we get married? I mean, your fans don't even know you have a girlfriend."

"I know. I think it's rumored that I do, but no one is sure. I guess you're just going to have to go with me everywhere and if it comes up I just tell them you're my girlfriend."

"And what about fiancé?"

"It'll come out eventually, but personally, Mis, I don't really want a long engagement, like Kevin and Laura are having." He moved his arm back off her shoulders and slid down to be face to face with her.

"Honestly, Howie, I don't either." She smiled at him, rubbing her hand down his arm.

"Okay, then how does March sound to you?"

"Howie! December will be over in a week!"

"Well, I know you don't want to get married before then and there's too many things going on for you in April. Do you want to wait until after then? I think Kevin and Laura set a May or June wedding."

"June." Misty sighed, "March it is!" She laid back on the bed, rubbing her fingers back through her hair. "I can't believe I'm getting married in three months! This is so unreal!"

Howie put his arms arm around her. "Believe it, baby... I love you." He leaned over top of her and kissed her, gradually working his way down her body. Both of them knew they were going to be there all day. :o)

Kevin and Laura were still in bed and it was well after noon. Laura had gotten up and fixed breakfast for the two of them and brought it back up to the bedroom. They had been talking about their engagement and had moved on to other topics.

"I wonder what Misty and Howie are doing right now?" Kevin seemed to be thinking out loud.

"I don't think you'd really want to know the answer to that. Probably what we just did!" Laura started laughing. She knew Kevin hated thinking of Misty like that. He was so protective of her.

"Laura!"

"Well, you asked."

"But I didn't want to hear that. Eh, you're probably right. I'm so glad they finally worked everything out. They seem to be really happy. Hey, aren't they spending Christmas with his family?"

Laura got up and put their trays away from breakfast. "Yes. It's about time she met his family, especially now."

"What do you mean?" Kevin looked at her like he had no clue what she meant.

"Uh, er, um..." Laura tried to change the subject, but couldn't think quick enough.

"Laura..." Kevin's voice turned a little harsh, trying to pull the truth out of her.

Laura got back in bed and held his hand. "Um, well, Kev... I don't know if it's true or not, but I talked to Nick last night, he said he was spending the night with AJ."

"Yeah, so, he does that occasionally."

"Well, he was staying with AJ so Howie and Misty could be alone." Laura searched his face to try to see what he was thinking.

"Laura, honey, what's wrong with that? I know she stays with him sometimes. What does this all have to do with her meeting his family?" Laura raised her eyebrows at him then Kevin suddenly felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. "Laura, you don't think? Did Nick..."

"Nick said that he wasn't sure, but he thinks Howie had planned on proposing to her."

"You're kidding?! This soon? He's crazy! She won't, I don't think, I mean, I hope she says no. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're back together, but this is ridiculous. She's too young. She..." Kevin got out of bed and began to put his clothes on.

"Kevin, she's 22 years old, only 2 years older then me. She can make her own decisions. You can't choose everything for her, especially her husband. You did have a hand in the matchmaking if I remember correctly." Laura stopped speaking as she saw Kevin get up. "Where are you going?"

"Home. I want to be there when she gets in. We are going to have to talk about this. Brian is going to flip."

"Kevin! You hold it right there! You'll do no such thing!" Laura got out of bed and walked after him, pulling him back by the arm. "She is a grown woman. You don't need to look out for her anymore. Just be happy for her. She's got a good head on her shoulders, you know that. She won't do anything that she doesn't feel is right."

Kevin sighed and went back into the bedroom sitting on the bed. "You're right. I just can't help but see her as a kid still."

Laura sat beside him, rubbing her hand up and down his back, "You care about her, that's all. Just trust her decisions. We don't even know if he asked her. This is Nick we're talking about!"

Kevin laughed. Laura was glad to hear him laughing. He had her a little scared for a minute. Laura got behind him on the bed and massaged his shoulders. He tilted his head back and let out a deep sigh. "Feel better?" Laura asked, and he agreed. "You know this works better with your shirt off..." she whispered, lowering her hands to his waist, tugging upward on his shirt. Kevin pulled his shirt off and Laura paused to look at him. She had seen him like this so many times, but sometimes she still couldn't get over how good he looked. She shook her head and got back to the massage. She started with the back of his neck and moved outward, over his shoulders. As she moved her hands down toward his arms, she began to place light kisses over his shoulders. She heard him breath deeply, knowing he was liking it, she began to run her nails lightly over his back. He arched his back, tilting his head back toward her. Laura got up on her knees and brought her hands around him to his chest, letting her nails glide downward, as she kissed him. She moved from behind him and gently pushed him back on the bed. She straddled his waist and began placing hot kisses over his entire body. She erased all worry from his mind and he only concentrated on her.

Misty and Howie pulled into her driveway. Brian and Kevin were both already there. "Hmmmm... I wonder if Leigh and Laura are here, too?" she thought aloud.

"Probably. Looks like we we're getting almost everybody at once." Howie laughed, rubbing his hand on her shoulder. He could tell she was nervous. Misty turned of the car and just sat there for a few seconds, collecting her thoughts. "Mis, you know, we can postpone the engagement, if you want."

"No, Howie. This is the way I want it. I'm just really stressed right now. I know Brian and Kevin are gonna flip. Not to mention that I'm totally strung out about meeting your parents."

"I told you, they will love you. Let's just work on step one. You ready?"

Misty took a deep breath, "This is as good as I'm gonna get. Let's go."

They walked inside to find everyone there. Laura and Kevin were eyeing her suspiciously. "They know." Misty whispered to Howie out of the corner of her mouth. Howie just smiled and walked on into the living room.

"Hey guys what's up?"

"We were getting ready to ask you the same thing. Where have you been all day?" Kevin looked at Misty who felt like just running to her room and locking the door.

"Oh, out... with Howie..." Misty walked through the living room and went to the kitchen to get a soda. When she came back Laura was still looking at her.

"Hey, Mis! Did you get a new ring! Let me see that! I can see it shining from here!" Laura suspected it was an engagement ring because of her earlier conversation with Nick. She could also see Misty's nervousness, so being the good friend she always was, she thought she aid Misty a little in breaking the news.

"Did you say new ring? Let me see..." Leighanne walked over to Misty who locked eyes with Howie. He just stood and smiled. It was his only defense.

"Misty! Is that what I think it is?" Laura winked at Misty.

Misty sighed, glanced at Howie again, then spoke. "Well, I know you and Kevin just got engaged, and I didn't want to take the attention away from you two..."

"Misty, hello, are you crazy! This is wonderful! Congratulations!" Laura hugged her, followed by Leighanne.

Brian just stood there with his mouth open. Kevin was gritting his teeth. Howie, well, he was just praying for a miracle.

"Kevin! Did you hear that? Misty and Howie are engaged!" Laura seemed to be shouting at the top of her lungs.

Kevin finally spoke up, "So, Howie, when's the big day?"

"Well, we've not positive, but it's looking like March 9th." Howie said looking at Misty, who was trying to slip out of the room.

"Really?! You're putting it off for over a year?" Brian asked.

"Well, um, no... this coming March." Howie took a few steps away from the other guys.

Kevin turned to look at him. "You mean, you and Misty are getting married in less than three months? Why?"

Misty decided to help Howie out. "Well, Kev, we just don't want a long engagement and we wanted to get married in the springtime so March seemed like a good time to do it." She grinned at him, signaling how badly she wanted his approval.

Kevin and Brian both took a deep breath. Kevin reached his hand out to Howie. Howie shook his hand. "Howie, congratulations. I mean it. I'm shocked that you two are getting married so soon, but I know you love each other and that's what's important."

"Thank you, Kevin, we appreciate that."

Brian hugged Howie while Kevin went to hug Misty, "Congrats, D. She's a good girl. I know you'll take care of her," he stepped back and gave him a serious look, pointing at him, "you better or you'll have me to deal with." Brian and Kevin laughed. Howie looked over at Misty. He could see the relief on her face. Now if she could just make it through Christmas at the Dorough's.

Christmas Eve finally arrived. Misty had been with Howie's family for almost three hours, and her nervousness was finally starting to leave. They didn't arrive until 8pm, Howie planned it that way, so they would all go to bed not long after they got there. He thought it would help her relax. Everyone had been right, his family seemed to like her, either that or they were good actors, she thought. She had met his brother and sisters, mom and dad. Everyone had started leaving around ten and she was glad. They were nice and all, but this was way too many people to meet at one time. Misty didn't like being the center of attention. She had just escaped to the kitchen, to try to catch a breath, when Howie's mother, Paula, walked in.

"Get used to it, dear," Paula said patting Misty on the back.

"What's that?"

"Attention. Get used to being the center of attention if you're going to marry him." Paula smiled at her.

Misty gave her a questionable look, "You know? Did he tell you?"

Paula laughed and sighed, "Yes, he did. Looks like my baby is getting married soon. We all know. He told us because he knew you didn't want a big fuss about it."

Misty was actually quite relieved, "Well, it's not that, it's just I was already nervous about just meeting you, then this. It seemed too much at once."

"Well, we all knew it was coming. He brought it up a while back. His father and I both told him that this was something that he had to decided on himself and leave us out of it. I told him that as long as he was sure he loved you and wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, and that you were a good and honest person, that he should just follow his heart and then we'd follow him."

Misty teared up. "Thank you, Mrs. Dorough."

"Now no need for tears! Now get yourself on up to bed. I know you've got to be tired." Misty smiled and did as she was told. As she left the room, Paula said one more thing to her, "Oh and, sweetie, call me Paula." Misty nodded and smiled and left the room.

"Well, goodnight Mom. Goodnight Dad." Howie hugged his parents and walked to the staircase.

"Remember Howie... you're own room, please." Paula reminded him that she wanted them to sleep in separate rooms. She didn't care what they did elsewhere, but in her house they weren't staying in the same room unless they were married.

"Okay, Mom. I'm just gonna check in on her before I go to bed."

"That's fine, but I'll be checking in on you."

Howie left and went upstairs. He cracked open the door to Misty's room. She was sound asleep. He started to not bother her, but instead he walked on in, shutting the door behind him. Howie snuggled in behind her, and put his arm around her. Misty sighed as he locked his fingers in hers, and kissed her neck. "Howie..." she whispered.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep." Howie whispered back. He just laid there looking at her. He thought back to the day when he picked her up at the airport. He never dreamed that the day would come that she would be with him, with his family, celebrating their engagement. Lost in his thoughts, he soon drifted off to sleep.

Not long after, Howie's mom peeked in on them. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Misty was all the way to the edge of the bed, snuggled under the covers. Howie was right behind her, but on top of the covers, fully clothed, with his shoes still on. Well, I guess this is alright, she thought. But she did go over to Howie and slip his shoes off. Thankfully he never woke up and Paula slipped back out of the room.

The next morning the entire family was back together when Howie and Misty came downstairs. "Sleep well?" Paula asked, winking at Howie.

"Mom!" he said, blushing. He and Misty sat down with the others as everyone began to open gifts. It seemed everyone had bought Misty something. She couldn't get over how well she seemed to fit in the family. It was like this was routine for her.

When everyone was almost finished, Howie handed her a small package. "Here, this is from me."

"Howie, you've bought me too much already."

"Just open it."

Misty did as she was told. He had bought her a pair of diamond earrings. "I wasn't sure what you wanted so I hope this will do."

"Howie, I love them. Besides, I've got all I ever wanted with you."

They were interrupted by Howie's brother, John. He tapped Howie on the shoulder. Howie and Misty looked up to see John holding mistletoe over their heads. "Well, we can't go against tradition!" Howie said as he leaned over to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Misty replied, thanking him again for everything.

The next two months flew by for Misty. She had been busy nonstop, getting everything ready for the wedding. Howie had decided to have his brother stand as best man, and the rest of the group as groomsmen. Misty, not having any siblings, asked Laura to be her maid of honor and had Leighanne and Howie's sisters, and a couple of old friends as bridesmaids. The day before the wedding, she and Laura, went out for some last minute items and to just catch up. Misty had done everything by herself, with help from Laura and Howie, but had little time to actually sit down and talk to Laura. The stress of everything was getting to Misty and she hadn't been feeling well, so this was also a bit of a break for her. She and Laura stopped at a small cafe for lunch.

"I can't believe it. I was dating Kevin long before you and Howard ever met, and you two are getting married before us!" Laura still teased Misty over this fact.

"Well, this way, you can see how not to do a wedding and yours will be perfect! You just have three months left you know." Misty picked at her food.

"Misty! I wish you would eat. I don't think I've seen you eat anything in a month!"

"I know. I've just stayed so busy. I've not been taking care of myself lately. But after tomorrow all of that will change. It will all be over and I can finally relax." Misty sighed, but Laura started laughing. "What is it?" Misty started laughing with her.

"Well, I don't know if relax is the right word! Yeah, you'll spend the next two weeks in bed, but I don't know how much time you'll be relaxing!" Laura threw her napkin at Misty.

"Laura!" she laughed, "You're probably right!"

"Oh gosh, next subject. You know Mis, I've still not seen your dress. When are you going to show it to me?"

Misty laughed. "You're not going to believe this, but I've gained like five pounds, which isn't much, but I had to have the dress let out a bit because of it. I couldn't breath. I bought it too tight to begin with. I have to go pick it up today, well, I'm supposed to be there now."

"You're such a goober! Let's go get it."

Misty and Laura left and walked down the street to the boutique.

"Hi, Misty! Your dress is all ready to go. Do you want to try it on again?" Sarah, the clerk, had seen them through the window and had already gotten Misty's dress for her.

"YES! She does!" Laura said. She wanted to see it.

"You're such a... nevermind... here, hold my purse." Misty gave Laura her purse and took the dress into the dressing room. When she came back out, Laura couldn't believe her eyes.

"Misty, Howie is gonna piss his pants when he sees you!"

Misty fluffed out the bottom of the dress, "Well, I hope not! That could get messy." She checked herself in the mirror. "Do I look fat to you?"

Laura looked at her, "Hell no, you don't. Five pounds isn't gonna kill you. You look beautiful. The dress is perfect."

Misty smiled, checking herself from the side. The dress was beautiful. It had wide straps and came down with a square neckline. The bodice of the gown fit very tight, like a corset almost and then the bottom came out away from her body and down. It was huge. This was the biggest, most eloquent, and stylish gown Laura had ever seen. It also had a cathedral length train.

"Who paid for this Misty?" Laura was examining the $2500 price tag.

"Huh, oh, Howie's credit card."

"Does he know?"

"That he paid for it? Yeah. That he paid that much for it? Nope."

Laura started laughing. "Well don't tell him till after the honeymoon."

"I'm not telling him at all! He can read a billing statement!"

The girls just laughed and Misty changed back into her clothes. It was almost time for the rehearsal so they went straight to the church from there.

"Why can't you stay with me? This is our last night as single people." Howie said over the phone, begging Misty to come over.

"Exactly Howie. From here on out we're going to be spending every night together. This is our last one alone. Besides you can't see me tomorrow until the ceremony, it's bad luck. If I spent the night there you'd see me."

"Oh alright. Nick finished moving today." Howie laughed as did Misty.

"Poor boy. First you let him move in with you, now you're kicking him out. Where is he going to live now?"

"With AJ. That shouldn't last too long. AJ likes his space, he'll probably give Nick the boot in a month."

"Oh, geez. This should be interesting. Well, Howard, I'm going to bed. I have to get some sleep if I'm going to be all pretty tomorrow. Did you get everything in line for the honeymoon?"

"Yep. It's all in order. Get some sleep. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you, too."

They said they're goodbyes and hung up the phone. Leighanne and Laura were spending the night there so they could help her get ready for the wedding. Leighanne was already in bed and Laura was waiting on Misty when she went upstairs.

"Laur... what are you doing up? And in my room for that matter?"

"I just wanted to chat before the big day."

"Didn't we do that earlier?" Misty said yawning.

"Yeah. I just had a question. Where are you two going on your honeymoon? You never did say."

"I didn't? Oh, well, I've always wanted to go to Ireland and Howie's half Irish so that's where we're going. I don't think there's much to do there, but it's a pretty country."

"Like you'll even be out of your hotel long enough to see!"

They laughed and sat up for an hour just talking about the future and Kevin and Laura's wedding. Finally Laura decided to go to bed. They all had a big day tomorrow, especially Misty.

At the church, everyone was all gathered inside waiting for the wedding to start. Howie had flown in all of Misty's family and all of his family was there. Laura peeked in at everyone. "Damn, this is one big get together! Excuse me, I can't believe I just said that in a church."

Misty laughed and immediate quit when she heard the music start. "Well, this is it!" Misty's father held out his arm to her as the bridesmaids began walk into the church.

"I know."

"Nervous?" Misty put her arm through his and he held her hand.

"Oh, yeah. But I know this is right. We are so in love, Daddy. I just can't believe this all happened so soon."

"Well, just remember what I taught you. You're a good girl, and good girls get good things. He's a wonderful man, Misty. I know you two will be together forever. You're made for each other. But no matter what, you're still my little girl..." he pulled out a handkerchief and blotted his eyes.

"Don't start this! I'll flood the place before I even see Howie." Misty laughed trying not to cry. Then it was her turn. She stood at the end of the aisle and saw Howie up at the front. No turning back.

Howie was amazed at her beauty. Never before had he seen anyone look so gorgeous. Finally they reached the front. Misty's father raised her veil, kissed her on the cheek and gave her hand to Howie.

"...you may now kiss the bride!"

Howie and Misty kissed as the entire church applauded. They were finally husband and wife.

"For the very first time... Howard and Misty Dorough!" AJ did the introduction at the reception. Who else? Misty was relieved that he had taken news of their engagement so well and had been one of Howie's groomsmen. AJ and Misty had actually grown very close in friendship.

Misty and Howie shared their first dance together as husband and wife while everyone else looked on. Eventually Kevin and Laura started dancing and everyone else soon followed.

The bride and groom did all of the usual reception traditions... fed each other the wedding cake, which Misty "accidentally" smeared up Howie's face, and now it was time for the toasts.

Howie's brother John went first. "I just want to say, that I've not known Misty personally for very long, but it seems like I've known her forever. Howie never let one conversation pass without talking about how wonderful she was. So Misty, I know you make my brother happy and that you will take good care of him, as he will you. I love you both." John raised his glass to them. Howie stood and hugged his brother, almost ready to cry, then Laura stood for her toast.

"Well, I've known Misty for a while, so I can fill you all in!" Misty knew Laura would get everyone laughing. "Misty is something else. I don't know what, but something. I'm just kidding. Seriously, I've known Howie for some time, and he doesn't fall in love too easily. He always takes everything slow and serious. But when I first saw you two together, I knew it was going to work out. You two are made for each other. I think we will be, but I only hope that Kevin and I are as happy as the two of you. I love you guys."

Misty hugged Laura and then Howie joined Misty. When the applause settled Howie took Misty's hand in his and began to speak. "I wanted to say a few words, too. Misty and I just want to say how special each an every one of you are to us. That's why you're here. But there is another person that is very special to us, that we love dearly, that couldn't be here today." Misty squeezed his hand and tried her best not to cry. "Misty and I have only known this person for about three months now, but they have made such an impact on each of our lives and our life together that we will never be the same. We want all of you to meet this person, so we hope that each of you will help us in celebrating the birth of our son or daughter in September."

There was an immediate applause in the room along with some looks of shock, Laura and Kevin for one. Howie leaned and kissed Misty. "I love you Mrs. Dorough".

"I love you, too... 'Daddy.'"