Chapter 13
“Oh no, God, A.J. put me down!”
Lindsay screeched.
“No!” he grinned, standing in the
surf up to his knees. “You’re going in lady,” he teased, threatening to drop
her in the ocean.
“A.J. McLean, I’ll beat your ass,
so help me. Don’t you do it!” she laughed. "No wait! I take it back!”
“Too late,” he grinned. “I’ve
waited a year for you to beat my ass. Had I known that, I’d have thrown you in
a long time ago…” Lindsay closed her eyes, bracing herself for the shock of the
cold water.
Instead, A.J. kissed her and
walked back up to dry sand. “Ha!” Lindsay playfully punched him. “OUCH!” he
teased.
“Aw, that hurt? Want me to give
you baby Madi make your bo-bo better kisses?” Lindsay began to shower A.J. with
tiny kisses. Eventually she worked her way up to his mouth and stopped.
“What?” he groaned.
“Nothing…I just want to look at
you. I forgot how incredibly turned on I get just looking at you.” She touched
his mouth with her pinky finger. A.J. closed his eyes as she gently explored
his facial features. “I love you so much…” she whispered.
“Not as much as I love you…” A.J.
let himself be drawn in by her seductive eyes. “I thought I’d lost you…Linds.
I’m so lucky…” His tongue grazed her lips and he gently nibbled on her bottom
lip. Slipping one hand behind her neck he drew her to him, his kiss almost
devouring her. A small groan escaped her throat as she herself giving way to
his desires. “Linds…”
Nick had confided to him the
reason Kevin had shown up. He’d also broken the news that Jeanie signed the
divorce papers. Someone had to tell Lindsay, but he couldn’t bring himself to
do it…not tonight at least. “Nothing…” He reached for her hand and held it to
his lips. “Mrs. McLean…we have a lot of honeymoon left…let’s go.”
*****
Nick waited for the traffic signal
to change and popped the demo tape into the car’s tape player. As he listened
to “Broken Promises,” he relieved the weekend. The club, the night he and
Jeanie spent together, Kevin, the divorce…the wedding. It had only been three
days…
He didn’t want to go home. He
wanted to go with Jeanie, but couldn’t. Megan was like a mother hen fussing and
fretting over her plus Kevin was watching his every move.
When the song was over, he rewound
the tape and played it again. She was so upset, she didn’t realize he had the
tape or the music. He’d played it for A.J. and he wanted to jump on it. He’d
run it by Brian and Howie as soon as possible. If they agreed with his gut
instinct, that would be a four-out-of-five majority. Kevin’s vote wouldn’t
count. Broken Promises would be on the next album…that is, if they could
convince Jeanie. That might be the real problem.
Nothing to do…nowhere to go. It
felt weird, but it was true. He should probably go to California and see his
family. A.J. and Lindsay would be in the Bahamas until Friday. Brian was in
Atlanta. He hadn’t heard from Howie…last he’d heard he was in L.A. Kevin…
The more he thought about Kevin,
the angrier he became. He’d never exactly seen eye-to-eye with Kevin. He
respected him because he was older and wiser, or so he thought.
Nick wasn’t sure what he was
feeling when it came to Jeanie. He’d always heard that when you fall in love,
true love, you know it. She loved Kevin, no doubt about that. She never lied or
tried to cover it up. Still, Nick was enamored with her. He wanted to protect
her and make her laugh and feel her in his arms.
When the light turned, he made a
U-turn and headed back toward the airport. He didn’t really give a damn what
Kevin thought. Kevin might not want or care or love Jeanie Kirkpatrick, but
Nick sure as hell did.
*****
“How long are you going to be in
Texas?” Mac asked Sean peering over a sea of cardboard pizza boxes. Jessie and
two of her friends scurried in and out, Jeanie sat at the end of the table with
a glass of wine and quietly eating. Madi gnawed contentedly on a thick piece of
crust…occasionally sticking it in her dark hair or throwing it at the dog.
Jeanie would smile and patiently furnish her with a fresh piece and the whole
process would begin again. The dog was ecstatic.
“Just a couple of days. Hopefully,
Ms. Kirkpatrick will let me do my job.” He flashed a grin. Jeanie wrinkled her
nose and kept eating. Sean felt better about leaving her after he saw that she
had a house full.
The girls were laughing and playing
music. Talking on the phone to boys. Even though tonight the house was chaotic,
it was warm and incredibly laid back and easy. Sean felt at home from the
minute they’d arrived.
“Well, Uncle Mac is going to cut
out of here after we finish eating. There’s a lady waiting for me…” he grinned.
Jeanie smirked and tossed a piece of pizza at him. Madi threw her pizza as
well, but it hit a box, bounced off and to the floor.
The girls were getting of hand and
the noise level was way too high for late at night. They were screeching and it
sounded as if they knocked over a lamp. That’s when tiny little Regina, one of
Jessie’s best friends, came flying into the dining room.
“My Lord! Oh My Lord!” she
screamed. Sean and Mac stood up, fearful something had happened.
“What’s wrong?” Jeanie jumped up
and rushed to her. “Regina, breathe… breathe in, breathe out.”
Regina was almost in tears now.
“My Lord, help me…Nick Carter is in the living room.”