AJ followed Howie home after rehearsal to pick up Shane and take him back to his mother's house, where he and Sarah were staying. Howie fidgeted nervously in the elevator on the way up, checking his pocket for the ring and checking that the dozen white roses he was carrying weren't being crushed.
"Whoa, D, calm down. It's Rhiannon. You've wanted this for years and she already said yes, right?" AJ reminded him calmly.
"Yeah." Howie breathed, trying desperately to relax.
"So, it's gonna be great." AJ grinned. "Man, you've got everything you could want right here."
Howie relaxed a little, leaning back against the elevator wall. "Yeah, I do."
The elevator came to a stop and when the doors opened, they stepped out and walked the short distance down the hall to Howie's door. Howie juggled the roses and a grocery bag, pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.
"Rhi? Shane?" Howie called, as he stepped inside, AJ following behind, walked to the kitchen and set the groceries and roses on the counter. As he turned toward the door, Shane scampered in, followed by Rhiannon.
"Daddy!" Shane leapt into Howie's arms, then turned around, catching sight of AJ. "Uncle Alex!"
Chuckling, Howie passed his squirming son over to AJ. AJ laughed as Shane gave him an enthusiastic hug.
"Hey, little man." AJ hugged the excited little boy, then set him down. "Hey, Rhi. How you doing, girl? I missed ya." AJ pulled her into a gentle hug.
"Hey, Alex. I missed you, too." Rhiannon smiled, happy to see her best friend, outside of Howie. "I'm okay. I've been better, but I'm better than I was."
"That's good. And you and my best friend over there finally got together. I'm happy for you guys." AJ kissed her forehead gently. "Well, I told said best friend that Sarah and I would watch the little man tonight so you guys can have some alone time." AJ turned to Shane. "What do you think about that, Shane? Wanna spend the night with Uncle Alex and Aunt Sarah at Grandma Denise's?"
Shane looked at his mother pleadingly. Rhiannon couldn't help but smile at how much he looked like Howie and nodded.
"Yeah!" Shane bounced around the kitchen before attaching himself to AJ's leg, looking up at him with wide brown eyes.
"Man, he looks like you, D. Dunno why I never clued in before." AJ shook his head in disbelief at the resemblance. "Well, little man, why don't you and I go get your stuff, okay?" He suggested, disentangling Shane from his leg and picking him up again.
"All his stuff's already in a backpack in my room, man." Howie told AJ.
"Alright. Let's go get it, Shane." AJ carried Shane out of the kitchen and down the hall toward Howie's room, Shane talking a mile a minute to his uncle. Rhiannon and Howie watched them go, both smiling contentedly.
Howie looked away first, turning his attention to Rhiannon. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "I missed you today, baby." He sighed, breathing in the combined scents of her shampoo and something else that was just her. He bent down and brushed his lips over hers softly.
"I missed you, too." Rhiannon whispered against his lips before closing the distance between them and kissing him, longer and more intense.
Several minutes passed before Howie pulled away slightly, drawing a shaky breath. "Whoa." He sucked in another breath, fighting to keep hold of his senses, which were spinning out of control. "I take it you're feeling better than you did this morning." Howie said softly, when he regained the powers of speech.
Rhiannon smiled up him, her blue eyes shining with silent laughter. She slid her arms around Howie's neck, her fingers gently toying with the soft curls at the nape of his neck. "Yeah, I feel better. The headache's finally gone." She said softly.
"Ahem." Howie and Rhiannon turned toward the doorway to find Shane giggling and AJ with a smirk on his face.
"Yeah, you two definitely need some time to yourselves." AJ chuckled. "Well, we're gonna head out. I'll bring Shane back in the morning around 10 or 11?"
Howie and Rhiannon nodded. "That's fine, Alex." Rhiannon said. "Shane, you going to come give Daddy and me a hug goodbye?"
Shane ran over to his parents and hugged them both tightly. A few minutes later he and AJ had left, leaving Howie and Rhiannon alone.
