Chapter 28
The weekend passed very quickly, too quickly in my opinion. It was time for Nick to go back to work, and for me to learn to cope. My job was the only thing keeping me sane. I had found a great friend in Dee and the two of us became inseparable while the guys were gone. I kept Dee's mind off of her missing Kevin, and she kept me occupied so that I didn't get weepy over Nick.
"Hey, Heather, did I tell you what happened this weekend?" she said making me very curious.
"No, no, spill it, Dee. Give me all the details!" I said excited.
She then told me all about how Kevin had invited AJ over to spend time with the two of them. I didn't think much of it until she told me what BOTH Kevin and AJ had done. I was in shock, needless to say.
"And you let them do that?" I asked curiously.
"Well, I couldn’t think of a good reason NOT too. Kevin was the one that initiated it and I thought it was fun actually. I mean, AJ and I had shared good times before, so, now, I had the best of both worlds, and they were both under my control." she said, giggling like a schoolgirl.
"Hey! Now girl, I thought you were Kevin's babe?" I said rather than questioned.
"Well, I am, but Kevin, he wants me to be happy, I guess. I know we will talk about this more. It's just that we were having such a great time this weekend that we really didn't discuss stuff, if you know what I mean." she laughed.
"Oh yeah!" I was laughing. I couldn't believe that Kevin would do this, AJ yes, but Kevin? That was definitely a side of him that I never knew was there.
I started to feel a bit sad as I heard Dee talk about Kevin and AJ. I wanted to talk to Nick, but I knew that he was in rehearsals. He would be away a lot now, and it was just killing me. I wanted to just be around him. I wanted him to hold me, and to kiss me. I remembered a cd track that he had played for me over the weekend.
"I want a girl who will let me hold her hand, then kiss her, and take her to the movies, and then kiss her…"
I had laughed when I first heard the cd, I couldn't see Nick sitting there and telling the world about how much he loves to kiss a girl. It just made me smile, but at the same time, it was making me so sad.
I couldn't take my mind off the fact that I was going to be alone for so long, and to top it off, in that big house all alone. His house was beautiful, but it was so big, and I felt lonely being there at night.
"Hey, Heather, you okay?" I heard Dee ask me.
I finally snapped back into reality and answered her.
"Yeah, it's just that I miss Nick, and I was feeling lonely. That's all." I said softly.
"You are welcome to come and stay at my house, but it is up to you. I have plenty of spare rooms to share with you." she responded.
"I appreciate that Dee, but I need to learn to be able to be on my own. I mean, Nick is going to be away a lot, and I can't always go with him. Once we are married, I know things will be different. But right now, I can't distract him with his new tour. It is sure to be a hit with everyone and it is a great opportunity for them all. Anyways, I will be going to see him next weekend, it is Howie's Birthday and the guys are in New York doing some promotional stuff." I told her.
"That is great! Give Kev a hug for me, would ya?" see asked.
"Aren't you coming along too?" I questioned.
"I would, but I have to show some designs to a new client, and it could mean a big account for me. I wish I could go, but I can't turn down this opportunity." she answered, feeling a bit bad that she couldn't go.
"I hope it goes well for you. Congratulations! I know that your designs will be a big hit." I told her. "But, I will be glad to give Kevin a hug for you, as well as one for AJ." I teased.
"Oh! I will get you for this! Just don't tell the guys I talked to you about it…okay??" she said laughing.
*******
The week finally came to end, and I was on my way to see Nick for the weekend. He had told me just to arrive at the American Airlines counter at 3:30 pm on Friday afternoon. My arrangements were already made, all I had to do was show up.
I arrived right on schedule. I approached the ticket counter and told the lady my name.
"Ahh, yes Ms. Truesdale. You have a first class ticket on Flight 1119. It will be departing in about 45 minutes from Gate C-12. Is that alright with you, Ms. Truesdale?" she finished.
"Umm, yeah, sure. That sounds really great." I replied.
An airport security agent and a sky-cap had come to assist me to my flight. I was puzzled as to why a security guard was necessary, that was until I arrived at the gate. As we rounded the corner to the departure gate, there was a mob of girls screaming to get a glimpse of me.
"What is all of this?" I asked puzzled.
"Miss, these girls just want a glimpse of the soon to be Backstreet Wife. You see, you are taking their Nicky away. And they just want to know first hand the woman who is distracting Nick from them. That is why I am here. Mr. Carter gave me very specific instructions. I am to escort you wherever you go. I am not to let you out of my site. He is afraid that something will happen to you, that is all." the agent said sincerely.
"Thank you, umm, please forgive me, I don't know your name." I said.
"You can just call me Mike." he said softly.
"Well, Mike, I want to thank you for your help. I appreciate it. I am pretty sure that I would have panicked if a mob of girls were to approach me." I told him, feeling a little apprehensive.
"Flight 1119, is now boarding. Will all First Class passengers please step forward for pre-boarding." a flight attendant said over the intercom.
"Well, that is us, so, let's get going." I said anxiously.
The flight took about 3 hours. We soon arrived in New York. The guys were there doing some special appearances on television and then a few radio interviews. I had never been to New York, so this was all a great adventure for me. Mike escorted me to the hotel where we were staying. It was the fanciest hotel I had ever seen. The rooms had everything.
I unpacked my weekend bag and then changed into something more comfortable. Mike had told me that it would be about an hour before Nick would return. As I settled in, turning on the tv, there was a knock at the door. Mike, situating himself in the adjoining suite, answered the door. I heard Mike say,
"Aha, Mr. Carter has a way of things. Thank you sir."
Mike walked into my room and placed a tray on the table. "Ms. Truesdale, Mr. Carter took the liberty of ordering you some dinner while you wait for him. I believe he left a note here for you too." Mike said.
"First of all, Mike, we need to set one thing straight. You need to call me Heather. Ms. Truesdale makes me sound old. Okay? And, second of all, how much do I owe you?" I asked.
"Well, Heather, I will follow your instructions, but when Nick hears me call you Heather, he will get angry. And, two, you owe nothing. Nick took care of all this for you." he remarked and then made his way back to his room.
I looked over at the table and was shocked to find quite an assortment of food for me. I lifted the lid on the tray and noticed my all time favorite food. Nick had ordered me New England Clam Chowder and Clam cakes. There was crystal dish with Chocolate Mousse, topped with real whipped cream. Alongside that was a tall glass of iced tea, fruit, crackers and a small salad. I think Nick had planned to feed an army with the food, but I was just delighted that he took the time to order something for me.
I picked up the note that was sitting on the tray. It read,
"Dear Heather, I am sorry that I couldn't be at the airport when you arrived. I figured you would be hungry, so I got you something that I know you like very much. I hope you enjoy. Please just make yourself comfortable, and I do mean COMFORTABLE. I can't wait to lay my eyes upon you, and to kiss you all over. I have missed you so much my love, and I am counting the minutes til we can be together again. I love you with all my heart. ~~Nickolas"
Tears were welling in my eyes. The things he always said to me seemed to tug at my heart. He was just the sweetest guy I had ever known. A tear trickled down my cheek, and I silently wiped it away. I was happy, and there was nothing to change that.
Right on time, Nick arrived at the room. He came bounding in, excited to see me. I had just been laying on the bed, in a shorts and a tank top. Nick just dropped his stuff on the floor and came running over to the bed.
"Hey gorgeous! I have missed you soo much!" he said, wrapping his arms around me. He pulled me in for a very deep and passionate kiss, and it seemed to last forever.
"Gosh, if this is the kind of welcoming I am going to get, then you need to go away more often, dear." I teased.
We spent the rest of the evening cuddling, something we hadn't had much time for in the last week or two. It just felt good, and that was what we wanted.
The following night was Howie's birthday. We had a huge party for him and everyone had come to see him. He was overjoyed by the generosity of his friends and thanked everyone of us. He opened all the gifts, except one. Mine.
I had worked hard on Howie's gift. It wasn't a store bought gift, it wasn't expensive, but it had a lot of meaning. I was embarrassed that I didn't get him expensive clothes or jewelry or anything like that. I hung my head as Howie very carefully opened the packaging. I waited for a sigh or some negative response to the gift, but to my surprise, I heard nothing more than gasps and then a "how beautiful."
I had hand-painted a ceramic ornament, an angel to watch over Howie on his journeys. Kind of a Guardian Angel. It was perfectly matched to him, I had made it that way. Howie just held up the angel and I saw tears for in his eyes.
"Heather, I don't know what to say. This is just simply beautiful. You did such a wonderful job." he said softly and then gave me a big hug.
"Howie, it was my pleasure. Honest, it was the least I could do. You always stood up for me, no matter what other thought of me, no matter how terrible things were. You have always been there to support me, and now, it is my turn to send an angel to watch over you. Happy Birthday Howie, I luv ya dude." I finished and then gave him another hug.
"And what am I, chopped liver?" Nick questioned with those puppy dog eyes of his.
"No, my dear, you will get to see the real angel tonight…" I whispered, as I felt my cheeks flush.
The party finally ended and we all went back to our rooms. Nick and I spent the entire night in each other's arms. It was so peaceful.
The rest of the weekend went by all too fast, as usual. I finally had to go home, and back into that lonely house. I called Dee to find out how her meeting had gone and she told me that she would give me all the details in the morning. I went to bed, and finally got some much needed rest. Nick would be home in a week and a half from all the promotional tours he was doing. We would make up for lost time when he got back.
I finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming about my wedding, my special
day, something that would always hold the meaning of true love in my heart
and my mind.