Chapter 11
Monday morning, Kevin brought Tyler breakfast in bed. He woke her gently by giving her a kiss and as she opened her eyes, he held a rose for her. "Good morning, beautiful."
"MMMMM! Morning."
"How did you sleep?"
"Ever since I've been with you, I've slept better than I have in four months."
"How about the morning sickness?"
"Gone."
"Good. I have breakfast for you." Tyler sat up and gave Kevin a kiss. He set the tray in front of her and sat beside her.
"This looks delicious."
"Thank you. Are you up for a horseback ride this morning?"
"I think so."
"I want to show you the chapel after breakfast."
Kevin and Tyler ate breakfast together and talked about the farm. Kevin had a lot of plans for the place to make it his permanent home. He wanted to build a studio so that he and the guys could practice here and eventually start his own recording company. He'd even thought of a name-'Tadpole Records'. Tyler laughed when he told her and he pretended to be hurt which only made her laugh even harder.
After breakfast, Tyler took a quick shower and dressed while Kevin cleaned the kitchen. Then they headed down to the stables where the horses were already saddled. Kevin told Tyler about the staff that was already in place to take care of the place while he was away. The ride to the chapel was fun. They saw all kinds of wildlife and it amazed Tyler. Kevin loved seeing her like this because she looked just like a little girl with a new doll.
As they rode side by side, Kevin would lean over and kiss her frequently.
Inside the chapel, Tyler stood in the middle of the aisle and marveled at the antique beauty and southern charm. The sun shone through the stained glass windows making unique patterns on the pews.
Softly, Tyler said, "Baby, it's so beautiful."
Kevin put his arms around Tyler's shoulders from behind and kissed her on the neck. "What do you think of getting married here?"
"Oh, it would be so beautiful. A candle-lit service at sunset with violin music."
"That's what I was thinking too."
"It's big enough to have our families and the guys but small enough to be intimate."
"Why don't you start planning it then?"
Tyler looked over her shoulder, "Are you proposing?"
Kevin got a mischievous grin on his face and said, "Not yet but I will soon. I promised you forever and that's what it's going to be."
"You're up to something."
Laughing, Kevin said, "Loving you!"
*****************
That afternoon, in Orlando, Sonja got the girls together to talk. The guys hadn't told them but Sonja was getting suspicious.
"Ladies, something is up with Tyler and I think the guys know what it is."
"Why do you say that?" asked Fiona.
"Okay, let's start with the day Kevin surprised her at the theater. We heard her tell him that she loved him and we saw how much she loved the surprise. It doesn't make sense for her to have stayed with Joey. They both disappeared for the rest of the day and then Joey came looking for her."
"Kevin said she went to Tampa," said Lex.
"I don't buy that. Lou turned this town upside down looking for Tyler Saturday. He even sent someone to Tampa and they said Tyler never showed up."
Kryss added, "That day, the guys were crazy worrying about Tyler, except for Howie. He was perfectly calm and if she were in danger, he'd be going nuts."
"Then, Friday. I passed Kevin in the hall before he supposedly took off for Kentucky. He was wearing his Giants jersey, his boots, and Tyler's favorite cologne. He was also missing his thumb ring and he was way too happy to be going to Kentucky WITHOUT Tyler.
"There's also the phone call I got this morning at work which explains where Kevin was going that morning. This lady called to leave her phone number and address so that Tyler can set up a day for her daughter at Disneyworld with the Backstreet Boys. When I asked her when she had talked to Tyler, she said that she had met Tyler in a doctor's office Friday morning. Here's the kicker. The lady said Tyler was with Howie and Kevin. I think that Tyler and Kevin are together, the guys know, and they are holding out on us."
They all thought about what Sonja and Kryss had said.
Fiona said, "How are we going to find out? The guys obviously don't want us to know."
"We'll just have to convince them to tell us," said Kryss. "I'm sure you know how to make Nick tell you secrets."
About that time, the guys walked in and AJ said, "OOPS! I think we walked in on a tribal council! They are plotting our demise!"
Lex went to AJ and gave him a kiss as he took her in his arms. "We were just talking about Kevin and Tyler."
Suspiciously, Brian asked, "What about them?"
The guys moved to their respective girlfriends as Sonja said, "We were just saying what a shame it was that they weren't together."
All the guys exchanged knowing glances that the girls saw too.
Howie said, "Ty's obviously in love. Don't worry. Joey will do something stupid and she'll dump him."
"Okay! That's it!" said Kryss. "You know something and you're not telling us. We know you were with Tyler and Kevin Friday."
Brian looked at the other three. "I don't think they'd mind. After all, the girls are best friends."
Nick said, "Maybe we should call first."
"We wouldn't want to jump the gun," said AJ.
Howie picked up the phone and dialed Kevin's house in Kentucky. He had it on the speaker phone so that the whole gang could hear.
Tyler answered the phone, "Hello."
"Hey, Ty!"
"Whaz up, 'Sweet D'?"
"We've got four ladies here dying to talk to you," said AJ.
Sonja said, "Ty, what's going on?"
Kevin spoke up, "Guys, why didn't you tell them?"
"We thought you wanted to keep quiet," said Brian.
Tyler said, "Sonja, Fiona, Lex, Kryss...Kevin and I are very much together and happy. It's kind of a long story though."
"That's fine. We'll get the guys to tell us. At least you're safe and together," said Kryss. "When will we see you?"
"I'm not sure," said Tyler. "I'm flying to LA for the Grammy's and to meet Joey. I'm going to stay here in Kentucky until then though."
Howie asked, "Why don't you join us, Ty? That way, you and Kev won't have to be apart."
"I'd love to but I need some time to myself to think things through, 'D'."
"I understand."
Kevin said, "We'll all be together for the Vancouver show if you girls can get there."
Lex said, "We'll definitely be there. Ty, we're all really happy for you."
"Thanks, Lex! We'll talk to you later."
Tyler and Kevin hung up and the guys explained to their girlfriends what had been going on with Tyler.
Back in Kentucky, a man knocked on Tim's door, Kevin's brother. Tim answered it.
"Hi, I'm looking for Tyler Dorough."
"She's not here. Can I give her a message?"
"No, I really need to see her myself. I'm her uncle and there's been a terrible accident."
Not realizing that the man was really Lou, Tim gave him directions to Kevin's house.
