"Ready?" Lauren asked, checking her watch.
"No. Not yet." AJ reached around to the backseat and lifted Brynn out of her car seat. She smiled, and her eyes grew wide at the sight of her Daddy. AJ almost immediately started to cry, but he told himself to hold it in.
"She'll never forget you, AJ," Lauren assured.
"Yes she will Lauren," AJ said. "She'll just know her family. She'll think that they're her Mommy and Daddy, when it's really us. She'll never know!"
Lauren snatched Brynn from his arms and put her back in her car seat. She turned to AJ, and cupped his face in her hands. She talked softly to him, and tears falled from her eyes as she started to talk.
"AJ, I love you and Brynn very much. More than anything in the entire world. I want nothing more than for you guys to be happy. But, baby, we have to let Brynn go. We'll still be in touch with the family. We can see Brynn every couple of months. It will be very hard, but we still have each other. Okay?"
Lauren and AJ started crying hard, hugging each other, knowing that their baby would be gone to another family in a matter of minutes. Lauren reached back to Brynn, and carried her into the adoption center. Brynn began to wail, which made it even harder for AJ and Lauren. They checked in with the receptionist, who then ushered them into a small office. Sitting at a large desk was a middle-aged woman, and by her side, a man and a woman who appreared to be in their thirties. Lauren and AJ walked in with tears in their eyes.
"Well, hello, you must be AJ and Lauren. I'm Diane Richards, and this is Richard and Michelle Hawkins. They will be the adoptive parents of Brynn."
Lauren and AJ numbly shook their hands. They didn't let go of Brynn yet, she was still being rocked in Lauren's arms.
"I know this is going to be hard. You have to remember that this is for Brynn. This will be best for her."
"We know," said AJ.
"Good. The Hawkins' perfectly matched your requirements. They have a one story home, two other children, one boy, one girl, a dog, a cat, a park near their home, a swingset, and they are financially stable. Two other families came close to matching, but the Hawkins' had everything you asked for."
Lauren and AJ gave polite, but sad smiles.
"Richard, Michelle, go ahead and tell Lauren and AJ about yourselves."
Richard cleared his throat. "Well, I'm thirty-six, I'm a doctor in Apollo Beach. Michelle is a stay-at-home mom. We love kids very much. Our other two are adopted because we are physically unable to have children. We will take very good care of Brynn, we promise. You can see her anytime."
Lauren choked on her tears. "We would appreciate that very much. We love Brynn too, but we know we are too young and we don't have enough money to give her a great life. AJ and I both thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being so kind and generous and letting us still be a part of her life."
Michelle smiled, and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "You're welcome. Thank you for letting her come into our lives."
Diane spoke up. "Well, now that that's settled, I think it's time. AJ and Lauren, are you ready?"
Lauren looked at AJ and pressed her lips together, silently crying. AJ started crying, and squeezed her hand. He was afraid to speak. Lauren turned back to Diane. "We're ready."
Everyone stood up, and Lauren took a step towards Richard and Michelle. She handed Brynn to MIchelle. Michelle cradled Brynn in their arms.
"Will you change her first name?" AJ asked.
"No," said Richard, "we love the name Brynn."
AJ tried to smile. He put an arm around Lauren. "I think it's time for us to go. Thank you very much - Diane, Michelle, and Richard. We'll be in touch." He kissed Brynn's forehead, as did Lauren. They walked out of the adoption center closer than ever, but their hearts were broken into a million pieces.
\
"Nick, come on, let's go! We're gonna be late!" AJ yelled from his Jeep Cherokee.
Nick came running out of his house with a comb and a bottle of gel. "AJ, we have a half hour!"
"Nick, it takes a half hour to get there!"
"Oh." Nick hopped into the SUV. "Let's go!"
AJ peeled out of Nick's driveway, and they were soon on their way to the Transcontinental Studio. Twenty minutes later (thanks to AJ's speedy driving), they were walking in. Lou Pearlman greeted them at the desk.
"Hey guys! It's been awhile, hasn't it?" He shook their hands.
"Oh, not that long, Lou," Nick said. "Six months or so."
True," said Lou. "The rest of the guys are here. Their names are Phoenix Morgan, Kevin Richardson, and Howie Dorough."
"Howie Dorough? Sweet! That's my buddy from high school." AJ high-fived Nick.
Lou smiled. "Good, I'm glad you guys know each other. Now follow me, and we'll see them."
Nick and AJ entered a large, and very expensive looking room. There were skylights, flowers everywhere, and a long and shiny mahogany table, which had fifteen chairs around it. Occupying three of them were the rest of the guys. AJ and Howie laughed and cheered when they saw one another, and Lou introduced them all to one another. They discussed themselves and what brought them into the music industry, family, friends, past jobs, and anything else they wanted to add. After, Lou discussed possible recording dates, and the ups and downs of the music industry. He asked if they had any questions.
Nick raised his hand. "What should we call ourselves?"
Lou smiled. "We've got that one covered, Nick. How does Backstreet Boys sound?"
The guys looked around and nodded approvingly.
"Anything else?" Lou asked.
No one spoke up, and Lou adjourned the meeting. The guys said goodbye, and Nick and AJ left, screaming. If only they would have known how exciting it was going to become.
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