"Gwen and I are unable to have children," AJ told Brian. Brian gasped.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
"We found out about 3 months before we got married. We never told anyone," AJ said. Brian let out a sigh.
"Wow...I'm sorry buddy. I bet this kills you. To watch everyone have children," Brian said.
"Yeah, but Rok this ain't about me. This is about you. Are you going to be okay?" AJ asked.
"Yes...It is going to take a while to heal but yes...we will be okay. I know this was meant to happen for a reason," Brian said. AJ hugged Brian.
"Thanks J," Brian said, with a small smile.
~~~~~~
Gwen took a deep breath and held back her tears.
"I can't have children," Gwen told Leighanne. She gasped.
"Oh Gwen...I am so sorry," she said. "I never knew."
"No one does. Not even our parents," she said. "I found out about 3 months before we got married."
"Oh honey...I'm so sorry...wow," she said, looking out the window.
"I just wanted to let you know that I understand what you're going through," Gwen said. Leighanne got up and hugged Gwen tight.
"Thank you," she said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regan decided to fly back early after she heard about Brian and Leighanne. She hadn't talked to Howie and wasn't expecting him to be at the airport when her plane landed. She walked into the airport and spotted him waiting for her. He walked over to her and hugged her.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," she said. He took her bag from her and they walked out of the airport un-noticed.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yep. It's fine." They walked to his car and he drove them to his house in silence. Once they were inside, Howie spoke up.
''How's Savannah?" Howie asked. Regan stopped dead in her tracks.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Regan...I...I called management and asked them about your information. I had to know what was wrong," he said. Her expression changed from scared to anger.
"You what?! You called management to get my records? How dare you!" she screamed.
"Regan, you left me no choice!"
"That does not give you a reason to pry into my fucking life!"
"Regan..." Howie softened his tone. "Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter?" Tears filled up into her eyes.
"I just couldn't Howie. When we started dating, I didn't think it would turn into anything serious and I just couldn't tell you. I was afraid I'd scare you off," she said.
"You could never scare me off," he said. "Regan, I care so much about you."
"Howie you don't understand," she shook her head. "My ex-boyfriend left me when he found out and money was tight. My only option was to come on this tour and send checks home while my mom watched Savannah. I miss her terribly and it kills me to be away from her but I'd do anything to provide her with what she needs," she started sobbing. "You don't know how hard this is for me."
"I would have if you told me," Howie said, wrapping his arms around her.
"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. Howie took a deep breath. She was right, if she would have told him up front, he wouldn't of asked her out. But he was in too deep now and he really loved her. He grew nervous thinking about Regan being a mom.
"If you want to leave me, I understand," Regan said, wiping her eyes.
"I would never leave you," Howie said. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He tried to take in everything that just happened. Although he didn't tell her yet, he loved her. And that meant he was going to love her daughter too.
"I promised her I would come home when we finish our last show on Friday," Regan said, looking up at Howie. After the last show, the group was going to take a break. They were all going to go their separate ways but still be the Backstreet Boys.
"I'll come with you," Howie said. Regan felt her heart melt. She couldn't believe how well he was taking this and how he responded. Even though she never told him, she loved him with all her heart.
"Okay," Regan smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~
It was a sunny day and while AJ was working on Johnny No Name stuff, Gwen decided to go out on a drive. Driving was her way of relaxing, especially in AJ's mustang. All the windows were tinted for their protection and it made Gwen feel safe. She cruised the streets and felt happy. She soon heard police sirens and started to pull over to let the police car go around her. But when she looked in her rear view mirror, the car was directly behind her. She looked at her speedometer and she was going the speed limit. She figured it was the car next to her or something and continued driving. The sirens got louder and now the lights were flashing.
"What the hell?!" she thought. She pulled over to the side of the road and a cop approached her. She put the window down and before she could open her mouth, the policeman spoke up.
"Ma'am, are you aware that tinted windows are illegal in the state of Florida?" the officer spoke. She looked up at the cubby male officer who looked to be in his mid-forties.
"I'm aware of that officer...but do you know who I am?" she asked. The officer didn't look impressed and shook his head. She sighed and took out her ID and handed it to him.
"Does it look like I give a shit about a ...Gwen McLean?" he asked, mispronouncing her last name. He obviously didn't have kids.
"Sir, my husband AJ is a Backstreet Boy," she said. No sign yet. "You know...boy band...I want it that way....shape of my heart..." it wasn't working.
"So what does your husband have to do with an illegal car?"
"The point is, my husband is a famous icon around the world. Girls chase him everywhere and its to the point where he has to have a bodyguard at all times. So, for him to have privacy on the road, we got our windows tinted," she said.
"Look Ma'am, your husband may be famous but this car is still illegal," the officer replied.
"This is ridiculous! Do you understand that if we were driving down the road and passed a car of teenage girls, that we could cause a serious accident?" she explained.
"There are two options here," he said. "I can tow the car and you can pick it up at the impound when you get the windows fixed." Gwen flinched. "Or I can fine you."
"Fine me, Officer," Gwen said, with a little laugh. The officer went back to his car and wrote up a ticket. Ten minutes later, he came back and handed it to her.
"350 bucks?! That is insane!"
"Well, if your husband is really famous, I'm sure you can afford it," he said with a smirk. She made a mental note to remember his name and officer number. This asshole was going to get reported.
"Thank you officer," Gwen grumbled and pulled away.
~~~~~~~~~
