“Happy Birthday, dear Emily, Happy Birthday to you!” Everyone sang watching Howie instruct his three year old daughter on how to blow out the candles on her birthday cake. Misty sighed, realizing how much she had lost during the past three years, but was very grateful that Howie had invited her to share their daughter’s birthday.

So much had changed since their wedding day. After Howie and Misty were married, a new BSB album was released and a short tour followed, as well as promotions. Doctors had told Misty she shouldn’t go on the tour with them since she was starting the third trimester of her pregnancy. She wanted to go with everyone else, but Howie wouldn’t allow it.

She became depressed and lonely and turned to drugs for comfort. Emily Anne Dorough (the middle name coming from Laura’s middle name, Misty’s best friend and now Kevin’s wife) was born two months early and also addicted. Howie never forgave her for their daughter’s addiction.

In the months that followed, Emily became perfectly healthy, although doctors warned that there would be a slight chance of her developing learning problems in time, and Misty went through an extensive in-patient rehab program. Howie was so hurt that he never gave Misty another chance in their marriage. They separated and AJ became Misty’s support through the rehab. Once she had been released, Misty found that Howie had hired a nanny for Emily by the name of Cherie. Misty had thought that Howie was seeing Cherie otherwise and couldn’t stand the thought of him seeing another woman while they were still legally married. She again turned to AJ.

When Howie learned of Misty’s affair with AJ, he immediately filed for divorce, but not before letting Misty know that there had never been anything between him and Cherie. When they divorced, Howie gained sole custody of Emily and AJ ended his affair with Misty because it was causing problems with the band.

Brian and Leighanne had gotten married and so had Kevin and Laura. Brian and Kevin gave Misty the house they had once shared when she first came to Orlando. Nick had finally found the love of his life, a nice girl named Patti, and it looked as though they would be next to walk down the aisle, although they both proclaimed that it was too soon in the relationship to even think about marriage. And AJ was still in an on again/off again relationship with Amanda. Misty had stayed single and Howie had Cherie move in with him to help with Emily.

When Emily turned two was when Howie started allowing Misty back into their lives, although he always made sure Emily knew who her mother was. This was the first birthday Misty had ever spent with her daughter and was overcome with happiness, but it did seem strange to be back in the house she once shared with Howie, knowing he shared it with someone else now.

“Misty, can you come here for a minute?” Her thoughts were interrupted by her ex-husband calling to her from the kitchen.

Misty went to the kitchen and was suddenly hit by the memory of the first kiss she shared with Howie…it was in this room soon after she came to Orlando. That memory was interrupted by his soft voice…

“Mis, I need to talk to you. I… I… I need a favor.”

“Sure, Howie, anything.”

“Well, you know we’re getting ready for a new tour. And, um, I, I don’t really want to leave Emily with Cherie all that time. Um, will you keep Emily while we’re gone?” Howie took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. “I think it’s time you got to know your daughter,” he squeezed her hands and continued, “our daughter.”

Misty’s eyes filled with tears. She immediately wanted to say yes, but something stopped her. “Howie, I’d love to, but I don’t know the first think about caring for a child... I…”

Howie interrupted her, “Listen, Mis, don’t worry. If things would have gone ok in the beginning, you wouldn’t have known exactly what to do after we brought her home. Just do your best. It’ll all come natural. It’s time for you two to get to know each other. Please say yes.” Howie squeezed her hands once more and smiled. Everything was finally starting to seem normal.

“Yes, Howie, I’d love to,” Misty smiled and laughed, still in shock.

“Thank you,” Howie said, caressing her cheek. She leaned her face into his palm, she missed his touch so much. “Now let’s go open some presents!” Howie took her hand and lead her back to the living room.

“Laur, I am sooo nervous. What am I getting myself into. Why did I agree to keep Emily? I don’t know what I’m doing!” Misty walked around her living room floor, twisting her hands in her anxiety. Laura looked on from the sofa, slightly amused at her friend's pacing.

“Misty, listen to me,” Laura walked over to Misty, grabbing her shoulders, “Emily is your daughter, you should have been with her this entire time. I think Howie has kept her from you for far too long. You need this. It will be great. Trust me.”

Misty looked at Laura, “I know I should have been with her all this time, but the thing is, I don’t know what she likes or doesn’t like. What if she hates me? What if she asks me questions like why I don’t live with her and Howie? What am I gonna do? What will I say?”

Laura sighed, “You’re just going to take it one step at a time. I’m sure she’s a little scared about staying with you. They’ve not been on a tour since Emily was born. She’s probably confused about why her daddy is leaving. Just be open to her questions and do the best you can.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Oh my god, it’s Howie!” Misty began to tear up. Laura laughed. “You did this same thing when you went out with him for the first time. Dry up the tears, I’ll get the door.”

Laura opened the door to see an overloaded Howie. Emily was asleep with her head on his shoulder, with her tiny arms draped around his neck. He was also balancing a huge suitcase in the other arm. “Good Lord Howie! Give me that suitcase.” Howie chuckled, giving Laura the suitcase and walking in the door. He kissed Emily on her cheek, rubbing her hair. He sighed heavily, “Wow, it’s been a long time since I was in this house.” Just then Misty walked in from the kitchen. She paused when she saw Howie holding Emily.

“Hi,” she managed to say softly. Howie looked at her, he knew he missed her, but tried to shrug off the feeling.

“Hi,” he replied, shifting his arms to accompany Emily’s weight. Misty looked at Emily, and smiled. Howie glanced at Emily, brushed her hair from her face and smiled. “Is it ok if I lay her down, she’s been out for about 20 minutes.”

“Oh, God, sure. I fixed up Brian’s old room for Emily. You remember where it is right?” Misty said still twisting her fingers in her nervousness.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll be right back.” Howie walked out of the room.

Misty watched him walk away. He had straightened his hair and had on a sleeveless shirt, showing his muscular arms. She missed him so much. Laura knew what Misty was thinking and rubbed her on the back. “It’ll be ok, Mis, just give it time.” Misty gave her a questionable look, but knew she understood.

Howie slowly opened the door to what used to be Brian’s room. She had completely redone it since she knew Emily was coming to stay. The scent of fresh cut flowers filled the room, and Misty had put little dolls and toys all around the room. Howie was amazed at how much trouble Misty had gone through to make the room perfect for Emily. She had put a delicate light pink bedspread on Brian’s old bed and had painted the headboard white. A far cry from the dark brown it used to be. Everything was perfect.

Howie gently laid Emily down on the bed. She began to wake up. Howie knelt down next to her. “Shhh, baby, it’s ok. Daddy’s here.” Emily smiled without opening her eyes. Howie brushed back her soft brown hair, and kissed her forehead. “You’re at Mommy’s. I’m going downstairs. I’ll come back up and check on you shortly.” Emily nodded and curled up with the teddybear Misty had put on the opposite pillow. As Howie stood back up he noticed a small framed picture on the nightstand. It was of himself and Misty when they were dating. He smiled remembering how wonderful things were then. With a deep sigh he walked to the door, and as he closed it he heard Emily whisper, “I love you, Daddy”. “I love you, too, princess.” Howie closed the door and went back to the living room.

Howie came back downstairs, Laura and Misty had relocated to the kitchen. Howie had a seat beside Misty, handing her a folded piece of paper he had in his wallet.

“Here are all the numbers you’ll need. My cell phone, actually all the guys’ cell phones. Cherie will be staying at her old house, but going by my place occasionally to check on things. Here’s her home number. Here’s the pediatrician’s number, home and office...”

Misty laughed, “Ok Howie, I got it. It’s all the numbers I may need.”

Howie grinned, “Yeah. I’m sorry if I seem too worried. I’m not really worried…..” his words faded, “it’s just this is the first time I’ve been away from her. I’ll miss her.”

“Howie,” Misty took the paper from his hand and began to fold it repeatedly, “This is my first time having her around. This is odd for me too. I’ve missed her for three years.” Her eyes began to fill with tears as did Howie’s.

“I’m just gonna go up and peak in on how you redid Brian’s room,” Laura knew they needed to talk so she excused herself from the room.

Howie turned away from Misty. “I know, Mis. I’ve kept her from you for far too long. I guess I just wanted to make sure that the rehab stuck… that you’d stay clean.” He looked back at her, wiping a tear from her cheek. “And you have. Emily should have been staying with you a long time ago. I let my hurt and my pride get in the way of that.”

They had one of those awkward moments of silence. Misty wiped her tears and regained her composure, “So I assume you want Cherie to keep Emily while I’m at work?”

Howie gave her a confused look, “Work? You went back to work? When?”

“Um, yeah, I went back to work a few months ago. I couldn’t very well afford to not work. I mean, AJ was helping me out, but I had to get on with my life.”

“Damn, I didn’t even think of that.” Howie pulled out his cell phone and called Cherie.

“Cherie, hi honey, listen. I know I told you that Misty was keeping Emmie, but I forgot, or actually wasn’t aware that Misty went back to work. Can you keep her while…” He had been interrupted by Cherie. “Oh, I see. Well, no, don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. Thank you, take care.”

“Dammit. She took another job for the time being. Now what?”

Laura walked back into the room, “Uh-oh, you two don’t look so good. What is it?”

Howie and Misty looked at each other and grinned. Knowing what the other was thinking. Howie walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. He motioned for Laura to sit down. “Laura, we have a proposition for you…”

With a deep sigh Laura looked at Howie and then Misty. "Well, do you guys realize I’m already packed and ready to go on the tour?!” Laura sighed again, “Ok, I’ll do it. Just because I know Misty needs to have Emily with her right now. I’ll stay here and watch her while Misty is working.”

“Thank you so much, Laur.” Misty hugged Laura.

“Yes, Laura, thank you,” Howie gave her a pat on the back.

Just then they were interrupted by a scream, “DAAAADDDDDYYYYY!!!!!”

Howie bolted out of the kitchen, followed by Misty and Laura. He ran up the stairs to find Emily sitting up on the bed crying.

“What is it honey?” He sat down on the edge of the bed, cradling Emily in his arms, trying to comfort her.

“I woke up and didn’t know where you were. You scared me. I thought you left me.” She looked up at her daddy who smiled as he wiped away her tears.

“No, baby, we’re at Mommy’s. Remember, you’re going to stay here for a while. Remember, we had the talk about Daddy’s job and how I have to be away for a while?” Emily nodded. “Well Daddy leaves in the morning so you’re staying with Mommy tonight so I can get ready to go. I’ll call you all the time. Anytime you need me, Mommy will call me, ok.”

Emily nodded again. She peeked around Howie’s arm looking at Misty and Laura standing in the door. They both smiled at her and she jerked back, clinging to her father. “I don’t want you to go.”

Howie sighed and held her tighter, “I know, baby, but I have to. Before you know it I’ll be back you can come back home with me.” Emily just looked up at him, giving him a look of worry. “Come on, let’s show you around the house.” Howie scooped her up in his arms and walked her around the room, showing her all the things Misty had put in there for her. He picked up the picture of himself and Misty. He pointed to himself in the picture and asked Emily who it was. She giggled and said “Daddy”. Then he pointed to Misty, asking the same. Emily peered around looking over his shoulder at Misty and Laura. Misty smiled and pointed to herself. Emily laughed and said, “That’s Mommy”. Howie set the picture back down, “That’s right! Wanna go see the other rooms? Huh? How about you fly us there?” Howie laughed as he held Emily sideways out in front of him, making airplane noises as he swung his daughter around. Misty and Laura followed them around from room to room, laughing at how much fun father and daughter were having.

Finally they ‘landed’ in the living room. Howie practically fell back on the sofa, Emily sat in the floor, both out of breath from laughing so much. Emily looked up at Howie, “I’m thirsty.”

“Em, this isn’t my house, you need to tell Mommy so she can get you something.”

Emily gave a strange look and looked over at Misty. She never asked, just looked at her. Misty looked over at Howie who nodded. She got up and walked over to Emily, kneeling down. “Would you like something to drink?” Emily nodded. “What would you like to drink?”

Emily looked over at Howie, then back at Misty and grinned. She whispered, “Pepsi”. Howie quickly interrupted, “No, she’ll have water.” Emily crossed her arms, knowing she had lost the game. Misty laughed, “Ok, one water coming up.”

Howie followed Misty to the kitchen, leaving Laura with Emily.

“I think it’s going well,” Howie said, leaning against the counter.

“Yeah, I think it’ll be fun. Heck she’s already trying to use me to get what she wants instead of what she’s supposed to have.” Misty giggled.

“I know! I figured she’d do that. I don’t mind her having soda occasionally, but not right before bedtime. She’s hyper anyway, she’d have you up all night.”

“Our child? Hyper? Couldn’t be!” Misty began to walk back to the living room. “Yes, our child is hyper, she got it from you!” Howie teased following her in.

It wasn't too much longer before Laura went home, dreading telling Kevin that she wasn’t going on the tour. Emily had fallen asleep in Howie’s lap. “Well, let’s put this girl to bed.” Howie nudged Emily’s shoulder, “Come on Em, it’s time to go to bed.” She sat up rubbing her eyes. Howie grabbed her suitcase and Misty walked over to Emily. Emily reached up grabbing Misty’s hand, letting her lead the way.

Upstairs, Emily climbed up on the bed, and Howie reached her a small nightgown. Emily looked up at Misty, “Where’s the bathroom?” Misty walked her to the hall and showed her where it was, Emily went on in, closing the door.

“Ah, here it is,” Howie said, holding up her toothbrush. He walked down the hall to the bathroom, knocking on the door. “Em, you ready?” He opened the door and reached Emily her toothbrush. Misty soon followed them, laughing at the sight. Howie had set Emily on the sink and she was brushing her teeth, Howie making sure she did a good job. “Good girl, ok, rinse.” He handed her a little cup of water.

“Ok girlie, into bed.” Howie tucked her in, kissing her on the forehead. “Goodnight sweetie. Mommy will take good care of you while I’m gone. You be a good girl, ok.” Emily nodded, curling up with her new teddybear. “I love you, princess”

“I love you too, Daddy. I’ll miss you.” She curled her tiny arms around his neck for one last hug. He sighed as he turned out the lights and shut the door.

Howie teared up once he closed the door. “I’m going to miss her, too.”

After Howie left, Misty went to bed also, only to have the phone wake her up a short time afterwards.

“Hello?”

“How’s my girl?”

“Oh, hi, AJ. I’m ok. Just weirded out a bit. I don’t know if I’m going to be good at this parenting thing.”

“You’ll be fine. It’s long overdue. It still pisses me off that Howie kept her from you this long.” She could hear AJ taking a draw from his cigarette.

“I know, J, but he had his reasons. I don’t blame him.”

“You should. You missed the first three years of your daughter’s life because of him.”

“AJ, I don’t want to argue about this. I’m really tired. I’ve got a few long months ahead of me. I need to get some sleep.”

“Ok, ok. I’m sorry about what I said. You still find the good in anything. Well, enough of that. I need to go to sleep too, I’ve got a few long months ahead of me, too.” He sighed deeply, “I miss you, Mis. You know that, right.”

Misty closed her eyes, why was he bringing this up again. “I know. But you’re the one that called it off.”

“I know that. I only did it because it was tearing the group apart. Howie and I couldn’t stand to be around each other. I hated him for not being there for you and he hated me FOR being there for you. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish I were with you.”

Misty did not want to have this conversation right now. When she had the affair with AJ, she really fell in love with him, or at least she thought so. But a lot of those emotions were geared to hurt Howie for abandoning her when she really needed help. She’d never been able to fully figure out her feelings for AJ. She knew she loved him, and she knew she missed him, but she also missed Howie. He had been her husband, the father of her child…..that was never going to go away. She had never figured out if what she had with AJ was really love, or her just needing someone. Either way, they had been really good together and had something special. They still had something special, but it never went beyond words.

“Mis, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Before, when we were together, it caused problems because you were still married to Howie. You’ve been divorced for two years…”

Misty knew where he was going with this. “That doesn’t matter AJ. I would love to be with you, but I’m afraid that Howie would use Emily against me. He’d take her away from me again. I mean, I’m scared to death now that I have to take care of her, but at the same time, I’m really happy. She’s my daughter, my only child.”

“You’re right, as soon as he found out, he’d take her away.”

Misty began to cry, “AJ, reguardless of how happy I am to have her here, I’m scared to death. Especially tonight. What if she wakes up crying for Howie. She did that earlier today, but he was here. What am I going to do if she does it again. I’m so tired, but I’m afraid to go to sleep. I just want to sit outside her door in case something happens. God, I wish Laura hadn’t left. I wish someone was here with me.”

The line went silent, except for the occasional sound of AJ smoking. “AJ?”

“I’m still here. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“What if I came over and stayed with you?”

“AJ! Think about what you just said. Howie…”

“Howie won’t know. He’s not going to be back over there. He’s probably sleeping right now. And we all have to meet at seven in the morning. He won’t have time to come over there. He may call, but you’ll answer the phone.”

Misty hated to admit it, but he was making a lot of sense.

“Misty…”

“I’ll leave the door unlocked.” With that simple phrase she hung up the phone, hoping she hadn’t just made a huge mistake.

When AJ arrived, the door was open just like Misty had said. The lights were all out, he fumbled his way to the stairs. AJ had done this a million times back a couple of years ago. He really hadn’t been back since they called off their affair.

From the top of the stairs, he could see the faint glow of the television in Misty’s room. He quietly walked up to her door, which was barely open. He lightly tapped on the door, before slowly opening it. “You awake?”

Misty was sitting up in bed watching TV. “Yeah, come on in. I can’t sleep at all.”

AJ sat on the edge of the bed, beside her. “I remember how we used to take care of that,” AJ whispered, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand.

She sighed, “AJ, I know you’ve been feeling this way for a while, but…”

“Shhhhh, baby,” AJ leaned in to kiss her. They hadn’t kissed in two years. At first Misty tried to resist him. He held her face in his hands as he kissed her lightly, she finally gave in and began to kiss him back.

“AJ….” She began to move back from him.

“I’m sorry, baby, I’ve just missed you so much,” he drew her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

“So,” AJ pulled back and stood up, “Where am I sleeping?”

Misty grinned at him, “Well, you can sleep in Kevin’s old room, or in here with me.”

AJ began to smile, as he walked to the opposite side of the bed, pulling back the sheets. Misty watched his every move, she’d forgotten how sexy he was. Well, not really, but it had been a long time since they spent the night together. AJ slowly lifted his shirt up over his head and tossed it to the floor. This was going to be an interesting night….

“But Laura, I want you to go with us! This will be our first time apart since we married.” Kevin was trying his best to get Laura to reconsider staying back to help Misty.

“I know that, honey, but she needs me. And you know I love little Emily to death. Who’s going to take care of her while Misty’s at work?”

“Well, Howie should have thought about that before letting Misty keep her.”

“Kevin Scott! I can’t believe you’re acting like this. You’ve known Misty her whole life practically, and you’re still holding all this against her! Brian’s forgiven her, Howie’s gotten past it for the most part, AJ helped her more than any of us, and Nick is neutral on the whole subject, but YOU! YOU should have been supporting her the whole time. Hell, you gave her the house! Is that why you did it? So that could be your one good deed and forget about the rest?!” Laura screamed at him, but he never looked her in the eye.

At this point he was fuming, “LAURA ANNE, you know that’s not true! I love Misty, I really do. I just think they should’ve thought this out.”

“Well, Howie hasn’t really been talking to her that much, has he? He didn’t even know she went back to work!” Laura stormed out of the room.

Kevin sighed, knowing he’d made her extremely mad. He followed her to their bedroom. “Laura, sweetheart, I’m sorry.” He sat beside her on their bed. “You know I love Misty, and Emily’s the greatest kid in the world.” He took her hand in his. “I just don’t want to be gone all that time without you. I’ll miss you so much. I love you, you’re my life.” He turned her head so she had to face him. “Look at me…..” He put her hand on his chest. “I love you, more than anything.”

“I know you do, but you shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“I know. I’m sorry. You’ve got such a good heart. It’s really admirable of you to stay back to help out a friend. That’s just one of the million reasons why I married you.”

Laura looked at him, smiling, “So what are the rest of the reasons?”

Kevin leaned in to kiss her, “How about I show you?” Kevin began kissing her, moving to her ear and down her neck. Then gently laid her back on the bed…

AJ slipped under the covers and curled up next to Misty. She turned the TV off and slid down to curl up with him. It felt so good to be back in his arms.

“I’m glad you came over.” Misty had her back to him and his arms were around her.

“I’m glad you let me come over.” He pulled her back into his arms tighter and closer to his chest. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too… you make it sound like we’re back together.”

AJ kissed her neck and over her shoulders, “I’d like that,” he sighed heavily. Misty felt his breath on her skin, making her shiver. What was going on? How did she go from being cool as friends with AJ to this with no warning? Why was he acting like this? Where was it coming from?

“AJ… where’s all this coming from? I mean, I thought, well, I thought we were over two years ago.” Misty turned to lay on her back, looking at AJ beside of her.

He propped himself up on his elbow. “Well, honestly I don’t know. We’ve talked a lot, at least once a week since we broke up. And I’ve just always held my feelings back. I’ve never stopped loving you. I just thought it would be best if we were not together.”

“So what makes it so different now.”

“Nothing really. I probably shouldn’t be here. Howie’s not going to know, but if he ever did, I don’t want to be the one responsible for him taking Emily away from you.”

“I know. I’m scared about it, but it’s like you said, there’s no way he’ll find out about tonight.”

AJ leaned down to kiss her. Letting his hand roam down her body. She still felt uncomfortable with the idea, but she was giving in.

“DAAADDDYYYYY!!!!!” Emily was screaming for Howie again. Misty jumped out of bed, followed by AJ. Misty ran into Emily’s room.

“What is it? Are you ok?” Misty ran to her bedside.

“Where’s daddy?” Emily sniffed.

“He’s gone honey, remember? He’s getting ready for work.”

Emily sniffed and looked behind Misty, “Hi, unkie AJ.”

Misty turned around and saw AJ standing in his boxers. He didn’t think about Emily seeing him.

“Hi, sweetie.”

“Why are you here? You not going with daddy?”

AJ walked on in the room, “Yes sweetie, I’m going with your daddy. See, uncle AJ already has all of his clothes and stuff packed for our trip, and Daddy didn’t. That’s why he’s at home right now and I’m not. Daddy’s had to pack.”

Emily looked confused, but didn’t say anything. “Mommy, I had a bad dweam.”

“It’s ok, it wasn’t real. Everything is ok.”

“I dweamed Daddy didn’t come back.” Emily’s eyes began to water.

“Awwww, honey, Daddy will be back. I promise.” Misty hugged Emily and AJ stroked Emily’s hair, agreeing with what Misty had said. “Now lay back down and get some sleep, ok.”

Emily nodded and laid back down. Just as Misty and AJ reached the door, Emily spoke again. “Unkie AJ?”

“Yeah sweetie.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Mommy, I love you too.”

Misty stood, kind of set back by what she had just heard. “I love you too, Em.”

In the hallway Misty stood in silence.

“Wow, I see Emily a lot, but man, she looks just like Howie. It amazes me.”

“Yeah, I know,” Misty whispered.

“You ok, babe?”

“Yeah, just a little shocked that’s all.”

“Why? Because Emily loves her mother? Well, I’m sure you’re gonna learn a lot more about her coming up. Now let’s get to bed, ok.” AJ put his arm around Misty and the went on to bed.

“No, baby, don’t worry. Howie doesn’t suspect a thing.” AJ said to Misty over the phone.

It had been almost a month since AJ had spent the night with Misty. She had talked to AJ and Howie every night since the tour started, but Howie didn’t know she talked to AJ. He knew they talked occasionally, but not every night.

“So how’s Em?”

Misty looked out the kitchen window at Emily and Laura playing outside. “She’s doing great. Much better than I expected. Laura’s with her right now, I think Emily’s wearing her out! She hasn’t been feeling too great lately.” Laura had been having lots of stomach problems lately and Misty was worried, but knew that Laura would take care of herself.

“Huh, I hope she’s not getting sick. I wouldn’t want Em catching it.” AJ paused to light a cigarette. “Hey Mis, gotta run, Howie’s here.” He quickly hung up the phone. That’s how most of their conversations ended.

Misty sighed as she hung up the phone and stepped out into the back yard.

“Mommmmmyyyyy!!!!” Emily raced toward her and Misty scooped her into her arms.

“How’s my girl?” Misty kissed Emily’s forehead. She noticed Laura had her hand on her stomach. It must be hurting her again. “Hey Em, why don’t you go inside and pick up your toys and then we’ll go out for ice cream. How does that sound?”

“YAY!!!” Was Emily’s response. Misty sat her down and she walked inside.

Laura was walking around the backyard, trying to disguise the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing.

“Laur, are you ok? You’ve been doing this for the past little bit.”

Laura gave Misty a grin. “Yeah, I’m ok. I’m sure.”

“Well, as long as you’re sure.” Misty sat on the edge of the deck.

“I am. Mis… can you keep a secret for me?” Laura sat beside Misty, she was smiling from ear to ear.

“You know it. What’s up?”

“Misty, I’m late… really late. I think I’m pregnant!”

Misty sat in shock for what seemed like forever. Then she jumped up hugging Laura, “Oh my God!!! I’m sooo happy! God, I hope you are! That’s wonderful!”

Laura struggled a laugh as Misty seemed to squeeze the life out of her in her excitement. “How do you expect me to keep this a secret?!”

“Well, I gotta find out for sure first.”

“Well you're coming with me and Emily for ice cream right? So we’ll make a pitstop on the way back.”

Laura smiled in agreement. In a few short hours she would know if she was going to have a baby. Her life may be forever changing.

“Mis you can’t tell anyone! Promise me you won’t tell anyone.” Laura said nervously.

“But Laura!!!! Oh, alright! You should be the one to tell everyone, not me, but you gotta tell Kevin and the guys soon, 'cuz I’m too excited. I’m afraid I’ll slip and tell someone.”

Laura laughed, “I know, I know. Well, it’s not too much longer before they have a week long break and will be home. I’ll tell everyone then. But until then you gotta keep quiet. I want to tell everyone at once, including Kevin. I want to see his face when he finds out he’s gonna be a daddy in front of everyone else.” Laura laughed again just thinking about Kevin’s reaction.

“Oh alright. I won’t say anything.” Misty got quiet then started jumping up and down hugging Laura. “YAY!!!! There’s gonna be another 'Backstreet Baby!!!' ”

Howie stared at the phone. He wanted to call and check on Emily, but he knew she would already be in bed. It was late. But he was starting to second guess himself. “Dammit Howie,” he said aloud to himself, “you really want to talk to Misty. What is it with you? You divorced her. She put you through hell, and now you think you want to be with her…..”

He couldn’t understand all the feelings he was suddenly starting to build toward Misty. He knew what he had to do. And with a deep sigh, he decided to go for it.

Howie went down the hall and knocked on Brian’s door. If anyone could help him with this, it was Brian.

Brian opened the door, shocked to see Howie coming by so late. “Hey D, what’s up? Why aren’t you in bed?”

Howie laughed, “I could say the same for you! Looks like you’re wide awake.”

Brian stood back and motioned for him to walk into the room. Leighanne was sitting on the bed, watching a movie. “Hey Howie. Looks like none of us can sleep tonight!” She said, turning down the volume on the TV.

“Hey Leigh. Listen, I’m really sorry, but do you mind if I talk to Brian alone?”

Leighanne gave him a strange look. “No, I don’t mind… why didn’t you just call him and ask him to come over to your room?”

Howie laughed, “Ya know, that probably would have been a better idea. I’m just not with it tonight.”

“It’s ok. Give me your key and I’ll go over to your room.” They all laughed as Howie handed Leighanne his key, “Men,” she mumbled as she left the room.

“Have a seat, what’s up?” Brian and Howie sat down.

Howie looked around the room, not sure where to start.

“Howard!” Brian chuckled, “you wanted to talk, so talk!”

Howie sighed, “I know. I just don’t know where to begin.”

“Uh-oh, I’ve seen this look before. Let me guess, it’s Misty isn’t it?”

Howie just looked at Brian, confirming his suspecion.

“Ok, now what about Misty, I can’t guess, you’re gonna have to tell me.” Brian grabbed two sodas handing one to Howie.

“Bri, I don’t know. I really don’t. I mean when we were married, I was so in love with her. It was like nothing I had ever felt, or have felt since, to be quite honest. But she hurt me so bad with everything. I lost all faith in her and all my love for her turned to hate. I hated what she did to Emily, and did to herself. I kept Emily from her because I thought it would be best for Emily, even though that was probably the wrong thing to do. But now, I see it was wrong. She is so happy with Emily.” Howie stood to look out to the balcony which overlooked the pool.

“And Emily is happy with her, right?” Brian tried to keep Howie talking. He knew once he stopped, he would never finish his thought.

“Yes. It almost amazes me. Every night I talk to Em and she tells me everything thing that she did with Misty. There’s never a sentence that doesn’t start with ‘Mommy said’ or ‘Mommy did’ or ‘Me and Mommy’. She really loves her, Brian.” Howie sighed, taking a drink of soda.

It was all perfectly clear to Brian now. “And so do you.” He said.

His words stunned Howie, but deep down he knew it was true. He turned to Brian, “I never stopped loving her. I almost feel guilty for not being there for her. For divorcing her when she needed me most. At the time, all I could think of was her affair with AJ. But looking back, I know AJ always wanted her, and Misty thought I was sleeping Cherie. She did it out of hurt and probably revenge, but mainly hurt. I should have seen that.” Howie took a seat across from Brian.

“Well, Howie, I agree with you for the most part, but man, if I were in your shoes I probably would have reacted the same way. You were already as hurt as a man can be over what happened with Emily’s birth. You hadn’t had time to heal when the affair hit. You did what you thought was right at the time.”

Howie was nodding his head in agreement. “Yeah, I did. But I think it’s pretty safe to say I regret it. But at the time, God, I hated her. Actually, not her, but what she did. But really, she was so depressed over not being able to tour with us. She only wanted to be with me. Now she did make the decision to start using, but depression can really overpower a person’s decisions and perception.”

Howie and Brian continued to talk over the next hour. Finally Leighanne called the room, asking if she could come back and get some sleep.

“Tell Leighanne I’m sorry. You can tell her what’s going on, but no one else, please.”

“Ok, she’d probably drag it out of me anyway,” Brian laughed. “But I know she’ll understand. And what you’ve said will not leave this room. I give you my word.”

“Thanks, B. I only have one more question…. Where do I go from here?”

“Well, we are going back to Florida for a week break. I really think you should take this time to talk to Misty. Don’t rush into getting back together or anything, but let her know your feelings. You’ll probably be surprised when you get her reaction.” Brian patted Howie on the back and walked him to the door.

“So has she talked to you?” Howie asked from the hallway.

“Now, Howie, but if she had,” Brian winked, “and had told me not to tell, do you think I’d tell you?” This was Brian’s way of letting him know that he had talked to Misty.

“Oh, ok. Gotcha! Thank you, Brian.”

It was the night before the guys were to be back home for a week. Howie hadn’t said anything to Misty. He had only called to check on Emily. Misty also continued to talk to AJ.

“Hey baby, I can’t wait to get back to see you,” AJ said over the phone, in their nightly conversation.

Misty was beginning to wonder what AJ really felt for her. He acted as though they were together which was not the case.

“Mis, is Howie taking Emily during the break or is she still gonna be there?”

“Ummm, I think she’s gonna stay with him. She’s so excited. She has missed him so much.”

“Well, if he does take her, do you think that it would be possible for me to stay with you one night?”

Misty wasn’t sure how to react to his question, “I, uh, I don’t know. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Come on, baby. That last night I was there was absolutely wonderful. I want to be able to spend the entire night just holding you in my arms. Nothing has to happen if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Misty was silent for a few minutes.

“Mis?”

“AJ, I said I don’t know, ok?” She hung up the phone. She knew that was probably a mistake, but she just couldn’t think of that right now. Howie had been talking to her a little more, and she knew she still loved him, but her feelings for AJ were still lingering. She was really confused and just didn’t want to deal with it.

Misty woke up to a knock on her door. She suspected it was Laura, but Laura wasn’t supposed to be there today, Misty was off work. She grabbed her robe, tying it on her way to the door. She opened the door to see Howie.

“Howie! Hi! Come on in. Emily’s still in bed… I think so anyway.”

Howie came inside, his instinct was to hug her, but he refrained.

“So, how’s the tour going?”

Howie followed Misty to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. “It’s going well. I’m glad to have a week off. I’ve missed my little girl!”

“I’d say so. She was so excited about today, I could barely get her to go to sleep. So we stayed up most of the night and had a Disney marathon. I think we successfully watched every Disney movie ever made.”

Howie laughed, sitting at the table, taking a sip of the coffee. He didn’t know why, but he was going to attempt the ‘big conversation’. “Mis, I kinda need to talk to you about something… I...”

They were interrupted by the phone ringing. Misty went to answer it, checking the ID first. It was AJ. She picked up the phone and walked into the living room.

Howie could hear her whispering, trying to not be heard. Finally she hung up the phone and came back to the kitchen. They both heard Emily walking around upstairs. “I’d better go get her, she’s probably wondering where I am.” Misty went upstairs, leaving Howie to his coffee.

Once he saw she was upstairs, he walked over to the phone. He saw that the call was from AJ. Why would AJ be calling her? Now his thoughts were back to Misty and AJ and their affair. His thoughts were interrupted by an overly excited three year old.

“DADDDDYYYYY!!!!!” Emily ran and jumped into his arms, hugging him as tight as she could.

“Hey babygirl! How’s my princess?” Howie carried her over to the kitchen and sat down with her on his lap.

“I missed you daddy! Am I going home today?”

“Yes baby, we’re going home. But you’ll be back her at the end of the week, ok.”

Emily nodded. Misty came into the kitchen carrying Emily’s suitcase. “Here’s her things.”

“Thanks, Mis.”

Howie took the suitcase and walked to the door, Emily following close behind. He turned to Misty, “Thank you for taking care of her.”

“It was no problem. I loved every minute of it.” She knelt down to Emily, reaching her the teddy bear she had slept with every night.

Emily hugged her, taking the bear. “I love you Mommy.”

“I love you too, Emily. Take care of your Daddy for me.”

Emily giggled, “I will. Bye!”

Emily held her hand as they walked down the driveway to the car. Misty stood in the doorway watching Howie buckle her into the seat. He waved from the car and drove off. She was relieved that everything went well, but sad to see her go. But she knew she’d have her back in a week, but how was it going to be when she was back at Howie’s for good?

Everyone gathered at Kevin and Laura’s for a huge dinner. No one was quite sure why Laura wanted everyone together, but suspected it was because she had missed everyone while they were on the tour.

After dinner, Laura stood up and all attention turned to her. Laura looked at Misty, who was grinning ear to ear. Misty was sitting between Howie and AJ and had Emily on her lap. Laura couldn’t help but notice how weird it was to see her with both of them. AJ had acted normal all night, so no one suspected anything.

“Well, I just wanted to tell you that I missed you guys sooooo much while you were on the tour. That’s why I had you all here tonight.” She turned to Misty who was quietly laughing at her. “Shut up, Misty!”

“Sorry! You’re just so sensitive!” Misty teased.

Everyone laughed, but Laura began to speak again. “And there’s another reason I wanted you all here tonight.” She laughed, putting her hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “This reason is one that Kevin doesn’t even know about yet.” With those words you could have heard a pin drop. Kevin looked up at his wife nervously. “Well, uh, I just wanted to tell you all, that uh, well, I’ll just say it….” It seemed as though everyone was holding their breath. That is everyone except Misty, who was fighting hard not to laugh. “Ok, I wanted to tell you all that now Misty and Howie are not gonna be the only one’s with a 'Backsteet Baby.' I’m two months pregnant!”

Everyone was silent for about two seconds, then they started cheering and congratulating Laura. Kevin on the other hand was still in shock. “Honey, you can smile, hug me, SOMETHING!” Laura looked at him laughing.

“Uhhhhh, did you just say….” Kevin stood up, still barely talking.

“Yes, I did just say. You, darlin’, are gonna be a daddy!”

Kevin took her into his arms, hugging her as tight as possible. She could feel him shake slightly from crying. It almost scared her. She had never seen him cry like this.

He pulled back and looked at his beautiful wife. She was crying too. “Oh my God, I love you so much, Laura. You have made me the happiest man alive!” He hugged her again.

Misty slipped off to the beach behind Kevin’s house. It wasn’t long before Howie was right behind her.

“Hey, I thought you’d be out here. Got something on your mind?” Howie sat down on the sand beside of Misty.

“Not really. I’m just so happy for Laura and Kevin. It’s been hell keeping this a secret.”

“You knew and didn’t tell me?” Howie laughed and playfully shook Misty’s shoulders. They both became quiet, looking into each other’s eyes. Misty leaned in toward Howie, but he moved his hands from her when he realized what was going on. “Listen, Mis, um…” his voice faded to a soft, delicate tone. “There’s something I want to tell you. Something I want to talk to you about….”

Before either of them could say another word, Emily ran up and got between them. Followed by AJ. “Hey you two. I’m really sorry. I tried to catch her, but she was just to fast for me.”

Misty and Howie both sighed, standing up and walking back toward the house with Emily.

That night Emily begged to stay with Misty. Although Howie really wanted her to stay with him, he gave in and let her go with Misty.

Misty had just finished tucking Emily in bed when her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey baby. Whatcha doin’?” It was AJ.

“I just put Emily to bed, and I was about to go to bed, too.”

“I’m sorry. Listen, would you mind if I came over? I really want to see you.”

“You saw me earlier tonight!”

“I know, but… But Howie was there, we couldn’t talk.”

“So, we’re talking now.”

“Come on, Misty, it’s not the same.”

Misty took a deep breath. She knew better than to give in, but she kinda wanted to see him too. “Oh, alright. You know the drill. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”

Again AJ slipped in and made his way to Misty’s room. “Hey Baby…” AJ immediately walked to her and kissed her, only Misty pushed back.

“Hold up, AJ. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you and I ARE NOT together. You need to get that straight.”

AJ had a look of shock on his face. “I know that, Misty. But what is so wrong with wanting to kiss you? I can’t help it. I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you. When you first came to Orlando. I’ve stood back and I’ve been your friend. But, Misty, I’ve wanted to be with you for 4½ years. And when I finally did get to be with you, we had to stop seeing each other because you were going through the divorce with Howie.”

They both became silent. For a brief moment, she saw how much she meant to AJ, she’d never realized it before. “AJ, I care for you, hell, I even love you, I really do, but this is not what I need right now. My life is finally starting to get on track. Howie and I are actually being civil to each other and I have Emily with me. This is all I’ve wanted. I want my little girl. She’s my life now.”

AJ took Misty’s hands in his. “Misty, where is this coming from? What has Emily got to do with us? She’s a great kid, and I love her too.”

“I’m just so afraid of losing her again. I can’t let that happen.”

AJ pulled Misty into his arms and held her tight. “It’s not going to happen. I won’t let it either.” He rubbed his hands down her hair. Just holding her like this made him want her even more. “I love you, Mis, I really do,” he whispered.

As he held her, Misty unconsciously nuzzled into his neck. Feeling her breath on him was driving him crazy. He pulled her way from him and looked into her eyes. Without thinking, she leaned in to kiss him.

They paused, hearing Emily open her bedroom door. AJ was not about to let Emily see anything. They could tell she was walking through the hallway. “Maybe you should check on her.” AJ said standing up.

“She’s probably just going to the…” She stopped mid-sentence when they both heard a loud thump.

They both ran to the hallway, AJ reaching the door first. He immediately turned around and pushed Misty back into the bedroom, “Call an ambulance!”

“What? What’s going on, what…”

AJ pushed her to the phone, “Don’t ask me just do it!” Misty called the ambulance while AJ ran to Emily’s side.

AJ and Misty still had no word from the doctors, they were still examining Emily. Misty was so emotional that she forgot to call Howie. AJ took it upon himself to do this. There was no answer at Howie’s so he tried his cell phone.

“Hello?”

“Howie, it’s me, AJ. Listen man, are you busy?”

“Um, no not really, I’m over at Nick’s. Patti’s here as well as Brian and Leighanne.”

“Uhhhh, there’s no easy way to explain this. Something’s happened. Me and Misty are at the hospital…”

‘Oh my God, is it Emily? What’s going on?” Howie stood and began pacing. Everyone became quiet trying to hear what was being said.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened or what’s going on. I think she had a seizure or something. That’s what it looked like to me. The doctors are still with her.”

“I’m on my way!” Howie snapped his phone shut and ran to the door.

“What is it Howie? Is Emily ok?” Patti asked squeezing Nick’s hand.

“She’s in the hospital. AJ said he thinks she had a seizure, but they don’t know.”

“We’re coming with you,” Brian stood up as everyone raced to their cars.

Misty was staring out the window, crying. AJ had is arms around her waist, hugging her from behind. He rested his head on her shoulder whispering, “It’ll be ok. These doctors are great. Emily will be fine.”

Howie, Nick and Patti, and Brian and Leighanne all raced in. AJ immediately backed away from Misty.

“How is she?” Howie ran to Misty, looking at AJ.

“We don’t know yet.”

Howie looked at her, but said nothing. He turned to AJ, “What happened?”

“Don’t know. I swear it looked like a seizure.”

“Looked like? What? Were you there?”

“Yes, I was.” AJ didn’t like the look in Howie’s eyes. No one did. He looked like he was ready to scream. “We heard Emily get out of bed, then we heard what I think was when she hit the floor and then…”

“Hit the floor? What do you mean?” He turned toward Misty, who had her back to him. He pulled on her shoulder to turn her around. “What the hell were you two doing? Why weren’t you watching her?” Howie began to raise his voice. Brian came up behind him and placed his had on Howie’s arm, trying to calm him down, but Howie just shrugged him off.

Misty turned to look at Howie. His words infuriated her. How could he even imply something like that. “I had already put her to bed.”

“Oh, so you put her to bed and never check on her? Anything can happen. Or were you too busy with AJ to give a damn?”

“Howie… stop it Howie…” Nick said from behind him.

Howie didn’t listen. “What kind of a mother are you? I should have known better...”

The doctor came into the waiting area. “Ms. Dorough?”

Howie ran up to the doctor. “I’m Howie Dorough, Emily’s father. Can I see her?”

“Yes, but what about…”

“It doesn’t matter, let me see my daughter!”

“Yes sir, the doctor escorted Howie back to see Emily.

A few moments later Misty was escorted to Emily’s bedside. She was sleeping soundly, she had had a rough night. Howie was sitting beside Emily, rubbing her hair back and softly humming. Howie looked up at Misty, hurt showing deeply in his eyes.

“It was a seizure. But they’re keeping her tonight and are going to run a few more tests in the morning before letting her leave. They’re not sure what caused it, but when I told the doctor the circumstances of her birth, he thinks that might have something to do with it.”

The next evening, Howie called Misty to let her know everything went well at the hospital and Emily had been released.

“She’s fine. They don’t think it was caused by all that at her birth.” Howie explained everything to Misty.

“I hate the fact that I could have caused this.” Misty was quiet on the phone. She knew Howie was still upset with her.

“Well, you didn’t. But, I’ve contacted Cherie. She quit her other job and is going to stay with Emily for the remainder of the tour. I think it’s better that way.”

Misty could say nothing. She was shocked that Howie was holding this against her. Shocked, but not entirely surprised. She tried to muffle her sobs so Howie couldn’t hear. “I understand…” She managed to choke out.

“I’m sorry, but it’s for the best. I’ll keep in touch.” Howie hung up the phone, then starred at it for a few seconds. He was doing this for Emily, wasn’t he?

Cherie knew he hated doing that. She came up behind him and put her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his back. “I’m so sorry Howie.”

He turned around to face her, and starred into her eyes. She could see the hurt in his eyes. She reached to hug him, hoping to comfort him at least a little bit. The hugged for just a few moments and as Cherie pulled a way, she kissed his cheek. Before she could step back, Howie’s lips found hers and they were in a passionate embrace.

After what seemed like an eternity, Howie pulled back to look at her. She smiled her beautiful smile and he smiled back. No words were spoken. Howie gently held her hand and guided her upstairs.

Once upstairs, he motioned Cherie to go in front of him. She went on to his bedroom, while he looked in on Emily. She was sleeping soundly. He quietly shut her door and went to his own room, shut and locked the door, and walked up behind Cherie. She was standing looking out a window. Howie put his arms around her and began kissing her neck. Cherie sighed, she felt as though she was melting in his arms. She had always wanted something more with him, more than just being a nanny for Emily. For years she’s lived in the same house and never once made a move on him, though her desires were always there.

Cherie turned to kiss Howie, slowly running her hands under his shirt and up over his chest. He moaned into her mouth, breaking free only to pull his shirt over his head and toss it to the floor. Cherie’s hands roamed his body as he gently laid her back on the bed.

Howie began placing kisses down her neck. “You’re a bit overdressed, don’t you think?” She grinned back at him. He moved back so she could sit up as he reached to pull her shirt over her head. Just as Howie untucked her shirt from her jeans, Cherie caught a glimpse of Howie and Misty’s wedding picture across the room. As he raised her shirt, she pushed his hands back down and sighed heavily, “I can’t do this Howie. I’m sorry.”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… I… dammit Howie, this is for the wrong reasons.”

Howie sat back on the bed. He knew she was right.

“You’re hurting right now, and I hate that. And earlier today you told me about Misty and AJ. You won’t admit it, but you still love her, you always have.”

He had admitted it, just not to her, only to Brian. He wouldn’t look in her eyes, he only looked down.

Cherie moved his head up so she could see his eyes. “Howie, not only do you love her, but you’re also in love with her. And that’s a beautiful thing. The two of you just can’t get the timing part down.” She smiled causing him to slightly laugh.

He stood up and walked over to get his shirt. “You’re right! You’re exactly right! And what do I do? I take Emily from her again. And she’s with AJ… again.” He put his shirt back on.

“You don’t know that. You weren’t there. I don’t know Misty, but I do know AJ, and I can almost guarantee that this was all him, not Misty. Do you honestly think she’d screw AJ with her little girl in the next room, the little girl that she’s just getting a chance to know?”

She was right, and he knew it. But he couldn’t admit that to himself or to her. “I don’t know, Cherie, I just don’t know…” he turned and walked out of the room.

Misty sat in Emily’s bedroom, holding on to one of her toys. She was feeling so many emotions that she couldn’t even cry. She was sad over Emily, but the words Howie had spoke at the hospital infuriated her. AJ had tried to talk to her, but it didn’t work. Once she saw it was him, she’d let the answering machine pick up, but after numerous calls, she began to simply pick up the phone and hang it back up. He finally got the picture and didn’t call back.

Now she felt alone all over again, but she made up her mind to be strong this time. She was going to prove to Howie and to everyone else that she’s not the same person she was before…

Howie had been keeping in contact with Misty, giving her a call almost once a week, just to let her know how Emily was. He had just gotten off the phone with her when his phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Hey Howie, it’s Laura. Are you busy?”

“No, why?”

“Can I come down and talk to ya?”

“Sure! What’s up?”

“Nothing, just wanna talk to ya, that’s all.”

“Ok.”

They ended their conversation and Laura walked down the hall to Howie’s room. Once inside, Laura could smell a little bit of alcohol.

“Having a party?” She laughed, taking a seat on the sofa.

Howie laughed, “No, but I have had a couple. Nothing much, though. So what do you want to talk to me about?”

“Well, uh, hmmmm. How do I start this?”

“Hurry up before the baby’s born!” Howie laughed.

“Oh shut up. I’ve got five months yet. Ok, here it is. I want to talk to you about Misty.”

The room fell silent. Howie took a deep breath as Laura continued to talk. “What’s going on? I mean, yeah you two are divorced, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be friends, or that you have to banish her from seeing Emily.”

“Laura, first of all, we *are* friends. I just got off the phone with her, actually. And I have every intention of letting her see Emily, only it’ll be when we’re off this tour.”

“Howie, that’s retarded. You know as well as I do that you could be letting Emily stay with her right now. And what’s up with you bitching at AJ all the time? One, he’s not seeing Misty. Yeah, he visited her a couple of times on the break, but they’re not dating. No physical stuff either. Heck, if you want the juicy details, I’ll give them to ya right now.”

“No, Laura that’s ok.”

“No, Howie, listen to me. I know he spent the night there once on the break, but absolutely nothing happened. I don’t want to make you pissed at AJ or anything, but he tried. He really tried to get something started, but Misty resisted. She didn’t want you to take Emily from her. And, she doesn’t love AJ. Not in the romantic, everlasting sort of way, anyway. She loves you. She’s never told me that, but I know she does.”

Howie sighed. “If she’s never said it, then how do you know it?”

“Ok, I’m four months pregnant, and I'm in NO mood to bullshit, Dorough. You two love each other and you both know it. So you need to get your ass movin’. You *know* what you need to do. I just wanted to make sure that you understand that there’s NOTHING at all like that between her and AJ. AJ wants her, but, then again, AJ wants anything with boobs.”

Howie laughed. “Good one, Laur. And you're right. I’ll definitely think about what you’ve said...”

The next day, Misty woke up early for work. As she was getting ready, she heard a knock on the door. “Who the heck would be stopping by at 7 am?” She thought as she walked to the door.

It was a floral delivery person with what looked to be a rose box with a huge ribbon around it. She took the box and sat down in the floor. She gently slid the ribbon off and opened the box. Inside was a dozen roses, 11 red, and one white. With tears in her eyes she opened a folded note that laid on top of the roses. She giggled when she saw it was a faxed letter… it was from Howie.

Dear Misty,

I’m sure you’re surprised to receive these from me. The surprise isn’t over yet. I really need to talk to you, and talking over the phone isn’t going to do. You’re not expected at work today, I took care of that. You’ll be off for a while. :) Packs lots of clothes, for different weather, and be at the airport by noon. You’re flight leaves at 1 pm. Your tickets will be there for you, I had them put in your name. You’ll be coming on the road for a while. Oh, and one more thing, Cherie is expecting you. Go by my house and pick up Emily, she’s coming with you. Cherie has her things packed and waiting.

Bring the roses with you. I’ll explain everything when you get here. I’ll pick you up at the airport.

Howie :)

Misty became ecstatic. She couldn’t figure out why he was doing this, but if it meant time with Emily she wasn’t going to bother asking questions.

She called work and her boss informed her that she was on an indefinite leave of absence and that she could be gone as long as she wanted. They’re hiring a temp for her position until the tour is over, or when she got back, which ever came first.

Misty had no idea what was going on, but she knew she had to get started. She ran to her bedroom and immediately began throwing clothes into her suitcase. Whatever was awaiting her…