Misty woke Emily up just as the plane was about to land. She had been a little scared about her first plane ride, but fell asleep shortly after take off.

“Em, sweetie, we’re here. You ready to see Daddy?” Misty said, making sure Emily’s seatbelt was secure.

Emily just nodded as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

As they walked down the long corridor, Emily became more excited. Misty had explained to her that Howie may meet them in the car, or he may meet them inside the airport, but she didn’t know which. As they walked out, there were tons of people waiting to greet their family/friends from the flight. No sign of Howie. Just then Misty spotted him in the very back, off to himself. She held tight to Emily’s hand as they walked through all the people. Just as they passed the people, Emily spotted Howie.

“DAAAAADDDDYYYY!!!”

Howie bent down and held out his arms, and Misty let Emily run to him. He picked her up and swung her around. “How’s my little princess?” He asked slightly pinching her nose as she giggled.

“Did you see the pwane?” Emily said pointing to the doorway they had just walked through.

“Yes I did! Did you like being on the pwane, errrm, plane?” Howie carried her as they walked to get the luggage. Emily just nodded in agreement. She didn’t like all the people, so she buried her face in Howie’s shoulder.

He tried managing Emily and some luggage, which was not successful, so Misty ended up dragging most of it. And, as usual, he got spotted right as they reached the parking lot.

“Dammit, Howie, you should’ve known better than to pick us up when you just had a concert here the night before!”

Howie held tight to Emily as camera flashes began to go off. He held her face down, so no pictures could be taken of her. “Shut up and run!”

All of the commotion scared Emily and she began to cry. Her sobs getting louder and louder. A few young girls were starting to chase after them now. Finally making it to the car, Misty dropped the luggage, took Emily and got in the backseat. Howie through everything in the trunk and quickly got in and drove off.

Misty rocked Emily in her arms, trying to calm her, she finally settled down a little. “Howie?” Misty said quietly, “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“When we were leaving the airport, when I yelled at you. And I said that word in front of Em.”

Howie chuckled. “It’s ok. It kinda reminds me of when we first met. Remember when I picked you up from the airport when you first went to Orlando. We got chased then, too. Way more people, then, though.”

Misty laughed, followed with a sigh. What she wouldn’t give to be back at that point again. She longed to have that same relationship with Howie again. It was so wonderful in the beginning. She brushed Emily’s hair back out of her face, and wiped away her last little teardrops. “Are you ok, sweetie?” When Emily nodded in agreement, she buckled her into the car seat, giving her a small toy to play with.

Back at the hotel, Howie put Misty’s luggage in her room. “You want Emily to stay with you?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind, but if she’d rather stay with you, let her. I want her to stay where she’s most comfortable.”

Howie laughed, “Well, it looks like she’s pretty darn comfy right now.”

Misty laid Emily down on the bed, She had fallen asleep in the car. Misty softly laughed, “Yeah, I’ve figured out the trick my mom used on me works with her. If you want her to go to sleep, put her in a car. And in this case, a plane works, too.” They both stood at the end of the bed, not knowing what to say. They just looked at Emily.

Howie rubbed Misty’s back and sighed. “Well, I’m gonna go let everyone know we made it. I’m getting Joe to take the rental car back.” He walked to the door. “My room’s right next door and Laura and Kevin are in 3384. Give Laura a call, I promised her you would. Oh, and don’t make plans tonight.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond before he left the room.

Misty looked around the room. It was a really nice room, but she didn’t really expect less. She smiled as her eye caught the roses lying on the table. What did he have to talk to her about? Maybe Laura would know.

“Hello?”

“Hey Laur! I made it! Whatcha doin?”

“Waiting on your sorry asses! I was worried, my genius husband thought your plane was supposed to land an hour ago! What room ya in?”

“3373.”

“Ok, I’m on my way down, is that ok?”

“Yeah, Emily’s taking a nap, so be quiet.”

Laura laughed and screamed into the phone, “WHY DO YOU THINK I’M LOUD OR SOMETHING?!”

Both of them laughed and hung up the phone.

Misty left her door propped open and Laura let herself in. Misty was sitting on the balcony; Laura came out and sat beside her.

“Hey Laura! You’re looking mighty pregnant these days!” Misty laughed.

“Oh shut your trap! You’re not the only one to notice. Everyone thinks I’m lying about how far I am. For some reason everyone thinks I’m like 6 months or something. I’m like, ‘gee thanks, only four.’ God, I hate to see what I’m gonna look like when I hit the 8th month. I am big for only being four months.”

“I think you look cute. But you are kinda big for it being so soon. Hey! Maybe you’ve got two in there.”

“Oh don’t even say that! I’m scared enough about having one come out!”

“Hehe. Anyway. So do you know what’s up with Howie? Why the hell did he want me to come out here? Did you know he sent me roses?”

“Yeah, I knew. And I know why you're here, but I can’t tell ya. He’d kick my ass!”

“Dammit Laura!” Misty hated it when other people knew something about her life that she didn’t know.

They sat and talked till Emily woke up. For some reason, Laura insisted on taking her to see the other guys. Emily was more than willing to go, and Misty was more than curious as to why Laura insisted that she take her.

Misty answered the knock at her door to find Howie.

“Busy?”

“Um, no, come on in.”

Howie walked in and had a seat by the balcony door. Misty sat on the bed, facing him.

“So, are we gonna have that talk now?” Misty was dying to know what all of this was about.

Howie let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, I guess now’s a good a time as any.”

Misty waited patiently for him to begin. Finally he took a deep breath and began to talk. He was nervously twiddling his fingers as he spoke.

“Well, first, I see you brought the flowers. Did you like them?”

“Yes, Howie, they’re beautiful.”

“It might sound dumb, but the white one kinda symbolizes Emily, and the rest, I guess, us.”

Misty smiled. “No Howie, that’s not dumb. But I guess, I don’t know… What do you mean ‘us’?”

Howie took another deep breath, and walked around the room, looking out the window. “Well remember back before Emily’s seizure how I kept telling you I needed to talk to you and we kept getting interrupted?” Misty thought for a minute then nodded in agreement. “Well, this is that talk. I thought we wouldn’t ever have this talk, but I’ve waited it out, and it’s got to be done.”

Misty looked worried. “Howie, I don’t like where this is going…”

Howie smiled, “It’s ok. I think it’s a good thing. I hope so anyway. Ok, here goes. I’ve done a lot of thinking. And one night I had a really long talk with Brian, basically just to confirm to myself what I’ve been thinking and feeling. Looking back, I’ve made some bad decisions. I should have never kept Emily away from you. And I shouldn’t have taken her away this last time, either.”

“Howie, stop. I understand. It’s ok.”

“No, Mis, it’s not.” Misty smiled, he hadn’t called her ‘Mis’ in a long time. Howie finally sat down beside her. “Looking back, I’ve realized a lot. I know that you had the affair with AJ because you were hurting. You thought I was sleeping with Cherie. I know you only started using because you were lonely and wanted to be with me and you couldn’t. I also know that you made the choice to start, but there was so much more to it. I don’t blame you anymore.”

Misty hated to be reminded of these things. She stopped looking at him, just starring at the floor as he spoke.

He raised her face to look at her. “Mis, it’s ok. Everyone makes mistakes. I understand why you did those things. And most recently, I know that AJ was trying to get you back. You weren’t pursuing him, he was pursuing you. I know we’ve been divorced for a while, but the thought of you with AJ still hurt. I know you’re free to date whoever you want, but it still bothered me.”

Misty looked at him curiously, “Why?”

Howie just looked at her for a moment. Her facial expression urged him to continue. He felt a lump form in his throat as he tried to continue. Pausing to clear his throat, he took Misty’s hands in his. “Basically, what all of this amounts to is…” He sighed heavily. “I still love you, Misty. I’ve never stopped loving you. I see you with Emily and it just breaks my heart that we’re not all together as a family.”

Misty began to cry, smiling through her tears. “Oh, Howie!” She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Howie laughed as he fought back tears of his own.

“But…” Howie said.

Misty pulled back. “But? There’s a but?”

“Um, yes. BUT, I don’t know how you feel toward me. I don’t want you to feel like you owe me or I expect anything from you. I just want your honest feelings.”

“Howie, I love you, too. And I’ve never stopped loving you, either.”

“Well, what now?” Howie asked, using his thumb to wipe away Misty’s tears.

“I don’t know, you tell me,” she laughed, slightly leaning into his hand as he caressed her face.

“Well, um, geez,” Howie smiled a huge smile. “Well, first of all, I would love to start things over between us… and I’d like to do that by kissing you.”

Misty reached up and pushed his hair behind his shoulders. He leaned in and their lips barely met. He kissed her so gently. She, too, barely pressed her lips against his. It was almost like their first kiss, all over again. They broke the kiss and leaned their foreheads together, holding each other’s hands. Misty was the first to speak.

“Ok, you said ‘first of all’, does that mean there’s a second of all?”

Howie laughed. “Well, yes, yes there is. I’d like to try to rebuild our relationship. Go entirely slow and see what happens. So, I guess, basically…” Misty leaned back, and cut his sentence off by laughing. “Yes, Howie, I’ll be your woman again!”

They both laughed, feeling as though a huge burden had just been lifted from the both of them. They walked out of the room to go get Emily, holding hands.

Misty knocked on Brian’s door, still holding Howie’s hand. Brian opened the door and looked completely shocked at the sight before him.

“What’s going on here? Come in!”

Howie put his are around Misty as he told Brian what was happening. “Well, Brian, I finally took your advice and talk to her.” He pulled her in closer to him. “We’re giving it another try.”

Brian immediately hugged Misty, then Howie. “I am so happy for you guys. I’ve probably said it a hundred times, but I think you two were made for each other. Just take your time. I know everything will work out perfect.”

“Thanks Brian. I’m pretty hopful.” Misty looked up at Howie, “I think it’ll work out. So where’s Leighanne and Emily?”

“Oh, she just left a few minutes ago. They’re downstairs in the pool. Leigh’s been dying to go swimming, and well, she used Emily as her excuse.”

“Oh boy, this should be interesting. I think we should go check on them, Emily enjoys water way too much.” Howie laughed. They finished up their conversation with Brian and went to check on Leighanne and Emily.

“So, what do you think will happen when Misty gets here?” Patti said stretching out on the bed.

“She’s already here. I’m dying to know what’s going on.” Nick said, taking a seat beside her. “Listen, Patti, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”

“Uh-oh, that’s scary,” Patti said, not looking at him as she flipped through a magazine.

“Hey! Anyway, let me finish. I’ve been thinking about us. Our relationship.” He reached over and closed her magazine. She looked at him curiously, sitting up. “Patti, I love you, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I love you, too.”

“Well, I know you don’t want to rush our relationship, but I think it’s time to take the next step. After the tour, I would like, no, love it if you would move in with me.”

Patti just sat with her mouth open.

“It’s ok, you can speak,” Nick laughed nervously.

Patti threw her arms around him, “YES! I can’t wait!”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Nick answered the door, AJ quickly stormed in.

“Hey AJ, what’s up?”

“Nick, man, I think I’m going crazy.” AJ started pacing around the room, going in circles.

Patti spoke up, “Whoa, AJ, calm down. What are you talking about? And quit pacing, you’re making me nervous!”

“Well, I AM nervous. I think I just saw Misty. But I know that can’t be right.”

Nick and Patti just looked at each other. “What? What is it? I wasn’t seeing things, was I? She is here.”

Nick was the first to break the news. “Well, yes. Howie just picked up her and Emily at the airport.”

“They’re not getting back together are they?” AJ lit up a cigarette.

Nick waved his hand in the air, “Dammit AJ, open the balcony door if you gonna do that! And I don’t know what they’re doing. All I know is that Howie got her to fly in.”

“Hmmm. I bet Laura knows. Thanks Nick.” AJ put out his cigarette and left the room.

Laura and Kevin were sitting on the side of the pool with their feet in the water, watching Leighanne swim around with Emily. Leighanne was standing in the shallow end, walking backwards, holding Emily under her arms, letting her float along the top of the water. Every time Leighanne would begin to move, Emily would scream and giggle.

“Ok, let’s play this cool, Howie. Let them guess what’s going on,” Misty said, letting go of his hand before they entered the pool area.

“Hey guys!” Howie shouted as they walked in.

Kevin and Laura turned and waved, Laura eyeing Misty to try and figure out what was going on. “So how was your flight?” Laura asked, watching their every move.

“It was great! Emily slept almost the entire way. But dummy here thought he wouldn’t get noticed by fans, and of course he did.” She playfully hit Howie’s arm, causing the others to laugh. “Are you having fun, Emily?”

Emily laughed, “I’m wimmin’! I’m wimmin’ Mommy!”

“I see that! Good job!”

“You two should get in,” Leighanne suggested.

“Yay! Mommy and Daddy can wim too!”

Howie and Misty looked at each other. “You wanna?” Howie asked.

“Sure.”

“Well, we’ll go upstairs and get our suits. Emily I think you need to get out of the water for a while, and we’ll all get in after me and Mommy change, ok?” Howie coaxed her to get out of the water.

“I wanna wim Daddy!” Emily began to cry. Leighanne soothed her as she set her on the side of the pool, beside Laura.

“Now be good, Emily. You can get back in, in a few minutes, when we get back.” Howie and Emily left the pool area to go upstairs for their swimsuits. Leighanne swam over and made sure she saw them get on the elevator, then went back and got Emily back in the pool.

“Now, didn’t you hear Howie?” Kevin teased.

“Yes, I heard him, but until Laura has her baby, Emily’s the only one I can spoil!”

On the elevator, Howie took Misty’s hand in his again. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” He leaned to kiss her.

AJ was waiting on the elevator, so he could go down and talk to Laura. The doors opened and he saw Howie and Misty kissing. Before they stopped, he quickly ducked around the corner and watched as Howie and Misty went back to their rooms. He now knew what was going on. He no longer needed to talk to Laura. He proceeded to go to his own room, to get a drink.

AJ left his door propped open, he could hear when everyone got back from the pool. They all had to walk by his door to get to their own.

“So we’ll all meet in an hour, is that good for everyone?” Kevin asked before everyone split to their separate rooms.

Everyone agreed. They would meet again in an hour to go to dinner.

“Mis, since you have all of Emily’s things, you care to take her with you, and get her ready, too?” Howie asked.

“No that’s fine. See you in an hour.” They went to their rooms.

Howie saw that Misty’s door was propped open, so he quietly let himself in. He heard she was on the phone. Within seconds he knew she was talking to AJ. He started to walk on in, but didn’t want to make her feel ackward, so he almost walked back out, but something made him stay and listen.

“Forget it AJ. You’re drunk, and don’t know what you’re talking about… AJ please stop. You know I love Howie, and I’m going to make this work this time… Yes, I do love you, but…”

At that moment, hearing her tell AJ she loved him, brought back all the hurt from before, but he continued to listen.

“Let me finish, I love you like I love Kevin or Brian or Laura or anyone else. I love you as a friend. You’ve helped me out a lot, especially when I was in rehab, and I’m grateful for that. You were there for me when I felt no one else cared. And yes, we did have that physical attraction, but that’s just it, it was simply something physical. I love Howie with my whole heart. He and Emily are what I want, and what I need. We’re a family AJ, you can’t change that, so please let me be. Don’t make this hard on me… AJ stop it. You’re drunk and don’t know what you’re talking about... Yes you can live without me!... Ok, fine, AJ, you wanna talk!? Call me when you’re sober!!!” She hung up the phone.

Howie smiled. He now knew that he really could trust her. He had been worried if AJ would interfere or if Misty would want to be with him again once she spent time around him. All those worries faded. He walked on in the room.

“Oh my God, Howie, you scared me!” Misty turned, surprised to see him. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I know. Come here…” He took her hands in his, and kissed her. He moved his hands to her face and she put her arms around him. He kissed her with more passion than before. It took her breath away. He finally broke their kiss and hugged her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Howie, but if you don’t mind me asking, what was all that about?”

He took her hands and had her sit on the bed, beside of him. “Ok, Misty, I’ll be honest with you. Even though I’ve had this big change of heart or whatever, I still had my doubts. I was afraid that if you came out on the road with me and saw AJ you’d want to be with him. I wasn’t entirely sure if I could trust you again, but you just put all my doubts to rest.”

“So, you heard me on the phone?”

“Yeah, I’m not proud that I listened, but I’m glad I did. I know I can fully trust you, and I do trust you.”

“DADDDDYYY!!!” Emily ran from the bathroom and jumped up to hug Howie.

“Hey princess! Are you ready to eat?”

“Yeah!”

With that they all left together to join the others.

“Yes, thank you doctor. I’ll be in tomorrow.” Laura hung up the phone.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin put down his newspaper.

“Well, I just wish I was back home, with my regular doctor. This one here makes me uncomfortable.”

“Honey, your doctor recommended this one and even set up the appointment. Why? What’s the matter?”

“He’s concerned about the baby. He thought he heard an irregular heartbeat when I was in for my exam, so he's recommending an ultrasound. Why couldn’t he have told us that before? Like when we were in the office?”

Kevin sighed heavily. Now he was scared, but he had to be calm. Laura was already beginning to cry. He sat beside her, putting his arms around her. “Honey, it’ll be ok. We’ll just go in tomorrow and everything will be fine. He’s a good doctor, too. He wants to make sure everything is ok. I’m thankful he’s bringing you in if he suspects anything at all may be wrong.”

“I know, but what if something IS wrong? I don’t know if I could handle it if anything was wrong with our baby.”

“Laur, honey, you’ve made it seven months. In two more months that little guy is gonna be born and everything is going to be ok. You’ve not had any problems up to now, so I think that’s a good sign.” Kevin was saying this to make her feel at ease, but she could tell he was as concerned as she was, but tried to cheer herself up, as well as Kevin.

“So,” Laura wiped her tears and regained her composure, “you think it’s a boy huh? You said 'guy.' ”

Kevin laughed, “I don’t know! I don’t care as long as he… OR she... is healthy. That’s all that matters. “And furthermore, don’t forget, you're going home tomorrow, so you’ll be back with your regular doctor. That should make you feel better.”

“Yeah, it does, but I don’t want to be there by myself.”

“You won’t be.” Kevin grinned.

“What? Don’t tell me you cancelled any part of the tour because of me!”

“No, no, nothing like that. I’ve talked with Howie and Misty. She wants to go back with you. Plus, Howie doesn’t like having Emily travel with us. He feels better knowing she’s home, and away from fans. And since he made it clear to Misty’s office she’d be out for a while, Misty’s going to stay with you until the baby comes. She’s going to call us the minute you think you’re in labor so I can get home and be with you. I feel better knowing she’ll be there, too.”

Laura began to cry again. She was pleased that he had made sure everything was perfect, and very happy she would be alone back in Orlando. “Oh, thank you Kevin!” He held her as she cried tears of happiness, and relief.

“You’re welcome. I’m going to be glad when all of this is over so you quit crying every ten seconds!”

“Shut up Kevin!” She playfully hit him as he continued to hold her.

Kevin held Laura’s hand as the doctor began the ultrasound. Laura and Kevin both seemed to stop breathing until the doctor spoke.

“You’re baby’s fine, Mrs. Richardson. No irregular heartbeat at all!” The doctor winked at her.

Laura turned to look at the monitor. “That looks strange. Don’t you think so, Kevin? I mean, I was with our friend Misty at her ultrasound, and it didn’t look like that! I think it sounds like an irregular heartbeat, too. Are you sure everything’s ok?”

“I’m positive Mrs. Richardson. What did Misty have?”

“A girl.”

“Well, see, that’s why it looked different!”

Kevin’s face lit up. “You mean, it’s a boy?!”

“Well, I thought you didn’t want to know the sex of the child.”

“Yeah, but you said…”

“Ok, I said, it was different from Misty’s because she had 'A' girl. But you’re not having 'A' anything. You’re having TWO. Congratulations, you're having twins!”

Laura and Kevin both began to cry. Kevin leaned over his wife and hugged her, kissing her cheek. “Did you hear that? Twins! We’ve been blessed twice!” Kevin quietly sobbed on her shoulder. He regained his composure, wiping his tears. He leaned to wipe Laura’s tears. “I love you so much Laura.” He turned is attention to the doctor, “So is it boys, girls, or both?”

“KEVIN! I don’t want to know!” Laura loudly reminded him. "All I DO know is that Misty is a jinx!” she laughed.

"OK, love, ok... we won't find out... whatever you want," Kevin said, kissing his wife again.

Howie came into Misty’s room. Emily had stayed with him the night before, and Misty was expecting her tonight.

“Where’s Em?”

“Well, she kinda wanted to stay with Leigh and Brian. Since you’re leaving in the morning I thought it’d be ok.”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me. I do have a question though, is she going to be staying with me when we get back or do you want Cherie to take her. Because I’m going to be at Laura and Kevin’s house till she has the baby.”

“I want her to be with you. I’ve already talked to Cherie. She pretty much knows she’s out of a job now. I felt bad about it, because she was really good with Em, but I think she needs to be with you, when I’m not there. I cleared it with Kevin and Laura, also. They don’t mind Emily being there. They love her.”

Misty smiled, “Thanks, Howie, that means a lot.”

“Well, you’re her mom. She needs you.”

They were interrupted by the phone. It was Laura.

“Oh, hey, Laura! I’ve been waiting to hear from you! How did the ultrasound go? Is everything ok?”

"Misty, you cursed me!" Laura said, half laughing and half crying.

"What? Why? What did I do? And what does it have to do with your baby?"

"Oh nothing. Just that when you said a couple months ago that I just might have two or three in there... well, you jinxed me, girl!"

Misty inhaled sharply. "You mean...?"

"Twins, Misty! Kevin and I have been blessed with twins!" Laura exclaimed happily.

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Laur! I’m so happy for you! Even though I jinxed you!” Misty said, laughing. "Congratulations, Laura. I'll talk to you later." Misty hung up the phone.

“What was that about?” Howie asked.

“Laura’s having twins! Isn’t that great!”

“That’s awesome! Now she definitely has an excuse for showing so early. With her it was like one day she wasn’t showing and the next day you couldn’t miss it!”

They both laughed and continued to talk about Laura and Kevin and their babies. The topic finally turned on themselves.

“Misty, I’m really going to miss you and Emily.”

“I know, but you’ll see us when Laura has the twins. It’s only 2 more months. Then there will only be like 4 more months of tourning, and not all of that is concerts. And you’ll have several breaks in there.”

“I’ve been thinking, and I’d like for you to be on the rest of that tour with me. But I hate bringing Emily on the road. But she seems to love it.”

“Yeah, she does. When she stays over here all she talks about it everybody else. It takes me forever to get her to go to sleep.”

They both got quiet for a few seconds. Howie turned to Misty, and took her hands in his. “Mis, thank you.”

“For what?”

“Everything. From the day I picked up up at the airport almost five years ago, to now. Thank you for loving me, for taking me back after I was so horrible to you for so long.”

“Howie, you weren’t…”

Howie put his index finger over her lips. “Shhhh, let me finish. I also want to thank you for giving me a beautiful daughter. She’s my whole world. I never imagined I’d have so much love for anyone as I do her, and without you, I wouldn’t have Emily. And thank you for giving me this second chance. I think I’ve fallen deeper in love with you than I did way back then. I love you so much, Misty.”

Misty let a single tear fall from her eye, and Howie quickly brushed it away with his thumb, caressing her face. He leaned to kiss her. The kiss grew more intense with each second. Misty opened her mouth, to allow Howie’s tongue to intertwine with hers. She slightly sucked on his tongue, causing him to release a low moan into her mouth. He moved his hands over her body, kissing down her neck. She leaned back just a little, giving him the go ahead to continue.

Howie proceeded to lean her back on the bed. He positioned himself between her legs, leaning down over her. He continued to kiss her neck, and over her chest as he began to open the buttons on her shirt. He broke from her briefly to look into her eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this? Are you ready for this?”

Misty just stared at him for a moment before answering. He had so much love, care and concern showing in his eyes. She was a little scared. She hadn’t slept with Howie in four years. She had only slept with AJ a few times during their short affair, which was over 3 years earlier, and she hadn’t had sex since then. But she wanted this. She had also fallen deeper in love with him now than ever before. “Yes, Howie, I’m sure.”

He continued with all of the tenderness she remembered he had from before. Taking his time undressing her and absorbing every single second. When he finally entered her, he went very slow and very gentle, and never took his eyes off hers. They looked into one another’s eyes as not only their bodies joined together, but as did their souls…as they continued to make love.

“Hello, Kevin? It’s Misty. Um, I know you’ve got a show tonight, but uh…”

“Misty, tell me! Is it Laura!?”

“Um, yeah. Don’t get all frazzled, but her contractions have started. I’m not sure if it’s a false alarm or not, she’s been having those the past couple of days, but I think this is it. You may want to go ahead and catch a flight.”

“Um… um… ok… think, Kevin, think… uhhhh… ok, I’m on my way. I’ll call you and let you know when my plane’s supposed to land.”

“Ok. Oh, and Kevin, whatever you do… STAY CALM!” Misty laughed as she hung up the phone and turned her attention to Laura.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m ok, they’re still pretty far apart. Is Kevin on his way?”

“Yeah. And so are we! You ready to go?”

“Yes!”

Misty helped Laura to the car and grabbed her things. There would soon be two more Richardsons in the world.

The doctor finished examining Laura. “You’re still at 3 centimeters, Mrs. Richardson. I think there’s going to be plenty of time for husband to get here. But I want to wait a little bit on the epidural if that’s ok. If you get it now it may wear off before the babies get here.”

“Ok, thank you.”

No sooner had the doctor walked out than Kevin walked in.

“Hey, baby, how are you?” He rushed to Laura’s side, holding her hand. He looked around the room at all the monitors. It was finally starting to hit him what was about to happen.

“I’m doing good. I’m not in too much pain yet. The doctor said it’s still going to be a while, so if you want to go get something to eat, Misty will…”

He cut her off mid-sentence, “No, I ate on the plane. I want to be right here. I’m not leaving here until we’re parents.” Kevin smiled.

Misty brought a seat over to Kevin so he could sit by Laura. “Well, I don’t want to be here when the mess hits, so I’m gonna go claim my seat in the waiting area. I’m so excited! The next time I see you, you’ll have two little babies!”

“Misty, you are such a goober!” Laura laughed.

“Hey, now, enough with the goober stuff. Show me some respect! I got you here and made sure your hubby got here, didn't I?!”

“Yes you did. Thanks again, Misty.” Kevin replied as Laura smiled. Misty waved to them both then went to the waiting area.

She was totally surprised to see that the rest of the guys were there also, Leighanne and Patti were there too. “Howie!” Misty ran to him and hugged him. She caught a glimpse of AJ, and he glanced at her, then turned his attention to a magazine.

“Hey baby, where’s Emily?”

“Oh, I knew it’d be horrible having her here running around, and I knew she’d hate it, so I called Cherie. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind. That’s what you needed to do. I don’t think this is the place for her.”

“So what are you all doing here? I figured you’d just do the show without Kevin.”

“Nah, we had to be here to see the newest Backsteet Babies! So we cancelled the rest of this week's shows. We’ll add them back to the end of the tour, no biggie!” Nick said, taking a seat beside of Patti. “So how long does this usually take?”

“Well, it’ll still be a while yet. She’s only dilated 3 centimeters. They haven’t even given her an epidural yet.”

Nick spoke up again, “So what does that all mean?”

AJ was quick to answer, “Uhh, Nick, buddy, trust me, in a situation like this, ignorance is bliss!” Everyone laughed and urged Nick to listen to AJ.

Kevin walked into the waiting area. Everyone had been near sleep, but had come to attention when seeing him. He had on hospital scrubs and took off the hat as he announced to everyone, “The twins are here! A boy and a girl!”

“Have you named them yet?” Patti asked.

“Yes we have... Brandon Scott and Brianna Dawn.”

Misty smiled, knowing that Laura had named her daughter after her as she named Emily after Laura.

Everyone jumped up and congratulated Kevin. He walked them down the hall to the nursery, to show off his delicate newborns. Misty caught a quick glimpse of them then went to Laura’s room.

“Well, you look mighty fine to have just had two beautiful children! So how does it feel to be a new Momma?” Misty sat beside of Laura.

“God I love modern medicine, I didn’t feel much at all! Misty, I feel so different now. Seeing Brandon and Brianna… words just can’t describe it. Kevin tells me the rest of the gang is all here. Happy to see Howie?”

“Oh, yes. Very happy.” Laura could tell that Misty was hiding something. She wasn’t her usual chipper self that she normally was when speaking of Howie.

“Mis, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, why?”

Laura gave her a stern look, “Misty, I know when something is on your mind. You better tell me before everyone else gets in here.”

Misty couldn’t hide anything from Laura. “Well, Howie and I, we, uh… We’ve started talking about marriage again. He wants to get remarried.”

“Misty that’s wonderful!” Laura cheered, but soon turned serious, “Misty, as wonderful as that is, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but in my opinion, it is a little too fast. I think you all need some more time dating and working on your relationship together.”

“Me too. I totally agree!”

“Then what’s the problem? There’s more to it isn’t there?”

“Dammit Laura! Why do you have to be such a mind reader?!” Misty laughed.

“Ahhhh, it’s a gift what can I say. I’m still numb from the waist down or I’d kick it out of ya, so just tell me.”

Misty became quiet. She spoke in a whisper to ensure no one would hear if they walked in. “Well, Howie and I have just recently talked about getting married. He brought up the idea and I told him I thought it was too soon.”

“Yeah, but... get to it!”

“But, there’s something he don’t know. Something no one knows.”

“Ok, chica, you’re starting to scare me. Let me in on it, 'cuz you know I can’t stand not knowing.”

“Well… I’m afraid to tell Howie because I’m afraid he’ll push the marriage issue and I’m not ready to get married yet. But…” Misty sighed, “I’m pregnant. Two months already. He doesn’t know yet, no one does except you. I’m afraid if I tell him, he’ll definitely want to get married, and I don’t want him to marry me just because I’m pregnant.”

Laura just starred in disbelief. “Misty? Pregnant? AGAIN?” She thought to herself. Finally she spoke up. “I, uh, I really don’t know what to say. I mean, you definitely need to tell Howie. You can’t just send him a letter when you go into labor or anything!” Laura laughed trying to lighten the mood. “But I see what you mean. And I know Howie, he’ll definitely push the marriage issue once he finds out you’re going to have his baby… It is Howie’s isn’t it?” Laura winked, letting Misty know she was joking.

“Laura! Of course it is!”

“Two months, huh? Sounds like someone got some nookie right before we came back to Orlando. So how long have you two been knockin’ boots?”

“LAURA!!!”

“Oh, come on, it’s not like you don’t eventually tell me everything anyway!”

“Well, honestly, we’ve slept together once. The night before we came back he stayed in my room and Leighanne kept Emily. It’s true, one time’s all it takes!” Misty laughed.

“Damn fertile people! And you’re sure about this?”

“Positive. I went to the doctor last week.”

“Oh, so that’s why you forgot to go to the store, when that was the only place you were going to begin with. It all makes sense now.”

Kevin came back in the room, and the two women quickly stopped talking. Kevin knew he had interrupted something, but wasn’t sure what. What he was sure of is that he probably didn’t really want to know.

Howie drove Misty back to her house, since she had driven Laura’s car to the hospital. They made idle chit-chat before Misty put her hand on the door to get out of the car.

“Wait!” Howie looked at her then at her house, then back at her. “Why don’t you come home with me? Stay with me tonight… please...”

Misty’s eyes lit up at the offer, then she realized Cherie would be there. “What about Cherie?”

“I’ll send her home. She’s been moving her things out anyway. Come on, Mis, pleeeaassseee…..” Howie looked at her out of the top of his eyes and pouted. How could she resist?

After Cherie went to her own home, Howie and Misty looked in on Emily. She was cuddled up to the bear Misty had given her and was sound asleep. Howie led Misty on to what used to be their bedroom. Misty almost teared up when she saw their wedding photo on a table across the room. Everything was almost identical to how it was when she was last there. When she shared the room with Howie.

“Thank you for staying with me. I’ve missed you so much. I wish I hadn’t wasted all this time without you.”

“Howie, let’s not have this discussion again. I’m here now and that’s what matters. Come here…” Misty put her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She began to slowly undress him and soon they were enjoying the slow exploration of each other’s bodies.

Exhausted, Misty laid her head over on Howie’s chest. He kissed her forehead and brushed her damp hair back out of her face. Their breathing had finally returned to normal when Misty decided to go ahead and tell him the secret she’d been keeping.

“Howie, I need to talk to you.”

He didn’t respond to her.

“Howie, are you still awake?”

“Yes, I was just listening. Go on. What do you need to talk to me about?”

Misty moved off his chest and laid on her side, looking at him. She took a deep breath, “Howie, I love you. And I know things are just now going great for us, I hope this doesn’t ruin it.”

Howie looked deep into her eyes, “Baby, there’s nothing that could ruin this. What is it? Tell me.”

“Well, I know it’s kinda soon, but uh, I’m pregnant.”

Howie didn’t speak for what seemed like forever. He just continued to stare at her. Then finally he mumbled, “Honey, uh, I don’t think you could tell this quick that you’re pregnant.”

Misty giggled, “No, silly. Remember before I came back with Laura? I’m two months pregnant.”

Howie sat in silence. Almost to the point to where Misty was beginning to get scared. Finally without saying a word, he got up and put his boxers on and walked to the other side of the bed.

“Howie? What are you doing? Where are you going?”

“Nowhere.” Howie kneeled down beside her. “I don’t want to go anywhere with out you. You and Em and this new baby are my entire life. I want us to be together… be a family again. Misty, will you marry me?”

His beautiful eyes stared up at her, waiting on a response. Misty just laid back on the bed. “Howie, I love you, and we’ve talked about re-marrying and I think it’s too soon. And I don’t want you proposing to me just because I’m going to have another baby. I don’t want you to marry me just because I’m pregnant and you think it’s the right thing to do!”

Howie stood up and sat beside her, “But Misty, I’m not doing this because you’re pregnant. Yes that did cause me to make up my mind and decide to do it, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I want us to be married because I love you and I want to be with you. And I want all of us to be together….me, you, Emily, and this baby.” He put his hand over her stomach. She couldn’t look at him. She knew there would be sadness in his eyes and she couldn’t bear to see it. He finally got back in bed with her, accepting her rejection. He was almost afraid how everyone would react to them having a child and not being married. After all they had been through, Kevin and Brian still looked out for her like their kid sister. What would they think this time around?

“You’re what?! Have you told Kevin? He’ll flip!” Brian paced back and forth as Leighanne looked on. She could tell Brian was upset. Misty and Howie backed closer to the door as Brian’s temper rose. He calmed down for a moment, taking a couple of deep breaths. “So, Howie, I know you said you’ve been talking about marriage…”

Howie looked at Misty as she squeezed his hand and took one more step back toward the door. “Well, Brian, it’s like this…” Howie began.

Misty quickly cut in, “Howie proposed and I declined. Wait Bri, calm down. I think it’s for the best. I mean we don’t want to rush into it. We want to take our time. We’ll probably get re-married, just not right now.”

“Rush? You don’t want to rush it and you’re sleeping together? Misty! You’re going to bring a child into this world and not be married to the baby’s father? What are you thinking? That’s just it, you’re NOT thinking!” Leighanne put her arm around Brian, trying to calm him.

“Bri, I knew you’d react this way, but you have to trust our decisions. I think I’ll just send Kevin a postcard to let him know.”

Brian took a few more deep breaths, realizing he couldn’t change the situation. “Ok, ok. I’m sorry I over reacted. You two do what you think is best for you. If you think waiting to get married will help your marriage in the long run, then that’s what you need to do. Oh, and make sure I’m no where in a 50 mile radius when you tell Kevin.” Brian laughed and hugged Misty, then went to shake Howie’s hand. “Congratulations you two.”

Misty and Howie left Brian’s hotel room, and went to their own. “Ok, it’s official, I don’t want to tell Kevin. Brian’s right, he’s gonna flip out. Maybe I should just get Laura to tell him.”

“Misty, honey, it won’t be that bad. I mean, it’s not like he doesn’t know we sleep together. We’ve been married and already have one child.”

“I know Howie, but that’s not the point. He’s going to kill me AND you when he finds out that we’re not getting married.”

“I don’t think he’ll be that bad. I was more worried about Brian. Kevin’s a little more open to ideas like that.” Howie positioned himself behind Misty on the bed and began to rub her shoulders. “It’ll be ok. If you want me too, I’ll tell him.”

“No, that’ll just make it worse. I’ll tell him, but you’re going to be with me!”

“I know, I will.” Howie put his arms around her and gently rubbed his hands over her stomach. She wasn’t showing yet, but he still liked to pat her stomach and talk about the baby. “I bet he’s in his room right now, want to go ahead and get it over with?”

“No….I still want to wait a little while. Maybe someone will slip up and tell him. I mean, Brian and Leighanne both know…”

“Yeah, but they both know that Kevin doesn’t. They’re not going to say anything.”

“Well, Laura knows!” Misty was just hoping to find an excuse to not say anything.

“Yes, and she’s known for the past month and not said anything. That’s a miracle in itself right there!” Howie laughed, knowing good and well it was probably killing Laura to not say anything.

Misty giggled, “Yeah, but Patti’s staying with her now and helping with Brianna and Brandon, so she’s got her to talk to. That’s how Laura works. As long as she can tell one person, she’s ok.”

“True. Well, I guess we can wait a little bit before telling Kevin. But I think we should do it soon, like within the next few days.”

“Yes, I agree. But can we just get some sleep for now. This touring is starting to get the best of me!”

Misty laid back on the bed, and Howie beside her. “I know, honey, I know.” He hated her being on tour with them. He loved having her, but he knew it was rough on her. But she wanted to be with him, and this time around, he was letting her have her way. There was barely three months left on the road, then they’d all be back home. He couldn’t wait. But he still hadn’t decided how he was going to do things when they were off tour. Misty still had her own house, and he wanted to make it as painless as possible for Emily, not wanting her to go back and forth between houses. And he definitely wanted Misty with him when she had the baby…

“Howie? What time is it?”

“Eleven, why?”

“Is Emily still with Nick?”

Howie began to laugh, “Well I guess so! He’s probably about ready to pull his hair out. Let’s go get her.”

Misty laughed, “Ok, well, that was a nice two minute nap!”

When Misty and Howie got to Nick’s room, the door was propped open, so they walked on in. Neither of them could help but laugh when they saw what was going on. Nick was sitting on the sofa with Emily in his lap. She had on one of his hats, turned around backwards, and they were watching Snow White.

“Well, it looks like you two got along well!” Misty went to get Emily.

“I wanna watch No White, Mommy!” Emily scrunched her face up and began to act like she was crying.

“Oh, I know, Mommy’s the bad guy. Come on, Em, be a good girl. It’s bed time.”

“But Mommy! AAAAHHHHHHH,” her little face turned red as she began to cry. Misty quickly handed her over to Howie. He began to bounce her around, trying to get her to calm down.

“Well, good luck getting her to go to bed!” Nick laughed.

“Uh-oh, what does that mean?” Misty looked at Howie and back at Nick.

“Well, who knew Emily liked Mountain Dew?!” Nick rolled laughing.

“Nickolas Gene Carter! You gave a three year old Moutain Dew this late at night! I’m gonna kick your…”

“Ahem!” Howie cleared his throat and shook his head “no” in an effort to keep Misty from cussing.

“Ok, let’s just say you’ve had it, Carter!” Misty was laughing, but still mad. She knew it would be one heck of a night.

They finally got Emily settled into bed. She agreed to lay down, but became quite the chatterbox.

"I remember when I was hoping she'd hurry up and talk, but now...geez!" Howie laughed.

Emily gave Howie a mean look and shook her finger at him, "Daddy, oove had it!"

"Oh, man, see what you did, Misty!"

“So you’ve STILL not told Kevin? What the hell are you thinking?” Laura raised her voice to Misty over the phone.

“I know, I know. I’m gonna tell him.”

“How, by postcard? Email? You big chicken, he’s not going to get mad. I can’t keep it to myself any longer, you’d better do something.”

“Ok, I’ll tell him. Bye, Laura.” Misty hung up the phone, and turned to Howie.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I’m surprised he doesn’t know already with as many people knowing as they do. Plus, it’s starting to show,” Howie looked at her stomach.

“I know,” Misty rubbed her stomach. She was already starting to wear loser clothing. A far cry from how she normally dressed. “Ok, I’ll do it. You stay here with Emily.” Misty walked to the door.

“Don’t you want me to go with you?”

“No, I can handle it… I think.” Misty grinned while gritting her teeth. She hoped this went well.

“Hey, Kev, how’s it going?”

Misty took a seat beside the window, as far away from Kevin as she could get.

“I was about to ask you the same thing. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“Yeah, that tends to be going around. I need to talk to you, too.”

“Well, can I go first?” Kevin asked.

“Sure, why the hell not, I’ve put off the talk this long,” Misty thought to herself before saying, “Sure, what is it?”

“Well, Mis, I know you’ve been a little stressed lately, that’s why I wanted to start. I know you’re expecting, and I wanted to tell you that I’m very happy for you, and congratulations.” Kevin gave her a big smile, letting her know that he really did feel this way about it.

Misty just sat with a total look of shock. “Um… uh… well… uh…,” she started, finally managing to make a complete sentence. “You know? How’d you know?”

Kevin laughed, “Everyone knows! I’ve known for a couple of weeks now. I’ve just been sitting back waiting on you to tell me. Nick told me.”

“Nick? How did Nick know? We didn’t tell him.”

“Laura told Patti, Patti told Nick, then Nick told me. It’s ok, I’m perfectly ok with it. I’m happy for you.”

“And you know we’re not getting married?”

Kevin’s smile soon faded. “WHAT?!”

“Oh, no, he didn’t know,” Misty thought to herself.

“You’re not getting married? What do you mean you’re not getting married? You can’t have that baby without getting married!”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but yes I can, and I will. Now don’t be getting mad at Howie, he proposed, but I don’t want to marry him, yet. I don’t want him to marry me just because I’m pregnant. Plus, I was pregnant when we got married before. I want this time to be different, and I want to make sure our relationship is going to work.”

Kevin thought for a few minutes before speaking. “Well,” he sighed heavily, “I don’t exactly approve of what you’re doing, but I can see where you’re coming from. You have my blessing.” Kevin smiled again, and went to hug her.

“Thank you, Kevin. Thank you.”

He held her tightly, “You’re welcome. I still feel like you’re my little sister. I have to look out for you.” He backed from her and looked at her stomach, “So, how far along are you? No one really seems to know.”

“Well, I’m four months.”

Kevin’s mouth dropped open. “Four? You’re kidding me? You don’t look it. You kept this from me for four months?!” Kevin laughed, letting her know he was just teasing her. He hugged her one more time, then they sat and talked about his own new children and Misty’s plans for the future.

Howie had talked Misty into moving in with him. She was now almost seven months pregnant. It was Emily’s fourth birthday, and everyone was gathered at Howie’s.

Laura and Leighanne had been staying at his home that day, watching Emily while Howie and Misty were at the doctor’s office for a routine visit and ultrasound. When they got back the entire place was decorated with balloons.

“How’s my birthday girl?” Howie shouted as he walked through the door, Emily running to him.

“So how did it go?” Patti asked as she stacked some of Emily’s presents out of the way.

“It’s a boy!” Howie shouted, swinging Emily around. He pointed to her, “You’re going to have a little brother!”

“Howie!” Misty yelled, then turned to the others, “Don’t listen to him. We didn’t find out the sex. I want it to be a surprise.”

“But it was a boy! I swear, it’s a boy!” Howie was overly excited in his assumption.

“And how do you know this, D? I doubt you could make any sense out of the ultrasound.” Laura replied, laughing.

“Trust me, I could tell! It’s definitely a boy! Takes after me if you know what I mean!” Howie winked.

“Oh geez. If that was the case, I’d accepted you’re marriage proposal long before now!” Misty rolled her eyes.

“Wait! Nobody move or even breathe!” Laura exclaimed. “What do you mean, ‘long before now’? Do I detect a note of engagement here?”

Leighanne joined in, “Hold it! I sense new jewelry in the room. Hold out your hand!” She stood, pointing at Misty.

Everyone in the room fell silent and stared at Misty. AJ especially. He seemed to be holding his breath, just hoping Misty hadn't accepted Howie’s proposal.

On purpose, Misty held out her right hand.

“No, no! The OTHER one!” Patti shouted.

Misty grinned and looked at Howie, then slowly held out her left hand. The sunlight hit the diamond perfectly and its shine could be seen across the entire room.

“Oh my God! Let me see that ROCK!” All the girls quickly gathered around Misty.

Misty looked over them at the rest of the guys, Brian and Kevin seemed especially happy and AJ excused himself from the room without saying anything to anyone. As soon as Misty caught a quick moment while everyone else was talking, she slipped out the kitchen door, to find AJ standing on the patio smoking.

“You ok?” She asked standing beside him.

He sniffed and cleared his thoat, “Yeah, I’m fine. Congratulations on everything.” He threw his cigarette out in the grass and walked away from Misty.

“AJ? What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

He was silent for a few minutes before he finally cleared his throat again before speaking. “Are you happy?” he asked in a low voice.

“What?”

“You heard me. Are you happy?” He kept his back to her.

“Yes, very. Why?”

“Do you love him? I mean really love him?”

“Yes, AJ, I do,” she said, her voice almost in a whisper.

AJ finally turned to look at her. “Then that’s all that matters. I’m happy for you.” He spoke very quietly, then looked at the ground. Misty got closer to him, she saw a tear fall from behind his sunglasses. He quickly wiped it away, then sighed heavily, looking up at the sky. “I’m sorry. I’m happy for you, I really am. But I just can’t help but feel… I wish… I don’t know, I’m sorry.” He tried to walk away from her.

“No, AJ, tell me. You wish what?”

“I know it’s stupid, but I really wish that I was Howie. He’s so lucky. I wish I had given you that ring, that that baby was mine. I wish I had been good enough for you.”

“AJ! You were, it’s just…”

AJ patted her arm, then squeezed her hand, “I know. Trust me, I know. I love you, and if you’re happy then I’m happy. Congratulations. I mean it.” He turned and walked inside. Not long after, Howie came outside, “Come on, we’re going to bring out the cake.”

“Ok,” Misty replied softly, following him inside.

Everyone waited nervously in the hospital waiting area. Misty had gone into labor two weeks early. They knew everything had been going ok with the baby, but everyone was still a little tense.

As the night went on, everyone had made beds out of the stiff chairs. It had been 11 hours since they had been called in. Patti was asleep on Nick’s shoulder. Brian had his arm around Leighanne as she was drifting off to sleep. Kevin nervously flipped through a magazine as Laura called their babysitter to check on Brianna and Brandon. AJ was talking on his cellphone to Cherie. They had been going out for the past two weeks and he was giving her the play by play on the delivery. He was also holding Emily, she had insisted on being the first to see her new baby brother or sister. They hadn’t heard anything in the past couple of hours.

“I think I hear him!” Kevin stood up and looked down the hall to see Howie removing the hospital srubs. He looked totally exhausted, but had a huge smile on his face. Once he saw Kevin, he started walking faster, eager to tell everyone the good news.

“Well? Well? How'd it go? What is it? How’s Misty?” Brian and Kevin, both pumping him with questions.

Howie continued to smile as he pushed his slightly damp hair back out of his face.

“Well are you going to tell us or do we have to go see for ourselves?” Laura asked.

“It’s a boy! Elijah Thomas Dorough. He and Misty are doing great. They're both asleep!"

Everyone started hugging each other, the girls were crying. And he wasn’t sure, but Howie almost thought he saw AJ shed a tear. He tried to think nothing of it and led the others to see his newborn son.

Kevin and Brian both had to carry Misty’s dress into the cathedral. She had it in a dark cover so no one could see it. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to wear this? It took both of us just to lift it!” Brian huffed out of breath.

“Yes, I can wear it. And yeah, it is heavy.”

“Understatement of the year. How much did you pay for it?”

“I didn’t pay anything! But Howie shelled out about $5000 for it.” Misty laughed, taking the cover off of it.

“Misty Dawn! That’s like a down payment on a car or small house or something!” Kevin was stunned.

“I know, now leave! I’ve got to get ready!”

Kevin and Brian just shook their heads in disbelief as they left the bride's room.

The music started, it was time for Misty to make her way up the aisle. She had a knack for being non-traditional, so why should this be any different? Her father had given her away to Howie once already, so she decided to walk herself up the aisle this time. Emily walked in front of her, and instead of a bouquet, she carried baby Elijah, handing him to Laura when she reached the front of the church.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house through the entire ceremony. It was a perfect ending to a long, rough, journey. AJ even stood up as Howie’s best man. As Howie kissed his new bride, he whispered, “I’m so happy to have you by my side… again.”

THE END!