Chapter 40

Rehearsals for the girls put more stress on their lives then they had ever imagined. If they weren't rehearsing then they were sleeping and didn't talk to or see each other outside of rehearsals. The Backstreet Boys had gotten back from their tour about two weeks before Love's Angels would be leaving for their tour. Kristen hardly talked to AJ since she was so tired and overwhelmed with stress. As soon as she got home she would shower, get something to eat, then go to bed. Same routine every day. Mandy refused to talk to Howie considering she still didn't know what to say to him. Both of them were in a really awkward position towards each other. Howie would talk to Jasmine a lot with all the business stuff going on in the group so she would inform Kristen and Mandy about it all. It was the day before they were leaving to go on tour and they were let out early from rehearsals so Kristen decided she would drive over to Nick's to inform Toni of what would be great news to her. "Well, well, look who decided to stop by," Toni said answering the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kristen asked going inside and falling down onto the couch.

"You haven't talked to me for a few weeks then all of a sudden you show up here."

"Toni I've been busy, you know that."

"I know but whenever you get busy you just have a habit of not talking to me."

"I'm sorry but if it makes you feel any better when I found something out today at rehearsals you were the first person who came to my mind to tell. So, here I am."

"What did you find out?"

"I'll give you a clue. If you weren't going out with Nick who would you want to be with?"

"AJ, but what does he..." Toni said when Kristen smacked her interrupting her. "What the hell?"

"AJ is my man! Don't ever say you would be with him again!"

"Nah!" Toni said to her and Kristen rolled her eyes.

"Can we get serious again? Now who would you be with?"

"I don't know Kristen. Can you please just get to the point of this?"

"How about someone from Youngstown?"

"You mean Sammy wants me!" Toni yelled jumping up and starting to freak out causing Nick to come into the living room because of all the commotion she was making.

"How much surge have you had?" Nick asked looking at the few empty cans sitting on the coffee table.

"Sammy wants me!" Toni screamed running and hopping on Nick knocking him over to where she was sitting on his stomach.

"Who the hell is Sammy!?!" Nick yelled.

"Nick I wouldn't worry about it if I were you," Kristen said.

"Why! I am! He wants me!" Toni yelled as she started to bounce up and down since she was so over excited forgetting that she was sitting on Nick's stomach.

"Damn it Toni!" Nick yelled grabbing her and pulling her off of him. "Who the hell is this Sammy guy so I can go kick his ass?" Nick asked Kristen.

"Chill he doesn't want her. She never let me finish what I was saying before she started jumping to conclusions."

"What do you mean he doesn't want me?" Toni asked upset.

"How the hell could he want you when he's never seen you or even heard about you?" Kristen asked questionably. "Besides what would it matter anyways? You have Nick remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"Oh yeah?" Nick asked. "Sammy doesn't want you so suddenly you remember me?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean it," Toni said sitting down on Nick's lap and wrapping her arms around him giving him a kiss.

"This is all really heart warming but will you please let me finish?" Kristen asked interrupting. "As I was about to say before you just started spazing out, Youngstown is going to be our opening act when we leave on tour."

"You get to meet them?" Toni asked.

"Yeah, that's usually the way it works."

"Kristen you have to take me with you!" Toni yelled jumping off Nick and running and sitting down on the couch next to Kristen.

"Toni..."

"No, don't say anything unless you're going to say that you plan on taking me or something like that."

"Man I am glad Nick lives with you now instead of me."

"That's not very funny."

"Maybe to you it's not," Nick said agreeing with Kristen. Toni rolled her eyes at him and started begging Kristen for about ten minutes to let her go on tour with the group.

"If I say yes will you shut up?" Kristen asked starting to get aggravated.

"Yes."

"No she won't. I've used that line on her before and it doesn't work for even a second," Nick said.

"Shut up, why are you so mean to me?"

"I'm not I just love you like that," Nick said sitting down on the couch next to Toni and wrapping his arms around her and holding her.

"Toni your my best friend of course you can come with us."

"I can! I love you so much!" Toni yelled shoving Nick off her and jumping on Kristen hugging her.

"I'm getting sick of being shoved around," Nick said. Kristen shoved Toni off her and looked at the huge smile she had on her face. "Don't you have to clear this with Lou before you tell her she can come?"

"I already did. I know Toni a little bit too well so I asked Lou if she could come when I found out it was Youngstown touring with us."

"This is so great! How long can I stay with you?"

"Lou said only a week."

"One week with Sammy is fine by me. Now go home so me and Nicky can pack my stuff. I'll see you tomorrow girl," Toni said giving her friend a hug as she walked out the door. Nick and Toni went into their room and pulled out the suitcases as they packed a bunch of clothes for her.

"Are you really going to be needing these?" Nick asked pulling out a pair of thong underwear Toni packed in the suitcase. "I mean you only need to wear them for me right?"

"Yes I do need them," Toni said taking them from him and putting them back. "What are you freaked out that I would let Sammy see me in them or something?"

"Just for the record I trust you I just don't trust any other guy around you so you never know."

"Well just for the record I'm bringing them so my underwear line doesn't show in a pair of pants I'm bringing, not so another guy could see them."

"What's it going to matter? No guy should be looking at your ass in the first place and no girl will unless they are gay or something and if Sammy does I'll be there in a second to kick his ass."

"Nick, you have nothing to worry about I'll only be gone a week. Besides if Sammy were to hit on me I'll just punch him dead in the face because only you are the only one allowed to hit on me and get away with it," Toni said as she wrapped her arms around Nick's neck.

"Good that's the kind of thing that I like to hear," Nick said picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. When Kristen got home she went straight to bed since her things were already packed. A few minutes later AJ came in, got undressed, and climbed into bed wrapping his arms around Kristen's waist and pulling her close to him.

"I haven't even been home a month and we're going to be separated again," he said to her.

"I know. Are you okay with all this?" Kristen asked turning around and facing him.

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean, are you going to be okay with the fact that we'll both be touring on and off and we won't get to spend as much time together?"

"Yes because when you're gone I'll be here waiting for you and when I'm gone I know you'll be doing the same," AJ said and Kristen laid her head down on his bare chest. "You've been so busy lately that we really haven't been able to talk and I've wanted to talk to you about something."

"What's that?"

"When you get back from touring I was thinking that maybe.....maybe we could try again."

"Try again with what?" Kristen was reluctant to ask hoping that he wasn't meaning to try and have another baby.

"Try again with making a family. When you get back from touring you'll probably be done with month long touring for a little while."

"AJ why are you so anxious to have a baby?"

"I'm not really anxious, it's just something I want and I know you want to. You just have to realize that again. So what do you say?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it," Kristen said as silent tears fell from her eyes since she was scared to try after having two miscarriages. She was hoping AJ wouldn't be able to tell she was crying but he felt the tear drops land on his chest. He held her tighter as they fell asleep in each other's arms.