Chapter 22
Later that
night, after Nick, AJ, Howie, and Johnny had gone to sleep, Brian found Kevin
staring out the window at the beach with his cell phone in hand.
“What’s up, Kevy-Kev?” Brian asked,
sitting down next to his cousin.
Kevin sighed. “I want to be back home,” he murmured. “The baby’s coming soon. I can feel it.”
Brian looked down at his hands. “Well, I can’t say that I’ve ever been on the
verge of becoming a father, but your baby’s not going to be born a second
sooner than it wants to be. You’ll be
home tomorrow, and then the baby will come.
Do you really think a kid’ll want to be born without its father there? I
don’t think so,” he answered himself.
“I know. I know that, but something inside me is
saying that the baby’s coming. So, I’m
just going to be ready,” he added, glancing down at the phone he held.
“And if Kristin calls in the morning,
and you’ve been up the entire night, do you really want to welcome the baby
when you’re falling asleep?” Brian asked him.
Kevin looked at him. “Do you really think that there wouldn’t be a
certain amount of adrenaline running through me if my kid’s about to be born?”
Brian nodded. “Touché.
Sorry, Kevin. I don’t know what
it’s like to be expecting a baby. I want
to,” he added wistfully.
Kevin put his arm around Brian’s
shoulders. “It’s the scariest fucking
thing ever, knowing that there’s going to be a person you helped create. They’re going to expect you take care of
them, love them, and be there for them always.
I never thought I’d be able to be unselfish enough to be a father, but,
ever since Kristin told us she was pregnant, I’ve felt this incredible love for
the baby. It’s not even here yet, but I
know if I had to, I’d die for it. That’s
what it feels like,” he told Brian.
“Wow,” was all Brian could say.
At four that morning, Kevin’s phone
rang, startling Brian out of sleep. He
sat up on the couch and listened to Kevin’s conversation.
“Hey, baby…Okay, okay, God, it’s
coming…Your water didn’t break yet, did it?
Okay, so there’s still a little bit of time…You’re sure this isn’t
Braxton-Hicks?…Okay…She’s taking you to the hospital…okay, just, I guess, just
hold on…I’ll try to get a flight down as soon as possible. No matter how much I have to pay…Hang in
there, baby. I love you.”
He hung up and looked over at
Brian. “She started getting
contractions, and, because the baby’s shifted down, she’s sure it’s
coming. I need to go get a flight. Tell the others I’m sorry, but Kris is having
the baby.”
“Kevin, we understand. Just go.
Now. Tell, Kris I said good luck
and congratulations,” Brian said as he walked Kevin to the door. Kevin gave him a small smile then, shrugging
into his coat, he opened the door.
“Oh, yeah. Bri, tell Johnny I’m
sorry but I had to take the rental car.
I’ll pay him back and all,” Kevin added.
Brian shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just go.”
And, shoving Kevin out the door, he shut it and watched the car roll
down the driveway and drive off.
The following evening, as the guys
sat around playing poker, AJ glanced at the clock. “Man, Kristin’s been in labor for twelve
hours. That baby’s taking its sweet time
coming,” he wondered aloud.
“I hope Kevin’s not freaking out and
yelling at the doctors or anything. You
know how he gets all control freak when he’s panicking or tense,” Nick reminded
them.
Brian smiled. “Can you just imagine if he does? He’ll probably end up yelling at Kris, and
she’ll yell right back.”
The phone rang, and all four reached
for it, but Nick got it first.
“Hello? Kevin! How’s Kristin? Is the
baby born yet? Oh, sorry…Okay, go ahead.
It is?! Really?! That’s awesome, amazing. We’re uncles!” he said to the rest of the
guys. “Did you pick a name?” he asked
Kevin. “Oh, cute. Okay, well, congratulations, tell Kris,
too. Go, go be with your family,
Kevin. Bye.”
Nick turned to the rest of
them. “They had a girl! Kristin named
her Bridget Anne Richardson. How awesome
is that? We have ourselves a niece—the first Backstreet Girl.”
They all agreed and toasted the baby
and Kristin’s strength with iced tea.
Then they debated who the baby probably looked like and agreed that they
would feel terrible for her if she had Kevin’s eyebrows. Then, Howie and Brian called Liv and Sienna
to let them know the good news. Both
women were happy for Kevin and Kristin and wondered when their own men would
come home.
“Soon,” Howie promised Liv. “We’re just waiting for word from Johnny and
his partner Kenneth Crear. Then, we’ll
just have to schedule a meeting with Jive and set everything up for the new
record.”
“Okay,” Liv said. “But, I thought we wanted to get wedding
planning in soon, too. Especially if
we’re going to be getting married at the end of May.”
“I know,” Howie told her. “I promise I’ll be back in two weeks. No later.
Do me a favor, love. Start
planning where we’re getting married and how many people you want there. Personally, if we could keep it a small,
intimate deal, I’d be really happy.”
“Really?” Liv asked him. “Because that’s what I’ve always wanted,
too.”
“Great,” Howie smiled. “Start planning, and, as soon as we finish
stuff up, I’ll be there.”
The meeting with Jive, WrightCrear
Management, and the Backstreet Boys went well, and each group came away feeling
positive about their new venture. The
Boys called several producers, songwriters, and musicians and set up a schedule
for recording the new album. They had
decided that they wanted to take their time with it and would probably release
it in the spring of 2005.
Before they headed off to their
respective homes until the first recording time on their schedule, they stopped
by the Richardson residence in Los Angeles to see the baby.
“She’s wonderful,” AJ grinned at
Kevin and Kristin as he peered over Brian’s shoulder to look at the baby. She had her mother’s honey-colored hair and
her father’s jade eyes. She was also
twenty-one inches long, which guaranteed that she was going to have her
parents’ tall height.
They took pictures and admired her
tiny fingers and toes. Each time she
cried, a different uncle hurried to pick her up, until Kristin told Kevin that
they wouldn’t need to hire a nanny when it was time to tour. It was obvious that if Bridget cried during a
show, one of her uncles would leave the stage to take care of her. When Nick heard that, he grinned and told her
that Bridget was definitely more important than the show and, of course he
would pick her up. The other three had
agreed, too.
By the time April rolled around,
there were fifteen new songs for the next album. Howie and Liv were well on their way to
finishing up the planning of their wedding, Bridget was growing quickly, and
Brian was working to get signed with Provident Records.
Finally, in April, the Provident
execs signed the three to four album contract with Brian. At the official signing, Sienna stood with
Brian as he shook hands. She couldn’t
help but be proud of him and nervous that he had brought her with him for what
would be their first public appearance together.
EXTRA
called her his “new love,” and Brian agreed, silently. He wasn’t ready to tell her that he was in
love with her. That he had been in love with
her since the previous April. He wasn’t
ready to put his heart out there yet because he was afraid of it being crushed
again. So, he kept his mouth shut and
listened to her complain about the pictures that EXTRA had taken of her.
“I look horrible. Like a tramp,” she vented.
Brian ran his hand down her arm and
linked fingers with hers. “Baby, you’re
not a tramp. And, if you are, you’re my
tramp. I don’t mind that one bit.”
She huffed out a breath. “Still.
I don’t want the world seeing me like that. I mean, what was I thinking wearing that
hideous outfit?”
Brian didn’t think it was hideous,
but she told him that he had a male’s taste in clothing. Brian couldn’t disagree with that, so he kept
his mouth shut.
“I got the invitation from Liv and
Howie the other day,” he told her when she had quieted down.
“Oh, yeah,” she remembered. “I can’t believe I’m going to be Livvy’s maid
of honor. I went for the first fitting
yesterday. At least the dresses aren’t
some hideous color. They’re a lovely,
pale blue. And Liv looks amazing!
Howie’s eyes are going to pop out when he sees her.”
“Howie’s eyes would pop out if she
wore anything,” Brian reminded her.
“They already do.”
“They’re so perfect for each other,”
Sienna sighed, settling back on his couch and resting her head against his
shoulder. “I can’t imagine what it would
be like to be getting married. Livvy’s
cool as a cucumber, but every time someone says his name, she lights up. It’s so beautiful to watch.”
“Howie’s the same way,” Brian told
her. “He also wants the guys to get
strapped up into penguin suits. I hate
that,” he added.
“But you’ll do it,” Sienna reminded
him, poking him in the ribs.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Brian
grinned. Then, he sighed. “It’s so strange knowing Howie’s going to be
moving into Lexington. We went
house-hunting yesterday. He doesn’t want
Livvy knowing that he’s looking for a place because she still thinks they’ll
just be living in her town home. He
wants to surprise her with a dream house.”
Sienna sat up. “What if Liv doesn’t like the house? What’ll
he do then?”
Brian shook his head. “Do you think he doesn’t know her inside and
out, yet? Anything he does makes her happy.
I think he’ll find something that she’ll love.”
“You’re right,” Sienna said, flopping
back down. “Six weeks and counting.”
The wedding took place the weekend
before Memorial Day in a park north of Lexington. The day was sunny and beautiful, and Howie
was more nervous than he had ever been about anything. As the string quartet began to play the
Wedding March, John leaned over and patted his shoulder.
“Calm down, little brother,” he told
Howie. “Otherwise, you’ll barely get
your vows out. Everything’ll be fine as
soon as you see her.”
Howie nodded, and, when he saw Liv,
his jaw dropped. He began to grin like a
lunatic as he took in the flowing, champagne-colored dress and her huge
grin. Her father smiled at Howie then
placed her hand in Howie’s.
The ceremony went wonderfully, and
the reception was enjoyed by all. After
the cake was cut, Brian scooped Sienna up and moved her onto the dance floor.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more
breathtaking sight,” he told her.
She laughed and looked over at Howie
and Liv. “I know. She’s so happy that she radiates it.”
Brian shook his head. “No, baby, I was talking about you. You’re perfect,” he whispered against her
hair.
Sienna let the feeling of
contentment fill her up. “I’ve never
seen you look more perfect, either,” she told him. “I feel like the cat who got the entire bowl
of cream. I just can’t believe you’re
leaving tomorrow.”
Brian sighed. He had scheduled a recording session for his
solo album in Denver that began the day after Howie’s wedding. It would last three weeks, and, immediately
after, the Boys had a recording session in Los Angeles. It would mean being away from home, non-stop,
for over a month. Brian had no desire to
go, but he knew that he couldn’t always have everything the way he wanted it.
“I know, darling,” he told her. “I want to do nothing more than spend all my
time with you. I wish the scheduling
hadn’t worked out this way, but it did.” He gathered her close, so she could
feel his heartbeat beneath her hand.
“You mean more to me than anything,” he admitted.
Sienna stepped back. “Then show me,” she said, taking the chance
that they were ready for it.
Brian looked at her. “Are you sure?” he asked.
Sienna nodded and placed her hand in
his. Not bothering to say goodbye to
anyone but Howie and Liv, who quickly figured out what was going on, they left
the reception. The whole ride home,
Sienna tried not to think. If she
analyzed what they were doing, she would ruin it, she knew. Instead, she delighted in the feel of Brian’s
lips on her hand. He drove one-handed,
keeping her hand in his and kept kissing the back of it.
When they arrived at her cottage,
she fumbled with the key and finally managed to unlock the door.
Brian stopped her inside the
door. “Sienna, tell me you’re sure this
is what you want.”
She linked her arms around his
neck. “I’m more sure than I’ve ever been
about anything,” she told him.
He nodded and, sweeping her into his
arms, carried her up the stairs.
As the first hints of dawn broke on
the horizon, Brian kissed her shoulder and slid out of bed.
“Brian?” Sienna woke and looked over
at him. “You’re not leaving already, are
you?”
He buttoned up his shirt and picked
up the jacket. “I’m sorry, darling. My flight’s at seven, and I have to grab my
things from home.” He sat on the bed with her and placed his hand against her
cheek, taking a long look at her.
“Brian,” she whispered, “I’ve never
felt like this with anyone else. I wish
you didn’t have to go,” she repeated.
“I know, and I’ve never felt this
way with anyone else, either. I promise,
I’ll be back soon,” he told her. He
kissed her again and left.
Sienna heard the door shut and lay
awake until the sun shone brightly and her alarm began to ring. Then, she rose and faced the day.
***
