Chapter 85

New Year's Eve was a hard time for Leighanne to be spending alone. She and Brian always had special plans every year to do something fabulous and fun together. They'd done that every year they'd been married, until now. Three years ago they were in Hawaii for AJ and Emily's wedding. Two years ago he'd flown them to New York to a very fancy party overlooking Times Square. Last year was another great party on the beach in LA. This year, she was going to her sister's party alone.

She arrived at Randy's house about an hour before the other guests were going to arrive.

“I'm glad you decided to come!” Amanda said.

“I brought wine.” Leighanne held up a box with a few bottles in it.

“Thanks!”

“No...I brought wine for myself.” Leighanne corrected.

Amanda laughed. “Whatever gets you through the day!”

“Hey Leigh!” Randy appeared and kissed her cheek. “How are you?”

“I brought wine.” Leighanne replied.

Amanda laughed. “How's Baylee getting along at Mom's?”

“Great, being spoiled rotten I'm sure. She was never that nice to us when we were kids.”

“I know. I guess that's the perk of being a grandmother. You can do whatever you want and not have to worry about the consequences.”

“Have you heard from Emily?”

“Not since before they left for their trip. Isn't that crazy about the stalker?” Amanda asked.

“Yeah. It's weird that it's her with the stalker and not AJ. Remember that time someone kidnapped Tyke?”

“Oh my God, I forgot all about that!” Amanda laughed.

Randy opened one of Leighanne's bottles of wine for her and they all sat in his living room while the caterer finished setting everything up. They told her stories from their tropical vacation and Leighanne smiled politely, sipping her wine and praying the evening went quickly.

Brian spent his New Year's Eve with a bucket of friend chicken in front of Amanda's tv. He'd had a few invitations but he didn't really feel like going anywhere alone. He even thought about picking Baylee up for the night and spending it with him but realized it would be a little confusing to Baylee to have to explain why Daddy was sleeping in Aunt Mandy's apartment. He realized that this was the first night since they'd been apart that he really missed Leighanne. He missed his companion. He'd had no one to talk to or laugh with since Thanksgiving and suddenly he felt lonely. Then it hit him. If they couldn't work this out, he'd probably spend the rest of his life feeling this way and that was a scary thought. He wasn't even sure yet if he wanted to or if he was capable of working it out with her and suddenly he knew that he needed to figure that out soon.

Leighanne was on her third glass of wine by the time all the guests had arrived. Once everyone had been properly introduced Randy announced that dinner was ready. Leighanne and Amanda led the way to the buffet line and filled up their plates.

“See, this isn't so bad, is it?” Amanda asked.

Leighanne shrugged. “It's just...different. Everything is different.”

Amanda gave her sister a sympathetic look. “Believe it or not, I do know what that's like. Maybe not to your extreme, but I do know what it's like to wake up one day and have your world turned completely upside down. And at the risk of sounding sympathetic, Brian's probably going through the exact same thing.”

“I miss him.” Leighanne admitted, looking away.

“I know. But I really do think you guys are going to work this out.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

Amanda grinned. “I just have a feeling.”

“That's that new love feeling you've got talking.” Leighanne laughed, glancing over at Randy.

Amanda poured them each some more wine. “Maybe so.” she admitted.

Emily and AJ took a quick nap before they got ready for the black tie party in the lodge. They took a shower together and AJ watched ESPN while Emily did her hair and makeup before getting dressed. He was standing in front of the mirror tying his bow tie when she walked out of the bathroom. He turned to look at her and froze.

“Wow! You look....incredible!”

“Thanks.” Emily blushed, loving the effect she still had on her husband after three years of marriage. She'd worn a tight fitting, black, strapless dress that had a slit on the side that went all the way up to her mid-thigh. “You know, you're looking pretty handsome yourself!” she said as she stood behind him and helped him with his tie.

AJ stared at their reflection and smiled. They'd been through hell and high water over the past year and somehow he still managed to love her even more all the time. “It's kind of fitting that I'm wearing a tux today.”
“Oh yeah? How so?” She asked, turning him around to straighten his tie.

“Well, you know, three years ago today I was wearing a tux for our wedding.”

“Ahh, so you were! I guess I should have worn a white dress then, huh?” she smiled.

“Right about now I'd pay you to keep on the dress you're wearing you look so damn hot in it!”

Emily gave him a devilish grin. “Well, I guess I'll collect my payment later tonight, after the party!”

“You've got yourself a deal!” AJ said, swatting at her behind.

He helped her put on her coat and led her along the carefully shoveled paths to the lodge. It was already fairly crowded but they'd made a reservation and were led right over to their table.

“Happy New Years Mr. and Mrs. McLean!” their waiter greeted. “My name is John, I'll be looking after you this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

After ordering their drinks and an appetizer, John left them to talk over the candles on their table. “You know it still kind of creeps me out to go places and have the staff automatically know who we are.” Emily admitted.

“Why is that creepy?”

“I don't know, it almost makes me feel like they think we're so snobby that they have to impress us with their politeness. I don't want people to think of me as a rich bitch!”

“Emily, I don't think anyone that's actually met you has ever thought that.” he reassured.

“I hope you're right!”

“Of course I'm right! I'm always right!” he winked.

They talked all through a delicious dinner that was so good Emily was thankful they'd worked up an appetite earlier in the day so she could eat all of it.

“I hope you saved room for dessert.” AJ said once their table was cleared. “I have a surprise for you!”

Emily raised an eyebrow. “It had better be appropriate for the public!”

AJ laughed and gestured behind her. John, their waiter, was carrying out a small cake. As he placed it down on the table Emily immediately recognized it as a duplicate of the top tier of their wedding cake.

“Happy anniversary!” John said as he set down two plates. “May I serve you each a piece?”

“They'd be great, thank you.” AJ answered.

“How did you do this?” Emily asked as she studied the cake. It was so perfect she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between her real wedding cake and this one.

“I sent their baker a picture and asked if they'd be able to do it.”

He fed her a forkful of cake. “Mmmm....it's perfect! Thank you.” she said as she fed him a bite.

Eventually they stuffed themselves with cake and stood up to head into the ballroom. Emily made sure AJ left John a nice enough tip so as not to be considered snobby, rich people who couldn't be generous. AJ laughed at her paranoia. They mingled and met some of the other guests and enjoyed the music and dancing. It was nearly ten o'clock and the place was absolutely packed as AJ and Emily danced close together. AJ slid his hands down to her rear and caressed her. Then, his hands froze.

“You're not wearing any underwear, are you?” he asked, softly.

Emily grinned and shook her head.

AJ groaned and pressed himself against her, forcing her to feel his hardness on her stomach. “See what you do to me?” he whispered into her ear. “Now all I can think about is fucking you right here on the dance floor!”

“So what's stopping you?” she asked, seductively.

He swallowed hard as many dirty thoughts filled his mind. “Come on!” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the door.

“Where are we going?” she laughed.

“Back to the chalet!”

“What about the party?”

“Fuck the party!” he said.

Emily laughed and followed him back outside.

As soon as they were shut inside the chalet, he grabbed her and backed her up against the door as he kissed her roughly, his hands wandering up and down her body. Emily helped him shrug out of his coat and loosened his tie as he sucked her lower lip. She parted and let his tongue in and caressing it with hers. Liquid heat began to pool between her legs as she felt his urgency to have her. He gently grazed his hand over her breasts and she gasped as the sensation sent shocks throughout her body. She desperately grabbed at the fly of his pants and quickly undid them, letting them fall to the floor and leaving him in only his shirt and boxers. He wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her and guided them both into the kitchen, backing her up against the table. He quickly lifted her up and sat her down on top of it as his lips wandered to that sensitive spot just below her ear. She tasted sweet and salty as he noticed the fine layer of perspiration building up on her skin. His hands cupped her breasts, gently massaging them before running his thumbs back and forth across her nipples. She moaned and arched towards him needing to feel more as she tugged on his boxers. He stepped out of them and resumed kissing her as he lifted up the skirt of her dress, exposing her to him. Her breath was shallow and rapid as she looked into his eyes waiting for his touch. She was wet and swollen with desire and she didn't want to wait any longer. He scooted her to the edge of the table and as soon as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he slid himself into her. Emily gasped and grabbed on to the edge of the table as he filled her up. He began to move rhythmically and Emily found that they were at just the perfect angle for stimulation that was so perfect she knew she would come quickly. AJ was surprised when he heard her moans quiet and felt her body start to tremble. He'd had no idea she was as turned on as he was and decided he didn't care how long it lasted this time as he thrust himself deeper inside of her and pushing her over the edge. Her body stiffened for a moment before wave after wave of pleasure took over her. She moaned loudly as she kept coming and found a new wave of pleasure arrive when she felt him spasm inside of her.

When they'd come down from outer space, Emily slid off the table and into his arms as they caught their breath. Eventually, he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. “I'm not quite done with you yet.” he murmured. He set her down and slowly unzipped the back of her dress, letting it fall to the floor. Emily started to step out of her high heels but he stopped her. “Leave them on.” he said. Emily raised an eyebrow but did as she was told. She didn't know what had gotten into him tonight but she was certainly not about to start asking questions.

He pushed her back against the bed and guided her to sit on the edge. He knelt down in front of her and gently spread her legs. “You're awfully messy, baby. I'm going to have to clean you up myself.” he murmured as he gazed at her swollen core.

Emily sighed and lie back on the bed in anticipation. He draped her legs over his shoulders and gave her an open-mouthed kiss right on her hot spot. She gasped and grabbed the sheets as her hips arched up for more. He flicked his tongue over her slowly a few times before inserting a finger inside of her and moving it in perfect rhythm with his tongue. She moaned with every lick, every swirl. She begged him for release as he continued to torture her, keeping her right at the edge of ecstasy for what felt like an eternity before he finally relented and increased the speed and pressure until she came in his mouth. He kept going, slowing down the pace to build her back up again. As soon as he felt her start to squirm beneath him, he stood up and got onto the bed, pulling her over to him and climbing on top of her. He thrust into her hard and deep causing her to cry out. He bent down and captured a nipple in his mouth and alternated between licking and sucking on it. He kissed up to her neck and grabbed one of her legs and threw it over his shoulder. Emily was thankful for her flexibility as she felt him drive himself deeper into her. She grabbed her breasts and massaged them, needing to do something more, anything. AJ groaned as he took in the site of her touching herself and then watched as her face exploded in pleasure as she came yet again. As soon as he felt her spasm, AJ let go and came loudly as he ground himself into her before collapsing breathless on top of her.

Brian woke up just before midnight, having fallen asleep on the couch with his hand in the bucket of chicken. He chuckled to himself as he wiped off the grease and sat up. He wondered what Leighanne was doing right now. Had she gone out somewhere or did she stay home? Was she as miserable as he was? Was that even possible? He sighed as he realized that he actually cared whether or not she was ok. Things had been a lot easier when he didn't give a damn how she felt. Now that he did care, it only confused him further. He just didn't know how he could possibly forgive her for what she'd done no matter how much he wanted to.

Chapter 86

Three days later, AJ and Emily returned home from their vacation.

“I thought vacations were supposed to make you feel rested, not exhausted.” she said as she dropped her suitcase just inside the door.

“Well, perhaps you would have felt rested if your husband had let you get some sleep the last few nights. Not that I think you should be complaining. You did seem to enjoy it....”

Emily laughed. “You're right, no complaining here. It was well worth it. I have to call Leighanne and let her know we got back ok and then I'm going to take a nap. Want to join me?”

“I think I'll pass. I'm going to check my messages and check in with Mark and Brent.”

“Ok.” she gave him a quick kiss. “Wake me up in a few hours?”

“Sure.” he said.

As soon as she was upstairs he quickly went through their stack of mail checking for anything suspicious looking from the stalker. He was pleased to see nothing had arrived and relaxed a little.

Emily called Leighanne as she got into bed. “Hey Leigh!”

“Hey! Are you home?”

“Yeah, we just got back a little while ago. I'm getting ready to take a nap.”

Leighanne laughed. “Not quite the restful vacation?”

“Hardly, but it was great!”

“I'm sure it was.”

“How was your New Year?” Emily asked, carefully.

“Well, Mandy convinced me to come to the party at Randy's and I got trashed on wine and spent the night. I guess I had a good time. Then I picked up Baylee the next day because he got sick. I just took him to the doctor this morning and it turns out he has strep. So we've been watching a lot of videos together.”

“Aww, poor little guy! Have you talked to Brian?”

“A few times. I called to let him know he was sick and we kind of agreed we'd tell Baylee he was out of town for awhile so we could have some more time. We haven't really discussed anything significant.”

“Well I think it's good that you're taking your time.”

“Maybe.” Leighanne sighed. “So when do I get to see you? I've been dying for some adult company.”

“How about tomorrow? I could bring over some lunch.”

“That'd be great! I'll let you take your nap now. See you tomorrow!”

“Ok, bye Leigh!”

AJ sat down with his laptop and tried to go through his e-mails but he couldn't seem to concentrate. Being away had kept him distracted from his troubles but now that he was home, locked in his house with the alarm on, he couldn't avoid them. He had just eight days before he left for his first show with Colby and he needed to figure out a way to make him feel more comfortable leaving Emily alone. He sighed and knew one of the first things he'd have to do was to contact the police. Brian had given him a contact there and said this guy was his best chance at keeping this discreet. The fencing, cameras and lights had all been put up while they were gone and later that day he'd set up the gate security code. He also needed to talk to Tiny to see what he thought needed to be done.

Eventually, he peeked in on Emily and found her sound asleep. He smiled as he took in how peaceful she looked and quietly shut the door. He went downstairs to the basement and into his studio- a place he felt very confident she could not overhear him from. He pulled out the number Brian had given him and dialed.

“Officer Knight.” he answered.

“Yeah, hi..” AJ said, unsure of where to start. “I got your number from a good friend of mine, Brian Littrell. He said he thought you might be able to help me out.”

“I know Brian.” the man said, sounding slightly more friendly. “What's your situation?”

“Well, my name is AJ McLean, I'm one of his band mates and I live here in Atlanta with my wife Emily.”

“Mmm-hmm.” he urged AJ to continue.

“It seems someone has been following my wife. We've had a few rather threatening letters sent that have threatened to harm her and on Christmas day, someone tried to break into our garage and got scared away by our alarm.”

“So what exactly do you want from me?” Officer Knight asked, obviously an all business man.

“Well, I'd like it to be investigated, but on the quiet end of things. I don't want this becoming public knowledge.”

“And?” the officer obviously suspected there was more to the story.

“And my wife doesn't know the whole situation. I didn't want to scare her so I let her believe that I was the one with the crazy stalker. I'll tell her the truth when I really have to but until then, I just don't want to put her through that.”

“I see. And obviously you have security?”

“We have an alarm system with sensors upstairs and downstairs. I just had my property gated and fenced and added spotlights and cameras as well.”

“Good. I'll tell you what. Why don't you and I get together tomorrow and show me these letters. Basically, I'll do for you what I did for Brian. I'll work your case more like a private investigator but the up side is that I'll file the complaints for you, I'll just make sure they're buried where no one can find them. I will warn you though that in a lot of cases like these, if they escalate we do end up working with the FBI.”

AJ nodded. “I thought that might be the case.”

“I'll do my best to keep it from coming to that. And we can discuss my fees tomorrow as well. Can I contact you at the number you're calling from?”

“Yeah, it's my cell phone.”

“Good. I'll be in touch with you tomorrow.”

“Alright, thank you very much.” AJ said. He didn't know what in the world Brian had used this guy for but it sounded like a good plan. An on the record, off the record type of investigation was just what he was hoping for.

Emily convinced AJ she was safe to drive to Leighanne's for lunch by herself the next day.

“I promise, all I'm doing is picking up lunch from Panera and going straight to her house. I'll be just fine!”

AJ nodded. “Alright. Just be careful, ok? I love you!”

“I love you too.” Emily kissed his cheek. “I'll see you tonight.”

Baylee was asleep when Emily got there. “Is he feeling any better?”

“Not really. I'm hoping the antibiotics will have kicked in by tomorrow.”

“They should by then.”

“Don't you ever have to work?” Leighanne asked.

Emily laughed. “Not until next week. I'm still on vacation.”

“So tell me what you've been thinking about you and Brian lately?” she pried.

Leighanne shrugged. “I honestly don't know what I've been thinking. For so long, all I wanted was for him to forgive me so we could move on. But now, after everything that's happened, I'm not sure that's going to be good enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“It's just...he was so cruel to me, you know? He might have been here in body but his spirit left our marriage on Thanksgiving and I think I'm going to need some time to recover from all of that. I mean he didn't even give me a chance. He wouldn't let me explain, wouldn't talk about it, nothing. He just wrote me off. Just like that. And mostly what I've been thinking the past few days is how unfair that was of him. That isn't how a marriage is supposed to work. I was wrong to have done what I did but he was wrong to just check out like that. What happened to 'For better or for worse'?”

Emily thought about that. “You're right. You've each lost a lot of trust in each other and you're going to have to make an active decision to work to gain that back but you can only do that by putting it all on the table for each other to see.”

“What are you like, channeling your marriage counselor now or something?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I'm just speaking from experience. When AJ and I went through all of that, we were both so busy being hurt and blaming each other that we never stopped and really looked at the whole picture, you know? So one of the things our therapist had us do was to write a list of the things we needed from each other to work it out. That might be a good starting place for you two.”

Leighanne nodded. “It would at least be a place to start.”

“So...want to help me plan AJ's birthday party?” Emily asked, changing the subject.

“Sure! Got any ideas?”

“A little. I was thinking of renting out that Cafe Americana that he likes so much. They have a fancy party room. He says he doesn't want a huge, Hollywood-esque party this year. I talked to Kevin and Kristin this morning and they said they could probably come and Howie and Leigh also agreed. Nick is a maybe.”

“Are you thinking of having it on his birthday?”

Emily nodded. “Yeah, the ninth just seems like the best day. It's a Friday which works really well. Besides, he has to leave on the eleventh to rehearse the Colby shows.

“Well, just let me know what you need help with.”

“I need help finding him a gift!”

“Why don't you just jump out of a giant birthday cake for him?” she teased.

“Hmmm....that's not an entirely bad idea!” Emily laughed.

Leighanne helped Emily make phone calls and plan out the party through dinner and then she stayed to watch a movie with Baylee and then talked with Leighanne some more about other random things. She got the strong sense that Leighanne was really lonely as she was even more talkative than usual and decided what she needed the most was just a friend to be with, so she stayed.

It was after eleven o'clock at night when Emily finally got home. AJ was standing in the middle of the kitchen holding his cell phone and looking very upset.

“What's wrong?” Emily asked, immediately concerned at the look on his face.

AJ turned to look at her. “Where the hell> have you been?”

“I've been at Leighanne's.” Emily answered slowly. “Why? What's going on?”

“I've been fucking worried sick about you, that's what! You didn't say you'd be gone so long and I've been calling you all damn night. Could you not have picked up your fucking cell phone? Isn't that why I pay for the damn thing?”

Emily was completely taken aback. “I'm sorry! The battery died this afternoon. I told you I'd see you tonight...I know I'm a few hours later than I thought I would be but we didn't have plans or anything and you knew where I was, you could have called her house phone.”

“ I did!” he yelled. “It just kept ringing and ringing.”

Emily cursed under her breath. “She took it off the hook to let Baylee sleep. I'm really sorry...it's just...why are you so worried? You've never cared before when I've been gone all day unless....” Suddenly Emily was pretty sure she knew what was going on.

“Unless what?”

“Wait...you don't really believe that I was with Leighanne all night, do you?”

“What?” AJ asked, not expecting that to be what she thought.

“Do you really think I was out somewhere secret that I didn't want you to know about?”

“I didn't know where you were, isn't that kind of the point of my being upset?”

Emily gaped at him. “You think I was out with another man, don't you?”

“Emily don't be ridiculous, of course I don't think that!”

“Well if it isn't that, than what is it?” she fired, crossing her arms.

AJ was backed into a corner. Either he thought she was cheating or he fessed up to the whole stalker story. He was so confused that he almost didn't know which choice was worse.

“I don't know...I just...I was worried you'd been in an accident or something. I'm sorry, I'm just a little on edge lately.”

“Because of your crazy stalker?”

AJ nodded, slowly.

“Look, I understand why you were worried but let's face it, you're going to be away a lot pretty soon and you can't always know where I am all the time. Just like I won't be able to know where you are all the time. And at least I have the benefit of knowing you have your own security team with you when you're away.”

AJ leaned against the counter and eyed her carefully. “Well, would you consider letting me hire a bodyguard for you?”

Emily laughed. “No, why on earth would you do that?”

“To protect you!”

“Look, I understand that being your wife poses a certain risk but trust me, the last thing I need is some big, burly man following me around all the time. It would freak me out and draw more attention to me than I'd normally have out by myself.”

“But...”

“No buts!” she interrupted him before he could argue. “You will not hire me a security guard and that is final. If you do, I'll fire him anyway so don't bother. Furthermore, worried or not, if you ever speak to me that way again, there will be hell to pay, got it?”

AJ nodded. “Yeah, I'm sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Now, I'm going upstairs to take a hot bath. If you feel that you'd like to protect me, you are more than welcome to join me!”

The next morning, AJ told Emily he had some errands to run to get ready to leave in a few days. She promised him she'd be staying home safe and sound and would be waiting when he got back.

He met Officer Knight for coffee at, of all places, a Dunkin Donuts twenty minutes away. The officer spotted him when he walked in the door and stood up to motion to him. AJ sat down across from him in a booth in the corner.

“Coffee?” the officer offered. “I didn't know what you wanted so I left it black.”

“Black is perfect, thanks.” AJ said, taking a sip.

“So did you bring those letters?”

AJ nodded and pulled them out of his bag. He slid them across the table and watched the officer's expression as he read them.

“You weren't kidding around.” Knight finally commented.

“No, I wasn't. Can you help me?”

“Mr. McLean, this is very serious. Do you understand the implications of not having this thoroughly investigated through the proper channels?”

AJ nodded. “Besides, if he knows we're looking, he'll be that much harder to catch, right?”

“Well, yes and no. Many stalkers enjoy the thrill of knowing they're getting to their victims. If he doesn't think you've reported this to the police, he might think you aren't taking him seriously and that could potentially cause him to act even more severely.”

“Look, if we have to turn these in, we will. I was just hoping to try to avoid Emily finding out about all this.”

“Why don't you want her to know?” Officer Knight squinted at him.

“I just....there's a good chance if I weren't in the public eye this guy wouldn't even know who she was. So I take some of the responsibility for this. And, you know, she's my wife. I love her and I swore to always protect her. This would totally rock her world. I don't want her to be afraid to go to sleep or to run to the grocery store. I don't want her always wondering who might be lurking in the shadows. She shouldn't have to go through that. We've gone through enough this past year, I just want her to be happy. And safe.” he added.

“Good. I was worried it was more about your image or something than actually about your wife.”

AJ looked insulted.

“Don't get all bent out of shape, you'd be surprised the types of things celebrities try and cover up to protect their own asses.”

“So what happens now?” AJ asked.

“Well I have some questions for you first. Then I'll start digging around, checking out people you know, seeing if I can lift any prints off of these letters.”

AJ answered what felt like hundreds of questions about the places they'd been, the people they knew, anyone either of them might have offended in the past year. When Officer Knight seemed satisfied, he sat up and put down his pen.

“Now we just have the small matter of the fee. Did the bring the cash?”

AJ nodded and slid an envelope across the table. Knight opened it up and thumbed through the bills.

“That about covers it. I'll be in touch in a few days.”

“Thank you.” AJ said, shaking the man's hand.

“Don't thank me yet, I haven't done anything.” Knight said as he left.

Chapter 87

The next few days seemed to fly by. AJ hadn't heard anything from Officer Knight and Emily kept busy preparing for AJ's party. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party and he was surprised to see how many of his friends had flown in from out of town to be there for him. To everyone else, he seemed to have been having a blast. Emily knew better.

Ever since they'd gotten back from vacation, Emily could sense something was eating away at AJ that he wasn't telling her about. The way he flipped out the night she'd come home late from Leighanne's was her first big clue. She'd kept a close eye on him and while she couldn't put a finger on it, something just didn't seem right about him. She'd tried to ask him about it a few times but he always brushed her off and said he was fine.

The day after his party and the night before he left, she cornered him in the bedroom.

“I know you don't want to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you but I'm really worried so we're not leaving this room until you tell me.” She said, crossing her arms and leaning against the bedroom door, blocking his only exit.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, looking away as he packed his suitcase.

“You know what I'm talking about. All week you've been acting funny and I want to know why!”

AJ hated lying to her. He could hear the worry written all over her voice. But rather than make something up, he chose to try and act like everything was fine.

“Ok. So you won't tell me. I'll just have to start guessing. Don't forget, I can read your face like a book!”

AJ looked up at her with a raised eyebrow before going back to his packing.

“Are you really nervous about your shows?”

“I'm always nervous about a show. That's nothing new.”

“Are you feeling like drinking again?”

“What?! No!”

“Are you depressed?”

“Emily, I'm fine!”

“Are you freaking out because we aren't using any birth control anymore?”

AJ froze and looked up at her. “Believe me, that is the last thing I'm freaking out about.” he smiled.

Emily couldn't help but smile back. “Well, good! Ok so I'm running out of ideas here.....”

“Look, you know how it is. I always get weird right before a tour kicks off. I'll be fine in a few more days, you'll see.”

Emily sighed. She didn't believe him, but she was starting to see that whatever was bothering him, he was not about to tell her.

As Emily left him alone to pack, he sat down on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He hated keeping this from her and he was constantly reminding himself why he was doing it. He was going to have to find a way to forget about it because she was growing more and more worried about him and if he wasn't able to snap out of it and pretend like everything was fine, she wasn't going to give up until she knew what was wrong.

He managed to sneak down into his studio to make one final phone call before he went to bed that night.

“Hey Tiny, how's it going?”

“AJ! I was starting to think I wasn't going to hear from you again!”

“I know, I'm sorry.”

“What's going on? Any updates?”

“Actually none. As far as I know, there hasn't been another incident since Christmas which really has me on edge, I'm supposed to leave tomorrow for a few days.”

“Does Emily know about this yet?”

“She knows there's a stalker, she just thinks I'm the one with the stalker, not her.”

“AJ.....”

“Look, I don't want to hear it, ok? My mind is made up.”

“Alright, it's your call.”

“So anyway, I asked her if she would let me hire her a bodyguard and she refused and swore that if I did, she'd fire him on the spot and send him packing. So I'm thinking it isn't going to work for you to come down here.”

“Well, you should have someone keeping an eye on her while you're gone since you haven't even told the police!”

“How do you know I haven't told the police?” AJ asked.

“Well....I mean, I hadn't heard anything about it through the grape vine so I just assumed....” Tiny stammered.

AJ wasn't sure if he believed him or not but he knew how much the bodyguards in his circle liked to gossip. They were very good at keeping it amongst themselves, but they told each other damn near everything.

“So, what, you think you should come down here and insist on staying with her? Have you even met Emily before? She'd never allow that!”

“No, I'm suggesting I come down there and keep an eye on her without her knowing it.”

AJ thought about that for a moment. Part of him felt like it would be a big invasion of Emily's privacy but another part of him knew he'd be immensely relieved to know that Emily was safe. “Yeah, ok. How soon can you get here?”

“You're leaving tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I'm flying to L.A. for rehearsal for a few days and then the first show is three days later on the fourteenth. Emily is flying out to see it and going home the next day. I'll be back on the sixteenth and leaving again on the twentieth.”

“Jesus, you're going to have to e-mail me all of this, you know I'm terrible with dates.”

AJ laughed. “I'll send it to you right now. So when can you come?”

“I can be down there day after tomorrow.”

“Perfect. Thanks man, I owe you a lot for this.”

“Yes, you do. I'll call you when I get here.”

Leighanne called Brian that night after Baylee had gone to bed.

“Hey, what's up?” he answered.

“Well, Baylee can't go to the movie with you tomorrow, he's still sick.” Leighanne said. She had been dreading making that call, it was the third time she'd had to tell Brian he couldn't take Baylee out and she was starting to worry that he wouldn't believe her and think she was just lying to keep Baylee from him.

Brian was quiet for a second. “He's still sick? Have you called the doctor?”

“Yes, we have an appointment at nine in the morning tomorrow. You're welcome to come with us if you want, I'm starting to get pretty worried about him!”

“What's going on? I thought he just had strep?” Brian asked, growing concerned.

“I thought so too but now he has this weird rash and he was saying how much his mouth hurt and I looked in it and he has these weird blisters inside. I've never seen anything like it before!”

“Is he alright? He he awake?”

“He's sleeping right now.”

“I could come over if you want and give you a break if he wakes up. And maybe we could talk a little?”

Leighanne was shocked. Brian finally wanted to talk to her? Now? When all she could think about was Baylee?”

“Uh...yeah, ok. That'd be nice.”

“I'll pack some clothes and sleep on the couch so I can drive you to the appointment in the morning.”

“Yeah, ok. Thanks.”

“I'll be over in a little bit. Hey, have you called Emily to ask her about Baylee?”

“No, I haven't but that's a good idea, thanks. I think I'll call her right now.”

Leighanne was baffled when she hung up the phone. Brian's wanting to talk had seemed to come out of nowhere. He'd hardly even been pleasant when they'd spoken over the phone about Baylee the last few days. She decided she'd better start getting her thoughts together before he got there so that she had at least some idea of what she wanted to say.

While she was waiting, she tried to call Emily but it went straight to her voice mail.

“Hey Em, it's Leigh. Could you call me as soon as you get this? Thanks.”

She decided to try their house phone and also received no answer. Brian walked in the door about ten minutes later, setting his duffel bag by the couch.

“Hi.” he said, awkwardly.

“Hey.” Leighanne said, standing up.

“Is Baylee still asleep?”

“Yes, I just checked on him a minute ago.”

“Were you able to get a hold of Emily?”

Leighanne shook her head. “I called her cell and house. No answer at either. Have a seat.” she said, gesturing to the sofa.

They each sat on opposite ends of the couch, turned to face each other. Leighanne waited patiently for Brian to begin, but when he said nothing, she broke the silence.

“You wanted to talk, right? So....talk.”

Brian looked up, surprised. “Look, I've been trying really hard to work this through in my head since I left and I realized that I'm missing a lot of information. I feel like all I know is what Kristen said.”

“That's because you never wanted to give me a chance to tell you.” Leighanne said, bitterly.

“I know.” Brian nodded. “I didn't want to hear it then. But I'm ready to now.”

“You want to hear my story? Now?”

Brian nodded again.

Of all the things Leighanne expected to talk about, she had not thought that perhaps he'd finally want to hear her story. She took a few deep breaths and started talking. She talked about how conflicting it had been for her to feel so proud of him for all of his accomplishments and yet feel so bitter for feeling like she took second place in his life to his career. She reminded him of just how many days out of the year he'd been gone that year and how he was always promising to do better and yet he always fell short.

“I wanted nothing more than to be settled with you and have a family together. And you kept telling me your were on board, and then a few days later you'd be off in another part of the country. I started to wonder if you were just telling me those things to appease me. So, I started praying a lot about it. After awhile, I kind of decided to leave it in God's hands. He'd give us a family when He decided it was time to. Then I realized that by being on the pill, maybe I was stopping God from carrying out his plan. I mean, if it wasn't meant to be, we wouldn't get pregnant, right? I mean that's the way you always talked. What was meant to be would be. I don't know how many times I heard you say that when we were dating. So, I went off the pill. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd freak out. I never set out to seduce you at just the right time, I'd actually been off the pill for six months when I got pregnant. I just figured if we were in the mood, we'd be together. If not, I wasn't going to force anything.”

She paused and looked up at Brian. His face was completely unreadable as he waited for her to continue.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately regretted what I'd done. I realized I wasn't excited to tell you like I should have been, I was scared because I knew you didn't feel ready. You were so supportive and perfect and it only made me feel worse. So I eventually told Kristin, because I just needed to get it off my chest and I knew if I told you, it would come out all wrong, just like it did six years later.”

“Is that it?” Brian asked, expecting a much longer story in which she tried to paint him as the bad guy who wouldn't give her what she wanted, or maybe a sob story about how lonely she was. But there had been nothing like that. Nothing like that at all.

“That's it. Do you have any questions?” she asked, unsure.

“No. I don't think so.”

The two sat there in an awkward silence for a few minutes, unsure what to say next. Leighanne was hoping he would say he understood, but he didn't. Because he didn't yet understand.

Their silence was interrupted by Baylee calling for Leighanne and the two sprang to their feet and ran upstairs, glad for the distraction.

Baylee looked miserable as he lie in bed. Leighanne touched his forehead. “His fever's back up again. I'll go get some Tylenol.”

“Daddy?” Baylee croaked.

“Hey buddy. How are you feeling?”

“Not so good. Will you come lay with me?” Baylee held out his hand.

“Sure.” Brian climbed into bed next to his son and sighed as he felt Baylee snuggle up against him.

Leighanne came back with the thermometer and medicine. His fever had jumped up to 102 and his rash looked a little worse. But he at least looked content to lay with Brian.

“You should get some sleep.” Brian said, softly. “I'll stay with him.”

“Thanks.” Leighanne said, awkwardly. “Just, come get me if you need anything.”

“I will.”

Leighanne went into her room and shut the door behind her. As worried as she was about Baylee, it did feel good to have a night off to get some rest. He'd been sick for awhile and she'd been the one to take care of him. But as tired as she was, she couldn't stop thinking about what was wrong with her son. Something just didn't feel right and she wondered if she shouldn't just take him to the emergency room right now to have him checked out. Her 'mommy instincts' were going off full force, and as much as she tried to convince herself that he was fine, there was a part of her that just knew he wasn't.

She called Emily's phone again and got no answer. Same with their house phone. In desperation, she tried AJ's phone. Also no answer. She wondered if they'd gone to a late movie or something where they couldn't answer their phones and as a last resort, she sent Emily a text message.

”Emily, please call me, it's an emergency!”