When they had parted to go back to bed, she pulled him close and hugged him. “Come get me if you need me.”
He nodded, returning the hug, then headed down the hall to his room.
With everything that had gone on in the early morning hours, she decided to just stretch out in bed and listened to the radio for a while. The knock on her door forced her to reach for her clothes. When she felt presentable, she called out for her visitor to enter.
Nick poked his head around the edge of the door before sliding inside. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You weren’t up, and everyone was kind of wondering if you were sick.” He slowly approached the bed, sitting down when she indicated he could.
“Since we didn’t get into bed for so long, I just decided to sleep in.”
He nodded, bouncing a little bit on the bed. “Hey, this is really nice.”
Meredith laughed as she stood up and headed for the bathroom. “Don’t get too comfortable there, Munchkin. We’ve got kid patrol today, and I have a feeling they’ll be here early.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and she smiled at the young man. He nodded and headed out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. Everyone else was out on the patio, leaving Nick to answer it, and he called out the back door to let them know he had it.
When he opened the front door, Tony stood there, baby in one arm and Arianna in the other. The little girl hopped down, gave Nick a quick hug, and proceed to play with Stasi, who’d followed Nick out of Meredith’s bedroom.
Tony handed the baby to Nick, smiling as the child reached out to grab Nick’s t-shirt and hang on. “Where’s Merry?”
“She’s getting a late start this morning.” He bounced the child a little in his arms, earning a small peal of laughter.
Tony was immediately worried. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine.” The young man looked over, and Tony could easily read that Nick was telling the truth.
The older man breathed a sigh of relief. “Tell her thanks again, and we’ll pick up the rugrats later today.”
“I will.” Nick held out the baby for Tony to kiss his cheek before he bent down to hug and kiss his daughter.
“You be good and help take care of your brother.”
“Yes, daddy.” Arianna smiled at him before he left, waving as Tony got into the car and drove away.
She looked up at Nick. “Can I have something to drink?”
Nick left their bags in the foyer, leading the little girl into the kitchen. He grabbed a plastic glass and filled it with some of the Kool Aid Irene had made earlier, setting it on the table for Arianna.
“Want something to eat?”
She nodded, then climbed up in the chair and drank while Nick grabbed some grapes and carrot sticks since he couldn’t figure out what to fix while holding the baby. Meredith watched him from the doorway as he settled Arianna, then rocked Tony.
He looked up when he felt someone staring at him. “Hey.”
“Guess I missed Tony.”
“Yep. He said he’d pick the kids up later.”
Meredith walked into the kitchen and dropped a kiss on Arianna’s head. She looked down at the plate, then back at Nick. “Grapes and carrot sticks?”
“I couldn’t figure out what to make while I was holding Tony.” He shrugged.
Meredith just laughed. “Would you like anything else, Arianna?”
The little girl shook her head, wiping her mouth with a napkin when she finished. She got up, took her plate and glass to the sink, and set them down. Looking back at the two adults, she stepped close to Meredith and hugged her.
“What are we doing today?”
“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
Arianna thought for a moment. “Play in the pool, maybe play some video games, and watch a movie.”
“I think we can do all of that. Do you need to change?”
She nodded, following Meredith into the foyer to grab her backpack. She changed in Meredith’s room, putting her shorts back on over her swimsuit, then followed the older woman out to the pool. Nick had already taken Tony out there, and the baby was currently sitting on Brian’s chest as he reclined on a chaise.
Meredith always enjoyed herself when the children came over, letting herself release the worries of the adult world and focus on being a kid again. Having Aaron there helped lower the maturity level, and she couldn’t deny the fact that most of the time, AJ, Nick, and Brian were big kids themselves. Irene and Kevin spent a lot of time talking---in the pool, in the kitchen, or on lounge chairs. She watched as her sister opened up and let her personality shine through. The effect on Kevin was rather amazing, and she found herself lumping the “father” of the group into the kid category as well.
Howie was bemused by the antics of the people around him, and he made several comments to the baby as he held the child or watched him while they were in the pool.
Around lunchtime, Irene decided Kevin need to help her prepare the meal, disappearing into the kitchen to make grilled cheese sandwiches and some soup. After thirty minutes had passed, Meredith climbed out of the pool, wrapped a towel around her hips, and walked into the kitchen to find the pair oblivious to the world around them, locked in a deep kiss.
Kevin had Irene pressed against the refrigerator, his hands on either side of her head as his hips kept her in place. She had one arm was wrapped around his lower back, while her other hand cupped his face.
Meredith watched them for a moment, admiring their technique of not breathing while kissing. Grabbing a glass, she stuck it in the refrigerator door to get some ice. The jangling of cubes in the glass broke them apart, and both of them flushed.
“Don’t mind me. It’s just really warm in here, you know?” Meredith added some tea from the pitcher sitting on the counter and then leaned against it as the two fumbled around trying to pull things out to make lunch.
She continued to watch them as they watched each other and her, trying to gauge her reaction at catching them. Straightening, she turned to head back outside.
“I’ll just tell everyone lunch has been a bit delayed.”
They couldn’t see her smile as they both groaned at the prospect of everyone else finding out why the food wasn’t ready. Meredith anticipated that preparation of the sandwiches and soup would break all known cooking records.
AJ looked up when she approached the table where he was sitting with Howie and Tony. “Where’s the food?”
She sat down, carefully placing her glass out of Tony’s reach. “There’s been a slight delay. It should be ready soon.”
Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Howie took one look and busted out laughing. He had a very good idea about the cause of the delay. AJ shook his head, muttering that he was going to have teach Kevin not to do these things when meal time was involved.
Twenty minutes later, Irene and Kevin brought out sandwiches, chips, and soup bowls filled with tomato soup. She set plates in front of everyone, having fixed sandwiches according to Kevin’s specifications for the guys and her own knowledge of Meredith and Arianna. Baby food appeared out of the bag that held the different kinds of chips.
Irene said grace, and they dug in, complimenting the chefs on the meal. Howie looked over at the two.
“You two sure know how to work a kitchen.”
Meredith looked down at the baby food jar she was currently holding, stirring the food before she started feeding it to Tony. AJ held the baby as he leaned forward for a bite, and both adults bit their lips to keep from smiling.
Kevin just stared at Howie before replying. “Thanks.”
Irene just nodded before looking at her sister. Meredith finished feeding the baby, handing the bottle to AJ so he could finish Tony’s meal. Leaning back in his chair, AJ settled the baby against his chest and held the bottle at an angle with one hand. He picked up his sandwich with his free hand and nodded in approval.
“Excellent, guys. Have to make sure you two spend more time cooking things up.” He winked at Irene before taking a sip of water.
The young woman flushed before turning to Meredith and narrowing her eyes. She mouthed “I’ll get you for this” so that no one else saw her. Meredith just grinned before biting into her own sandwich. Brian and Nick carefully avoided looking at Kevin and Irene, picking up on the fact that something had occurred but that they wouldn’t be getting any details soon.
Aaron looked around the table, aware of something going on but afraid to ask. He looked at Meredith’s plate and noticed that the sandwich was lumpy.
“What’s in there?”
She opened it up to let him see that Irene had put Fritos in it. Aaron curled his nose at the idea, and she just laughed.
“Don’t knock it till you try it.”
“I think I’ll stick with the plain ones, thanks.”
After lunch, Meredith put Tony down for a nap in the den, nestled on a blanket and surrounded by pillows, while she, Arianna, Howie, and AJ watched “The Little Mermaid”. AJ would sing along with the movie, and Arianna finally joined him. The other two just watched and smiled at the antics of the people on the floor in front of them.
Kevin and Irene wandered off to the game room, ignoring the smirks from Meredith, Howie, and AJ. Brian, Nick, and Aaron remained poolside.
Later in the afternoon, Tony and Theresa stopped by to pick up the children. Arianna was bubbling with excitement over having swum and sung and played video games with the six guys. Her parents thanked everyone profusely for giving them some time alone and for taking such good care of their children. The little girl hugged everyone, while Tony was passed from person to person before he ended up in Theresa’s arms. They waved goodbye until they couldn’t see the car anymore, and Meredith finally closed the door and fell against it.
She looked around at the group of people standing in front of her and declared that it was “free-for-all” night, and that everyone was responsible for their own dinner and their own entertainment.
Walking through the house later that evening, she found Howie and Nick involved in a game of pool, Aaron playing with his Gameboy, Brian playing the guitar and working on some music, and Irene and Kevin in her office on the computer. The pair were laughing so hard, tears rolled down their cheeks.
“What’s so funny?” Meredith stepped behind them to look at the screen.
“Oh, just some of the chat rooms. One group is convinced the guys have really joined, shaved their heads, and are shipping out for the Middle East any day. Another group thinks it’s a government conspiracy to control the minds of teenagers. The stories are just getting wilder and wilder as we go along.”
“And you’re only adding fuel to the flames, aren’t you?” She looked down at her sister, knowing the young woman was a member of several lists.
“Hey, Kevin’s feeding me the stuff. It’s fantastic.”
Meredith shook her head at the two of them. “I’m starting to worry about the two of you.”
Kevin just looked up at her, grinning madly. “Don’t.”
Rolling her eyes, she left the two of them to their games and continued checking on everyone. She stopped briefly in the kitchen and made herself a hot fudge sundae, then wandered out onto the patio and found AJ sprawled on a chair smoking a cigarette.
“Mind if I join you?” She waited for his assent before she sat down.
“Sure.” He nodded his head at the chair beside him, then tucked an arm under his head.
Meredith got comfortable and dug into the gooey dessert, stirring the ice cream and fudge together to form chocolate soup before she began to eat.
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the night music that filled the air---crickets chirping, frogs croaking, the rustle of leaves as a soft breeze brushed through them.
AJ looked over at her. “Is it my turn?”
“Your turn?”
“You’ve talked to everyone else.”
“They told you?”
“No, not really. But a little careful investigation revealed they haven’t talked to each other; ergo, it must be you.”
“Excellent deduction.”
“Thank you.”
Silence reigned for several minutes as they stretched out on the lounge chairs and stared up at the stars that finally began to adorn the night sky.
“So, what do you want to talk about?”
“I’m open.” She didn’t look at him, just continued gazing heavenward.
He didn’t say anything, then chuckled.
“Let’s talk about sex, baby.” He sang the words softly.
“Let’s talk about you and me.” She followed him.
“Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be.”
“Let’s talk about sex.”
He laughed when they finished the chorus. She turned to look at him, the smile still on her face.
“No questions about training? No worries about what you’re doing? No crises of conscious?”
“Not really.”
“Okay.”
They continued to sit.
**BsB**BsB**BsB**
About an hour before the Carters were scheduled to head for the airport, Aaron, Nick, and Meredith were in the kitchen. Nick and Aaron were sitting at the table eating breakfast while Meredith looked through a cookbook for dinner ideas. She pretty much ignored the conversation between the brothers, until she started hearing words like “bigger than ever” and “Mom said.”
When she paid attention, she caught Aaron telling Nick what their mother had said.
“Mom says that she thinks I've got what it takes to be the next big break-out solo artist. Bigger than anybody. She told me I’m dealing with all the tour stuff like a real pro, better than you did back when you started.”
He was eating bites of cereal as he spoke and didn’t catch the pain that filled Nick’s face at what their mother had been saying.
Meredith looked down at the book in front of her, her fingers curling around the edge of the binder. Shit.
Aaron looked up when Nick didn’t say a word. “Nick?”
The older man shook himself, drawing a well-worn mask over his features and looking down at his little brother. “Sorry, AC. Got caught up in what’s going to happen next week. You about ready to get your stuff together?”
Aaron nodded, getting up from the table and putting his bowl in the sink. He disappeared from the kitchen to gather his belongings. Nick rose slowly from the table and set his bowl next to Aaron’s. He looked up to see Meredith watching him, and he straightened his shoulders.
“Don’t feel sorry for me.” Anger rumbled through him at the thought of her witnessing what he’d just been told.
“It’s not pity, it’s concern.” She turned back to her cookbook.
“Well, don’t be concerned. I’ll be just fine.” He grabbed the Porsche keys from the key holder and headed for his room.
She shook her head, angry and afraid that any progress he’d made in the past couple of weeks had been wiped away.
When Nick returned, he was quiet, too quiet for the Nick she knew. She tried to talk to him, but he only answered in one-syllable answers. She looked at Brian, who tried as well. He managed to get words of more than one syllable, but not much more. Everyone kind of left him alone the rest of day, hoping that he would shake it off.
In her heart, Meredith knew the next few days were going to be bad.
Table of Contents
Chapter Fifteen