“Have I told you how absolutely incredible you look tonight?” AJ whispered into her ear as their limo inched forward in line.
“Incredible? No. Delicious, enticing, and breathtaking, yes.” She leaned over and kissed him.
Brian and Serenity watched the couple in front of them, smiling at the obvious love they shared.
“You know, they’re just too cute.” She grinned at him.
“Yeah, they are.” He grinned back.
The limo finally arrived, and Brian stepped out first, holding out his hand for Serenity. She was a wearing a soft yellow sheath, her hair laying across her shoulders and back in a black silk cloud. Fans cheered as Brian smiled and waved.
AJ stepped out and held out his hand. Long legs appeared as Meredith gracefully exited the car and slipped her hand into AJ’s arm. The short dress swirled around her legs as they walked down the red carpet towards the first host.
“Brian! AJ!” Debra Messing from Will & Grace called out to them, and the two couples walked over.
“Hi. It’s great to see you guys here. Where’s everyone else?” She smiled at the four people in front of her.
“Their limo slipped back in the line, but they should be here in a few minutes.” Brian smiled at the actress.
“And who is this lovely young woman?”
“This is my girlfriend, Serenity Bluefeather.”
“Hi, Serenity. You look lovely this evening.” She looked at the young woman standing across from her.
“Thank you, Debra. You look lovely yourself.” Serenity smiled graciously as she held tightly to Brian’s hand.
“How many awards are you up for?”
Brian chuckled. “Three, and although we would love to win, it’s just incredible to be nominated again.”
Debra nodded and turned to AJ and Meredith. “So, AJ, who is this stunning woman standing beside you?”
AJ laughed as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend’s waist. “This is Meredith Davenport, who I’ve been incredibly blessed to know and love.”
Reaching down, he rested his hand against Meredith’s belly. Debra caught the movement and looked at the young man.
“So I guess the rumors are true. Congratulations both of you.”
Meredith smiled. “Thank you, Debra. It’s a blessing and a gift.”
“Well, I’m going to let you four get inside. Enjoy the show.” Debra sent them on their way as she gestured towards another music group.
The two couples found their seats and waited for their friends. About fifteen minutes later, the other three couples joined them. The first hour passed by quickly as they listened to various groups perform. When their category was announced, AJ slipped his hand into Meredith’s and gripped it.
“And the Grammy for best Pop/Rock Group or Duo goes to…the Backstreet Boys.” Liv Tyler announced the winner.
Each man leaned over and kissed his girlfriend before standing and hugging each other as they made their way to the podium. Brian stepped up first.
“I want to thank God for just blessing me and all of us with this gift of music. Thanks to my family for supporting me. Thank you to Jive and The Firm for supporting the group. Most importantly, I want to thank Serenity for loving me in spite of the insanity.” He smiled at her blowing her a kiss.
Kevin stepped forward. “Thanks to everyone who’s helped us write and produce this album. You guys are the best. Mom, Tim, Gerald, thank you for being there. Dad, this is for you. Irene, I love you, baby. Thank you for loving me.” He winked at her.
Howie moved up to the podium. “Thanks to everyone who supported us on tour. You guys made everything so much easier. Mi familia, te amo. Lumien, I love you so very much. Thank you for watching my back.” He kissed his fingers and waved them at her.
Nick leaned over the podium. “Thank you to the academy for voting for us. Aaron, Angel, Leslie, BJ, and Brennan, I love you, guys. Meredith, you’ll always be mom to me. Allyson, baby, you have changed my whole world and I thank you. By the way, the answer is 4x – 2y.” He grinned at her, winking as she laughed.
AJ moved forward to finish out their thanks. “Thank you, thank you to the fans. You guys rock, and you *are* the very best. Mom, you’ve always been there, and I can never thank you enough. Grandma, Grandpa, I love you and thank you for your support through my whole life. Meredith, love, you have given me more joy and filled my heart with more love than I ever thought possible. I love you and baby love, more than anything.” He kissed his fist and opened his hand as he waved it towards her.
The five women in the audience alternated between laughing and crying as they listened to the men in their lives proclaim their love. After several minutes of pictures and questions, the men returned to their seats, AJ carefully set the Grammy on top of Meredith’s belly.
“See that, baby love? Your daddy just won that for you.” He looked up into Meredith’s face and smiled.
Cupping his cheek with her hand, she pulled him close and kissed him. “I’m so proud of you, mine.”
“Song of the Year” came up a little later, and each man was nervous because they had co-written the song while on tour.
“…and Song of the Year goes to Never Again by the Backstreet Boys.”
AJ released the breath he had been holding and leaned over to kiss Meredith. She smiled at him as he walked out into the aisle. The other four men joined him, and they took a moment for a group hug. Once on the stage, there was a second of silence.
Howie stepped forward. “This is so incredibly phenomenal. We wrote Never Again one night while we were driving from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh—which is an incredibly long bus ride if you want to know.”
He waited for the laughter to subside before he continued. “Without my brothers, I wouldn’t have found the words or the music to express what I feel. Thank you to the academy for voting for us, and thank you to the fans for supporting us as we change and grow and expand our horizons. To our families, thank you for your love and prayers and support. To Lumien, Irene, Allyson, Serenity, and Meredith, you’ve been inspirations and we can never say ‘I love you’ enough. We hope you hear it when you hear the music.”
The guys waved to the audience as they walked off and headed backstage to collect all of their trophies. AJ smiled so much he thought his face would break. They posed for several pictures, answered a round of questions, and escaped back to their seats. He sat down next to Meredith and took both of his Grammys, setting them on her belly.
“Okay, Daddy’s won you two. We’re going for the triple crown here, kid.”
“You know, I’m not really big enough for you to do this. Give me a few months, and I’ll be able to hold them all.” She smiled at him.
They turned their attention back to the presenters when “Record of the Year” was announced. Again, AJ held his breath as they waited. Meredith placed her hand on his thigh as the envelope was being opened.
“The Grammy goes to Backstreet Boys for Never Again.” Elton John smiled at the group as they stood once more to go up and get their award.
Kevin stepped to the podium. “We have been so incredibly blessed during the past year. We had a fantastic album, a fantastic tour, and absolutely phenomenal fans. We want to thank Jive, The Firm, and SFX for a great tour. We want to thank the Academy for voting for us. We poured ourselves into that song, and it’s such a rush to have you recognize it as the best song of this year. To our families, friends, employees, and everyone who worked with us on the tour, we thank you from our hearts. I have to give props to five very special people: Patrick Leary, Miguel Ramos, Marcus Johnson, Michael Sullivan, and Lumien Washington. These five protected us from anything and anyone who would have hurt us, willing to put themselves on the line for us, as David Collins did during our promo tour. Thanks, Dave. Thank you all for watching our backs over the past year. To Meredith, who managed all of our security during the tour, you rock! To the ladies who’ve held our hands and let us whine and picked us up when we didn’t think we could go on—Irene, Meredith, Serenity, Allyson, and Lumien. We love you more and more every day.”
The five men waved as they walked off the stage. Their photo op was cut short by the fact they had to get ready to perform. Twenty minutes later, they stood on stage and began the song that had garnered them three Grammys that evening.
Lost in the darkness
Of a raging storm
Spirit, bruised and aching
Soul, weary and worn
I thought it was over
Love never meant to be
Then you came along
And you cradled me
Never again
Will I be lost in the storm
Never again
My heart aching and torn
Never will I stand in the cold and the rain
No, never
Never again
In the touch of your hand
In the warmth of your kiss
Like a breath of warm sunshine
Like a light through the mist
No longer alone
No longer in pain
Freed from the darkness
I walked out of the rain
Never again
Will I be lost in the storm
Never again
My heart aching and torn
Never will I stand in the cold and the rain
No, never
Never again
With the joy that you bring
In so many ways
And the love that you share
All I can say
Never again
Will I be lost in the storm
Never again
My heart aching and torn
Never will I stand in the cold and the rain
No, never
Never again
As AJ sang, he wandered down the stairs and towards his seat, handing Meredith the rose he carried and kissing her fingers before he walked back up on stage. People aww’d as they watched the couple. Meredith blushed at the attention and watched as he returned to his friends to finish the song.
When they finished, the five women to whom the song had been dedicated stood and clapped. Each man acknowledged his love before walking off the stage.
When the show finally ended, they gathered together for a group hug before heading out to their limos. They were going to attend a few parties to celebrate their success. When they got to the party sponsored by Jive, which was held at the Ritz Carleton, they were greeted with applause and handshakes or hugs.
People watched as the members of ‘N Sync stepped up and congratulated their “competition.” JC smiled at AJ as Justin echoed him.
“That song was awesome.”
AJ grinned. “Thanks. I think it came out so well because it was straight from the heart.” He turned and looked at Meredith, who was talking with Lance and BJ.
Reaching out, he found her hand and squeezed it. JC turned to look at Meredith, noticing how beautiful she looked. She moved to stand next to AJ, who moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Settling his hands on her belly, he rubbed her dress with this thumbs.
“By the way, congratulations. Lance told us last week.” JC leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
Meredith chuckled as she rested her hands on AJ’s. “Thank you. In about six months there will be another little McLean running around.”
“Do I need to get you a gift certificate to Wilson Leather to celebrate?” JC looked back and forth between the two of them.
AJ rolled his eyes. “Toys ‘R Us will be just fine, JC.”
AJ was reluctantly being pulled away by a member of the management team, and he kissed Meredith before he walked away. She looked at JC and Justin.
“They got anything good to eat here?”
Laughing, they each held out an arm for her, and JC waved at the sumptuous feast laid out for the guests. “Allow us to escort you to the buffet.”
She walked down the buffet line, filling her plate with a wide variety of foods. Finding a seat with Lumien, Allyson, and Serenity, Meredith began to eat. Joey dropped down in a chair beside her, staring at her intently.
“Yes, Joey?” She looked over at him as she munched on a carrot stick dipped in chocolate.
Saying nothing, he reached over and hugged her. “Congratulations.”
When she pulled back, she smiled at him. “Thank you.”
He looked at her plate and grimaced. “I can’t believe you’re eating that.”
“I’m not gonna make you eat it, so don’t worry.” She swirled celery through the chocolate and munched on it.
“I think that’s my cue to leave.” He leaned over and kissed her before heading out into the crowd.
Allyson, Lumien, and Serenity just shook their heads as they watched their friend. Nick and Drew Lachey came over and sat down on either side of Meredith, leaning in to kiss her on each cheek.
“We hear you’re gonna be a mom.” Nick smiled at her.
“Yep, in about six months.” She leaned back in her chair and rested her hands on her belly.
“Congratulations. You’re gonna be awesome.” Drew chuckled as he watched the self-satisfied smile cross her face.
“Thanks, Drew. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
They hugged and got up to find their group. Throughout the evening, several people stopped by to congratulate Meredith and chat with her for a few minutes. The other three were amazed at the number of people who knew their friend.
Table of Contents
Chapter Two
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