“Morning.”
“Morning. Sleep well?” She moved her arms, treading water.
“Yeah, it was good. Last night was good, too, after most of the guests left.” Nick just looked at her.
Meredith grinned before heading towards the ladder. It was late in the morning for her, and she could see people moving around the house through the various windows. Aaron came racing out of the back door, followed by Angel and Leslie.
“You guys bring suits?” She looked at the kids, who nodded in answer. “Well, girls, I think Aaron can show you where everything is if you want to get in. I’m going to think about breakfast. Any requests?”
“Omelets.” Nick and Aaron both spoke at the same time.
“I can do that. Anyone else here from the hotel?” She looked at the girls.
Leslie grinned. “Kevin and Irene just got here, and I think the others said they would be here in a little while. BJ called and said she and Lance would be here soon.”
“I hope we have enough then.” Meredith finished drying her body and wringing out her hair before slipping into a sundress.
She stepped into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of orange juice before looking through the refrigerator and cabinets for necessary groceries. After she pulled eggs and assorted meats from the refrigerator, she took bowls and pans from various cabinets.
“I think it’s quite rude when people go searching through other people’s cabinets.” Jane stood in the doorway, her face pinched.
“Yes, it is rude.” Meredith didn’t look up from breaking eggs into a bowl.
“I really think you should ask before doing anything. I’m sure Lance is willing to overlook this type of behavior, though. My son-in-law is a nice man.”
“Yes, he is a very nice man.” The younger woman looked up once before continuing with her breakfast preparations.
Irene walked into the kitchen. “Hey, Merry. How does it feel being home?”
“Kinda weird. Other than April, I haven’t been here in a long time. It almost doesn’t feel like my house anymore.” She grinned at her sister, catching the surprised look on Jane’s face before pushing the bacon towards Irene.
“You do the meat, and we’ll get the boys to help with the other stuff.”
Kevin and AJ walked into the kitchen and were immediately put to work. Nick left the kids in the pool and went to his room to wake up Allyson. The couple made their way back to the kitchen to help set the table.
“Not enough room at the dining room table. Want to leave the kids in here?” Nick walked back into the kitchen, conveniently ignoring his mother at the kitchen table.
“That’ll work. Munchkin, can you hand me the platter?”
He reached above her head and pulled the dish from the cabinet then wiped it off and set it down next to her.
“Thank you.” She grinned up at him.
He nudged her with this shoulder before picking up the rest of the silverware and setting places at the kitchen table. Jane conveniently ignored him as well.
The front door opened, and Lance’s voice called out. “We’re home!”
Jane was the first one into the hall to welcome them, paying more attention to Lance than BJ. Rolling her eyes at her husband, the young woman slipped into the kitchen. She hugged the cooks, sniffing appreciatively.
“I love it when other people cook.”
“It’s a good thing I like to do it then.” Meredith gently nudged the young woman with her hip.
“And I’m very, very thankful.” She wrapped her arm around her friend’s waist and hugged her again.
“Hey.” Lance appeared on Meredith’s other side, kissing her cheek.
“Hey, Lance.”
Nick watched from the doorway as his mother took in the scene between Lance, BJ, and Meredith. He bit his lip to hide the smirk, knowing it pissed Jane off to see the easy camaraderie between Meredith and everyone else in the house, especially his siblings and new brother-in-law. Straightening, he moved forward.
“Tables are set, are we ready for drinks?”
Irene nodded and opened the refrigerator door to pass out cartons of milk and orange juice. Kevin set glasses on the bar while AJ and Allyson took orders. Meredith stepped over to the back door and opened it, whistling out into the yard. The kids hurriedly climbed out of the pool and rushed to dry off before coming into the house.
The bar was set up buffet style, and people filed past to load up their plates and find a place to eat. When places were finally claimed, Meredith and AJ ended up in the kitchen with Leslie, Angel, and Aaron. Meredith could sometimes hear the stilted conversation in the dining room, in between bouts of laughter with her own dining companions.
After the dishes and kitchen were cleaned, BJ and Meredith slipped away into the master bedroom for a quiet talk. The younger woman moved around the room, putting away their things from the trip.
“You ready for Brennan?” Meredith sat on the bed and watched.
“Pretty much.” She gestured towards the bassinet in the corner. “He’ll be here with us for a while and then I guess we’ll have figured out what we’re going to do.”
“Is Lance still thinking about Nashville?” Stretching out on her side, the redhead propped her head up on one hand.
“Well, maybe. Now he’s thinking about Orlando again because of the guys and Nick and you. We still need to talk about it, but he’s already had an agent checking into some places.”
BJ moved to the bed and sat down, rubbing her belly. Meredith reached over and laid her hand on the swell, grinning as she felt the baby kick. They both chuckled as BJ held the tee shirt against her so that they could see Brennan’s foot press outward.
“Well, isn’t this cozy.”
Both women looked up to see Jane standing in the doorway. BJ narrowed her eyes, but her voice remained calm.
“Can I help you?”
“No, I’m just looking for Lance. Leslie had some questions for him.”
“I’m sure she did.” The young woman muttered under her breath, and Meredith tried to suppress the grin.
“We’re just about to head back, Mother.” Standing, BJ placed a protective hand over her womb.
“You certainly got lucky.” Jane moved further into the room, stopping BJ’s progress.
“Lucky? How?”
“Well, you went from a loser boyfriend to an international sex symbol for a husband. Someone who could probably even find you some acting work, if he wanted. I mean, I’m sure there are people who would give you a look because he asked.” She moved around the room, checking out the furniture and the art decorating the wall.
BJ was frozen in place, and Meredith moved forward to wrap an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “Come on, caro. I think we should head back to the kitchen.”
“You seem to have developed a habit of taking my children, Ms. Davenport.” Jane turned bitter eyes on the other woman.
“I’m not taking your children, Mrs. Carter. I’m loving your children, as their friend and whatever else they need me to be.” Meredith reigned in her temper, afraid she would shed blood if she didn’t leave the room.
“God knows they need something. I expected so much more from Nickolas and Bobbie Jean. At least BJ found a man who was willing to accept her, despite the mistakes she’s made. I mean, Lance is even taking responsibility for the child.” Jane didn’t even bother looking at them, studying the Monet hanging on the wall.
BJ started to curl in a little, and Meredith wrapped her arms tightly around the young woman. She opened her mouth to speak when another voice interrupted.
“How dare you.” The words were low and full of anger.
All three women spun around to see Lance standing in the doorway, his hands curled into fists. He strode towards Jane, stopping briefly to kiss BJ’s forehead, before continuing on his trek.
“Lance…” Jane’s voice trembled as she tried to figure out something to say.
He grabbed her arm and pushed her out the door.
“But, Lance…” She sputtered all the way down the hall as Meredith and BJ followed behind.
Jane’s pleas for the young man to stop drew people from the rest of the house. He finally stopped in the foyer, grabbing her purse and thrusting it into her arms.
“Get out of my house.” He looked at her.
“But, Lance, I’m family.” Jane widened her eyes. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding. We can clear it up.”
“I will not stand by and let you belittle my wife. You are not welcome here until you can show some respect.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this. It’s not even worth arguing about.”
Lance’s gaze slipped over to BJ and saw the tears shimmering in her eyes. His anger boiled over at the hurt on his wife’s face. When he turned back to Jane, his eyes were cold and his voice held an icy tone that his band mates recognized as a warning to an imminent explosion.
“If I find you within one hundred feet of BJ, I will have a fucking restraining order thrown on your ass so fast you won’t know what hit you.” He moved closer, forcing her back towards the door. “You don’t talk to her, you don’t look at her, you don’t even think about her, or you will regret it. Am I clear?”
Jane was pressed against the door, her gaze wandering over the group of people staring at them.
The heavy slap of his hand against the door made her jump and look at him.
“Am I clear!?”
Jane nodded and quickly scrambled to open the door before she rushed out. Bob sighed and rubbed his temples before walking towards the exit. He stopped and touched BJ’s shoulder before giving Lance a solemn nod and heading out the door. Leslie, Angel, and Aaron stood close to Nick as they stared at their brother-in-law.
Lance closed the door and turned around, ignoring the others and heading straight for BJ. He pulled her into his arms, brushing his hands up and down her back as he crooned softly in her ear.
“Don’t cry, baby. Please don’t cry.”
It took several moments before she calmed enough to raise her head and look at him. She whispered the words as she cupped his face. “My hero.”
“I will *never* let anyone hurt you again.” The promise flashed in his eyes.
“I know.” She kissed him gently, ignoring the people around them.
Meredith quietly urged everyone out of the foyer.
**~~**
AJ looked at his band mates then Meredith then the Bass family. “Do we know how to throw a party or what?”
The laughter broke the tension a little, and Nick took his siblings into the den to talk to them about what they had seen. They were upset, but kind of understood where Lance was coming from. Having been witness to their mother’s tantrums in the past, they weren’t too surprised to see what had happened. Nick kept them close for a little while, the four of them just sitting together.
BJ and Lance eventually walked in and sat down near them.
“You guys okay?” She looked at the faces of her sisters and brothers.
“I’m sorry you had to see that.” He stroked her fingers, taking comfort in the wedding set she wore.
“I know, and I’m sorry it happened.” Nick stood up and walked over to the couple.
He pulled them up, wrapping each of them in a hug. Lance was a little surprise, but returned the embrace. The two men looked at each other when it ended.
“I’m glad you’re part of the family. Remind me not to piss you off.” The tall man gently chucked his fist against his brother-in-law’s chin.
“Don’t pick on my wife and you won’t have a problem.” Green eyes danced with mirth.
The other kids moved forward for a group hug, glad to be with their siblings instead of miles away.
The rest of the day was rather anticlimactic, with the Backstreet crew preparing to return to the tour. Before Meredith walked out the door, BJ pulled her into a tight hug.
“Tell your husband to call me the moment you go to the hospital. I’ll be here as soon as I can.”
The young woman nodded. “Thanks, Mom, for everything.”
A gentle kiss to her forehead was her answer. Meredith moved over to Lance while Nick pulled BJ into a gentle hug.
“You take care of yourself, okay? You’ve got a good one, and I think he’ll take good care of you and Brennan.”
BJ smiled up at her brother. “I will and I do. Take care of Allyson. You’ve got a good one yourself.”
He nodded and tapped her nose with his finger before moving to Lance and hugging the other man.
“Call if you need any backup with Jane.”
“I will. Thanks, Nick, for coming.”
“Anytime.”
The two men knocked their fists together before the large group left for the airport. BJ sighed as she looked around at the remaining group. Her remaining brother and sisters had been picked up by Bob an hour before, their goodbyes almost tearful. Bob promised that he would make sure the kids would be able to talk to her and Lance when the baby arrived without fear of intervention from Jane.
It was now time to get on with the business of living.
**~~**
BJ grabbed the counter, clutching her belly and groaning. “They lie!”
“Lie about what?” Lance walked into the kitchen, his head buried in The Wall Street Journal.
“Contractions. Saying it hurts is one thing, feeling like your body is ripping apart is another.”
Lance dropped the paper and rushed to his wife’s side, wrapping his arm around your back. “How far apart are they?”
“Far enough to get me to the hospital.” She leaned against him, breathing slowly.
He helped her out to the car, settling her into the front seat before running back into the house and grabbing the packed suitcase and all of their paperwork. BJ watched as he drove, thankful he wasn’t freaking out. That was just one of the things she loved about her husband.
She insisted on parking the car and waited while Lance grabbed a wheelchair from the emergency room entrance. He helped her into it, settling the small bag on her lap and tucking the folder with all of their preregistration material between the leather bag and her chest. He wheeled her inside, stopped at the registration desk, and then was promptly directed upstairs to Labor & Delivery. When they arrived upstairs, they checked in and were settled into a room while the doctor on call and BJ’s doctor were notified.
Leaning over, Lance pressed a kiss against her temple. “I love you.”
BJ smiled up at him, squeezing his fingers. “I love you, too.”
While the nurses strapped the monitor onto BJ and the doctor checked her, Lance slipped over to the phone to start the phone calls. He called his parents, who promised to be out on the next flight; he called Nick and Meredith, who promised the same thing. He called JC and Justin, who were off on a vacation together; while Joey and Chris were relaxing in Orlando. All of them promised to fly in to Emerald Point as soon as possible.
They had been at the hospital for several hours by the time family started to trickle in. Nick and Meredith knocked on the door, surprising the couple.
“Hey, you.” Nick whispered over the classical music playing in the room.
BJ opened her eyes and smiled. “Hey, guys.”
“How do you feel?” Meredith leaned over and kissed the young woman’s cheek.
“Sore, tired, ready for this to be over.”
“Hey, man.” Nick hugged his brother-in-law, patting him on the back. “You okay?”
Lance nodded and rubbed his face. “Yeah. Just wish I could do something for the pain. She’s not dilated enough for an epidural, so we just have to breathe through it.”
A nurse appeared and smiled at the group. “Time to check you again, BJ.”
“We’ll be right outside.” Meredith guided Nick outside, where they saw Jim and Diane walking towards them.
“How are they?” Diane and Meredith hugged while Jim and Nick shook hands.
“Checking dilation. I think she’s about ready for an epidural.” Meredith grinned.
“I would imagine so.” The two women shared a laugh.
The nurse walked out and smiled at the group as she passed. “You can go back in now. She’s almost fully dilated, so it shouldn’t be too much longer.”
The four of them walked back in, with Jim and Diane hugging the couple. The group just sat around and talked waiting for the others to show up. Lance fed BJ ice chips as they waited, holding her hand and breathing with her during the contractions. Meredith wrapped an arm around Nick as he winced to hear his sister in pain.
JC and Justin arrived as they wheeled BJ out of the room towards a delivery suite.
“Did we miss the party?” Justin leaned in and kissed BJ’s cheek.
She tried to chuckle through the contraction but didn’t quite make it. “You want to take over, you’re more than welcome.”
JC patted her hand as they passed. The family headed for the waiting room.
**~~**
An hour later, Lance wiped the tears from BJ’s face as she struggled to push.
“C’mon, baby. I know it’s hard.”
BJ’s only response was to cry harder and push when the doctor told her to push. He sat behind her, giving her support as she leaned into the pushes required to bring her son into the world.
“Okay, BJ, I need you to hold on for just a minute, then push with everything you’ve got.” The doctor checked the baby’s position. “Push, BJ, push.”
Lance looked down at the mirror placed near BJ’s feet, and his eyes grew wide at the sight of the baby’s head crowning. He pressed a kiss to her head as she bore down with all her strength.
The shoulders cleared the birth canal, and Dr. Jones quickly flipped the baby over as it was completely delivered. She suctioned out the mouth and nose, and Brennan let out a healthy wail. Lance felt the tears roll down his face at the sound, and he looked down to see tears streaking BJ’s face as well. Brennan was laid on BJ’s belly, allowing her to finally touch her son.
“Lance, would you like to cut the cord?”
He nodded, moving towards the foot of the bed to cut between the clamps. A nurse took the baby and cleaned him up a little before bringing him back.
“Hey, mom and dad. There’s someone here to see you.” She laid Brennan in BJ’s arms, folding back the blanket so they could see his face.
“Hey, little man.” Lance reached out and brushed a fingertip over the soft cheeks.
“Hey, baby.” BJ’s finger did the same on the other side.
“We need to get you both cleaned up.” Smiling, the nurse removed Brennan so that their pediatrician could do a checkup and Dr. Jones could finish up post-delivery procedures.
Thirty minutes later, BJ was wheeled back into her room as Lance trailed along behind. Brennan was wheeled into the room in a bassinet; completely clean, and a little blue stocking cap nestled on his head. Lance carefully picked him up, kissing his head before handing him to BJ.
She smiled up at her husband before laying the baby on her lap and unwrapping him. They counted fingers and toes, amazed at the delicate features.
“I can’t believe he’s here.” Lance wrapped an arm around BJ, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“He’s here and he’s healthy and we’re a family.” She turned her head, kissing his cheek. “I love you, Lance. Thank you so much for loving me and being here and loving Brennan.”
He smiled at her before returning the kiss. “How could I ever not love you? You’ve made me the happiest man that’s ever lived.”
They both looked back at their son, amazed again at the miracle.
**~~**
Family slowly entered the room, trying to remain quiet. They were full of joy and smiles and love—Jim and Diane hugging Lance and BJ and welcoming Brennan into their family, Nick hugging his sister and brother-in-law before gently touching Brennan’s head and claiming him as kin. The others shared their welcomes as well, handing out bubble-gum cigars and flowers and stuffed animals, each of them touching the new family in some way to say welcome.
When the lights dimmed and the people were gone, Lance and BJ curled up together on the bed and watched their son sleep peacefully beside them.
Chapter Seven
Smooth Sailing