Chapter 10

*Rich’s POV*

                “Have a safe flight home Rich,” Kalie gave me a hug before I collected my bags for my connecting flight to New Jersey.

                “Thanks Kay. Have a safe drive home. I’m kind of jealous that you guys only have a few more minutes to get home when I two more hours.”

                “That flight will be nothing compared to the flying we have been doing lately. You’ll be home in no time,” Nick replied.               

                “That’s true. I’ll see you guys for the wedding in April.”

                “We can’t wait for it DJ Lani,” Kalie smiled and waved at me.  

                I collected my bags then waited for my flight at the gate. I checked my watch and sighed when I noticed that it was quarter to two in the morning. I had been up late for almost 22 hours and I hadn’t talked to Heather in that long either. We talked to each other every day while I was gone but travel time didn’t allow us to talk today. I knew I was going to hear her voice when I got home but I had to call her now.

                “Hey baby!” her sleepy but excited voice sounded was music to my ears. I smiled broadly.

                “Hey sweetheart. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

                “It’s ok. Where are you?”

                “Orlando International. Waiting for my plane. I’m so tired babe.”

                “You sound it. But you’ll be home soon.”

                “I can’t wait to be home.”

                “I can’t wait to have you home. I’ll be at Newark airport waiting for you.”

                “Perfect.” The boarding call from my flight come over the loud speaker, “My plane’s boarding so I’m on my way.”

                “Yay! I’m going to catch a few more z’s before I go pick you up. I’ll see you shortly honey.”

                “I can’t wait.”

                “Me neither baby.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

                The flight only took an hour and a half and amazingly my bags were the first ones off the plane. I was about to call Heather to find out where she was when I heard her voice call out my name. I turned around and found her jogging toward me. I dropped my bags and brought her into my arms.

                “Welcome home baby!”

                My arms squeezed her tight and I breathed in the smell of her hair, “I missed you a lot.”

                “I missed you too honey. Come on let’s go home.”

                We walked hand in hand to her car and once she started to drive off we talked about what had happened on tour and what I had missed back home.

                She had her iPod plugged into the sound system and when From This Moment On by Shania Twain came on we both stopped to listen to it.

                “Is this the duet she did with the Backstreet Boys they did in 1999?” I asked.

                “Yes it is. I love the original song but I think they make it ten times better.”

                I laughed, “You think BSB makes anything ten times better.”

                “This is true. But I was thinking…”

                “Oh no here comes trouble…”

                She slapped my arm, “I was thinking that maybe this could be our wedding song. And maybe the Original Elites could sing it for us. You remember the great job they did with this song during the first concert right?”

                “How could I forget? That performance was amazing and you were so proud of them.”

                Heather is a high school chorale director. The Original Elites were the very first group of students she directed by herself after becoming a full-fledged teacher. They had wanted to form an all accapella group but no other chorale director would let them until Heather came along. The small group faced a lot of difficulties but each member had a lot of heart and talent. Every single concert they performed turned out to be phenomenal and Heather was their biggest supporter. Once they all graduated from high school they formed their own accapella band and performed for weddings and parties to help pay for their college educations. Whenever the Original Elites performed in town Heather was there to support them and she never lost contact with them. She fully enjoyed every song they sang but her favorite will always be From This Moment On in the style of the duet.

                “So what do you think? I invited them all to the wedding and their all coming. I haven’t asked them yet but I think they would do it for us.”

                “I think it’s the perfect song.”

                The next day Heather called Shania, the lead female singer of The Original Elites, not to be confused with Shania Twain herself, and asked her about singing the song for our first dance.

                “Of course we’ll do it! We’d all be honored to sing at your wedding!” I could hear Shania’s excited voice as I sat down next to my fiancé at the couch.

                “Yay! Oh this is going to be awesome Shania.”

                “Do you want us to sing the duet version?”

                “Yes please. You know how much I love it when you sing that version.”

                “I love it too. I never get tired of singing it.”

                “Awesome! Now I know you are going to rehearse but don’t overdo it. Just make it beautiful without stressing over it.”

                “I had a feeling you were going to give us your usual advise. The Original Elites have never forgotten that Heather.” (Heather always let her students call her by her first name.)

                “I’m glad. I’ll see you guys at the wedding!”

                “I can’t wait!”

                Before going to bed that night I listened to the duet again and got a great idea to surprise my bride on our wedding day.