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Chapter 134

AN: The first two parts of this chapter, AJ and Mary’s wedding, were written by my good friend and guest author Bianca. For as much fun as I had writing Claire’s wedding, I was a little wedding-ed out by the time I finished those two chapters and wasn’t particularly motivated to do much for AJ’s, but I know there are AJ fans reading this who have been asking for more AJ, so I asked Bianca, who is a major AJ fan and a very talented romance writer, if she would want to do it. She said yes and put so much time and thought into writing this wedding, and did a wonderful job at it, too! Please send any feedback you have to her at Bean518@backstreet-market.net, or you can also include any comments for her in an email to me, and I will gladly pass them on. Thanks again, Beanstalk!! b^__^d


“Hmmm…” Nick paused in front of the mirror in his hallway to admire himself for a moment. Trying not to laugh, he shook his head.

“What?” AJ appeared beside him and began adjusting his tie.

“You look great… but look at me,” he smirked, once again staring at his reflection.

“And what exactly is wrong?” AJ questioned.

“Dude, I look ridiculous!” Nick laughed. “See, the whole gangster thing fits you, but I just look like a retard.”

“I hate to break it to you, Nick, but it’s not the suit that makes you look retarded,” Brian’s voice joined the conversation. “That’s just something you were born with.”

“Funny, really,” he shot Brian the finger and turned back to the mirror, this time adjusting his own tie.

After a couple of minutes, Nick finally felt satisfied with his appearance. His suit, like the other guys’, was black with burgundy pin stripes. They would be wearing a black dress shirt with a matching burgundy tie under a double breasted jacket; each guy would also be wearing a fedora hat that matched the suit. The only exception would be AJ, whose suit was accented with white instead of burgundy.

He had to admit, as silly as he felt, he and the guys were going to look kick ass during AJ’s wedding that afternoon. He hadn’t really been to many weddings in his lifetime; of course he’d been there for Brian and Kevin’s weddings, and most recently, Claire’s but beyond that, he’d only been to a few more. This wedding was definitely going to take the cake for creativity and originality with the “Roaring Twenties” theme that AJ and Mary had decided on. And that would be the reason why he felt so silly now.

“Well, I think we look great,” AJ said drawing Nick out of his thoughts as he placed his fedora hat atop his head.

“Gangsta,” Nick bellowed as AJ spun around and smoothed his hands over his suit. “Man, now all you need is a Tommy Gun.”

“Already taken care of, my friend.”

Nick cast a confused glance at AJ and raised an eyebrow. He noticed that Brian seemed to be staring at AJ with as much bewilderment as he was.

“What exactly do you mean by that?” Brian asked the question that had been on both their minds.

“We’re gonna have our pictures taken like real gangsters!” AJ replied excitedly.

Nick smirked at his friend’s expression and shook his head. AJ looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. But this is gonna be so cool! he thought to himself as he listened to AJ explain what was going to take place.

“There was no way the five of us were going to dress like this and not look like real gangsters. That was one of the first things I planned when Mary told me she wanted a 1920’s themed wedding! Hell, it was one of the only things I planned.”

Nick laughed at AJ’s honesty. He had to be truthful; corny as he felt, he was happy for AJ and he would have dressed in a much more ridiculous manner to make sure the biggest day of his brother’s life turned out perfectly. And hey, corny or not, women loved a bad boy.

***

That afternoon, the first Saturday in March, turned out to be absolutely beautiful. A light breeze ruffled through the area where the ceremony was being performed, carrying with it the sweet fragrance of springtime and Nick inhaled deeply as he stood nearby watching as the guests were seated. The wedding was scheduled to start at 4:00. T minus five minutes and counting until AJ is taken off the market for good, he thought to himself with a smirk. Letting out a quiet sigh, he adjusted his burgundy tie and spotted AJ nervously waiting to take his place at the alter. He had his hands clasped in front of him and apparently without realizing it, had begun twirling his thumbs.

Finally, an upbeat song dating back to the 1920’s began to play, signaling the start of the processional. Nick and the others joined AJ and he watched as the bridesmaids began their march down the aisle. Each girl was decked out in a burgundy knee-length fringed flapper dress, a matching headband with a black ostrich feather decorating the right side and a long strand of beads around her neck.

When each bridesmaid had made it to her spot, the upbeat music died down and a soft melody began to play. Nick remembered AJ mentioning the fact that Mary would be walking down the aisle, not to the traditional wedding march, but something dating back to that era to keep with their theme. As Duke Ellington’s “Tenderly” played, Nick heard AJ inhale sharply once he finally caught sight of Mary walking toward him. The sight of her could have taken away any man’s breath; she was truly a vision. Her tea length, ivory gown was simple and elegant with its sheer, embroidered neck long and sleeves. In contrast to the bright make-up of her bridesmaids, Mary’s had been kept very soft and feminine and her long, dark hair had been curled into soft ringlets and swept back in a loose ponytail that cascaded down her back.

AJ and Mary held each others gaze until they were standing side by side and the music faded. The minister, who was also dressed in a suit circa the roaring 20’s, cleared his throat and welcomed everyone who had come. Nick listened as he talked of the sacred union of marriage and how special it is when you find someone to share that with. He felt the familiar ache that settled into his heart as his mind drifted to Claire, but he shook her face from his mind just as quickly as it had appeared. He was determined to keep his thoughts on AJ and Mary and how happy they were as they took their vows to one another.

They had each decided to prepare their own vows for one another and AJ was now speaking, all the while gazing lovingly at Mary.

“…you’ve been the person that has kept me strong for the last three years. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you and I promise that no matter what I will take care of you. Mary, you have made me become a better man and I love you with my whole heart and soul.” Nick smiled as AJ poured his heart out and slipped the gold band onto Mary’s slender finger; he was also surprised when he noticed a tear slip down his cheek.


AN: Thanks again to Bianca for guest authoring! If you’d like to see the wedding party’s clothes, click here!

***

After AJ had returned from his honeymoon in the latter part of March, the five Backstreet Boys held a meeting with representatives from their management and record label. The meeting took place in Los Angeles, with Nick, AJ, Kevin, their manager Kenneth and the record exec actually present in the conference room, and Brian and Howie, who were both still on the east coast, on the speaker phone.

They had come together to talk about their future plans for the group. “It’s been a year-and-a-half since your last release,” Scott from Jive reminded them right away, “and you’re still under contract to do two more albums. The label just wants a preliminary timeframe of when we can expect those from you.” Without waiting for a response from any of the Boys, he continued eagerly, “You know, it’s still early in the year. If you recorded over the summer, you could easily have the next album ready for a fourth-quarter release…”

Kevin, AJ, and Nick all looked at each other. On the phone, Howie and Brian were silent. It seemed like no one wanted to answer on behalf of the group, perhaps because no one knew exactly what they – as a group – wanted to do.

The idea of recording this summer appealed to Nick; working on his music was a means of escaping for him, and with the way the last year had gone, he liked the idea of just staying in LA to record. But he wasn’t sure that was what the others’ wanted. In fact, looking at Kevin’s and AJ’s faces, he could tell that wasn’t what they wanted at all. So he kept his mouth shut.

Finally, Kevin spoke. Kevin was always the one to break the silence when none of the others would; they had just gotten used to looking to him as their spokesperson. He didn’t let them down this time. “I can’t speak for all of us in saying this,” he began slowly, seeming to contemplate his words carefully before he went on, “but I know for me personally, recording this summer seems a little soon. My wife and I have a six-week-old baby, and I’d really like to spend his first year at home. If we rush to get an album out by the end of this year, we’ll probably be touring by his first birthday, and… well, I just think it’s too soon for me. I’d really love some more time out to just be a father to my son first.”

The record exec, Scott, looked disappointed, but not surprised, nor did Kenneth. Perhaps they had both expected to hear this. Before either of them could get a word in, however, Brian’s voice rang through the speakers. “I’m siding with Kevin on this one,” he spoke up. “I’ve been in his position, and I was grateful for the time off I had to spend with my son when he was born. I had about five months before we went back to work, and in hindsight, I still think we rushed it.”

Scott frowned. “But there were a lot of other things going on then too. Nick was ill and undergoing treatment, so of course it seemed like a bad time to be recording, but you couldn’t have known that when we planned it. And that’s not the case this time… right?” He looked between Nick and Kenneth, raising an eyebrow, as if to make sure there were no new developments in Nick’s health that he hadn’t been told.

“I’m fine,” Nick assured him, slightly annoyed. He had met plenty of people in the music business who were just out for money, and most of the people at Jive were no different. It was one of the reasons they had battled with the record company in the past. The label didn’t care about them as people; they cared about the money they would bring in. It wasn’t good to have long gaps between albums; the public tended to forget about groups like the Backstreet Boys when they were out of the spotlight too long, and that meant lower record sales when the albums were finally released. Nick understood that, but Scott seemed to be extra pushy to set a recording date for that summer. Judging by the way he had just looked at Nick, Nick wondered if the record exec were afraid he would get sick again before the group could fulfill the rest of their three-album deal with Jive.

Kevin had started talking again though, so Nick had no chance to make accusations. “This is about more than Nick. We all have personal lives, and some of us have just been through some major life-changing events. Not only am I a parent now, but AJ just got married. I’m sure he’d like a little time with his wife before we get back into the studio. You know how crazy our schedules get once there’s an album on the way, so I think we’d just like to postpone that a little longer and give ourselves some more time with our families. Am I right, J?”

AJ nodded. “Sorry, guys, but I’m with Kev on this,” he agreed. “You know I love recording and performing more than anything, but Mary and I just got back from our honeymoon. We gotta have some time to just be newlyweds, you know?”

“I’m with you too,” Brian added. “It can be tough trying to juggle a music career and a family; I think I know that better than any of you. It can be done, but I think we need to give Kevin and AJ some time to just enjoy their families before we bring music back into the mix. I know I’ve enjoyed my time off with Leigh and Baylee too, and I definitely wouldn’t mind more.”

Scott nodded, seeming to realize he wasn’t going to win this battle. “Nick, Howie, is this how you’re feeling too?” he asked, looking between Nick and the phone that was connected with Howie, his last two shots for a fourth-quarter album release from the Backstreet Boys.

“Whatever the guys want to do, I’m with them,” Howie said agreeably. Nick knew that despite all the outside projects Howie had going on, with his charity and the real estate he’d been developing, he put the Backstreet Boys first and was always up for working. But he was also a “go with the flow” kind of guy, never one to dissent from the others. He had known Howie would agree to time off if Kevin, AJ, and now Brian wanted it.

It seemed he was the only one who really did want to record this year, but Nick knew he had no case. It would be four to one. Well, four to two, if you counted Scott, but Nick didn’t really want to side with him anyway. Besides, he understood why the others wanted more time off, and they had every right to take it. If he and Claire had married the way they had one planned, he would probably want the time off to spend with her too. It wasn’t their faults he was single and hating it.

“Yeah, if the fellas want time off, that’s cool with me,” he finally said and watched Kevin and AJ smile as Scott nodded again in disappointment.

Yet as the meeting continued, with everyone trying to lay out a timeframe for when they might start recording again, Nick let his mind wander. An idea was forming, an idea which had been simmering in the back of his mind for some time now. As the others came to the consensus that maybe next year they would put an album out, Nick decided he’d better put his proposition forward.

“Hey guys, I was thinking…” he interjected, and suddenly, he was struck with a sense of déjà vu. This meeting was starting to seem all-too-similar to one that had taken place six years ago, and that particular meeting had been a disaster. But it wasn’t the same situation this time, and so, hoping they would understand, Nick went ahead and said it. “Since we’re taking the year off and all, I was thinking I might wanna work on some more solo stuff. I mean, just while we’re on break. As soon as you guys wanna record again, I’m right there with you, but until then…” Nick stopped to lick his lips; his mouth was dry. “Well, I’ve just been kind of wanting to get back into the studio. I’ve been playing around with a lot of new music over the years, and I think-”

“Hey, Nick?” Brian’s voice crackled out of the phone.

Nick stopped talking. “Yeah?” he asked apprehensively.

“If you want to put out another solo album, I think that’d be great,” said Brian. “You’ve been through so much stuff since your last one, I know you’ve got a lot to get out, and I think the album could be incredible. Besides, it’s something you’ve always wanted to do. I say go for it.”

A weight lifted from Nick’s shoulders, and he suddenly felt very light, ready to spring right out of his chair. “Really?” he asked incredulously. He hadn’t expected the guys to totally nix the idea, but this show of support was surprising, coming from Brian first. Brian had seemed to have the biggest problem with him doing his first solo album, and the words that had flown during and after the meeting at which he’d made the announcement had caused a rift in their friendship. After all they’d been through, Nick hadn’t expected the exact same thing to happen this time… but because of it, Brian’s support now was even more of a pleasant surprise. More than just a pleasant surprise, it meant the world to Nick.

“I totally agree,” said Kevin, smiling over at Nick. “You should do it, kid; throw your heart and soul into it, and it’ll be amazing.”

Nick smiled back at Kevin, Kevin who had called him when Now or Never came out to tell him how much he liked it, even singing part of “I Got You,” which he’d named as his favorite track.

“Absolutely,” Howie added. “You know, I’ve been thinking about working on some solo stuff myself, maybe for a Latin album someday. This time off would give me the chance to experiment too.”

Howie had always supported Nick; he was the only one to have come to the set of Nick’s first solo video shoot and hang out. Nick would always remember that.

“A Latin album would be cool. Howie Dorough – the next Ricky Martin,” Nick joked, glad that Howie could not see his mischievous grin.

“Nah, he’s more like Enrique Iglesias,” AJ chimed in, his grin matching Nick’s. “Ricky was sort of gay. Enrique was more the Latin Lover.”

“Would you love… if I told you to cry… Would you leave… oh please, tell me thees…” Nick sang in an Enrique impression that was pretty dead-on.

Kevin and AJ cracked up, and Nick could hear Brian’s laughter ringing through the speaker, and all Howie said was, “Those aren’t even the right words,” which sent them all into gales of even more hysterical laughter.

When they’d finally calmed down, Kevin said, “Okay, so… we’re all good on this? Taking the rest of the year off to be with our families and do our own thing?”

The other four band members agreed, and even Scott looked slightly happier by the notion of two Backstreet Boys with solo projects in the works. After the meeting ended, he pulled Nick aside and told him to call to schedule another meeting when he was ready to talk about his next solo album. “Jive will always have a place for you,” he told Nick, smiling and patting his shoulder on the way out the door. He had the smile of a used car dealer, but Nick didn’t care.

As he drove home, his head was filled with the lyrics and melodies of songs he’d written in the emotional zeniths and nadirs of five years past.

***

As spring flew by, in a gust of scorching temperatures and spring break tourists, Claire was surprised by how smoothly her first few months of marriage had gone. Of course, she and Jamie had had the usual spats and discovered the usual quirks about living with each other – like the fact that he never bothered to rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher or replace the toilet paper on the empty roll, or how she kicked and thrashed in her sleep at night and, even with the air conditioning cranked up high, would get too hot and throw all the covers off.

“I’m telling you, you would love Iowa,” Jamie said after he’d woken up shivering a few times. Pulling the covers up to his chin as she sat cross-legged in her tanktop and boxer shorts and nothing else, he’d added, “You wouldn’t be so hot there.”

“I hate winter though,” she’d protested.

“How do you know? You’ve lived in Florida your whole life; when have you even seen winter?”

“We used to go to Baltimore to stay with my grandparents every other Christmas or so – trust me, I’ve seen winter.”

“You don’t even like snow on Christmas??” Jamie asked incredulously.

Claire shook her head. “It’s not the snow I don’t like. It’s the cold… and the fact that it makes everything die. I need color and life in my life,” she laughed. “Winter makes everything all gray and dead.”

He couldn’t really argue with her there, so they’d left it at that, agreeing to disagree. They were such opposites of each other in many ways, yet aside from the bickering over winter versus summer and the Cubs versus the Marlins, they lived in relative harmony. They’d known each other so long that even though they’d never lived together, the transition had been easy to make.

With the flourish of spring, Claire started thinking about children again. They’d agreed to start trying for babies soon on their honeymoon, but once they’d gotten home, they had opted to concentrate on just being newlyweds at first, getting used to living together in Jamie’s old apartment and molding a routine for themselves. But now that a few months of wedded bliss had passed them by, Claire thought it might be time to try adding kids to the mix. She knew that it was highly unlikely she and Jamie would actually have a baby nine months after trying for once; it seemed that most women who opted for in vitro fertilization had to undergo several cycles before carrying a pregnancy to term. Though the thought was overwhelming, she was trying to prepare herself for many months, even years, of frustrations and disappointments. But the sooner they started trying, she reasoned optimistically, the sooner they would have a child.

She and Jamie had another conversation about it near the end of May, and when he agreed, she scheduled an appointment at the fertility clinic for the first week in June.

***

On the first Wednesday in June, Claire made sure she had the day off for her appointment, and Jamie took off the morning to go with her. They arrived at the Hillsborough Fertility and Gynecology Clinic fifteen minutes early, and though Jamie looked petrified as they walked into the building and down a hall that was lined with pictures of women and babies, he obediently accompanied her to the correct waiting room.

He shouldn’t have been so nervous, thought Claire, hiding a smirk as she took in his uneasy appearance. This was only a consultation, and plus, he had been here before. It had been nearly five-and-a-half years since she’d sat in this very same waiting room with Jamie, while he fidgeted and squirmed, probably half-considering backing out of his offer to make the donation that would allow her to start her cancer treatments with some peace of mind, knowing there would still be a chance for her to have children when it was all over, assuming she survived.

Obviously, she had, and now here they were, married, hoping they hadn’t waited too long to make use of the precious gift he’d given her. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe the way it had all worked out, but maybe it was fate. She only hoped they would be so lucky when it came to getting pregnant.

“Claire Turner for Dr. Nevin,” she told the receptionist, signing in. She was given a clipboard full of papers to fill out, which she took back to her seat. She did the paperwork while Jamie sat and tapped his foot incessantly. When a nurse finally came to get her, she was more than relieved.

“Dr. Nevin will see you now,” said the nurse, ushering Jamie and her back to a room, where they were to wait for Dr. Gwen Nevin, the embryologist who had overseen the harvesting and fertilization of her eggs five years ago. She had been glad to find out the doctor was still working at this clinic.

When Dr. Nevin came in, a round of re-introductions and the usual chitchat followed, and then they got down to business. Dr. Nevin laid out the various steps of the procedure known as frozen embryo transfer, which, if successful, would allow Claire to get pregnant from the embryos she’d had preserved. It would involve weeks of medication beforehand and many more weeks of medication and testing afterwards, but Claire wasn’t put off by all of that. If she could do chemo and a bone marrow transplant, she could do this, especially for a child.

Jamie looked less comfortable with all the talk of hormones and injections, but that was to be expected. He made it through the entire consultation without fainting or leaving the room, though, and Claire was relieved he had stuck it out. In the last few years, he really had turned over a new leaf, becoming the mature, dependable kind of man she would need by her side, supporting her through this.

By the time they left the clinic, Claire was feeling hopeful about everything. She carried a small card in her hand, on which the receptionist had written the date for her next appointment, two weeks later. It was then that she would start taking the hormones that would prepare her body for pregnancy, and the whole process would truly begin.

Though the last several months had flown by, she had a feeling the next few weeks would pass at a slow crawl. That was just how time seemed to work when one was anxiously waiting for something.

***