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Author's Chapter Notes:
For Posie's Insistance.
Chapter 2


The ocean. In all of her twenty-two years on this vast Earth, Hannah had never seen such a large body of water before. She had been born and raised outside of a small town that melted into Lexington, Kentucky. Living in the rural depths of Kentucky, the largest area of water she had ever come across was her family’s favorite pond, which had been a few miles wide and ran off into the nearby river. So, when Howie Dorough had invited her out to California to record an album, her first visit had been to the nearest beach. She had hoped to find solace within the depth of the waters, because the pond had done great wonders in calming her wildness, but something about the ocean intensified her emotions instead. The constant crashing of powerful waves over the shoreline was nothing compared to the calmness of the pond, save for the occasional ripples that occurred when her feet skimmed the surface. Then there was the way the tide changed consistently, which changed the level of the water and the height of the waves... Never relenting… Never stopping…

Now, as she stared out the vehicle window, Hannah found herself riled from the view of the beach and lumbering waves. She had hoped to find something to mellow her, but, instead, she continued to furiously bounce her right leg against the car-mat. It had been a complete shock when Charlotte had insisted that she attend her birthday party that evening. Hannah had sputtered in attempts to kindly decline the offer, not wanting to but in, but Howie had been quite quick to intervene. He had assured Charlotte that he would bring Hannah to the party with him. So, afternoon recording had actually been spent at a variety of shops, Hannah agonizing on what to get such a special four year old. And the present on her lap still didn’t seem adequate—

“Hannah, if you don’t stop that fidgeting, you’re going to punch a hole in the floor of my favorite car. And this car cost more than what your first recorded hit can bring, trust me.”

Halting her foot in mid-bounce, Hannah hurriedly looked over to her producer and realized that he was grinning quite madly. Immediately rolling her turquoise eyes, she allowed her foot to continue to tap upon the floor, more for his agitation than her solace. “Your humor is about as skilled as your flirting, Mr. Dorough—”

“Dear God, it took me long enough to break you of that name. Don’t revert,” Howie groaned, glancing sideways toward his future star before taking a quick right onto the next street. “Wait! Did you just say that I was lacking in the flirting department?!”

Hannah smirked with obvious amusement. “I’m starting to think the only reason you signed me to your label was because you couldn’t get my digits any other way…”

Howie actually turned pink, remembering Nick’s previous accusation of mixing business and pleasure. “That’s just not true—”

“Honestly, Howie, I don’t know how you survived so many years in the limelight without suffering from a severe aneurysm,” Hannah finally interrupted with a hard laugh, rubbing Howie’s shoulder in an effort to comfort him, though it seemed patronizing. “I know that you’d never compromise our business relationship by forcing me into some cliché date-me-or-you-never-work-here-again. Though, I am slightly suspicious of your suggestion to do a nude cover for my CD—”

“Hannah—”

“Kiddin’!” Hannah hurriedly interrupted, drawling out the syllables in her usual southern accent. She did her best to slightly improve the accent since moving to California, knowing that many of the business associates had barely understood her. But, she refused to change too much just to sway public opinion. She was happy with herself and that’s what mattered.

“Glad to see that gloomy mood has been lifted,” Howie grunted when he veered once more onto another street, allowing Hannah to notice how grand the houses were becoming. Glancing over casually, he noticed her foot was still rapidly colliding with the floor of his car. “Though you’re most definitely trying to ruin my favorite car.”

“I am not.”

“What has got you all riled?”

“I just don’t understand why you insisted that I come to the party,” Hannah murmured softly, taking a quick glance toward her producer. He was a handsome man who had already entered his thirties. His Latin heritage was undeniable as she admired the golden tan of his skin, which complimented the dark chocolate of his irises and the short, ebony ringlets of hair mussed over his forehead. She had been quite flattered when he approached her in Kentucky, offering her the chance of a lifetime, though she had first considered him to be some kind of perverted con-artist. But, now, she could see how brightly his golden heart seemed to radiate through everyday actions. When Charlotte had insisted she attend the birthday party, Howie had immediately agreed that he would have Hannah come with him. He had even stopped their recording session early to take her out, so she could purchase a gift for Charlotte. But, still, Hannah couldn’t help but feel she was intruding on a tender family affair.

“Don’t be silly, Hannah. You’ve been out in California for weeks and you have yet to make any friends. Sure, we’re friends and you’re on causal terms with the business associates and Brian… But that’s not the same. You go to the recording studio, work part-time, sleep, eat, and then you’re back at the recording studio. You need to start making friends around here. You can’t be alone all the time, y’know? And my friends are a great place to start. You’ll love them.”

“I get nervous around new people.”

“Then how can you possibly want to sing in front of thousands of people?”

“Music is different.”

“…How?”

“Music is my soul. And when I hear it playing behind me, I get this electrical charge firing in my body, like I’m invincible. Then my heart starts to swell and I can’t help but sing. I look at all those faces and just hope that I reach them. If I see one smile, then I know it was worth it,” Hannah gushed with explanation, though she tinged a slight pink at the amount of enthusiasm bursting from her voice. “

“Well…” Howie mused thoughtfully, reaching up into the CD binder attached to the sun-visor. Retrieving a single CD with Hannah’s name scrawled on the front, he popped it into the stereo system and adjusted the volume. “Then I’m just going to have to bring this around in a little boom-box so you have your own soundtrack. It’ll be the official remedy to your social anxiety.”

“What on Earth are you babbling--” Hannah immediately squealed as she recognized the familiar chords of the guitar followed by a beautiful voice’s soft crescendo. Reaching out, she smacked her hands and gave a wild whoop of delight. “That’s my song!”

“And it’s going to be your first single.”

“My first single?!”

“To be released next week.”

“Next week?!”

“Are you a parrot?” he finally laughed.

“I’d mew like a kitten and crawl to you if you kept being this good to me,” Hannah breathed, batting the long lashes that protected her beautiful almond shaped, turquoise eyes toward Howie. And when he flushed furiously with embarrassment, turning to concentrate on the road, she looked back to the ocean, unable to help as she sang along to the CD.

*~*~*


“You brought another one? Jesus Christ, J, you can’t keep flaunting all these women around PJ! She’s going to get confused!” Nick cursed loudly when he opened the door for the tardy birthday guest, already prepared to give the door a quick slam. Sure enough, his long-time friend and band-mate, AJ McLean, was standing at the threshold of entering the house with an unfamiliar woman on his arm. He offered his usual toothy grin and held out the cumbersome present as if that made up for his actions, but Nick could hardly contain his scowl when the present was forced into his arms. It was typical of AJ to ensure his lateness to any party so he could make a grand flare of an entrance and the woman attached to his arm was quite the stunning eyepiece. Small in stature and full of voluptuous curves, she seemed to glow as she offered her own smile and her cornflower blue eyes sparkled with life. Her chestnut locks were tied in a knot at the base of her neck, complimenting the simple white top, low-riding jeans, and heeled sandals. At least she seemed classy…

“C’mon Nick, this one is for real,” AJ insisted with a chuckle, unfazed by Nick’s usual threats. Ever since becoming a father, Nick had disdained of the lifestyle that AJ led, though years before he had followed the same path. Besides, he was changing anyway, AJ thought with a grin as he leaned in to peck a kiss against Nick’s cheek. “We’ve been together for three months.”

“And you just now bring her out?” Nick argued suspiciously.

AJ shrugged earnestly, guiding his lover into the home with a hand at the small of her back. “Well, you told me not to flaunt all these women around Charlie—”

Nick’s scowl deepened. “Just get the fuck in here and stop acting holier-than-shit.”

“I love you too,” AJ crooned sweetly, reaching to twine his fingers with his lover. “And, before you can embarrass yourself any further, I’d like you to meet Joanne Gordon. Jo, this is Nick, the birthday girl’s father. Poor unfortunate child—”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Joanne announced, interrupting her lover’s merciless teasing. Her voice seemed to gleam with the most dulcet tones of southern charm, immediately reminding Nick of when he first met Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson, fresh from the farms of Kentucky. “Despite how rude he is right now, he really does speak quite highly of y’all.”

“I wish I could say the same, but, if you’ve managed three months of a relationship with him, I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot more of you,” Nick answered with a grin, reaching out to take her hand for a soft shake, though he quickly released to balance the present in his arms once more. When she offered a smile of thanks and excused herself to the ‘powder room,’ Nick couldn’t help but snort with laughter. “Where the Hell did you find her?”

“Where any man finds a self-respective woman - Lucy’ Lavender’s Catalogue of Luscious, Loose, and Lewd Ladies!”

Nick chuckled and directed AJ toward the living room. “You’re such an ass—”

“Tell us something we don’t know,” Kevin Richardson, eldest of the group, but no longer a member of the band, interjected. He offered a hearty grin when AJ pretended to take offense to his statement, practically crushing AJ into a welcoming hug. It had been many weeks since Kevin had an opportunity to visit with the rest of the group. His wife, Kristin, had just given birth to their first and only child, Mason, so he had been caught up within familial bliss. So, it was a great joy to find that his family could attend the party. Even Charlotte welcomed the newest child to the extended family, sitting close to Kristin’s side and helping to hold him.

“Be careful with him, PJ,” Nick announced while carrying the latest present to the mountain of others.

“Daddy, she’s doing just fine,” Kristin chided lightly, though she offered him a proud smile nonetheless.

Mouthing ‘thank you’ to Kristin, Nick turned just in time to see the eldest Backstreet child, Baylee Littrell, racing into the living room with his father nipping at his heels. Both had cans of wildly colored silly string and were spraying blindly in attempts to hit the other. Ducking, he avoided a long stream that burst from Brian’s can, reaching to grab his friend’s waist and tackle him to the ground. Baylee, who would turn five that November, stopped immediately at his father’s strangled grunt. Squealing with delight, he hurried back and covered Nick and Brian in silly string.

“Thanks, Uncle Nick!” Baylee giggled.

“No problem, Bay,” Nick groaned, mopping the strings of fluorescent orange string from his face. “Though you weren’t supposed to get me.”

“It was an accident!” Baylee assured, yanking the can of pink spray from his father and hurrying toward Charlotte. With a few hurried whispers and quite the enticing smile, Charlotte nodded in agreement and asked Kristin if she could take the infant. When her duties were relieved, Charlotte hopped from the couch, took the free can of silly string, and raced to the playroom with Baylee.

“Should we just draw up the papers for a prearranged marriage?” Brian questioned while combing the vast amounts of silly string from his sandy blonde curls. Grinning madly at Nick’s disconcerted expression, he clamored to his feet and made sure to clean off the string from other portions of his body.

“PJ does not want Leighanne for a mother-in-law,” Nick commented, “Where is she anyway?”

“Movie shoot,” Brian answered causally, watching an unfamiliar woman come sweeping into the living room. She took a glance around the room and smiled brightly when AJ waved her over. Hurrying to his side, both Brian and Nick were surprised to find the way AJ folded her into his arms and pressed a sweet kiss to the crown of her head. “Who’s that?”

“Joanne. They’ve been together for three months. Seems they’re pretty serious,” Nick murmured, relaying the information he received from AJ personally.

“I’m glad he’s finally settling down,” Brian approved. “Now if we could only get you—”

“I am settled down,” Nick grunted, not wanting to embark upon the familiar conversation. Every year, the men of the band would tempt to coerce Nick into trying to find a good woman to settle down with. They insisted that it was in Charlotte’s best interest that he find a woman who could round out her personality. They feared that, since growing up with five men, Charlotte might be stunted in developing a solid feminine nature. As it stood now, she was far happier collecting dirt under her fingernails than outfits for her dolls. However, when Nick looked to his daughter, he could find no flaw in her personality. Sure, it would be nice if she played with dolls instead of attempting to be a Daredevil and breaking limbs, but he wouldn’t change her for the world.

“Nick—”

Hearing the doorbell chime, Nick sighed with relief and excused himself from Brian’s lecture. Dashing toward the foyer and jumping the steps to the landing, he threw the door open with a causal smile. Though, when he noticed the visitor, he felt his heart leap to his throat, preventing a greeting. Hannah was standing at his doorstep, alone, with a somewhat small present clutched to her chest. She wore the same out from the studio, but he further appreciated her beauty as the sunlight shimmered. The golden hues of her appearance seemed to intensify within the sunlight, giving her such a gorgeous ethereal quality. And when she smiled, he could actually feel his knees give way just ever so slightly.

“Howie told me to head up the stairs… He’s still wranglin’ his present from the trunk,” Hannah explained with a nervous smile, gesturing toward the Porsche and the legs kicking furiously from the backseat. She turned back in hopes to see him warm, but when Nick had yet to form a greeting, she shifted uncomfortably. “I suppose I can wait outside—”

“What?” Nick blanked, having gotten lost in her deep turquoise eyes. He had never seen such a striking pair of eyes before. The color reminding him of paradise in the Caribbean, where the blue-green waters were perfectly warmed beneath the sun’s lazy rays. Where he could draw a hammock between two palm trees, gather her in his arms, and never want to leave—

“I was just suggesting that I could wait outside if you’re uncomfortable—”

“No! No! God no!” Nick beseeched, reaching for her wrist to pull her inside. “I’m sorry! I just… I’m sorry! Come in! Come in!”

“Okay,” Hannah laughed with uncertainty, though she squealed when he tugged hard on her wrist, causing her to fly within the household. “I see you’ve done a lot of helicopter rides with your daughter!”

Nick blushed. “Helicopter rides?”

“Y’know, when you grab her by the arms and give her a twirl?”

“Oh! Yeah! At least twenty a day!” Nick chuckled, quickly shifting away from her when Howie stumbled inside. Reaching out, he caught the present and Howie in the same instance. Pushing the older man to his feet, he then took the present into his arms, shielding his view of Hannah. Unfortunately. “Had to show me up again this year, D? What is it? A pony?”

“Nah, that’s next year,” Howie teased good-naturedly. “Is everyone here? I’d love for them to meet Hannah. Of course, you already know Brian—”

“She does?” Nick questioned, dropping the present upon his feet. When the corner caught one of his bare toes, he winced sharply, but maintained a steely gaze upon his friend. What had Brian been doing around Hannah?

“He was with me when we discovered her,” Howie explained causally, dismissing the small bubble of jealousy with the wave of his hand. “Where’s Charlie?”

“Running around somewhere--” Cutting off his statement, Nick pushed Howie’s cumbersome present into the corner, framed his mouth with his cupped hands, and hollered, “PJ! YOUR UNCLE D IS HERE WITH—”

“HANNAH!” Charlotte’s voice echoed from somewhere deep within the large home. Small footsteps slapped on the wood floor till a flaxen blonde whirlwind dashed into the foyer. Squealing in delight, she charged at the new guest’s legs and giggled wildly when Hannah managed to seize her into an embrace before they both toppled to the floor. Throwing her arms about Hannah’s neck, she grinned down at Baylee. Her sapphire eyes glittered as she bounced in the woman’s arms. “You’re here!”

“I told you I would come,” Hannah agreed with a nod.

“Thank you so much!” Charlotte giggled, giving Hannah another quick squeeze of a hello. And, before she could be deposited back upon the floor, she took a quick glance over Hannah’s appearance. Suddenly, she frowned and looked over Hannah’s shoulder to Nick and Howie. “Where’s her bow?”

“Her bow?” Howie questioned in confusion.

“She’s my ‘resent, ain’t she?” Charlotte insisted.

“PJ, why don’t you go tackle your pile of presents and tell me which one you want to open first?” Nick suggested, deterring his embarrassment when Charlotte insisted that Hannah was chosen to be her mother, which was her birthday wish. Charlotte looked as if she might override her father’s wishes, but when Baylee insisted she hurry, she smacked a kiss to Hannah’s cheek and hurried out. “I’ll tell you later,” Nick breathed quietly at Howie’s puzzled glance, motioning toward the living room where AJ was introducing Joanne amongst their friends. “Why don’t we join in on the introductions?”