Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

The week at my parents' passed incredibly quickly. It was my last night--my flight back to California was at ten thirty-five the following morning (the day before New Year's Eve).

I zipped my last suitcase and set it next to the bedroom door with my other luggage. Yawning, I padded out of the room and down the stairs. Mom and Dad were in the living room watching Miracle on 34th Street. The only light in the room came from the multi-colored bulbs on the Christmas tree, the heater, and the glow of the television screen.

I felt a surge of warm contentment. It had been a peaceful visit. Mom and I had barely touched on the subject of the wedding, and neither of my parents, nor anyone from my extended family, had asked why I'd chosen to spend Christmas away from my fiancé.

I'd only called Brian once, at midnight on Christmas Eve. Dawn, Jimmy, and Matt had all sent me text messages on Christmas Day. Otherwise, I'd had no contact with anyone back home.

"Hey, baby," Mom greeted as I approached the sofa.

"Hey," I echoed quietly.

Mom lifted the edge of the blanket she was under and I gratefully slid beneath it, snuggling close to her. Mom began stroking my hair soothingly. Without a word, Dad offered me a can of chocolate-covered cashews. I snagged a handful and popped one in my mouth. This is bliss, I thought happily. Nothing could make it better--

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Mom asked.

Except that, I added to myself. "Yes, please," I said aloud.

"Rick, honey, do you want hot chocolate?"

"Nah. But I wouldn't say no to some of your egg nog."

Mom looked at me. "Would you rather have egg nog?"

I shook my head.

"Whip cream or marshmallows?"

"Whip cream."

Mom got up and shuffled off to the kitchen. I stretched out, resting my head on one of the pillows that had come with the sofa. Dad and I sat in companionable silence. I had seen Miracle on 34th Street about a billion times during my childhood. Mom loved it, especially at Christmas time. If Dad had picked the movie, we would be watching It's A Wonderful Life.

I listened to Mom bustling around the kitchen for a few seconds before deciding to join her. The kitchen was spacious and brightly-lit and so many of our conversations had taken place here when I was a teenager.

Mom smiled at me upon my entry. I perched on the counter with one of the sugar cookies Mom had baked earlier. "I almost don't want to go back," I commented. "It's been so nice not having anything or anyone to worry about."

"Is everything okay with you and Brian?" Mom questioned, taking a spoon from the silverware drawer.

I sighed. "I don't know. We had this fight the night we got home from the tour and things have been...weird...between us ever since."

"What was the fight about, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Brian hasn't made it a widely known fact that he's engaged," I replied. "And that's fine. I don't think the fans need to know every little detail about his life. But--" I paused and ate the last of my cookie. Once I'd finished chewing, I continued: "--he's acting available at the meet and greets. Very available."

"Rock stars flirt," Mom said carefully, stirring the mixture of cocoa, sugar, and milk in my polar bear mug.

"Yeah, well, I was getting tired of seeing him with his eyes and his hands all over these skanky fans."

"His hands?"

I nodded. "A couple of times. He didn't touch them anywhere necessarily naughty, but he shouldn't have had his hands on them at all."

"Jordan." Mom faced me, her expression deadly serious. "Do you believe that he's been unfaithful?"

"No."

"Okay."

"He says that the reason he acts that way is because he has to maintain his image. The guys have gotten a reputation for living the stereotypical rock star lifestyle."

"I know. Your father and I don't live under a rock."

I laughed.

"So did y'all resolve anything with the fight?" Mom queried, placing my mug in the microwave and setting the timer.

I shrugged. "He agreed to tone it down a bit."

"But you want him to stop completely?"

"I don't think that's unreasonable. We're engaged!"

"It's not unreasonable," Mom said. "He's the one who proposed. It takes two people to make a relationship work. He has to make some concessions, too."

"Yeah..." Even to me, my voice sounded doubtful.

"He loves you," Mom stated matter-of-factly. "If this behavior makes you unhappy, he'll change it. After all, you changed for him." There was a slight edge to her voice.

"Mom!" I protested. "I didn't change for him. He just brought out my, um, latent tendencies."

"If you say so." Mom opened the microwave and brought out my steaming mug of cocoa. She topped it with whip cream and handed it to me. "Just talk to him again. Everything will work out."

She poured Dad his mug of egg nog and the two of us returned to the living room.

*****

I was surprised the next day when I stepped out of the airport and found Jimmy waiting for me. An automatic response, I dropped my bags and ran forward. Jimmy scooped me into his arms.

"I have your Christmas present with me," he said, giving me a tight squeeze and letting go.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. "Is it something Bri doesn't need to see?"

Jimmy chuckled. "No." He moved past me to pick up my bags. He left only my carry-on for me to retrieve. We stowed everything in his trunk and climbed into the car.

"So--" Jimmy glanced over at me as we eased out into traffic. "--two days after you left, Brian came over to the house. He wanted to talk."

I kept my expression as neutral as possible, but he wasn't fooled.

"Jordan, I know you're the one who told him we needed to talk."

"Well, y'all did," I said defensively. "His feathers were ruffled for a stupid fucking reason and I wanted him to admit he was wrong. Plus, I hated knowing that I'd helped create a rift between the two of you. You're his best friend, Jimmy."

"Calm down, Sunshine," Jimmy urged with a smile. "I know how stubborn he can be. He wanted to talk to me, he just had too much pride to make the first move. But with you encouraging him, he could claim the only reason he was doing it was because of you."

I rolled my eyes. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Jimmy lifted a shoulder. "Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. We talked about everything that happened on the road the last few months, particularly his reaction to that rumor."

"And?"

Jimmy looked at me. "He apologized." His attention back on the road, he added, "He didn't actually say the words 'I'm sorry', but he didn't have to."

"And y'all are okay now?"

"Yep. We're as thick as thieves again."

Something in Jimmy's tone made me study him closely. He was watching the traffic around us and didn't notice. There was nothing I could see on his face or in his body language, yet I was sure there'd been a note of sadness in his voice. Maybe I imagined it, I thought and decided to let it go.

The instant that Jimmy pulled into Brian's and my driveway, several people spilled through the front door: Brian in the lead, followed by Matt, Dawn, Zacky, Johnny, Jason, Matty, and Brian's brother Brent.

"Wait." Jimmy stopped me as I was about to open my door. He reached into the back and brought out a small box wrapped in black paper with a huge silver bow.

I lifted the top off the box. Nestled inside was a pair of earrings, silver with a blue stone. The color and clarity of the stone made me positive that these were real sapphires. "Jimmy, they're..." I trailed off.

"A practical gift," he said. "You need them for the wedding."

I frowned at him.

"You know, something old, something new, something borrowed--"

"--something blue," I finished for him, softly. "Thank you, Jimmy." I leaned over and hugged him.

"You're welcome, Sunshine."

My door was suddenly pulled open and Brian was dragging me from the car. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me for so long that the others began protesting. Finally, breathless, we broke apart and Matt wrestled me away from Brian.

After I'd been passed around and greeted by everyone, we made our way inside. I almost tripped over Pixie and Pinkly, who both were giving me enthusiastic greetings of their own.

"We missed you," Johnny said.

"Aww, I missed y'all, too!" I sat on the sofa and Brian plopped down next to me, resting his arm around my shoulders.

"Did you have a good time?" Brian inquired.

"I had a wonderful time!"

He kissed me on the cheek. "I'm glad. You needed it."

"We're gonna go," Matt said. I realized he and Dawn were holding hands. "I'm sure you and Brian want some time alone."

"See you guys tomorrow," Brian said. I waved as the others traipsed out of the house.

"I talked to Jimmy," Brian commented once we were alone.

"He told me." I smiled at Brian and brushed my lips across his. Brian cupped one side of my face with his free hand and deepened the kiss.

It seemed that everything was back to normal. The happiness I'd felt during those first few weeks after Brian proposed was steadily swelling inside me again.

We've put the tour behind us. I remembered my mom advising me to have another talk with Brian about his behavior on the road. There's no need. He promised to tone it down and I have to trust him.

"Bri," I murmured, drawing back slightly.

"What, baby?"

"I know my New Year's resolution."

Brian caressed my cheek. "Okay. What is it?"

"I'm going to trust you and stop acting like one of those jealous, possessive girlfriends."

Brian smiled and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Alright, then. I know mine, too."

I waited, gazing into those dark brown eyes.

"I'm going to trust you and my friends. I'm never again going to suspect that there's anything more than friendship between you and Jimmy. And I'm going to stop doing things that hurt you, even if they seem innocent to me."

"Wow, Bri."

He chuckled. "I know. It's just that you were right. I missed you so much while you were gone. I already knew I couldn't live without you, but your absence made me realize just how empty my life would be if you weren't in it. I love you, Jordan Andrews."

"I love you, too, Brian Haner Jr."

This is how it should be. My life is perfect again.