"Joe, when are you going to tell Tara you love her?" JC and Lance asked Joey. After the concert, Joey was moping yet again around the bus before and after he talked with Tara on the phone. All four of his friends had been on his case for a few months to tell Tara how he felt about her. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
"If you guys only knew what she’s been through, I don’t want her to think that I’m just pulling her chain." Joey explained. There was also something else he was holding back from the guys, but he didn’t dare mention it. It was Tara’s to tell and unless she was in trouble, he would never tell anyone else without her permission.
"Joey, it is so obvious to everyone but you and Tara that you’re both in love with each other. The way you too look at each other from across the stage when she’s where-ever we are or when you’re together. The way you talk for hours on the phone about nothing in particular or dream about the future. You, my friend, have it bad." Lance said.
"I don’t know what I’m going to do." Joey admitted.
"We can help you with that." JC said and then went on to explain what he and Lance thought would help to get Joey to tell Tara that he loves her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Tara, Joe’s on line two." Trish came into Tara’s office.
"I can’t talk right now." Tara told her. She wasn’t getting any work done really. Ever since the stupid fight yesterday when she found out she had been nominated for some Fashion Awards. She called Joey and asked him to go with her and he had to decline because of prior NSYNC commitments. The guys were performing in Tacoma, Washington that night. He suggested that she take one of her parents or Trish, but Tara didn’t want to… she wanted to take Joey. She didn’t want to go alone either… she wanted to take Joey. She had moments like this where her feelings got the best of her and she didn’t understand why it was happening. Two months prior she was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance. The only people who knew were Joey and Trish. They seemed to understand her moodiness better than she did.
She had been doodling Joey’s name and hearts all morning long. Trish went over to Tara’s desk, picked up line two and handed the receiver to Tara.
"Talk to him." Trish said.
"Hi Joey." She said trying not to sound too upset. She was more upset at herself than anything.
"Still upset, Tar?" he asked.
"Not at you. At me. I just miss you so much." She sighed.
"I know, and if I could be there, I would." He explained. Tara could hear video games being played in the background.
"Why do you put up with my mood swings and my jealousy so much? What did I do to deserve you?" Tara asked into the phone, still doodling on the paper.
"Because I care a lot about you. You don’t take me for granted and you are always honest with me. You let me be myself and you always tell when I’m holding back my thoughts, my fears, and my dreams." Joey said from his end of the phone line. The guys were still in Illinois. A lone tear fell down Tara’s cheek. "Did you take your meds yet this morning?" Joey asked.
"Yeah, so, how did last night’s show go?" Tara asked. She was beginning to feel better.
"I fell on my butt during Digital Getdown. Thank god the fans thought it was part of the show. My ego’s a little bruised, but otherwise I’m okay." Joey told her.
"Aww, how’s your cold?"
"Much better. How about you? Getting any sketching done?" he knew she wasn’t.
"No, can’t concentrate. Trish seems to know when we’ve had a fight. She keeps everyone away from my office and pretty much leaves me be. Oh, hey, the one piece of work I did get done, Tell Chris I interviewed a designer with great stuff yesterday. His resume’ and my notes should be there within an hour or so." Tara perked up.
"Tara, you’ve got to let the wall you’ve built up fall down." Joey said out of the blue. He had been wanting to tell her he loved her for the past couple of weeks and that he wanted her to let him love her. But he couldn’t find the right time. Lance and JC promised him they would help him. Tara was perking up so he thought that time was now.
"Whoa, where did that come from? What do you mean?" Tara asked. As if she wasn’t confused enough already.
"Let me love you dammit." He spat out. Lance and JC were holding out a big wipe board with those words written on it. Lance and JC high-fived each other when Joey said those words to Tara.
"That came out of the blue…" Tara said.
"No, not really. I wish I was there right now so we could talk face to face. This is so hard on both of us, Tara." Joey stated. He couldn’t wait… the guys had some time off after a meeting they were to have with management later that day and then they had five days off.
"How could you say something like that to me?" Tara cried, a little dis-oriented, she couldn’t even remember if she had taken her medication. "We both know how hard it was to even take a chance on each other. How could you say `let me love you?’ I have." she was hurt. She was crying.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. That came out all wrong." Joey seemed to be apologizing to Tara a lot lately. Neither of them knew if it was because of the chemical imbalance or the medication she was taking as the reason behind her mood swings that was adding complications their relationship.
"Stop apologizing. It’s me Joey. Not you. It’s all my fault. You’re such a good man, Joe. I don’t think these meds are working for me Joey. I have a doctor’s appointment tonight at 6:45. Maybe I should just shut up before I dig a bigger hole to stick my head into."
"I’m coming there. We need to be together for a few days. I have a few days off. I want to be with you. Let’s work through whatever this is, whether it’s medical reasons or emotional reasons, together?" Joey suggested. He didn’t like not being there to hold her, to see her facial expressions and her body expressions, to see into her eyes and see how she truly was feeling and doing.
"I don’t want you to make a special trip home. Those days off were suppose to be for you and the guys to relax somewhere with no distractions and no girlfriends… remember?" Tara said. She heard noises outside her office door. They sounded like gunshots.
"What was that?" Joey asked.
"Gunshots." Tara whispered.
"Get out of there now, Tara! NOW!" Joey yelled into the phone. The only time he yelled at her to date. JC and Lance had been playing on the Sega Dreamcast and stopped what they were doing. Chris and Justin were working out on the treadmills and stopped those just as quick.
"What’s wrong, Joe?" Tara could hear one of the guys ask Joey.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Tara! Answer me… Please" she also heard Joey beg. She hung up the phone and ran over to the front door to her office and locked it. She ran back to her desk, pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed 911.
"911 dispatch." A voice said.
"There are gunshots in my office. 1976 Marx Avenue, 3rd floor. My name is Tara Marshall." Tara whispered.
"Ma’am, I’m sending out police and rescue already to that location. Are you alright?" the dispatcher asked.
"I’m locked in my office." Tara replied.
"Is there any way you can see outside your door or is there another exit for you?" the dispatcher asked.
"There is a back door into another office."
"Who’s office is that ma’am."
"John Guza."
"Ma’am I want you to go over to that door right now. There are several police officers on the other side of the door that will take you to safety." Tara tried to listen to the dispatch but heard gunshots on the other side of her main door and then Trish’s voice.
"Tara… Tara… Open up." Trish knocked on the door. Trish had a gun to her head. The gunman really wanted Tara. Tara grabbed her cell phone and purse and went to the other door that connected with another office. When she opened that door, a police officer pulled her through and put a finger to her mouth indicating not to speak. "Tara… everything’s alright. Please open up." Trish said again. Several police officers filed into Tara’s office while two more pulled Tara away from the door and behind them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Joey, what’s wrong?" Justin asked when Joey tore into the TV area of the bus.
"I have to get to Tara." Joey said as he switched channels on the tv set looking for any news on what was happening back in Pennsylvania.
"What happened?" Chris asked. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Joey sat down on the nearest seat and put his hands through his hair.
"We were talking… and… and… and I heard gunshots." His cell phone rang. JC answered it for him. It was Tara.
"Hello?" JC asked.
"JC?" Tara asked. She was in the other office and knew she had to call Joey to let him know that she was alright. She was a little shaky, but unharmed.
"Are you okay?" he sighed. "Joey’s worried. What happened?"
"I’m okay. I can’t talk right now. Tell Joey I’ll call later, I promise." She said as quickly as possible. An officer had gone over to her to check on her "I have to go." Tara hung up the phone.
"I will." JC hung up the phone. "She couldn’t talk but she is alright." JC told everyone.
"How did she sound?" Joey asked.
"Scared, Joe. But she said she’d call later." JC told him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Police! Freeze!" Tara heard the police say when they opened the other door. After a few minutes, she heard Trish ask where she was.
"Please, let me go to her?" Tara asked the police officer. Trish came through the other door. Tara ran to her. "Are you alright?" Tara immediately asked Trish, looking her over for any signs that she was harmed..
"I’m alright, but Tara… the shooter… it’s Kim." Trish said. Kim being Joey’s ex-girlfriend. Tara slumped to the floor in disbelief.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Steve, it’s Joey. You need to get to Tara." Joey said when he got his brother on the phone. Joey was packing a bag. Thank god the guys had a few days in-between concerts. He was going to Tara. Lance was calling to explain that the meeting would have to wait. He also went to tell Tiny what had happened.
"What’s wrong?"
"Someone’s shot up her office. You can get to her faster than I can. Please, I need you to go to her." Joey begged.
"Don’t say another word. I’m on my way." Steve replied and hung up the phone. Dropping everything to go to the woman who meant more than life itself for his brother.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Everything happened so quickly. Once Kim was in police custody, Officers and detectives started questioning everyone. Trish’s husband, Travis, appeared out of no where to comfort both Trish and Tara and to get them away from the office. They were both very shaky after the incident and did not want to talk to any reporters.
"Trav, can I borrow your car please?" Tara asked once they arrived at Trish and Trav’s house. They had left her car at the office.
"Where are you going?" Travis asked as he handed her the keys.
"To think." She replied. She was going to visit Andy’s grave. She needed to talk to Joey, but she needed to clear her mind first and focus on why Kim came to her office and shot it up. "Trish, are you okay?" she asked her best friend.
"I’m fine and don’t apologize for something that is not your fault. Be careful." Trish and Tara hugged.
"Maybe now she’ll realize that she needs help?" Tara said and wiped the tears away from her eyes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tara was sitting on the bench next to Andy’s grave when Steve found her. He had called both her house and Trish’s.
"I thought you’d be here." He said as he sat down next to her. They embraced.
"Joey asked you to come, didn’t he?" she asked in a whisper. She was hoping Joey would be the one to come to her.
"He knew I could get to you faster. He’s on his way though." Steve replied. He put his hand on her shoulder blade. Tara wiped her eyes. She felt relieved that Joey was on his way.
"Does he know the shooter was Kim?" She mumbled.
"What? The shooter was Kim?" Steve was shocked. Trish hadn’t told him and the shooter hadn’t been identified in news reports yet.
"Yeah, Trish recognized her. She was… she was coming after me. She shot up the office and held Trish at gunpoint." Tara told him.
"You know what this means, right?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, I’ve had enough. It’s over. I don’t want to put Joey’s life in danger because we’re dating. I don’t want my life in danger either." Tara stood up to move away from Steve a little bit.
"Tara! Don’t say that. It’s time you had a security team for protection." Steve told her bluntly.
"Ya know, Steve, Joey and I knew that when the tests came back that he would not be the baby’s father that she’d still come after him. We never imagined she’d come after me. We didn’t think she would. She never had before." Tara hadn’t heard Steve suggest a security team. "No… for Joey’s life and for my own, I have to break off our romantic relationship." Tara said.
"Breaking it off with him won’t solve anything, Tara. Please, listen to me." Steve practically begged. He knew how much Joey cared about Tara. The last thing he wanted was for them to split.
Tara really wasn’t listening to him. He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Joey needs you and loves you and I believe you love and need him just as much. Don’t do this. Don’t shut him out." Steve suggested. He knew something else was wrong with her. She really wasn’t listening to him. It was like she was in a daze. He answered his cell phone when it rang. It was Joey.
"Steve, have you found her?" he asked.
"She’s not herself, Joey. I don’t believe she’s listening to me. She’s not really coherent." Steve answered.
"She’s got meds in her purse. I just talked to Trish. Trish said she needs to take those. She hasn’t taken any since she started work this morning." Joey replied.
"Tara? Where’s your purse?" Steve cupped a hand over the phone to ask her.
"Oh gosh! My meds!" Tara said in alarmment.
"Steve, get her to take her meds and eat something. Then she should be fine." Joey told him.
"What’s wrong with her?" Steve asked. Tara was rummaging through her purse.
"Chemical imbalance. She becomes irrational, incoherent, and sometimes very un-cooperative." Joey explained. "She just found out two months ago that she had this."
"Okay… ok… I can take care of this. Where are you Joe?" Steve asked.
"We should be landing in Allentown in 30 minutes. We couldn’t get a flight into Philly so we’ll be driving in from Allentown."
"We?" Steve asked.
"Tiny and the guys." Joey explained. "They didn’t want me and Tara to go through this alone. We’ll meet you at the house." Joey hung up the phone. Steve looked for Tara. She had walked away from him while he and Joey were talking.
"Steve, I can’t find my meds." She said from behind him as she dumped out her purse.
"Where were you before you came here? Maybe we should check there?" he suggested in a calm voice as he helped her put everything back into her purse. She had stopped at a picture of her and Joey for a moment before lovingly placing it in her wallet.
"Um… Um…" she started hitting her head because she was frustrated with herself and trying to remember, "Um, Trish’s. Trav took us there. Wait! They might be in Travis’s car." Tara and Joey went over to the car. Steve found her pill box under the passenger’s seat. He tossed it to her.
"Uh-oh, here comes the press." Steve noticed a news van pull into the cemetary.
"You drive" Tara tossed him the keys and got in on the passenger’s side. She took a gulp of water with her meds as Steve drove them out of the cemetary.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Joey, why didn’t you tell us she has a chemical imbalance?" Lance asked. He had overheard Joey’s conversation with Steve.
"Because she asked me not to. We had thought the meds that she is on would help control it, but I don’t think that they are working very well. They did at the beginning. God knows the shooting today didn’t help as well as our fight the other night." Joey ran his hand through his hair.
"No wonder you’re so patient with her and trying so hard with her." Justin was amazed at how much love Joey had for Tara.
"I love her Justin. With everything that I am, I love her and will do what I have to do to help her get better."
**Joey closed his eyes and remembered the day Tara told him what the doctors had said. That’s when she first tried to break things off `so he could find a normal girl’.
`I don’t want anyone else but you’ he pleaded with her.
`I don’t want to hurt you anymore Joe. I don’t want to see disappointment in your eyes over a misunderstanding or because of my frequent indecisiveness.’
`I care so much about you and I know you care about me. I won’t let you shut me out’**
"The meds are no longer working." He mumbled out loud. As he did so, a stewardess came over the PA system to announce that they would be landing momentarily and to buckle up.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Steve? Tara?" Joey questioned as soon as he opened the door to Tara’s home.
"Ssshhh, I finally got her to take a nap after she ate a sandwich, Joe. Now I know why you love her so much. She’s so honest and she loves you too. She told me everything concerning the diagnosis. Where are the guys?"
"Giving us a few minutes. What about her meds?" Joey asked.
"She took them and seemed calmer and more focused after a little while."
"Okay, thanks. I’m gonna go check on her." Joey gave his brother a hug before going up to Tara’s room. She was sleeping peacefully on her side. Joey took the afghan off the foot of the bed and covered her with it. He watched her sleep for a little while before falling asleep next to her. They both jumped when her alarm went off a little while later.
"Joey! Honey, what are you doing here?" Tara asked. Totally forgetting that Steve had told her Joey was on his way.
"I was worried. What’s the alarm for?" he asked while rubbing his eyes.
"Doctor’s appointment. I don’t think these meds are working very well." She told him. "I’m not as controlled as I think I should be. These meds just don’t seem to do anything for me anymore." She stated.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Joey asked. Tara thought about it a moment.
"Yes, please. You can help me understand things if they get too confusing. You get through to me when no one else can."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After they visited her doctor and had the meds changed and increased, they had asked for a private room to talk.
"Are you seriously alright?" Joey asked her. He was still quite upset about hearing that Kim was the one that was the shooter. "That should never have happened. I should have insisted that we get you a bodyguard long ago." Joey said as he held her close. She could smell the faint aroma of his after-shave.
"I’m a little shaky. Things are hitting in waves. Everything one moment seems as clear as day, the next it’s foggy. The shooting, the need for stronger meds. I don’t want to say I give up, but Joey, I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m so scared." She admitted.
"Scared of what?"
"Losing me, losing you, losing us, losing my life."
"Is this what’s been going through your mind these past few months? Afraid of losing me? You heard the doctor, sooner or later, this chemical imbalance will work itself out and you’ll be okay. So the last medication didn’t work, we’ll try this new one and get you away from all the stress of the job and the press." Joey explained.
"What I heard is that I may never be okay." She responded.
"You can’t think like that. Let me take you down to Florida for the next few days. You need a break from work and this place and we need some time together. Away from Trish and the guys." Joey suggested.
"But we should tell them all first about exactly what’s going on with my health." Tara insisted.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, it’s time the guys knew there’s more to what’s been happening than us just missing each other. And Trish needs to know the whole story."
"Okay."
"Excuse me…" a nurse interrupted them.
"We’re sorry, did you need this room?" Joey asked.
"Actually, there’s two detectives here to talk with Ms. Marshall."
"Please, send them in." Tara stated.
"Didn’t you already give your statement?" Joey askedher.
"I haven’t been down to the station yet." She replied.
"Ms. Marshall, Detectives Jones and Schroder." The nurse said.
"Thank you, Ms. Marshall, are you alright? When we stopped by your home, a young man said that you came to the hospital to see a doctor." Det. Schroder asked.
"Just a check up Detective, I’m alright. What can I do for you?" Tara asked. Joey squeezed her hand and kissed her on the cheek.
"I’ll be outside in the waiting room." He said and excused himself. Det. Jones followed him out.
"Excuse me sir, you are?" the Detective asked.
"Joey Fatone. What can I do for you?" Joey replied
"How do you know Ms. Marshall?" the detective took out his notepad.
"I’m her boyfriend. Why are you questioning me?" Joey wanted to know.
"Just routine questions. Is this alright?" the detective continued.
"Yes," Joey said and moved to the side of the hallway so that they wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. The detective wanted to know how long he and Tara had been dating and if he knew the shooter.
"Yes officer, Kim is my ex-girlfriend. Earlier this year she had filed a paternity test against me that turned out to be false. There is a restraining order on her to stay away from me. We never imagined that Tara would need one as well." Joey looked off for a moment, remembering the court appearance.
**"Ms. Smith, do you understand that you are not allowed within five hundred feet of Mr. Fatone?"
"Yes, you’re honor… but." Kim had wanted to explain to him that this was all a misunderstanding. That Joey was hers and no one else could have him. She was staring at Joey and he could feel her stares as he looked down at his hand holding onto Tara’s. Tara had refused to leave his side the entire court appearance.
"No buts, Ms. Smith, if you violate this restraining order, it will result in jail time." The judge stated.
"Yes sir." Kim was defeated. She sat down at the table and put her head in her hands and sobbed. Joey turned to Tara and hugged her with tears streaming down his face.
"Tara, it’s over." He said (or so he thought at the time).**
"Joey? Joey…" Justin playfully punched his friend in front of the detective.
"He sometimes drifts off when something’s bothering him, detective." Justin explained.
"I’m sorry… I was just thinking back to the restraining order against Kim." Joey cleared his throat. Justin had gone back to the Nurse’s station to flirt with one of the nurses.
"Well, Mr. Fatone, Kim Smith is in lock-up pending her arraignment. She’s asked to see you." The detective told him.
"I can’t see her. I’m sorry, but she’s already disturbed my life enough. I want nothing to do with her." He stated.
"That’s understandable." The detective replied. Tara and Detective Schroder came out into the hallway.
"Your statements will be ready for your signatures by the morning. Please stop by before you leave." Detective Schroder asked.
"We will. Thank you both." Tara stated and waited until the men turned and headed away before she put her arms around Joey and buried her head in his neck.
"We’ve got some talking to do to Trish and the guys." She said as they hugged.
"Well, looks like the guys came to us." Joey said and pointed in Justin’s direction. Justin saw this and went over to the couple.
"I came to warn you that they were on the way. Sorry, they beat me to it." Justin explained.
"That was sweet of you, Juju. Were is everyone else?" Tara asked.
"Back at the house probably eating everything in site until the Pizza arrives." They all laughed.
"Shall we go home?" Joey asked.
"Let me call Trish and tell her to meet us there." Tara explained as she pulled out her cell phone and walked away from the guys.
"Hello?" Trish asked when she picked up the phone.
"Trish, it’s Tara. Could you and Trav meet me at my house? Joey and I need to talk to you and the guys about some stuff and it’s better if we do it when we can get everyone in the same place." Tara asked.
"Sure, we’ll be there in half an hour." Trish said.
"Thanks Trish." Tara hung up and went back to Joey and Justin. "Okay, Trish and Travis will meet us at my place in a half hour. Let’s go." Tara said. She, Joey and Justin left the hospital.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Everyone was sitting out on Tara’s deck enjoying pizza, soda, and milk when Tara began.
"Okay gang, I just wanted to let you know that what I’m about to tell you isn’t easy for me and hasn’t been easy on me and Joey and in a way hasn’t been easy on any of you either. You have all been great support systems for us these past two months and now it’s time to fill you in even more." Tara explained. She took a sip of milk as Joey placed his hand in the small of her back to show his support. She took hold of it with her free hand before continuing.
"Lance, Juju, JC, Chris, first I owe you all and apology as well as you, Joey. See, I begged Joey not to tell you guys about my chemical imbalance. At the time we thought it wasn’t that big of a deal. Please accept my apology from the bottom of my heart. I never thought that this secret could just eat away at Joey and me like it has. It hasn’t been easy for Joey and I know that in the emails that I’ve gotten from him and in the conversations and most of all in his eyes. See, I told Trish because she practically runs my business for me these days. If it weren’t for her and Joey, I don’t know where I’d be right now. The chemical imbalance has seemed to have gotten worse as the medication that I was taking just wasn’t working. Tonight the doctor said that I need a break. I need a break from stress so to speak. The medication has been changed and a better dosage has been perscribed. Things are pretty much day to day right now. We just wanted to explain this to each of you and this was the best way to do it. Tomorrow morning after we sign our statements, Joey’s going to take me to Florida before you guys go out and finish the tour. Trish, I’m pretty much going to be there for a while. What I’m asking from each of you is to just love us and support us as much as you have been. We have the doctor getting in touch with a doctor down in Orlando so that I can be monitored. Any questions?" Tara said with tears in her eyes. It was silent for a few minutes. Lance stood up and went over to hug Tara. He didn’t know what to say so he gave her a hug and simply said "Your wish is our command."
"Wow, this was easier than I thought." Tara admitted when they separated. She wiped away her tears and looked at every single person square in the eyes. "Joey and I are so lucky to have all of you. So lucky. Now, guys, Trish and I have some business stuff to tend to, why don’t you guys go play video games or something.
"Wait, can I say something?" Justin asked as everyone began to get up from their seats.
"Sure, Justin."
"I’ve been playing back the events of today and analyzing things since we’ve met and I owe you an apology, Tara."
"Justin, you don’t…" Tara tried to stop him.
"No, I think I do." Justin got up and walked over to her.
"I haven’t been fair to you and your relationship with Joey and me and the guys. See, no one’s affected our lives as much as you have. You encourage us even when our songs are really bad or I’m having a really bad hair day and lord knows, I’ve had many. You send us all email just to say hi and have a great day. You have been a sounding board for the rest of the guys and you’ve been a sister. I just have kept you at arm’s length because the more I saw you entwine your life into ours, I got afraid that you weren’t here to stay. See, you and Joey have something more special than I have ever seen any of us guys every have in our relationships. I didn’t want to let you in too much because I didn’t want to lose that camadarie that we’ve had since day one. When Joey told us this morning that he had heard gunshots in the background on the phone, we all came back here because we were worried. I couldn’t believe how much I was so worried about you and then on the plane when he told us you had a chemical imbalance I just wanted to put my arms around you and promise you that nothing bad is going to happen to you and that this will all go away. You've taught me something today, Tara. You’ve taught me that it’s okay to care about someone no matter if they stay or go. Thank you and I’m sorry." Justin began to cry.
"Hey now, don’t cry, Juju. We’re always going to be friend and don’t go treating me any differently than in the past because I like that little sportsmanlike competition we got going. You challenge me to be a better person. Don’t stop because of what’s happening. Promise?" Tara asked. Justin just nodded as he cried. Tara looked around… everyone had left them alone to talk. She embraced Justin. "I’ve been telling Joey for months that with the exception of Chris, you, Lance and JC are like younger brothers to me and if you don’t stop this crying, I’m gonna disown you." She joked he started to laugh.
"If Joey ever hurts you or you ever hurt him, I’ll kill you both." Justin joked back.
"There, that’s the Juju I know and love." Tara laughed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It’s about time he poured out his true feelings to her." Lance said as he and Joey were sitting at the dining room table.
"Really? How long has he been holding back?" Joey was astonished that Justin wasn’t up front where he and Tara were concerned.
"Since that day Kim came to your house in Florida and tried to say you were the father of her baby."
"Well, I’m glad that he finally got it out in the open." Joey said.
"So what now?" Lance asked.
"What do you mean?"
"With Tara? Does she need some kind of treatment?" Lance asked.
"Not right now. She’s got to change her eating habits and take more vitamins and the new medication. The doctor did say that she may get worse before she gets better, though."
"These next few days before we have to go back to the tour, what will you two be doing?"
"Well, we’ve got to hire her a security team and an assistant. She’ll be staying at my house. Aida already knows and is going to watch out for her once I return to the tour. Plus, her Aunt’s in Englewood, we’ll probably drive down there to see her. It’ll do Tara some good. Besides, we need to tell her about the imbalance and the shooting."
"Tara Lynn Marshall!" this female voice shouted through the house and zipped past Joey and Lance out to the deck.
"Who was that?" Lance asked as they got up to go after her.
"I think it’s her aunt." Joey said.
"Auntie… what are you doing here?" Tara was surprised. Justin had turned to look out at the yard and to wipe his eyes. They had both been crying as they bonded.
"I couldn’t get through on the phone, no one was answering at the office and I hadn’t heard from you so I caught the first flight I could to get here. Are you alright?" Tara’s Aunt Lin asked and pulled her niece into a hug.
"Auntie… I’m fine. I’m so sorry that I didn’t call, it’s been a crazy day." Tara admitted. She had forgotten to call.
"Who are all these people in your house? I know Trish and Trav, but all of these men? Did something else happen?"
"Auntie, I’d like you to meet Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, and Joey Fatone. They’re members of the group NSYNC. I’ve told you about Joey." Tara introduced her aunt to the guys. "oh, and this is Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez and Joey’s bodyguard, Tiny." Tara continued with the introductions. They guys all were very polite with shaking Aunt Lin’s hand. Joey went over to Justin and asked that they go for a walk. The rest of the guys went into the house. Before Joey left, he kissed Tara on the forehead and simply said, "Tell her everything." Tara nodded and waiting until they were alone to tell her Aunt everything.
"So… you’re okay?" Aunt Lin asked.
"Well, it’s going to take some time to say that I’m 100 percent, but right now, yeah, I’m okay." Tara admitted.
"Thank goodness."
"Where’s uncle Walt?"
"Stuck in Miami with work. We should call him."
"Why don’t you go on up to your room and call him. I really need to talk to Trish. Then I’ll be up." Tara suggested.
"Okay. I’m so glad you’re alright, honey." Aunt Lin hugged her again.
"And I am glad you’re here. And I’m sorry that I didn’t call." Tara admitted.
"It’s alright. Go on and talk to Trish… I’m going to also call your cousin to get things ready for you at the house for a few days, how’s that sound?"
"Sounds good." Tara smiled.
"One more hug?" the two women embraced again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Justin, what’s up with you??? I’m seeing you change so much lately. Something you want to talk about?" Joey asked. They were walking down the street with Tiny walking about 20 feet behind them.
"I guess I’m just finally growing up, Joey. I mean, after this last break up with Brit, I realized that I just had to grow up and move on. And then I began to rethink my relationships with you and the other guys and your girlfriends and the only one I wasn’t giving a fair shake to was Tara. At first I wasn’t sure why, but then I realized that I was being stupid and selfish because I figured that if I couldn’t have a healthy and happy relationship with someone why should you. After all, you are known as a ladies man. Still." Justin said.
"I didn’t realize you and Brit broke up again. Why this time? She jealous about all the time you’ve not spent with her?"
"Yeah, it’s like she doesn’t trust me and I don’t understand it. I never once cheated on her. Not once. When our schedules didn’t allow us to attend an event together, yeah, I took other girls, but for god’s sake, you all knew it was platonic, so did my date. My mom always hoped for more and still does as long as it’s anyone but Brit."
"But?" Joey wanted Justin to admit his feelings for Britney.
"I think I’m in love with her, man."
"Know what I think?" Joey asked.
"What, Joe?" the men stopped in the middle of the block.
"I think that you and Britney need to have a long talk and admit your true feelings for each other. The reason why your relationship is that much harder is because you’re both in the music business. If anyone can make a relationship work, it’s you two. Forget about your moms, your friends, me and the guys. Go to her and concentrate on your relationship." Joey suggested.
"What if she doesn’t want me?"
"Justin Randall Timberlake, you two have known each other since you were twelve. You two share a bond that needs to be repaired. Just go to her." Joey demanded when he looked into Justin’s eyes.
"Okay, but if she rejects me I’m gonna kick your butt." Justin joked. Joey chuckled.
"Fine, buddy. C’mon, let’s get back to the house." Joey suggested. Justin ran and jumped up on Tiny.
"Home James." Justin said.
"What do I look like, you’re personal slave?" Tiny teased.
"Sorry Tiny. Didn’t want you to think we were ignoring you." Justin said as he got off of Tiny.
"No problem. You needed to talk so I let you. Now, can we go back to the house?" Tiny didn’t like when they were out in the open like that. Thank goodness it was dark out. They headed back.
Tara and Trish were finishing up with business when Joey, Justin, and Lance returned.
"Hey beautiful." Joey said when he found them in the den.
"Hey, did you and Justin have a good talk?" she asked.
"Yeah, you two almost finished?" he asked.
"You have great timing." Trish replied.
"Trish, please make sure everyone takes a few days off, no charge. They’ll get paid for it and make sure that they all talk to counselors. Including you?" Tara said to her friend.
"Will do. Now, don’t worry about anything. Go take that vacation and try to enjoy it. I’ve got everything under control." Trish replied. Travis came into the room.
"Hey guys, Trish, we should go… Amy’s got school tomorrow." Travis explained.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Both of you call us if you need anything?" all four said their goodbyes and Trish and Trav left to go home.
"How’s your Aunt?"
"I just checked on her and she’s sleeping. I really scared her today."
"Everything happened too fast. We had to concentrate on you before anyone else. Don’t worry about it. She understands." Joey said and gave Tara a hug. She yawned. "Sounds like someone’s ready for bed." Joey asked.
"Yeah, I am. Let’s go check on the others. Oh, and I need to make sure that there’s enough linens."
"Already taken care of. Trish’s mom stopped by while you were napping to check on everything. I called her and asked her to." Joey said.
"You’re amazing." Tara said as they walked into the living room to see what the guys were doing. They were watching MTV.
"Hey guys." JC said as they came into the room. Justin, Jance, and Chris turned to the doorway. "Hey…" they all said.
"I just wanted to thank you guys for all coming out here today and for understanding and listening. I’m going to go to bed now. Goodnight." Tara said. Each of the guys came over and gave her a hug.
"We’re glad you’re alright. Don’t ever scare us like that again." Chris teased.
"Yes dad." She joked.
"We’ll see you on tour a few times, won’t we?" JC asked.
"Yes, that’s one thing I will try to do is come watch you guys perform." Tara said.
"You better." Justin smiled for her.
"Juju, you and I are going to be just fine… you goober." Tara got him to chuckle.
"Just don’t be a stranger." Lance said.
"And don’t go dying your hair every color of the rainbow. The fans love you just the way you are." Tara said. She looked at all five men. "I feel like this is a new beginning for all of us. I hope that you guys all feel the same way." She said. As she turned to leave, she stopped Joey from following with her.
"No, Joey… spend some down time with the guys. You won’t see them again until you guys go back to the tour." She explained.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yeah, do some of that male bonding stuff. Blow stuff up on TV, belch, you know… manly stuff." She said.
"I won’t be up too late." Joey said as he walked her to the stairway.
"Don’t rush up to bed on my account." Tara said and looked into his eyes. "We still have a lot of talking to do, but it can wait until we’re alone. Goodnight." She said and kissed him passionately.
"G’night." Joey said when they parted. He waited until she had closed her bedroom door before joining the guys in the living room.
"How you doing Joe?" Lance tried to ask in his best new yorker accent. It sounded crappy and got the guys all to laugh.
"Bassman… you still got a ways to go when it comes to your accent." Joey shook his head. The guys were playing `Mario Tennis’ on the Nintendo 64 that Joey had bought Tara when he first started visiting her during breaks from the band schedule.
"Hey, I got you to laugh, didn’t I?" Lance asked. Joey rolled his eyes.
"So, Joey, how is she really?" Chris asked. All the other guys had wanted to know as well.
"Scared about the imbalance. She tried to break things off with me again because she’s afraid of the unknown about the imbalance. We need a few days, just her and me, to talk things through and to understand where we are in our relationship." Joey told them all.
"Wow, it sounds like you really want this relationship to work out Joe." Chris stated.
"I’ve never felt like this with anyone else, Chris. I believe she’s the one for me. I truly do. I think I’m going to ask her to marry me." Joey stated. The guys all gasped. They couldn’t imagine Joey settling down, let alone getting married and they had all thought that Chris would be the first to get engaged.
"Well then. Do everything you can to hold on to her because she’s the best one that’s come into your life since we’ve known you." JC told him and reached out his hand to shake it.
"Ya think?"
"Joey, she’s the only one you haven’t strayed from. She keeps you grounded and she makes you happy." Justin said. Joey looked up at Tara’s mantle and the photos of the guys and her.
"You’re right. She does and I just want to do the same for her. This isn’t about my promise to Andy anymore. This is about my love for her and my promise not only to her but myself. Someday she and I will be married." Joey said. "Thanks guys, I’m gonna go on up to bed. See you all in the morning." Joey said. Joey left the four of them to continue with Mario Tennis, went upstairs and changed into a fresh pair of boxers and joined Tara in bed. She was sound asleep. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her above the temple and whispered "I love you Tara Lynn Marshall and someday we will get married." Then he sang softly "every word I say is true, this I promise you." Before falling asleep dreaming of her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tara dreamin
"No… don’t shoot him. Please… NO!!! Joey!" Tara screamed. She had dreamt that Kim had shot and killed Joey and told her "there, now neither of us can have him."
"Tara… honey… wake up… Honey… I’m right here." Joey said, gently shaking her awake. She woke up and backed away from him before she could focus and realize that she was safe and Joey was right there next to her. When she focused on him, as he looked at her with concerned eyes, and she realized that she , indeed, was truly safe, she fell into his arms and sobbed.
"Tara, what is it? What was the dream about?" he asked.
"I dreamt Kim had killed you and she told me that neither one of us could have you now." She said when she calmed down a little.
"She can’t hurt us anymore, Tara. She’s in police custody. You’re fine and I’m fine…" Joey explained as he wiped her tears away. "C’mon, let’s try to get back to sleep." He suggested. They laid back down and Tara put her head on his chest. She fell asleep as he sang THIS I PROMISE YOU to her. She could hear the two sweetest sounds, his voice and his heartbeat. She felt safe once more.
They awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee and bacon. Tara had awoken a few minutes before Joey and was watching him sleep actually.
"What is that delicious smell?" Joey asked as he woke up.
"I believe it’s my Aunt making breakfast." Tara smiled.
"MMmmmmm… good morning." He said and kissed her.
"Good morning." She kissed back.
"No more bad dreams?" he asked.
"Nope just a great one with you singing to me." She replied. There was a knock on the door. It was Justin.
"Guys… are you up?" he asked.
"Yeah Justin, we’ll be down in a minute." Joey replied. "Let’s go eat. We’ve got a lot to do today." Joey said.
"And if we don’t go eat, Auntie will have a fit." Tara admitted. Joey headed for the bathroom and Tara threw on some sweats and a superman tshirt that Joey had bought for her.
"Good morning everyone. Auntie, thank you, but you didn’t have to cook us breakfast." Tara said as she and Joey walked into the kitchen/breakfast nook. The guys were all sitting at the breakfast bar chowing down.
"Wow, Justin’s eating real food and not cereal." Joey commented.
"Aunt Lin is a good cook. You gotta try her pancakes." Justin suggested. Tara and Joey grabbed some chairs and moved them up to the counter with the guys and Aunt Lin.
"I’ve never had so many people enjoying breakfast in my house at one time. Thanks gang." Tara commented. Her house felt so full with everyone there.
"Chris, is your sister still looking for a place to call home for a while since she’s going to be working for the company?" Tara asked. She had a bright idea.
"As far as I know. Thinking of asking her to move in here?" Chris asked.
"Yeah… it’s so lonely here without people in it. I’ll call her after breakfast." Tara commented.
"She’ll love it."
"So, what are you guys going to do with your remaining four days away from the tour?" Aunt Lin asked.
"Relax… hang out." Lance replied.
"Go home and visit family." Chris replied.
"Write songs." JC answered.
"I have a relationship to work on." Justin replied.
"You’re not going home?" Tara was surprised.
"Not this time. Brit’s more important." He admitted.
"Good for you Juju. Hope things work out for the best." Tara smiled at him.
"Thanks Tara. Me too." He responded in kind. Tiny came into the room.
"Okay, we have to be at the airport by noon to make all of the flights on time. Mark has made all the arrangements for everyone, including you Aunt Lin." Tiny replied.
"How sweet. Thank you." She answered. "alright, who wants seconds!" she announced. All the guys raised their hands.
"Growing boys." Tara laughed as she drank her tea.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tara, Joey, Tiny, and Aunt Lin were the last to board a plane when they arrived at the airport. When they arrived in Orlando, Joey insisted that once the driver dropped him, Tara, and Tiny off at his house, that the driver take Aunt Lin all the way home to Englewood. Aunt Lin couldn’t object.
"Hey Tiny, go on home. We’re just going to hang out here until tomorrow. Get some rest and unpack. We should be fine." Joey suggested.
"Ok. Call if you need anything." Tiny said.
"Wait, Tiny…" Tara stopped Tiny from leaving.
"Yeah?" he asked. She ran over to him and gave him a hug.
"Thanks for everything."
"Just take care of Joey, ok?" Tiny blushed.
"I promise. See ya tomorrow." Tara said. Joey and she walked Tiny to the door. As soon as he left, Joey made sure the door was locked.
"I don’t know about you, but I could use a nap? Whaddya say?" he asked.
"I thought you’d never ask." She replied. Joey took her hand in his and lead her up to his bedroom.
"This is alright, isn’t it? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Or would you rather have your own room?" Joey asked.
"No, I’m fine with this Joey. I love waking up in your arms." Tara admitted. She was a little nervous at first. She wasn’t sure what he wanted out of moving her into his room. Joey sat down on the bed and motioned for her to come sit next to him.
"Tara, I’m not going to push you to do anything you don’t want to do and I don’t expect you to feel that you have to do anything you don’t want to do. I just want to be with you while I’m here every chance we get." He explained. She felt a little better. Glad he wasn’t expecting sex. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that just yet. The only man she had ever slept with was Andy. She tried to fight a yawn because Joey was in a talkative mood.
"Oh no, don’t fight it. You need the rest and I need a nap too. Yesterday was a trying day." Joey moved to the head of the bed and pushed back the covers.
"I should call Trish." Tara said.
"Later, come on." Joey said, getting under the top-sheet. He like his bedroom a little cooler than the rest of the house so the air conditioner was on high. They both cracked a yawn.
"You’re right." Tara replied. They cuddled up with her back to his chest and fell asleep together. When Tara woke two hours later, Joey was up and out of bed already. He had placed a single red rose on his pillow next to her. She picked it up and smelled it.
"How sweet." She thought to herself. After she went to the bathroom, she went in search of Joey. He was in his den checking email.
She looked around the den for a few minutes before fixating her eyes on him.
"Hey." She said. He had his back to her.
"Hey beautiful. Have a nice nap?" he asked as he turned to face her.
"I had a great nap. Fell asleep in my boyfriend’s arms and when I woke, I found a single red rose on his pillow." She said. She still had the rose with her. She sniffed it.
"He must be a pretty terrific guy." Joey said.
"I think he is."
"Thank you. Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?" he asked.
"I’m fine. What are you working on?"
"Answering email. Justin, JC, and Chris all emailed that they got home alright. Lance just called and is stuck in a layover. Security has him in his own little room for his protection. Some girls recognized him and nearly mobbed him." Joey chuckled.
"Poor Lance." Tara said. They heard a cat meow.
"Hey Clarkie…" Tara leaned over and picked up an orange, long-haired tabby cat. The cat immediately began to purr and cuddle. "Joe, don’t stop what you’re doing on my account. Me and Clarkie are going to go check on his food and water and give him some m-i-l-k. Would you like something to drink?"
"Oh, please? Aida left us some fresh iced tea."
"Wonderful! I’ve been craving her tea since we decided to come here." Tara admitted and gave Joey a kiss. "I’ll be back in a few." She said and left while cradling the cat. Joey went back to going thru his email. Mark had emailed him about his return trip to meet up with the guys for their next gig. He printed that out. There was an email from Steve dated late yesterday afternoon. It read:
Hey Joe, sorry I took off without saying goodbye, but, seeing what you were going thru made me realize how much I missed Amanda so I came home to talk to her. We’ve been on the outs lately but seeing how much my brother was working at his own relationship with his own girl and how much you loved her, I came to see that I can’t be without Amanda. I hope everything is alright. I’m whisking Amanda away for a few days so we can work on our relationship. I’ll call your celly when I return. Love, Steve
"Way to go, bro." Joey smiled. He was happy that Steve wasn’t centering his life on just the family and Joe. Steve needed someone to make him as happy as Tara did for Joey. Joey heard the sound of glass crashing and ran to the kitchen to see what happened. "Tara?"
"I’m sorry Joe. I got a glass out of the cupboard and my hands are just too shaky." She explained. They were warned that this was a possible side effect.
"Thank you for trying to get me something to drink. Come sit down, I’ll clean it up. Where’s Clark?" Joey asked as he looked around for the cat.
"Ran off to hide. Poor thing." Tara said as Joey helped her to the table. "Thanks for not making me feel useless." Tara told him.
"No thank yous necessary." Joey said and poured them both some ice tea. He sat with her at the breakfast nook for awhile.
"Joey, please go finish what you were doing. I’m really fine." Tara said. She didn’t want him hovering over her.
"I trust that you’re telling me the truth but I just noticed something. Close your eyes for a minute and just listen." Joey suggested. When she closed her eyes, he gave her a few moments before speaking again. "Can you feel it, can you hear it?" he asked.
"What exactly?" she asked.
"The peacefulness of being here, away from everyone and everything," Joey explained. Tara smiled.
"It’s wonderful. I could get use to this." She admitted.
"I could too. I’m so glad we could come down here even if it’s just for a few short days before my life becomes hectic again. Besides, we need some us time." Joey stated. The phone rang.
"Joe? Aren’t you the least bit scared that I may never get better?" Tara asked. The phone continued to ring. "You should get that." Tara looked away from him. She had tears welling in her eyes.
He spoke softly to her as he turned her face to look her in the eye. "The phone can wait. I want to answer your question. Tara, there is a part of me that will always worry that you won’t get better, but we have to think positive and you need to lessen your stress. That will help with the imbalance. Sooooo, I have a suggestion for you?" Joey smiled and had a gleam in his eye that made Tara’s heart skip a beat.
"What is it?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of his.
"Why don’t you go relax in the hot tub while I finish up my email? I’ll be out as soon as I’m done and we can turn into raisins together?" Joey said.
"Sounds wonderful, can I change the CDs in the CD Player?" she asked.
"Sure, but you’ll find you may not have to change that many." He smiled. Tara really had opened his eyes to other musical artists and sounds. Artists he didn’t really like before he was now seeing in a new light. Artists like Leann Rimes, Jim Brickman, Jack Wagner, and Edwin McCain. She had helped him to see that slow music was just as powerful as dance music.
"My my Joey Fatone, are you softening on me?" Tara asked. She took his hands in hers as he admitted "Just a little. Can’t help it. It grows on you." Joey blushed.
"You wouldn’t happen to have Days in Avalon, would you?" Tara asked. She was so anxious to hear the new album by Richard Marx, she was drooling. Joey laughed.
"You’ll find out when you go out to the hot tub." He turned serious. "Are you okay. No more shakiness?" he asked as he stood up. He did have a lot of email to go through.
"Joey, I’m alright. I’ll see you in a little bit. I just want to finish my tea." Tara admitted. They kissed before Joey headed back to his den.
Joey checked the answering machine when he got back. The message was from Trish. Kim’s arraignment was postponed pending a psychiatric evaluation. "Good," he thought, "as long as she is still in custody, then we’ll be okay." He went back to reading his email. While he was in the kitchen he received a new email from Justin.
Hi Joe: just checking to make sure you and Tara arrived safely. I’m in Brit’s dressing room while she’s doing sound check before her show tonight. Gonna tell her everything after the show tonight. Wish me luck, and thanks. – Juju
"Go for it Justin." Joe said and wrote back a brief email to Justin, giving him some last minute brotherly advice.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After Tara had gone and changed she went back down to the hot tub room. Tara had checked out what was in the CD Player. She was pleasantly surprised. LeAnn Rimes I Need You, Richard Marx Days In Avalon, the guys’ No Strings Attached album, the new 98 Degrees album, and Edwin McCain I Could Not Ask For More were in the mix. She left it that way and started the tub, making sure it wasn’t too hot. Clarke had mosied on into the room and curled up on a chair like he was a guard dog or something. Tara softly chuckled when she saw that. She put the CD player on shuffle and proceeded to get into the hot tub. Once she was in she adjusted the temperature and the bubbles again and closed her eyes and listened to the music. She was slowly drifting off when she felt someone else enter the water.
"Hey babe. What’s your sign?" a male voice asked. She smiled and replied, "taken" and opened her eyes. Joey was grinning at her.
"Hi." He said.
"All done?" she asked.
"All done. Now it’s just you and me for the rest of the evening before we have to tackle the real world in the morning. Think we’re up for the challenge?" he asked.
"With you by my side. I’m ready for anything." She said and sat up. Joey slid in behind her and put his hands on her neck and began to massage her.
"You’re so tense." He said, "relax."
"I’m trying." She said.
"Shoulders down and lean into me, raisnette." He teased. She leaned into him and relaxed instantly. He continued to massage her neck and shoulders. "See, I knew you could do it."
"Mmmm" she replied. They hit a comfortable silence as they listened to the CD player. When This I Promise You began to play on the radio Joey sang in her ear. In the middle of the song she turned to look at him and kissed him with so much feeling and passion, like she never had before. She put her arms around his neck and as he kissed her with as much passion, she turned the rest of her body around to put her legs around him. She could feel that he was aroused. She moved to kiss his temples and his earlobes as he caressed her back and her arms. She moved to his neck and sucked on it for a little as he moaned with pleasure.
"I have missed you so much, sweetheart." He whispered in that sexy, deep voice of his which filled her with desire. She stopped sucking on his neck to look at him.
"I want to let you love me Joe. Please show me how?" she asked as a tear fell from her left eye. He kissed away the tear and they continued to neck and pet in the hot tub for a little while. Forgetting about the music in the CD Player and all the things going on in their lives. Just focusing on them and their needs. The here and now. They slowed down and layed in each others arms in the hot tub and just basked in the moment. Tara started to giggle when BYE, BYE, BYE came on.
"What’s got you so giddy." He asked with a smile.
"I’m Joey Fatone’s girlfriend. Do you know how lucky I am?" she asked. "Millions of girls and women want you and I have you." She said.
"You can have me forever." He said.
"Promise?" she asked.
"Every word I say is true, This I Promise You." He sang.
