View Full Version : Love Takes Time
Claire Madison rummaged through her purse as
she waited at a red light. Music was blaring from
the radio. "Here it is!" she said with relief. The light
turned green. Entering an upscale neighborhood,
she scanned the street signs. "Okay, 0826 Shore
Drive." she read from the note she had found back
at the stoplight. "O825, 0826....this must be it!" she
said to herself. After parking her car in front of the
Spanish style home, Claire pulled her leather
portfolio from the backseat. Pushing a strand of her
auburn hair behind her ear, she made her way to
the front door and knocked. Inside, footseteps
could be heard trailing down the stairs loudly. A
male voice called out "I'm coming!"
Jeff peeked out the cut-gl[arse] window to see who it
was. A young woman, probably in her mid twenties
stood at the doorstep. She wore a floral gauze
blouse, dark boot cut jeans and very high heeled
brown leather boots. Her her shaggy short hair was
tucked behind her ears, exposing a pair of gold
hoop earrings. Opening the door, he asked "How
can I help you?" The women looked up, revealing
her amber-green eyes. "Hi. I'm Claire Madison. We
had an appointment today to discuss decorating
your home." she replied with a smile. Alarmed, he
asked "Today is Tuesday?" "Yes it is." she laughed.
"I'm so sorry, I must be a day behind." he
apologized, inviting her in. The click of her boot
heels against the tile floor echoed throughtout the
house. Walking into the foyer she commented
"Gee, you were right when you said you were
starting from scratch!" The place was completely
empty and had white walls and flooring. "Well," he
explained "I do have some furniture, it just has not
been moved in yet. There is hardly enough to
furnish the whole place, though." As Claire admired
the staircase she spoke "Yeah, this place is huge.
Really gorgeous, though." Sitting in two chairs that
were in the living room, they continued talking. "I'm
hoping my daughter will like living here." he said,
his blue eyes sparkling.
CONTINUED.....
"How old is she?" Claire questioned. In an instant,
his whole demeanor changed. When he had come
to the door, she had sensed a sadness about him.
But when speaking of his daughter, a giant smile
replaced the gloomy expression. "Emily is five." he
answered. "Her mother is going to France for a
year or two, so she is going to stay with me. That
way she can stay at the same school and I won't
die from loneliness. She is the reason I bought this
place; my apartment was fine for weekend visits,
but she needs a real home now." As she listened to
him talk, Claire wondered where she had seen him
before; he seemed so familiar. He was not tall, but
he was when you compared him to her 5 foot 2
frame. His short brown hair was sort of messy and
he wore a pale blue t-shirt with faded jeans. Trying
to keep up with the converstaion, she asked "I
hope this doesn't offend you, but are you and
Emily's mother no longer together?" Every trace of
joy left his face as he answered "No, we are not."
Seeing this was not a good subject, she quickly
changed it "Well, I know you are not moved in yet,
but where to you want to begin?" Scratching his
head, Jeff replied "You know, I am not sure! Maybe
I should leave that up to you. What do you think?"
"I always like to start with the bedrooms. That's
where most people spend the majority if their time
anyways." Claire said, beginning to blush a bit.
Before he could reply, the front door opened and a
little girl came running in, a man following close
behind her.
CONTINUED....
"Daddy!" she called. "Uncle Drew took me to tell
Momma good-bye. When her plane flew away, I
started to cry so Drewbie took me to get ice cream.
It was yummy!" She continued to talk as she
climbed in Jeff's lap. Her curly blonde hair was
pulled away from her face by a pink hair band,
which matched here floral sundress. Looking
over towards the man who had come in with her,
he said, "Drew, I really appreciate doing that for
Emily and I." He replied, "Hey, it was no problem,
man." There was an awkward silence until Jeff
spoke "Oh, I'm sorry! Drew, this is Claire Madison,
my interior decorator. Claire, this is my friend and
co-worker, Drew. Extending his hand, Drew replied
"It's nice to meet you. I'm glad Jeff is doing
something with this place; I'd hate for it to look like
his apartment did!" Slightly laughing, Claire
responded "It is nice to meet you as well." In her
mind, she could not get over how familiar both
Jeff and Drew looked. As Jeff arranged Emily so
that they were face to face, he explained "Em, this
is Ms. Madison, she is going to help us make this
place a home. If you want to, we can start with
your room." The little girl replied with enthusiasm,
"Oh goody! Can we paint my room purple, Daddy?"
Jeff smiled, "Anything you want, baby." Drew
glanced at his watch "I'd better get going, we are
having Lea's parents over for dinner tonight. Nice
meeting you again, Claire." "Alright, I'll see you
Friday." Jeff replied. Before Drew could make it
out of the room, Emily began to whine. "Uncle
Drew! You can not go until you hug me good-bye!"
He walked over and gave her a bear hug. "Do I
have permission to leave now?" he laughed.
Getting her hug, Emily nodded happily.
CONTINUED.....
After Drew had left, Claire asked when would be a
good time to meet again. She wanted to spend
some time with Emily, to get an idea of her likes
and dislikes. "Well, I am going to a football game
with some friends Friday night; if you can come
then, you two would have some time all to
yourselves. " Jeff suggested. Claire liked this idea;
she was free and children always stimulated her
creativity. "If Emily feels comfortable with that, I
am all for it." she responded. The excitement in
Emily's eyes told her father that she liked the idea.
Jumping off of his lap, she asked "Does this mean
I don't have to go to the game?" Surprised, Jeff
answered "Yes, but I thought you liked going with
us to the games." "Oh, I do," she began "but that is
mostly 'cause the guys buy me hats and stuff after
the game." Both he and Claire laughed at Emily's
responce. "She is a smart girl." Claire remarked.
"Yeah, a smart girl with three uncles that spoil her
rotten." Jeff added. Before Claire left, it was
decided she would come friday, around 6:30. As
Jeff and Emily walked her to the door, Emily asked
Claire to bring lots of purple paint colors to look at.
Smiling, she replied "I will do my best. See you
then!" With that, she was gone. As father and
daughter headed towards the kitchen for a
afternoon snack, Emily commented "I like her,
Daddy. She is REAL pretty too." That made Jeff
stop and think for a moment. He liked Claire too,
but pretty was not the right way to describe her;
something about her just glowed.
CONTINUED......
It was friday evening. Claire's week had been busy
and she was glad the week was finally winding
down. Stopping at her condo, she changed into
something more casual for her appointment with
Emily. She threw on a pair of denim capris and a
pink tank. Slipping on her favorite flip flops, she
made her way to the door. At exactly 6:30, her car
pulled into Jeff's driveway. As she grabbed two
totes from her trunk, Emily came running from the
front entrance. She wore short overalls, her hair
pulled into loose pigtails. "Claire! You're here!" she
exclaimed. Smiling at the little girl's enthusiasm,
Claire responded "Hi there, Emily. How are you
today?" As they entered the house Emily replied,
"I am great, thanks. Come with me, my Daddy and
unlces are in the rec room." As she led her through
the house, Claire noticed that a leather couch and
kitchen table had been moved in. Entering the rec
room, they were greeted by Jeff, Drew, and two
other men, all who were sitting on barstools which
faced a big screen television. "Daddy, Claire is
here." Emily said as she took the soda out of Jeff's
hand and sipped on it. He stood up and introduced
Claire "Guys, this is my decorator, Claire." Looking
towards her, he continued "Claire, you and Drew
have already met; this is his brother, Nick, and the
stud to his right is Justin." "When did Justin become
the stud?" Nick questioned. Rolling his eyes, Jeff
replied "Nevermind, dude. It was a joke." Claire
could not get over how familiar the four men were.
Where had she seen them before?
CONTINUED....
Noticing the things in her hands, Jeff offered to
carry them upstairs to Emily's room, where they
would be working. Taking them in his hands, he
was surprised by their weight. How did such a small
women manage to carry so much? "What you got
here, bricks?" he joked. Claire giggled "Oh just
paint and wallpaper samples. Some magazines
too." "Looks like someone needs to pay a visit to
the gym." Drew remarked. "Shut up and help me!"
Jeff shot back. Once everything was set up, the
guys left. Not excpected until late, the girls would
have plenty of time to talk over ideas. Sitting in
the middle of Emily's room, magazines and such
surrounded the two. "Okay," Claire began, "you
asked for purple." Handing Emily a stack of paint
samples she went on " Here is every shade of
purple I could find. Take a look and set aside your
favorites." Her small fingers shuffled through the
shades and stopped in a instant. "This is it!" she
exclaimed, showing the sample to Claire. "Plum
Fairy? You know they call it that because there is a
touch of glitter to it. I actually used this same shade
in my room." Emily grinned "I liked it cause it is
sparkley."
By the end of the evening, Claire felt like a little
girl again. Spending time with Emily was so fun
and carefree. By the time the guys got home, they
had her room all figured out. "So how was the
game?" Claire asked them as they all entered the
living room. "Great considering those three were
there." Jeff joked, pointing to Drew, Nick, and
Justin.
CONTINUED....
"So how did the night go ladies?" Jeff questioned.
Claire and Emily explained what they had come up
with so far. Finishing each others sentences, they
sounded like sisters. The guys had to laugh. For
a moment, the pair's age difference was not
obvious. Excited, Claire was acting like a kid again.
"Gee, someone had too much sugar today." Nick
commented, looking towards Claire. Realizing he
meant her, she began to blush like a schoolgirl.
"I'm sorry," she said "I just get really excited when
I come up with a concept." Jeff looked into her
big, sparkling eyes "Don't be sorry. You show great
p[arse]ion, something some never find. Don't ever
be ashamed of yours, it is a gift very few ever
recieve." Everyone was silent. Jeff did not take his
eyes off of her. Claire was a little embar[arse]ed; she
had never been given such a compliment before.
Seeing what was going on, Drew spoke "Em, your
room sounds really cool. Just think, you will be able
to go in there and listen to Christina Aguliera full
blast!" Emily was addicted to "Genie In A Bottle"
and had been known to put it on repeat. At his
old apartment, Jeff had gotten calls from angry
neighbors who had had enough of the song. Emily
laughed "You're right Uncle Drew!" and began
singing the song. Within a few seconds Justin and
Nick had joined in the performance. As they sang,
Emily danced around the living room. Claire and
Jeff watched, trying hard not to laugh. Suddenly it
hit her......the guys looked familiar because they
were 98 DEGREES!! Of course, she never would
have known if they hadn't started singing. She
would recognize those voices anywhere....
Raevengeance
08-01-04, 06:39 AM
YAY :) LOVE IT :)
StargateGirl
11-27-04, 10:59 PM
Oh...I like this story. Is there anymore of it? lol
would you like more? i can post more...i kinda forgot about it...LOL
CONTINUED...
As the little performance ended, she mentioned her
recent discovery. "So, I should consider myself
lucky, I guess. It's not everyday you get a private
performance from three members of 98 Degrees."
she smiled. "Claire, I'm sorry for not telling you.
It didn't seem to be an issue and I wanted to keep
a low profile." Jeff explained. "Oh no, I understand
completely! I knew I had seen you all before, but
it didn't click until those three started singing. And
it is none of my business, so don't worry, my mouth
is shut." she laughed. Her response was a relief to
Jeff, who genuinely liked her and would have hated
to ruin a possible friendship. Claire continued,
"Anyway, you guys are really talented. My friend
was and still is obessed with you, so I have heard
all your albums." As the guys thanked her for the
compliment, Drew asked "So your friend, did she
have a favorite?" She laughed before replying
"Well, she always goes on about how hot the short
one is, but she really found you all attractive."
Drew laughed "What you are trying to say is I'm
the hot one. Go ahead and say it, the guys know
it's the truth!" Nick jumped in "Drew, you're such an
idiot! Didn't you hear her call you short? Anyway,
everyone knows I am the most popular member."
Before it went any further, Claire set things
straight. " You all are equally popular, really. You
each are cute in a different way. Drew has a
boyish charm, Nick just oozes with sexiness, Justin
is mysterious, and Jeff's sense of humor makes you
fall for him the minute you see him." Drew was not
sure about these descriptions. "Boyish charm? Nick
sexy?" he questioned. "Man, she was
complimenting us." Justin said, quite satisfied with
his mysterious self. As the conversation progressed
Jeff never spoke. All he could think about was what
Claire had said. Had she really fallen for him or was
she just being nice? His emotions were messing
with him, but he really did believe he wanted her to
fall for him.
AshleyGirl
11-27-04, 11:22 PM
Yes MORE! MORE!
CONTINUED...
As Claire got ready to leave, Jeff helped gather her
things and load them in her car. "Claire, I want to
thank you for being so great with Emily. She just
adores you." She smiled as she got her keys out
"Oh, it was nothing! She is a great little girl."
Climbing in her car, she promised to call in a few
days. After saying goodbye, she drove away.
Gazing up at the stars, Jeff went back into the
house. Inside, he found the guys watching
television with Emily fast asleep on the couch.
After tucking her in for the night, he went back
downstairs. Drew and Justin were now asleep, and
Nick was almost there. Hearing Jeff enter the room,
he awoke. Recalling how he had acted earlier, Nick
asked Jeff "Do you and Claire have something
going on?" "No man, we're just friends." he quickly
replied, all the while thinking to himself that there
was something about her he just could not ignore.
A few weeks later....
Arriving home, Jeff and Emily found Claire's car in
the drive-way. Upon entering Emily's room, they
found her cleaning paint brushes. Jeff and Emily
looked at the mural she had painted on the wall, in
awe. "Wow, Claire. I never thought you would be
the one painting the mural. It's amazing!" Jeff
commented. Claire laughed "Well, I love to paint
and I charge less than anyone else in town." Emily
was yet to say a word, still staring at her room. It
was all finished and was every little girl's dream
room. "Claire! Thank you sooooo much! I love it!"
she exclaimed. They continued talking for a while
until Emily said she was hungry. Jeff agreed and
said he would order chinese. "Daddy, can Claire
stay for dinner?" Emily asked. Turning his attention
to Claire he said "If you don't have any plans, we
would love to have you. It can be a sort of
celebration for finishing Em's room." Blushing
some reason, she accepted the invitation.
Taking one last bite of her eggroll, Emily yawned.
Noticing this and her tired eyes, Jeff glanced at his
watch. "Em, it is almost midnight, you should be in
bed. Go ahead upstairs and put on your pj's, I'll
be up in a minute to tuck you in." he instructed.
Emily did as she was told, but not without first
thanking Claire again for her "awesome" room.
While Jeff went to tuck Emily in, Claire cleaned up
the kitchen. As she cleared off the table she could
hear Jeff singing. She had never heard the song
before, but she could tell it was special by the way
he sang it. Once he came down, the kitchen was
spotless. "You know, I could have done that, you
are my guest." he commented. "Oh, it was nothing"
she laughed. "I heard you singing. That song was
beautiful, is it new?" Surprised that Claire even
noticed, Jeff answered "Oh, no. Justin wrote that
years ago. I've sung it to Emily since she was a
baby. Now, she won't go to sleep until she hears it."
"Well, it really is an amazing song. You guys should
record it, the fans would love the lyrics!" she
added. "Nah," he said shaking his head, "they
wouldn't go for it." Claire shook her head, that
song would be a hit if they only gave it a try....
CONTINUED...
"So, now that Emily's room is finished, we can start
working on yours. Got anything in mind? What
colors do you like?" Claire asked, trying to change
the subject. Jeff just looked at her with a confused
expression upon his face. "Try this," she began "it
helps me when the ideas aren't coming." Instructing
him to close his eyes, she told him to think of a
happy memory. "Now, tell me the first color that
comes to mind." she whispered. "Blue." he said
after a moment. "Good!" Claire laughed, "Now we
just have to look through about a million blue paint
samples. It's a start, though!" Opening his eyes,
he was mesmerized by her smile. Feeling shy all of
a sudden, she looked down at her watch. It was
close to 1 am. "Oh, gee! I really should head home.
It's late and I have an appointment with a client in
the morning." she said nervously. "But tomorrow is
Saturday." he pointed out, not wanting her to leave
yet. "Yeah, I know. It's one of the downsides of
the job. You have to accomodate the clients and
their schedules though." Since they had put all of
her things in the car earlier, he walked her to the
front entrance. As she stopped at the door to
thank him for dinner, Jeff noticed paint splatters
througout her hair. "I guess paint in your hair is
another one of those job downsides." he teased.
"Hey mister," she responed playfully "paint
splatters are just a sign of a true artist!" Leaning
over, he began to wipe some dry paint off the tip
of her nose. "Here, let me get this." he said, gently
rubbing it off, "There, I think I got it." "Well then..."
she began, but before she could finish, his lips
tenderly met hers. When the kiss ended, Claire
left, floating on a cloud. "What just happened?" she
asked herself. "He kissed me." she whispered in
amazement. Normally, she didn't like to be kissed
out of nowhere like that, but the funny thing was
this time she didn't mind at all.
Originally posted by AshleyGirl@11/28/04, 12:24am
Yes MORE! MORE!
i posted some...i'll try to add more tomorrow! :)
StargateGirl
11-27-04, 11:54 PM
:D
Raevengeance
11-28-04, 01:58 AM
Ohhhhhhhhhhh I almost forgot this one...Kara - you gotta finish this - I love it :)
StargateGirl
11-28-04, 12:31 PM
Good thing I found it last night...I really like it. :D
CONTINUED...
Three weeks had past since the night of the kiss. It
was pretty obvious to all that Claire and Jeff were
a couple. She had been working overtime, wanting
his room to be a place he could relax in after a long
day of recording. Standing on the ladder, she could
hear her [arse]istant and best friend Megan calling
her from downstairs. "Claire, a giant package was
just delivered. Where do you want it?" "What is it?"
Claire yelled as she put down her hammer. "It's the
Mona Lisa, how am I supposed to know?" Megan
replied, rolling her eyes. Claire tried to remember
what it could be, but her mind was blank. "Go
ahead and bring it up, Meg!" she called out. A few
moments later, Megan came dragging it in. The
package was just a few inches away from being
taller than Megan and bringing it upstairs had left
her out of breath. Claire had to laugh at this sight.
Climbing off the ladder, she helped her lean it up
against the wall. "Well thanks for helping." Megan
said with a sarcastic tone. Claire just ignored her
and began to remove the package's brown paper
wrapping. "Oh!" she gasped, remembering what it
was. A few weeks earlier, she had noticed a small
picture of Jeff and Emily in his room. Knowing it
would be the perfect touch, she took it to a
photographer friend to be worked on. He had
enlarged it, improved the quality, and framed it.
Claire grinned from ear to ear, it had turned out
perfectly. Megan studied the picture for a minute
before shouting "That's! That's!" Claire interrupted
her, saying "Yeah, it is. Now, promise me that you
will keep your mouth shut." Megan was quite the
talker, and that was putting it lightly. "Me? Open my
mouth?" she laughed, batting her eyelashes
innocently and finally shouting "NEVER!"
The girls worked the rest of the afternoon finishing
up the room. Claire wanted to surprise him with it
that evening. By the time he got home, Megan was
gone and everything was ready. Of course, Meg
refused to leave without a fight. She finally left
when it was promised she would meet Jeff someday
soon. "Claire, babe?" Jeff called out as he entered
the house....
CONTINUED...
Claire came running down the stairs like a little
girl. "You've been hanging around Em too much."
Jeff laughed as they hugged. Excited for him to see
the room, she lead him upstairs and told him to
close his eyes, and keep them shut until she said
so. After what seemed a lifetime to him, she
shouted, "Open them!" Doing so, he tried to take in
the entire room. Instantly, his eyes went to the
picture hanging above the bed. "Claire! That is
amazing! Wait, you didn't tell me about this!" he
exclaimed. "So you like it?" she asked. "I love it!
Thank you!" he said, pulling her into a kiss.
They sat on the edge of the bed, Jeff still admiring
the room, Claire grinning proudly. "This color
reminds me of my Grandmother." he remarked.
"My Grandmother loved blue; her engagement ring
was a sapphire. My Grandfather had it custom
designed for her. She loved it." he explained as he
went over to his dresser and brought back a small
leather box. "When she died, she gave it to me.
She wanted me to give it "to the girl who caught
my heart." he continued, showing Claire the ring.
"It's beautiful." she said as she admired it
the princess-cut sapphire, flanked with
heart-shaped diamonds at either side. Jeff smiled
as he thought of his Grandmother. " I think she
meant for me to give it to my wife, but I am going
to let Emily have it when she turns 18." Claire
handed him the ring and replied, "You know, I think
she would want Emily to have it. After all, she is the
girl who caught your heart." Jeff just sat there
smiling. There was something about Claire that
made his heart sing. Suddenly, she began to
giggle; he was just too cute, in her opinion. Puzzled,
Jeff asked, "What?" She leaned over and kissed his
forehead. "Oh nothing" she said, "You just make
me smile. You know, I think I love you." Gazing
into her eyes, Jeff replied "Well, I might just love
you too." Before long, both broke into laughter.
There was no might or thinking about it, they were
in love.
CONTINUED...
Claire and Jeff stayed in his room, just talking.
Emily was at a slumber party leaving them alone
for the evening. "So," Jeff said "this new bed feels
awful comfy, care to try it out with me?" She knew
he was only teasing, but she sighed anyway. She
had been avoiding this conversation for a while
now. Taking a deep breath, she replied "Jeff, we
need to talk. Afterwards, if you want to stop seeing
me, I will completely understand." There was
nervousness in her voice and that scared him. She
went on, "There is no easy waY to say this, so I am
just going to come out and say it. I have never
been with a man.....sexually. Jeff, I'm a virgin."
He almost had to smile, that was it? She really had
him worried for a second. "Honey, why would I not
want to see you anymore because of that? I mean,
I admire that. It's nothing to be a shamed of....and
I guess you know I'm not." Claire giggled before
answering. "But, you didn't let me finish. The
reason I said I would understand if you didn't want
to see me anymore is because I intend on staying
this way until I am married." He looked into her
eyes and spoke, "That is beautiful, really, it is."
Seeing she was still not at ease, he went on.
"Baby, this does not change a thing. If anything, it
makes our relationship even stronger. In my heart,
I know that one day you will be my wife. I know it."
Claire let out a sigh of relief. "Oh Jeff, that makes
me feel so much better! I was terrified of telling
you!" Holding her in his arms he asked "Why were
you so scared to tell me?" "I just didn't want to lose
you." she replied. "I would be a fool to ever let you
go, I love you." Jeff replied, kissing the top of her
head. Claire smiled as she rested her head on his
shoulder. It felt so right, being in his arms.
CONTINUED...
Sitting next to each other on the bed, Jeff asked
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Claire grinned
as an idea came to mind. "Ever been to a slumber
party?" she questioned. "I've tried to sneak into
one." he laughed. "Well, then....we will just have to
have one. Won't we? After all, good girls can have
fun too." she concluded with a grin. As she left to
get some "supplies" Jeff asked "Hey, can we play
spin the bottle?" Claire shook her head "But Jeff...
there are only two of us!" "EXACTLY!" he laughed
mischieviously.
A little while later Claire returned to find Jeff
strecthed out on the bed, engrossed in a football
game. Flopping down next to him, she asked "You
ready?" His eyes never leaving the television, he
pleaded "Can't we watch the end of the game?" She
rolled her eyes before replying "Sure you can, but
that means you will have to wait to see my night...
attire." "What does this "attire" look like? he asked
slyly. "Well, you will have to wait and see, won't
you? Let's see....there are....hmmm...9 minutes
left in the game. That's not too long." She had
won. Jeff turned the television off saying "What are
you waiting for? Change!" Entering the room a few
minutes later, she was met by a hilarious
expression from Jeff. "You don't like Winne the
Pooh?" she asked, refering to her boxer shorts and
matching tank. Giggling, she added "What were
you expecting? Victoria's Secret? Because some
things were purchased there, but you won't be
seeing those anytime soon." Jeff grinned,
answering "Pooh is great, but about this Victoria's
Secret stuff.....why don't I just pull out the
catalogue. You could point your's out and my
imagination could do the rest." He was met with a
"don't go there" look. "I was only kidding!" he said
in defense, causing Claire to break into an
uncontrolable fit of laughter.
CONTINUED...
Sitting down next to him, she replied "You better
be." After Jeff had changed into some boxers and
a t-shirt, Claire asked if he wanted to play truth or
dare. "Oh yeah," he replied, "this should be fun."
"Truth or dare?" she asked with a grin. "Truth." he
replied immediately. "Okay.......what do you guys
really do on that tour bus?" With a completely
straight face, he answered, "We have wrestling
matches. I'm the current champion. Kicked Drew's
you-know-what." This visual had her laughing so
hard she was crying. Jeff continued once she
caught her breath. "Seriously, we just talk about
life. Those guys are like brothers. They know
my downsides but still stick by me; that means
a lot." Claire couldn't help but smile, he was lucky
to have such awesome friends. "I hope they like
me." she commented. "Are you kidding me?" Jeff
joked. "They love you! They like you better than
they like me!"
Returning to the game............
"Alright, who is your favorite member of that
awesome group, 98 Degrees?" he asked. "98
Degrees? Who are they? Never heard of them." she
responded in a fit of laughter. Jeff began to tickle
her, causing her to laugh more. "Gee, these
slumber parties are fun." he said, tackling her
down and kissing her.
CONTINUED...
"Okay, dare me." Jeff said playfully. A sly
expression came upon her face as she dared him
to let her give him a pedicure. "Nail polish and all."
she added. He sat there for a minute, but finally
replied "I'm game." Ten minutes later he was
sporting ten purple toe nails. As he stared at his
feet, Claire laughed hysterically. "I think it's very
sexy." she offered. Laughing at her, he
replied. "You are one strange girl, but I love you
anyway." Claire smiled as they hugged. "Now,
what are you going to dare me to do?" Jokingly, he
replied. "Get a tattoo." "Okay!" she chirped,
running over to get her bag that was sitting by the
foot of the bed.
Later they decided to relax and watch a movie. It
happened to be a chick flick, but Jeff didn't seem
to care. As he went to put the dvd in, she laid her
sleeping bag out on the floor. Hearing him laugh,
she asked "What?" Pulling her close, he
smiled "Nothing at all. I just think you are cute."
They cuddled close on the bed as the movie
started. Before long Claire had fallen asleep in his
arms. Caressing her cheek, Jeff covered her up
with the comforter. After turning the movie off he
made himself comfortable in her sleeping bag. He
had a deep desire to crawl back into bed and hold
her as she slept, but he knew what she wanted.
Laying there, he began to realize that true love
meant thinking of and cherishing another's wishes.
When you truely love someone you are able tp
make sacrifices you never thought you could
make. That's what makes the love so true.
CONTINUED...
As sun beams showered through the curtains,
Claire was awoken by the ringing doorbell. Jeff
heard it as well, jumping up off the floor. "Oh man!
I totally forgot! The guys and Lea are coming over
to watch the game!" As he pulled on a pair of jeans,
Claire offered to run downstairs and let them in.
Searching for a clean shirt, he glanced over at her
and replied "Not in those." Looking down at her
pajamas, Claire laughed "I don't think the guys
will be attracted to me in my Pooh boxers." Seeing
that Jeff was not amused, she said she'd change
and be down in a minute. He smiled and gave her
a kiss before running downstairs. As he opened the
front door, Drew questioned "Did you just wake up
or something?" Slightly smiling Jeff replied "Yeah.
Uh...I was up pretty late." Giving him a quick hug
Lea asked "What were you doing up late?" Entering
the tv room, he replied "Oh...nothing really. Just
watched a movie." Lea and Drew sat together on
the loveseat, while Justin and Nick sat on seperate
ends of the couch. As everyone got settled in,
Claire entered the room, seeing Jeff sitting in his
recliner. Leaning over the chair she whispered in
his ear "How rude. I spend the night and you don't
even tell me good morning." Startled, he jumped
up "Hey you! Good morning". He said, kissing the
top of her nose. "Claire! I didn't hear you come in."
Lea said with a smile. "Oh...hi!" Claire replied shyly
to the group, "You didn't hear me come in because
I was upstairs getting dressed. I stayed over last
night." Everyone's attention turned to Jeff, who was
looking at Claire as if she was the only person in
the room. There was a moment of silence before
Nick stood up to give Claire a hug. The other's got
up to hug her as well and it was not until Drew got
up that her noticed something on Claire's arm.
"Whoa, Claire! When did you get the tattoo?" he
asked, surprised. Everone's attention instantly went
to her upper arm, which had "Jeff" written in blue.
Replying with a big grin, she said "Oh, last night. It
was Jeff's idea. I dared him to let me paint his toe
nails purple and he dared me to get a tattoo." For
a moment the attention was taken away from
Claire's tattoo as everyone looked down at Jeff's
feet. Nick, laughing hysterically, commented "Gee,
that color really works for you, man." As everyone
began to laugh, Claire defended Jeff with a giggle
"My poor baby, don't laugh at him." Once the
laughter wore off, everyone's attention went back
to Claire's tattoo. "Jeff got one too" Claire pointed
out. Jeff pulled his shirt up to reveal a bear claw on
his back with "Claire Bear" written just below. Lea
glanced at Drew, who commented "Wow, tattoos.
That's like forever."
CONTINUED...
Claire could not hide it any longer. Breaking into a
fit of laughter, she came clean. "They are not real!
It's just semi-permanent ink, it'll wash off in about
a week." "Well," Lea began "no offense, but that is
a relief. I mean, we know you two are crazy about
each other but that would have been moving a little
too fast." Jeff knew what Lea meant, but replied
"Well, I wouldn't mind if they were real. I love
Claire, she means a lot to me." Claire took his hand
in her own and smiled. It felt good to hear him say
that, especially in front of people he cared about.
Jeff leaned over and the two began to kiss. The
room remained silent until the kiss had ended.
"Okay lovey and dovey, can we watch the game
now?" Justin asked with a roll of his eyes. Lea
flashed him a look. "Drew, control your wife. She is
scaring me!" Justin joked as Jeff turned the game
on, finally.
Raevengeance
11-29-04, 05:00 AM
:kissy: :cheers: :cheers:
AshleyGirl
11-29-04, 04:45 PM
This is a great story!!!!!!!!!
Biondo Sorto
11-29-04, 08:58 PM
This story is cute :P
can't wait for more :D
thanks everyone! :) i'll add more tonight!
CONTINUED...
It was a warm Saturday afternoon. The guys were
at the studio, working overtime on a new album.
Claire and Lea had spent the day shopping and now
were now at Claire's, visiting. "So, do you stay at
Jeff's a lot?" Lea asked, taking a drink of her diet
coke. "Oh, no. Just that one time. Nothing
happened, though. I'm really traditional when it
comes to sex before marriage. Jeff knows that and
respects my decision. He has been such a
gentleman! He is just...amazing!" Claire gushed.
"That's great." Lea replied, "Jeff has done a lot of
growing up since his break up with Natalie. He used
to act like she had no feelings or opinions." Lea
caught herself and stopped talking. She was not
sure if Jeff had told Claire everything about he and
Natalie's relationship. "What do you mean?" Claire
questioned. With hesitation, Lea explained. "Well,
don't get me wrong, Jeff adored Natalie. They dated
for two years before he proposed. Natalie loved
him but didn't want to get married. She was a
career girl and her job was number one. He
couldn't accept that, though. Natalie couldn't bear to
see him hurting and finally gave in. Everything was
fine until Jeff started wanting a baby. Natalie said
she was not ready to be a mother, which tore Jeff
up. He so wanted to be a dad. Natalie ended up
giving in and within a few months was pregnant
with Emily. Once Emily was born things seemed to
calm down for them. Everyone thought they would
last forever, until about a year ago. Natalie was
offered her dream job. The only set back was that
it would require a lot of traveling. Jeff didn't want
her to take it and I can't blame him. Poor Emily
would never have a permanent home. In the end,
Natalie accepted the job. She had to do something
to make herself happy. That is when everything
went downhill. The divorce left Jeff heartbroken.
Emily was what got him throught it all." Claire was
a little surprised, Jeff had never gone into detail
about he and Natalie's relationship. "Gosh, he
really must have been heartbroken." Lea nodded
in agreement. " We all were pretty worried about
him. Then you came along and his whole attitude
changed. I have not seen him this happy since Em
was born. When he looks at you, his entire face
lights up. It's really sweet." Claire just grinned,
her own face lighting up. Lea laughed, "Even you are
glowing! You guys are too much! Of course, Drew
and I acted the same way. Love can make you act
like a fool." "Well, I am one happy fool!" Claire
replied with a smile.
CONTINUED...
The girls visited for a few more hours and then
went their seperate ways. Claire had been thinking
a lot about her conversation with Lea and got the
sudden urge to talk to Jeff. Reaching for the phone,
she decided that seeing him sounded better. After
all, with Emily away visting her mother he would be
all alone in that big house. Grabbing her purse and
keys, she jumped in the car. They could spend the
the evening together, alone.
Walking up to the front door, Claire got the key
he had given her out of her purse. She headed
towards the living room, where she heard him
talking. Standing in the doorway, her heart
stopped. Jeff had his arms wrapped around Natalie,
who was holding Emily. All three were crying. Jeff
saw Claire in the corner of his eye and let go of
Natalie. As their eyes met, Claire turned her back
and began to run away. "Claire! Wait!" he shouted,
trying to catch up with her. She stopped
at the front door. Before Jeff could say a
thing, she spoke. "Listen. I'm happy for you. I
really am. Emily deserves to have her family
together. You're a great guy, Jeff. Natalie is very
lucky. And I am not mad at you." She added,
walking out the door.
CONTINUED...
Jeff did not know what to do. Everything was a
mess. That evening he called Claire endlessly, but
she refused to answer. How could he let her know
the truth? Desperate for advice, he called Drew.
Once hearing the story, Drew tried to calm Jeff
down. Watching Drew on the phone, Lea knew
something was up and could not stand the fact
that she was still in the dark as to what. Concluding
that Jeff had been an idiot and broken Claire's
heart, Lea grabbed the phone out of Drew's hand.
"What did you do? You lost her, didn't you? I swear,
you mess up everything! Claire was the best thing
that could have happened to you!" she yelled at
Jeff. Learning long ago not to cross Lea when she
was mad, he remained silent until she was done.
"You've got it all wrong." he finally responded. "I
know how special she is, trust me. I didn't
intentionally mean to hurt her." He went on to
explain the situation, holding back tears. "Lea,
I can't lose her. Please help me clear everything
up." Lea took a deep breath. "I'll talk to her. You
just calm down. Everything will be fine. " She
looked over at Drew and shook her head. "He
wasn't even this upset when Natalie filed for
divorce." he commented. "Drew, Jeff is in love, only
this time it's for real."
CONTINUED...
Gathering her thoughts Lea dailed Claire's number.
Claire answered the phone after checking the caller
i.d. to make sure it wasn't Jeff calling again. "Hey
Lea. What's up?" she asked. "Well, I just had a
long talk with Jeff." Claire sighed "I guess you know
then." "Yes," Lea replied "BUT I know some things
that you don't. Some stuff that will make everything
right again." She went on to explain that Natalie
and Emily flew in to see her father, who had a
heart attack the day before. When Natalie was
dropping Emily off at Jeff's she got word that her
father had p[arse]ed away. Natalie and Jeff were not
back together. "I am such an idiot!" Claire
exclaimed. Lea only laughed "Love can have that
affect on people."
CONTINUED...
Ending the conversation, Claire knew she had to see
Jeff. Staring off into space, Jeff was startled by a knock
at the door. "It's almost midnight. Who could it be?" he
thought to himself as he made his way to the door.
Claire was the last person he expected to see, but
there she stood in her pajamas. "Baby please let me..."
was all he could get out. Claire threw her arms around
him, kissing his lips p[arse]ionately. Totally taken back by
her presence and the kiss, Jeff could taste her salty
tears. As they broke away, he asked "Have you talked
to Lea?" Claire smiled as she nodded her head. "Thank
God!" he sighed with releif. "I thought I'd lost you.
When you wouldn't answer my calls, I just went crazy."
She kissed him again. "I want you to be happy. If you
are happy with me, I'll stay forever." Claire whispered.
Gazing into her eyes, Jeff replied "You make me happier
than I ever imagined I could be."
StargateGirl
11-29-04, 10:35 PM
lol...I was about to say...."what the hell was he thinking?"
CONTINUED...
It was a clear May morning. The sky was it's bluest and
the sun showered down warm, golden rays of light.
"Uncle Nick, can I please get in the pool?" Emily begged.
Everyone was meeting at Nick's to grill out, where the
guys were also going to make an announcement. Emily's
grandma had just dropped her off, having kept her for
the last few days. "Em, you can swim when your Dad and
Claire get here and we make the announcement." Nick
told her. Everyone had arrived except Jeff and Claire.
"Where are they, anyway?" Justin groaned. Just then,
the pair walked through the patio door. "Finally!" Emily
exclaimed, hugging the both of them. "I'm sorry we are
late. I didn't have a swim suit, so Jeff went with me to
pick one out. Boy, was that a mistake! He didn't like a
single one!" Claire explained. Thinking this extremely
funny, Drew asked "What did he want you to wear? A
bikini?" Claire laughed "Are you kidding me? He didn't
even want me to try on a two peice!" The whole
conversation embar[arse]ed Jeff, whe tried to defend
himself. "That is not true. I just happened to like the
one pieces you picked out better." The guys got a kick
out of the way he was acting. "I don't blame the man.
Who would want you dogs drooling over their
girlfriend?" Lea commented. Jeff found this hilarious,
barely able to control his laughter. Not one to be the
bud of a joke, Drew replied "If I am such a dog, why
did you marry me?" Grinning, Lea replied "I just happen
to like dogs. Especially ones with big puppy dog
eyes." Bored, Emily again begged to get in the
pool. "Can we please get to the announcement? Some
people want to swim!" she said, putting her hands on
her hips.
CONTINUED...
Picking her up, Jeff answered "Okay monster, we'll get
on with it. Lord knows you will just die if you don't swim
soon. Sitting Emily down in his lap, he gave Nick the
go ahead. "You all we finished recording a few weeks
ago. After going over a few tracks, we've picked our
first single. We want you all to be the first to hear it."
With that, Nick placed a cd in the stereo and pushed
play. It was silent for a moment and then the music
began. Claire instantly recognized the lyrics. It was the
song Jeff had sang the night of their first kiss. "You...
you actually recorded it!" she said in astonishment.
"Listen." he replied in a half whisper. She was in awe.
It was even more beautiful than she remembered it to
be. As the song came to a end the girls spoke excitedly.
"It's gorgeous! It will be a hit!" they all cheered. "It's
really pretty, but remember, it's my song!" Emily chirped
in. "Don't worry kiddo, the song is dedicated to you."
Nick replied. Too thrilled for words, Emily ran to give
kisses to her dad and uncles.
CONTINUED...
Claire gazed at Jeff. She was overwhelmed. The fans
were going to get to hear the song. "So were you
surprised?" Jeff asked her. "I am!" she replied excitedly.
"What made you change your mind?" Taking her by the
hand, he replied "You. I never thought anyone could
appreciate it like I did. You showed me that people
could. You gave it even more meaning." By now Claire
was almost is tears. "Thank you! Thank you all!" she
cried. Then just as Emily had, she gave each of the guys
a giant hug. Of course Jeff got a kiss as well. Resting her
head against his shoulder whispered "You have made
me so happy. Thank you for that. I know it's Emmie's
song, but it has a special place in my heart." Hearing
this Emily responded "Don't worry Claire. You and I can
share the song!" Jeff smiled as Claire bent down to give
Emily a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, sweetie. You are
a angel, just like your daddy."
CONTINUED...
As the excitement died down Nick and Jeff began
grilling burgers. Drew and Justin agreed to play water
volleyball with Emily while the girls sunbathed. Taking
off her sungl[arse]es, Claire searched for her ringing cell
phone. "Hello?" she finally answered. It was Megan.
"What's up?" she asked. "Oh, not much. I'm over at
Nick's, he invited us over to grill out." "Who is us?"
Megan questioned. "Me, Jeff, Emily, Drew, Lea, and
Justin." In a sarcastic tone Megan remarked "How very
nice. I guess you are too busy to go out for lunch. Oh
well, I'll just go alone." Sighing Claire promised to they
would spend the next day together. "Ok. Whatever.
Call me tonight." Megan said before hanging up. Claire
was surprised that she hadn't even said good-bye.
"Who called?" Jeff asked. "Megan." Claire replied dimly.
"She is mad at me. I have kind of forgotten to keep in
touch, though." "Why don't you invite her over? It would
cheer her up and I'm sure Nick wouldn't mind." he
suggested. Having heard the convo, Nick broke in. "Go
ahead and invite her, Claire. Any friend of yours is a
friend of ours." Her face lit up. "Nick, you are the best!
Thank you!" She immediately called Megan, who
screamed she was so excited. By the time Claire went to
pick her up, Megan was a nervous wreck.
CONTINUED...
Taking her friend by the hand, Claire whispered "Don't
be nervous. They all are really nice. Plus you know Jeff
and Emily!" Megan's stomach was full of butterflies as
they made their way to the back patio. "Guys, this is
my best friend and [arse]istant, Megan. Meg, this is Drew
and his wife Lea, that's Nick, Justin, and you know Jeff
and Emily." Claire said, introducing everyone. Offering
her a friendly hug, Jeff said "I'm happy you could come!"
"Hi Jeff!" she replied. "Thanks to you all for inviting me."
Nick had a strange grin on his face, causing his younger
brother to wonder. "It's our pleasure." he said. "The
food is almost ready, so why don't we all get settled
over by the patio table." Once the food was ready they
ate and got to know Megan better. "So Megan, how
did you and Claire become friends?" they asked. After
taking a drink of her lemonde, she replied "We met
working at Pottery Barn. I had a teaching degree, but
decided to go back to school to be a interior designer.
Claire and I ended up taking a lot of the same courses
and just sort of connected." Stopping here, Claire picked
up where Megan had stopped. "We shared a apartment
for a while, until we were about to pull each other's
hair out; we are just like sisters!" Jeff laughed "Yeah
they can't even talk without one of them finishing the
other's sentence. They were seperated at birth, if you
ask me." Both girls giggled, they couldn't help the fact
that they were so much alike. "I guess we are pretty
bad." Megan said with a smile. "You can tease me all
you like, but I would be careful when it comes to Meg.
She could single-handedly cause a dramatic decline
in your record sales." Claire remarked to Jeff with a fit
of laughter. "That's right! You are a fan, aren't you?"
Justin asked. Claire laughed "A fan? She should work for
you guys! Last Christmas she gave everyone a copy of
"98 Degrees and Rising". She even considered getting
a "L" armband tattoo!"
CONTINUED...
The last comment really got Jeff, who was having a hard
time controlling his laughter. Embar[arse]ed, Megan tried
to defend herself. "Hey! You forgot to tell them that my
last name is Livingston. It's not like I didn't have a valid
reason!" Curious, Drew asked "So why didn't you get
it?" Claire answered for her. "She took one look at the
needle and chickened out. We left so fast that I didn't
even get mine." Jeff acted surprised. "You were going
to get one?" "Sure!" Claire replied. "I actaully got one
later." "Where? What is it?" he questioned. "A heart,
on my back." she said proudly. Lifting her top slightly,
she leaned over to show him. "You liar! That's just a
heart-shaped birthmark!" he replied after bending over
to see. Claire grinned slyly. "Gotcha!" Jeff rolled his
eyes, laughing to himself. For a minute, she had him
fooled. "Daddy, Claire wasn't really lying." Emily spoke
up after a minute. "A birthmark is just a tattoo that God
gives you." Jeff and Claire looked at one another and
laughed. "Thanks, Em! See, I was telling the truth!"
Claire said with a grin. After dinner they decided to play
a game of water volleyball. It was Megan, Lea, Drew,
and Nick against Jeff, Justin, Claire and Emily. The
"Lachey" team ended up winning thanks to Megan's
quick moves. Nick and Drew named her a honorary
Lachey, which made her day even more amazing than
she thought it would be. Driving Megan home later that
evening, Jeff remarked that he thought Nick liked her.
"Of course he does!" Claire replied "What's not to like
about Meg?" "What I meant was that I think he is
attracted to her." Jeff explained. Sitting in the back seat
next to a sleeping Emily, Megan was speechless.
Raevengeance
12-02-04, 05:25 AM
MORE, KARA :)
CONTINUED...
It was now July. The guys had been working hard the
last few months getting ready for the album release.
Claire and Megan were permanent members of "the
gang" and enjoyed every minute of it. Of course,
everyone agreed that the girls only added to the
already crazy atmosphere, in a good way. The new
single had just been released to radio and had gotten
positive reviews. Saturday had rolled around and Claire
was on her way to Jeff's. Tonight was the album release
party, the album hitting stores on Tuesday. She had
promised to help Emily get ready which of course
included helping Jeff as well. Letting herself in the
house, she called for Jeff. He appeared at the top of the
staircase. "Up here." he called down. Claire made her
way up, carrying a million things with her. "Whatcha
got in the bags? Looks like you have enough to stay for
a while." Jeff said jokingly. Claire gave him "the eye" as
she set her things down on his bed. "Where's Em?" she
asked. Just then Emily ran out of the bathroom wearing
a huge, white towel. Immediately giving her a hug, she
exclaimed "Hi Claire Bear! Daddy made me take a bath
before you got here. He even did my nails!" Claire
glanced down at Emily's little fingers, which where
tipped with glittery pink nail polish. Amazingly, he had
done a good job. "Very pretty." she remarked. "If the
album doesn't sell, you could always become a
manicurist." Jeff pinched her cheek "Very funny, miss.
And who taught me to do nails?" Claire grinned happily.
To her, he could not get anymore adorable. "Oh honey,
you know I was only kidding! The album is going to do
great! I can feel it!" Jeff leaned in to kiss her "Thanks,
hun."
CONTINUED...
Claire spent the next few hours helping Jeff and Emily
get ready. Leaving them with instructions not to wrinkle
their clothes, she shut herself up in the bathroom to
get ready. As they waited, Jeff and Emily
watched "Aladdin" for the millionth time. He watched his
daughter as she got caught up in the movie. She was
growing up so fast. Her golden hair was loosely curled
and held up on the side by a barrette in the shape of
a butterfly. She wore a lavender ballerina-style dress
with matching ballet slippers. When he said she could
come, Claire had taken her to find the perfect outfit
for the big night. A smile formed on his lips as he
thought of the two angels that continuely brightened
his life. Just then Claire opened the bathroom door
and called for him to help her with her necklace.
Walking in, he was taken off guard by how beautful
she looked. "What?" Claire asked, thinking there was
something wrong with her outfit. Jeff stammered
"Wow....you look....amazing." She wore a navy pinstripe
sleeveless top with matching dress pants. The top was
embroidered with delicate hot pink roses, which
matched her satin heels. She had pulled her hair into
a bun and nestled a pink rose to the side. Taking the
necklace from her, Jeff began to fasten it. As he finished,
she turned around to face him. He slowly bent down
and kissed her shoulder, tracing his way to her lips.
"What was that for?" she giggled. "For just being you."
he said with a whisper.
CONTINUED...
The limo carrying Drew, Lea, Nick, and Justin arrived
minutes later. On the ride over to Megan's, Claire
predicted that she would be sitting on the porch
waiting for them. "She is so pumped about tonight, you
wouldn't believe it!" Sure enough, Megan was sitting
on the porch when they pulled up. As she climbed in,
Nick's eyes widened. Meg was somewhat of a tomboy,
her usual look consisting of jeans, white tees, and
baseball caps. Tonight, she let her hair down. Her eyes
sparkled with anticipation. "Whoa! Look what was
hiding under those hats!" Lea commented. Megan wore
a cobalt blue halter dress which gathered at the waist.
The full skirt fell just below her knees, showing off what
Nick thought were a "killer pair of legs". Nick could not
get over it; everything about her was perfect. His trance
was broken when Justin exclaimed "You got it!",
pointing to her newly tattooed right arm. Megan grinned
"Yep! I got it last weekend. Claire went with me." Jeff
immediately turned to Claire. "You got one? Where?
Let me see!" Trying not to laugh, she replied "Yes, I
did. It's location will not be revealed, however. This
teasing was just too much for Jeff. He had to know.
"Come on! Please?" he whined. All it took was one look
at his pout, she was powerless to that pout. "It's
on my lower back. You'll have to wait to see what it is,
though. I am not about to take my top off in front of
a limo full of people!" Just as he was about to protest,
they arrived at the restuarant where the release party
was being held. Tonight was a night none of them
would forget, especially Claire and Jeff.
CONTINUED...
The press and select guests mingled as music from the
album blared from the speakers. After giving a few
interviews and posing for pictures, the guys joined the
others. They had a special table near the back, away
from all the bustle. Jeff sat down between "his girls" as
Nick dodged to get the seat next to Megan. Everyone
laughed as Claire and Megan talked over each other in
excitement. After they calmed down, Megan thanked
them for inviting her. "A few years ago I was sitting in
the cheap seats at your concert, now look at me! I'm
one of your guests at a party for you and to top that off,
my best friend is dating one of you! It's almost a dream
come true!" Everyone chatted for a while, enjoying the
night. Jeff seemed to be in a especially good mood. Even
Drew's usual sarcasm at his expense wasn't bothering
him. He had something special planned and nothing
was going to bring him down. After a while a member
of the guy's management team stopped by the table.
"Ladies, gentlemen, I have some great news. We have
just gotten word that "Never Let Go" will debut at
number one on the Billboard Singles Charts! Guys,
Congratulations!" Everyone let out a collective scream.
The night just seemed to get better and better by the
minute. As the excitement died down, Emily began
to fidget. "What's with the kid?" Drew asked Jeff with a
laugh. "It looks like she got attacked by a mexican
jumping bean!" "Em, what are you doing?" Jeff asked
her. "This necklace is so itchy, daddy! I can't get it
off!"
CONTINUED...
Jeff tried to help Emily, but he had no luck unclasping
the necklace. "Here baby, let me try." Claire offered.
Unclasping the necklace, she told Emily she would keep
it for her until they got home. As Emily went to sit back
down, she caught sight of the dancefloor. Batting her
eyelashes, she looked at Justin. "Uncle Justie, will
you dance with me?" Unable to say no to that, he took
her by the hand and lead his neice to the dancefloor.
Nick glanced over at Megan. This was his chance. "Meg,
would you like to dance?" he asked. Her eyes lit up as
she replied, "Of course!" Lea looked over at Drew, who
seemed to be in his own little world. "Probably planning
his next sarcastic remark." she thought to herself.
Irritated that he had not asked her to dance yet, she
hit him on the side with her elbow. It only took him a
minuted to get the message. "Lea, I think you owe me
a dance." They joined the others on the dancefloor,
leaving Claire and Jeff alone at the table. Claire played
with the Emily's necklace, which held Jeff's
grandmother's ring. Jeff watched, waiting for the perfect
moment to ask was he so badly wanted to ask.
Breaking the silence, Claire asked "Jeff, what made you
give Em the ring now? She is so young...it's just, I know
how much it means to you and I would hate for it to
be lost or damaged." "I didn't give the ring to her, she
was just holding it for me. " he replied. Claire looked
at him with confusion.
CONTINUED...
Taking Claire's hands in his, Jeff spoke. "When Natalie
and I divorced, I lost my faith in love. Actually, I lost my
faith in a lot of things. Then you walked into my life.
Everything about you radiated joy; you made me believe
again." Taking a deep breath, he asked "Do you
remember what my grandma told me to do with her
ring?" Claire nodded, not sure where he was going with
this. "Well," he said "I was thinking about it and I
realized that Emily wasn't the one who captured my
heart; she couldn't because she always had it. You
captured it. What I'm trying to say is Claire, will you
marry me?" Tears instantly began to fall from her eyes.
After what had seemed an eternity to Jeff, she
answered "Yes, with all my heart." Before kissing her,
he took the ring off the chain it had been hanging from
and slid it on her finger, whispering "I am the luckiest
man alive." The others had watched the proposal from
the dancefloor. Turning to Justin, Emily shrieked with
excitement. "He did it! He really did it! And she said yes!
I knew she'd say yes!" Taking Justin's hand, she tried
to coax him back to the table. He wouldn't budge,
though. Even pouting wouldn't work this time. "Just
wait a few more minutes. When this song ends, we'll
head back." Knowing her uncle meant business, Emily
did not argue the point. Not far away, Nick and Megan
danced. She closed her eyes and then opened them,
just to make sure it all was not a dream. Upon opening
them once again, she caught sight of Nick's blue eyes.
It all was a dream, a dream that had come true. Seeing
her friend glow from across the room, she remarked.
"I know I said this night couldn't get any better, but it
has. Look at them, they are so happy!" Nick glanced
over in the table's direction. "Yeah, they make a great
couple. You were wrong, though. Tonight seems to just
keep getting better." Megan grinned "Thank you for
sharing tonight with me, you don't know how much I
have enjoyed myself. " Nick did not reply, but instead
slowly leaned down and began to kiss her. Once the
kiss started, neither wanted it to end. Witnessing the
lip lock, Lea pointed it out to Drew. "I think love is in the
air tonight. First Jeff and Claire, now those two." Drew
laughed "Yeah, I taught them everything they know. I'm
the man." Lea rolled her eyes at her husband's over-
inflated ego. "Poor Justin." she sighed "I bet he feels
left out." Glancing over at his friend, Drew remarked
"I would not worry about him. He seems to have his
hands full with his own little admirer." Lea smiled,
seeing Justin hold Emily in his arms as he danced, her
golden head resting on his shoulder.
CONTINUED...
As the song came to a end, everyone made their way
back to the table. There, they found two very happy
people. Running to her dad, Emily shouted with
excitement "You asked! You really asked! She said yes!
I knew she would!" Everyone sat down as Emily
climbed in Jeff's lap. "Wait a minute!" Claire began "How
did Em know he was going to propose?" "Well," Drew
explained "Old Jeffie Boy has been planning it for like
a week now." Surveying the faces around her, Claire
questioned "You mean that everyone knew and no one
breathed a word of it to me?" Slipping her hand in Nick's
from underneath the table, Megan gave the details.
"Lea and I didn't know anything until last night. From
what I understand, your lover boy threatened the guys
into keeping their mouths shut." Jeff immediately began
to defend himself. "I did not threaten them! I just said
that if they messed this up their phone numbers would
find their way to our message board. I had to, if
everything was going to go like I planned ." Gazing
into his eyes, Claire kissed him. Drew rolled his eyes
"Man, he sure has her fooled. She actually thinks he is
a good catch." Giving him "the eye" Lea again hit her
husband in the side with her elbow. "Jeff, man, you may
want to reconsider this marriage thing. It can get pretty
painful. This is the second time tonight I have been hit
in the side by my loving wife!" Shaking her head, Lea
remarked "You could save yourself a lot of misery if you
didn't have to be such a smart-[arse]. Just keep your
mouth shut once in a while." Everyone laughed, the
couple's "spats" were all in fun and very entertaining
to watch.
CONTINUED...
Looking at the couples dancing in the distance, Claire
commented to Jeff, "You and I have not danced once tonight,
so how about it? He groaned "Baby, you know how bad a
dancer I am. Let's not." Claire sighed "The ring is not
even on my finger 10 minutes and he's already stopped
trying to impress me. Oh well, I'll just have to find
myself a dancing partner. Lea, who again was that hunk that
introduced himself to us earlier?" Catching on to Claire's
plan, Lea replied "Ricky Martin? No...wait, your talking
about Ben Affleck. Yep, that's who it was." Out of no where
Jeff stood up and offered his hand to Claire. As the couple
headed out to the dancefloor, the girls winked at one
another. Their little plan had worked wonderfully. Turning
to his wife, Drew asked "Ben Affleck is here?" The guys
surveyed the area and then collectively questioned "Where?"
Emily giggled as Megan remarked "They are too much!" "You
mean, you were lying?" Nick asked. Laughing, Lea responded
"Nick, do you really think Ben Affleck would come?" "Hey!
You never know! He could be a fan." Drew replied for him.
"Yeah!" Justin added. The girls only laughed. "Sure honey,
I betcha he sings 'The Hardest Thing' in the shower."
Across the room, Claire and Jeff shared their first dance
as a engaged couple. Resting her head on his shoulder,
Claire imagined staying like that forever. "Baby," Jeff
began "Would you have really danced with him?" Smiling to
herself, she answered "No. Besides, he is just a pretty
boy." "Oh, and what am I?" he laughed. Raising her head,
she looked deeply into his eyes, replying "Mine. You are my
angel." Back at the table, the girls were still messing
with the guys. All of a sudden, Megan exclaimed "Nick,
look! It's Bruce Willis!" Even Justin and Drew got a crack
out that. Nick, on the other hand did not. Seeing that she
had gone too far, Megan excused herself to the ladies room.
By now she knew him well and knew that he would be fine in
a few minutes. Seeing that Emily was on her fourth soda of
the evening, Lea excused the two of them to the ladies room
as well. With the girls away, Drew took the oppurtunity to
ask Nick about the kiss he and Megan had shared earlier.
Grinning like a little boy, he said "I don't know. It just
felt so right. I think I'm in love." Justin triumphantly
leaned back in his chair. "That would make me the bachelor.
Ladies, come and get me!" In disgust, Drew remarked
"Bachelor? Please! More like reject." Nick cracked up
laughing, soon followed by Justin himself. As much as he
hated to admit it, Drew was pretty funny at times.
Raevengeance
12-03-04, 04:56 AM
:) More, Ms. K :)
StargateGirl
12-03-04, 09:45 AM
Awww....he proposed. :D
CONTINUED...
The album debuted at number one, staying there for
five consecutive weeks. With the huge success of the
single and album a tour was the obvious next step.
Unhappy with the idea of being away from the ones
they loved, Jeff and Nick put their heads together and
came up with a solution. Claire was hired on as a
creative consultant, while Megan acted as Emily's tutor.
After months of development, it was time to kick things
off. For the next four months, the band would perform
across the country. Their opening performance was at
the StarDome, one of the largest venues in the country.
Claire had designed an awesome stage, Lea put her
entire heart into the choreography, and the guys had
rehearsed non-stop. On the afternoon of the show,
everyone went through a dress rehearsal. Watching
from the first row, Claire, Emily, and Megan were blown
away. "Ya'll did an awesome job!" Claire commented as
they met backstage. Hugging Nick, Megan whispered in
his ear "Come with me. I want to show you something."
Leaving the others behind, the two ended up on the
highest seating level of the arena. Confused, Nick asked
"Why'd you bring me up here?" Pointing to a seat in the
middle of the last row, Megand explained. "That is the
seat I sat in when I saw you in concert for the first
time." Raising his eyebrows, he asked "How did you
even remember where you sat?" Megan pulled a worn
ticket stub out if her back pocket. "I saved this." she
giggled. Sitting down in the seat, Nick laughed. "Wow,
these are really bad seats. I'm surprised anybody even
buys them." Sitting down next to him, Megan replied
"People buy them because hearing you live in concert
is so amazing. Sure, you can't see much from up here
but you can hear your voices and feel the energy. I
guaruntee you, whoever sits here tonight will have the
time of their life...even if the seats are really lame!"
"Thanks for saying that." Nick responded. "In every
performance we try to give the audience a taste of what
we feel; how their support energizes us. What you said
makes me feel like we do." Blushing, Megan did not say
a word, only hugged him. Before the guys went on that
night, Megan gave Nick her old ticket as a good luck
charm. From that night on, the guys made it a point to
give a special 'shout-out' to all the fans seated in the
'nose-bleed' section. As Nick said, "It's the least we can
do. After all, the fans are the reason we get to do
what we love everyday."
CONTINUED...
Before the tour officially came to an end, the guys had a
two week vacation around Thanksgiving. Their final
peformance would be a Christmas concert. All proceeds
from ticket sales would be donated to various children's
charities that they supported. Everyone enjoyed their
time off, but were anxious to do one last performance.
As the tour was coming to an end, the final days were
bittersweet. Everyone invloved had a blast and felt the
time had gone by too quickly. After the last rehearsal,
they all shared a farewell lunch. Everyone except Nick
and Megan. Nick had said he was not hungry and Meg
had stayed behind to make sure he was alright. Sitting
at the edge of the stage, Nick stared out at the empty
arena. Megan sat down next to him. "What's the
matter?" she asked. "I don't know. I guess I'm just a
little bummed out about the tour ending." he replied.
Megan sighed "It went by in a whirlwind, didn't it? I
really hate that it's ending. I had the time of my life."
Something she said made Nick smile. Standing up, he
reached down to help her get up. "Come with me." he
said. Megan had no idea where they were going, but
she didn't seem to mind. He was holding her hand and
she knew he would keep her safe. The Christmas
concert was being held at the StarDome which made
it seem as if they all had completed some sort of circle,
since that is where the tour had begun. They ended up
on the highest seating level, just as they did so many
months ago. "Meg," he said, taking a deep breath.
"A few years back Jeff said something to me that really
changed my outlook. At the time Drew and Lea had just
gotten engaged, and Justin was in a pretty serious
relationship. Emily was just and baby, so Jeff and
Natalie were still together. I was the only one without
someone in my life. It was difficult to see the others in
love. I mean I was happy for them, but I was lonely.
Anyway, I asked Jeff if he thought everyone had a
soulmate. He said he did and that mine would come
when I least expected. He was right. Little did I know
that you would soon enter my life. You've completed me;
you are my soulmate." Nick pulled a ring out of his
pocket. "Will you be my wife?" he asked, trying to sound
calm. Tears rolling down her cheeks, Megan answered
"Yes. I will!"
CONTINUED...
Nick placed the ring on Megan's finger. The heart-
shaped center stone rested in a thin band of gold.
Wiping away her tears, Megan asked how he had
chose the ring. "I had some help from a little
birdie." he answered with a grin. "A little birdie, huh?
Who was it?" she questioned. "I can't say, I promised
not to tell." he answered. Megan sighed "Baby, please!
I want to thank them. How about I name someone and
if I'm right, you kiss me? That way, you aren't breaking
any promises." Wanting to kiss her anyway, Nick
agreed to the little game. "Okay," she began "was it
my mom? Or my sister? Claire?" Just then, he pulled her
into a kiss. Breaking away, Megan exclaimed "I knew
it! Claire can't keep out of my business!" Before
continuing the kiss, she whispered "Remind me to
thank her." At lunch, Claire could not sit still. She had
a feeling Nick was going to propose and was upset
that she would not be there to see Megan's reaction.
Trying to rush everyone, Claire was beginning to irritate
them all. Jeff knew she would not be satisfied until she
had details. "Just call her, already!" he told her. Megan's
phone rang, interrupting their kiss. "Ignore it." Nick
groaned. Seeing it was Claire's number, Megan replied
"That is no way to treat the person who brought us
together." Upon answering the phone, Claire asked
her what was new. Knowing what her friend was up to,
she played with her for a few minutes. "You just saw
me 30 minutes ago! What could be new?" Not wanting
to just come out and ask, Claire responded "Actually,
a lot can happen in 30 minutes. A person's life can
change in that amount of time." Grinning, Megan replied
"I guess you are right. I mean, 30 minutes ago I wasn't
engaged to Nick." Claire responded with only a scream.
To her dismay, everyone in the restuarant was staring
in her direction. Returning from lunch, everyone
congratulated the happy couple. That night's concert
was one of the guy's best. No one knew what made it
so special, but you could not help but sense the
happiness they all possessed. Jeff and Claire were
planning a Spring wedding. Nick had found his soulmate
in Megan. Drew and Lea were going to be parents.
And Justin? He was just enjoying his bachelor-hood.
CONTINUED...
The holidays p[arse]ed by in a flash. It was now mid-
January; one week until Emily's birthday. Jeff offered to
throw her a big party, but she said no. She just
wanted her family to come over for dinner. Of course,
this included her mom and the gang. Natalie had
planned to fly in for a week, but something came up
at work and she had to cancel. Although Emily said it
was okay, her dad knew she was disappointed. It was
rare that she got to spend time with the entire 'family'
these days. With Claire's help, he planned a surprise
to brighten her spirits. Emily knew they were up to
something, but no one would even hint as to what. On
her brithday, Claire came over to prepare her famous
lasagna for dinner. Around lunch Jeff left the girls so he
could 'pick up a few things'. Sitting on the kitchen table
with her legs dangling, Emily watched as Claire cooked.
She loved it when Claire came over and fixed dinner;
she loved it whenever Claire was around. Once the
lasagna with in the oven, they relaxed in the living
room. Everyone would soon be there and Emily could
not wait. Dad had something up his sleeve and she
was dying to know what it was. Claire answered the
phone as it rang. "Hey baby, it's Jeff." he greeted.
Laughing, she replied "I know it's you! Your the only
one that calls me baby." "I just dropped the surprise
off at Drew and Lea's. She is going to come over with
them. I'll be home in a few." he said before hanging
up. "Your daddy is on his way home." Claire told Emily.
"Everyone will be here in about an hour, so we should
go get ready for the party." Emily excitedly headed
upstairs to change. When he got home, Jeff was
greeted by the aroma of Claire's baking lasagna.
Upstairs he found her braiding Emily's hair. The image
put a grin on his face; those two girls meant everything
to him.
CONTINUED...
As Claire tied a ribbon at the end of her braid, Emily
caught his reflection in the mirror. "How do I look,
Daddy?" she asked, twirling to show off her outfit. She
wore a pink plaid skirt and matching pink top. Giving her
a bear-hug he replied, "Beautiful". His eyes then
traveled to Claire, who was putting on some make-up.
Her shaggy hair was flipped at the ends, she wore a
lavender sweater with faded jeans. Wrapping his arms
around her waist, he commented "You look gorgeous."
"Thank you." she said as she hugged him. "Did I
tell you how handsome you look today?" Jeff didn't
answer, but instead began to kiss her. As the kiss
ended, Emily began to laugh. "Daddy! You have pink
lip gloss all over your face!" The door bell just ringing,
Claire went to answer it while Emily helped Jeff clean
up. Greeting everyone Claire led Natalie into the living
room, where Emily would not see her. Everyone settled
in the living room as Jeff and Emily made their way
downstairs. Emily gave everyone hugs, while exclaiming
"Ya'll are all here! If Momma could have come, this
would be the awesomest birthday ever!" Jeff knew it
was the perfect moment. "Em, why don't you go get
the camcorder from the dining room? That way we can
send your mom a tape of your party." Emily didn't say
a word, just ran towards the dining room. Entering, she
screamed with delight. "MOMMA!! You came!" Everyone
gathered to watch the excitement. Tears came down
Natalie's cheeks as her daughter hugged her tightly.
"But I thought you couldn't get this week off." Emily
said, still surprised. "I couldn't but I was able to get a
few days. Just enough time to come, spend the night
with you, and then fly back. I'm sorry it's so short, but
it's better then nothing!" Natalie explained. "Thank
you, Momma!" Emily said with a smile. "Now everything
is perfect!!" "Thank your Daddy and Claire. I would
never have been able to pull this off without their help."
Turning to Jeff and Claire she exclaimed "Ya'll are the
best!!"
Raevengeance
12-04-04, 07:17 AM
awwwwwwwwwwwww
MORE Ms. K :)
StargateGirl
12-04-04, 10:06 AM
AWW!! :cries:
LOL...ya'll are too cute! :)
Raevengeance
12-04-04, 10:37 PM
You needs to post more, Kara :)
CONTINUED...
As things settled down everyone sat down to
enjoy a big 'family' dinner. Claire's lasagna was a hit,
not one bit was left un-eaten. This might be due to the
fact that the Lachey brothers had three servings each.
As the girls cleared the table Jeff asked who wanted
cake. "I do!" Nick and Drew replied at the same time.
Natalie shook her head "I see their appetites are still
endless." "Some things never change." Justin
commented. After cake, Emily was ready for presents.
"Open ours first!" Drew said, handing over a box
wrapped in pink paper. Inside was a pair of ballet
slippers. "I know you liked practicing on the road so
I thought you might like some." Lea explained. "I'll give
you some lessons too!" Excited, Emily hugged the both
of them. Megan then handed her a purple bag. "This
is from Nick and I." Emily shrieked when she saw the
rhinestone-decorated frame which held a picture of she
and the guys. It had been taken opening night of
the tour, right before the guys had gone on stage.
Justin was up next and gave her sungl[arse]es similar
to his own. "You liked mine so well; Now you have your
own. These should fit you better!" Laughter filled the
room as everyone talked of how Emily liked to 'borrow'
Jay's sungl[arse]es. Wearing her new shades, she opened
her mother's gift: a porcelin doll all the way from France.
Emily loved the doll; it never left her arms for the rest
of the night. Claire then handed a small box to Jeff, who
gave it to Emily. Inside she found a silver heart
necklace. "Open the heart, it's a locket." Claire
instructed. The locket opened to reveal a small picture
of Jeff on one side and one of Natalie on the other. "It's
so pretty!" Emily said, her eyes never leaving the
necklace. "Now, no matter how far away they may be
you will have your mom and dad with you." Claire
explained. As Jeff fastened the necklace around her
neck, Emily replied "But Claire should be in the picture
with Daddy. That way she is always with me too." This
moved Claire to tears. She adored that little girl.
StargateGirl
12-04-04, 10:42 PM
AWWW!!!! Emily is sooo adorable.
CONTINUED...
When all the presents had been opened everyone went
into the tv room to watch a video. Drew had filmed
behind-the-scenes footage throughout the tour and
everyone was anxious to watch it. The video brought
back great memories of the tour. Drew had filmed them
rehearsing, spending down time on the bus, and just
goofing off. The video opened as the guys were
practicing a new dance routine. No matter how hard he
tried, Jeff just couldn't get it right. Watching, Emily
came onstage and tried to help him. Trying one of the
harder steps over again, Jeff fell right on his butt.
Everyone broke into laughter as they remembered his
fall. "That is one thing I wish you hadn't taped." Jeff
griped as the video continued to play. An image of Jeff
and Claire came on the screen. Music was playing in the
background as they slowly danced together on the
stage. Resting her head on his shoulder, Claire asked
"Baby do you think about us having children? I mean
you have Em, but would you want more?" Jeff was silent
for a second but then replied "For a long time I didn't
think I would have anymore kids. I couldn't imagine
finding someone to love that way again. Now, there is
nothing I want more than to bring something into this
world that is a part of us." There was a moment of
silence as the two continued to slow dance. Then, Claire
said "I hope they have your eyes. I love your eyes."
All of a sudden Lea could be heard saying quietly, but
sternly "Drew! Turn that camcorder off! Can't you give
those two some privacy?" Drew could then be heard
arguing in responce "Oh, come on! Where is your
sentiment? Years from now their kids can watch this
and see how in love they were. Sighing, Lea concluded
"Well, you've taped enough so TURN IT OFF!!" Jeff and
Claire looked embar[arse]ed as the screen went black.
They didn't know Drew had taped that. No one spoke
for a minute until Natalie said something that no one
expected. "Jeff, you and Claire are perfect together. She
makes you happy, I can tell. "
StargateGirl
12-04-04, 10:46 PM
:cries:
CONTINUED...
After everyone left Claire stayed behind to help Jeff
clean up. Emily was spending the night with her mom
at Drew and Lea's, leaving Claire and Jeff with some
alone time. With everything spotless the two collapsed
on the couch. Leaning on his shoulder, Claire said "I
think Em had fun. When we gave her the locket and she
said I was missing from the picture, I thought I was
never going to stop crying!" Taking her hand in his, Jeff
replied "Em adores you. With Natalie so far away you've
become a mother to her. She told me the other day that
she could not wait for you to be her stepmom." Claire
grinned "I love her with all of my heart. I'm pretty fond
of her dad too." Before long, both of them fell asleep.
Waking up, Jeff stretched out to get comfortable. Feeling
him move, Claire cuddled a little closer. "Can I stay the
night?" she asked sleepily. "Of course." he whispered
back. Beginning to drift back into a slumber, Claire softly
asked "Will you put your arm around me?" Wrapping his
arms around her, he replied "Sure baby." They stayed
like that all night, each wearing a smile of pure
happiness.
CONTINUED...
The months seemed to fly by. Before anyone knew it
Jeff and Claire's day had arrived. Inside the church,
Claire sat with her robe on as Lea worked on her make-
up and Megan fixed her hair. Close by, Emily watched
the bride get ready. Peeking through a crack in the
door was Patrick, Megan's nephew. He was staying with
her while his parents went on their second honeymoon.
Since he was there for the wedding he got to be the
ring-bearer. "What do you want?" Emily asked with
irritation. The two did not get along mostly because
Patrick thought that being a year older gave him the
privalege to boss Emily around. Rolling his eyes he
replied "Nick wants me to give this note to Auntie Meg."
Walking in past Emily, he handed Megan the note. It
read "I love you, Nick." Trying to stay as far away from
Patrick as possible, Emily noticed him looking at Claire
strangely. "Why are you staring at her like that?" she
asked. "I swear! You are such a weirdo!" Suddenly it
occured to Megan; Nick had not sent him to give her a
note. Patrick was a spy for one nosey groom! Scribbling
a quick note, Megan instructed her nephew to take it to
Jeff. Returning to a room on the other side of the church,
Patrick gave the note to Jeff. He read it out load for the
others to hear. "Nice try Jeff, but you know you have to
wait until the ceremony. Tell Nick I love him back...Meg."
Nick just shook his head. He knew Megan wouldn't fall
for it. "Thanks anyway, buddy." Jeff said to Patrick. "Did
you see anything interesting?" Scrunching his nose, he
replied "Not really, but girls sure look stupid with
curlers and junk in their hair!" The guys laughed at his
answer as they continued getting ready for the big day.
Raevengeance
12-04-04, 10:54 PM
MORE Gidget :)
It's awesome :)
StargateGirl
12-04-04, 10:55 PM
Lol...that was cute.
CONTINUED...
"Nick?" Patrick asked "will you tie my bow-tie for me?"
"Sure, come here." Nick replied. Standing in front of the
mirror Jeff was having trouble with his own bow-tie.
Frustrated, he called Drew over. "Man, help me with this
thing." Drew tried but had no luck. Nick was not doing
much better with Patrick. As they all crowded around the
groom, Patrick went for help. Things were less hectic
with the girls. When they were finished dressing, Patrick
was allowed in. "What is it now?" Emily groaned. He
said nothing; He was shocked at how pretty she
looked. Emily wore a skly-blue dress, tiny rosettes
framing the square neckline. Her hair was pulled up,
leaving a few dangling curls . "Ricky, what do you
need?" Megan asked him. Breaking from a trance, he
replied "Ummm...I need help with my tie. Nick tried to
fix it for me but none of them know what they are
doing over there." As the words left his mouth, Claire
dropped the shoe she was just about to put on.
Frenzied, she said "Jeff can't tie a bow-tie!" Lea
glanced at Megan, "None of them can! I usually help
them." Megan stopped Claire, who was about to walk
out of the room. "Where are you going?" "To help the
guys!" she replied. "You can't!" Lea protested. "Jeff
can't see you before the ceremony! Listen, I'll go take
care of it. You just stay here and finish getting ready."
Entering the room where the guys were getting ready,
Lea could hear them bickering. "We should have gotten
clip-ons." Drew remarked. "I am not wearing a clip-on
to my wedding, you idiot!" Jeff snapped back. Lea step
in front of the two of them. "No fighting until after the
ceremony, boys. Claire would have a fit if her groom
met her at the altar with a black eye." Jeff let out a sigh
of relief. "Thank God you are here! We need help with
these things." he said, holding up his bow-tie. "I know,
Patrick came for help. Why didn't you just send for
Megan or I in the first place?" she asked. "He didn't
want Claire to know." Nick answered. Lea continued to
talk as she worked on Jeff's tie. " Well, she knows. We
had to stop her from coming over here herself. " Jeff
smiled "That's so like her." Lea began to work on her
husband's tie next. "Baby,you look amazing." Drew
whispered in her ear. "Thanks, handsome." she
whispered back. Wondering how Megan looked, Nick
asked Lea. "I don't know, what do you think Patrick?"
she asked. "Ummm...I don't remember. Em looked
pretty, though." he replied. At once, everyone stopped
what they were doing. Was this the same kid that put
gum in Emily's hair at the rehearsal dinner? The poor
girl had to have an inch of hair cut just to get it
out. "What did you say?" Justin questioned. Blushing,
Patrick tried to downplay what he had said. "Gee! All I
said was that she looked pretty! She's still a brat,
though." Lea laughed, saying "You know when we
were little, Drew used to call me a brat all the
time." "Yeah, but I only did that to get her attention. I
had a big crush on her." Drew added. Patrick's face was
now bright red. "Forget I ever said it!" he responded
angerly.
(last for tonight)CONTINUED...
"Is everything okay?" Claire asked as Lea entered
the room. "Yep." she repled "I got everything under
control. By the way, Jeff wanted me to give this
to you." Lea handed her a folded peice of paper. As
Claire read the note, she could not stop herself from
smiling. She loved everything about him, even his
handwriting. "What did it say?" Megan asked as Claire
folded it. "That he could not wait to share our
first kiss as husband and wife." she replied, trying not
to cry, as she had forgotten to wear waterproof
mascara. On the opposite side if the church, the groom
was getting more nervous by the minute. "What if she
backs out? I can't handle that!" he rambled. "Get real,
man!" Justin said as Nick lightly shook Jeff. Drew agreed
"Yeah. Claire is head over heels in love. If anything,
I'd be worried about her common sense...I mean she
is marrying you." Nick and Justin's re[arse]urance
as well as Drew's joking eased Jeff's nerves. "Be happy
it's my wedding day, man. Otherwise I'd have to whoop
your [arse]." Jeff said in reply to Drew. All four of
them broke into laughter.
thanks for all the sweet comments, ladies! :) i'll post more tomorrow night! :)
Biondo Sorto
12-05-04, 12:21 AM
I LOVE this story!!
I've been so far behind, I was still stuck on the engagement, lol :D. Finally caught up.
Can't wait for the next add, me LOVES it, :wink:
StargateGirl
12-05-04, 12:54 PM
Jeff is nervous...how cute. :P
CONTINUED...
The bride was having a case of the butterflies as well.
Glancing at herself in the mirror she questioned "What
if he really doesn't love me and is too afraid to admit
it? I can't force him to marry someone he doesn't love!"
Megan tried to calm her down. "I seriously doubt that.
Jeff loves you dearly." Lea agreed "Trust me, I have
known him a long time. Jeff wants to marry you more
than anything in the world." Claire took a deep breath.
"Of course he loves me...I'm just nervous, that's all."
Emily came over and hugged her tightly. "Don't be
nervous, everything will be okay." Something about
Emily's hug brought her a sense of peace. There was
no need to be nervous. She was marrying the man of
her dreams.
CONTINUED...
The moment had finally arrived. Jeff and the guys took
their positions at the front of the church. A single guitar
began to play as Megan made her way down the aisle.
Lea followed, both of them wearing navy satin dresses
that exposed their shoulders. Next, Patrick and Emily
appeared. She held his hand as she sprinkled cream
rose petals along the way. As the guitar player began
to play the wedding march, Claire entered. Her mother
and father at either side, Jeff was in complete awe. She
was always beautiful in his eyes, but tonight her beauty
seemed to shine like the sun. Her cream satin gown
was fitted at the waist, the skirt becoming full. Her
auburn hair was pulled up and secured at the edge of
her neck with a gardenia. The only jewelry she wore
was her mother's diamond earrings and the sapphire
cross he and Emily had given her for Christmas.
CONTINUED...
Arriving at the altar, Claire kissed each parent on the
cheek and turned to her groom. Taking her hand in his
own, Jeff whispered "I couldn't imagine you looking
anymore beautiful." Claire squeezed his hand tightly in
reply. All of her dreams were suddenly coming true.
With that, the ceremony began. During the lighting of
the unity candle Drew, Nick, and Justin sang "Never
Let Go" accompanied by the guitar. Then it was time for
the bride and groom to recite their vows, which each
had written themselves. Emily handed Claire a piece of
paper, grinning happily at her father. Looking into his
eyes, Claire began. "Jeff, I have dreamt of this moment
from the time I was a little girl. Even my highly creative
imagination could not envision it to be like this. I always
prayed for a good man who I could grow old with. God
was faithful to me and I will always be thankful to Him
for that. I thank you for always showing me
unconditional love. Today I give my heart to you. I
promise to always be loving and supportive to both
you and your daughter. You and Emily are truly my
angels."
CONTINUED...
Holding back tears, Jeff took both her hands in his.
"Claire," he began " There are so many things I wanted
to say today. You always tell me to look above for
direction. I am relying on God to help me express what
my heart is feeling right now. You came into my life
when I was in great need of joy and you had enough to
share. Knowing you will always be there to encourage
me means more than you will ever know. Nothing
makes me more happy than to know Emily and I will
share our future with you. Thank you for always shining
so brightly." By now everyone was crying. Once the
rings were exchanged the minister pronounced them
man and wife. "You may kiss the bride." he concluded.
Gathering Claire in his arms, Jeff kissed her with all of
his heart and soul. Lifting her lightly in the air, Claire
giggled happily. " Hello, my husband." was all she said.
Slowly putting her down, Jeff cupped her face in his
hands. "Hello, my wife." he replied with a smile.
CONTINUED...
After the ceremony a reception was held at the
restuarant where Jeff had proposed. The newlyweds
had not arrived yet, much to Emily's dismay. She was
"so excited and wanted to see them right that minute!"
Nick and Drew tried their best to keep her entertained.
"Em, will you save your first dance for me?" Nick asked.
"Wait just a minute!" Drew interrupted. "She is going
to dance with me first!" Nick saw what his brother was
doing and played along. "Says who?" Emily giggled,
replying "Sorry, but I'm going to dance with Daddy first."
"I'll be your second dance partner, then." Drew
concluded. Emily shook her head "No, that's Justin."
Thinking she may have hurt his feelings, she added
"Don't worry. I'll save a dance for you and Nick." Justin
had watched the entire thing, which amused him a great
deal. "I guess we know who her favorite is." he said
with a laugh. Neither Nick nor Drew had a chance to
respond, as the special couple had just arrived. "Daddy!
Claire!" Emily shouted as she ran to greet them. "It's
official! We all have the same last name now!!" Hugging
his daughter with his new bride by his side, Jeff was
overwhelmed. It was all just too much. An amazing
daughter, a beautiful wife, and caring friends. He really
was lucky. Holding the hands of his two favorite girls, he
led his family to the main table. Once everyone was
seated it was time for the best man's speech.
CONTINUED...
Standing up, Drew began. "As you know, Jeff asked
us three to be his best men. He left it up to us to choose
who would make the toast, so Justin, Nick, and I held
a little wrestling match. I would like to take this time to
say I kicked their sorry butts. With the important stuff
out of the way, I want to congratulate the happy
couple. I have known Jeff for a long time and I can
honestly say I have never seen him as content as he
is with Claire. She has definitely brought out the best
in him. Claire, I speak for us all when I say that we are
thankful to have you as a friend. Jeff, you are one lucky
guy. Things were rough there for a while but look at you
now. You're an amazing person and deserve every inch
of this happiness." Raising his gl[arse], concluded "To Mr.
and Mrs. Jeff Timmons, may your love grow stronger
with every p[arse]ing day!" As Megan stood up to give her
speech, she reached for Nick's hand under the table.
The feeling of his hand holding her's calmed her
nerves. She was not fond of speaking in front of people
and would not have done it for anyone but Claire.
Taking a deep breath, she began. 'Wow, today just
seems like a dream. Claire and Jeff are perfect for each
other and I could not be happier for them. They are two
of my best friends. Without their help, I never would
have met the love of my life. I'd like to think I had a
role in bringing them together as well. When I first met
Claire she had no idea who or what 98 Degrees was. I
guess you could say I enlighted her to their talent, not
to mention good looks. If my memory serves me right I
think she said Drew was the hot one. We won't go
there, though. Anyway Jeff, you owe me one. I'm kidding
of course. All jokes aside, the two of you are great as
individuals, but words can not describe how awesome
you are together. Jeff, Claire, you have truly been
blessed with something special. May your dreams
continue to become realities."
CONTINUED...
As music began to play Claire and her father made their
way to the dance floor for the father/daughter dance.
Jeff took this oppurtunity to dance with his own
daughter. When asked if she was enjoying herself Emily
replied with a big grin "YOU BET! This is the bestest!"
Once the song came to an end Jeff led her back to the
table. Jumping in Justin's lap, she grinned from ear to
ear. "Ladies, boys, I would stay and chat but my bride
awaits." he said as he excused himself. Jeff walked
away looking as if he were king of the world. He made
his way back to the dancefloor where he and Claire
would share their first dance as husband and wife.
Hugging her father, Claire said she loved him. After
kissing her on the cheek he turned to Jeff. "Son, she is
your wife now but she will always be my little girl."
Patting him on the back, Jeff replied "I will forever be
grateful for Claire. Thank you for allowing me to share
my life with her." As her father walked away, "Take My
Breath Away" began to play. "You choose one of our
songs." Jeff whispered as he held her close. "Mmmhmm.
The first time I heard it I knew I would dance to it at my
wedding. I love it." Jeff smiled "You just didn't know I
would be the one dancing with you." Resting her head
on his chest, she sighed. "Never in a million years did I
think it would be you. Now, I know I never could have
danced with anyone else."
thanks again to everyone for their sweet comments :) i'll post more tomorrow night :)
Raevengeance
12-07-04, 05:18 AM
awwwwwwwwwww
StargateGirl
12-07-04, 11:25 AM
Awwww.... I almost cried when they were reciting their vows. *sniffle*
AWWWW!!! This story is way too cute for words! :kissy:
Biondo Sorto
12-07-04, 07:33 PM
Aww that was cute, *tear*
Can't wait for more!!
thanks ya'll! :) more to come in a few minutes! :)
CONTINUED...
Back at the table, Lea watched her friends dance. It was
Nick who noticed when she began to cry. Getting Drew's
attention, he asked if she was okay. "Yeah," he replied.
"She just gets emotional real easy. The pregnancy has
messed her hormones up or something." Reaching over,
he began to rub her back. "It's just so beautiful." she
said between sniffles. Still sitting in Justin's lap, Emily
had grown quiet. Deep in thought, she finally asked
"Will ya'll sing at my wedding when I'm big?" In unison
the guys answered "Of course!" "We would do anything
for our Em." Drew said, pinching her cheek. "I know."
Emily replied with a matter-of-fact tone. "Boy, she sure
knows how to work you three!" Lea said with a laugh.
"That she does." Megan agreed, adding "And I fully
intend to master her technique." The whole table broke
into laughter. "I don't doubt you will." Nick replied with
a role of his baby blues.
CONTINUED...
The reception came to an end soon after the newlyweds
departed. After changing into more comfortable clothes,
the gang met at Nick's. As Emily and Patrick watched
movies in the rec room, the grown-ups visited in the
living. Not twenty minutes later Claire and Jeff showed
up. "I thought you two would be enjoying each other
by now." Drew teased. "Well, we don't leave for Muai
until tomorrow." Jeff explained. "We wanted to thank
you all for making our day even more special. Plus, we
didn't really get to say goodbye at the reception." Claire
added. "Where's Em?" they both asked next. "In the
rec room watching 'Harry Potter' with Patrick." Nick
replied. "Should they be in there alone?" Claire joked.
"I think they've resolved their issues." Megan said with
a laugh. "Yeah, I think my nephew to be has a crush on
our Emily." Nick remarked. At this point everyone was
just grateful they did not have to break up anymore
fights.
CONTINUED...
"Hey, thanks for taking Emily this week." Jeff told Drew
and Lea, "She's so excited!" Lea smiled "Oh! We are
too!" "Yeah, we love the munchkin." Drew added.
Knowing Emily would be with their friends made leaving
her behind easier. They knew she would have fun and
as always, be spoiled rotten. It was not long before
everyone was ready to go home. It had been an
exhausting, yet joyous day for them all. Carrying a
sleeping Emily to Drew's car, Jeff went over everything
again. "You can't forget to let her sleep with Puppers."
he said, referring to her stuffed dog. "If you don't,
she'll wake up looking for him. Also, no sweets after 8 pm
or she'll never go to bed. The list of numbers is in her
back pack. It's got her doctor's number, my mom's cell
number, and the number of the hotel we're staying at.."
"JEFF!" Drew interrupted. "Don't worry. We've only
known her since she was an hour old. Just go and enjoy
Claire!" he said with a wink. Buckling his little girl's
seatbelt, Jeff gently kissed her blonde head. "Daddy?" she
questioned sleepily, "Are you and Claire leaving
now?" Bending down to her level, he answered.
"Yes, sweetie. You be good for Drew and Lea.
Claire and I will bring you back something special."
"Promise to call me everyday?" she asked, half asleep.
Grinning, Jeff replied "Promise." Claire then leaned in
and kissed her cheek. "I love you Em." Now almost
asleep, she whispered in reply "I love you too."
Raevengeance
12-11-04, 12:19 AM
awwwwwww MORE Gidget! :)
StargateGirl
12-11-04, 09:35 AM
awww. :D
CONTINUED...
Driving home from Nick's, Justin thought about all his
buddies. Drew and Jeff were married and Nick was
engaged. As much as he enjoyed the single life, he
could see himself settling down someday soon. Once
the right girl came along, he'd happily give up his
bachelorhood. A smile crossed his face. His soulmate
could enter his life anyday now.
Back at Nick's, he and Megan were getting ready for
bed. While she went upstairs to change into her pj's, he
went to check on Patrick, who was still watching movies
in the rec room. Turning off the tv and dvd, Nick picked
up a sleeping Patrick. As he carried his soon-to-be
nephew upstairs, he thought to himself, "Before long
Meg will be my wife. I can't wait to have kids."
Excitement shot through him; raising a family with
Megan was enough to make him happy for the rest of
his life. For now, they would spend the week watching
Patrick. This suited him fine. As long as Meg was around
he knew things would be great.
CONTINUED...
Over at Drew and Lea's everyone was getting ready for
bed. Only a few minutes after they tucked her in, Emily's
shadow appeared in the doorway of Drew and Lea's
room. "What's the matter, Em?" Drew asked. Entering
the room, she replied "Puppers got scared in the dark
room." Lea looked at Drew. "I knew we whould have
set up the sofa bed in here. The guest room is too big
for such a little girl, especially at night." Turning to
Emily, she said "Sweetie, you and Puppers can sleep
in here for tonight. " Emily yawned happily as she
crawled in bed. "Puppers says thank you." Smiling, Lea
patted Puppers on the head. "Don't worry little guy.
Drew will set up the sofa bed for you two tomorrow."
Yawning again, Emily asked if Drew would sing to her.
Without saying a word, he began to sing "Because of
You". By the time he sang the last chorus she was
asleep. Lea watched as he made sure she was covered
by the blanket. Reaching for his hand, she rested it on
her very pregnant belly. Putting her hand on top of his,
she whispered "You are going to be a wonderful
daddy." Drew just smiled. He knew she was going to be
a wonderful mommy.
oh my...the next post is the last one...i'm going to miss my little story! thanks again to everyone for the kind words :)
CONTINUED...
Over at Jeff's, the newlyweds were preparing to spend
their first night as husband and wife. Claire was in the
bathroom changing into something lacy she had picked
out especially for the night. Sitting on the bed, Jeff
slid under the covers and closed his eyes. He could not
believe Claire was finally his. Deep in thought, he did
not notice when she entered the room. Eyes still
closed, he did not know she was there until he felt her
body lay down next to him. He opened his eyes as she
wrapped her arms around his bare chest. "Hey, babe."
he whispered. Smiling, Claire placed her finger on his
lips. "Shhh...just hold me." Holding her in his arms, he
began to kiss her p[arse]ionately. Suddenly, a sense of
peacefulness came over him. In his arms he held his
soulmate. After searching for what seemed an eternity,
he had finally found the one thing that completed
him. Sometimes, love just takes time. Her hand was now his
to hold and he would never let go.
~*THE END*~
Raevengeance
12-15-04, 04:51 AM
awwwwwwwwwwww - we have a NON-horndog Jeff ;)
Great story, Gidget - now you need to write the next story in the series where Justin finds his true love ;) LOL
StargateGirl
12-15-04, 11:04 AM
AWWW!!! :D
I loved reading your story. :)
thanks girls! :) LOL...i hadn't thought of that, rae! :)
Luv_98_Degrees
11-28-05, 04:22 PM
Awwww!!! Awesome story Gidget!!!! I really enjoyed reading it & I love the sweet ending!! Thanks for writing & please continue to!!!! :D :D
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