Chapter 17:
“Hey, ‘Ly—” I stopped dead in my tracks and let out a blood-curling scream. “My pajamas! You murdered my pajamas!”

Alyssa turned around with wide eyes and gaped at me. “I didn’t mean to!” Except, she had a brownie stuffed in her mouth, so it came out more like, “I difn’t meenf toof,”

I ran over to her. “What the hell! Those are my favorite, super expensive Victoria’s Secret Pink pajama pants! YOU MURDERED MY PANTS!”

“I’m sorrrry!” she exclaimed, pulling at the shreds with her fingers. The last shreds of my pants were around her legs. “I thought they’d fit. They fit last week, when I wore them over to Eric’s to feed Lucy.”

“How in the hell did you manage to kill my pants, then?” She turned around, and I caught sight of her ass. “Um, I think I figured out why my favorite pair of pajama pants are dead.” I pointed at her butt, which looked like it had gained about 10 pounds since last week. “’Lyss, what the hell have you been eating?”

Alyssa just blinked at me for two seconds and then burst into tears, running into my bathroom.

My eyes widened. “Crap, I forgot she was pregnant.” At that moment, Eric called me like he had ESPN and knew something was wrong.

“Where is she?”

“Bathroom.” I replied, miserably.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“Wha—? Me? She’s the one who destroyed my favorite pajamas.” I grimaced and pouted like a little baby.

“Oh God, you didn’t point out her butt to her, did you? She’s really sensitive about her weight right now, Dais!” I could literally hear him frowning at me through the phone.

“I’m sorry! I forgot she was prego! It’s not my fault, I mean, I just found out that you have a dick, which, by the way, gross.”

Despite his worry for his baby mama, I could hear him laugh. “Okay, here’s how you get her out of the bathroom: bribe her with brownies and tell her she isn’t fat, and if that doesn’t work, let me talk to her.”

“Are you sure she should be eating more brownies? I mean, she’s already big en—”

“Daisy! This is not helping your situation, you dolt!” I cringed away from the phone and walked tentatively towards my bathroom door.

“’Lyss?” I asked in a timid voice.

“Call her name louder, she probably can’t her you over her sobs.”

“Thanks, because that makes me feel so much better, best friend.” I whispered and then cleared my throat. “’Lyss?” I said a little louder.

This time, she responded with a sniffle.

“Come on out, babe. I’ve got more brownies,” I said, shaking the box of brownies I grabbed before heading to the door for emphasis.”

“I don’t want brownies.” I could hear her pouting through the door.

“Come on, babe. You’re not fat. I was just being insensitive. You’re still a hawt mama.” I said, hoping that’d make her feel better.

She stopped sniffling and I could hear her slowly turning the doorknob. “Really?”

“Definitely.” I smiled at her, and she sniffled.

“Who’s that on the phone?” she asked, like she didn’t already know.

“Baby daddy. Here’s your girl, Halvs. Thanks, by the way,” I said to Halvo before handing Alyssa the phone.

I let Eric comfort her and went to go sit down on the couch, catching up on the episode of America’s Best Dance Crew I had missed last week. Lil’ Mama was just about to criticize Poreotix, my favorite crew, when Alyssa handed me the phone with a cheerful sniffle and sat down with her new box of brownies.

I rolled my eyes at her and smiled at the familiar voice in the phone.

“Hey, foxy lady,” John sweet-talked.

I stifled a giggle and replied, “Oh, I’m sorry. I have a boyfriend. I mean, you sound hot and all, but I’m very committed to this awkward, giraffe-looking guy I’ve been in love with since, oh, what, the 6th grade?”

“Daisy. I-it’s me,” John was so easy to confuse.

“I know, you dolt. I was just messing with you. You are so gullible.” I laughed.

“Haha, oh.” I could practically feel him blushing and smiled.

“I miss you,”

“I miss you too, kitten,” I smiled at the endearment he had given me. “It’s just a few more weeks.”

“Ugh, I know but it feels like a month.” I frowned.

“Hey, it’ll be okay. We’ll see each other soon. You’ll have Alyssa and we’ll talk every night. I’ll even call you twice everyday.”

I giggled. “Oh, shut up. You won’t. You’ll be at a signing with a bunch of screaming girls around you and you’ll forget all about me.” I fake pouted.

“I don’t want any of them the way I want you. There is nothing they could give me that I would want. And why would I, when I already have the love of my life?”

“Aww, you are too sweet to me, loverboy. You know I love you, right?” I gushed.

“Of course. And I love you. I’ll call you later, okay? It’s time for band practice.”

“Okay. Have fun, good luck, and be safe. I love you.”

“I love you too, kitten.”

I hung up with a goofy smile on my face. I looked over at Alyssa and cracked up. She was staring at me with tears in her eyes. “Oh God, you guys are too cute.”

“Oh shut up, it’s just the hormones talking.” I laughed at her.
—
John was right; the days passed by, and cartons of brownies were eaten, and Alyssa’s belly swelled to the size of a small melon, and the hole in my life that John usually filled grew bigger, but on the day we were supposed to leave for New York, Alyssa couldn’t be any slower in getting out of the apartment.

I’d been anxious and got up to pack at 4 AM, and then went back to sleep, but woke up again at 5 and just stayed up reorganizing my spice cabinet. I didn’t even know I had a spice cabinet.

Alyssa trudged over at 9 in the morning with only a few minutes to spare. I had timed it perfectly. Our flight was at 12:30, so we’d get to the airport, check in with our luggage and such, get through security, and do whatever which would take up an hour and a half, counting the traffic and such, so we’d be done around 10:30, which would give us a few hours to have breakfast and just hang around.

“Why do we have to get up so early?” Alyssa whined.

“Alyssa, it’s 9 in the morning. This is not early. We need to get our asses to the airport.”

“But why? Our flight isn’t for a few hours.”

“Traffic, smart one. Besides, I want to be the first ones on the plane. I can’t wait to see him.”

“Look,” Alyssa said, placing her hand on my arm, comfortingly. “I know you’re anxious, but calm down. I’m anxious too.” She absentmindedly rubbed her growing tummy and I calmed a little. It must’ve been hard for her, too. So I calmed down, for her sake, and we finally got on the airplane, safe and sound.
—
I woke up to a loud, “Eep!” from the left of me. Prego lady had taken the window seat and made me take the middle seat, which I hated. I’m semi-claustrophobic.

“We’re finally here!” Alyssa squealed again, quietly into my ear.

I blinked at her, groggily. “Here? Which is…where?” I had taken a sleeping pill and temporarily forgot my own name.

“New York City, silly. I get to see my baby daddy soon.” she giggled and rubbed her belly.

I shook my head and looked out the window. There we were. My dream city. I smiled to myself, realizing that I’d soon be in John’s arms.

Alyssa and I rushed through the checkout, and found the guys beside our luggage. The second I saw John, I dropped my carry on bag and rammed my body into his awkward self. “Jawny!” I screamed, not caring about the people around us.

“I missed you too, kitten,” he laughed into my ear and I smiled into his stomach. Since he was like a giraffe, and I was like a penguin, I only came up to his chest and he had to bend down to kiss me.

“Ew, too much PDA.” Eric said, preferring to kiss Alyssa “hello” quietly on the lips.

“And what are you, the kiss cop?” I threw back.

“And what are you, the kiss cop?” he mimicked in a mocking voice.

“Great comeback.”

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes and hid behind Alyssa. I laughed.

“I missed you too, best fran.”

He stuck his tongue out at me, childishly, and I smiled, feeling at home already.
John and Alyssa laughed at the two of us.

“Let’s get the girls’ stuff back to the hotel. We have a show to go prepare for.” John took my hand, walked over to grab the bag that I dropped, and carried the other small suitcase I’d brought along. John had told the two of us to pack for a week, since we were going to stay in New York for a while after the tour was over.

The ride to the hotel was quiet and peaceful. I supposed the four of us were just glad we were all back together again.

When we got to the hotel, all of the band guys were out in the lobby, waiting for us. Alyssa and I had to endure about 50 hugs until we actually set foot in our rooms. John had rented a suite for us and the second I stepped in, I felt like I had just entered a Greek palace. The room was gorgeous; crystal chandelier, champagne colored walls, and fake flowers on every table, with a huge cozy-looking bed smack in the middle of the room.

“Oh man,” I said, spinning it a circle, trying to take it all in, “I could get used to staying here.”

We ended up staying in the hotel longer than we planned, if you know what I mean.
Alyssa and Eric had to drag us out of bed to get ready for the show. “I have a surprise for you,” John said, leaving me with a kiss and a promise of a surprise.

During the show, Alyssa and I stood backstage, watching our boys with pride oozing out of our pores at how far they had come. The show was finally closing up, and I thought John had forgotten about his surprise or whatever, when they stopped playing, and cut the lights except for the one spotlight on John.

“So, I don’t think you’ve all met my girlfriend, Daisy.” he said into the mic and all of the girls in the crowd went crazy.

What the hell is he doing? I thought to myself. “Is he trying to get me egged?” I whispered to Alyssa, and she just giggled at me, like she was in on the surprise.

“She’s here tonight. Daisy, come out here. I have a question I want to ask you.” he smiled over in my direction.

I slowly walked onstage and cringed as the spotlight hit me straight in the face. I giggled nervously when he took my hand. He kissed it and I relaxed a little.

That was, until he got down on one knee.

My mind immediately went blank, and I completely forgot where I was, and who I was. It always happened when I was shocked or nervous. I didn’t know how to react. My brain wasn’t processing what I was seeing.

“Daisy Kay,” John started and the crowd that had been screaming their heads off started quieting down. “the first day that I met you, the first time that I saw you in your yellow dress with your hair in pigtails with mismatching hair bows, I knew I’d grow up to fall in love with you. I mean, I didn’t realize it then, because that’d be cliché, and because you had ketchup all over your face, but I knew you’d be the one. So here I am before you, a man, nothing more, nothing less, asking for your hand in marriage. I love you, Daisy. I want to be with you forever.”

All I could hear was my heart. Thump. Thump. Thump.

It barely registered in my mind that everyone was screaming, “Say yes!”

It also barely registered with me that I had said yes, myself. John seemed to realized what I’d said and quickly stood up, pulling me to him and picked me up, spinning me in a circle. He kissed me hard on the mouth and let me go backstage so that they could finish their show.

“Fuck, John!” Garrett screamed into the mic after everyone had semi-simmered down. “You break her heart, we’ll break your face, bro. No matter how close we are.”

John just laughed. “I promise, I won’t break your heart, Daisy.” he grinned widely at me and I grinned right back. “Here’s a song that I wrote for Daisy back in high school. It’s called ‘Daisy.’”

“Well weren’t you the most original-thinking kid,” Kenny joked and everyone laughed.

Daisy O’Callaghan. Mrs. Daisy O’Callaghan. It had just occurred to me that instead of checking the “Ms.” box on forms, I’d have to check “Mrs.” from now on. Or did it not apply until we were actually married?
Married. I’m going to be a wife.
I watched the last of the performance and felt a little woozy. I’d just been proposed to by my best friend, the love of my life. I didn’t know where to go from here. I’d never been really big on change.

The House of Blues in New York City had a terrace on the top floor, which was where I found myself after the show had ended. New York wasn’t known for its amazing view of the stars, but tonight, it was cloudless and I could see the moon and the stars clearly.
I looked up, took a deep breath, and did the only thing I knew to do when I didn’t really know what to do; I prayed. I didn’t see myself as a very religious person. Actually, I’d dissented from God and religion altogether for a while when I was younger, but whenever I felt helpless, I’d pray. To God, or to whoever was up there.

I mean, who was I to be arrogant and completely write off the idea of any higher power? Maybe it wasn’t God, but there had to be someone up there, listening.

So I prayed.

“I know I haven’t done this in a while, but I’m scared. I mean, I know I shouldn’t be. The love of my life just proposed to me. But I’m scared. I don’t want to lose my best friend when he becomes my husband. I mean, I didn’t have a great role model for marriage growing up, so I don’t really know what to expect. I’ve lived my whole life thinking that nobody wanted me, and suddenly, now someone does. And he wants me forever. I’m just scared that I’m going to screw it up somehow.

“I don’t really know where I’m going with this. I guess I just wanted to ask for you, whoever you are, to help me through this. I love him, so, so, so, so, so much, and I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want him to marry me under false pretenses and five years later, realize that I’m not really the one he wants. I just want to be truly happy for once. I want to be able to be the couple who stays together till death does us part. So please. I’m asking for a little help.”

I closed my eyes as I finished my prayer and felt a reassuring breeze sweep over my face. I hoped that meant my prayer had been heard, for once.

I jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around me.

“You are the only one that I want. That is not going to change.” John whispered in my ear.

I smiled. “You’ve been eavesdropping.”

“Only because I’m concerned.” He hugged me tighter. “We don’t have to get married if you don’t really want to. I mean, I realize that would’ve been awkward if you had said no in front of everyone,” he added on, quietly.

I whipped around and put my hands on his cheeks. “Are you crazy? Of course I want to get married!” I nudged his nose with mine and felt his body relax. “I just don’t know how to be a wife.” I looked down at my feet, but stopped when he tugged my chin up.

“That’s okay. I don’t know how to be a husband. We’ll teach each other. That’s what marriage is. We’ll be okay. You are not your mother.”

He hugged me tight to his body after that, and we just stood together for a while.

“John, the fans are—oh, I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” Garrett’s voice broke us apart.

“Actually, no, we’re fine.” I smiled at Garrett. “You go ahead, Jawny.”

John smiled at his nickname and kissed me on the forehead, and as he walked away, somehow, I knew we would work, because we loved each other, and that was definitely enough.

Chapter by: Nickie