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Whenever You Call Chapter 11 Mariah was noticeably anxious. For the last two hours, she had been running around the hospital preparing for the Backstreet Boys arrival and helping the nurses gather the patients into the common area. Now that task was completed and she had time to dwell on the fact that she was meeting Kevin for the first time. The queasy feeling in her stomach threatened to make her sick while her mind raced with thoughts of what he would think of her. "Mariah," called Rachel, the activities director, "The Backstreet Boys are here. They are in the lounge visiting with some of the patients." The two women walked quickly to their destination knowing that the children would need to be controlled. "I still can't believe you managed to get them to come. You never did tell me your secret to getting them to agree to this." Mariah smiled weakly and tried to suppress the urge to run the other way. "Connections." When the duo entered the room, Rachel went to help one of the nurses wheel a young cancer patient into the room leaving Mariah alone to scan the room. Her eyes rested on a young man with sandy blonde hair. She swallowed her fear as she approached him. "Excuse me?" He glanced at her with his brilliant blue eyes. "Could you tell me where I might find Kevin Richardson?" Brian knew in that instant that this was Kevin's Mariah. She wasn't striking but still beautiful in her dark blue sundress with black sandals. A small silver cross hung around her neck. "Let me guess, Mariah Arseneaux?" The woman nodded. "Hi, I'm Kevin's cousin, Brian Littrell. 555-3597, at your service." Mariah grinned as she watched him bow. "Nice to meet you." He took her hand in his to kiss it and noticed how it trembled. "Hey, don't be nervous." "I just don't want Kevin to be disappointed." She tucked a stray auburn curl behind her left ear. "I want him to like me." "You know what? He isn't going to like you. He's going to LOVE you." In fact, I wonder if he already does. "Anyway, he's right over there." Mariah gazed in the direction Brian pointed and felt her breath catch in her throat. There talking to little Sarah, a five-year-old pediatric AIDS patient, was the sexiest man she'd ever seen. Kevin was tall, probably around six feet or so, dark hair. He sported a goatee on his chin making him look more the part of Rhett Butler than any other Southern man she'd seen. She could tell he worked out by the way the black sport coat hung off his broad shoulders and the way the white t-shirt clung to his chest. He turned in her direction as Sarah jumped into his arms for a hug. That's when Mariah saw his soulful green eyes. He was more than she had ever imagined. "Oh, my God. I can't do this," she said in a frightened whisper. She could feel her knees threatening to collapse beneath her. Brian squeezed her hand. "He has waited for this moment for more than six months, Mariah. The only way you'll disappoint him is if you leave. I promise he'll love you." With Brian's last words reverberating in her mind, Mariah inhaled a breath of courage and walked toward Kevin. When she was a few feet away, he swung Sarah onto his shoulders. In that moment, Mariah's blue eyes locked with his green ones. She saw a flicker of recognition before he mouth her name slowly. She nodded. Kevin carefully set Sarah back on the ground and gave the little girl another hug all the while not allowing his eyes to stray from the woman before him. He stepped forward and wordlessly enveloped her in a strong embrace. In a sense, he wanted to reassure himself that she was indeed real, that this wasn't some crazy dream. After what seemed a lifetime, Kevin unwrapped his arms from her body. "I can't believe it. Mariah. My Riah. It's.." "I know, Kev," she murmured with a smile. "You, you're so beautiful." "I clean up really well," she joked trying to lighten the mood. "You do, too." He did a turn as if on a fashion catwalk. "Guess so?" Kevin watched the other guys head toward the makeshift stage at the front of the room. "Sorry, Ri. Duty calls. I'll speak to you after the show. Promise." "Kevin?" He turned back. "Thanks so much for doing this." She kissed his cheek. He smiled. "Anything for you, darlin'." Mariah joined some of the children while the Backstreet Boys prepared for their accapella set. Kevin watched her silently before he heard A.J. call his name. "Hey, Kev, who's the chick?" he asked nodding his head in Mariah's direction. "That's Mariah." "Mariah? Oh, the girl who asked us to do the gig." He gazed at Kevin over his Ray Bans. "Mhmm, you got it SO bad. I thought you didn't believe in love at first sight?" "I don't. Listen, Bone, there is a bit more to me and Mariah. Things you don't know and couldn't possibly fathom."Next: Chapter 12 |