A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes by Angel of Music ([email protected]) Chapter 14 Erin was the first out of the car and was greeted by a hyper, but extremely adorable, black and tan Cocker Spaniel. The others piled out of the car, while Kevin held back. �Kristy, that was... incredible!� he said reverently, referring to her and Erin�s rendition of �Love Will Come To You�. Kristy smiled, took his hand in hers, and gave him a light kiss. �Thank you.� They emerged from the limo as Kristy�s parents stepped outside. �Mom, Dad, this is AJ, Nick, Brian, Howie and Kevin.� As Kristy introduced them, each guy stepped forward to shake hands with her smiling parents. When she and Erin had called to tell their parents that they were coming down and bringing friends, her mom had quickly guessed that this was somehow connected to the previous night�s concert. Kristy doubted her father knew anything about the concert... or the Backstreet Boys, for that matter... although the fact that his daughters had come to visit in a stretch limousine wasn�t lost on him. �And who�s this?� Kevin asked, kneeling to pet the enthusiastic furball at his and Kristy�s feet. �This would be Tanner,� Kristy replied as she bent down and affectionately rubbed the family�s �baby� behind his large floppy ears. �Tanner?� Howie asked, assessing the mostly black Cocker. Erin rolled her eyes towards her sister. �It�s short for D�Artagnan... from �The Three Musketeers�.� Erin shook her head and in a loud whisper that everyone could easily hear continued, �Kristy has a thing for Chris O�Donnell.� Kevin turned to Kristy and arched his eyebrows. �Oh really?� Kristy smiled guiltily and sent her sister a look that said �I can�t believe you just said that!� �I think he�s, um... a very talented actor,� she stammered, trying to sound convincing as Kevin and the other guys continued to look skeptical. �He doesn�t look bad in that �Robin-suit� either,� Kristy�s mom said, causing the guys to laugh, and Kristy and Erin to both groan �MOM!� �Do you share your mom�s opinion?� Kevin asked, trying to keep a straight face. Kristy shrugged and turned her twinkling eyes to Kevin. �It�s OK, but I�ve seen better.� She flashed Kevin a bright smile and batted her eyelashes a bit. �Uh oh... she�s pulling out the heavy artillery now,� her dad chuckled, recognizing the look Kristy was giving Kevin. Kevin turned to Mr. Butler and gestured to Kristy. �How�re you supposed to stay mad at a face like that?� �If you figure it out Kevin, let me know.� He smiled at the young man standing closely to his eldest daughter. �She mastered that look at about age 4, and has been using it to get out of trouble ever since!� Erin rolled her big brown eyes at her older sister who was smiling smugly at their father and Kevin. �Brat!� she teased. Kristy giggled and shook her golden blond head. �No, I believe that�s YOU. I�m an angel,� she said and batted her eyes again. Brian and Nick coughed loudly. Kristy turned to them with a less than angelic look on her face. �Problem boys?� �Where should we start?� Brian teased. Kristy giggled again, �Hey, I�m just telling it like it is... Erin?� Both girls reached into their purses and pulled out personalized key chains made from ceramic beads. Sure enough, Erin�s spelled out �Brat� and Kristy�s said �Angel�. �I don�t believe it,� Nick said, shaking his head. Kristy looked around at the group and her parents and shrugged. ��Princess� was just too long,� she said, sending Kevin a wink. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Kristy and her mom sat on a blanket in part of the expansive yard surrounding the Butlers� large remodeled farmhouse, off to the side of the garage. Erin emerged from the house bringing fresh Diet Cokes for �the girls� while �the boys� were engaged in a spirited game of three-on-three basketball. Kristy and Erin�s brother Mark had driven in shortly after his sisters had arrived with the guys. Kristy had to give her brother credit... he hadn�t made a single �Backdoor Boys� comment � at least, not yet � and was now goofing around with the guys like they�d been buddies for years. Kristy�s dad called a foul on AJ, sending Howie to the line. He made the first free throw, but missed the second one. His teammate Kevin grabbed the rebound and passed it off to Brian who made a beautiful shot from the perimeter. The three guys high-fived each other and Kristy and her mom clapped and yelled from the sideline. Mark turned from his teammates, AJ and Nick, and looked at his eldest sister and mom. �Hey! Whose side are you guys on?� Kevin ran over to Kristy and grabbed his bottled water from beside her, smiling warmly as his face came within inches of hers. AJ patted Mark on the shoulder as they watched the looks exchanged between the two. �Do you really need to ask that question?� Kevin took a long drink of the water and tossed the bottle back to Kristy as he rejoined the game. Nick inbounded the ball to Mark and Kevin aggressively guarded the youngest Butler sibling. Mark looked Kevin evenly in the eye as he dribbled the ball between his legs. �You hurt her and I�ll hurt you.� A slight frown crossed Kevin�s handsome face and he paused, giving Mark the perfect opportunity to drive to the basket. �You OK Train?� Brian asked his cousin, who was still standing back where Mark had left him. �So much for Kristy�s non-threatening little brother,� Kevin said with a wry smile. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The basketball game ended with a flourish. The teams had been evenly matched and were tied as �the ref� announced the next basket would decide the game. Nick was literally in Brian�s face as �The B-Rok� dribbled the ball before doing a no-look pass to Kevin who faked right and drove left to the basket, leaving Mark in his dust. Kristy jumped off the blanket and hugged Kevin enthusiastically as he ran over to the grass. �Ooh, you�re all sweaty!� she giggled as she half-heartedly tried to push Kevin away from her. Kevin laughed menacingly as he pulled her closer to his sweat-covered body and nuzzled his damp head into her neck. The sounds of Kristy�s squeals of laughter and Kevin�s deep chuckle carried across the quiet countryside. Erin and her mom smiled at their antics, knowing neither of them had seen Kristy this happy in ages. Kristy�s dad still didn�t fully comprehend who his children�s new friends were, but from what he�d seen, he approved. Mark stood in the middle of the pavement in front of the garage, surrounded by a group of men he never thought he�d be friends with � even if someone had paid him. While he still didn�t really like their music, in general he thought they were good guys... and they played a mean game of b-ball. Although he was somewhat protective of his sisters, anyone could see Kristy was crazy about Kevin, and that the feeling was more than mutual. Kevin released Kristy, the glimmer in his eye sending her running around the back of the garage. �Get her Kev!� Brian called out, smiling at how happy his cousin looked. Nick started around to the other side of the garage to see what was happening. Howie grabbed his shirt and held him back. �Leave �em alone...� �Yeah,� AJ agreed, grinning as Erin came over to join the conversation. �They haven�t kissed in what, like an hour? I�m surprised Kevin hasn�t gone into withdrawals by now.� A pained look crossed Mark�s face and he held his hands up to his ears. �Oh, I did NOT need to hear that!� �Oh right, �Mr. PDA�!� Erin teased her brother, referring to him and his fianc�. Behind the garage, Kristy stopped and turned, her eyes dancing with laughter as Kevin approached her. �Aren�t you gonna run?� he asked, smirking as she took a small step backwards. Kristy stood her ground and shook her head, �Uh uh.� ��Cause you know it would be pointless?� he asked, drawing closer. Again Kristy shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. Kevin stood before her and pulled her to him. ��Cause maybe I wanted to be caught!� she whispered suggestively in his ear. A chill ran down Kevin�s spine, Kristy�s breath warm on his neck. He started to move his head to kiss her, but stopped as he felt her soft lips on the sensitive skin slightly under his ear lobe. A smile crossed his face as he closed his eyes, enjoying her light kisses on his neck. Kristy felt a rush of pleasure when a soft moan escaped Kevin�s lips as she ran her tongue along the cord in his neck, tasting the saltiness of his skin. Kevin didn�t know how much longer he could stand her sweet torture and ran his hands through her thick, silky blond hair. Reluctantly, he pulled his head back and looked down into his angel�s face. Kristy�s pulse quickened even further as she saw his eyes, dark with desire. With his hands still buried in her hair, he brought her lips to his and claimed them... purposefully, possessively. Kristy let herself get lost in the kiss; all thoughts of family and friends erased by the feel of Kevin�s mouth on hers. Likewise, Kevin was only aware of how good Kristy tasted and felt in his arms, her body pressed closely against his. Finally, the two broke apart, Kevin resting his forehead on Kristy�s as they both tried to regain their breath and thoughts. �Your dad isn�t going to turn the sprinklers on on us, is he?� Kevin asked still feeling somewhat disoriented. He couldn�t quite believe the intensity of his feelings for Kristy. It was unlike anything he�d ever experienced before. Kristy laughed softly, her breathing still somewhat ragged. �Although that�s not such a bad idea!� Next: Chapter 15 -FanFics -Home