JENNIE

My spontaneous, erratic, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants sister arrived with a half-dozen pieces of luggage. Just by the look of her, I had a feeling she was staying for more than one concert. And her belly had grown so much bigger since the last time I'd seen her. Her waddle had turned genuine. As I wrapped my arms around her, the baby pressed against my stomach. Giggling, I leaned down and placed a hand over the protrusion. "Hi, Max," I cooed.

"It's Maximus," Jackson interrupted, brushing me aside to collect Jisoo into his arms. Grabbing her face, he greeted her with his tongue. It was a little over the top on the PDA scale, but I'd been watching Jackson ever since his admission that he hadn't been with anyone else since Jisoo told him she was pregnant, and from all I'd seen, he was telling the truth. And that was a lot of abstinence for the horn dog; he had to be practically dying on a daily basis.

When they pulled apart, my sister's deep green eyes scoured Jackson's body like she was starving and he was a prime rib dinner. She'd been "abstaining" too, and had a sex drive just as insatiable as Jackson's. Great. Unless I locked myself away somewhere, there was no way I'd be able to avoid hearing, and possibly seeing, their sex-ploits. This was going to be a long visit.

The two of them were all hands and lips in the car. Grimacing as he sat beside the pair, Lucas asked, "We are going straight back to the hotel, right?"

Lisa and Evan laughed while I did my best to ignore the fact that Jackson and my sister were panting. I was keeping my gaze strictly on the scenery flying past, but I could hear clothes rustling. God, I hoped they were both still fully dressed. If I heard a zipper, I was out of the car, regardless if it was speeding down the freeway or not.

The behemoth of an SUV finally arrived at the St. Regis Atlanta. The posh hotel was a tall, stately building that screamed elegance and opulence. A fountain in front highlighted a covered drop-off area paved with what looked like slabs of slate. Everything about the architecture was designed to intimidate and impress. But the beauty of the building was lost on me at that moment; I didn't care how nice the hotel was, I just wanted out of the car. When the vehicle stopped, band members poured out of it like something toxic had been released inside. Evan and Lisa were still chuckling as they started gathering Jisoo's luggage from the back. Lucas looked ill. Jisoo and Jackson didn't get out of the car.

A bellhop magically appeared with a luggage rack, and our driver took over the unpacking job from Evan and Lisa. We had a handful of drivers available to us whenever we went anywhere. All of them were arranged by the label. This one's name was Paul. He was polite, competent, and most of all silent; he only spoke to us if we asked him a direct question. I was sure that was why the label employed him. Who knows how many nondisclosures he'd had to sign.

Evan and Lucas walked away with the bellhop while Paul went back to the driver's side and climbed inside. I stood by the back with Lisa, waiting for my sister to get out of the car. Seconds turned into minutes. The weather there was beautiful for late October. While back home it would be starting to bluster, rain, and turn frigid at night, here it felt like a perfectly breezy spring day. Still, I did not feel like spending the entire day waiting for my sister to get out of the damn car.

Paul was sitting behind the wheel, politely waiting for the rock star to finish . . . whatever he was doing to Jisoo. Not wanting to interrupt them myself, I twisted to Lisa. "Can you . . . ?" I indicated the backseat of the tank in front of us.

Lisa smirked, payback in her eyes. "I would love to."

She strutted over to the door, swung it wide open, and reached inside. God, I really hoped they were still dressed. A second later, Lisa reemerged with a disheveled Jackson. Jackson glowered at Lisa, pushing her hands away from him. His jeans were open. The sight made my stomach tighten. Jackson was just about to launch into a curse-filled rant when my sister slid out of the door. She kissed Jackson's cheek as she readjusted the clingy maternity dress she was wearing. Jackson's objections immediately died off. Jisoo walked over to me and looped her arm around mine like she hadn't just been rounding third base in the back of an occupied vehicle.

"This is going to be so much fun, Jennie!" she squealed, squeezing me tight. As she pulled me toward the hotel, I looked behind us. Jackson's eyes were glued on her ass; he still hadn't zipped up his pants.

The bellhop was waiting for us when we entered the lobby. I had to give this hotel high scores in the Wow department. The lobby looked straight out of Gone With the Wind—sweeping grand staircases, crystal chandeliers, hardwood floors, and exquisitely detailed rugs. While Jisoo gaped at the luxury around us, Lucas and Evan made arrangements for her at the front desk. It warmed me that the boys so easily accepted girlfriends and wives joining them, whether for short or long bursts. As far as twenty-something rock stars went, the guys weren't your stereotypical hotel-room trashing, groupie-banging, party-all-night divas. Well, most of the guys weren't, and they kept Jackson in line.

When the bellhop got the okay to lead Jisoo to our rooms, we made our way to the elevator. Lisa and Jackson were back by that time, but they had to wait for the next car. This hotel was plusher than any hotel I'd been in back home, ten times nicer than my honeymoon suite with Lisa. The inner doors of the elevator were made of burnished brass, and Jisoo's and my reflection stared back at us. Jisoo preened while I examined her belly. "I'm thrilled to see you, Jisoo, but should you really be traveling in your condition?"

Jisoo stopped running her fingers through her board-straight, dark brown locks. "Condition? I'm not diseased."

The bellhop's lips twitched. His head was facing straight forward, but the reflective doors made it pretty obvious that his gaze was blatantly fixed on Jisoo's ample chest. Sort of wanting to block his view, I told my sister, "Yeah, but what if you went into labor early, on the plane or something?"

Jisoo gave me a humoring smile as she wrapped her arm around me. "You worry too much. Besides, how awesome would that story be?" Her fingers spread in the air like she was reading a headline. "'Baby Boy Delivered at 30,000 Feet.' Film at eleven."

The bellhop snorted, switching it to a cough. Jisoo flashed him an award-winning smile. I couldn't help feeling just a tiny smidge of jealousy. Ah, to be as breezy as my sister. Somehow, the I-don't-give-a-crap gene had skipped me. The elevator dinged to a stop, and the bellhop politely indicated for us to go first. I wasn't sure if that was his training or if he wanted a peek at the backside that had Jackson poised for action.

As we walked along the thick carpet, I glanced at the copious amount of luggage my sister had decided she couldn't live without. "You sure brought a lot of stuff for one concert," I murmured.

Grasping my hand in hers, Jisoo giggled. "Actually, I'm staying."

All of the muscles in my jaw stopped working. "You are? But, what about your job?" Jisoo worked at the "family" restaurant, Hooters. Her manager had spent a lot of time and energy mentoring her on the business side of the restaurant. Up until, well, yesterday, Jisoo's plan had been to get into management after the baby. Had she up and quit her job? Actually, that would not surprise me in the least.

Not a care in the world, Jisoo shrugged. "I decided to go on maternity leave."

We arrived at the end of the hallway where the rock star's rooms were. The D-Bags and I had two rooms on one side of the hall, and the three members of Holeshot had one room on the other side. Niki had the entire penthouse suite. I had a feeling that Jisoo and Jackson would be confiscating one of the D-Bags' rooms, and the rest of us were going to be very cozy for a while. Maybe Lisa and I would return to our bus sanctuary quicker than I thought.

Still a little shocked, I sputtered, "But you have a month left," as I used my key to unlock one of the rooms.

Jiaoo walked through like she owned the place. "I know! Just one month to be wild and crazy and completely carefree." Walking over to a crisply made bed, she sprawled herself across the elaborately brocaded cover. "Why would I want to waste my last chance at freedom being shackled to a restaurant when I could be touring the country with a bunch of rock stars?" She raised an eyebrow at me, like I should completely understand. I did. I just also understood the reality of her situation.

I sat beside her as her luggage was wheeled into the room. "But what about the baby? Where are you going to have him?"

Her face turned droll. "Call me crazy, but I was planning on having him in a hospital."

I shook my head. "What if we're not near one when you go into labor? What if we're in the middle of nowhere?" Oh God, was I going to have to deliver my sister's baby? On a tour bus? I felt a little sick just thinking about it. I was not a blood, mucus, and gore-friendly person.

She waved my concerns away. "It will be fine, Jennie. Don't stress so much."

I knew that the delivery part of having a baby actually did worry my carefree sister, and I started to wonder if that was the real reason for her escape from Seattle. My sister could do denial better than anyone.

Jackson and Lisa popped into the room a minute later. Lisa tipped the bellhop while Jackson lay down on the bed next to my sister. His hands were under her dress before I even had a chance to turn away. Feeling my cheeks heat as the sounds of lip-smacking filled the air, I hurried over to Lisa. She was lightly laughing at the frisky pair of reunited lovers. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her from the room and tossed over my shoulder, "Catch you guys later."

Jisoo mumbled some response, then let out a low moan. I quickly closed their door and headed over to the other room reserved for the D-Bags. Jisoo and Jackson could have that room all to themselves. That was just fine.

Just as she'd said, Jisoo stayed with us after the concert. When the busses packed up and left Atlanta, my sister packed up and headed out with us. Jackson was in seventh heaven now that Jisoo was with him again. A part of me wanted to believe that it was just because he was having regular sex again—a lot of regular sex—but there were brief moments of tenderness in between the sex that made me wonder if Jackson really did love my sister, and if she really did love him.

I certainly enjoyed having some more feminine energy on the bus while we traveled, and I loved having my sister close to me again; it was nice to have someone to talk to about all the craziness going on. The only thing I didn't love was the loss of my marriage bed. Jackson and Jisoo evicted Lisa and me from our bedroom the minute she climbed on board. And I couldn't even really complain about it because she was pregnant—very pregnant. Making her sleep in an uncomfortable cubby would be cruel.

So I grudgingly squished myself between Lisa and the bus wall every night and tried to ignore the lack of privacy, space, and comfort. It's okay, I love my sister and she needs the room more than I do became my new bedtime mantra as I attempted to fall asleep amidst the snoring, shuffling, and chatting of my many rock-star bunk mates.

Waking up with a kink in my neck after another restless night, I debated if Lisa and I could rent a motor home for the remainder of the tour. The hole-in-the-wall bunks even made me miss our thin mattress on Justin's bus. It was dark in our cubby, and the bus was unusually quiet. I figured it was still early, or late. I didn't know. Time was meaningless when alternating between packing up late at night and heading out early in the morning. And crisscrossing over time zones only added to the confusion. My internal clock was all sorts of messed up. I only knew that I was awake while others appeared to be asleep.

The sleeping portion of the bus had no windows, and the thin gray curtain that gave us the illusion of privacy was fully extended. It was peaceful, if cramped. My eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light, and blocky shapes sharpened into distinct objects. A smiling set of lips were the first thing I noticed.

"Mornin'," Lisa whispered.

I stretched my tight joints and carefully turned my neck; it ached badly. I was going to have to invest in a therapeutic pillow soon. "Good morning . . . is it morning?" I yawned.

Her hand on my stomach shifted to my side, pulling me into her. "No idea."

Lisa was tall, a bit too tall for the cubbies, and her knees were pressing into my thighs. As we scooted closer together, I wrapped my legs around hers. Coincidentally, our bodies lined up right "there." Lisa's grin widened as she leaned in to give me a soft kiss. "Sleep well?" she asked.

My neck complaining, I shook my head. "Not really. I miss our bed."

Lisa frowned as she shifted around; her head bumped the top of the cubby while her feet kicked the side and her elbow brushed the curtain. "Me too, I feel like a sardine in here."

Sighing, I laced my arms around her neck. "I suppose we don't always have to sleep together. We might sleep better apart."

Lisa hugged me to her bare chest, her long arms wrapping over and under my ribcage. "I'd rather go without sleep than without you."

As we lightly kissed, Lisa's hands slid under my tank top. Loving the feeling of her skin dancing over mine, I melded my body into hers. Maybe being cramped wasn't such a bad thing after all, although it did lend itself to intimacy problems. We hadn't been together much since my sister had joined the tour a couple of weeks ago. I was sort of dying to make love to her.

I could tell that Lisa was dying too, as one of her hands followed the curve of my spine and darted beneath my underwear to rest on my backside. I stifled a groan and pressed my hips into hers. Cramped or not, we could make this work. Our kiss picked up as her hand massaged my skin. My fingers tangled in her hair, drawing her into me.

With some shuffling, cursing, and light banging on the sides of the cubby, we resituated so that Lisa was on her back and I was on top of her. There was not a lot of room, and my back almost touched the top of the cubby. It gave me a weird feeling to know that Evan was sleeping just a few feet above me. Lisa's knees were raised as I straddled her, and she pressed against the back of the cubby to lift her hips. I shoved aside the thought that Lucas's head was essentially right next to Lisa's feet.

Now that our sensitive parts were crushing together unimpeded, the rush of desire blossoming in my core spread throughout every nerve in my body like a wildfire. Not wanting to cry out, I clamped my teeth around Lisa's shoulder. She sucked in a breath and started pulling down my lounge pants. Damn clothes. They were difficult to get off in such a tight space, especially with covers wrapped around us, and both of us were panting with exertion and excitement as we tried to shove them down my hips. God, why didn't I sleep naked? With more curse words and scuffling, we finally managed to get them around my legs. Lisa reached down and looped them off of my foot. I kicked with my other foot, not caring where my clothes ended up at this point. I thought I saw them disappear out the cubby curtain.

I attacked Lisa's mouth while ripping at her boxers. I wanted her so badly, I might just tear the damn things off. Stilling my needy hips, Lisa lifted her and shoved her clothes down, but not off. That was fine with me; I just needed them out of the way. Positive I would explode any second, I pushed myself onto her once she was free. Lisa groaned and I clamped my hand over her mouth. It was still quiet in here, and as long as it was still quiet, I could pretend that we were completely alone.

We moved together with forceful determination. I didn't need foreplay, I didn't need teasing. I just needed her. I was all too aware of the creaking sound we were making, the unnatural rapidness of our breath, the seductive sound of skin on skin. There would be no way to deny what we were doing, if someone did happen to wake up. I didn't care anymore though—the look on Lisa's face, the fire raging at our point of connection—that was all I let fill my mind.

As the coiling in my body started to reach an apex, I moved my fingers away from Lisa's mouth and clamped my lips over hers. Lisa's hand came up to the back of my neck, securely holding me in place. We wherpered between our fierce kisses. Just as I was sure I couldn't take anymore, I felt the glory of my release as I crashed over the edge. Lisa stiffened below me, and I knew she was feeling her own climax. I loved that we were experiencing it together. My body shook as I quietly contained the explosion shivering through me in waves. Lisa squirmed underneath me, her eyes squeezing closed as she contained hers. Somehow, the self-imposed silence made the moment even more intense.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily. I slumped in her arms as she let out a long, steady exhale. I listened for the telltale sound of movement as our breaths evened, but I didn't hear anything, thank God.

I cuddled with Lisa for as long as I could, but my body was fully awake now and I needed to use the facilities. I looked around for my pants before remembering that they had fallen into the aisle. Awesome. Carefully scooting over Lisa, who took the opportunity to tickle my sides—not helping my bladder at all—I peeked my head out of our curtain. Since we were on the bottom of the stack, my pants hadn't fallen too far. As I reached out for them, I noticed that the curtain was pulled back on the cubby directly across from me. Deacon was partially sitting up, reading a book with a soft night-light.

All of the blood drained from my face as he glanced over at me retrieving the bottom half of my pajamas. Thankfully, I was still wearing the top half. Now I remembered exactly why I didn't go to bed naked. As I stared in horror, Deacon lifted his hand in a small wave. It was too dark for me to know for sure if he was embarrassed or not, but his smile was appropriately sheepish.

I opened and shut my mouth like a guppy that had been yanked out of its fishbowl. What do I say? Should I apologize? Should he? What was the proper etiquette in this situation? What would Miss Manners do? As I was floundering for something to ease the awkwardness, Deacon reached up and removed a small speaker from his ear; his long, dark hair had been hiding them from my sight. The tinny sound of loud rock music drifted over to me as he whispered, "Did you say something?"

I instantly relaxed. He hadn't heard anything. But Deacon wasn't an idiot. He'd seen my pants falling to the floor, and he was staring at me picking them back up. He knew. And I really didn't know how long he'd been awake, reading and listening to music. We may have stirred him from sleep, and he may have turned on his music to tune us out once he realized what we were engaged in right next to him. At least he was polite. If Jackson were across the aisle from us, he probably would have grabbed his cell phone and started recording.

Clutching my pants, I quickly shook my head and darted back into the solace of my Lisa-filled cubby. When I buried my head in her chest, Lisa asked, "Problem?"

I peeked up at her. "I really miss our room."

Lisa gave me a lopsided grin. "We'll start getting our own room at the hotel when we can."

I took what comfort from that as I could; brief moments of privacy were better than none at all. Dressing hastily, I accidently kneed my love in the privates, making her scrunch in pain. She glared at me as she clutched herself. "Sorry," I whispered, kissing her cheek.

"Definitely getting our own room," she muttered, closing her eyes.

Feeling bad and amused, I quickly left Lisa and made my way to the back of the bus to use the bathroom. I purposely kept my eyes on the tiny LED lights in the floor. I didn't want to see any other open cubbies. Ignorance was bliss.

By early afternoon, we were pulling into Charlotte, North Carolina; the concert tonight was at Time Warner Cable Arena. Jisoo was using my laptop to surf the Internet as everyone on the bus relaxed in the lounge section. Lisa and Evan were playing poker on one side of the room with Deacon and the bassist from Holeshot, David. Thankfully, Deacon hadn't said a word to me about our awkward exchange this morning. Lucas was having a quiet conversation on his cell phone, most likely with Rachel. The other Holeshot band member, the drummer, Ray, was playing Guitar Hero with Jackson. Jackson was winning hands down. Like I had been for the past hour, I was impatiently waiting for Jisoo to finish with my computer so I could write a paragraph or two before the show. Every time I'd asked for it back, she'd given me the "just a minute" finger. She was visiting a parenting website, though, so I didn't push her too hard. I could go back to my old-fashioned notebook for a little while longer.

Looking up at the thick, dreary clouds hanging low in the North Carolina sky, Jisoo pouted and murmured, "I miss Florida."

After Atlanta, we'd spent some time in the Sunshine State. Miami was a big hit with my sister; even bursting at the seams pregnant, she'd had a good time. She'd been delighted that she could sunbathe in the middle of autumn, and was even up for some club-hopping after the guys' show. I reminded her that she was due in a couple of weeks, so maybe bumping and grinding at a night club wasn't the best idea. The band's concerts were loud enough, no need for baby Maximus to be born deaf by dancing the night away in bass-thumping nightclubs. Jisoo had scoffed at me, but with a big yawn had finally conceded. She'd gone on to bump and grind the night away privately with Jackson.

Giving my sister a humoring smile, I tapped my pen against my pad of paper while I thought about the way Lisa and I had reunited. I was approaching the tail end of our story, my favorite part of it, truly, when I'd stopped living in fear and had finally accepted the fact that we were meant to be together. The moment flooded back to me, absorbing me, and my mind began to spin faster than my pen could keep up.

Jisoo's attention refocused on the computer in front of her while I whipped through an especially emotional segment of my life. After a brief moment of peace, Jisoo loudly snorted, completely breaking my concentration. "What?" I asked, a little perturbed. Between her talking to me every five seconds, the loud twang of poorly played rock songs, and the good-natured ribbing going on at the poker table—usually at Lisa's expense—I probably would have had better luck concentrating in the comparatively quiet, but cramped, cubby.

"Did you know there are websites solely dedicated to proving Lisa's sex tape is with Niki?"

That question got my complete and total attention, and I set down my pad of paper with a long sigh. Well, of course there were. Seeing that she'd sucked me in, Jisoo twirled the laptop around on the table so I could see the screen. Sure enough, someone had created a blog that centered around proving—without a doubt—that Lisa and Niki had filmed themselves having sex. What the hell?

The page was plastered with still shots of Joey's movie. The dark, grainy images were enlarged and out of focus, but objects in the photographs were circled, and fantastical theories of the objects' significance were explained in detail beneath them. Seeing Lisa's bare back while she was plunging into another woman was way more than I'd ever wanted to see. It brought the horror of watching her film that music video fresh to my mind. Only this was worse. This was real. And I didn't want to see anymore.

Grimacing, I swung the screen back around toward my sister. Her jade eyes glanced Lisa's way and then she leaned forward, like she was spilling top secret information. "They're comparing still shots of Niki's original tape, looking for similarities. They're pointing out a mark on Joey's inner thigh that sort of matches a birthmark on Niki." She rolled her eyes while I tried not to think about the angle needed to get a still shot of Joey's thigh. "And even more absurd, they're claiming that an alarm clock in the room exactly matches one in a hotel nearby where the video for 'Regretfully' was filmed. They're saying they 'rehearsed' for the music video." She lifted her eyebrow at me, amused. "What a stretch, huh?" She pointed at the screen I refused to look at again. "It's so obvious that it's Joey's room they're in."

My veins suddenly felt like I'd injected ice water into them. Oh. My. God. Lisa and Joey filmed this in her old bedroom at her house. My old bedroom. The bedroom I had shared with Taehyung. The furniture I had shared with Taehyung. Lisa and Joey had sex on the same mattress Taehyung and I had sex on. The thought made my stomach roil.

I looked over at Lisa shaking her head at Evan as she tossed down her cards in defeat. Did she realize the six degrees of separation that had occurred on Joey's mattress? Well, she knew that we'd all had sex on that bed, sure, but I doubt she'd thought too much about it. I mean, she'd taken plenty of girls on her own bed, and being with her there didn't bother me, so why would her being on my old bed matter? It didn't, not really. I guess it was just the knowledge of Lisa and Taehyung both using the same mattress that disturbed me some. Regardless of the horrible things I'd done, I'd never crossed the line and invited Lisa into the bed I'd shared with Taehyung. It was an arbitrary line, I know, but at least I'd had one.

Blocking out the mental image of Lisa screwing someone on Taehyung's and my bed, I shifted my attention back to my sister. "How can you tell it's my old room from these blurry photos?" Narrowing my eyes, I instantly came up with the obvious answer. "You watched Lisa's sex tape?"

Jisoo waved her hand at me dismissively. "You told me to, remember?" Her manicured nail tapped the spot just above her heart. "And you were right, no tattoo."

I wanted to be irritated at that, but I had told all of my friends to watch the tape so they would know without a doubt that it wasn't Lisa. I guess I couldn't really complain. I'd just never really thought my friends would watch it. I thought they'd be swayed by my unwavering declaration of Lisa's fidelity and take my word for it without actually viewing the triple-X footage. I should have known better. At least when it came to Jisoo. She'd probably hunkered down with a huge bowl of popcorn and eagerly watched Lisa in action. The frown on my face was irremovable.

Jisoo pursed her lips. "Oh, come on. If you weren't dating Sex on a Stick, you would want to watch the tape too. It's freaking hot."

"Jisoo!" I reached over and smacked her arm. "I don't want to hear stuff like that!"

She cringed, looking apologetic. "Sorry, but, well, look at her."

She swished her hand in Sex on a Stick's direction, and we both twisted to stare at Lisa. Our synchronized movement caught her attention and she looked over our way. She paused mid-laugh as her eyes darted between us. Looking for all the world like she'd just gotten caught with her fingers in the cookie jar, she mouthed, "What?"

Still eyeing Lisa, Jisoo muttered, "Anything she filmed would be freaking hot." Not answering Lisa, I glanced back at my sister. Her grin was lascivious as she told me, "Your tape with her would melt this computer."

My annoyance evaporated after her comment and a tension-relieving giggle escaped from me. When Jisoo and I looked back at Lisa, she was still watching us with a bewildered expression. Jisoo and I both broke into laughter. Was I really amused that my sex tape with her would be more explosive than Joey's? When did my life get so surreal?

Our amusement died down by the time we pulled into the venue. Shutting my laptop, Jisoo finally gave me back my computer. As I listened to the busses' brakes squeal and groan, Jisoo spoke in an oddly serious tone of voice. "Have you talked to Mom recently?"

The genuine concern in her question made my heart rate quicken. Was Mom okay? Had something happened? She'd been cancer-free for years, but maybe something had cropped back up? But surely Dad would call me if that were the case. And she hadn't sounded upset when I'd last spoken with her, a few days ago. "A little while ago, why?"

I chewed on my lip, not liking the look on Jisoo's face. "You need to call her immediately." I was preparing my body to sprint to the back of the bus to get my phone when she added, "Since your wedding is a little over a month away, and you put her in charge of everything, which makes me think you're crazy . . . she picked out a dress for you. She sent me a picture." Jisoo wrinkled her face in disgust.

I completely relaxed as I fell back into the plush seat. Good, wedding drama I could deal with. As I laughed at my sister, the bus groaned to a stop. "I'm sure it's fine, Jisoo."

Jisoo leaned forward again, face intent. "No, you haven't seen this thing. It's got puffy sleeves, Jennie. Puffy. Sleeves. You need to do something about this ASAP!"

I sighed. There wasn't much I could do about it on the road. And I really didn't feel like flying home just to demean my mom's fashion choice. Sure, puffy sleeves didn't exactly sound fabulous to me, but since this ceremony was mainly for her anyway, did I really care what I wore? Not really. All I cared about was Lisa. Everything else seemed . . . insignificant.

Playing with my sister's head, I smirked and told her, "I can't wait to see what she picked up for your dress, Maid of Honor."

Jisoo flashed a wide grin, happy that I'd given her the top spot in my bridal party. Then her face fell. "Holy shit! She wouldn't . . ." I kept my gaze level and my smile even. Yeah, she would. Holding her belly, Jisoo sprang from the table and shuffled her way toward the back of the bus, surely to go inform our mother that there was no way in hell she was wearing anything with taffeta.

With practiced ease, the crew traveling with the bands sets up the stage. Unlike Justin's tour, the "talent" didn't help with the equipment. They didn't really need to; there were more than enough people around to take care of it. After a brief sound check, Niki, Holeshot, and the D-Bags spent an hour or so with the fans doing a very formal type of meet-and-greet. While the majority of the fans won the right to meet Niki and the guys, some of the uberNiki fans had actually purchased the VIP treatment. As always, Rosé and Niki's bodyguards were on hand to help corral the crowd of nearly hyperventilating devotees. Our necks adorned with our All Access passes, my sister and I waited in the room buzzing with expectant energy.

Rosé was laying down the ground rules for the fans—no one was allowed to hug the band members, and everyone only had ten to fifteen seconds per person before they would be forcefully moved on down the line. It was all so mechanical, like a rock-star assembly line. Lisa's attentiveness to her fans had bothered me at one point, but it was preferable to the standoffishness being presented here—Look but don't touch was practically being shouted from the rafters.

But it didn't really matter what Lisa's wishes were. This was Niki's show, and Niki's rules, and she preferred a little space between her and her admirers. Made me wonder if she'd had some bad run-ins in the past. Probably. Idly, I wondered if Lisa would attract a few crazies. Thinking of Candy and Joey, I considered the fact that maybe she already had.

There was an electric buzz in the large, rectangular room as the fans waited for their moment in the sun with the rock stars. Sitting on chairs in the corner of the room, Jisoo and I scanned the bizarre festivities with amused smiles. Knowing the people that were being adulated was surreal. As always, there were a lot of D-Bags fans in the bunch; I could tell by their shirts. Unfortunately, there were also several people wearing Lis-Nik shirts. The Lisa/Niki supporters had started springing up everywhere recently. There were huge banners at every show now, and even fan-made montages of them online. While artistically beautiful, I hated those damn videos.

Blinking in disbelief, I stared at a Lis-Nik fan in front of me who was holding a pair of underwear. Was she really going to ask Lisa to sign her skivvies? Then I noticed what was on the underwear and my mouth fell to my chest. "Oh my God, Jisoo"—I indicated the young girl showing the panties to her friend—"check those out."

Jisoo looked over and started laughing. Some forward thinking woman had embroidered a pair of lacey briefs with the letters LM on the front, and the words Rock God on the back. Laughing into my hand, I imagined wearing those for Lisa. She would flip out . . . in a good way.

Jisoo must have been thinking the same thing. Working her way to her feet, she sniggered, "I have to have those." She sauntered up to the girl and flashed her pass. Then she said something and jerked her thumb back at me. The fan started hopping up and down on her feet, and immediately tossed Jisoo the underwear. She and her friend were squealing when Jisoo walked away.

"What did you promise them?" I asked, knowing full well it involved me somehow.

Handing me the underwear, Jisoo crooked a Lisa-worthy smile. "That you were Lisa's personal assistant, and you would get them a private meeting if they handed over the goods."

I rolled my eyes at her. How was I supposed to do that? Rosé was all over getting the fans into and out of the building as quickly as possible. She'd never let one stay behind for a private get together. Grinning at the fabric in my hands, I decided I would find a way, even if I had to seriously piss off Rosé. These panties were too freaking awesome to not give the girl something in return.

As I stood up and stuffed the underwear in my pocket, the rock stars finally showed up. I plugged my ears until the screaming died down. Holeshot came in first, Deacon, David, and Ray waving as they made their way to their assigned area along one long wall of the room. The fans clustered in the center of the room naturally shifted toward the band members. I had to smile at Deacon; he had his long hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He always did this when he met with fans. He'd told me once that he'd lost a good chunk of hair to some over-eager admirers, so he was a little more careful now with his locks. David and Ray didn't have that issue. David shaved his head completely bald, and Ray's blond hair was about a quarter inch long.

The D-Bags appeared not long after Holeshot. I cringed and plugged my ears again for longer this time. Jisoo joined in with the fans' catcalls as our guya took their spot on the wall next to Deacon and his band. Lucas was blushing and looked horribly uncomfortable as he ran his hand through his spiky, blond hair in an obsessive-compulsive fashion. This part never was a favorite of his. I sympathized. I didn't like being put on display either.

Evan was laid-back and comfortable as his warm brown eyes scanned the room packed with people. The flames on his forearms lined up perfectly as he crossed his arms over his chest; his grin was contagious. Jackson looked like he was the self-proclaimed ruler of this arena, and everyone in his presence was his faithful servant. He huffed into his hand, checking his breath, then rubbed his palms together and flashed a predatory smile, like some poor girl was about to lose her virtue tonight. I didn't buy the act, though. Jisoo had somehow tamed the beast, at least for now.

Last but not least, there was Lisa. My wife was dressed for comfort, like she always was, in a plain black shirt and loose jeans that hugged her where they needed to. The simplicity of her outfit amplified the attractiveness of her face. Once a person recovered from the hint of an amazing physique hiding beneath her clothes, her eyes and smile commanded their attention—along with her hair. Couldn't forget the impossible sexiness of her head of bedroom hair. Lisa's face wore a look of simmering seduction as she scanned the crowd. I knew she was looking for me, but the fans between us seemed to think her intense brown eyes were scouring the throngs for a potential mate. And many of them looked more than willing to volunteer, even some of the really young ones, which was a little disturbing.

I giggled as I watched her look for me. I couldn't wait to show her the surprise in my pocket.

With a small entourage swarming around her like bees following a pollen-filled flower, Niki breezed into the packed room. According to Rosé's earlier speech, Niki was supposed to be standing near the doors, the last stop of the fan locomotive. But Niki didn't seem to care about Rosé's carefully laid plans and purposely strode over to stand between Lisa and Lucas, making a flushed Lucas now the end of the line. Lisa looked over at Niki, her expression blank. She smiled and bumped her shoulder against her in a display of friendly camaraderie. Cameras started snapping, eating up the playful antics of the beautiful couple that were madly and deeply in love with each other. Yeah, right.

I held my irritation in check as best I could. Niki just couldn't pass up a photo op with Lisa, and since she'd started rejecting formally posing with her, she'd started satisfying herself with candid shots. Anything to keep the public's interest in her up. Obviously, Lisa hated the game she was playing and kept a polite distance from Niki as she stood beside her.

Rosé and the security team ushered the fans into a somewhat orderly long line, then started them moving in a wedding-style greeting with the band members, starting with Holeshot. Wanting to speak with Lisa about Underwear Fan, I ducked into the massive line with Jisoo.

The energy of the fans around me made me a little nervous as I approached the rock stars. That was ridiculous of course, since I'd seen all of them in their snoring, burping, and farting glory, but there's something to be said for mob mentality. Deacon gave me a swift smile as I passed by him, and a small sliver of embarrassment flashed through me as I again remembered this morning. Oh well. It happened, no point in dwelling on it. When I got to Evan, he looked like he wanted to sling his arms around me and pull me into a bear hug. He didn't, though. The tittering girls around me would take that display of affection as a free-for-all on the bands. Someone would surely get trampled—probably me.

Jackson was next in line and my nerves went up in smoke as he licked his lips, then kissed the air in front of me. I had to laugh at the display. He was crude as always, but not as bad as I'd once believed. When Jisoo stepped in front of him, bumping me into the crowd of people waiting for Lisa, Jackson held his hands out. "Whoa, hot pregnant chick, I need a pic with you."

Jisoo rolled her eyes at him, but played along and pulled a small camera out of her bag. "I did come prepared," she murmured.

Jackson raised his eyebrows at her in a suggestive way that used to make my skin crawl. "I bet you always come . . . prepared."

Letting out a husky laugh, Jisoo rubbed her belly. "Except for one time."

Jackson's eyes softened as they shifted to his child. "Lucky fucker, whoever the father is."

With a snort, Jisoo told him, "He is a fucker"—she shrugged nonchalantly—"but I love him."

No one else in the crowd understood the enormity of what had just transpired but me. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched my sister stare down Jackson. He met her gaze, swallowing uncomfortably. He was about to answer her when the fans behind Jisoo started getting restless. "Just take your damn picture!"

Shrugging, Jisoo sighed, handed me her camera, and stepped beside him. Jackson seemed a lot less cocky as he looked down at Jisoo. He didn't even put his arm around her, or stick out his tongue and make devil's horns, like he had with some of the other fans. He just gazed down at her, shocked into silence. I never thought I'd see the day.

I was still stunned by the time I got to Lisa. She was doing joint photographs with Niki, which surprised me some. The pair weren't touching, but Niki gazed at Lisa while the fan squished between them beamed into the camera. Then, at the very last possible second, Niki scooted over and laid her head on Lisa's shoulder. Lisa jerked away immediately, but it was too late; the lucky fan had already captured the moment.

Stepping away from Niki, Lisa let out a frustrated sigh. When she noticed that I was the next person in line, she blinked in surprise. "Hey," she said, her expression playful. "Is there anything you'd like me to sign?"

Glancing at Niki, I shook my head. Brow furrowed, Lisa told me, "A fan begged. I didn't want to be rude."

I nodded, understanding. These fans had been in line a long time and were being herded past the rock stars like cattle. Lisa was just being nice, and Niki had used that to her advantage. Flicking a glance at Rosé, who was busy ushering the fans that had completed the circuit out of the room, I motioned for Lisa to come closer. She leaned down to me, and I paused a moment to absorb her captivating scent. When we were close enough, I pointed out the fan who'd given me her special memento. She was a couple of spots behind me, giggling as Evan showed off some of his tattoos.

"She gave me something special. Can you thank her for me?"

She arched her brow in a delicious way. "What did she give you?"

"You'll see later," I answered with a smile.

Lisa nodded at me as I was pushed from behind by a rabid fan who had sneaked around my sister to get to Lisa. "I'll see what I can do," she murmured, her eyes brimming with intrigue as I walked away.

My grin faded as I stepped in front of Niki. Her smile was wide and polite as she acknowledged me. "Jennie," she laughed, "you don't have to wait in the line to talk to me, you know."

I know. And you don't have to try and convince the world that you're sleeping with my wife.

Even though I wanted to, I resisted the urge to say my thoughts out loud and instead smiled at her and politely left the room. I couldn't talk to her. Not here anyway. Maybe if I could get her alone, I could talk to her about how we could all work together to turn down the fire on her imaginary romance with Lisa. What the public believed was beyond ridiculous, and her fans' devotion to this fake relationship was nothing short of zealotry. If Niki would just say something, I was sure the heat between them would start to dissipate. But both albums were soaring up the charts, so I knew she wouldn't open her mouth. Wrong as it was, the gossip around them was financially benefitting them both, and Niki was keeping her comments as ambiguous as possible: "She's a remarkable person," "I love spending time with her every day," "I'm in awe of her art," and "She's the entire package—looks, brains, charisma, talent, and a body that would stop traffic."

It was frustrating. I'd like to hold my wife's hand in public without fear of some paparazzi person catching the moment and the fans going ballistic. I'd also like to feel good about Lisa wearing her ring everywhere she went. And I'd really like to not have to worry about some obsessed Lis-Nik fan crashing my wedding next month.