Where we left off...

The group is in the midst of a European tour. Scott has been travelling with the 'Boys' and spending time with each member in order to create a new, unique web site for each 'Boy'. They have just spent a week at home, Scott in Ontario, and Brian in Lexington and Orlando, before flying back to Europe to finish the tour.

We flew back to France for the last two weeks of the European Tour. There was only France and Spain left to play with a total of seven concerts. The first date was in Paris. The plane landed very early Monday morning and everyone went to their rooms to crash and get some more sleep.

When I woke up a few hours later I realized Scott wasn't in the room. It took me a few minutes to vaguely remember him saying bye as he and Nick took off to visit the Louve. I sighed and debated whether I should just go back to sleep or get up. After ten minutes of unsuccessfully trying to sleep I rolled out of bed and wandered down the hall to find out what the others were up to. I found Howie and AJ watching a movie and sat down to join them.

A few hours later Scott and Nick returned and I was pleased to see how well they got along. After a light dinner, we headed to the venue for rehearsal. The next two nights were the concerts.

After rehearsal, I'd hoped for a quiet night with Scott, but Nick changed that. He challenged me to a game of twenty-one. I didn't know at the time that he'd been practicing with the Orlando Magic the entire time we'd been back home. I'd always been able to beat him before and when he told me the stakes I was more than willing to play him. If I won, Nick would give up his next day with Scott so Scott and I could spend it together. It didn't really matter to me what Nick wanted if he won; I never thought he'd beat me. So when he said I would have to climb the Eiffel Tower with them the next day, I carelessly agreed.

So once we arrived back at the hotel, Nick and I headed down to the hotel's gym. The rest of the guys followed to cheer on one or the other.

Howie agreed to referee and judge any disputed calls being the least biased. I was amazed at how close the game was. The score bounced back and forth. It finally reached 20-20 and the next point would win it all.

Nick had possession of the ball and he deked me, running to the net. To my disbelief, Nick jumped up and managed to slam the ball home - a maneuver he'd never been able to do before. I stood there stunned. Nick had never been able to slam dunk before. Where had he learned it? Then the reality hit home. The Eiffel Tower! I stood without moving until I felt Scott's arms wrap around me from behind.

"You okay Love?" he whispered as he bent down to softly kiss my ear. I shuddered slightly in his embrace. I turned around to look at Scott and I couldn't hide my fear.

"I have to go up the Eiffel Tower," I said in disbelief.

The others walked over to us, laughing and joking. They stopped when they saw my expression. Nick walked over and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Frick?" My eyes flickered to Nick. "Bri, forget about the bet okay? You don't have to go up the tower. We all know how much you hate heights," Nick said sincerely, giving me a way out.

I moved my eyes back to Scott and reached out to grasp his hands. I was suddenly determined that I wouldn't back out on our bet. "Will you be with me?" I asked softly.

I could see that Scott was surprised.

I stared into his beautiful green eyes. "Right beside you every step of the way," he promised. That was enough for me.

I smiled weakly. "Okay." I turned around to look at the others. "Okay. I guess we're ALL going up the Eiffel Tower tomorrow," I announced.

I had to smile as four jaws practically hit the floor.

I know I was quiet that night. I was trying to psych myself up for the next day and I was grateful that Scott gave me space. I knew he was near me and would give me any support I wanted. We went to bed early and just held each other. I felt safe and determined knowing Scott would be by my side.

We took two cabs to the base of the Eiffel the next day. We all stood there and looked up - way up. I began to tremble slightly as the sheer height of the structure became clear to me.

But as they had promised, the entire way up, at least one of the guys held my hand. I would have prefered if Scott was with me the entire time, but I knew that would be too suspicious, so they each took turns. I was incredible grateful when we reached the ground again, but I was also proud of myself for confronting my fear and keeping my end of the bet.

The first concert went flawlessly later that night. We were pumped and it showed. The next day we couldn't go sight seeing because a press conference was scheduled in the afternoon before the concert.

"Come on guys, we're going to be late," Kevin hollered down the hall of the hotel floor.

I glanced in the mirror at Scott's reflection as he finished fixing his hair.

"Ready?" I said with a smile. Scott nodded. I grabbed his hand and we left the room, joining Kev and D in the hall.

As we walked down to the elevator Nick came running out of his room. "Wait for me," he whined, followed closely by AJ.

Scott turned to me. "Dear? Were you going to leave without the children?" he asked me, trying to hide a grin.

I sighed and played along. "We could only hope!"

Nicky ran up and jumped on Scott's back, sticking his tongue out at me. Scott carried him into the elevator, but wasn't about to carry him all the way down. He stood up straight, then leaned back forcing Nick off. "Down boy!" Scott scolded as though he were talking to a puppy. I grinned at their antics.

Nick tried to jump on again but Scott leaned back against the side of the elevator. We were all hyper. The European tour was almost over and everyone was getting tired of buses and hotels. We were on our way to another press conference. I know Scott didn't have to attend, but I was always happy to look out into the maze of media people and see such a sweet and loving face.

As we rode down, AJ cleared his throat. "Um, guys?" Everybody turned to look at him. "What city are we in again?" he asked sheepishly, as he turned a beautiful shade of red.

Kevin just shook his head. "Paris, AJ, Paris!" he muttered.

Scott leaned towards AJ. "Late night phone call?" he asked. I remembered Scott mentioning that Drew was going to call AJ last night. I could just imagine how long they were talking. AJ just hung his head and blushed deeper. Scott grinned as he looked at me. We both knew what it was like.

The elevator stopped and we dashed through the hotel lobby to the waiting limo. The initial hyperness quickly faded during the twenty minute car ride. It was just another in a long series of press conferences as we traveled from city to city and country to country.

The press conference proceeded as usual and I was bored. What were our favorite songs, our influences, and so on. I tried not to show my boredom and looked out over the people, able to pick Scott's tall figure out at the back of the room. Just seeing him there made everything bearable.

Rather quickly, the questions turned from music to more personal information.

"So are any of you dating or in serious relationships?" a female reporter asked.

We went down the table as had become customary. I was first.

"I'm in a serious relationship," I immediately responded, happy to be able to acknowledge Scott in that little way.

"So am I," Howie said.

"I am dating someone at the moment," Kevin said, leaning towards the microphone. I was happy to hear that he was serious enough about Scott's sister to mention it.

"Me too!" AJ added.

"I am one hundred percent single at the moment!" Nick said loudly and proudly, garnering some laughs from the media.

"AJ, is the person you're seeing Brian?" one reporter suddenly called out. The room fell silent. I thought I might have a heart attack. That question was completely unexpected, and if it hadn't hit so close to the truth it would have been hilarious. I waited for someone to answer.

Fortunately, AJ maintained his cool. "Excuse me?" he asked.

The reporter stood up. "You were spotted at the Eiffel Tower yesterday holding Brian's hand. Are you going to deny it?" The reporter was gloating and I immediately felt some relief knowing how off track the reporter actually was.

AJ began to laugh and quickly the rest of us joined in. The reporter looked shocked.

"You didn't happen to get any pictures, did you?" Kevin asked, laughing. The reporter shook his head. "Too bad!"

AJ raised his hands. "Hold on, hold on! Let's answer the question guys!" he said. We tried to regain our composure.

"Well, if you saw us at the Eiffel Tower yesterday, then you must have seen that at one point or another, all of us, and one of our friends, were holding Brian's hands. As any TRUE Backstreet fan knows, Brian has a serious fear of heights. Brian and Nick bet on a one-on-one basketball game and Brian lost. For losing, he had to go up the tower. We all agreed to help him by staying beside him and holding his hands to help keep him calm," AJ explained bluntly.

It worked and the reporter sank into his seat. The crisis had been averted.

The inane questions resumed and continued for nearly an hour. It was only at the end that the questions turned again. None of us were expecting it, and I knew that the PR people were surprised too.

"What do you think about sex before the marriage?" a German reporter asked.

Everyone laughed, and I tried to shrug the question off tired of the stupid things they were asking. "Now what does that have to do with music?" I asked.

The room fell silent as the reporters waited for someone to answer. I knew we weren't going to get away with responding. As usual, if no one spoke up, Kevin took over.

"As far as sex before marriage," Kevin began, "I was brought up that you should wait and be with the one you love before sex. But...but I don't...I don't stress that we're perfect or that we always follow these rules but that's what I taught."

He did an admirable job answering the question without explicitly saying whether he'd had sex or not.

I thought that was the worst of it...but it wasn't. The next question was even worse.

"Is there someone in the group who is a little bit 'fairy' or something?" a French reporter called out.

I immediately tensed up. This was getting to close. Why couldn't the reporters just stick to the music and leave our personal lives out of it?

"Fairy?" Howie commented trying to delay an answer.

Again the media was silent, so I knew at least one of us would have to respond. But I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of a real answer. I stood up. "Well, thanks for coming today, ladies and gentlemen," I said lightly, pretending to leave. Hopefully they would get the hint to butt out.

The media laughed and the atmosphere eased. Thankfully, it actually was the end of the conference, so the local TV personality thanked the press and us. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It felt like the eyes of every reporter in the room were on me. Why had they asked that last question? They must have an idea, right? Could they know the truth? We were escorted to another private room, where we could wait for the crowd to leave.

I sank down on a chair and the tears started to fall. I couldn't help it. I felt completely exposed to the media, as though they could read everything about my life. If they knew the truth, my career would be over and so would the group. I could sense the others move to stand around me but I ignored them. It wasn't them exposed for the world to see, it was me! I could hear Kevin talking to me, but I didn't pay attention.

Suddenly my angel was kneeling in front of me and he picked up my hands in his.

"Brian?" Scott said quietly.

I raised my tear-streaked face to look at him. "They know, don't they? Why else would they ask?" I whispered.

Scott reached up and wiped my tears away with his thumbs. "Love, you know they ask that question about every male group that comes along. And the more popular the group, the more they ask," he said gently.

Hearing Scott say it, I knew it was true. I sniffled. "I guess my reaction didn't help, huh?"

Scott smiled tenderly. "I thought it was perfect. You showed him that it was a silly question and beneath you to answer it."

"I agree Brian," Kevin said quietly from behind Scott. "I couldn't have handled it better."

I glanced up at my cousin and he nodded, supporting his words. The others quickly voiced their agreement.

"They're right Frick," Nick said, stepping closer to me and squatting down beside Scott. "You done good!" Nick could always make me smile, so I did. The others did too.

"That was a good save by you too AJ," Kevin said as he turned to face AJ.

AJ shrugged. "Well what can I say? I had to save my rep!" He grinned. "Mister boy-next-door just ain't my type!" he added.

I jumped to my feet. "Hey!" I protested. We all laughed and I immediately felt better.

Scott pulled me to him and hugged me tightly. I relaxed into his strong embrace. "I love you Brian Littrell," he whispered into my ear. His words sent jolts of pleasure through me.

"Love you too, Scott, my Angel," I whispered back.

We separated as we heard the door open. Jeff, our tour manager and one of our PR girls, Lisa walked in. Scott moved to stand behind me with his arms snugly around my waist. I loved that possessive gesture.

"Well, that was interesting," Jeff commented, trying to read the expressions in the room. We all laughed slightly. "Everyone okay?" he asked, looking directly at me.

Kevin stepped forward. "Yeah, we're all good Jeff. Thanks." Kev turned to look at the rest of us for a few seconds then looked back at Jeff. "Jeff, would you let everyone know we're canceling rehearsal this afternoon? We'll be there for warm-ups and costumes at six, okay?"

Lisa frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea Kevin? It gives the media something else to talk about and more rumors might crop up," she said.

Kevin shook his head. "I don't care. We are all really stressed and tense right now. Rehearsing would just be a disaster and someone could get injured. We'll go back to the hotel and relax with each other. Trust me, this is the best idea," he said.

None of us said a word. We didn't need to. After over six years together, we knew what each others limits were. I knew it was mainly for my benefit, but the others were close to the edge too. Kevin knew it as well.

Lisa nodded. "Okay, its your call."

"Alright guys, I'll see you tonight," Jeff said. "Take it easy," he added and again looked at me. I nodded and the two left.

"Let's get out of here," Howie said quietly.

We walked to the back door. Howie spoke to Marcus and less than a minute later the door opened, with the limo right outside. The six of us climbed in and the car sped off back to the hotel.

It was a genuinely relaxing afternoon. Kevin called room service and ordered some munchies. The six of us crashed onto the comfortable furniture and watched a couple of movies. We talked and joked during the boring parts but overall we simply vegged. It was exactly what we needed.

Scott had showered first, then gone to check his email while I cleaned up. It was just after five and we were getting ready to go to the venue. I'd been talking to my parents earlier about Easter. We had a five-day weekend and were heading stateside for it. I didn't want to be away from Scott though.

"Hey Scott!" I called from the bathroom.

Scott walked over and stood in the doorway looking at my reflection as I shaved, something I did before every concert. "You called?" he asked as he leaned his tall frame against the doorframe.

"I have an idea. What are your parents doing for Easter?" I asked.

Scott looked confused. "Um, not sure. Probably just a family thing, like Thanksgiving I guess," he replied. "Why?"

I put down my electric razor and turned to Scott, leaning against the counter. "Mom was asking about your family when I was home. We're not having a big family thing and I just thought, what if we got the two families together?" I suggested.

Scott smiled. "I'll call my Mom and Dad when we get back from the concert tonight," he promised.

My eyes widened. "Really?" I asked hopefully.

Scott grinned. "Of course! It sounds like a good idea." Scott walked over to me and started to button up my shirt. "And this way, we won't have to be apart for the five days we have off. Once the Asian part of the tour starts we'll be apart a little more while I work with some of my clients revising their sites. I want to spend every minute I can with you!" Scott kissed my nose and I laughed softly.

"Let me know how many are coming and I'll call my Mom! I love you angel," I said happily giving him another quick kiss, which was interrupted by a knocking on the door. "We'll be right there Kev!" I called and Scott laughed. I always knew when it was Kevin knocking!

The Paris concerts were great and then the crew moved on to Lyon then Marseilles. It was in Marseilles that Nick and Scott spent their second day together. I knew Nick had been dying to go scuba diving so Scott went with him. I was relieved to know that Scott was going to stay on the boat and not go under the water.

Scott called home after the first Paris concert, as he'd promised me. It was decided that Scott's parents and Sheri would be the only ones going to Kentucky for Easter. His other relatives had all made other plans. Scott and I were both looking forward to the holiday with family.

>From France, the tour moved on to Spain. Concert dates in Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon wrapped up the European leg of the Millennium tour. Howie and Scott spent their second day in Barcelona, touring the historic sites of the Spanish city.

Everyone flew home for the five day long weekend over Easter before moving on to Asia. Scott and I were able to spend one night out at our little cabin. It was wonderful. It's difficult to get some quality time alone when we're on tour. Even in the hotel rooms, there's always the potential for interruption, especially by Kevin. But at the cabin, we were completely isolated and spent the entire time in each other's arms. Things were perfect between us.

Our parents all got along really well. It was funny watching Kevin come up with excuses to visit us...or should I say, visit Sheri. Sheri had decided to keep their relationship a secret from Scott's parents for a while, so Kevin had to be inventive.

After Easter, Kevin and I met up with the others in Los Angeles before flying over to Malaysia. Scott returned home for a week to meet face to face with his clients and ensure everyone was happy with their sites.

We were kept busy with the concerts, the meet and greets, and the press conferences, but I still missed Scott like crazy. The week dragged by, but finally he caught a flight to the Philippines and met up with the tour. Tour life resumed as usual.

Looking back now, I can say that things started to change right after that Paris press conference. But at the time, I didn't notice. I threw myself into working harder, whether at singing, or dancing, working out, or writing new songs. I'd always kept busy, and when Scott was around, I was attentive, but I slowly stopped going out in public at the same time he did. When one of the guys would ask if I wanted to do something, more often than not, I had other plans, either working with the dancers, or maybe some of the band members.

When we were together we were happy, and that was all that mattered to me. In public we always had to be so careful, and made a point of staying away from each other, that it didn't seem like I was spending less time with Scott. I don't know if the other guys noticed. If they did, no one said anything. At least, not at first.

It wasn't until we were in Australia that I was made aware of my actions. Scott had gone to an amusement park with Howie and AJ. I wanted to work out in the hotel's gym, so Nick joined me.

"Brian, can I ask you something?" Nick asked as we sat in the whirlpool after an hour-long workout.

"Of course," I replied, wondering why he was being so tentative.

"Are you and Scott having problems?" he asked quietly.

My eyes popped open and I turned to stare at him. "What? Of course not Nick! What are you talking about?" I asked. I wondered if Scott had said something.

Nick looked at me intently, trying to read something about my expression. "Brian, when was the last time you went out anywhere with Scott? I mean anything like shopping, or a movie?" he said quietly.

I shrugged. "I don't know! Not long ago," I said, although I wasn't sure.

Nick shook his head. "Try over two months Brian," he said softly.

I stared at him. That couldn't be right, could it? I tried to remember back to the last time. With horror, I realized he was right. It had been during the first week of the Asian tour when all six of us had gone out for dinner.

"Oh my God, Nicky," I said softly. I couldn't believe I had cut my self out of Scott's life like that. I looked at my friend. "Why hasn't he said anything? I can't believe I'm such a fool."

Nick put his hand on my arm. "I think Scott is just realizing it himself. He hasn't said anything to me, but I've noticed his expression lately every time we decide to go out and you say no," Nick explained.

I decided at that moment that I would do something special for Scott. I wanted to make sure he knew just how much I loved and needed him, even if I was an idiot and didn't always show it. I climbed out of the hot tub, and turned to look at Nick.

"Nicky, will you come shopping with me? I want to buy something for Scott," I said. Nick grinned at me and stepped out of the water.

We quickly returned to our rooms to change. I wasn't sure what I was going to get, but I knew it had to be really special.

Australia was thankfully the last stop of that part of the tour. We were returning to North America to tour the US and Canada. I vowed to myself that things would be different after the weeklong break we had, before the tour kicked up again. The break fell over the July holiday weekend and that was when I planned to apologize to Scott. I had agreed to split the week between Scott's home and mine.

We stumbled through the door of Scott's house and dropped our luggage. We had taken an extra day in Australia before catching a flight home. We'd been flying for over twelve hours straight to get from Australia to Toronto by way of Hawaii and Vancouver. I was exhausted from the stress of flying for so long. I spotted the couch and instantly began to gravitate towards it.

"Don't do it Love!" Scott said and I turned to look at him in a haze.

Scott walked over and grabbed my hand. "Come on!" He pulled me gently down the hall to the bedroom. He stopped me in the middle of the room and I allowed him to undress me completely before he lead me to the bed. I fell onto the mattress and Scott swung my legs up before covering me with the blanket. I fell asleep instantly.

I woke up the next morning and automatically felt across the bed for Scott. His spot was empty. I looked around the room and could tell that it was late morning by the bright sunlight filtering through the window. After visiting the bathroom I walked down the hall. I though t I smelled fresh coffee, but figured it must be the neighbors because I knew Scott didn't drink coffee. I looked around and noticed my Angel standing by the window staring out at the water. I walked silently up behind him and put my arms around his waist.

He jumped a little and I kissed his cheek. "Morning Angel! I thought I smelled coffee?" I murmured against his soft skin.

Scott turned in my arms. "You did, my love," he said with one of his wondrous smiles. He took my hand and led me to the kitchen. My eyes lit up when I saw the small coffee maker.

"Real coffee!" I exclaimed excitedly. I turned back to look at Scott. "You bought that for me?" I asked, pleased by the sweet gesture.

"No. I bought it so I wouldn't have to listen to Drew complain anymore," Scott said with a straight face.

I knew he was joking and stuck my tongue out at him before walking over to the machine. I poured myself a cup and walked back to sit at the table with Scott.

"Mmmm, that's good," I said as I took a sip. "Thank you Angel. So what are we going to do today?" I asked.

"I thought we'd go to the city. Its Canada Day so the city will be hopping. Then we'll go to Ontario Place to watch the fireworks display," Scott suggested. I flinched inwardly at the thought of all the people. I did want to be with Scott, but wasn't sure about the public.

I frowned slightly. "You sure that's a good idea Scott?" I asked quietly.

Scott nodded. "Sure. There will be so many people around no one will notice. It's a sunny day, so you won't look out of place with a hat and glasses on." I was still hesitating. Scott sighed. "Please Bri? Its not like I'm asking you to ride on a float for the gay pride parade!" he said.

I laughed. "True! Can you picture that?" I asked with a grin, imagining Kevin's face.

"It would certainly make a whole lot of guys happy!" Scott said.

"Okay, Scott." I agreed. I stood up and took my cup to the sink, before looking back at him. "Want to join me for a shower?" I asked seductively. Scott nodded and followed me to the bathroom.

It was almost two hours later before we headed out the door. We stopped at a small restaurant for lunch then continued on to Toronto. As Scott had predicted, the city was crowded with tourists. We wandered down Yonge Street and through the Eaton Centre before heading to the lakeshore and Ontario Place.

The lineups were long, but Scott was right, no one noticed me among the thousands of people. Once in the park, Scott convinced me to go out in a pedal boat with him. We pedaled through the channels around the park for a couple of hours. I was actually having a good time and started to finally relax.

As dusk started to close in, we grabbed some food from one of the small concession stands and wandered around looking for the perfect spot. I found one on the other side of a hill along one of the pathways. It faced the lake, and no one had staked out the spot, it was only big enough for maybe three people. Scott and I sat down and ate the food as we watched the boats running around the harbor.

The fireworks were incredible. We sat as close as possible without actually holding each other and watched the colored explosions light up the nighttime sky.

It was on the way back to Scott's place that I decided I needed to talk to him about my actions during the tour. I sighed. "I had fun today Scott," I said as we drove back to Scott's house.

Scott glanced over at me and smiled. "Good. So did I."

I was quiet for a moment and Scott waited, sensing I had something else to say.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant lately," I said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked.

I tried to explain. "Well, I guess the stress of the tour was getting to me and I was...I don't know...anxious, maybe? I know I disappointed you sometimes when I didn't go out with you and the others." I reached over and picked up his free hand. "I'll try to do better, Scott. I hope you know I wasn't trying to hurt you. I wasn't doing it on purpose," I murmured sadly.

Scott squeezed my hand. "I know love. Things were getting a little stressed at the end. This break will do everyone good. And I think being back in North America will help too." I agreed, hoping that he was right.

Back at Scott's place, we each grabbed a cold drink and sat out on the deck overlooking the lake. It was relaxing, listening to the silence, interrupted occasionally by the call of a loon or some seagulls settling onto the water. It was a warm night, but fortunately not humid so the mosquitoes were thankfully few.

I'm not sure what time it was when we finally walked back into the house, hand in hand and slipped into bed.

The next couple of days we relaxed at Scott's place. We went into the nearby town a couple of times and went through the quaint shops. Early Monday morning we flew out of Pearson for Orlando. It was a typical holiday weekend at the airports; completely crazy. Both airports were crowded and flights were delayed. Thankfully ours left on time and arrived without incident.

The rest of the guys were already in the city and invited us to go to the Disney World Fourth of July party. But I had already asked Nick to help me with a surprise for Scott.

"I don't think Scott and I will go," I said. We were sitting in the living room of the apartment I shared with Kevin and Howie, talking to Kevin and Nick. Scott glanced at me in confusion, but before he could say anything, I spoke again. "We already have plans," I said.

"We do?" Scott asked.

"You do," Nick said secretively.

Scott looked at Kevin and shrugged. "I guess we're not going," he said, making Kevin grin.

Nick and Kevin left a short time later to meet up with Howie and AJ. Scott turned to look at me and raised his eyebrows.

"What?" I asked innocently, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smirk. I stood up and offered Scott a hand, pulling him to his feet.

He leaned down and kissed me softly. "What are you planning love?" he whispered.

I just smiled and pulled him in for a more passionate kiss. When we separated Scott stared at me with open lust. I was at almost the same stage and momentarily thought about just taking him to the bedroom and making love to him all night. But I didn't.

"Go shower Angel, I'll use Kevin's bathroom, okay?" I said, avoiding his question.

Scott didn't argue. I waited until he walked down the hall and I heard the water start. I quickly pushed the furniture around, making a large space over by the window. I ran to my bedroom and pulled out a large comforter, which I spread on the floor. In the kitchen I grabbed a bucket to fill with ice. I took a bottle of champagne from the fridge and grabbed two glasses.

Back in the living room, I set the ice bucket with the bottle on the floor, and the glasses beside it. I went back to my bedroom and picked up the gift I had bought Scott. I returned to the living room, dimmed the lights and sat on the comforter, waiting for Scott to come back out.

I saw him walk back around the corner and look at me. He smiled and shook his head. "You are really intent on spoiling me aren't you love?" he said softly.

I just grinned and patted the spot beside me. Scott quickly sat down and gazed into my eyes. I lost myself in his emerald gaze as I was consumed by the love I could feel from him. I felt in awe that such a wonderful incredible man could feel the same way for me, as I did for him. But he did.

I took a deep breath, suddenly nervous about what I was going to say. But I knew I wanted to do it and looking at Scott helped erase the nervousness. "Scott, my Angel, can you believe its been almost nine months since we met?" I asked softly, never breaking eye contact with him. I reached out and grasped his hands in mine. "I remember I told you my life was rather crazy with the touring and recording. And also having to keep my private life a complete secret from the public." Scott nodded but remained silent, letting me finish. "At first I wondered how long you would stay with me before deciding you'd had enough of the chaos. But as each day passed, I began to realize how much you truly love me, and how much I completely love and adore you." I had to glance away and blink back a sudden onslaught of tears. "Now I can't imagine my life without your love." I returned my gaze to my Angel. "I know this phenomenon called Backstreet only has a few more years. After that, who knows what I'll do? The only thing I do know is that I want and need you to be a part of my new life...to be a part of my life forever." Scott sat there quietly in stunned silence, trying to absorb everything I was saying.

"Scott, I know we can't legally marry or even acknowledge our relationship right now. But someday, I would like nothing more than to legally become your partner...your husband." I released one of his hands and reached behind my back, returning with a small jewel box.

I looked at Scott's face and could see the joy, behind the tears trickling down his cheeks. I knew he was happy with my promise. We both were.

I opened the box and took out the simple gold band. I took Scott's left hand in my right and slid the ring on to his ring finger. "Scott, this ring is a promise that our futures, will be one future. A future filled with love and joy, together," I whispered.

Both of us were crying then. Scott pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly, covering my face with tiny kisses as he whispered his love to me. Many minutes later we calmed down and relaxed in each other's embrace. Scott popped the cork on the champagne so we could toast to our love and watch the fireworks light up the skies over Orlando. Both of us were happier than we'd ever been before.