Justin was quiet but his disappointed sigh came through the phone loud and clear. 

Aubrey closed her eyes as she laid her head back on the cushion.  He didn't know it, but she was taking the week off to go to Tennessee with him with no pay because she'd used up all her saved up vacation and sick time with all the places she'd gone with him since they'd started dating.  "Are you mad?" She asked him.

"No." He told her.  "Just...disappointed.  I really wanted you to come with me to New York this week.

"I know." She nodded, though he couldn't see her.  "But do you want me to come to New York with you, or do you want me to go home with you next month?"

"I want you to do both." He answered honestly.  "But if I can only have one, then I want you to come home with me." Aubrey's lips turned up in a small smile.  "When we're married, though," he continued.  "You're coming with me wherever I go, understand?"  

"I am?" She asked as she kicked her shoes off and curled up on the sofa. 

"Yes." He answered firmly.

"And how exactly is that going to work?" She asked.  "My situation isn't going to be any different when we're married." She told him, her heart fluttering at the thought of actually being married to him. "I'm still going to be working and going to school."  She reminded him as she held her left hand up and looked at the ring he had placed on her finger last month.  She still couldn't believe she was engaged! Last year when Andrew had shown up in her life again and her mother had been pressuring her to make it work with him, marriage had been the furthest thing from her mind.  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she continued staring at the diamond ring.  Now, however...

"We'll figure something out." He insisted, pulling her from her thoughts.  "I can't stand being away from you." He told her.

"You seemed to manage alright for the first twenty-eight years of your life without me." She teased.

"It was a lonely road full of darkness and misery." He replied solemnly. 

Aubrey rolled her eyes.  "Oh, brother!" She exclaimed with a laugh.  "You are so full of it!"  Justin laughed.  "I don't believe anything in your life has ever been miserable or dark."

"How do you know?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I just do." She replied.  "So tell me about Tennessee." She said, changing the subject.  "What exactly are we going to be doing while we're there?"

"Are you going to tell me what you're getting me for my birthday?" Justin asked.

"No." Aubrey laughed. He was worse then Brennan or Buckley when they had a bone.  He just wouldn't let this go! 

"Then I'm not going to tell you what the plan is for when we're back home." He replied.

"Brat." Aubrey murmured as she rolled her eyes again.  Justin chuckled.  "Why do you want to know what I'm getting you so badly?" She asked.

"I just want to know." He told her.

"And you will." She told him.  "On your birthday.  That's how it works.  This is good for you." She observed.

"How is this good for me?" Justin asked.

"It's teaching you that you don't always get everything you want." Aubrey replied.

"Yes I do." He answered confidently.  Aubrey raised one eyebrow.  "Eventually, I always get what I want.  Take you, for example." He continued. 

"You didn't always want me." Aubrey stated.

"Maybe not the very first day I met you," He conceded.  "But it wasn't very long after that."

"When was it?" Aubrey asked, suddenly curious. 

"What?" Justin questioned. 

"When was it?" She repeated.  "When did you first want me?"

"Cabo." He told her without hesitation and a shiver skirted down her spine, remembering that fateful weekend.  "That's when I knew I was falling in love with you." He told her. 

Aubrey suddenly wished they were having this conversation face to face.  She wanted to be able to lay her head on his chest and feel his arms around her.  She loved just being close to him--hearing his heart beat, smelling the familiar and comforting scent of him, feeling the security that came with knowing he loved her. 

"Of course, then you made me wait another four months before I was actually able to have you..." he trailed off and Aubrey chuckled.  "But, like I said-eventually I always get what I want."

"Not this time." Aubrey shook her head.  "You're not going to find out what I'm giving you until I'm ready to give it to you.  On your birthday."  She reiterated.

Justin let out a growl of frustration.  "Patience is not one of my virtues, Aubrey Janae."

Aubrey chuckled.  "That's why this is good for you."

"Please?" Justin begged.  "I'm leaving in the morning and I'm not going to see you for almost a week!"

"No!" Aubrey laughed.

"What if I ask you some questions?" Justin asked.  "If I guess, will you tell me?"

Aubrey thought about it for a second.  "Maybe." She answered.  She was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to guess what it was, but there was always a chance...

"Is it something I can wear?" He asked.

"No." Aubrey shook her head.

"Is it something I can eat?"

Aubrey paused.  "No." She finally told him.

"Hmmm..." Justin hummed on the other end of the line and Aubrey giggled. 

"You're never going to guess it." She told him.  "You might as well just give up and work on being patient."

"Are you taking me somewhere?" He asked, continuing as if he hadn't heard her.

"Nope." Again Aubrey shook her head, though he couldn't see her.

"Okay, I can't eat it or wear it and it's not somewhere you're taking me..." Justin trailed off.  "Is it something I can drive?"

"You think I can afford to get you a car?" Aubrey exclaimed with a laugh.  "I don't think so, and even if I could you don't need another car."

"Birthday's aren't about needs, Aubrey." Justin informed her.

"They're not?" She asked.

"No." He replied.  "They're purely about wants." Aubrey's stomach quivered at the provocative comment and Justin's seductive tone of voice as he said it.  "Am I going to want what you're giving me?" He asked, his voice low in her ear.  She shivered.

"Yes." She replied.  "You want it." There was a heavy pause between them and again Aubrey wished he were sitting next to her as she had a very strong and sudden need to kiss him.

"I'm going to figure this out." Justin warned.

"You can try." Aubrey told him.  "But right now, I need to go."

"Why?" He asked.

"Because." She laughed.  "I have some homework I need to work on."

"Okay." He sighed heavily and Aubrey smiled, picturing the pout that was on his handsome face.  "My flight leaves at like six am, or some ungodly hour like that." He told her.  "I don't want to wake you up so I'll call you tomorrow when I get to New York."

"You can wake me up." She smiled.  "I don't mind."

"Okay." He replied. 

Aubrey pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, suddenly hesitant to let him go.  Although she had more than enough to keep her busy in the time he was going to be gone, she still hated the fact that there was going to be an entire country separating them for almost a week.  Better get used to it.  She told herself.  When he starts touring this is going to be your life. 

"I love you."  She told him, wanting to make sure he knew before he left.

"I love you." Justin replied. "I'll call you in the morning." 

~~~~~~

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Aubrey mumbled under her breath as Rachel stopped her car outside of the small strip mall the Saturday before Justin's birthday.  She glanced around a bit nervously.  She knew Rachel wouldn't tell Justin what they were doing, but if there were any rouge paparazzi in the area, what she was about to do would be all over the entertainment world by tonight and the cat would be out of the bag. 

"Me neither." Rachel chuckled beside her.  "Are you sure about this?"

Aubrey took a deep breath, seeking to calm her nerves.  "Yes." She said with a firm nod. She'd thought long and hard about what she was going to get Justin for his birthday and although she'd had several good ideas, this was the one that kept coming back to her.  He had been right, the other day, when he'd accused her of still harboring some doubt about their relationship but she'd made up her mind that day. She wasn't going to allow her doubts to control her.  She had made a commitment to him and she was going to stick with it, and this was the best way she could think of to let him know that she was one hundred percent committed to him.

"Does Justin know about this?" Rachel asked as they walked towards the front counter. 

"No." Aubrey shook her head.  "It's a surprise.  He has no idea I'm doing this."  Rachel lifted a curious brow as she made a noise of interest as the girls finally got out of the car.  "Promise me you won't tell him?  It's for his birthday."

"I promise." Rachel smiled.  Aubrey followed her in to the small shop, the sound of a doorbell ringing coming from the back of the store.  

"Hello.  How can I help you ladies today?" The guy who stood behind the counter asked.  Aubrey almost turned and bolted from the door at his menacing appearance, but the friendly tone of his voice calmed her fears a little where his green Mohawk and multiple piercings didn't.

"Go on." Rachel nudged her and Aubrey stepped up to the counter.

"Uh..." Aubrey cleared her throat as she withdrew a small folded piece of paper from her pocket.  "Can you, uh...can you do this?" She asked, placing the paper on the counter and pointing at it.

The guy smiled.  "First time, huh?" He guessed.

"Yep." Rachel supplied from behind Aubrey.  "It's a surprise for her boyfriend." Rachel told the guy.  "Shhh." She lifted her index finger to her lips.  "Don't tell anyone."

"No problem." The guy smiled.  "I'm Seth, by the way." He said, extending his hand across the counter to Aubrey.

"Aubrey." She told him, taking his hand. 

"Is this all you want?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." Aubrey nodded.

"And where are we putting it?" He inquired.

"Uh..." Aubrey glanced over at Rachel then looked back at Seth.  "My hip." She told him.  Her face like it was on fire and she once again considered leaving.  

"Alrighty." He said, reaching underneath the counter.  He withdrew a large three-ring binder and opened it up on the counter between them.  "First, you have to read and sign these consent forms," he told Aubrey as he pulled a document from the front pocket of the binder.  He slid the form across to her and handed her a pen. 

Rachel leaned against the counter as Aubrey read through the small print.  "Do you have any design books?" Rachel asked Seth.

"Here you go." He said, handing over a different binder to Rachel.  "If you want to get one too, I can give you guys a deal."

"What kind of a deal?" Rachel asked.

Aubrey looked over at her.  "You're going to get one?" She asked in surprise.

Rachel shrugged as she flipped through the binder.  "Maybe.  Depends on what kind of deal Seth here is willing to give us." She smiled.  "It might be fun to get another one."

"Another one?" Aubrey asked, looking at her in question.  Rachel pulled her shirt down over her shoulder and turned slightly, showing Aubrey the design on her right shoulder. 

"When did you get that?" Aubrey asked.

"A long time ago." Rachel replied and Aubrey could tell she didn't really want to say anything more about it.  "That one's cute." She observed, pointing out a small butterfly design.  "So what kind of deal are we talking about here, Seth?" Rachel asked, turning the conversation back to the real purpose they were there as she continued flipping through the binder.

"Ten percent." Seth replied.

"Hmmm..." Rachel hummed.  "I'll think about it."

Aubrey finished reading through the disclosure statement and signed the release form.  "Here you go." She said, sliding the document back across the counter to Seth. 

"Okay" Seth said, filing the form in the notebook.  "Come with me."

Rachel smiled encouragingly at her and Aubrey took a deep breath as she followed Seth towards the back of the shop. 

~~~~~~

"What's all of this?"

Rachel gasped as JC came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. 

"Oh!  You scared me." She told him as he kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry." He chuckled.  "So..." He drawled.

Rachel blew out a frustrated breath.  "This...is my business plan." She replied.  "Any my loan application." She spread her arms wide, gesturing to all the papers spread out in front of her on the kitchen table. "I'm meeting with the loan officer next week but I..." she shook her head.  "I don't know about all of this." She leaned her elbows on the table and scrubbed her hands over her face.  "I'm still trying to figure everything out and Megan hasn't given me a definitive answer on if she's going to do this with me...And then!" She told him, leaning back in her chair and looking up at him.  "I found out I may have to get certified.  Certified!" She exclaimed.  "Who knew you had to get certified to be an event planner?"

JC chuckled as he began rubbing her shoulders.  He leaned over and kissed her cheek.  "Deep breaths, Sass." He told her.  "We have enough money." He told her as he sat down in the chair next to her.  "You don't have to go through all of this you know.  I can just have Jackson--"

"No." Rachel shook her head as she looked over at him.  "I need to do this.  I need to know I can do this." She told him.  "On my own." Their eyes met and Rachel reached a hand out, placing it against his face.  "But thank you." She said as she caressed his cheek with her thumb.  JC turned slightly, placing his lips against her palm. Rachel smiled as she then went back to studying the documents in front of her.

"You're cute when you're all serious and intense." JC remarked after a few minutes of quietly watching her. 

Rachel glanced over at him.  "I'm not serious and intense." She told him dryly.  "I'm irritated and confused."

"Why are you confused?" He asked his dark brows furrowed in genuine concern.

"Because I don't know what the hell all of this means!" She exclaimed, holding up the loan application she was trying to fill out. 

"Do you want me to take a look at it?" He asked.  "I have looked at and signed my fair share of contracts over the years." He grinned.

"This is why I love you." She smiled at him. 

"I thought you loved me because of my good looks," he lifted his chin and puffed out his chest proudly.  "And the way I was able to make you swoon at sixteen with my just the sound of my voice." He teased.

Rachel laughed.  "Well, there's that too." She shrugged and JC laughed. 

"Hand ‘em over," He said holding one hand out.  "Let's take a look at this."

Rachel handed him the application then scooted her chair closer to him as he began looking over the document.  She wrapped her arms around his left arm, leaning her cheek against his forearm as he read over the documents silently.  "See, that line?" She asked pointing at the document. 

"What line?" He asked.  "There are a lot of them." He teased.

She playfully slapped his arm.  "That one right there." She replied with a chuckle, pointing at the particular line she was referring to.  "What does that mean?"

JC looked over at her and smiled.  "It's outlining the terms of the loan for you." He told her.  He cleared his throat and began explaining all the legal terms in the document to her.  Rachel listened for a moment but soon found herself watching JC more than listening to him.  There was something intriguing and...sexy about the way he made all those confusing terms and numbers make sense.  His years in the music and entertainment business had turned him into a very valuable source to have when going over legal documents.  She smiled, her eyes roaming over his profile as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

JC paused in his reading and explanation and looked over at Rachel with a questioning look.  "Are you listening to me?" He asked a teasing sparkle in his blue eyes.  "I'm sitting here, taking the time to explain all of this to you and you just want to sit there and stare at me."

"I can't help it." She told him.  "It's your good looks, and the sound of your voice." She replied, struggling hard to keep a straight face. "It's making me want to swoon."

JC laughed as he set the papers he was reading down on the table then turned and placed his hands on her face as he kissed her.  "I'm trying to help you here." He told her.  "Do you want my help or not?" He asked.  "Cuz if you don't I can just leave..." He began to stand up.

"No!" Rachel exclaimed, putting her hand on his arm. "Stay." She told him.  "Help me.  Please?" She begged.  "I'll try and control my urge to swoon around you." She vowed, looking at him through her lashes.

JC narrowed his eyes at her as he sat back down.  "That's all I ask." He told her. 

Rachel laughed as she pushed him playfully.  "Oh come on!" She said.  "You love that I still swoon around you, admit it." She smiled.  "What are you going to do without me when you're out on the road?"

"There'll be other girls around willing to swoon." He told her matter of factly.

Rachel pulled back, one brow rising as she looked at him pointedly.  "Excuse me?" She asked.  "I don't think--"

She was cut off as JC put his hands on her face again and kissed her once more.  "I'm kidding." He told her with a smile, her blue eyes holding hers.  "You're the only girl I want swooning.  You know that." Rachel smiled and JC chuckled.  "Now, let's get back to all of this." He said looking at the documents spread out in front of them.  "Why don't you show me what you've got so far on your business plan."