Rehearsals for my engagements were underway and I can't say I'm not overwhelmed! Caesar's Palace is top priority right now, it's a huge deal! I will be performing 4 nights this May for my Dreams tour and it really is an honor to be asked. Instead of everyone coming with me, I'm alone and it feels weird. I guess it's not a bad feeling because I like my alone time, I like doing things by myself but I miss my family so much. Aria has school and I wouldn't feel right pulling her out for rehearsals.

"Break an arm, mommy!" She squeaked into the phone after a very long day.

"I think you mean break a leg, honey" I say, laughing.

"Oh yeah...well break that too" she says, truly believing that sentiment was helpful.

"Thank you, Aria. I appreciate it"

"You're welcome. I love you"

"I love you too baby"

"When are you coming home?"

"Soon, my darling"

"Okay. Daddy says I have to do my homework"

"That's a very good idea. I will be back before you know it, okay?"

"Okay, I just miss you. Will you hurry?"

This part always breaks my heart. "Yes, I will try to be as fast as possible. I will do my very best" We say our I love yous once more and the phone is handed off again. "Who am I speaking with now?" I ask.

"Willow!"

"Hello, Willow! Are you being a good girl for daddy and Auntie Karen?"

"Of course mommy! I'm an angel, remember?"

"How could I forget?" I say.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, sweet girl?"

"Is Aria in trouble?"

"No, why would she be?"

"She told you to break your arms and your legs! That's mean!"

I stifle a laugh. "There's a saying in show business. Break a leg. It's for good luck"

"That's not very lucky"

"You're right, Willow. I guess it's not"

"I will think of something else today and tell you when you go to work again."

"I would love that. Think of something very lucky and send all of that magic to mommy for her shows"

"Are you nervous?"

"A little"

"Don't worry. You sing so pretty!"

"Thank you, my girl" I say, a smile spread across my face.

"I'm going to go bug my sister now" she tells me and I laugh. "Bye mommy. I love you"

"I love you too" The phone is abandoned and I'm in no man's land for a couple of very long minutes but I don't want to hang up. I sit the phone down and put it on speaker, fixing things up in my hotel room. Finally, Lindsey picks up.

"Steph, still there?"

I scramble to the phone, practically throwing down all I had in my hands onto the bed. "I am, I'm here" I tell him.

"I miss you so much"

"I will be back soon. You know I miss you too"

"Is Lori keeping you company?"

"Yes she is. I think we will have dinner in a bit"

"Oh then I don't want to keep you."

"You're not. I wanted to hear from all of you. The girls seem to grow even faster when I'm away"

"It always feels that way for me too" he says.

"The life of a rockstar" I say, almost sadly.

"You can come home whenever you want"

"We both know it's not that simple. I love to perform but I miss them so much" Don't cry, Stevie. Once you start, you will have a hell of a time stopping.

"No tears, Stephanie. Only a couple more days right, then you're back for a little bit"

"It's not long enough. Then I will be right back here"

"We will get through it. Remember how hard it was with Say You Will?"

"Unbelievably hard"

"And we got through it. You can do this! What's 4 days of shows, right?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"I love you, angel. Hurry home"

"I will. I love you too, Linds. Please kiss them for me"

"Of course."

"And make sure Willow isn't pestering her sister. That was the plan when she got off the phone"

He laughs and I smile at the sound. "I will, you know I will try to referee the best I can"

"See you soon" I say, my smile fading.

"See you. Good bye"

"Good bye" I hang up my phone and go to have a quick shower and get dressed. Lori is at my door not long after I've finished and we talk about so much. She is really helping me get through this time even though this has been her first time in years that she has come out to perform. I guess I'm just happy to have a friend.

We exit my room and head for elevator. Caesar's Palace is known for their amazing cuisine so we must indulge. When in Rome! A member of our security goes in to tell them of our arrival but when we walk in, no one looks at us. They're used to acts coming in all the time so we're boring to them. I chuckle at the thought and Lori gives me a confused look. Food is ordered, we share a bottle of wine and I feel my muscles relaxing the more I drink. I excuse myself to go to the restroom and bump into a familiar face.

"I'm sorry" I say, quickly.

"Stevie!" He exclaims and I look up.

"Don? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you. Your show"

"You're a bit early. It's been solely rehearsals. May 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th" I say. The wine is catching up to me and I place a hand on the wall to steady myself. Don wraps his arms around my waist as if he's holding me up but his hands begin to travel and I sober up a bit, pulling his hands back up to my waist.

"Oh, well then I will have to come back, won't I?" He asks.

"How's Sharon?" I ask, ignoring his advances.

"She, um, she's good. Are you still with...?"

"Lindsey. My husband, Lindsey"

I see him visibly tense up at the mention of both his wife and of my significant other and I smile. Unfortunately he still has a grip on my body.

"Oh...great! Two kids right? Daughters?"

"Yes, Aria is 6 and Willow is 3 going on 30" I say with a laugh. "How are your kids? They must be getting pretty big now"

"Yes they are. One of mine was born the same year as your eldest."

"Lovely! Well...maybe in the future you can bring them to the house. We can all catch up. You know, you, me, Sharon...Lindsey"

"Yeah, that would be nice"

"I better be going" I say, removing his arms from around me. As I go to leave, he grabs my wrist and plants a huge kiss right on my lips. I'm extremely caught off guard, touching where his lips once were on mine with my fingertips.

"Good night, Stevie" he tells me in a low seductive tone.

"Good night" I say, making my way back to the table, forgetting all about the bathroom.

"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost" Lori says. I sit down at the table slowly, pouring myself another glass of wine and chugging it. "Hey, slow down!" I put the glass back on the table not-so-gently and slump back into my chair.

"I have got to get out of here" I tell her, my palm flat on my forehead and she nods, flagging down a waiter for the bill.