Beautiful Brokenness (Jordan Knight/NKOTB Fanfic, Liadan #2)

Flashbacks and Futures

Author's Note: So, parts of this chapter will be familiar. I decided to give you guys a glimpse into the day Lia and Jordan met from Jordan's POV vs Lia's (which is obviously in the first chapter of Perfect). I thought it was fun to look through his eyes and I hope you all enjoy! :)

-JORDAN-

The feeling of Lia's small body cradled into mine was comforting as I carried her to our room before gently nestling her into bed. After years of sharing the same room, it'd seem that I would have become immune to the beauty of watching her sleep, but the peace that always settled on her face made me never want to look away. In those quiet moments, I often found myself reflecting on the life we'd built together and our hopes for the future.

Tonight was no different as I contemplated yet again what I should do about Veronica. On one hand, I felt horrible withholding information from my wife. I didn't like the thought of Vee winning and driving a wedge between us that had never been there before. On the other hand, I wasn't oblivious to the fact that Lia was still upset that I hadn't mentioned Veronica's presence at the record label when it had first become an issue. Whether she would admit it or not, I knew there were tiny seeds of doubt in the back of her head that were just waiting for the right conditions to grow and sprout. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and trigger all those worries to blossom.

It seemed that was the story of my life though—far too often I found myself tinkering between what I should or shouldn't do. My intentions were good and yet somehow they still backfired and blew up in my face. Lia was the one person who could keep me focused and centered. She'd changed my world and given me an entirely different perspective on just about everything.

As I carefully slipped into the bed next to her, my mind filtered back in time to the day we'd first met.

*****

Eighteen Years Before

My pulse pounded in my temples as I slowly opened my eyes and took in my blurry surroundings. For a split-second, worry crept into my mind as I realized I didn't know where I was or how I'd gotten here. My eyes skimmed the pink sheets and black couch that served as a make-shift bed and around the small, but tidy living room. A matching couch was situated opposite me with a filled calendar hanging above it. On the front wall to the right was an entertainment set, but nothing in the room looked familiar enough to give me any hint as to where I was.

Blinking, I focused a little more closely and took in the glass coffee table where a purple laptop case was situated next to a white mug. There was also a family portrait sitting on the table of four women and a little boy.

I stifled a groan as I forced myself to my feet and walked over to the frame. I recognized the woman in the center of the picture with deep brown eyes and dark curly hair as one of the maids that worked for the New Kids' management team in Boston, Ms. Glenda Andrews. On closer inspection, I realized that the other older woman in the picture was her sister that she'd mentioned several times, Paula, the little boy was her grandson, Aiden, and the two younger women were her daughters, Gina and Lia. My eyes zoned in on the photo of Lia a little closer as I took in her curly black hair that fell over her shoulders and her hazel eyes that smiled along with her heart-shaped lips.

Unlike most of the staff that seemed to see working with the band as solely a money-making endeavor, Glenda was different. She'd shared stories with me about her family life and she took the time to make sure that I was okay even though that wasn't in her duties or responsibilities. She treated me like a real person with real feelings; not just an elusive popstar that should be worshipped or something. I loved that about her and had enjoyed our numerous conversations over the years.