After All (A Jordan Knight/Joe McIntyre Fanfiction)

24

After the nights festivities on the boat Andi and Amber sit in their cabin. Andi tells her everything about her night. "And Joe? Did you see Joe any?"

Andi rolls her eyes playfully at her best friend. "Yes I saw Joe. He was fine. He kept trying to talk to me, but I'd walk away when he'd get near me. I'm terrible at keeping secrets when I'm drinking, you know that. I couldn't take any chances of letting it slip you were here."

Amber's interrupted by a knock at the door. She figures it's Jordan.  He said he'd come get her after Joe went to bed. Amber looks out the peep hole first just to make sure its Jordan. But to her surprise and shock, it's Joe. Amber jumps away from the door, "It's Joe. Andi what do I do?"

"Go hide in the bathroom. I'll get rid of him." Amber runs into the bathroom and closes the door halfway, she wants to hear what he wants. Andi opens the door and Joe almost falls onto the floor of their room. "Well hello Joe. You okay?"

Joe steadies himself and leans against the doorframe. "I'm fine, just a wee bit intoxicated. I've been trying to talk to you all night Miss Andi. Why didn't Amber come with you? Does she hate me now?"

Andi thinks about fucking with him but is afraid if she tells him Amber hates his guts that Amber will come out of hiding to assure him she doesn't. "No, of course not Joe. She just couldn't make it."

Joe takes a deep breath and puts his hand on his heart, "Andi, I love that woman so much. She's the best thing to ever happen to me. Now Jordan's given me his blessing, he wants her and I to be together, it would really suck if she hates me now. Ya know?" Amber smiles on the other side of the bathroom door. It takes all the willpower she has not to run into his arms. Hearing him talk so casually about loving her makes her heart ache that much more. "Andi, will you just tell me one thing? Does Amber still want me? Will she take me back when I get off this damn boat?"

Andi laughs, she thinks its adorable how worried Joey McIntyre is of being rejected. He's one of the hottest heart throbs out there right now. Especially on this boat, there must be hundreds of girls that would give their eye teeth for a night with him. But he only cares about one girl, and that makes Andi so happy. "Joe I don't think you have anything to worry about. Now go to bed you've got a busy day tomorrow. Lots of pretty, talented girls to sing with. You don't want to disappoint any of them do you?" Joe drunkenly smiles, his bloodshot eyes half closed already. He turns to leave and slurs, "I'm going to marry that girl Andi." Then he stumbled and started laughing. Andi rolled her eyes and shut the door.

"It's safe, you can come out now. Wow your man was drunk...he get like that often?"

"No, but its the cruise. I heard they all do a lot of drinking on the cruise. Well all but Pops, he never drinks. He quit drinking a couple of years ago. But the other guys kind of let go on the cruise. God I wish I could have been out there tonight. I love watching Pops and the guys with their fans. I would have loved to have seen Joe, he lives for times like this." Amber gets a far off look on her face, thinking about Joe and what tomorrow will bring.

"Amber, after tomorrow night you'll get to see Joe in his element every night. So you're really calling Jordan Pops now? Like for real calling him Pops, not just when he's around?"

"Yeah, I am. We've gotten pretty close. I love him Andi. He's a great guy and he would have made a great dad. Well he is a great dad, to Dante and Eric. But he would have been a great dad to me if he had been given a choice. I'm really glad Daddy made me give him a chance. They've actually gotten pretty tight too, Daddy and Pops get along really good, they played golf together one day. Now if only Momma would give Sara Beth a break. Not sure that'll happen. I'm even getting along with Evie, Pop's wife. And my brothers are awesome and so sweet. Life is almost perfect these days."

Andi didn't miss Amber's use of the word almost in that sentence. "Well almost is good. It's better than what most people get. What would make it perfect?"

"Joseph."

There's a quiet knock on the door and Andi gets it. "You girls still awake? Feel like talking a walk around the boat? Joe's down for the count, so no chance of running into him."

"Hey Pops, I'd love too." Amber's already grabbing her shoes and heading towards the door. Andi passes and says she's too tired. So Jordan and Amber head out. They run into Jon almost immediately as he's heading back to his room. "Amber? I didn't know you were here. J, you said she wasn't here. You can't spend the whole cruise hiding all day from Joe sweet niece, you'll miss the best parts of the cruise doing that." He wraps his arms around her and squeezes.

"Only until tomorrow night. I'm going to surprise Joe at Duets at Dusk. So don't tell anyone else I'm here Uncle Jon, okay? Hey Pops was just taking me on a tour of the boat, you want to come with us?" Jon declines, this time, allowing father and daughter to have a little one on one time together. "Just FYI, Danny's not to far behind me and Donnie's still at the after party. When are you two going public? Jordan don't you want the world to know this beautiful girl, well woman, is your daughter?" Jordan looks down at his feet. They hadn't really discussed it since he caused Joe to break up with her. Jordan was letting things move at her pace. He was proud she was his and didn't care who knew it. "Yeah Pops don't you want the world to know I'm your daughter? We should probably tell everyone just so rumors don't get started about you and a much younger woman." Amber playfully elbows him in the ribs. Jordan laughs and throws his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. "I'm ready for everyone to know baby girl."

They say goodnight to Jon and continue exploring the boat together. He brings her to this room, there's only a piano and a few chairs in it. He sits down at the piano and pats the seat next to him. "I thought maybe we could practice your song for tomorrow. All the other girls got to practice with Joe today and again tomorrow before the show. Its only fair you get the same practice time."

Amber smiles and sits next to him. "Thanks, that would be great. You know the song we're doing?"

He answers by playing the song on the piano and singing the first verse.