Chapter 10
A few days later, Alex started to panic. Tonight was her blind date with this guy that Danielle hooked her up with. Alex got the day off, but she tore into her closet at her apartment to find a nice outfit to wear. She spent an hour looking, and couldn’t find one.
Alex was about to give up when her phone rang.
“Hello?” she asked after she answered.
“Hey,” Dani said. “Are you ready?”
“No!” Alex panicked. “I can’t find my first date outfit. Nothing looks great, and I really want to impress this guy… whoever he is.”
Danielle laughed, “Okay, Kevin and I will be over. Joe and Nick are staying home with Frankie today. Kevin and I were going to go shopping and I thought that maybe you’d like to go with us.”
“That would be great and then I have opinions on the right outfit,” Alex said excited.
Dani laughs, “Okay, I’ll tell her.”
“Tell me what?” Alex asked.
“Kevin said that he is buying your outfit.”
“Oh no he is not,” she shook her head and realized that they couldn’t see it.
Dani laughs more, “Well, um you are out voted. Joe, Nick, Frankie, and mom agreed with Kevin.”
“No, I’m going to pay for my own, or I won’t go.”
Dani’s laugh goes away and she heard the phone be taken from Dani.
“Alex, just let me do this. We didn’t get you anything for Christmas, and I want to make it up to you,” Kevin said.
“Kevin, the bedroom is enough. I don’t need anymore.”
“Please Alexis?” he asked begging with a little whine.
Alex sighed, “Fine. When are you going to be here?”
“We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, see you soon.”
She hung up, got dressed in normal clothes, and then she smiled hearing her favorite Jonas song play that she went to her stereo and turned up the song, ‘Live to Party’.
~*~*~*~
After Kevin hung up, Nick, Joe, and Frankie begged if they could tag along. Kevin talked to Denise and she told Frankie to stay home, but she’ll have Alex come spend the day with him on one of her days off.
“I can’t believe you two,” Danielle laughed. “It’s sad to see you two begging to come along. You’re not going the ones going out on the date.”
“Well, Alexis needs a few more opinions,” Joe told him.
Kevin rolled his eyes and smiled, “She doesn’t need anymore.”
“We’re her family, she needs our opinions,” Nick smiled.
“Well, Alex and I are going to get dresses, you boys can help Kevin find a suit,” Danielle smiled at Kevin.
“I have enough suits I don’t need anymore,” Kevin told her. “This is for you girls, and I’m paying.”
“Okay, just keep that in mind if you see something that you like,” Dani said and laughed.
“Like a guitar,” Joe and Nick said at the same time, which everyone in the car laughed, but Kevin.
They soon got to Alex apartment, and they all got out of Kevin’s car, and head up to the front door. Nick knocks on it and heard their song ‘Keep It Real’ blaring through the door.
“Might try the doorbell,” Joe giggled.
Dani reached over to ring the doorbell, the music was then shut off, they heard someone coming to the door, and it opened with Alex on the other side in a purple shirt, blue jeans, and her tennis shoes.
“Hey, guys come on in,” she said and let them in.
The guys walked in and first saw the picture behind the couch. Then they saw that it was a little smaller place, but it was done nicely. Her stereo and TV were across from the couch, and her coffee table and rug underneath was there.
Alex came out from her bedroom. “Sorry, I was cleaning up my mess in the bedroom, but I’m done now.”
Joe smiled, “Don’t we get a tour?”
She laughed, “It’s just a bedroom, bathroom, and I mean you see the kitchen and front room.” She waves her hands up to show them what they see.
“So?” Nick asked with a grin.
“Fine,” Alex sighed, and showed them her small apartment.
~*~*~*~
They were soon on their way to the mall. They were visiting in the car, and as they reached the mall, they climb out of Kevin’s car, as they go inside, Dani grabs Alex hand and smiles at the boys.
“We are going dress shopping. You boys go do whatever you want.”
“But…” Joe and Nick said as Dani glared at them, “fine.”
“Bye,” Kevin said as they waved while Dani drags Alex along with her.
“I don’t care what the cost is, I want her to look great,” Kevin called out to Dani.
The boys started going the same way the girls went, but to another store.
“So what are we going to do?” Nick asked.
“Remember mom got Alex a ring? Mom asked me to pick it up for her.”
The boys were surprised. “A ring, what for?” they asked.
Kevin smiled, “What do you think?” he asked.
The boys looked at their own rings and smiled. “Do you think she… is… you know?” Joe asked.
“I don’t know. I guess mom asked her, and wants to get her one.”
“I don’t know,” Nick said worried as they headed for the jewelry store that their mom ordered the ring from. “It’s personally none of our business.”
“Are you sure it’s even that type of ring Kevin?” Joe asked.
“I’m sure it is.”
They walk into the store, and Kevin goes up to the counter with a saleswoman behind it, who looked up and smiled.
“Jonas’, welcome,” she told them.
“Hello Stacey,” they said smiling.
“So, are you here to get something special for Danielle?” she asked.
“No, mom ordered a ring and asked me to pick it up for her,” Kevin smiled.
Stacey helped Kevin and Danielle with their wedding rings, which she also helped Kevin find the right engagement ring too.
“Oh, yes, I remember her calling me and telling me that you would be coming in. We worked on what she wanted so I hope it’s to her liking. While I go get it, why don’t you boys go look around?”
“Thank you,” they said and went different directions in the store.
“Kevin, mother’s day is coming up, did we think about a gift for mom yet?” Nick asked.
“Well, I thought a mother’s ring with everyone birthstone on it, counting Dani and Alex,” Kevin answered.
“Mom would love it,” he smiled.
“That’s 6 stones,” Joe said coming over from hearing them.
“So? You know mom would love it,” Kevin told him.
“But when was Alex born?” Nick asked.
“Wait, mom never told you?” Kevin asked surprised.
“No, neither did Alex,” Joe said.
“Wait, we know some things about Alex, but no one has bothered to ask when her birthday was?” Nick laughed.
“We have to call mom or ask Alex,” Kevin told them.
“First off who?” Joe asked.
“You call mom and I’ll call Dani. I don’t want Alex to know yet, even when she’s trying on dresses.”
While Kevin and Joe makes call, Stacey comes back.
“Okay Nick, here is the ring your mother ordered,” she said and opens a ring box that it was in.
Nick saw the ring, but it wasn’t what he and his brothers had thought. “Um, what kind of ring is it?”
“She just said that she wanted these four stones on it.”
“It’s my brothers’ birthstones,” Nick told her and looked up, “Is there a message inside?”
“Yes,” she said and takes the ring out of the box and shows him. “It says ‘Keep bros with you’.”
Nick thought about it. He knew that it wasn’t the purity rings that he and Joe were wearing. But there were Kevin, Joe, Nick, and Frankie’s birthstones in order in real twenty-four karat gold and surrounded with tiny diamonds around the edges.
Kevin walks back still on the phone with Dani and saw the ring. “Okay, honey. I’ll see you soon.” He hung up, “What is that?” he asked.
“Alex’s ring,” Nick told him.
“I thought that it was a purity ring?”
Joe walks over, and sees the ring, “Mom what ring did you get Alex?” he asked her. “You didn’t get her a purity ring?”
“Your mother said this ring,” Stacey told the boys.
“Okay, thanks mom. Love you too.” He closed his phone. “It’s May and that’s a ‘brother ring’ mom says,” Joe makes the quotation marks in the air.
“What does she mean by ‘brother ring’?” Nick asked makes the same quotation marks in the air.
“I don’t know, but that is what she said.”
Stacey smiled too. “Well, your mother also ordered something for you boys too.”
“What?” Joe asked.
“Well, I’m suppose to give Danielle three rings and you are not allowed to see them until you get home.”
“Mom got us rings also like this?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t know. Danielle is supposed to get them. Your mother’s orders.”
“I’ll get Danielle and Alex over here then,” Kevin said and called Dani.
~*~*~*~
“Why was Kevin wanting to know about my birthday?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know, he just asked is all,” Dani told her.
Alex was in a dressing room trying on her fifth dress that Dani found her to try on. They both didn’t like any dresses on her.
“Can I help you girls?” a saleswoman came over to ask.
“Yes, my sister-in-law is trying on some dresses. I’m setting her up on a blind date with a very famous friend of mine, and I don’t want her to know who he is, but we are trying to find the right dress for her.”
“May I ask who this guy is?”
Danielle whispered in her ear, which Alex didn’t hear.
“Oh, very nice man,” her eyes widen as she smiled. “She’s in for a real treat. Come with me. I think I have the prefect dress over here.”
“Be right back Alex,” Dani said.
“Okay.” Alex sat down in a chair in the dressing room and waited.
A few minutes later, Alex hears a knock o the door.
“Hey, I have the dress,” she heard Dani said.
“Okay,” Alex said standing up and opens the door to get the dress.
“Let me know if you need help with the zipper.”
“I will,” Alex said as she slips the dress on.
After she slipped it on her, she was impressed with the dress. “Wow,” she said quietly looking in the mirror. “Dani I’ll need help with the zipper.”
She opened the door and turned around for Dani to zip up the back for her.
“Let’s see it,” the saleswoman said.
Alex looks one more time, and then turned around to open the door.
~*~*~*~
Nick, Kevin, and Joe were walking into the dress store that the girls were in, and went in back seeing Dani and a saleswoman with her.
“Let’s see it,” they heard Dani.
As Alex comes out of the dressing room all three boys stop in place seeing her in the dress.
Kevin whistles.
“Wow,” Nick said.
“She’s beautiful,” Joe got out.
“What do you think?” Alex asked turning around and sees her brothers, “Never mind.” She turned to go back in.
“No, Alex wait,” Nick said as they walked faster toward the girls.
“May I help you?” the saleswoman asked.
“They’re her brothers,” Dani said quickly. “Could you just give us a moment? We’ll get the dress.”
“No we’re not,” Alex said in the dressing room.
“Alexis I told you that I don’t care what the cost is,” Kevin said. “I just want you to look great for your date tonight.”
“I know Kevin, but I don’t think you want to pay for this dress,” Alex said, and she tossed the dress over the door of the dressing room as Danielle caught it, and went to go pay of it.
“Alex. I thought you looked stunning in it,” Joe told her.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Well, the dress is getting paid for right now,” Nick said watching Dani at the register.
Soon, Alex came out dressed in her clothes, and blushed looking at the guys. “I don’t want you to pay for my stuff.”
“Too late,” Nick said as Dani came back with a dress bag, and smiles at them.
“Got the dress. Do we need shoes?” Dani asked.
“Yes,” the boys smiled.
“No,” Alex said. “I will wear the shoes that I have at home. I don’t want four opinions on a new pair of shoes. I’ll be ending up in high heels with you guys.”
“You don’t wear high heels?” Joe asked.
“Nope,” she smiled. “I can sprain or break my ankles in them.”
“Thank you,” Joe said and hugged her.
“What for?” she asked puzzled.
“I’m sure that you’ve seen Joe’s ‘Single Ladies’ video?” Nick asked.
Alex started laughing letting got of Joe, “Yes I do. And now I remember hearing in an interview that they hurt your feet and you felt sorry for women wearing them.”
Joe smiled, “Yes. I’m glad that I have a sister that won’t wear them.”
Alex giggled, “I’m proud of my five-three height. I don’t have to make myself taller.”
“Well, to change the subject,” Kevin said and looks at Danielle, “Mom has some rings that she requested that you pick up for. We got the one ring, but the other ones she wants you to get.”
“Oh, right,” she smiled. “Come on Alex, lets get these rings that mom has for us.”
“And we wanted to ask you Alex, and Danielle,” Joe said as they went back to the jewelers, “would you girls agree into getting a mother’s ring for mom. It would have all of our stones in it.”
Alex looked at Dani, “I wouldn’t have an issue with it.”
“Me either. I mean we are family after all,” Dani said smiling.
“Okay, while you get the rings, we’ll go look at the mother’s rings and get it setup and paid for,” Kevin told the girls.
Alex thought about it. “Kevin… what is everyone’s stones?”
“Well mine is citrine, Joe is peridot, yours is emerald, and Nick, Frankie, and Dani’s sapphire.”
“I don’t know when Dani was born before or after me, but it might look funny if all three of the stones of the same were together, so personally I would put it them apart… but that is totally up to you guys.”
“We’ll talk about it when we see which ring that we want,” he smiled.
“Okay, just making sure.”
The girls got the rings from Stacey as the boys look for a mother’s ring and request what stone was needed. Plus the boys even got Alex something for her dinner date.
~*~*~*~
After their shopping was done, and got a bite to eat in the food court for Nick to eat on time, they told Alex to come back home with them, and she could get ready at their house, since her date was going to meet them there anyways.
She agreed as long as they stopped by her place so she could get her shoes, and she even pack an overnight bag just in case it was going to be late and she didn’t want to bother having them take her home that night.
Once they got to the house, Danielle took the dress bag and Alex’s overnight bag up to Alex’s bedroom as they went to go find Denise since she wanted the rings when they got home.
“Mom?” Joe asked.
“In the office,” she called out.
They all walked in and saw Denise and Paul talking while they saw Frankie in the front room watching TV.
“Here are the rings that you ordered,” Nick said and hands her the bag with all the rings that she ordered for them.
“Lovely,” she smiled, and looks at them. “Why don’t we go outside and talk for a bit.”
“Okay,” they smiled.
They left dad alone, they went outside, and sat down at a table.
As they waited, Denise looked inside each box, and then looked at each of her four children. “Now, this might sound strange, but I ordered you almost the same thing, but there is a reason about these rings. I talked to your father, and he’s agreed to do this. When I hand them to you, do not open them yet until I tell you the story.”
“Okay,” they agreed.
She opened each one, closes it, and hands the boys theirs and then keeps the one box that was Alex’s.
Alex was puzzled, but she waited just like her brothers.
“Alexis,” Denise smiled, “I know that you were having some hard times, and I know that you didn’t want any help from us. But I would like you to have this.” She hands her the box.
Alex takes it and opens it to see a real twenty-four karat gold ring surrounded with tiny diamonds around the edges with four stones set in a row. “Oh, wow.”
“Now it’s Kevin, Joe, Nick, and Frankie’s birthstones in order. There is a message inside the band of the ring.”
Alex takes the ring out, and looked, “It says, ‘Keep bros with you’.”
“I know that we’ll be leaving soon in a few days to go back out on tour, but while we’re gone, and when you miss them, just look at the ring, and they’ll be with you.”
She smiled and tried not to cry, “Thank you mom.”
“You can wear it on any hand that you want.” Denise looked at her boys, “Now, you can open yours.”
The brothers smiled opening their boxes and saw a twenty-four carrot gold band with squared gems inside the band in a row also with their birthstones, and Alex’s.
“I made these for you to also think of your sister and your brothers when you are not together.”
“Thanks mom,” Kevin said taking it out and puts it on his right hand middle finger.
After the boys all did the same as Kevin, they studied their rings to see that each ring didn’t have that brother’s birthstone.
“Thank you mom,” Joe said going around the table to hug his mom which all of the other two did.
“You’re very welcome.” She then looked over at Alex while she was still looking at her ring. “Alex?”
“Yes?” she asked looking up.
“Would you come inside please?”
Her eyes got wide eyed, and looked at her brothers. “Am I in trouble?”
“Just a question that dad and I would like to ask you.”
“Sure,” she said standing up, and taking her ring with her as they go inside.
The boys look at each other, and go to the door but notice that mom took her to the office.
“Darn,” Joe said.
“Must be really bad,” Kevin said.
“What did Alex do?” Nick asked.
“I don’t know, but I have to go get ready for my dinner date.”
“You go get ready while we go play with Frankie,” Joe told him.
They all went inside and went different ways.