Clay Anderson walked into his empty, one-bedroom apartment and looked around in disgust. He’d officially signed the divorce papers a year ago today. All he knew about his ex-wife was that she’d moved to Virginia to live with her sister and had cut off all communication with him. Clay didn’t blame her. He realized too late that she was done with him. She’d caught him in two affairs and the credit card debt he’d piled onto their marriage was astronomical. He’d almost declared bankruptcy, but instead, had sold his business and was left with a tiny settlement from it. Anna had put the house on the market and he’d gotten a solid payback from the bank when it sold, but just enough to furnish a small apartment on the outskirts of Atlanta. He’d started seeing a counselor once a week who’d diagnosed Clay with bipolar disorder and anger management issues. He was on meds for the bipolar, and he was taking anger management classes twice a week across town. His mother was the only person who wanted anything to do with him. His brother had cut ties and his father had left the family years ago.

 

He sat down on the couch and stared ahead at nothing. Though his counselor had told him he’d been doing better, Clay had a hard time believing that anyone else would know he’d changed. He thought of his past relationships with friends, with girlfriends, and colleagues. Besides Anna, there was one woman who’d always remained a permanent fixture in the back of his mind. James Ryan. When he’d first started dating her back in college, he knew he’d scored big time. James was an all-American girl who was serious about school and also had a lot of friends. The first time he’d cheated on her, he’d felt some remorse, but then it just got easier. When she moved to Orlando, he followed her, not wanting to let her go. She had been so forgiving and easily coerced into making love with him that weekend. And then the blow happened – she was pregnant and Clay went crazy. He had never wanted to be a father because of what had happened to him as a child. And after he’d beaten up on her, he knew that it was done and that he should never, ever be around a child. Nearly three years had passed since he’d signed the papers to let James’ boyfriend adopt Sutton. He’d never laid eyes on the child, but knew that she was almost eight-years-old. He couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like, who she acted like, what she did for fun.

 

Clay looked at the clock on the microwave. It was almost seven. If he was going to be on time for his anger management class, he knew he’d better grab a quick dinner and head out. He left the empty apartment, relieved that he would soon be around people again.

 

Orlando

 

“Whoa oh whoa sweet child of mi-yine!” JC and Sutton were singing at the top of their lungs to the old Guns ‘n’ Roses song. James sat in the front seat and videoed from her iPhone. The twins, Landon and Olivia, were in their car seats staring at their sister and smiling, then babbling to one another in baby talk.

 

“Whoa oh oh whoa sweet child of mi-yine!” JC looked right at the camera, taking his eyes off the road for a minute. “Hey baby, you look fine!”

 

James giggled at her husband. “Watch the road, honey,” she told him then looked back at Sutton. “What do you think of this song, Sutton?”

 

“I like it! Daddy sings it to me at night sometimes when he’s tucking me in!” Sutton waved at the camera. “Hey, Mom, what time will we get back to Grayson?”

 

“In a little while,” James hit the camera button to end the video. “Why don’t you watch Ariel.” She hit the DVD button next to the cd player and soon the start of The Little Mermaid began to play as Guns ‘n’ Roses faded out. James reached over and linked her fingers through JC’s. “That was a great family vacation, babe.”

 

“I was just thinking that,” JC looked over at her and grinned. “I almost didn’t want to leave.”

 

“Yeah, but our little man’s waiting for us,” James yawned and settled into the seat of the car, propping her pillow against the window. Logan Scott Chasez was exactly a month old today, too young for the family trip to Disney World. JC and James had taken their almost eight-year-old daughter, Sutton, and their 19-month-old twins on a four- day vacation to Disney World for a long weekend. At the last minute, Chad and Lane, JC’s cousin and his husband respectively, had decided to come with their one-year-old adopted daughter, Jewel. They’d all stayed together at the Polynesian Resort near the Magic Kingdom. Sutton had met all of the princesses, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Sebastian the Crab, and Alice in Wonderland. She’d gotten autographs from them all as well as several pictures with Landon and Olivia and Jewel. There had been one night where they’d gotten back to the hotel at almost 3 a.m. because of the line to meet Belle. It had been a long, but fun little vacation away, but James and JC were anxious to see their baby boy.

 

James sometimes wondered what her life would’ve been like without JC in it. She almost couldn’t imagine it anymore. Nor could she imagine what it would’ve been like with their kids. She loved the relationship JC had with Sutton. Watching them, no one would’ve believed that JC wasn’t her biological father because they had always been so natural with one another. And once, a client of JC’s at his Talent Studio in Grayson had told him how much Sutton looked like him. Life couldn’t be any better than what it was now. Living in the small town of Grayson, Georgia with her family and her closest friends and owning the town’s most popular spot for coffee, Brewster’s, was all that James could ever want.

 

Yes, life didn’t get much better than it did right then and there.

 

James closed her eyes and squeezed her husband’s hand, so content and not bothered by anything or anyone.

 

It was bliss.  

One Week Later 

James groaned when she heard Logan crying at 4:00am, knowing she had to be at Brewster’s at 7:00. Her former assistant manager and one of her best friends, Lesly, was now the proud owner of Grayson’s first real boutique called Les Designs. This was great for Grayson and Lesly and James had been extremely proud of her friend, but it meant extra work for James now that she was without an assistant. She’d put an ad on Facebook and word of mouth had spread around town that Brewster’s was hiring, but it had been from a small pool of people to begin with and James wondered if she’d ever find a replacement.

She looked over at JC, who was sleeping soundly and silently wished he had the capability of nursing, just for sleep’s sake. As she stumbled out of the bedroom, she tripped on a toy belonging to one of the twin’s and cursed under her breath. She was waiting for the day when her and JC’s children were old enough to pick up their toys. Sutton was the only one who was old enough, but the child always left her room spotless and never left a mess.

Tiptoeing into Logan’s nursery, she carefully lifted him out of his bassinet and sat down in the rocker next to it. Humming softly as she rocked and nursed him, her eyes closed and she smiled to herself at how much fun they’d all had on their vacation last weekend. From Chad being just as excited as Sutton meeting Mickey, to that stolen night she’d had with JC in the hotel pool when everyone else had been asleep, it had been a perfect time together. She never knew she could love anything or anyone as much as she loved her children. After Sutton, it seemed impossible that anyone would ever want to take her out, knowing she had a baby at home. And then, JC came into her life and her world had not been the same since.

Looking down at Logan, James smiled at her newest little darling. He looked a lot like Landon as a baby, which meant he might be the spitting image of his father in a few years. She bent down and softly kissed his forehead. “You’re mommy’s little boy, aren’t you, Logan?” she whispered, as she stood up to put him back in his bed. “I love you. Sleep tight, baby boy.” James tiptoed out of the room, chuckling silently at the fact that her youngest child had been the result of a drunken night at Chad’s Christmas party last year. She’d been devastated when she found out she was pregnant, but only because it had been such a shock. The twins’ were different. They’d been a surprise as well, but it was almost such a natural thing that had to happen that James hadn’t really been all that surprised. That was also back in the first stages of her relationship with JC and all they’d done was have dinner and sex. Sutton had been old enough at the time to entertain herself. It wasn’t the case now. The twins weren’t even two and Logan was just barely over a month. It would be a long time before she and JC could sneak around like they used to do.

Crawling back in bed, she saw JC open his eyes and smile at her. He pulled her next to him and kissed her cheek.

“Is he asleep again?” he mumbled, spooning her against him.

“Mmhm,” James sighed, closing her eyes and resting her hand on top of JC’s arm. “Goodnight for two more hours." 

“Goodnight, baby,” JC kissed her again and they didn’t wake up until the alarm at 6:00 began to buzz.

“Ok, you’ve got your lunch?” JC asked Sutton later that morning, as he pulled through the car line at the elementary school.

“Yep,” Sutton replied, picking up her pink and purple ballet themed lunch bag.

“And your change of clothes for ballet?” JC looked in the backseat to make sure she’d grabbed her little gym bag for her ballet class.

“I got it, Daddy,” Sutton showed him her gym bag and JC smiled at her.

“Ok. See you at three, honey,” he leaned over to peck her cheek and Sutton waved at him as she ran off towards the building. JC rolled the car forward, Sutton still in his peripheral vision as she ran towards her other classmates. He looked in the rearview mirror at Landon and Olivia who were fixated on a cartoon playing on the DVD player. It had been a rough morning getting them ready, especially because Olivia was going through a clingy phase with James and cried whenever her mother left. Landon was content with either parent as long as they were paying him attention. Between coaxing Olivia out of James’ arms earlier and then trying to juggle them both while he got ready, JC was already exhausted by the time he’d put them in the car. Logan was fast asleep in the middle seat, not disturbed at all by Olivia’s whining when JC had gotten them in the Range Rover.

“Ok, who’s ready to see Nana?” JC looked at Olivia and Landon, as he pulled out into the street.

“Nana!” Landon repeated, and smiled at his father.

“Good. We’re almost there,” JC turned a corner and then two more, and he was at James’ parents home. His mother-in-law watched the three little ones until 2 when James was off work. She’d scolded them both that they should work less to be with their kids, but James and JC were both running their own businesses and right now, lacked a lot of help.

As he parked the car, Mary-Jo Ryan stepped out on her front porch and waved at him. He waved back and Landon and Olivia both began calling for “Nana” over and over again. She came to the car to help with unloading and hugged JC as he got out. 

“You look tired,” Mary-Jo said, her Southern drawl making JC smile.

“Well, when you have our brigade at home, it’s hard to sleep sometimes,” he told her, kissing her cheek. He unbuckled the twins first in the back seat and they waddled over to their grandmother, who covered them in kisses.

“Papa’s inside! Should we go see him?” She picked up Olivia and squeezed her, then took Landon’s little hand in hers. JC unfastened Logan’s car seat and carefully took it out as not to wake the infant. He followed Mary-Jo in the house and set the car seat on the couch next to his father-in-law.

“There’s my big man!” Jesse Ryan whispered, bending over to kiss Logan’s forehead.

“Ok. I better get to the studio. James should be back around 2,” JC told his in-laws, then went to hug the twins. “Be good for Nana and Papa, ok?”

Olivia began to wail when she discovered her father was about to leave. JC shook his head and hugged her tightly against him. “Olivia, what are we gonna do with you? We can’t go anywhere can we?” he kissed her cheek and rubbed her back. 

“I thought it was James she got upset about?” Mary-Jo inquired, coming over to rescue JC.

“Apparently, it’s either of us,” he sighed, standing as Olivia clung to his legs. Mary-Jo expertly picked up her granddaughter and even as she reached for JC, had already distracted her.

“I hope you find some extra workers. I don’t know how long you can do what you’re doing with four kids,” she sighed, and smiled at JC.

“We’ll see,” was all he could say, before he said his goodbyes to Jesse and Landon.

It was getting difficult and JC knew it. He and James had talked about what to do or whom to hire, but it was hard when you lived in a town the size of nothing. James had it easier because she could easily train someone on how to manage a coffee shop. JC needed experts on voice and dance and that was a true rarity in Grayson. He’d thought about Chris, but Chris was busy helping Lesly get her business off the ground and still trying to settle into life in a small Georgia town as opposed to life in a booming metropolis like Orlando had been. He knew it would all come together, but today he was already so tired and he hadn’t even started working yet.

He pulled his car into a parking space right between Brewster’s and the talent studio he owned. He was thankful that his wife owned a coffee shop, because on a day like today, he needed the largest amount of caffeine possible.

James was standing behind the counter talking with a customer when JC walked in. She smiled at him when she saw him and the customer, a parent of one of JC’s clients, waved him over. It was Alina Dearing’s father, one of the town’s most influential people because he worked in the city commissioner’s office. Alina had won the very first ever Grayson Talent Show three summers ago and was now off at college majoring in theatre and dance at Florida State.

“JC! Good to see you,” Mr. Dearing shook his hand. “I was just telling James that Alina was asked to choreograph the theatre department’s musical for next spring!”

“Whoa, that’s great!” JC replied. “She’s on her way if she’s getting asked to do that this early on. You must be very proud.”

“We couldn’t have done it without your influence,” he patted JC’s shoulder. “Okay, I better get to the office. You two have a great day.”

“Thanks,” James called to him as he left. She looked up at JC. “Hi, you.”

JC leaned over the counter to kiss her gently. “Hi. I need coffee in a major way,”

James giggled. “You and me both. I’m so tired, baby,” she sighed and turned to start the espresso machine. “How was Olivia after I left?”

“She cried for me when I dropped her off at your mother’s,” JC told her. “We really need to start hiring. I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’re working more and more now and it’s making me really frustrated because our kids don’t ever see us.”

James shook her head and handed him his espresso. “I don’t know what to do. There’s no one as qualified as Lesly was,”

“You’re not going to find a Lesly,” JC reminded her. “I’m thinking of begging Joey to come work once a week or something when he’s not off doing a gig. I don’t know what else to do. I can’t ask Chris. He’s much too busy with Lesly’s stuff right now.”

James rested her hand on his. “We’ll figure something out, babe. We always do,” she squeezed his hand and tried to be reassuring. JC just smiled and sipped his espresso, kissing her once more before he headed out the door.

 

“Chris, you are about to get on my last nerve!” Lesly groaned, as she tried not to laugh at her boyfriend who was trying on all of her latest accessories at once. Thankfully, the store wouldn’t open for another half-hour, so it wasn’t like the customers were seeing any of it. But he looked like a complete idiot and Lesly was trying to finish final touches on anything before she unlocked the door. Her hand on her hip, she stood by the cash register, shaking her head at him.

“What?” Chris playfully smiled at her, as he examined himself in the full- length mirror, dangling the bracelets around his wrist.

“Seriously, baby, I just saw JC at the studio. Go over there and bug him,” Lesly went over to Chris and began to take the accessories off of him.

“Fine,” he handed her all of the necklaces and earrings and bracelets. “But you know I could look damn good in all of that." 

“You’re an idiot,” she laughed at him, and he kissed her before heading out the door and walking across the street. He waved at a passerby going into Brewster’s and smiled to himself. Who would have ever thought he could be so content in such a small town? But he loved it. And what made it even better was that he’d reconnected more with JC and was enjoying getting to see him as a father.

“Hello?” Chris called into the large studio as he opened the door.

“Chris?” he heard JC’s voice from behind one of the small voice studio rooms. 

“Yep,” Chris answered, and followed the sound of JC’s voice. He was sitting at a piano, plunking out a few random chords and humming to himself as he did so. “Hey, man. Lesly kicked me out. Apparently trying on jewelry was not her idea of a good time for me.”

“Unbelievable,” JC chuckled and stopped playing. “Are you really lacking for something to do?”

“I’m bored as hell,” Chris admitted, sitting down across from JC on a leather bound couch.

JC looked at him thoughtfully for a second. Then, “I need help at the studio. But I wasn’t going to ask you because I just assumed you were busy with Lesly-“

“Oh, we’re busy alright,” Chris interrupted him, a grin on his face.

“Shut up, you know what I mean!” JC rolled his eyes at his friend. “Anyway, I was going to see if you’d like to help me out here. I’ve had to turn away potential clients because I’ve got no time in the week to schedule them in. If you were here, you could take on at least a few voice students.”

Chris didn’t even hesitate. “I was hoping you’d eventually ask me,” he told him, honestly. “All I do is hang out at Lesly’s shop and I know I get on her nerves because there is really nothing for me to do. I tried to show her a few FuManSkeeto items that we could put out on display, but she told me they were dated.”

“Dude that line was from 2001!” JC laughed again. “Yeah, you do need a job. You’re hired. You can start today if you want.”

 

Atlanta

“…and your deepest regret is?” the counselor prodded Clay. “You’ve mentioned losing Anna, but I think there’s something more here.”

Clay shifted on the sofa and sighed into his hands. He hadn’t ever brought up James or Sutton to anyone. His mother knew, but she had told him that it was in the past and he’d lost them on purpose and there was nothing more he could do about it. He cringed when he thought of the child that was his that was now calling somebody else “Dad.”

“I…” he started and sighed again. “I have a child. She’s about 8 now or almost. I’ve never seen her. I gave up rights three years ago to her mother’s new boyfriend. Or I guess he’s probably her husband now. I was awful to her mom. I beat her up when I found out she was pregnant.”

“Why did you get so angry about that that you beat her up?” the counselor, named Peter, was a calm, gentle older man who never scolded Clay, only listened and nodded as he took notes. Clay sometimes wanted to start an argument with him, just to see what would happen. But so far, he couldn’t bring himself to it because Peter was that understanding and unlike everyone else, had told Clay he could break free of these demons.

“I didn’t want kids,” Clay responded. “I knew what my life was like with a father who didn’t want me. And I didn’t want them.”

“And now?” Peter stopped taking notes and leaned back in his chair.

“I don’t know,” Clay shrugged. “It scares me.”

“And how do you feel knowing you can’t ever have your daughter as your own?” Peter asked.

“I’m mad. I’m pissed that someone else has her. But the thing is, I don’t want her. I’m mad at James for the lies she’s probably telling the kid about me,”

“James is her mother?”

“Yes,”

Peter was silent for a minute. “She might not have ever mentioned you to the child. Would you rather her speak lies or be silent?”

“I don’t know,” Clay shook his head. “I just know I’ve been thinking about her a lot. My kid, I mean. And I know if I contacted James to even meet her, she’d get a lawyer on my ass so fast that I wouldn’t have time to retract the statement.”

“I don’t think she’d have grounds to lawyer up if you just wanted to call and see if it was possible,” Peter replied, ever so calmly.

“Well, she’d make sure it didn’t happen. Her cousin’s got a friend who’s a lawyer and he’s the one who did the case. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I can’t do anything about it and I’m never going to see her again,” Clay shrugged.

“Unfortunately, you can’t reverse adoptions in the state of Georgia anyway,” Peter said. “But you must think about the wellbeing of your daughter. Do you think she is being raised in a healthy home?”

“She’s being raised by a millionaire,” Clay answered. “Her new dad was one of the lead singers in a boy band years ago.”

“Regardless, is she being raised in a healthy home? Is she being loved? Is she being cared for?” Peter prodded him.

Clay sighed for the umpteenth time during the session. “I want to say she’s not only because I’m mad at the whole situation. But my guess would be yes, she is. I know that James wouldn’t have it any other way. Or at least the James I knew in college.” 

“Do you still love her?” Peter rested his chin on the tip of the pencil he held in his fingertips.

“Who? James?” Clay had to think about it. Had he ever loved her? Or had it been just a sick game he’d played for the four years he’d been with her? “I don’t know if I ever did. I was crazy about her, but I don’t know if I loved her.” 

“Four years? I’d say if you didn’t love her, you were at least obsessed with her. Four years is a long time,”

“Obsessed. Yeah. Maybe,”

“Did you ever compare Anna with her?” 

“All the time,” the truth was out before Clay could stop it. He hesitated before he continued. “Anna wasn’t as strong as James. I missed that.”

“You beat up on Anna, too,” Peter reminded him.

“Yeah. I did,” Clay looked away. “I got more annoyed with her. I only hit on James once. The night she said she was pregnant.”

“What if you had stayed and been a father? Would you have beat up your child?”

“My dad beat me up. He beat my mom and my brother. Why wouldn’t I have beat up my kid?”

“You’re not your father,”

“I have a lot of him in me. My brother doesn’t hit his kids,”

“You have to stop the comparisons. You’ll never find out what you would have been like because you have always assumed you’d be a certain way,” 

“I don’t assume. I know,” Clay corrected him. “I got so mad and angry at James because I felt like she’d lied to me. And I feel awful for it now. Anna was the brunt of it because I sometimes feel like the anger I had pent up for James, I took out on her.”

“Possibly,” Peter nodded his head slowly.

“Anna got pregnant,” Clay continued. “She lost the baby. And my first thought was that if she had been James, it wouldn’t have happened. That’s when I turned her off. I was done. She wasn’t strong like James. She couldn’t carry a baby like James had. And she’d completely wasted my opportunity to be a father.” 

“Clay, many women lose babies. You could’ve tried again,” Peter told him. “You never loved Anna. You did love James. And when Anna lost your baby, you were done because you were trying to stay with a woman who could never fill your needs like your ex had. What we have to do now, is work through these feelings of not seeing your daughter ever again and how you really feel about having ties cut with James.”

The session had been a good one and by the time they were finished, Clay had started to feel like he was better at understanding himself. He drove through McDonalds on his way home and then settled in front of the couch with his Big Mac and Coke. Pulling out his phone, he typed in “James Ryan + Grayson” into his Google search. He was just curious. He wanted to see what it brought up. It was an article from the Grayson newspaper a year ago: 

James Chasez (former Ryan) is the proud owner of Brewster’s Coffee in Grayson, Georgia. Blending up your favorite coffees and serving delicious lunch items, Brewster’s is the place to be. Chasez is a native of Grayson and is married to Joshua Chasez, best known for being a lead singer in the former boy band, ‘Nsync. Joshua owns and manages ‘The JC Chasez Talent Studio’ right next door to his bride and has been the main judge at the annual Grayson County Talent Show every summer. James and Joshua have three children: a daughter, Sutton, who is six-and-a-half, and eight-month-old twins, Landon and Olivia. The Chasez’s have certainly made a name for them here in Grayson and we are proud to have them as a part of our community. 

Clay read the article two more times and was fuming by the end of it. “James and Joshua have three children….a daughter, Sutton….” It reverberated over and over in his head and soon, he wasn’t feeling as renewed as he had when he’d left Peter’s.

 

 

ATLANTA

 

For two days, Clay stayed in his apartment and all he did was search for any clues he could find on his daughter. He’d typed in Sutton Chasez numerous times, but no images had surfaced. He’d typed in James Chasez + Sutton and the same article continued to pop up that he’d read previously. He just wanted to see her face. That was all. He told himself as soon as he saw a picture, he’d move on and talk to Peter about how he’d spent the last two days. He sipped a cup of bland coffee and then leaned back in his chair, rubbing the scruff on his chin. An idea suddenly came to him. JC Chasez + daughter. He waited. Soon, he was looking right at a picture that a paparazzo had managed to snap over a year ago. JC walking in downtown Grayson with a little girl attached to his hand. Her hair was wavy and light brown. She wore a white sundress and was looking up at JC, laughing about something with him. Clay’s heart suddenly felt wrenched and he zoomed in as close as he could onto his daughter. She had her mother’s eyes but he could tell, even from how blurred the image was, that she looked like both of them elsewhere. The picture was almost two years old and the caption read “JC Chasez and daughter walk in sync in his new hometown of Grayson, Georgia.”

 

His daughter. JC’s daughter. Clay knew he couldn’t be upset. He’d given up his rights. But it still didn’t make this new feeling of pain inside of him go away. He wanted to meet her. He wanted to know who she was. But he knew James would never, ever let him set foot anywhere near Sutton. She’d made that clear on the day of the adoption. Clay rubbed his face in his hands and then looked back at the picture. His phone alert went off letting him know he had an AA meeting in thirty minutes. He ignored it and went back to typing in JC’s name over and over again in the search engine. A few more pictures popped up, none of which included Sutton. Clay went back to the first image and saved it to his hard drive. He’d figure out what to do with it later.

 

GRAYSON

 

“You won’t believe what I’ve found, doll face!” Chad burst into Brewster’s with Jewel in her stroller and an envelope flying wildly in his hand.

 

James had been looking over applications for a new assistant manager behind the counter and looked up at her friend, smiling at him. Chad was always exuberant about everything he did and James figured that he’d probably found some unique house plan that he was going to use in his next interior design project. She was thankful for her best friend. If it hadn’t been for him she would have never met JC. She would have also been very lonely living in Grayson with just Sutton a few years ago. Chad had given her a lot and she sometimes couldn’t believe they were still the best of friends after all the years that had passed.

 

“What?” she asked him, coming around the counter to kiss and hug on Jewel. Jewel Chasez-Wilkes had been adopted from China when she was almost six months old. It had thrilled Sutton that she finally had a cousin and Jewel was the perfect addition for a playmate for Olivia and Landon. She lifted the baby out of her stroller and kissed her cheek. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you and Lane got the cutest baby in all of China, should I?”

 

“Naturally,” Chad shrugged and winked at her, then waved the envelope around in front of her. “Look what I found digging through some old drawers at my parents’ house! You are going to die!”

 

James took the envelope from Chad and quizzically looked at him as she opened it. She chuckled and put her hand over her mouth when she saw what was inside. It was a picture taken at the one and only Nsync concert she’d ever been to with Chad. He’d gotten her and a few of her friends from college backstage. James hadn’t really cared back then because she wasn’t a fan of their music, but it had been fun to go back with Chad and meet the guys. She looked at the picture and then back at Chad. There she was sandwiched between JC and Chad. Chad was giving a goofy grin to the camera and James was looking inadvertently at JC while smiling at him. JC looked content with his arm around her and his eye on the camera.

 

“You’re already gazing at him!” Chad pointed out. “I thought you might want this. You know. Your first picture together and all!”

 

James smiled at him and looked back at the picture. “Wow. I’m really glad he doesn’t wear that sequined whatever that is he’s got on!” Chad took the picture and laughed at the vest JC was wearing.

 

“All in the name of being the biggest boy band in the world!” he said, and took Jewel from James, who was trying to grab at the picture. “Anyway, I thought you’d enjoy that.”

 

“Thanks. I can’t wait to show this to Josh,” she placed the picture back into the envelope, tucking it in the front pocket of her apron. “Hey, do you want a latte before you head out?”

 

“Can’t, doll. I need to get Jewel to Gymboree and it’s over in Brunswick,” he told her, as he fastened the baby back into her stroller. “I’ll see you later. Enjoy the picture!” he called as he opened the door to leave.

 

“I will. Have fun!” James waved to Chad as he and Jewel strolled out of the shop and crossed the street to where his BMW was parked. She pulled the picture out again and couldn’t help but grin once more. Who would have thought she’d end up married one day to the random guy she was standing with in that picture?

 

The door chimed again and James looked up in surprise to see Kaylie, a former employee of hers and now a college student in Savannah, walk in and give a small wave.

 

“Kaylie!” James greeted her. She went over to hug her, then pulled away upon seeing Kaylie’s grim smile. “What’s wrong, sweetie? And why are you in Grayson today? Are you all on fall break?”

 

Kaylie shook her head slowly. “No,” she sighed and then looked back at James. “I, um, I lost my scholarship at school.” Kaylie had been awarded an almost full ride academically to Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah. She was majoring in Education and the last James had heard, she was in a sorority and flourishing at everything she did.

 

“How did you do that, honey?” James brought her over to an empty table and sat down with her. “Do you want something to drink? You always liked the mocha frappe. Can I get one of those for you?”

 

Kaylie shook her head. “No, it’s ok. I’m fine,” she tried to smile again, but her face gave away that she wasn’t in the best of spirits. This was quite unusual, James thought, because Kaylie had been the most bubbly teenager she’d ever been around. When JC had moved to Grayson, Kaylie had all but freaked out in front of the entire staff of Brewster’s because she’d been such a huge fan of America’s Best Dance Crew. And when James had officially begun dating JC, Kaylie had been over the moon about it.

 

Kaylie took a breath and smoothed out her blonde hair, trying once more to force a smile at James as she spoke. “I partied way too hard last year. I had to drop out of my sorority. It was really bad. So the school sent my parents a letter this summer saying that I’d failed all of my classes and was losing my scholarship. My parents can’t afford it so I have to stay home this semester and go to community college on Jekyll Island. My mom said you were hiring for an assistant manager and I wanted to see if I could apply,”

 

James stood slowly and went behind the counter to retrieve an application. “Here,” she handed it to Kaylie, along with a pen. “Fill this out and we’ll talk tomorrow, okay? I think you’d be great here.” Kaylie genuinely smiled this time and began to fill out her application. James breathed a sigh of relief. No, Kaylie wasn’t like Lesly in the least, but at least she knew her way around the coffee shop. She began to think about how freed up her time would be again and that she might actually get to see Logan take his first steps, unlike the twins’, who’d both been at her mother’s house when that had happened. She couldn’t wait to get home and tell JC later that day.

 

JC Chasez.

 

Joshua Scott Chasez.

Born on August 8, 1976.

 

Spouse – James Elizabeth Chasez

 

Lives – Grayson, Georgia. Also has a home in West Hollywood, California

 

Children – Four

 

Clay furiously typed into his computer the information he’d gathered from various sources on the web. Wikipedia had given him most of the data and then he’d gone onto Google Images to search for pictures of his daughter. He’d found plenty and he wondered if James had been aware of all the paparazzo in and around Grayson and on the family’s recent trip to Disney World. There were pictures of JC picking up Sutton from school, pictures of him going into the coffee shop that James apparently owned now, and one of Sutton on his shoulders at a Fourth of July parade the summer before last. He’d also seen numerous pictures of their trip to Disney World, which he figured must have been recent because Sutton looked older. One picture in particular made him stare at it more than the others. JC was sitting on the curb of Main Street with Sutton on his lap. She was looking at him and giggling, pointing to a fixture of something that wasn’t photographed. The caption had read “JC Chasez and daughter Sutton catch the Princess Parade at Magic Kingdom on a recent family vacation.”  He’d printed that, along with the other pictures, and had them in a neat stack next to his gathered evidence.

 

Clay’s next find had been an interview done with Lance Bass on a radio talk show the year before. He’d searched for hours for the transcript and had it printed out and had also heard the actual interview itself by going to the radio’s website. A few things had caught his attention:

 

“JC’s a total family man now,” was Lance’s response to the question about what the other guys in Nsync were doing. “He gave up Hollywood and settled down in Georgia. We don’t talk as much as we used to but he’s got a beautiful wife and three kids….”

 

One of which is mine, Clay thought every time he read the transcript.

 

“…his wife owns a coffee shop in the town where they live. I think he’s probably gonna be there the rest of his life…”

 

“…oldest daughter is a dancer so maybe it runs in the family…”

 

Clay had cringed at that statement. If it did run in the family, it wasn’t JC’s side that was for damn sure.

 

“….think that he and Chris are probably the closest of all of us now. Chris is dating JC’s wife’s best friend so they all live down there and are pretty tight-knit…he has his own studio, though. It’s not like people don’t know where to find him…”

Clay had found the website for The JC Chasez Talent Studio very easily. Google gave great links and it had come up on Clay’s first try. There wasn’t much to it. Just a simple black wallpaper, a few testimonials from clients, pictures of JC, and most importantly, the bio:

 

JC Chasez has been performing professionally since he was fourteen-years-old. He starred in Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club and then went on to worldwide notoriety with the boy band, Nsync. Blah blah blah something about JC’s solo album. Blah Blah he had a stint on some dance show on MTV. JC is married to James and they have four children together. Liar. He had three. He loves spending time with his family and is constantly creating something new for his studio….. It went on to talk about how one could inquire about voice or dance lessons and there had been a form to fill out online for registration, but Clay hadn’t paid that much attention. His next search was more important. His next search was for more information on his daughter.

 

The local paper in Grayson printed up anything that was thought to be newsworthy. And since it was such a small town, it was easy to get put in the paper. So Clay wasn’t surprised when he typed in Sutton Chasez and pages and pages filled his screen with the information he’d been looking for.

 

Grayson Elementary announces Honor Roll for 2nd grade. Her name at had been at the top of the list.

 

Grayson Elementary to put on Christmas play in City Hall Auditorium. She’d had a role listed as “Candy Cane Fairy” in that.

 

Main Street Ballet presents The Nutcracker. Sutton had been a featured ballerina.

 

The list went on and on. Clay printed off every single piece of it until there was a stack of paper resting next to him on the coffee table. He looked it over and leaned back into the couch, wondering what he would do with all of this information. Sutton was eight, she was in second grade at Grayson Elementary, and danced in the local ballet studio.  She had three siblings. Her mother owned a coffee shop, her “father” owned a talent studio.  Ok, but what now? He had these figures compiled but didn’t know what to do next. He’d missed three AA meetings in a row because of his insatiable need to find out all he could on the daughter he’d missed out on raising. He’d canceled an appointment with Peter. He’d neglected his medication. But none of it mattered. He needed to see what he could do with what he knew about Sutton Chasez.

"Clay, this is Peter. I'm a little concerned you've missed the last week and a half of sessions. Please give me a call,"

 

Delete.

 

"Clay, it's Peter again. You're overdue on your balance. I told you I'd work with you, but I need to get in touch regardless if you're coming back or not. I think we were making some good progress and I'd like to continue seeing you. Please give me a call when you can,"

 

Delete.

 

"This is Marla Renfro, Peter Hickman's assistant. I'm calling to let you know we've let your account go to collections and they will be contacting you soon about your payment,"

 

Delete.

 

Clay set his phone down on the coffee table, numb to what he'd just heard. It had been one month since he'd begun his search. It had been amazing all he'd found out on JC Chasez, James, and most importantly, Sutton. He knew she was in 2nd grade at Grayson Elementary, she took ballet at a studio below the one that JC owned and next door to James' coffee shop. She had three siblings - fraternal twins who were 21 months old and a baby brother who was just over a month. Their home was in a quaint neighborhood but he'd paid extra money on a website he'd found to get a picture of it. A sprawling low-country style house with a Mercedes convertible parked in the driveway and a Range Rover next to it. They weren't hurting financially in the least. He'd done extra research to find out that her gay best friend was the cousin of JC and was married to a lawyer - the same lawyer who'd represented on Sutton's behalf in the adoption case. The gay couple had adopted a girl from China. And from the interview with Lance Bass, he'd come to learn about Chris Kirkpatrick living with James' friend Lesly. For extra measure, he'd done research on that as well and saw that all three couples lived within about ten minutes of one another. 

 

The pictures of Sutton were few, but enough for Clay to get a good idea of what she looked like. She seemed to always be with JC when the paparazzi had gotten a shot of them. She'd also seemed to enjoy this substitute father of hers because she was either laughing or smiling in every picture. It infuriated Clay and so he'd cut JC out of the picture and only kept the ones of Sutton. She was beautiful and Clay yearned to know more about her. He had casually mentioned it to his mother that he'd found a picture of his daughter online and his mother had demanded to see it herself. When she'd looked at the picture of Sutton, she'd burst into tears. Clay had only shown her so she could see how beautiful his daughter was. He hadn't meant to upset her. It was then that he knew that he had to do something about it. It had to be strategic and it could take a while. But if he disappeared and no one knew he was leaving, he might just be able to get away with at least meeting her.

 

Another call came through from Peter Hickman's office. Clay hit "Ignore" and went back to his search.

 

"How's Kaylie working out?" Lesly asked James one late afternoon. They were sitting on James' back patio, each sipping on a glass of wine and watching Sutton entertaining herself with the twins in the sandbox. Logan was fast asleep upstairs in his bedroom and every so often, James and Lesly would hear him stir on the baby monitor. JC and Chris had called to say they'd be running late for dinner - it had become a weekly event for Chris and Lesly along with Chad and Lane to have dinner at the Chasez's - and to start without them if necessary. JC's studio had been booked solid since Chris had come on to work with him. They were able to take on more clients now and because of that, they usually worked later getting everyone they could in and out at a decent time. 

 

"Great," James replied, setting her wine down next to her on the patio table. "She works really hard. Definitely not the same girl that left us two years ago." 

 

"How's Madison?" Lesly wanted to know, referring to Kaylie's best friend and another employee of James. Both girls had gone off to Savannah for school and when Madison had left, she was dating the third of James' high school employees, Hunter Morgan, who'd gone off to Georgia Tech.

 

"Engaged to Hunter," James chuckled, and Lesly raised an eyebrow. "Kaylie told me yesterday they were getting married next summer in Grayson and that Madison was excited to show me the ring in December."

 

"Crazy," Lesly shook her head and watched as Sutton began to build a sandcastle with Olivia, while Landon entertained himself by throwing sand out of the sandbox. "She's so good with them." Lesly motioned to Sutton and James smiled at her eldest. Sometimes Sutton was too good to be true. There were rare occasions where she or JC would have to scold their daughter and when they had, it had been over something trivial like watching television past her bedtime. 

 

"She loves being a big sister," James replied. She looked at Lesly. "So? What about you and Chris?"

 

"What about me and Chris?" Lesly answered, coyly, her finger circling the rim of her glass. 

 

"Are you going to have kids any time soon?" James knew the answer to her question, but still liked to tease her best friend. Lesly had been adamant with James before about the fact that she didn't want to be a mother any time soon and she was sure Chris wasn't about to give up his life completely for a child. They'd talked marriage, but that was even far down the road for them. It was fine for James and JC, who'd immediately known that they were meant for one another, and Chris and Lesly had too, but it was still different. Their relationship had taken more hits than James and JC's had, that was for sure.

 

Lesly shifted in her chair and looked at James, smiling slightly. "Well," she cleared her throat. "I don't know.  I mentioned to him the other day how cute Logan was and he didn't freak out, he agreed with me and said that he thought our baby would be a cutie, too. He's never reacted that way. Usually he changes the subject or teases me about it."

 

James raised an eyebrow. "Well, what do you think it means, then?" she asked, excitedly. Now that Chad and Lane had Jewel, it just seemed natural for Lesly and Chris to be next in line.

 

"Oh, I don't know, James," Lesly sighed and sipped her wine again. "Lately when I'm around Logan or Jewel, my heart starts to ache. I know I want them. And I know Chris would be a great father. It's just that I also know that we've still got a lot to think about. Things have been so great the last year, I don't know if a kid would be better or worse for us."

 

"Your life isn't your own anymore, that's for sure," James said, knowingly, looking over at Sutton and the twins. "I love my kids, but I miss my time for just me and Josh or just me, even. I don't even know what that would be like to have a day all to myself. I don't know what I'd do."

 

"Go to the Jekyll Island Club and get a spa treatment!" Lesly interjected. "That's what I'd do."

 

James was quiet for a moment and thought about that. Alone all day at a spa. It sounded almost too good to be true. She looked at Lesly and shook her head. "No. I can't even picture it. I'd probably worry about the kids all day. Or I'd wonder if Josh was OK with them by himself," she put her wine glass down and stood up, seeing that Landon was starting to throw sand at Olivia, who in turn, had reached over and smacked her brother's arm. 

 

"No, Landon!" Sutton intervened and was met with a handful of sand in her mouth from Landon. "Mo-om!"

 

"I'm coming, Sutton," James turned around to face Lesly. "Yeah, think about that yearning for kids. This is what you get to look forward to!" James walked over to the sandbox and lifted Landon out. "Ok, you two. Let's get you in the bath before dinner."

 

"No, no bath!" Olivia retorted and went back to playing.

 

"Yes, yes, bath!" James grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet. Olivia began to whine and wail and no amount of soothing from her sister made her calm down in the least. Lesly stood to her feet, walking over to James and picking up Olivia. She thought about what James said but still wanted to talk to Chris about the possibility of starting a family in the next year or so. Even with Olivia kicking and screaming the whole way into the house.

 

“Chris?” Lesly whispered, later that night when they were snuggled in bed together.

 

“Hm?”

 

She knew he was about to go to sleep. They’d drunk way too much at James and JC’s and then had had sex twice when they’d gotten home. They were both exhausted, but Lesly wanted an answer to the question that had been plaguing her since the conversation she’d had with James earlier that evening.

 

“Chris, I want a baby,”

 

Silence.

 

“Did you hear me?”

 

“Mmhm,” Chris mumbled.

 

“I’m serious,”

 

“I know you are,”

 

Lesly sighed and sat up in bed. “Well, do you? Want a baby, I mean?”

 

“We just had sex twice, Lesly. I didn’t wear a condom. What does that tell you?”

 

“It tells me that I’m still on birth control and it’s a pretty strong dosage. So that tells me nothing,”

 

Chris sighed and rolled over to look up at her. “Les, if you want a baby, I want a baby.”

 

Lesly grimaced and shook her head. “That tells me nothing. I want to know if you want one. You can’t just say if I want a baby, then you do, too. It’s not like making a decision about where we want to go eat dinner!”

 

Chris chuckled and leaned on his elbow, reaching over to caress her hand. “Lesly, yes, I want a baby, too,” he looked at her silhouette in the darkness and her blond hair hung over her shoulders like she was some sort of a Greek goddess. He still sometimes couldn’t believe that she was his girlfriend. She was beautiful and he still had always thought of himself as average. “And I want one with you.” He pulled her down next to him and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her shoulder blade and her neck.

 

“Really?” she pushed herself away gently to look at him. “Are you really telling me this because you want one or because I do?”

 

Chris had to chuckle again. “Lesly,” he kissed her forehead. “I want a baby and I want one with you. I promise. Now, can we go to sleep, please?”

 

Lesly nodded against him and closed her eyes, a smile on her face, and drifted off to sleep.

 

Clay looked at his compiled collection of pictures, information, and everything else he'd managed to assemble over the last month and a half. It was almost too easy. He knew where the coffee shop, ballet studio, and talent studio were located. He knew where the Chasez's lived, where Chris Kirkpatrick lived, and where Chad and his lover were living. He knew where the elementary school was situated and the exact time Sutton had lunch, recess, and was released for the day. He flipped through pictures again and smiled to himself at the thought of getting to see her and meet her in just a matter of time. Yes, she looked a lot like James, but there was definite evidence that she was his daughter as well. She looked nothing like this JC character who was posing as her father. Why had he ever said he wanted nothing to do with this child? She was beautiful! And maybe if he'd never lost his temper, James would be with him and not this former flash in the pan husband she was married to now. 

 

He picked up one picture of Sutton and held it up, examining it. It was a rare picture of her looking straight at a paparazzo’s camera, a puzzled expression on her face. If JC had had any sense, wouldn’t he have punched out the idiot who was trying to get a picture of them? Clay knew he would have done that if anyone had tried to take a picture and then sell it of his daughter. And here this moron JC Chasez wasn’t doing anything about it and letting it be sold to all those tabloid magazines. How dare he? How dare he do this to Clay’s daughter?

 

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” he whispered to the picture. “It will be all okay soon. I’ll make sure you never have to worry about a stranger taking your picture.”

 

His phone rang. It was his mother.

 

“Clayton,” she barked into the phone. “Why did your therapist call me about your whereabouts? I thought you told me you were going to therapy!”

 

“I changed psychiatrists,” Clay lied, rolling his eyes at his mother through the phone.

 

“Well, you should at least tell him,”

 

“He’ll be fine,” Clay sighed and looked back at the picture in his hand. “Mom, I think I’m going to be going out of town for a few weeks.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Ah, well, I thought about possibly going down south for a while. Just to clear my head,”

 

“I think that’s a great idea, dear,”

 

Clay smiled. “I know. Just time for me and myself, you know?” And Sutton. I’m going to meet Sutton.

 

“You need it, Clayton. You’ve been through so much, son,”

 

If anyone felt sorry for him, it was his mother. Granted, she was about the only one left on the planet who felt anything for him.

 

“I know, Mom,” he went to the kitchen to retrieve a beer from the refrigerator. “Anyway, if anyone wants to know where I am for any reason, just tell them I’m on vacation.”

 

“Vacation,” his mother repeated as if she were writing it down. “When are you leaving?”

 

“Tomorrow. I’ll call you when I get there,” he sat down at his computer and began to look up hotels near or around Grayson. He found one right on the outskirts of the county, exactly ten minutes from Sutton’s school and fifteen from Main Street. It was almost too perfect. “I’m going to be in Daytona Beach,” he lied again.

 

“It’ll be too cold, dear,” his mother nagged at him.

 

“It’ll be fine, Mom,” Clay sighed. “I just need a new perspective.”

 

“I hope you get it,”

 

“Me too. I’ll call you tomorrow,”

 

Clay hung up the phone and began to fill out the online reservation form. The picture of Sutton was next to him and he glanced at it every so often as he typed. “Soon, baby girl. Soon your Daddy will be back,” he said to the picture as he printed the reservation form. He folded it neatly and went into the bedroom to begin packing, his heart racing as he thought about what was to come in the next day or so.

 

The drive to Grayson had been a familiar one for Clay. He’d taken it numerous times in college when he had been dating James. As he drove past familiar exits and signs, his mind wandered back to those days when he and James had been just starting to get serious. She wasn’t extremely popular, but everyone liked her. He’d seen her at a party and watched how she interacted with everyone and soon he was right by her side, introducing himself to her. That next weekend they’d gone on their first date and he’d put on the charm extra hard to woo her. He knew she’d been smitten and it hadn’t taken long at all for him to get her to sleep with him. His only flaw was that he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of any other girl that paid him attention. There’d been that fraternity party that James was going to be late getting to and so Clay had gone ahead and started drinking before she arrived. Since he’d already had three beers before the party, he was well on his way to being drunk and when a young, blonde girl had approached him, he backed her into a corner and began kissing her. That was when James had walked in and seen him with her own eyes. He’d sworn up and down that he wouldn’t do it again and she had taken him back. The blonde girl turned out to be Jennifer Duran, someone he’d go back and forth with his entire collegiate career and somehow, managed to do it all behind James’ back.

 

It wasn’t that James hadn’t been enough for him. She was amazing and everyone thought they were the perfect couple back then. It was just that she was busy. She wanted to take over the world and concentrated solely on her studies, barely having time for a boyfriend.

 

“I thought you said you finished that project last weekend?” Clay leaned against the doorframe of James’ bedroom in the campus apartment she shared with three other girls.

 

“That was two weeks ago. We have a project due every two weeks in this class. I told you that,” James was exasperated and didn’t look up at him. “Clay, I’m sorry. I can’t go with you to the Sigma Chi party. You’ll have to go on your own.”

 

“Just finish it tomorrow!” he’d persisted.

 

“No, tomorrow Chad’s coming in town, remember?”

 

Clay had rolled his eyes at that. Nothing came between her and her precious gay best friend. “Oh, I remember. We’re supposed to go pretend to be excited about that new restaurant he wants us to try.”

 

“I’m excited about it,” James retorted. “You don’t have to go.”

 

Clay came over to her and pulled her away from her desk. James had protested but Clay shook his head. “C’mon, James. Just live a little for once in your life.”

 

“No,” James pushed him away and Clay glared at her.

 

“Fine!” he raised his voice and headed for the door. “Just don’t get mad if I don’t call you tomorrow!”

 

And he hadn’t called her. He’d instead called Jennifer and spent the rest of the weekend at her sorority house, telling James that he’d decided to go home for the weekend. She hadn’t questioned him and thinking back on that, Clay became even more infuriated. She did what she wanted, that was for sure. How had JC Chasez ever kept her under his thumb?

 

The exit to Grayson was fast approaching and Clay began to feel the anxiousness and excitement build within him. As he pulled off the interstate, he took a breath and began to ponder just how he would finally meet Sutton face to face. He’d thought about it beforehand, but now it was actually here. He was on the outskirts of Grayson and Sutton was within reach. She wasn’t going to be just a picture he’d found on the Internet. Soon she’d be someone he’d know in the flesh. He drove on, discovering that Grayson hadn’t really changed all that much in the last 10 years. It looked just as it had when he’d been here with James.

 

The hotel wasn’t anything fancy, but it had free Wi-Fi, a continental breakfast, and cable television and when Clay checked in, the receptionist had informed him that all guests got 10% off at Brewster’s, the local coffee shop. Clay had only nodded at her as though he was impressed by this and acted as though he had never heard of Brewster’s. To make it even easier for him, she’d given him a map of the city, highlighting places and shops that he might be interested in seeing. Clay only nodded and smiled as though he’d never heard of any of them, took his key, and went up to the third floor. His room overlooked the pool and beyond that a billboard that advertised a local realtor with Century21. He set his things on the bed and immediately went over to the desk, pulled out his computer, and began to piece together what he knew about the Chasez’s.

 

First, he’d learned that there were three, second grade classes at Grayson Elementary and Sutton was in Caroline Pryor’s class. He’d combed the school’s website and found that Mrs. Pryor had a class website listing the entire schedule of each week for the students so that parents could easily see what their child was doing and when. It made it quite easy for Clay and he made sure to add it to his information. Sutton had recess in the morning, then Reading, then lunch. PE was on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon. They dismissed at 3:00. He’d then gone onto the dance studio’s website and looked up all of the schedules for each class. Sutton was in Intermediate Ballet in the afternoon on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:00. It was almost too easy.

 

And then there was James. Obviously, he knew nothing about her schedule, but there were profiles of each employee on the Brewster’s site and Clay took note of each one, making sure to attach a name to a face. There weren’t a lot of baristas, so Clay had an easier time of it than he’d thought. It also was nice that JC’s studio was adjacent to Sutton’s dance studio and next door to Brewster’s. He’d already decided that day to park his car unassumingly across the street from Brewster’s and wait. In order to do that, he knew he’d have to scope out Les Designs and Chad’s Interior Design office. He was starting to wonder if James’ entire group of friends had taken over Main Street. It sure seemed that way. Yet another thing that only made Clay more annoyed.

He went back downstairs, nodded at the receptionist, and went outside to get into his car. Starting the engine, he leaned back against the seat and pulled out his phone. He’d had three missed calls from his mother, another from his AA sponsor, and an 800 number – which, he assumed, was the collections agency out to get him. He’d deal with all of them later. There were more important matters to attend to.

 

“Great class, girls. You are all showing much improvement!”

 

Sutton beamed at her ballet instructor and skipped over to her gym bag with her friends Carly and Anna-Kate. Both girls were best friends with Sutton and had been in ballet with her since they’d all been small. Now they were all in Mrs. Pryor’s second grade class and on Friday night, Sutton was going to have a sleepover with them at Carly’s house.

 

“I have to go. I see my mom in the lobby!” Anna-Kate called to Sutton and Carly as she dashed out of the studio.

 

“Is your daddy picking you up today?” Carly asked Sutton, as they walked out into the lobby together.

 

“Yeah. I have to go upstairs to his office, though,” Sutton answered. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Carly!” She waved to her friend and walked towards the front of the entrance. She said hellos to people coming in and out and smiled at one mother who she heard whispering to her little girl, “That’s the girl whose dad I saw sing live one time!” Sutton had heard all about her father being in a band with Chris and Joey and Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass. But that had been a long, long time ago and Sutton, though she had seen a few videos, hadn’t really cared all that much about it. To her, her father was just that-her father. He was funny and he could sing and they had a great time together no matter what they did. She’d never known him as a famous celebrity and sometimes she couldn’t believe he ever was because he’d always just been “Dad” or “Daddy.”

 

She climbed the stairs to where her father’s office and studio were. She opened the door and smiled when she saw Chris sitting at the table in the front, talking on the phone. He was laughing and swiveling back and forth in his chair. He pulled a funny face at her when he saw her enter and Sutton giggled at him.

 

Chris put a hand over the receiver. “What’s up, kid?”

 

“Where’s my dad?” she asked him, putting her gym back and backpack on the couch in the lobby area.

 

“He’s back in the voice studio. I think he’s waiting for you,” Chris told her. “Huh? Yeah, babe, that’s Sutton.” He looked over at her again as she began to make her way towards the back. “Lesly says ‘hi’, Sutton.”

 

“Hi, Lesly!” Sutton replied, and continued to walk back to the voice studio. She opened the door and peeked in, watching her dad as he sat at the piano and hummed to himself while he plunked a few notes on the piano. He grinned when he looked up and saw Sutton standing in the doorway.

 

“Hey, honey,” he stood from the piano and Sutton walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

 

“Hi, Daddy,” she reached up to peck his cheek and JC took her hand, shutting off the lights as they left the room.

 

“How was dance?” he asked her, as they came back into the lobby.

 

“It was fun,” Sutton replied. “Dad, can we stop at Morrie’s and get a milkshake? I’m starving!”

 

JC chuckled and shook his head. “Honey, it’s almost time for dinner. You know your mom’s probably got something yummy for us at home.”

 

“Pleeee-ase?!” Sutton begged him, teasing him with a puppy dog frown.

 

“Ooh, me too!” Chris chimed in and tried to match Sutton’s face.

 

JC rolled his eyes. “No,” he looked at Chris and then at Sutton. “And no, babe. Not today. Another time, I promise.” He looked back at Chris. “You waiting for a client?”

 

Chris nodded. “Yeah. New vocalist from the high school. Says she’s auditioned for Disney, like that’s supposed to impress me. Sounds a little too hoity toity and full of herself if you ask me,”

 

“Be nice,” JC teased him. He looked down at Sutton. “Okay, Squirt, are you ready to get home?”

 

“Yep,” Sutton answered and turned to Chris. “ ‘Bye, Chris! See you tomorrow!”

 

“Tomorrow?” Chris questioned her, a puzzled look on his face.

 

“Well, yeah. You always come over with Lesly or I always see you at Daddy’s work,”

 

“Huh. True,” Chris shrugged then remembered his conversation with Lesly from a few minutes before. “Hey, C, call Lesly. She says she needs to tell you something.”

 

“About what?” JC asked, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

 

“Just call her,” was all Chris would say and JC sighed and waved as he and Sutton headed for the door.

JC unlocked the Mercedes and Sutton bounded for the backseat, immediately asking if he could put the top down. It was much chillier than it had been that morning, but JC relented and did as he was asked.

 

“But if you get sick, don’t blame it on your dad,” he told Sutton.

 

“Promise,” Sutton crossed her heart, then grinned at him. She giggled with delight as JC put the top down on the convertible. Fastening her seatbelt, she began to hum along with the radio as JC pulled out of the parking lot. A soft breeze came over them as they started down Main Street and turned off towards the house.

 

JC watched Sutton and grinned at her through the rearview mirror. He hadn’t wanted to say ‘no’ to the milkshake, but he also knew that if she got home and didn’t eat dinner, James would not be so pleased. He took his phone out and hit Lesly’s number on the speed dial, still looking at Sutton who was singing along to Selena Gomez.

 

“Hi, Josh,” Lesly answered on the first ring.

 

“What’s up,” he replied, turning the radio down ever so slightly.

 

“I assume you’re on your way home?”

 

“Your assumption is correct. What’s up?”

 

“Okay, look,” Lesly took a breath. “Your wife is dying for some alone time. She needs a spa day or some kind of a day where she’s not working or with your kids. And I think you should get her a day package to the Jekyll Island Club or something like that. I’ll take off work or Chris will take off or something so you’re not home with all four of them or Mrs. Ryan isn’t overwhelmed. But I really think you should do this and soon because-“

 

“Lesly, Lesly, I hear you,” JC cut her off and chuckled into the phone. “I think that’s a great idea. I’ll go on their site tonight and do something for her.”

 

“Good! Just let me know so I know when I need to be around,”

 

“I’ll do it, Les. Thanks for looking out for her,”

 

He hung up right as he pulled into the driveway.  “Hey, Sutton,”

 

“Yeah, Dad?”

 

“We’re gonna surprise your mom. How does that sound?”

 

Clay had seen it all. Sutton leaving ballet. Sutton walking up the stairs on the side of the building to the studio. Sutton coming back out with JC holding her hand. Sutton running to the car. He’d also seen the gaze in JC’s eyes looking at her. Clay didn’t want to admit it, but he knew that JC loved that little girl and he’d been smiling at her ever since they’d been walking down the stairs from his studio. He hit the steering wheel and started the car. He was getting angrier by the minute but he knew he still had much research left to do.

 

After all, it was just his first day in Grayson.